2009
12:17 AM - Posted by Sam - 1 comments


I'm a list-maker.  People like me really are a different breed.  We constantly have multiple lists, we can find a reason in any situation to make a list, and we don't feel accomplished until we've checked everything off the list.  Heck, we'll even make a list out of things we've already done...just so we can keep track of progress.    We're generally Type-A.  We compartmentalize things, including our lives. We're weird...but we all have a logical explanation for our actions.


As 2009 began, I quickly realized that I didn't remember my 2008 New Year's Resolution.  Obviously this either meant that I kept it easily, or that it wasn't really very meaningful in the first place. So I decided that, in 2009, I would make a "to-do" list for the year...things that I wanted to do by the end of 2009. 

In about October I re-read that list...and I had to marvel at the many items on my list which I had completely forgotten.  So many aspects of my life had changed, circumstances altered that no longer made my list item applicapble.  As most of the world can agree, the year 2009 brought about a lot of changes in many people's lives.  Aside from the events and issues plaguing the news channels, the "plan" which is my life has been littered with plenty of detours and discovery over the past 12 months.  All of which continue to remind me how fortunate I am to find myself surrounded by such wonderful people and opportunity.


In 2009 I lived so much...through the pain of losing a grandparent (and the joy of remission in another), through the thrill of vacations with amazing friends, through heartache and the value of friendship found in recovery, and through the anxiety of public speaking & professional development.  I am happy to say that in 2009, I lived through the journey of self discovery as I continue on my path to my future.     

In 2009, I completed half of the academic portion of my degree.  That's right, I only have 3 more semesters of classes!!  (Then another year of internship before I graduate) And while I still feel like 2012 will never be here, I have plenty of exciting things to keep me busy while I'm waiting for time to pass.

In 2009, school went well.  Aside from the stress of exams, projects, and presentations, I kept busy.  Student Academy of Audiology is doing great (thank you to those of you who have supported us by attending our Chili's fundraisers!)  and elections just ended, so I will be able shuffle some responsibility to my Pres-elect as I prepare to step down from President and enjoy my time as a regular member!


In 2009, as hard as I tried, I found it impossible to stay out of the research lab (big surprise). I started working on another project with Dr. Pittman in the Pediatric Amplification Lab.  Data collection is almost finished and I'm looking forward to seeing what our findings will conclude.

In 2009, I headed to New Orleans for the American Speech-Language & Hearing Association's Convention in November.  As my first national convention, and I was so impressed, inspired, overwhelmed, and overcome by many, many other feelings.  I went to some truly amazing sessions and had the chance to meet some people in my field who I look up to tremendously.  It was refreshing to be reminded why I continue to work so hard.  Of course, you cannot go to a Convention in NOLA without experiencing the local life...and I assure you, in 2009, I had a blast in New Orleans.  I was accompanied by a handful of Speech Pathology students (including my roommate), and we made sure to get our fill of both the ASHA Convention and the Big Easy. 


In 2009, I started a new part-time job.  I work as a newborn hearing screener and am currently at St. Joseph's hospital in Phoenix, testing the hearing of every baby who is born at or transfered to a NICU at St Joe's.  (For those of you who may be wondering: yes, we screen ALL the babies. And yes, I get to hold newborns everytime I go to work...and yes, I thoroughly enjoy this aspect of my job.)  It is safe to say that I absolutely love my job and I am looking forward to exploring the posibility of my future career working with really, really little patients!

I could go on and on about the many other wonderful things that happened and people I met in 2009, but as much as I loved 2009, I'm so excited about 2010.  As I prepare my "things to do in 2010" list, I am anxiously looking forward to many things.

In 2010, I start an internship at Phoenix Children's hospital in January something that I am looking forward to so much that I can hardly stand waiting until my start date.

In 2010, I will continue training to compete in the PF Chang's Half Marathon in January - so wish me luck as I embark on the longest run of my life!

In 2010, I am looking forward to continuing the Super Sisters Mentor program with Jessica as we make our way towards May when she will graduate from the program.



In 2010 I hope to travel to new places, meet new people, catch up with people with whom I've fallen out of touch, open more doors of opportunity, relax, breathe, and overall just get to know myself and the people in my life better than I did in 2009. 




So happy end of 2009 to each of you. May 2010 bring you happiness and a greater love for life than you've ever known before. 


Giving Back
7:25 PM - Posted by Sam - 0 comments

We all need a little help sometimes.  Whether we are bringing home six figures, or struggling to put food on the table - having to lean on someone is a feeling with which everyone has been familiar at least once. There are countless organizations and resources for individuals who are in need, and for those who would like to give back.  I recently made the decision to do my part in bettering the world around me.

Meet Jessica. She is eight years old, although if you ask her she will tell you "I'm going to be nine on my birthday, it's in December."  Jessica and her family live in south Scottsdale (around 64th St & Osborn) in an area where girls from the ages of 11-17 have become involved in extremely unhealthy activities due to influences from their community members, especially the men.  In attempts to foster self esteem in young girls living in this area so that they can choose to resist these risky influences, the Scottsdale Prevention Institute has teamed up with The Boys and Girls Club of America and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Arizona to create a program that will provide them with mentors.  Super Sisters is a nine month program that uses the Smart Girls/Smart Moves curriculum to educate young women about important life topics through a healthy mentor/mentee relationship.  Some topics we cover include self esteem, body image, nutrition, finances, drug & alcohol use/abuse, and other areas that will give them knowledge and resources to make smart decisions in the future.  We meet with our littles every other weekend for a few hours, getting to know them through activities that provide opportunities to discuss these often difficult-to-bring-up topics.  At the end of our 9 month curriculum, we become regular big-little matches with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and can plan our own activities as often as we choose.


I've known Jessica for two months now, and I have absolutely fallen in love with her.  She loves dancing, especially ballet.  Her favorite color is yellow and her favorite movie is Save the Last Dance.  There isn't a moment that goes by when she isn't chatting my ear off, and she is starting to feel comfortable enough with me to ask more difficult questions, like "what is beautiful?"  She recently told me that if she had one special power, she would want to save the world.  Jessica is a twin, and her sister Anna is also in the program.  They are famous at their community center for being rambunctious and seem to always be the center of attention.

Recently, the Super Sister matches participated in the Boys and Girls Club Power of Potential 1 mile fun-run charity event.  Jessica was determined to run the whole time and we made it in 10 minutes and 30 seconds.  She wasn't even winded!  After the race, Ana's big sister Hattie, and I took the girls out for bagels at Einstein's where we stopped to play with the dogs that were hanging out outside of the store.  We all had so much fun, and it was a great way to start a Saturday.          



Next week, Hattie and I are taking the girls to Zoolights, and I have a chance to meet Jessica's family at our Holiday Party on December 5th.  I am looking forward to getting to know Jessica even better, and to becoming an even bigger part of her life.  I am so grateful for how welcoming she has been with me.  This truly has been one of the greatest choices I have ever made.

I encourage you all to do something to give back, even if it is small.  You don't have to give a large amount of your time. Although, as with most things, the more you give of yourself, the more you tend to receive in return.  I have made time in my busy life for Jessica and have found that her gratitude for this little amount of dedication, compells me to give even more.  So I challenge you to enrich your own life by reaching out to someone.  Take the time to find a cause, take a chance, and volunteer.              


Life thus far...
10:09 PM - Posted by Sam - 0 comments
For those of you who haven't talked to me recently, know that my life is wonderful!  I have so many things to be thankful for and am constantly reminded how fortunate I am to have my friends and family in my life. 

I'm currently in my second year of my doctoral program for Audiology at ASU. No, that doesn't mean I'll have my PhD by the time I'm 26...my program is a clinical doctoral program, so I will have an AuD (Doctor of Audiology) degree by the time I'm finished in 2012.  I am loving my program thus far and truly do believe that I am unusually well-suited for my field.  I am specializing in pediatrics, which probably comes as a suprise to none of you =D Next semester I will be starting my first off-campus internship, hopefully at Phoenix Children's Hospital!

 With summer having just come to an end, I of course have many travel stories to share.  This summer definitely will have its place in the photo albums.  I kicked off my first summer of grad-school with a 9-day trip to Oregon to see Megan.  We took a side-trip to Seattle and visited Seattle Children's Hospital and the Space Needle.  The hospital was absolutely incredible and is definitely somewhere I will be considering for my future.  As the story goes with visiting Seattle, we happen to experience one of the three days of sunshine they have each year, so of course it was gorgeous! This photo was taken on top of the Space Needle!
My remaining time in the Northwest was spent in Portland relaxing and wine-tasting.  We even had the chance to go camping with a group of Megan's friends, which was a much "greener" camping experience than we have here in Phoenix! 

The end of May and beginning of June was filled with graduations and birthdays. Some of the highlights include seeing President Obama give the commencement speech at ASU's graduation ceremony and celebrating Delaney's high school graduation & CNA certification.  Near the end of June, I boarded a plane once again to Syracuse, NY for Liz's graduation from the MPA program.  I was accompanied by a few other friends from DZ and we all traveled to Niagara Falls and Buffalo, NY to celebrate her accomplishments.
This trip was such a great experience and I feel so blessed to have such amazing people in my life who are taking hold of their lives to make a difference in the lives of others!  

When I wasn't jet-setting to different parts of the country, I was completing my first summer school semester since 6th grade!  I had two classes and one full day of seeing patients in the ASU Audiology clinic.  Thankfully, my classes weren't too time-consuming and I was able to focus my time on getting the most out of my clinic experience and was able to relax a bit...something that I don't generally have the luxury of doing during the regular school semesters.

The month of August brought more exciting adventures when I traveled to Rocky Pointe, Mexico with 11 of my friends to spend a weekend on the beach.  While this trip was one of the best Mexico trips I have ever had, I have to warn you that the beginning of August is NOT the best time to go to Mexico.  It was so hot!  However, the emptiness of the town due to the heat and the perfect ocean temperature made this trip far beyond worth while.  It was so incredible to spend a weekend with some of my closest friends, far away from the technology and responsibilities of our normal lives.

With 10 days off between summer school and fall orientation activities, Megan and I ventured out once again.  This time, our destination was Colorado - road trip!!  We spent 8 days driving through the Centennial State, stopping to try out our camping skills,  to visit many, many family members, and simply to enjoy the perfect summer weather!  Some of the highlights included: a Rockie's game in Denver, hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, the Coors Brewery in Golden, a phenomenal concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater, and even a reunion with Ms. Lindsay Tippett when we crossed paths in Durango!  Unfortunately, my Jeep didn't have quite as fantastic of a trip as we did and needed quite a bit of repair after his long journey through the Rockies.  But even though my wallet (and dad's) is a tad lighter these days, we had an incredible trip!  

To wrap up my summer and transition me into my first week of school, I took the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh with my Aunt Kim on one of her business trips.  I was able to set up a meeting with the Director of Audiology at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and learned all about the incredible program they have for 4th year audiology students at their beautiful, brand new facility.  Pittsburgh is such a wonderful city and I certainly enjoyed exploring it!  And yes, I am strongly considering my future as a member of the Steelers' community!

So as I begin my second year, I am attempting to focus my attention back towards academia and away from airline ticketing websites.  Of course, I'm sure I will be taking a couple detours from the wonderful world of hearing aids and balance disorders in order to preserve my sanity.  =D  Stay tuned for more adventures!    


Welcoming myself to the wonderful world of web communication...
9:45 PM - Posted by Sam - 0 comments
So, I'm blogging. A completely new adventure for me. Be proud!

Hopefully this will help my various family members keep track of me more simply, and give everyone else something to do when they're bored and should be doing something a bit more productive. Hmm...the latter sounds a quite familiar as I am sitting here "working" on a presentation. So, check out my blog sporadically to see what it is I am up to!