It's all gravy, baby

As Andrew succintly put it, Boom, Done. Yayyyy awesome! I defended my thesis yesterday, and I didn't pass out/throw up/or cry (except tears of joy). I have been STAMP approved, just gotta make some changes and satisfy a million other uppity-ups, and then its on to graduation! I don't know how I would have made it through this year w/o Greg. I'd probably be starving and wearing dirty clothes if he wasn't so good at taking care of things. I'm a lucky lucky lady :) So I made my own chai tea latte at home, I have a keurig coffee maker (which also makes a whole host of other single-serve drinks) and a foam wand. Its delicious, and if you come over I'll make you one too! Saturday we finally got to work on the yard, and it was so great! Weeded, mowed, fertilized, and planted some tomatoes, strawberries, and wildflowers. Greg's going to get me some railroad ties and make a big garden bed for big plants, like pumpkins, okra, cucumbers, and watermelon. Hope hope hope to do that this weekend. Still a lot of work to do, we are getting the yard marked this week so we can start building a fence. I'd also like to build a rock patio and plant some more trees, but I'm a big dreamer on a small budget, so I have to pace myself. Random blog post, I know, I'll put pictures up soon!

Ch-ch-changes!

Spring break has passed, and what a busy busy week it was! I had a great time, though unfortunately did not dedicate much of it to that four letter foul word- "work". Instead, I went to Fredericksburg, antique shopped, played video games, and watched movies. I must be allergic to texas (or maybe just W'ford) b/c I got sick Sunday night and am still kinda feelin cruddy. But, spring break ends and life goes on! Or in my case, starts again....



Monday night, at about 3 am, I completed my thesis. Except of course, what Dr. Paris pointed out that most of us forgot- an abstract. Whoops, guess I'll be adding another page. Which, I'd rather not. Right now it is 50 pages, such a nice even beautiful number. 51 is just....bleh.



Anyways, so late late monday finally finished, reproofed for sleep-deprived errors the next afternoon and sent on to committee. I didn't quite get it in as early as I would have liked, but at this point I'm happy to have made the progress I did.



My oral defense is monday. I keep going back and forth between being so nervous I feel like throwing up, to feeling like its going to be a great experience thats not a huge deal.



Other things on the horizon....for quite a while I've been thinking about my next degree. Ok, I know that sounds pretentious, but I made it this far and before I did grad school I didn't know if I'd be smart enough for grad school. Turns out I do pretty good in grad school, by that I mean I understand the content, get good grades, and enjoy learning. Pursuing a doctorate has always been a secret ambition of mine....Doesn't Dr. Whitney or (to use my maiden nickname) Dr. Love, sound good?



So here's my ten-ish year plan. I'd like to eventually pursue a PhD. I've been encouraged to also/instead pursue a clinical degree, but if I do that I would still like to go on to a PhD program. The end goal here is to get a PhD oneday regardless. Here's my steps...and complications:

Step 1. Start looking for jobs that would support me as a PhD candidate in two years (have to work in the social work field first)

Step 2. Begin applying to PhD programs

Step 3. Work full time, take the least hours possible to complete PhD program (so will take a few years)



Sounds pretty reasonable, right? Here's my complication: babies babies everywhere!! Its like they're following me around, and they're just so darn cute! I must be getting paranoid, I'm pretty sure babies single me out at walmart to smile and wave at. Its like they're saying, "don't you want me? I'm so cute and lovable! Have one of me right now!" AHHHHH, its like a cute fuzzy nightmare. I love kids, and I'm so happy (and a bit jealous) of my friends who are having babies and are at a place in their life where they can do that. However, I've never had a "real" job besides internships, I have *gulp* as of today $62,000 in loans to pay back and I really want to achieve a doctorate degree. Logically, I know that right now its not a good idea with all of my student debt (not to mention Greg's) and the fact that I need to get my feet wet in the professional world. But also, there is something really big I at least want to start on first, and I don't want to put myself in a position where I must choose how to balance school/work/child...I've seen some people do it, and these people are just amazing, but I'd rather take the easy road.



That said, the temptation to have a million cute little Greg's is overwhelming, but not entirely plausible right now. I'm feeling pretty selfish about wanting to go on further in school, and don't think I'm willing to sacrifice on that unless I have to. I realize I haven't mentioned Greg's views during this tirade, and thats b/c he is deathly terrified of changing diapers.



In other news, I really need to go out and plant something. Garden plans to come!

Twenty Five

Wow, so it has been a loooooong time since my last update! Let me catch you up.

1. I was in Sing Song. Go Mario.

2. Thesis.

3. No wait...thats it.

So I've been a busy busy bee trying to write this paper/collect data/analyze data and I am no where near done. I haven't even gotten all my surveys back and the whole thing in its entiriety is due monday to my committee!!! (Yanks out big chunk of hair). As you all who read this can imagine, high stress situation, especially since I don't know ditally squat about statistics and will be running several statisticy-thingy tests on my data. Inhale...exhale.

Suffice it to say, when I went for my yearly ladies check-up, my blood pressure turned out to be really high for someone who had been sitting at a desk for most of the day shuffling paperwork around and pretty easy day. (I'll mention here, that I'm 25 and though I'd like to see the number drop, considered medically to be at a healthy weight for my height). So unless I can bring it down to a nice low, normal number, I will not be able to refill my meds which means....a chance of babies. My doctor explained the high risk of stroke from this situation, and so I was given a choice between lowering my blood pressure or being at risk for having babies and strokes. Hmm...I think I will lower my blood pressure!!

I imagine the big scary number was due in large part to stress. No surprises there. But, I also suspect that some bad habits that have formed during grad school could also be major contributers. I try to eat healthy most of the day- I really do, like oatmeal or cereal and fruit for breakfast, skim milk, whole grains etc. And something light and non-greasy for lunch. But its dinner that always gets me. I'm just floored when I get home, and I am not a creative cook who just whips together any thing thats in the cabinet. If I don't have an idea and the tools, its just not happening. I don't think I've used many fresh ingrediants this year- just because it takes a lot of preparation and generally a good deal of cleanup. Not a fan, its too time consuming. So, if we eat dinner at home its lately been coming straight from the freezer or the chili can. Otherwise, its off to burger king or taco bueno, and as discussed in many earlier posts, i like fast food a lot and these places and just cheap, easy, and convenient.

I've also been slacking on my exercise. I LOVE zumba- but after getting sick, and sing song I just got so behind on everything, I don't feel as though I have the time or energy to spare. Maybe a logical fallacy on my part, but I am more tired after working out even though its kind of a good, relaxed, sleep better tired. Thats just how my body has been lately-some people feel energized for the rest of the day, I need a nap.

So thats where I am at right now, and honestly I am a little worried. So what does the researched do when a problem arises? Research!

I am going to keep a log (as ordered by my doctor) of my daily blood pressure for the next month. During this time, I will be trying to cut out fried, fast foods, sweets, and cutting back on caffeine (sidebar here: I looked at several studies about the coorelation between caffeine and stroke, some said it reduced the risk, some said it increased it. To play it safe, it may be best to partake in moderation). Also, I will be trying my darndest to reduce stress. There is only so much I can do about that....remember that whole thesis and grad student thing. But, I have the option of saying "no" to activities that are stressful for me. I can't skip too much work or class, but social events, volunteer activities (yes, i still do some of those too!), and unnecessary chores are all out. I may recieve some criticism for this, but I may skip out on some church. Let me explain why....Greg and I go to Highland, and its all good. But getting up on a Sunday, rushing to make it on time, trying to find a seat (yup, that crowded), and meeting new people is in fact a major stressor in my week. So, for a while, I will be podcasting in. Next step, exercise! Zumba, and some yoga to relax.

Well, lets fold our hands and pray this works!