Tuesday, January 28, 2014

serenading


Ben's been practicing his guitar skills on the kitties.
I made it to Group Dynamics class on Monday!
And it was a really great class, so I'm  glad it happened... even though Ben didn't have to go to school.
Pretty much all of the elementary, middle, and high schools in the area canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday. 
No colleges canceled day classes on Monday, but they started canceling Monday evening classes and Tuesday day classes. 
I don't have Tuesday classes, so it didn't really effect me. 
That means I read, cleaned and babysat today. 

Tomorrow is a BUSY day. 
Two classes, a planning meeting, and my FIRST GROUP at a detention center.
I'm VERY excited to get practicum rolling. 

This weekend should be pretty eventful.
My good friend Bethany is traveling to Madison for a college recruiting trip, so we're going to visit her on Saturday.
Then on Sunday we have our MKE Mennonite Church Winter Retreat out at one of our church member's farm. Going to be a worship service, food, games, and sledding...or staying warm inside.
Should be a lot of fun. 

Hope everyone is staying warm.
I am pining for some 30 degree days...which I think says a lot about my desperation. 
Looking forward to the sun staying out longer and warming weather...someday

Friday, January 24, 2014

heat



Looks like today will be snowy with a high of 25.
A heatwave, I know. 
But Monday is currently forecasted for a high of -2 and a low of -18.
So I FINALLY went out and bought a heater for the icebox that is our living room. 
Feeling much more comfortable. 
It sort of wish that they would cancel school again (I don't think they will), but I REALLY want to have my first Group Dynamics class. 
Chris is teaching it and I LOVE his insight as far as art therapy and neuroscience go. 

Ben is finishing up his first week of teaching today (with the exception of Monday).
There have been some struggles, but also some great successes.
He's adjusting his teaching style and figuring things out...because he's good at that. 
He also had his last commitment with the youth symphony last night, so he's officially done with that job. 

I had my Addictions Counseling class last night and the teacher is fabulous.
Seems VERY knowledgable and approachable. 
Looks like we'll be doing a lot of practice with interviewing and conversing with "clients" this semester. 
SO EXCITED for this semester. 

I don't actually have any obligations today...so that means I'll be reading all of the books that I'll barely have time to read as the semester progresses. 

Happy Friday. 


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

haircut



I present to you, the long-angled bob.
Nothing like the look and feel of fresh cut hair.
Great way to start the semester.
And thank heavens for filters on smartphone cameras for those days when you wake up at 6:00 am and need to hide the bags under your eyes. 

Two posts today!
Check out the other below. 

therapizing


I didn't have any new Instagram pictures for you, so I pulled an Instagram picture from my favorite Wichita florist...Beards Floral.
They have the most beautiful and unique arrangements. 

Productive Tuesday thus far!
Went to the post office to send some mail that has to travel to foreign countries.
Went to school to change my name to its correct form (remember that DMV debacle?). 
Checked out the fitness center. 
It was completely empty, so I lifted weights for awhile. 
And I'm happy to report that I set up my first therapy session with the school counselor.
I'm really quite excited.
Her name is Ellen, and she seems super nice.
I realized that I don't get my dose of "therapy" from coffee dates with my many female friends that I used to have around at Bethel (the majority happen to be social workers). 
For a moment I thought I might not mention that I was going to start seeing a counselor, but part of me becoming a therapist is to help de-stigmatize therapy. 
And that means talking about it. 
There isn't a problem...it's just preventative care. 
Like one does when you go to the doctor for a check up.
(Although the stress of this semester may create a problem.) :)
I also just finished reading a great novel for my upcoming Addictions class called "Broken" by William Cope Moyers. He was an alcoholic/cocaine addict/cancer survivor and makes some fascinating comparisons and distinctions between cancer and addiction as a disease, especially as far as responsibility and blame are concerned:

"When my doctor told me I had cancer, he didn't raise his eyebrows or wag a finger at me. I felt no shame or humiliation...When I told my family and friends that I had cancer, no one ever suggested that I gave myself the illness or that it was in any way my fault..." - W.C. Moyers

He now works on policy in St. Paul, MN and Washington D.C., trying to get proper funding for mental health care and advocating for addicts.
Really interesting stuff.

So on that note...take preventative measures and go get a counselor or therapist to keep your mental health in check...or don't. It's up to you. 

SO excited to start classes tomorrow, followed by a visual arts group meeting and my first detention center group for my internship. 

And now I need to get ready for my haircut.
I knew that if I didn't get one now I wouldn't have time for it again until May. 

Saturday, January 18, 2014

preparation



I know, I know.
It's a good thing that I take so many pictures of the kittens. 
They are precious and won't be this small forever.

My days of freedom are winding down.
While I'm excited to get this semester started I know that I am REALLY going to miss all of this free time. 
My schedule is FINALLY all set. 
I had a small scheduling crisis on Thursday. 
There is some core programming that is scheduled for Wednesday evening at the youth center where I'll be interning.
I kind of NEED to be there because there are only so many groups I can observe and 50% of my internship hours need to be in contact with a client.
Unfortunately, I had signed up for a Wednesday evening supervision class 2 months ago during class registration because I had no idea what my schedule would look like, let alone what agency I would be working for. 
The problem was that all of the AFTERNOON supervision classes were booked, and the AATA has regulations on supervision class size. 
So after staring at the computer for the entirety of Thursday afternoon, shooting e-mails around, and messaging other AT students, I was FINALLY able to get into an afternoon supervision class....leaving me with a FULL Wednesday of 9 am - 9 pm class and internship.

Ben playing at Caroline's open jam session on Thursday night. 

Yesterday Ben visited the two schools that he'll be working at. 
I Skyped with freshly married friend, Cari, who's in the UK.
After Ben ran an errand for the youth symphony (and by run an errand, I mean "drive a large truck from the rental company to the youth symphony parking lot") we went to Water Street Brewery, the first place we went to eat after arriving in MKE to house hunt. 
Had an awesome sampler of their standard beers along with their fish fry. 
Then we went to Milwaukee Art Museum "After Dark", which is something they have every month for members (and non-members if they pay for a ticket) where there's food, drinks, music, dancing, exhibits, etc. at the museum from 6 pm-12 am.
It was pretty cool. We'll have to make an attempt to go more often.


Now I'm just trying to accomplish all of the tasks that need accomplishing before things get crazy.
So back to my laundry and dishes...

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

new beginnings



I bought a new filing container to keep all of my handouts, notes, papers, etc.
Last semester was kind of a mess because I had them sitting all over the place and in stacks on the floor. 
This organizational system is much better.
Makes me very excited to get started. 

I meet with my supervisor tomorrow morning, so I'll finally know my schedule. 

A big, new surprise...Ben accepted a position as a full-time elementary music teacher for MKE Public Schools. 
So even though he was about to start subbing, it looks like he won't have to.
This also means he won't be able to work at the youth symphony anymore, but I still think it will look nice on his resume and now he has a few more music educator connections. 
He'll actually be teaching M-Th at one elementary school and then Friday at another. 
Looks like he'll start on Tuesday, which is the day that classes start at MMU (even though I don't have classes until Wednesday morning). 
We're both pretty excited about a full-time salary and benefits. 
We're not used to such luxuries.

And here's Terry sleeping on me while I read....


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

hilde and terry



I'm so grateful for these next two weeks before classes start.
I would feel a little rushed if I had to go back to school before then. 
This gives me time to get a good hold on myself before the crazy schedule begins. 
I'm nervous because I don't know what lays ahead, but I'm sure that once I develop a routine things will feel better. 

Our little ladies, Hilde (grey) and Terry (striped), are doing so well. 
They come in and out of hiding depending on the time of day.
This morning I stayed in bed to drink coffee and read.
By the time I had finished both of them were sitting on top of me.
SO CUTE!

We said our final goodbyes to Austin and Alyssa this morning and we are happy to report that they made it back safe and sound. 
Those poor folks didn't know they'd be our house guests for 3 extra days, but the road conditions just weren't worth the risk. 
Our house was pretty cold during that time (Not that it's ever not cold).
The majority of the house is actually fine, but we really need a space heater for the living room because the huge old front window allows so much air to seep in.
Temps should be in the upper 20's tomorrow!
Never thought I would be so happy to hear that.
Regardless, it should actually help because you can feel the effects of the outside air in the living room.

The sun was a nice sight today.
We're starting to transition back into the real world.
I'm preparing to start my internship, so I'm figuring out paperwork and exchanging e-mails with my supervisor.
Ben is taking care of logistics for his substitute teaching job and handling additional interview/resume information for other job openings.
We're also finding time to do the things we enjoy...since we actually have the time.
This morning Ben went for a run on the indoor track at the Pettit Ice Center, which is a U.S. Olympic training facility.
He said it was really great, so I plan on joining him next time.
This afternoon we went with Michelle to see American Hustle.
Ben cooked steak on the iron skillet and sauteed mushrooms and onions for supper.
I made juice in the juicer.
We've actually had fruit/vegetable juice for the last several days.
We're working on eating healthier since we didn't hold back too much during Christmas.
It definitely feels better not to be overeating constantly.

Even though I'm nervous for everything that's headed my way, I'm also super excited.
There is SO MUCH that's gonna happen in 2014!
So here is my disclaimer again:
If you don't hear from me...you know why.



Monday, January 6, 2014

south dakota christmas



After spending a week in Kansas we made the trek up north to Freeman for Graber Christmas. 
We had mostly missed Schmeichel Christmas, but managed to see some of the relatives at smaller gatherings throughout the week. 
We only got to see Paula and Tom for a day because they were heading back to Des Moines. 
They had been away from home for 2.5 weeks because of Paula's work. 
We spent New Years with several good friends.
Got another good dose of cold and snow (although we're now "enjoying" this arctic blast), so we spent a good deal of time inside relaxing, eating, and spending time with family and friends. 
We also spent a nice chunk of time "kitty training", which was essentially crate training for 2 kittens that made the long journey back to Milwaukee with us. 
They did a WONDERFUL job, and we had little issues with meowing and defecation. 
Hilde and Terry (both 3 month-old kittens) are now happily adjusting to our home. 
They learned how to use the litter box very quickly, and they're taking their time learning the layout of the house. 


We've actually spent the last 3 days enjoying hosting our friends in MKE.
We decided to head back on Friday so Alyssa and Austin could stay at our place and we could briefly show them MKE, along with the Lakefront Brewery (as seen above).
But as the weather turned, it became clear that Austin and Alyssa did NOT want to face possible travel dangers in subzero temperatures. 
They decided to wait out the weather on both Sunday and Monday.
It was a good thing they decided to stay on Monday because Alyssa's car refused to start in the -17 degrees temp and -40 degree windchill. 
(Turned out to be dead spark plugs.)
Ben used his car to push their car 5 blocks to a nearby automotive repair shop.

YES.
IT'S TRUE.

They put Alyssa's car into neutral and Ben drove behind and pushed it as Austin steered. 
I think we would have looked weird if it wasn't Milwaukee.
I imagine Wisconsinites are not fazed by such things...especially since so few of them were on the road today. 
A fitting way to end Christmas break and this arctic day...although my Christmas break will continue until the 22nd. 
Which is good because I'm not ready to go back yet. 
Still getting practicum details straightened out. 
My spring textbooks just arrived. 
I'll be back to babysitting tomorrow night. 

2 weeks until the busyness begins!

kansas christmas


We're finally back in Milwaukee and it's been awhile since I've written, so I'll try to remember what all happened.

We had a lovely family and friend-filled Christmas in Kansas this year. 
Had Harder and Stucky gatherings.
As seen above, we gifted Emily some of our favorite Lakefront Brewery beer. 


Went to the Anchor  in Wichita with Austin and Alyssa to celebrate their belated birthdays.


Ben played jazz with his old Bethel friends. 
I enjoyed some coffee drinks and conversation with old friends at Mojo's.
Also went to Cari and Dani's wedding and had a fabulous time at their Grace Hill Winery reception.

Amidst all of those activities we incorporated in some essential relaxing, hot tubbing, zweibach, and Christmas food eating.