lots to say

This has been quite a week and it is only Wednesday. Well, Monday was a very busy, yet productive day. I called several junkyards in the area to find out if any had the back quarter window on a '94 Nissan Altima. Well, one of them did and fortunately it was only 25 minutes away from my work, so I went to pick it up during lunch. It cost me $40, which is not great, but is much better than what it would've cost at the dealer. then, I spent some time online trying to figure out how to put in this window. Luckily, I found a blog by this grad student who had detailed, step by step directions on how he put the window in his toyota. So, I had two major things to take care of when I got home: put in my car window and make stuffed mushrooms for my work's potluck on tuesday. So, I jetted home after work, cleaned the mushrooms and put them to soak in the marinade. Then, headed downstairs with my toolkit and my internet directions (thank goodness for blogs and nice people). It took me about an hour to get the window in, but I did it. Now, I did have some help.

Here it goes: I will say that even though I think there are a lot of mean people in this world(like the ones that broke my window), there are also a lot of nice people out there. So, the directions tell me to unscrew the divider between the main window and the quarter window and by pulling that back, there should be enough room to put the window in. Well, I am having a tough time pulling the divider and pushing in the glass at the same time. Anyway, this guy passes me on his way to the laundry room and says hello. I wave back. On his way back, I am still struggling with pulling and pushing at the same time, so he kindly offers his help. (another "nice person") Well, he helps by pulling the divider as I push the window in. It works out pretty well. then, you have to push the divider while also screwing in this screw and we did that, but I was not completely satisfied with the job (I really do think I am somewhat of a perfectionist :). So, when he left, I unscrewed the divider again to try to make the window just a little more seated in its home. Anyway, I was trying to get the screw back in and my two hands were not enough, so I called gabe (michael's cousin) and he came to help. (third "nice person") anyway, it all ended up working out and it only took about an hour. It still isn't perfect, so I might try and mess with it later in the week when I Michael isn't working, so I can have his help, but it is good for now.

So, after all that is said and done, I am way tired, but I still have to make the mushrooms for the potluck. So, I get that taken care of and it is about 9:00 in the pm when I finally get to sit down. Talk about a long day. It started at 6:00 in the am with a workout at the gym and didn't end till 9:00. Anyway, it is over and I am officially an expert mechanic. :)

well, tuesday was just as long. I had my Spanish class after work yesterday. I am feeling sort of sick, so I thought about not going. but, I am so glad I went. It was so much fun and I really feel like I am learning some spanish. Well, today is another day. I am looking forward to some R & R this evening. Michael is going to make some chicken soup for dinner tonight, so hopefully that will help my throat and I will feel better soon. We are planning to go to Oklahoma to visit Michael's sister this weekend, so I would really like to feel better before then. His sister is the only one of Michael's siblings that I have not had the chance to meet yet, so I am looking forward to it. Well, that is enough for now. Peace out.

Oh yeah, about the weekend

so, Friday night, my parents took Michael and I out for dinner. Overall, it was a nice dinner. I was very nervous about this dinner. As most of you know, I am very different from my parents and that has caused us quite a bit of stress in the past. So, my parents got to know more about Michael and his family and we discussed plans regarding the wedding. We already had some differing ideas, but I am certain it will work out. We also told them about our plans to join the Peace Corps. That didn't go over too well. It was ok, but there was definitley some tension. I know that my parents dont't really understand why Michael and I want to do this, but I have no question that it is what we want. I don't see myself just going to work everyday and living this 40 hour a week lifestyle. It is not enough for us. Overall, they said that we can do what we want because it is our life. I guess that is all I can really ask for them to say. Anyway, Saturday night, we went out with Will, Mark, and Nat and had a blast. We had such a good time. It was so nice to see them and hang out with them. Will had to leave after dinner, but Mark, Nat, Michael and I went over to Obzeet and drank and danced the night away. It was a great time. I always enjoy hanging with Will, Mark and Nat. They are good people. Sunday was a bit lazier and I spent some time looking over my new wedding book and Michael and I went to see Without a Paddle. There were some funny parts, but overall, it was not that great. When we got to my car after the movie, my back small window had been broken. Nothing was stolen, but the window was broken. I was pretty pissed off. Some people in this world can be so mean. Anyway, I talked to my dad and we decided to hit some junk yards and see if we can find the window in an old Nissan. I hope that works out and that this is not too much of a hassle. Anyway, I am off to get some work done.

Life moves way too fast sometimes...

I think many people in this world are wedding crazy. So, Michael and I got engaged last Tuesday, it hasnt even been a whole week yet and I have been asked so many crazy questions. Things like "have you set a date yet?" or "Have you looked at dresses yet?" or "Have you found a location for the wedding yet?" or "Have you found a priest to do the ceremony yet?" or "How many guests will you be having?" or "Are you going to make your own invitiations?" or "What colors are you going to use for your wedding theme?" or "Who will be in your wedding party?" or "Are you guys writing your own vows?" or "What time do you plan on having your wedding, morning or evening?" Ok, you get the idea. I could go on with all the crazy questions I have been asked. I definitley think those are all very valid questions, but we havent had time to really think about any of them. People go crazy when you tell them you are going to get married. Now, it might not seem crazy to other people, but I have never really thought about my wedding, so it is crazy to me. Michael and I have some ideas about how we want to do our ceremony and I think it will be so perfect for us. The problem arises in that it will not be perfect for my parents and probably some of his family. I know that it will be impossible to please my parents, but we want to do this wedding for us. This is the only time we will ever get married and it is our expression of what we feel towards each other. I want it to be about us and what we want. I know it will be hard for me to stand up for what we want, but I will do it. It means that much to us. Anyway, all things considered, I am really excited about a future with Michael. The wedding, I am sure, will be great, so I keep telling myself not to get stressed and not to worry about it. Everything will work out, I am certain of that.

Another problem arises when people ask me if I am going to change my name or not. I am not sure yet and it is a very tough decision for me. I feel like it would definitley be easier to change my name. There would be much less hassle when it comes to dealing with organizations and the rest of the world. But, on the other hand, if I change my name, I feel like I will be compromising some of what I believe in. I have spent my life living in what we call "a man's world" and I feel I have spent a big part of my life working to make this world a little more equal among the genders. I dont know how well I have done with that, but I know it is something I spend a lot of time thinking about. I feel that changing my name to Lambert would allow us to unite together, but I also feel like I would be compromising something in changing my name. Nada Lambert doesnt sound so bad at all to me and I think a large part of me would love to take my fiance's name. I love him and that is not where the reservations come in. I think, what if I have a daughter in the future and I try to raise her to be an independent, self sufficient woman who really believes she can do whatever she wants to do. Now, what if she looks at me one day and asks why I changed my name to her dad's name? What do I tell her? I spend so much time talking about how it doesnt make any sense to me to take a man's name just becuase you want to marry him and then I go do it. I feel like there would be some great contradictions there. I guess the way I see it is Michael and I have decided to join our lives together to form one life we can share for the rest of our lives. It is a union, so why does one person change their name instead of both people changing their names to a hyphenated name or a whole new name. Anyway, I have a lot to think about regarding this, but I am hoping i will figure it out. One thing I would like to say is that I am so grateful that Michael is cool with whatever I decide. He has basically said that it is my decision and he is cool either way. Thank goodness I found him. :) Oh yeah, if any of you out there have any pearls of wisdom regarding changing my name or not, please talk to me.

Two things I forgot

I forgot to tell you all two things about Michael's wonderful proposal. You all know how much I love music. Well, he had put together a CD of a bunch of romantic songs so we could listen to it on our way to Austin. I am listening to the CD right now at work and it is so wonderful. On our way to Austin, before every song, Michael would explain how it relates to us or how he feels about me. It was truly amazing. One of the songs actually made me cry, but Michael does not know that because I was blindfolded. :)

Second, he even asked my dad before he asked me. Isn't that so sweet? The whole thing was perfect, I can't imagine a way it could have been better.

Well, thank you all for your congratulations and well wishes. I really appreciate all your love and support.

Never thought it would happen, did you?

Neither did I. :) Well, yesterday was quite an amazing day. Michael told me that he wanted to take me to Pirahna, our favorite sushi place, for our 1 year anniversary. I thought that was a great idea. Anyway, he told me to dress up, so I bought a new blouse and got all prettied up. Well, we went to dinner and as usual, it was delicious. Then, Michael started driving. He blindfolded me and wouldn't tell me where we were going. If you know me, this made me feel somewhat uncomfortable since I hate not knowing what is going on. Anyway, I was being sort of grouchy since I had no idea what was going on and I hate waiting. Well, after 3.5 hours, we arrived in Austin at Mount Bonnell. We walked up the stairs and looked out over the lake at the beautiful view for some time. Then, 2 minutes till midnight, Michael got down on one knee and proposed to me. I started crying, of course. I said yes. It was perfect. Anyway, after that, we drove back to Arlington, so I could get to work in the morning. Needless to say, I am feeling a bit tired today, but I think I will make it. Well, during the drive home, Michael filled me in on all the little lies he has been telling me over the past few weeks so he could get this all planned out. I think what means the most to me is how much effort and planning he put into this. I really appreciate that. He got me a very pretty stand in ring with a rose on it. It is very beautiful. He told me he is having my real ring custom made so it will be a few weeks before it is finished. Isn't he the sweetest? Well, I definitley think he is. :) I never really imagined how I would be proposed to because I never really thought it would happen for so many reasons. But, if I had pictured it, it would have been just like that. I feel so lucky to have met a man that complements me so well.

Well, thank you to all of you who stuck by me when I was so cynical and negative about men. I can't thank you enough because your kind words helped me find Michael, my fiance. Wow, that sounds crazy, I have a fiance. :) Anyway, I am off to try to get some work done before I meet with some kids this afternoon. Wish me luck.

I'm so excited, I just can't hide it (singing)

Well, it is 4:00 and I have one more hour before I get ready to head out of here today. I took a half hour lunch , so I am leaving a half hour early today so Michael and I can get some dinner and have a super evening to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. I brought the nice fancy clothes that I bought yesterday to work today, so I can change here and get all prettied up to meet my beau. The way I see it, tonight can only be spectacular. Good food, good drinks, great company, amazing conversation, and something wonderful to celebrate. I am really looking forward to this evening. Michael and I have been dating for a year, but I feel like I have known him my whole life. It is amazing how much you can confide, trust, and love someone in such a short time. I have no doubt that this evening will be amazing, as it always is when I hang out with my love. Well, I am off to counsel a few more kids before I head out for the evening.

Good times

well, I have quite a bit to fill you all in on. It was a great weekend, as expected. The drive down to Austin was a lot of fun. My sis and her friends were totally cool. We dropped them off at my bro's place and then hit the town. We headed straight to Trudy's, which was nice, as usual. We both had the delicious, scrumptious Mexican Martini. It was like ambrosia to my taste buds. After that, we went to South Congress and did some shopping at all the cool, quirky stores they have down there. Then, we checked in at the hotel and took a short nap since we were both pretty tired from having to wake up so early. Then, we headed over to the Oasis to get some drinks and see the sunset over Lake Travis. It was beautiful. :) Then, we headed over to Reed's Jazz and Supper Club for some steak and seafood. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful day. Sunday, we slept in a bit and then headed over to the Greenbelt to do some hiking. Unfortunately, the water was all dried up so we could not go swimming, but the hike was still very nice. Then, we went to eat at Hula Hut and stuffed ourselves full to the brim. I was so full, it hurt to breathe. Then, we headed up to see Mount Bonnell. It was very beautiful, but the trek up the stairs was tough after having eaten so much. :) Then, we jetted over to Spider House and met up with Kim. We chatted it up and drank coffee with Kim till we had to head out and pick my sis and her friends up. The drive home was a bit harder since it was at night and I was pretty tired, but we made it home just fine. My sis and her friends had a great time at Austin City Limits and Michael and I had a super time living it up in Austin. I couldn't have asked for a better celebration of one year with Michael. It was truly wonderful.

Well, today it is back to work. It was hard to get out of bed this morning, since we didn't get home till pretty late, but I made it. I went shopping during lunch today and bought two new blouses. I am going to wear one tomorrow evening when Michael and I go to Pirahna for the best sushi ever. I also bought some new jewelry to go with the blouse. You can't buy a new blouse and not also buy some jewelry to accent it. :) Tomorrow is actually our one year anniversary, so we are going to dinner to celebrate. I think it will be a wonderful time. Pirahna is always a great time.

Today at work has been pretty slow, but that is kind of nice since I am feeling kind of tired. I am hoping to just take it easy tonight when I get home. The weekend was fun, but it was also pretty tiring. I could use some R & R tonight. Well, I am off to get some work done. Peace out.

It was a good work week

Well, it looks like this job is really looking up. This week was pretty great. I felt that I was pretty busy most of the days, but not busy to the point of being stressed. I got to know more of the kids at each of my clubs and interacted more with the staff. I got 5 new referrals, which brings my caseload up to 9. I am really excited about getting started seeing my new clients. I think it is always much harder to pick up clients from a previous counselor. i think it is much easier and more productive to start with a clean slate. Anyway, i am so glad that i am enjoying work once again. I am still able to work on some personal stuff during my down time, but i also feel like i have a lot to do regarding work and i think with the more referrals, i will be even busier next week. YEAH!!!

Well, Michael, my sis, two of her friends, and I are off to Austin bright and early tomorrow morning. I am really looking forward to this trip. I am really looking forward to getting out of town for a few days and to spending some quality time in Austin with my honey. :) I think the car drive there should be a great time also since we will have some extra company. My sis always has good music, so I cant wait to hear what CD's she brings along. Michael and I spent some time talking last night about some of the things we want to do while we are in austin. we are planning on going to trudy's (of course), then doing some shopping on the drag and south congress, then heading to oasis to watch the sunset and get a few drinks, then on to reed's jazz and supper club for some dinner and jazz music and then maybe on to 6th or 4th street to hit a bar or something. I would like to check out the Red Fez, which is a hookah bar on 5th street. well, on sunday, we are hoping to go hiking in the green belt and see mount bonnell and get some food by the lake at hula hut. I am really looking forward to this weekend. I'll let you all know how much fun we had on Monday. Have a great weekend everyone. Also, please keep May-Ling and Leith in your thoughts as they started their trek to Cali today. Thanks.

I miss May-Ling...

and she hasn't even left yet. Even though we havent gotten to see each other as often as before, it was still so comforting to have her 3.5 hours away. Cali is a lot further than 3.5 hours. Growing up is hard. Moving on is hard. Change is hard. All that being true, I firmly believe, the only true way to continue growing and changing is to always experienc life to the fullest. I read somewhere that people rarely regret trying something and most often regret the things they were to scared or to shy or to worried, etc. about doing. I never want to have any regrets about not doing something, no matter how hard or scary that something is. Life is full of so many possibilities, it all just depends on how many of those possibilities you choose to accept.

One of my best friends is off to begin a new journey of her own in Cali. I am certain she will have a fabulous time and will be able to experience so many new things. I also am certain that her and her boyfriend (Leith) will be able to use this opportunity to continue growing and changing together. I will miss her so much. My heart aches and my eyes are watering even as i write these words. Thinking about her leaving is not a pleasant thought, but I know it will be an amazing journey. On the bright side, now I have another reason to visit the wonderful state of Cali. Well, I have a meeting to head out to, so I am off. I will try and continue this later.

I am a critter magnet

So, it seems that I am loved by all critters. Here is the story. So, i get home on Monday night around 8:30 after working out and getting some groceries and such at the store. well, I make myself some dinner and turn on the tube. At about 10:15, i had already fallen asleep on the couch, so i was going to make my way to bed. as i was brushing my teeth with my eyes half asleep, i see Joe again. Well, I am not sure it was Joe, but he was freakin' huge. So, this time I think instead of trying to kill him myself and failing again, i would call for backup. Well, my hero, Michael, was working, so I called Gabe, Michael's cousin and roommate. I bet i sounded pretty pathetic because Mallory (Gabe's girlfriend) and Gabe came right over. Gabe arrived with a 2x4, a throwing knife, and a blow dart gun. As soon as i opened the door, I just started cracking up when i saw him standing there with his weapons. anyway, Gabe began blowing darts at the roach since he was by my ceiling. He missed the first two, but got him on the third. It was so gross, Joe was just pinned to the wall hanging there squirming. I felt really bad, but i think joe has harassed me enough. It is still so crazy to me how much i dislike roaches, but dont really mind other bugs like spiders and stuff. So, thank you Gabe for your help.

This morning, I get into my office and sit down in my chair and all a sudden an object scurries from under my desk to behind my book shelf. I see it running across my office and it is a mouse or rat or something of that kind of critter. So, I have decided that since we have lived peacefully together for over a month now, i will let him be as long as he does not bother me. I have decided to name him Jack. I have a feeling Jack and I are going to become great friends. :)

Well, the rest of the week has been pretty good. I am getting more accustomed to the club staff and the kids. I spent the afternoon on monday and tuesday just hanging out with the kids and helping out the club staff at the club my office is located in. It was a great time. Many of the kids recognize my face now and know my name. I also got a new referral. YEAH!!! Hopefully this rapport building and these presentations will continue to be helpful in gaining more referrals. I can honestly say if everyday at this job can be like monday and tuesday were, I will really enjoy this job. We will see how it goes, but it seems to be looking up now.

My spanish class is going well. I had my second class yesterday and we learned more vocab, the numbers, some verb conjugations and much more. I am really enjoying it. I cant wait till i can learn more. Unfortunatley, I am going to have to skip my class next week, but it is for a great reason. Michael and I will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary. We are going to Pirahna, of course. :) Anyway, I think this spanish class will really be a good thing. I am already feeling like i can understand a bit more of what the kids are saying and such. well, i am off to get some work done.

A case of the Mondays

Well, I am off to a slow start today. It was very, very hard to drag myself out of bed this morning. I was supposed to get up and work out at 6:00 in the am, but that did not happen. I am hoping to head to the gym after work. Anyway, my head is still a little fuzzy and I am taking my sweet time sipping on my morning caffeine. :) Well, the weekend was nice. Michael and I went to Grapefest in Grapevine on Saturday. It is basically an outdoor festival with food, vendors, a carnival, and some beer and wines. It was a lot of fun. We rode the Kamikaze and I truly think that carnies rule. It was so scary and the whole time I was up there, all I could keep thinking was that this thing could fall apart any second because it was just put together this morning. :) Well, I am a firm believer that it is always great to have the shit scared out of you every so often. After the festival, we headed over to Grapevine Mills Mall and walked around there for a bit. It is such a large mall. We also saw Napoleon Dynamite, which was quite funny. The lead actor did a great job playing the quirky, highschool nerd. The movie definitely made me laugh. Then we got some dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe, which is a pretty cool place, but I think the menu is a little pricey. Overall, it was a pretty great day. Sunday was another lazy day full of lounging, watching TV and catching up with friends. And today it is back to the grind. The weekend seems to go by way to quick for me. Well, some good news is that Wednesday is payday. Yeah for that!!

This weekend, Michael, my sis, her friends, and I are all heading down to austin. I am looking forward to it. I think my sis and her friends will have a great time and I am certain Michael and I will have a blast in Austin. All I have to do now is make it through the week. Wish me luck.

I have decided to take a risk...

I have made my decision. I have decided to plead not guilty and try to fight the system. I have never done this before, but the plan is simple. I check the "not guilty" box and "trial by judge" box on the back of my ticket and send it in the mail. Shortly thereafter, I will recieve a notice in the mail letting me know the date and time of my trial. Best case situation: I show up to the trial and the cop does not and my ticket is dismissed. Worst case situation: I show up to the trial, the cop shows up and I cant argue my case well enough and i have to pay the ticket. I dont have a single ticket on my record, so even if this happens, I would rather try and fight the system than just take it. I have decided either way that it messes with the cop because either he doesnt show up and the ticket he gave me gets dismissed or he has to show up on his day off. So, either way he has to work harder. :) I guess I shouldnt feel this way because i was speeding, even though so was the rest of the traffic, but i am tired of working within the system all the time. so, wish me luck.

Suckage

well, some days suck harder than others and today is a major sucking day. So, I woke up a bit earlier today so I could leave the house earlier in order to make it to a training I had at work today. I wanted to get there a little bit early, you know me, early everywhere I go. Anyway, I was way ahead of schedule (but i was still speeding) and as I was driving west on I-30, I get flagged by a cop who was standing on the side of the road with his ray gun out. I thought about trying to speed away from him for a second, but then I thought better of the idea. Anyway, he stopped me and gave me a ticket for 77 in a 60. this is my second ticket in a 4 month period. I just finished my 90 day defferment period for my previous ticket after finishing defensive driving. well, needless to say, I was pretty pissed off. So, I continue driving to the training and I cannot find the place. The directions I was given are horrible. Well, I finally find this place and it is right at 9:00 (the training starts at 9). anyway, I get there and it seems that she has not started yet, luckily. well, the training was from 9-4 today and it was about HIV/AIDS and STD information. It was pretty informative, but definitley not very uplifting. anyway, I have tried to raise my spirits, but it is quite hard. I find myself so easily turning to those thoughts of "my luck sucks". I know that is not the case, but it certainly feels that way sometimes. When i got that ticket this morning, I thought "out of all the damn cars out there, why did he have to stop me?" I wasnt going any faster than anyone else. anyway, that is the way things go. I still dont know what to do about the ticket. Someone told me that I should plead not guilty and show up for the court date. the officer rarley shows up and then they dismiss the ticket. My concern is what if the officer does show up? another option is to take defensive driving again because my first ticket was in dallas, this one is in fort worth. another option is to do deffered adjudication. getting the ticket dismissed sounds great since it is the cheapest option, but again, what happens if the officer shows up? well, if any of you out there have any advice, i would really appreciate some help.

Yeah for Spanish Class and Arturo Pena

Now, that is said like R-Two-Row Pay-Nya. That is my professor's name, he is totally great. He is very funny and very knowledgable. He has been teaching this class for 9 years and it seems like he really knows what he is talking about. My class is full of other professionals like social workers, nurses, surgeons, teachers and many others. I think I am really going to enjoy it and learn how to speak some Spanish all at the same time. I already know the vowel sounds, ah, eh, ee, oh, ooh (like Pooh as Arturo would say :) By the end of the class yesterday, I was able to translate a paragraph. I think this is going to be the beginning of something great.

got to love those 3 day weekends

well, sorry it took me so long to post after the weekend, our internet has been down at work. :) well, the weekend was pretty great. Michael and I went to see Garden State on Friday and we both really enjoyed it. I loved it. I thought it was a very real movie. The guy from Scrubs wrote, directed, and starred in it. Natalie Portman did a great job also. It was a movie about so many things and you could tell what the writer wanted to get across. there were so many emotions and feelings and thoughts that so many of us experience that filled the movie. I though it was amazingly done.

Saturday, Michael's brother was in town, so we spent some time getting some dinner and hanging out with him and his friends on saturday evening. It was nice to see his brother again. Sunday was a pretty lazy day. We spent a lot of time lounging around and it was a very much needed break. sunday evening, I jetted up to north dallas to hang with may-ling and her family. this is the last time i will see may-ling and leith before they head off to cali. I am really excited for them, but i am also very sad to see may-ling move so far away. I know it will be great for her, but i will definitley miss her. well, this gives me another reason to go visit cali. :)

Monday, I did some shopping, bought a new purse becuase mine was way outdated and did some grocery shopping and just lounged some more. overall, it was a pretty nice weekend. I definitley can't complain.

also, I asked off work on oct. 8 and 11 so i can have a 4 day weekend and Michael and I are going to take a trip. we are going to stop in amarillo, albequerque and santa fe. we have not decided exactly what we are going to do, but i am sure the trip will be a great time, as usual. well, i am off to counsel some kids. :)

Joe's friends...

So, I was very peacefully taking a shower this morning before work and who do I see sitting in the shower with me, it is not Joe (he was not big enough), but one of Joe's friends. It seems that Joe went back to his home and told his his roach friends that my home was a friendly home and that they would not die there. But, this little guy, we will call him Frank, was very mistaken. He was killed by my hero, Michael. :) Well, I guess, I have a roach problem. This has never happened to me before, so I was not sure what to do. Michael helped me and we decided I should purchase some of those roach killer things that you put all over your house and buy a can of Raid!! If that doesn't work, the next step is to let my apartment complex know so they can come spray and kill them all!!! Insert evil cackling laugh here. Well, I still haven't run into Joe again, but if he has the courage to come back, he is going to encounter some nasty poisons that he will inhale and take back to his home where all the other roaches will die.

wow, I sound pretty mean. Ok, it is not that I don't like roaches, I just don't like them in my apartment, sleeping and showering with me. It is so weird because I love camping and when we go camping, the bugs don't bother me at all. I guess it is a different mindset. Camping and living in my clean, soon to be roach free apartment are two very different things.

well, today presents as a great day. The other social worker and I are going to meet to develop all the information we would like to share with the staff members regarding our counseling services. I have put my thinking cap on and am ready to begin. I'm off to start making changes.

One year of blissful fun

well, Michael and I's one year anniversary is September 21 and my sis and a few of her friends want to go to Austin the weekend of September 18 and 19 to attend Austin City Limits, so Michael was able to get off work and we are going to take my sis and her friends to Austin, drop them off at my brother's house (he is also attending ACL) for the weekend and have ourselves a nice romantic few days in Austin. I am looking forward to it. I wanted to do something special, but I also didn't want to spend too much money, so this will work out great. I have been looking up some neat things to do in Austin and some cool restaurants we could eat at. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Thanks and have a great hump day.

And the quest for change continues...

So, we had a site visit (as it is lovingly referred to) yesterday. In reality, this site visit was an audit for one of our grants, actually the grant that my position is funded by. Well, as far as I could tell, the audit seemed to go well. The audit lady seemed very interested and even a bit impressed with the program, so I think that was a good thing. She did have a lot of questions, which I think is great. During the meeting, I started daydreaming, which is not uncommon for me. I started thinking about the many things that I have not liked about my job thus far and I began imagining ways to change those things. So, here is what I have come up with.

Here is the layout. I am part of the Prevention Services team which consists of 6 prevention educators, 1 support services staff, 1 administrative assistant, 1 supervisor and 2 social workers. Basically during all our meetings since I have started at this job, the focus has been on the educators and their numbers. The social workers just kind of sit there and well...daydream. :) The other counselor and I split our time between the 7 clubs, I have 3 clubs and she has 4. We each carry a regular caseload of about 5-8 clients, which in my mind is extremely low. Now, the way a child can begin participating in counseling services is that they have to be referred by a staff member at one of the clubs. We get the referral and get the parents to sign a consent form, then we can begin counseling. Now, in my opinion there are many more kids at these clubs that could benefit from counseling services, I just think they are not being referred. I think this is true for several reasons. First off, I have noticed that most of the staff at the clubs don't even know there is a counseling component or if they know that, they are really not sure what we do or how to get a kid into counseling. Secondly, there has been a lot of turnover in these social worker positions and I think that has jaded staff members about the positive effects that counseling can have. I have definitely felt like an outsider at the clubs and even within my own staff. I think there is much education that needs to be done, so on to the plan.

here is what I am thinking. I am thinking that the other social worker and I need to get together and develop some informative flyers that can teach others exactly what our program is about. We need to lay out exactly how a kid can be referred to counseling and then what happens when they being counseling, how often we see them, what are the types of issues a child can be referred for, how often we will update staff on the progress of the kids and much more. We also need business cards (that I will develop on the computer) to make us more accessible. After this information has been developed, we plan to go to each club during their regular staff meetings and take a few minutes to introduce ourselves and explain the program and pass out all the information. I think this will help clear up any confusion about what the counseling is all about. I think it will also help the staff see our faces and learn exactly what we do. I also think it would be a good idea to go to each club and meet with the 10 year olds and up so that we can let them know what we do and if they have a problem they, can come talk to us or talk to a staff member so they can be referred to begin counseling. I think the bottom line is that we need to make the counseling department its own distinct program that all the staff members at each club know about. I think that the counseling service at the clubs is so important, but is definitely being under utilized. So, hopefully this initiative will allow for more kids to take advantage of the counseling services. It feels so great to have a purpose again. I am not the type of person that is cool just sitting around and doing nothing, so wish me luck.

Oh, by the way, Joe and I have had no further interactions. Yeah for that!!