day one

the promised pictures from my first day of school!




today was our orientation day for PT school, and it was a tad overwhelming. its just so much information all at one time. but overall it was good. i think my class will be good, there are just a lot of people i don't know. i was thinking how much more nervous i would be if i hadn't gone to elon. coming to a new place on top of starting a very rigorous academic doctoral program would be very anxiety provoking for me.

we start classes tomorrow and i am looking forward to it. the first module, which only lasts one month, is most definitely an easing into the program. we take some introductory classes that let us get used to the routine and the way things work. its really the calm before the storm. because when module 2 starts in february, its going to be insane!

i'm watching the fiesta bowl, where ohio state isn't getting their butts kicked as much as i thought they were going to. i will probably go move into my bed to watch the second half though. my days start early now!!!

graduate student i am

well, it has come to be. i am officially a graduate student. a student for the last time.

when i finished my undergraduate last december, i thought 2008 would never come to an end. and here we are, the night before i start school for the last time. the past year was tough for me. starting off with my ankle surgery and the joys of depression that came along with it. it was an emotional up and down year. but as i look back, some wonderful things happened this year. working at st. marks was a wonderful thing for me; i got involved in ways that i never would have otherwise. i got to go to orange in april and catalyst in october. i am pretty sure that if i hadn't have worked at the church, i wouldn't have gone to mexico in november. my church has become such a huge part of who i am, and i am so thankful for that chance.

some pretty crappy things happened this year too. the ankle surgery was not a fun experience at all, and the aftermath was even worse. i had to deal with a lot of depression and anxiety about not being able to care for myself. i never want to re-live that part of my life. breaking up with jimmy was one of the hardest times for me too. it didn't end very well, and it was emotional for me, even though i know it was the right decision. three years of dating is a long time at my age and i gave up a lot for him, and for our relationship. he moved to burlington to be near me, and we talked so much of the future. a certain weekend trip to columbus for an ohio state game turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back. i saw that i was dating someone who didn't respect me or my mom and someone who had a serious drinking problem. everything that i thought he would grow out of became obvious that we weren't meant to be together. and now its even more obvious. he's already dating someone else, a freshman in college. i guess three years isn't really that long for some people.

but back to school. tomorrow is our orientation day, and i'm interested to see what they do. and the most exciting part? getting to sit through another 90 minute library orientation!! just like freshman year. maybe i will learn something new. i'm anxious to meet the people in my class and the professors i don't know. classes start tuesday. i really don't know what to expect. i know it will be different than undergraduate, but how? i know God would never give me something that i can't handle, so i'm not worried about making it through. its crazy to believe that in 3 years, i will graduate (again) and be able to get a job anywhere in the country i want. thats a pretty cool thing to think about.

i'm going to get some beauty rest for my first day of school. stay tuned for a super cool first day of school photo shoot that kara is coming over for in the morning!!