This Week in Erin's World

Last weekend, Tim went with me to my scholarship banquet. It was nice to get dressed up and recognized. It was a long ceremony, but I had the privilege of meeting some important people.

This week definitely started out kind of...:(. I registered for classes the minute I was able to on the 30th, but the one class I have to have to graduate was full. There were 3 classes but only 1 fit my schedule. So, I emailed the professor and asked for an override. She had so many people request for an override that she declined my request. I started freaking out! I called Tim crying and worried that I was going to have to take my senior seminar online. The basic idea of this class is throughout the semester, you do a bunch of grant work and make a huge presentation in a group. If I had to that online, I think I would struggle big time. But by the grace of God, I was checking the website where I register every few minutes and 1 person had dropped out of the session that I needed and I quickly registered for it! So I have the schedule I want and need to graduate. :) I'm actually very excited for the Spring.

Tim and I have been together for 3 months this past week. That's pretty exciting. :) I finished putting my resume and cover letter together and I went to the career center on campus wanting someone to review it with me. The gal that looked over my cover letter and resume didn't really have a lot to critique. :) I was pretty psyched. She thought it was well put together and thought I had a lot of great qualities listed. I can't wait to submit my resume for my first real job. :)

My throat is feeling a little better. I finished all my medication, but I still can't sing. That's the hardest part about laryngitis. I think not singing is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do! And it's only been a week and a half!!! I have at least two weeks left! :( Oh well. A month of no singing versus a lifetime is a big difference. I'll suck it up so I don't permanately damage my vocal chords.

Today I cleaned my room, vacuumed, did laundry, watched football...the usual. Tomorrow will be fun. I have the kidos at church in the morning, the Packers and Vikings game is on at 11, and I am running to the ARC Thrift Store to donate a bunch of clothes I'm getting rid of. That's about it for now. :)

Good news and bad news

Here are pictures from Halloween and when Tim and I carved our pumpkin. :) I love the pic of Rae and Matt as McCain and Palin. Hilarious! And since I can't figure out how to put pictures at the bottom of my post, this is a little out of order). The first pic is of me and the other intern for this semester.

This last week has been super busy. A lot of good things and a few bad things have happened. Let's start with the bad news and end on the good news.

I've had a sore throat for over three weeks now and I finally gave in and went to the doctor. Tim and I were at his brother's house for a surprise birthday party and when we left I started crying because my throat was hurting so bad. It hurts to cry, to swallow, to yawn, to blow my nose...it's ridiculous. So I went to the doctor and it turns out I have laryngitis. :( He looked in my throat and said the inflammation looked like it goes from my tonsils to my vocal chords. I'm not allowed to sing for at least three weeks! :( I'm on the schedule to sing at church next weekend, but that's not going to happen. And I'm one of those people that sings EVERYWHERE! Shower, car, my room with my guitar, church, walking to class, etc. It's been really hard and it's only been three days! But it's pretty serious and I don't want to damage my vocal chords. I'm on steroids for the inflammation and antibiotics for the infection. Hopefully it'll completely heal and I can start singing in December.

Still on the bad news, one of the participants from where I work wasn't picked up by anyone last night. She's 20, but has the mind of a 12 year old. (I'm not sure what her disability is). She's beautiful and has an amazing personality. But since no one picked her up, her family is being charged with abandonment and she has been at the hospital all night and day. We're just praying they don't put her in some kind of institute and give her a ton of drugs. I know she's terrified, so please just pray for her and her safety. This is the same girl that was missing for about a week a couple months ago.

Ok. On to good news. Last Sunday, I had the kidos at church and they were so cute! One boy turned 4 this week, so he's moving up to the 4 year old class. :( But he gave me a huge hug before he left. Then, after Sunday school, one of the girls in my class was with her mom and sister (who was previously in my class as well) and she saw me leaving and yelled, "Bye teacher!" I felt so special! It's little moments like that that keep me going back every weekend. Also last Sunday, Tim and I were supposed to have the night off from playing/singing, but a drummer and a backup singer were needed last minute. So, we went and I sang and worship was great! At this point, my throat was still pretty bad and I should've said no, but anyone who knows me knows I have a hard time not singing. Anywho, my voice was about to crack towards the end of the set, but the last song, I was the only one singing. It's one of my favorites and I was worried I wouldn't be able to get through it, but God pulled through and it turned out great. :) After worship, quite a few people came up to the band and told us how awesome worship was! One of our friends said that it was probably the best worship he's had! It's such a good feeling knowing that Tim and I and the band helped bring people into worship with God. The feeling I have when I'm on stage singing out to God and then hearing about people in the congregation who are just filled with God's spirit during worship...it's that feeling that makes me want to lead worship! I really feel God is calling me to do that and I can't wait to see what He has in store.

My roommate is moving out tomorrow. It's not really good or bad news, but it'll be good for her. She needs more space for all of her stuff. So now my other roomie and I just have to find a replacement.

Tim also got a new job and is LOVING it! :) I'm so happy for him. He's a drum salesman at Guitar Center. TOTALLY up his ally; not to mention mine. I love that we both love music! It's nice because if I go visit him at work, I can hide away in the acoustic room and just play away on expensive guitars. :) It's wonderful! That and it's right across the street from where I work.

I turned in my huge term paper this week and caught up with an older professor of mine. She's the professor that influenced me to change my career focus. She's the reason I am doing what I'm doing and I can't thank her enough! She's an amazing mentor and an amazing friend. So that was nice to catch up.

For Halloween, at my internship site we had a big get together for all the locations. Each building had their own room to decorate and the residents came and then all the kidos came. It was a lot of fun. Also, that morning one of the residents I have been giving computer classes to thanked me like there was no tomorrow for all the help I've given him. :) It was nice. Then Tim and I went to a party at the Donor household! They're old friends of mine I met through Cory and Kendi. We stayed for a while. He was a guy from the matrix and I was a cowgirl...but I looked like I was 12...Ha ha! It was fun though.

Umm, today I went to the BYU/CSU game with Mabby...and we almost won! It was ridiculous how close the game was. I was disappointed we lost in the last minute, but only by 3. Oh well. I hope I get to go to the last home game this season because it'll be my last game..as a student anyway. :(

Surprise!

Tim surprised me today with flowers! :) We didn't see each other yesterday and weren't going to see each other until tomorrow afternoon, but he was in town and came to see me. :) It totally made my day! I've been busy doing homework and putting my schedule together for next semester, but his short interruption was great. (The pictures don't really do the flowers as much justice as they deserve).

Speaking of my schedule, I am ready to register for the last time!! I met with my advisor today and I'm STOKED for next semester! It's going to be a nice semester to go out on. I'm taking my senior seminar, one online class to complete my gerontology certificate, the second level of sign language (which I'm uber excited about), ethnicity and the media, volleyball, and racquetball. It'll be fun. :)

Yesterday, I went to the Avery House and got a tour from one of the gals from my internship site. She's 94 years old and is the sweetest thing! A couple months ago, my internship site went on the trolley ride through part of town and she was there pointing out the Avery House to me. It's a historical house and she volunteers there once a month. I told her that I wanted to come see her when she was there, so I went yesterday and she talked my ear off! It was a great time! She was so excited that I had come and she introduced me to everyone. I love seeing her smile! We only toured the bottom floor because we didn't have time to go upstairs. I had class but I told her we'll have to make time to do the rest of the house. I saw her this morning and she said she had a really good time yesterday showing me around. :) We decided that since she only goes once a month, we're going to try and figure a time her and I and another resident can go (because she has a key) and she'll give us a personal tour then. :)

After we chatted for a bit, we went over to one of the rehab facilities and gave out the pumpkins we decorated for Halloween. It was so wonderful giving residents over there these little gifts! Their faces lit up and it was a great moment for all of us. The residents over there thought we were selling them, but they were just a gift and they loved them! They all put them in their windows. So, lots of joy today with interning and my wonderful boyfriend surprising me with flowers. :)

It's Been a Couple of Weeks...

I realized the other day that I haven't updated my blog in quite some time...so I decided today was the day. I had a super long weekend and technically you could say I didn't get a weekend. :( Our church college retreat was Friday and Saturday and I found out Thursday that I was wanted to sing and play my guitar. Because I don't have a guitar that plugs into an amp, I borrowed one, but I calculated that from Thursday to Sunday night, I sang for about 10 hours total. That's a lot in four days! All the practices and the sets we sang, plus Sunday night service for Overdrive, my voice is pretty shot today. I've been drinking hot chamomile tea and water, but nothing is quite helping yet. I didn't talk a whole lot today...which was a challenge. So, Thursday night Tim and I both had practice for two and a half hours, then Friday we had our retreat (plus practice) and Saturday most of the day I was there singing and playing my guitar. Then, Sunday morning I had the kidos in my Sunday school class, went to a dinner theatre with some of the folks at my internship site, went to band practice, and THEN had church. I slept pretty well for the first time in a few days Sunday night. I decided to sleep in and not go to my internship today because I got in so many hours yesterday. It was definitely a nice change. I got a chance to breathe for once.

Today I realized how much crap I have to get done in the next couple of weeks. Because this semester is so different than all the others, I haven't realized what all I have to do. I'm not really behind, but because I don't really have any tests, I'm just having to keep up on papers. And this is my first semester with an online class, and it doesn't start until November 1. I'm not sure what to expect, but the text is really simple. It's my class on aging and nutrition so it's really interesting too. It's one of my last credits needed for my gerontology certificate! :) I'm so excited! I'm almost done and it's crazy to think about. The other thing I have to do soon though is to vote and sent my absentee ballet in the mail. It's the first time I get to vote for President...and this is one important election. But no opinions here! I don't like discussing politics, therefore no comment. :)

The more time I spend with Tim, the more I realize how great he is and how I want to spend the rest of my life with him. :) We got into a little argument the other day over something little, but we both talked it out and got over it. But I told him, "As much as you drive me crazy, I still can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." It's funny how love works. I'm really hoping he can come home with me to see my parents over Christmas break. I found out Friday that Cory and Kendi aren't going to make it because of Cory's job. :( I'm SUPER BUMMED! Hopefully I'll get to see them sometime before school starts back up and they can meet Tim. (I have to get their...especially Cory's...stamp of approval). Anyone who knows my brother knows how protective he is and I've always appreciated that. I just can't wait for him and Kendi and my parents to sit down and really get to know Tim. He's a great guy and I know they'll all love him. :)

My Packers won last night! That's exciting. My Brett didn't, but the Jets put up a good fight. They went into overtime and lost by a field goal. :( Tim and I watched part of the Broncos game tonight, but decided the first half was bad enough and that we didn't want to see the rest. Seeing that they lost 41-7, probably a good idea we turned off the game. Tim was pretty pissed. :( But hey, look at it this way, my Packers and his Broncos have the same record now (with the exception of the Broncos having played one less game). That's good. :)

One more thing...Tim and I need prayer on his future career. He's wanting to possibly become a sheriff deputy, but because he works security now, he's got a lot of cop friends who he's been talking to lately. Almost all of them have had a divorce and we both know is that one of the highest divorce rates are with couples are have one individual within the force. That's definitely not a happy statistic and we're both wondering what we should do. He's passionate about keeping people safe and he's been thinking about starting at the detention center in Larimer, then moving up eventually to a...I can't remember what it's officially called...cop that responds to accidents. We have mixed feelings on this whole idea, but I want him to be happy with his career choice and I want him to be passionate about what he does. I'm passionate about my job and about working with older adults so I don't want to be happy in my career and him be miserable. So there's a lot of research and prayer that we need to do before moving forward. In our situation, both of us need to get used to death, especially if he becomes a cop responding to accidents, and I have to because of the population I'll be working with. Tim has a friend who has books he wants to loan us. Him and his ex-wife were both youth pastors and very involved in church and very godly people. But because of his job, they got a divorce. The books he has, one for the man in the relationship and one for the woman, explain how to handle the job and how to support each other. My book would talk about how I have to be an emotional support for my husband and explains how he may have to distance himself a few times. His book would explain the dangers of the job and how to leave work at work and to not take it home too often. Granted, in any job I think we'd need to do that, but this is a pretty serious job. I think it really depends on the couple too. Just keep us in your prayers. :)

CSU Football!!

Today, Tim and I went to the CSU vs. UNLV football game. We've been to all the home games so far and we're undefeated at home!!! :) Tim said it's because we're good luck. Ha! Once again, the game started out pretty slow, but turned into a nail biter towards the end. CSU was ahead by 13 in the 3rd quarter, then UNLV came back a was leading by 1. It was 27-28 with 2 minutes left in the game. CSU makes a touchdown AND gets the two-point conversion with 9 seconds left. Then, CSU kicked off and recovered the ball after UNLV fumbled and scored another touchdown. Final score: 41-28. :) It was awesome!!!

After the game, Tim and I rode our bikes back to my house and ate at Eliot's Mess. Then, we went roller blading at a skate rink! We totally went oldschool today and had a BLAST! We weren't the oldest people there...which was nice...but we're both really sore and exhausted. We enjoy having a good time without spending a lot of money. :) We're thrifty! It was a great day!

Sad news

Last night, one of the residents at my internship site passed away. :( I never met the gentleman, but everyone really loved him and they were having a hard time today. It was sad. I didn't know him and I feel like I missed out on meeting a great man. He's been sick for some time and slipped into a coma recently after his wife passed away. The director stated that the gentleman was ready to go, so he was at peace and in no pain. A couple people picked him up from our location today and I saw them take his body out with the American flag over him. Just lift him and his family up your prayers.

Many Blessings

Last weekend, Tim and I road up to Estes Park on his motorcycle. Can I just say, "GORGEOUS!!" I had never been to Estes before and I love it! Granted, we got pretty soaked on the way up because of the rain, but it was totally worth it. :)

I've been talking to the Activity Director at my internship site about applying for jobs within Columbine Health Systems. I'm super excited to have connections and already have my foot in the door because of my internship. I am currently putting my resume together in one of my classes and I can't wait to send it out! It's exciting...growing up. :)

This weekend, Tim and I will have been together for 2 months. Time flies when you're in love. We are planning on going to the CSU football game and then roller blading at a skating rink on Saturday. That sounds like fun, eh!!?? :) Then Sunday, he plays drums and I sing Sunday night.

Physical therapy has been nice. It is more like massage therapy and stretches once or twice a week. She has been working mainly on my neck and my back. My muscles are so tense and tight that my physical therapist is shocked. She is blown away at how tight they are. She could work the whole hour on my neck and barely make any progress. BUT, it's a slow process and I'm hoping it really works because my parents are paying the copay every time I go and I feel guilty, so hopefully I won't have to go for too long. Anywho, God has given me many blessing and I can't wait to see where my life is headed. :)