Michigan in 3 days!!!!

I'm traveling to Michigan in 3 days!!!!! I haven't really had some good time at home since before I moved to North Carolina, so I'm looking forward to it, though I'm sure after 2 weeks I will be ready to leave. But there are just some things about Christmas in Michigan that I didn't realize I loved, until I moved away. Baking is a big one, I miss the smell of Chex Party Mix, sugar cookies, buckeyes, and sausage balls. I also kinda missed decorating for Christmas, notice I said KINDA ha ha, parts of decorating are just too meticulous, but I definitely missed setting up my Department 56 village, at least it will look like the North Pole when I get home. My 2 weeks there are already packed with family parties, plans with friends and spending time with nieces and nephews that I'm scared that it will go by way too fast, and the fact that I don't know the next time I will be in Michigan makes it that much more difficult. What am I looking forward to the most.....probably seeing Luke who is coming from Russia for the holidays, I haven't really seen him in over a year and he's like my best friend as far as guys go. Now I've got to go to work one last time before I leave for Michigan....I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

Cooking

I've recently taken up cooking as a hobby, so far no huge mishaps. I need to work on my rice krispie treats as a dessert but this is what I have successfully made thus far

- Meatloaf
- Chicken and dumplings
- Poppyseed Chicken
- Bubble pizza

Not sure what is next, I'm thinking a vegetable or chicken noodle soup since we are getting into the winter and coldest season of the year, even though NC is nowhere near as cold as Michigan.

Life's lookin up these days, I'm almost finished with my graduate school application, although the personal narrative is causing a bit of writer's block, plus I've got two jobs both of which I am thankful for. I'm even more thankful that I will be in Michigan 3 weeks from today. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, my first thanksgiving ever without family, it'll be a rough one but I'll enjoy it as my roommate Brandi has graciously invited me to their family thanksgiving so I'll still get Turkey and all the fixins. I just wish I could have some of my grandma's corn and a brown cow for dessert, maybe next Thanksgiving????

Mrs. Kara Joy Goode :)

Today is the day that my lovely friend is becoming a Mrs. and changing her name to Kara Joy Goode, this is a very very happy day and I really can't be too sad because marriage is so amazing even when I'm not in attendance at the festivities. Congratulations Ryan and Kara!!!!!!!

I have a new job

I HAVE A NEW JOB!!!!!!

I'll be working as a cashier at RDU airport Friday-Monday getting 32 hours per week 3-11:30 shifts :-)

Fall Cleaning

So today I did some "fall cleaning" it was quite enjoyable even though the word cleaning is not usually associated with enjoyment. I put on a gavin degraw radio station on pandora, lit my candles and did one of those cleanings where it gets super messy before it gets clean. All my summer clothes that I don't need anymore are stored in this lovely chest that also serves as a night stand, if you walked into my room you would have no idea that there are clothes in my nightstand :=) I also hung up and folded all my fall/winter clothes and put them away in my closet and dresser, and cleaned out the two tubs that have accumulated "stuff" since I have lived here and I threw away quite a lot, it felt good. I also have a small donation bag with clothes and shoes that I no longer wear or that don't fit so I'll be taking those to the thrift store soon. In the process of cleaning I found a disposable camera so pictures will be up sooner than later taken from that camera. Hopefully it will include pictures of the house (it's decorated for halloween at the moment) and some of my new NC friends from church and from Duke. That's about it. From Durham, NC to wherever you are friends I wish you well. Congratulations once again to my lovely friend Kara who is going to be getting married in 18 days, I love you, and here's a few pics from the past that always make me smile because you're awesomeRoommate Christmas party! This night was probably one of the best nights of my life

Amy's wedding, we rejoiced quite loudly when we realized my eyes were open :=)

Kara's surprise birthday party!

And this is Kale

I totally forgot to mention Kale in my last post. Kale is the nephew of my roommates Brandi and Kelli, he's 2 and totally hilarious. I've kinda decided he's my nephew while I'm here in NC since Nolan isn't here, and he seems to love me so hopefully I have a lot more fun times with him that I can share. Anyway, he spent the night here last night and decided it would be funny to play Peek a boo with me while I was TRYING to watch So You Think You Can Dance, I think he knew I was trying to watch something so he was playing peek a boo on purpose. He laughed so hard every time I hid and then said BOO that Brandi couldn't hear the TV either, and he wouldn't let me drink my hot chocolate because it meant I wasn't playing with him, so he would come up and hit me in the buttocks to get my attention. Needless to say I loved this attention as I miss my own nieces and nephews and it gives me a good chance to work on being a great aunt. The best part, at the end of the night Kale told me good night and love you. SO adorable.

And September ends...

It's already the last day of September, crazy huh! Life has been a whirlwind yet slow all at the same time. Posting hasn't been much of a priority, mostly because I haven't felt the need to write just because, I feel like I need to post when I have something to share or want to say, that way people will continue to read this blog. Yes, I changed my template again, I'm indecisive when it comes to blog templates, hey better to be indecisive about a blog template than school, or something major right?

I've really been connecting with God and people lately through Gnet the young adult group at Grace Church, and am enjoying learning more about how not to waste my life, and starting new friendships. I look forward to Tuesday nights, and it's made life easier just having something to look forward to. Sure I look forward to Duke on Thursday nights, but sometimes parking gets crazy and I don't make it in time, or there are no kids at Karaoke because they are on isolation due to H1N1 so it's not always the greatest.

Work is work, and I'm trying to stay positive, I love my coworkers and most of my managers and am trying to show respect to my general manager, but human nature gets in the way sometimes and bitterness starts to show in the way I conduct myself, and that's not who I really am but Satan grabs ahold of me and it's hard to shake him. But with the prayers and support from my family, Gnet, and my friends in the Bourb I always get back on track and thank God that I am at least employed.

Coming up I've got some job opportunities that may work out, so then I can have less worry about student loans and rent and it will be easier to save money instead of spending it all on rent and necessities. Plus I've got the chance to go to the NC State Fair with some people from Gnet to see Jeremy Camp and Tenth Avenue North, and that's exciting because it was pretty cheap and I love concerts especially Jeremy Camp concerts, I've seen him before, plus it will be fun just to go out and have some fun with other people instead of doing stuff alone.

That's it for now, I'll leave you with one last thought.....

GO SPARTANS, GO GREEN GO WHITE, Take Down the Maze and Blue Wolverines!

No inspiration

I haven't felt much like writing lately...hopefully something exciting happens soon that will make me inspired to write.

I can't make up my mind

I know I know, I changed my blog template again, I just can't seem to find one that really suits me for a long period of time. Things I didn't like the two past ones I had were that, I couldn't get back to my dashboard or see the links to the blogs all of my friends keep.

I love chocolate, and this one allows me to see my profile and go to other blogs, so for now I am happy, but I probably won't be for long, hey at least it isn't something major in my life that I can't stay happy with, that'd be really scary.

Prayers appreciated!

I'm taking the GRE in less than 48 hours and am no where near prepared. Pray that God will have his hand on me as I try to understand all this information, especially geometry and analogies, those are things I have been struggling with most.

It's of course not the end of the world if I do not pass but I am hoping to pass, as I do not want to pay $150.00 again, and I want to be able to move forward with the application process for UNC (I have to pass the GRE before I can apply fully).

Random things

Today I am feeling very random, probably as the result of my taking TheraFlu and Mucinex, gotta love being sick...NOT!

Some random things popping into my head

- I am totally addicted to the song Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus
- I miss "back to school" shopping
- I want to go to the beach.
- I wish Higgins Lake, MI wasn't so far away
- I can't wait for MSU football to start
- I am no longer addicted to animal crackers
- I hate geometry
- I want to huggle with my BFF Katie
- I want to go to South Carolina to help my BFF Brittany celebrate her 21st birthday
- Analogies are pointless and I don't know when I'll ever use them in the social work profession
- I wish money grew on trees (doesn't everyone)
- I love the smell of my Yankee Candle (wild cherries yum!)

very random...that is all.

Just like that

And just like that my parents are gone, and life is back to normal. I knew it would go too fast, but at the same time I didn't take the days we were together for granted. It was definitely the highlight of my summer. It had some bumps along the way but those are expected especially when you've lived your own life independent of your parents for quite a few months and then they come back into your life, it's hard to adjust. But I learned lessons in their 3 day visit and I will apply them to my life for sure.

So a breakdown of what we did. There plane got in a little late on Saturday but that didn't mess with the schedule any, we ate at Chipotle, it was my parent's first time and they loved it. We also went to Duke Medical Center and I gave them a tour of my "Stomping grounds" and a little taste of the beauty of Duke University. We also went to a Carolina Rail Hawks soccer game on Saturday, and that was probably the best decision I ever made. My dad was like a little kid, and enjoyed every single moment of that game, and my mom, well she read during the game but she loves to read so she was happy too. Here's a picture of my dad and I at the soccer game, half the game was played under lights!


Sunday we went to church, which was great, and my parents were pleased with the church I had chosen and gotten involved in, and it was very important for me to have my parent's approval I think because I had grown up in the Free Methodist church and my dad's now a pastor. We also went to The Loop Pizza & Grill which is a local restaurant chain. Here's a picture of Kara and I at church that Sunday (Sorry my eyes are closed)

Shopping at Southpoint was also on the schedule and since it was Tax Free Weekend (how cool is that!) my parents got some good deals on shoes and clothes at Southpoint. I wasn't so lucky but had a good time anyway. Then we came to my house and met Kelli and Brandi, which went very well, and my dad felt like he was back in his childhood visiting his grandma's house because the sights, sounds and smells of where I live mimicked those of when he would visit his grandma in Tennessee. Bojangles was next on the list for a late dinner, and that was also a huge hit. Oh and I almost forgot, I introduced my Wendy's co-workers to my parents.

Can you tell we packed a lot into their three day trip :-)

Monday we were able to lounge around the house while a pot roast was cooking in the crock pot at my request of course...yummmm! And have a good talk about the near future and job prospects, including Americorps, it was a talk I thoroughly enjoyed and needed because I haven't had a good talk with my parents for quite some time, due to our schedules and busyness. Plus, my daddy got the oil changed in my car, and made sure the tires weren't flat, and my mom bought me clothes at Old Navy that weren't covered by my $25 gift card.

Now it's back to reality, searching for a job, working at Wendy's, and studying for the GRE.

Here's a few more pictures from the weekend, enjoy!

Less than 24

In less than 24 hours I will be welcoming my parents and introducing them to Durham, NC for the first time, and the southern heat. Of course the weekend they come it might hit 100 for the first time this summer, and it's going to feel like it's way over 100 because of the heat index. Thank goodness for an air conditioned house and hotel room. We have so much planned that I'm afraid it's going to go by way too quickly, and life will be back to normal again, but for now I'm just smiling at the fact that I'll be able to see them and poke fun at my dad like old times.

This week has been uneventful as work only scheduled me one day this week, which was very frustrating, and I didn't have any activities going on. But I still enjoyed my week. I finally got caught up on sleep that I missed during Grace Mart, found some good job prospects that I am going to be looking into after my parents leave, and really studied for the GRE (did I mention that I hate analogies?). Plus I finally established a family doctor and orthotist and had appointments with both this week.

I also went to walmart and discovered back to school has started and that was when it really hit me that I'm not going back....I sometimes think I'll wake up and I'll be back in Michigan preparing for my senior year and packing to make the five hour drive to Olivet, but I'm not dreaming, and school isn't starting for me, and it makes me want to fast forward to next summer so that I could start my masters at UNC because I love being a student, and I would love to be able to get a social work job.

Have a great weekend everyone, pictures and an update about my parent's visit will be posted at some point.
This a picture of Duke Hospital and CHC where I interned/volunteer for those of you haven't seen it yet.

Only 6 days!

Only 6 days until the best part of my summer happens, my mommy and daddy are coming! Now all I need to do is get Molly, Katie and Amy down here soon and my life will be complete!

Where Everything is Free!

Grace Mart (Where Everything is Free!) happened this week, and I am so blessed to have been a part of such an amazing ministry. It took more time and energy than I ever expected but it was so worth it because I got to see people be blessed by the generosity of others and make friends in the process. God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!

I have nothing profound to say right now and no pictures to show. This weekend has been difficult because I could have been in Ohio with all my lovely friends witnessing the marriage of my amazing friends Jonathan and Kate, or I could have been in Michigan at Covenant Hills reuniting with all my old high school friends from TFC's and singing on stage like old times. But my decisions have made it impossible to do those things, and I'm still happy with my decisions it just gets difficult sometimes.

On the bright side I guess I should be happy because Grace Mart stuff starts tomorrow and that will keep me busy this whole week which will be a nice change. I definitely miss my internship which kept me busy throughout the week. I did have an interview for a job this past week as well that would be Monday-Friday and I'll know sometime this coming week so I hope maybe that will work out because I could get connected to more people and with the social workers at the facility. The job I applied for is an office assistant position at an assisted living facility.

Only two more weeks until my parents arrive :-)

I chose a layout, for now anyway. It's much more me and than my last layout. I honestly didn't know that there were cool layouts for blogs out there, until I saw my friend's blog and she had an awesome layout.

I'm excited to be going back to Michigan in December, I'll be on a 2 week vacation! I'll be buying my plane tickets today so it will be set in stone :). It will be a total of 7 months before I go back to MI that's more than half a year yikes! But I'll most likely get to see all my family, and spend some quality time in my bedroom which I redecorated but have hardly spent any time in. The only downside is that I won't have my car so I can't drive anywhere and I hate having to give that up. Maybe my parents (mom if you read this I hope you'll let me) will drive me to Central Naz for church one Sunday so that I can see Molly, and Luke and some other Olivet Naz friends.

Here are a few more pics of the house I live in for those of you that wonder what it looks like...

This is our awesome entertainment center with flat screen TV, surround sound and DVR. I don't know what I'd do without DVR!


This is the centerpiece in the middle of our dining room table. It changes every season and for holidays.

This is a view of the kitchen from one side.

Updating the look

*I am in the process of revamping the look and style of my blog, it will be complete within the next day or two*

Birthdays and Haircuts

First of all...THANK YOU to everyone who either called, sent me a card, or wrote on my facebook wall to wish me a Happy Birthday. I was so impressed by the # of people that took time out of their day to call me on my special day.

So I'm 22 now, doesn't feel any different from 21, maybe it will in a few months. Here's a breakdown of what happened on my birthday

* I got to sleep in (which was great since I had to work late the four nights before my birthday)

* I had the worst hair day ever due to southern humidity and my attempt at trying to glam up a little since it was my birthday, but I couldn't stay sad it was my birthday so bad hair and all I drove to the mall.

* I met up with my friend Cindy (she's a nurse on 5300 at Duke that I met during my internship, we're about the same age and have gotten together for lumch before) at Southpoint mall, where we decided to see a movie and since it was my birthday she let me choose which film we saw. I decided on The Proposal even though Cindy had already seen it because I didn't want to go to My Sister's Keeper on my birthday (sadness and birthdays don't mix). The Proposal turned out to be a great choice it was entertaining and hilarious and I laughed a lot. Ryan and Sandra could totally be an actual couple if they both weren't already married in real life.

* Cindy and I then attempted to go shopping to find a new top for me to wear out to dinner, but with no success. We had a great time though and she got to experience my bad sense of direction, and cautious driving style, luckily she was a good sport about it (she's from Boston so she is a very defensive driver, but you have to be in that city)

* We then went to Outback which was very yummy, as I haven't had steak in a long time. And went back to the mall to look around some more while our dinner settled so we could have dessert. We then went to Coldstone where I got to use my free ice cream coupon. I tried the new Jello Chocolate pudding ice cream with resees (sp?) peanut butter cups mixed in, a great way to end a day with a friend.

I also got some cool gifts for my birthday

1. My snoopy blanket that I have had ever since I can remember. I used to sleep with him every night until I went to college then I left him at home and only slept with him when I came home. My mom decided that I probably could use snoopy since I didn't have family on my birthday so she sent him down. I was so excited and I've slept with him every night since.

2. 50.00 to spend on whatever I wanted so I got Diner Dash computer game (only 8 bucks I couldn't resist) an ipod adapter for my car and......

A HAIRCUT!!!!!

It's been about 2 1/2 months since my last haircut and with the style I have I can't wait too long to get it cut because it starts to look totally crazy and uneven and my hair grows faster than the average person's hair.

That's it for now, nothing new job wise, kinda taking a break since I've been working a lot at Wendy's and since it was my birthday. I looked for a few last night but I'll start actively searching again on Monday when my birthday week as I like to call it has ended.

Hope you are all doing well.

5 days and counting

5 days and counting...till my 22nd birthday that is :). I know it's been a while since I've posted, not much to report on I guess, well that and the fact that fast food work isn't exciting.

Things are still good, it's definitely hot here but I'm lovin the Southern Heat, it just takes some getting used to. or as Kara put it "you get used to coping with the heat not getting used to the heat" which is so true.

Exciting things I've done in recent weeks....
1. Saw My Sister's Keeper (good movie!)
2. Read 2 Jodi Picoult books (My Sister's Keeper, Vanishing Acts both I recommend)
3. Went to El Rodeo for lunch with Kara (great Mexican food!)
4. Visited Duke Chapel for the 1st time (what an amazing piece of architecture)
5. Went through the car wash for the very first time by myself (I survived!)

God blessings recently

1. 34+ hours at work for about 2 weeks now (it's taking it's toll physically but I know it's worth it)
2. A sweet voicemail from my best friend Molly
3. Great coworkers
4. The opportunity to volunteer at Duke with kids
5. Two friends Luke, and Nick returning to the states safely from other countries (Luke from Russia, and Nick from Uganda)

Job Search: unfortunately no new leads recently, but I'm not giving up. I applied for two clerical/administrative jobs at Duke, and hopefully will get the chance to apply at UNC healthcare and Toys R Us next week if I can get to the library (I can't download the applications on my mac). Trying not to get discouraged but it's getting difficult as I feel I am running out of options. Luckily I have friends and family encouraging me on a daily basis and reminding me that God is in control.

Can't wait for this coming week as it is my birthday and also will mark 1 month until my parents arrive!

The end..for now.

Not much to report around here, still filling out job applications and searching for places that are hiring. Have had a few leads but they haven't led anywhere. But I'm trying to remain hopeful as much as possible.

It's times like today when I haven't had any good job leads, or any plans that I really wish I could be home, or that I had a stable job so that I could save enough money to go to Columbus for Jonathan and Kate's wedding in July. I wish I could be home to see my dad do relay for life in woman's clothing, and then knowing my family we might get ice cream afterward, or at the very least sit on the porch talking. I wish I could go to the wedding because Jonathan's like a brother and Kate and I became awesome friends when carpooling to church during the fall semester, and I love that the two of them are finally getting married. But I made the decision to stay in North Carolina knowing full well that I was sacrificing all of those things, so I'm going to have to make the best of it.

On the upside, my parents are coming in less than 2 months and my birthday is in less than a month. Plus, my dad said that there was a pretty good chance that I could go to Indiana in October to see Kara get married so that's a good thing, because not only would I get to see Jonathan and Kate, at the wedding, I would also get to see my lovely friend Amy who I miss so so much.

Hey Kara only 134 days till you're a wifey, YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!

My search will go on

No such luck on jobs this week, so the search will go on!

I had an interview in Chapel Hill on Saturday for a part time administrative assistant position at a landscaping business and while the owner was "Pleasantly surprised" by my experience, I have not yet received a call back, and he stated he needed someone by this week, so I am assuming I did not get the position (I tried calling to get an update on the status of the job, but had no luck).

I also sent in an application for a social worker at a retirement community last week. When I called they stated they were still looking through applications and would gladly accept mine. However, when I called yesterday to check and make sure the application had arrived (they wanted the applications faxed or mailed) they said the position had already been filled, so I am not sure if I was ever considered for the position or if my application arrived after the position was filled. Either way it was kind of a bummer, because I was excited that I finally found a social work position not requiring an MSW or 5+ years experience.

So the search continues and I'm sneding out my resume a few times each day, but it's slowing down, so I'm a little nervous but trying to not let it affect me too much.

What else has been going on you ask...

Not much really. I have worked a lot at Wendy's this week after finally discussing my lack of hours with my boss, so that's been a plus and it's kinda nice to work because it makes me feel useful. I also started the process to become a child life volunteer at Duke, so soon I will be back with my kids (I call them my kids because we got super close during my internship, and I've missed them, now that my internship has been done for a month) and I can't wait to be back in that environment and having fun with them in the playroom and on karaoke night!!! So soon I'll have a lot going on and more to tell.

Oh, one cool thing is happening this week, I actually will be meeting up with a nurse from Duke on Friday for lunch! It will be my first time going out to eat with a friend that I met here in North Carolina, so that's exciting because most of the time I have been going out to eat or shopping by myself.

I think that pretty much sums up life right now and all in all I am happy :)

More pictures

Sarah T. and I waiting in the graduation line up

Dana and I in the line up

Hillary and I. I think we were anxious to get the party started

Cari and I yay for Social Work Majors!

Per Kara Joy here is an update and some pictures!

So apparently I need to keep updating because my friend Kara says she looks at my blog all the time and isn't happy that I don't post very often, so I'm going to try harder!

Things are going well with life. I am currently in job search mode and filling out a lot of applications and calling tons of places I have already applied to show that I am still interested and to check on the status of my application. It's frustrating, but at the same time not unexpected, especially in today's economy. Sometimes I do get worried, and I ask myself "did I make a mistake? Should I have moved back to Michigan to save money and not have to pay rent?" But God is paving the way for me and I'm following his will as best I can.

Part of why I love North Carolina is the following: I sat outside a few days ago on the porch reading a book and ended up just sitting and enjoying the beauty surrounding me. I really began to appreciate God's creation and the beauty of silence and hearing the birds chirp and sing and I felt so at peace and content. People ask me all the time why I moved here and that's one of the reasons, the ability to just be at peace and content with life and not have the desire to always be on the go and running and filling my life with material things or activities it's very hard to explain and I never would've thought I could love living in a "country" sort of area but here I am and I couldn't be happier.

Now all I wish is that my friends could come visit me! I have a futon and a bed in my room that are available for anyone that wants to come, I'd love to see you and Southwest has tickets as cheap as 54.00 one way and that's about the cost of driving down here so give it some thought, I don't live that far from the airport :)

Here are some much needed pictures of a variety of things in my life the past few months

Getting my diploma from Dr. Bowling

I did it!

Dr. Olney and myself

Graduation!

Daddy's girl (at social work pinning)

The Lovely Hillary Cole

Dad, Mom, Me

My adorable nephew Nolan with his Bampa :)

This is where I live, this was taken a few months ago on our snow day :)

I have yet to take pictures of my bedroom and the inside of the house but I WILL soon.

Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to search for a job and apply for graduate school at UNC @ Chapel Hill (which will begin in May 2010).

This is for Kara.....YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED in 156 days and he is one hot fellow!

ONU Alum

I graduated on May 9, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in front of lots of family and numerous friends, it was definitely a memorable day. Best of all I can say that I am an Olivet Nazarene Alum and that I officially have a college degree, what could be more exciting than that!!!!

I head back to NC tomorrow and have a four hour layover in Atlanta so hopefully I'll catch up on posting pictures of graduation on facebook and myspace.

I'm a college graduate woohoo!!! Now if only I could find a job....

It's 9 days away!

Guess what!!!!

9 days from today I will be attending my college graduation and I will be the first member of my family to graduate!!!!! I'm so excited I can't stand it. Plus we get to go to this amazing Italian restaurant afterward called Buca's and I can't wait.

What's also exciting is that one of my bestest friends Kara Joy is getting married!!!!! She's got an awesome guy and I'm so glad she's happy.

Thanks for all your support and prayers!

Sorry it's been so long

Hey Everybody,

For those who do read this, I'm sorry I haven't kept up with blogging as much as I thought I would. But I have the time now and there's so much to catch you up on, here it goes...

My internship has gone to the next level, and I no longer observe, I am actually doing things. Lately, due to the number of people on our census and some other problems & consults going on I have been almost completely on my own with the inpatients, doing check ins and psychosocial assessments, and writing case notes. Now, doing these I know I have gone into the right field and that my ultimate goal is to be a medical social worker at a hospital like Duke, and maybe even Duke someday. It is hard to believe that it is already close to the end of March and after that I'll only have four weeks left, and five weeks until I graduate.

As for the future, I have decided to make North Carolina my permanent home.I'm working on becoming a resident already and I'm searching for a second job (besides Wendy's) for the next year while I am applying for graduate school in the Summer of 2010. My #1 school is UNC @ Chapel Hill, but ECU, and NC State are also choices so I am probably going to apply to all three.


In the meantime, I am just building my own life and adjusting to the fact that I will no longer be a Michigan resident, and I won't see my family but once or twice a year.

Will this be for the dining room today?

If my title is confusing that's totally ok you'll understand in a minute.

Life is going well, I'm much more confident in my job at Duke, and am really beginning to form some good relationships with the staff. I can''t picture having to leave them in April, it's going to be the hardest thing I've done in quite a while, and I think it will be harder than leaving Olivet, which is totally weird. But, my plans for the future are not as concrete as I expected, and I MAY move to North Carolina to go to school and get a job and all that jazz, which I am excited about because I love it here a lot more than I expected to, and it kind of feels like the right way to go, but I'm not sure yet, so don't freak out or anything.

Now about my title to this blog....not only am I working at Duke, I am now also an employee at Wendy's!!!!! Hence, I say to customers "will this be for the dining room today?" I am working at Wendy's to make money since I don't get paid by Duke and I need money to survive, and have a little fun too. I will work at Wendy's on Fridays. Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays and I may be working some 12 hour shifts so I'll be making a good amount of money to at least pay for gas and food, and things like that while I'm down here. I wasn't too happy that I had to get a job at first because I thought it might be insane, but so far it's going ok (knock on wood of course). But please pray for me as the next few weeks are really going to be a lot of work and being on my feet, and I want to stay healthy even though this virus is going around the hospital and really packing a punch.

I miss everyone and I hope you are all doing well!

I've already worked four weeks!!!

Not much going on in the lovely state of NC or with me for that matter. I got pink eye last weekend, not fun but it was resolved pretty quickly so that's good. I also got my GPS last weekend and went to a restaurant called Bojangles! which is very good by the way, spicy since it's cajun style but the chicken is good and the fries are amazing :) I love Duke still, I'm learning a lot, it's definitely the best place to be for the type of work I want to do. It's such a great hospital and I hope to maybe work there someday (maybe even someday really soon).

The weather has been ok 40s-60s rain though. Roommates are still great, we laugh a lot.

That's all for now

Snow day!!!!

My day of fun in the snow (notice the absence of my nice blue columbia coat that is meant for the snow, I didn't think I'd need it in North Carolina so I left it at home)

I never thought I'd be able to say that I had a snow day when in North Carolina, but I was wrong! Yesterday they predicted 2-4in. and you would've thought the world was ending if you were around here. My roommates said to not even attempt going to walmart because I wouldn't be able to find a parking space and all the bread, milk, and water etc. would be all sold out, plus around 6:00p.m. the school closings started rolling in and it hadn't even started snowing yet, and from what my roommates say, there are many times where the forecasters predict 2-4in and it ends up being just a dusting. So, needless to say I didn't expect it to be anything huge, I mean I'm from MI for goodness sakes I'm used to have 2-4in and driving and doing normal activities, it takes at least 6in for things to begin shutting down and even then only a few things are closed. Well, when I woke up this morning I got ready like normal thinking, "the roads can't be that bad" but after turning on the TV I discovered that North Carolina people have no idea how to drive in snow, and they have about 1/3 of the plow trucks we have in MI and at that point it was still snowing so they were struggling to keep the main roads cleared and accidents were occurring on the main roads, so I knew that the roads I take to work were not plowed and there was a good chance I would get in accident or my car would get stuck. So, I called my supervisor and he actually said he was going to call and tell me to stay home and have a snow day/work from home because he said that even though I'm used to the snow, North Carolina people obviously are not and he was worried about my safety, and everything was closed basically so it would be slow. All that said, I had a snow day!!!! Kelli, Brandi, and I played in the snow (they were like little kids with the little snow that was on the ground) and we tried to make a snowman but the snow wasn't packing snow, so that didn't go very well. We also had little kids over for a lot of the day (Kelli's nieces) so that was a lot of fun, they definitely kept me going. In between all the fun I did work by doing some research for my supervisor on the internet and reading up on a few techniques he'd like me to learn regarding interviewing clients and therapies, so the day wasn't a total snow day, but it was fun nonetheless.

I'm just glad it isn't sub zero temperatures around here, I don't think I could take that, I applaud all you Illinois people who braved it for quite a while this past week :-)

Going by too fast

I can hardly believe I've already finished two weeks of my internship! Things at Duke are still going really great. The people I work with are really beginning to respect me and value my thoughts and opinions which is really nice because then I don't feel like a student I feel more like a co-worker. It's weird being down here though when everyone at Olivet has only had two days of classes and then two snow days a.k.a. cold days. I feel so disconnected from my friends and the school in general, and it feels like it's been longer than a month since I've been there and been a part of the Olivet community. Not that I am complaining, I don't miss a lot of the things about Olivet, I was ready to move on, but the safety and predictable atmosphere was comforting and it's scary when I have to do and schedule everything on my own, and I can go anywhere and stay out as late as I please (I don't do that though because I have to get up so early!). I also was able to meet a fellow Olivetian Ryan Quanstrom this past week at one of my favorite restaurants Chipotle Mexican Grill. It was nice to connect with someone who could relate to what I am going through and tell me a little bit about Durham and Duke.

As for graduate school California State University @ Sacramento is not working out. This means I will have to live at home for a year while I get my masters, which isn't something I really wanted to do but it looks like the best choice financially and I get the chance to maybe go to the best social work program in the country, which is amazing. But I hope to either move back down here to Durham and try to work at Duke or move out to California and settle down. We'll see where God takes me.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

The first week is already over...

I can't believe the first week of my internship is already over. I know I haven't updated but I figured I would stay away from updating when I had nothing really to say.

The internship itself is amazing, I can't imagine anything that is a better fit for who I am and what my goals are school and career wise, and from what I can understand BSW students are a rarity, Duke usually only accepts MSW students, and I'm the only BSW student, which I just can't believe because that means they saw something in me that sparked their interest and decided to give me a shot even though I'm not on a masters level. I still don't have a great grasp on what I'll be doing but I know that I am going to be working with the pediatric inpatients who have pulmonology (lung, breathing) issues or cystic fibrosis. So it's as close to pediatric oncology as I'll get till my masters.

Duke on the other hand while it is amazing, it is confusing and I'm getting lost each day. I have to park at a parking lot like miles away from the hospital and take the Transit system in, which is weird but also fun at the same time because I really feel like an independent working woman. The hospital is so big their are walkways outside from one campus to the next and their used to be a monorail or tram of some sort to get from one campus to the next (not anymore though). But that's part of what I love I've always wanted to work in a big hospital and I really know in my heart that I can work in a big hospital for a long time, it just feels like home to me so Duke is the best place to start.

Hope everyone who reads this is doing well!

I'm here!!!

Hello again! This blog post is coming to you from my very comfy room in Durham, NC. I arrived yesterday (after a lot of confusion and getting lost of course) and have already had to drive Durham/Raleigh during rush hour which was not fun. Today I have the day to get unpacked and organized and sort of learn my way around and then I start at Duke tomorrow at 10:00a.m.

My roommates Brandi and Kelli are really nice and the house definitely fits my lifestyle. We all like a lot of the same TV shows and books and so far have clicked very well. My room is quite large I have a lot of space and the room even has a futon in it so I think I'll be able to work and do school stuff no problem. I share a bathroom with only one person (which is an improvement considering I've shared a bathroom with three people for the past 2 1/2 years), and have one whole shelf in the pantry (I've had a half shelf for the past 2 1/2 years).

The one thing I have to get used to is the curvy roads and country accent. I stand out like a sore thumb right now, and people keep asking me where I'm from because they know I'm not from around here. But I can get used to that in time I think.

Right now though I need to go shopping for groceries. Keep checking for updates and always feel free to leave comments!