why hello there, long lost friends.

so, it's been a while since i blogged. the last couple of months have been crazy, but not in the way that grad school was crazy. even though i'm enjoying my job, i've found that it is particularly draining, physically, mentally and emotionally. at the end of the day, all want to do is come home, put on my pj's and sit and stare. that means i've spent many hours catching up on the entire series of 30 Rock (how can you not love Liz Lemon?), and well, not a whole lot else. sad, i know.

so, i decided to make a list of achievable goals for myself. things that i need to do and things that i want to do. things like writing letters to friends, reading more, journaling more, cooking more, crafting more. basically just doing anything more than what i've been doing. stay tuned for updates on how things are going!

oklahoma is ok!

alright, so if you know me, you know i've never really been sold on living in Oklahoma. i've always had this idea that Oklahoma was somehow sub par and just not very interesting at all. this was all before i moved to Amarillo. Oklahoma City is actually on the up and up. there is surprisingly a very progressive movement going on in OKC, with a lot of new coffee shops, restaurants and stores popping up everywhere. here are a few of my most favorite things that i miss now that i call Amarillo home.

1. Cuppies & Joe: seriously, what is better than a Boom Boom Pow cupcake (my favorite flavor) and a warm mug of coffee? nothing.

2. Iguana: love, love, love the Mexican food at this little place.

3. Shop Good: go eat dinner at Iguana (which is just down the street) then hop on over to my friends' shop and buy some sweet clothing or accessories. a portion of every purchase goes to benefit a non-profit organization. you'll get something new and help impact someone else's life too!

4. Super Target: i love local stores, but there's nothing like wandering the aisles of Super Target for hours. sadly, Amarillo has an average Target...there's nothing super about it.

5. recycling centers: i'm convinced people in Amarillo don't care at all about the environment. i can't find a single recycling center in this town! it's driving me insane.

6. City Bites pumpkin cookies: these cookies are to die for. if you live in Oklahoma and you've never had one of these cookies, shame on you!

7. the potential to catch a decent concert every now and then: not surprisingly, Amarillo doesn't have a very exciting live music scene. the only concerts you'll find here are ones at which the appropriate attire is boots and a cowboy hat. i'm going to go through concert withdrawls!

8. Norman: there are way too many things about Norman that i miss to list here, so i'll just include it as it's own category within the OKC metro area. Norman is more home to me than anywhere else i've ever lived. it's so bizarre not living there anymore.

so far, Amarillo has been treating me well, but i get a little homesick now and again. thank goodness OKC is only four hours away!

lucy in the sky with diamonds.

i've really been wanting to get a little frenchie like this one lately. i would name her lucy.


is she not the cutest thing you've ever seen?

news in numbers.

summer is flying by, don't you agree? it's been quite a while since my last update, so i'll fill you in on what's been going on in my life.

8 days ago i found out that i passed my comprehensive exam for grad school. woo-hoo! what a relief!

2 days ago i accepted a job at a hospital in Amarillo. in about a month i'll be calling Texas home (at least for a little while)! i'm very excited about the job, not as excited about the location, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. i forsee many road trips to see my Oklahoma friends in the future!

1 week from now i'll be completely finished with my last rotation and national SLP exam and therefore, completely finished with grad school. unbelieveable!

seriously, where has the time gone?!

paris, je t'aime.

here's one thing you MUST know about my trip to Europe: i fell in love with Paris and French culture in every single way. i honestly don't think there is a more perfect place in this world. the mix of fashion, architecture, art, weather and food in Paris is phenomenal.

since i can't hop on a plane back to Paris anytime soon, i'll have to settle for reading, watching and listening to everything French.

if i could just live in the world of this commercial, i would be in heaven. i need to find a way to make it happen.

words and water.

found this on brooke fraser's blog...what an incredible and creative way to share this message!

Solidarités International: Water talks from La Boite Concept on Vimeo.

also, please check out Mocha Club or Charity: Water, two amazing organizations that provide clean drinking water for people in developing nations.

hospital, hospital, hospital.

i made it back from Europe (reluctantly) and this week i was thrown into my last clinical rotation, spending 8-10 hours at OU Med nearly every day. on top of that, i still have to study for two comprehensive exams that i will take before i finish my graduate school career. needless to say i'm ready for this summer to be over! even though it's going to be a crazy couple of months, i am looking forward to getting further into this rotation. tomorrow we get to watch a laryngectomy! i'm pretty excited.

p.s. maybe sometime soon when i don't have hospital/comps on my mind, i'll fill you in on my European adventure! it was a-maz-ing.