the midsemester stress has arrived

just when i think things are going to slow down, they speed right back up. Life never seems to give people a break. always from one thing to another. well, i cant complain, things are going great in my life, too fast, but great. i am definitley feeling the stress from school. I have a draft due for my integrative seminar in a week or so and i havent even started. This is basically a 20-25 page paper that is supposed to represent all that i have learned throughout this program. That is quite a burden, i think. :) my internship is also kicking my ass. It seems that teens get pretty messed up during the spring semester. every other student we see is either severly depressed, suicidal, cutting themselves, or attmepting to get pregnant in order to get what they want. my new job is going well, but doing therapy with families is quite challenging. I have my first few assessments to do tomorrow evening. I am hoping i will be up to the challenge. most of these families are in extreme crisis and they just need some outside support. I hope i can offer them that. my parents are still in houston. they have been there all week, so i have been trying to spend some time with my sis and crashing at my parent's place so she is not alone. fortunately, she is an awesome young woman and i dont spend too much time worrying about her. we are planning to go to houston on march 21 for my uncle's 40 day memorial. anyway, needless to say, i am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. this is the first few hours of alone time i have had in almost a week. It is kind of crazy how busy a person can get without even realizing it. I feel like i always have something else i need to be doing. My mind is working a million miles a minute all the time. I have realized that doing therapy is very draining on a person. :) well, spring break is coming up soon. i am house/kid sitting for my internship supervisor during plano's spring break and then i have to work during uta's spring break. Michael and i are hoping to at least have a few days of down time that we can spend together. his schedule this semester is just as crazy as mine, so finding some down time that is stress free has been quite a challenge. but, we are working on it and that is what i love about him. Anyway, life goes on, the hours keep chugging along. well, i am off to my sis's place for the evening. hope all is well out there.

where to start?

well, my parents spent last week in houston with my aunt and her children. They attended my uncle's funeral and attempted to comfort my aunt and the kids. Times were tough, to say the least. my parents are going to go back to houston on monday to stay with my aunt for a while longer. Well, my sis and i were not able to attend the funeral, but we plan to go down there in a few weeks to spend some time with them. It has been hard, but family sticks together and that makes it a bit easier.

Amist all this, Michael and i were able to salvage our first Valentine's Day together. Leslie went to college station to visit her boyfriend, so i prettied up the apartment and Michael and I spent the day together at my place. I set up a little candle light table at which we ate some ramen noodles and some chocolate covered strawberries. I had planned on cooking dinner, but we decided Lovers Egg Roll would be better. How great is that? I think i found the perfect match, someone who loves Lovers as much as i do. :) anyway, it was a nice evening. Best valetine's day I've ever had.

I filed my tax return today online, so i should get my big fat refund in 1-2 weeks directly deposited into my bank account. this is much needed money right now. Yeah for that!!! my job is going very well, i am really enjoying it. It seems that my job title should be case manager/therapist. I am actually doing family therapy with the families i will be working with. I am also in charge of running a group for 1st offender youths who have been court ordered to attend. I am currently cofacilitating the group with the woman who is leaving the job and i am really enjoying it. I think this job is a perfect fit for me right now. Also, the drive to Rockwall really isnt that bad. :)

jay is also in town now and that has been nice. I have not been able to spend much time with him yet, since i have been so busy, but hopefully this weekend, we will find some time to hang out. i did give him the hookah i got him from lebanon and he really liked it, so that was super great.

well, i am off to work. Have a great one.

life can be so unexpected sometimes

a very close friend of the family (basically like an uncle to me) passed away last night. My parents went to houston today to be with his wife and their 3 children. this family is the closest thing my family has to real family here in texas. we always spend thanksgiving together. I feel so sad for them. It was so unexpected. i am feeling very sad about this, but i am going to do my best to be strong. I hope i can be there for my sister, we are going to spend the weekend together. anyway, i have to run, i need to start some dinner. always remember to let your loved ones know you love them.

I'm still alive, i promise :)

well, hello everyone!! so, to fill you all in on the crazy life of nada. Where do i begin? i started my job as case manager today. i only worked 5 hours and it was basically filling out a bunch of paperwork and watching two videos, one about ethics (3 hours) and one about working with adolecsents with attachment and separation issues (as in the kids i will be working with) (1.5 hours). anyway, the video about the adolescents was very good, i learned quite a bit. the ethics video was also pretty good, but it could have definitley been condensed to about an hour instead of three. Anyway, i guess a more positive way to look at today is that i made some money, which i am really running low on, so that is a great thing. :) I am hoping to be able to sit in on a family assessment tommorrow at noon, but i am not sure since i havent been able to do my drug/TB test yet. I didnt have time to go today and you have to be able to go back in 48 hours after your TB test so they can read the results, so i have to wait till wednesday so that i can make it in on friday. Anyway, i hope they let me sit in on the assessment anyway. :)

school is still going fine. I am very, very, very ready to graduate, but hopefully i can make it till may. I am still learning quite a bit at my internship. the kids that i am working with this semester seem to be a bit tougher. most of them are severely depressed and i have already had a few suicidal kids. also, i am working with one young man who is quite racist and that has been very hard for me. It has definitley tested my skills at keeping my personal views separate from my professional views. i have to keep reminding myself that no matter how much i disagree with this kid, he is entitled to believe whatever he would like to believe. My job is to help him with his problems, not to change his views about things. anyway, need less to say, i am still learning quite a bit.

well, the superbowl was a good time. i know you all never thought you would hear me say that. But, i guess when I get to watch it laying in the arms of the man i love (that's you, michael :), it makes it all that much better. I did fall asleep during the last quarter, but what else in new right. :) also, i made my mom's famous layer dip and it was quite a hit.

this week has been quite eventful as far as what is going on in my head. :) I think i have finally decided that i am ready to face some of my deepest fears. I think i am finally tired of having old shit still affect my life, so i am going to make a change. I have a lot of wonderful people in my life right now and they are all willing to be there for me, i guess i just need to learn how to let them. :)

on another great note, jay is coming into town next weekend. I think he is staying for a few weeks, so that should be much fun. I havent seen him in a very long while. well, i have to run. I'm out!