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!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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