On vacation day 1

As many of you know already, we just got back from vacation.  The thought of uploading all the pictures and explaining the whole thing at once is kind of overwhelming to me, so I'm going to take it one day at a time.

Our vacation started on Friday night.  We took off for the airport after work and flew all night to Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  We flew Virgin America.  I didn't have a favorite airline before, but I do now.  The check-in was fast, the design was sleek, and the on-flight entertainment was delightful.  TV screens for every seat with satellite TV (we watched the Germany/England world cup game live on the flight back), an awesome music selection, and games.  There's even wifi on the plane.

Didn't sleep much, but enjoyed the flight.  That was day 1 of the vacation.

On happiness

Despite the busyness of my life, I am really happy.  I turned in my last paper for the quarter today.  Twice I caught myself walking on campus with a ridiculous grin.  I must be happy.

I have some pretty wonderful friends in my program.  They make hours of classes (sometimes 9-10 in a row), group projects, and late night paper writing bearable.  We don't get together to write papers or anything, but we are pretty active on facebook late into the night before a big project is due.

I LOVE my work.  I like stories.  I like people.  I like helping.  They all combine in an amazing way in therapy.  I can't believe I get paid (if only just a little) to do what I do.  I am humbled by the trust my clients place in me and amazed at the inimate details I know about the lives of people who were strangers a few hours or minutes before.

I have a wonderful husband. 

I'm happy.

On memorial day

Aside from being a day off work and a marker of the start of summer, Memorial Day is a time for us to remember those who served our country in the Armed Forces.  We also remember other loved ones who have passed on.  I have spent the majority of my Memorial Day this year in remembrance of my departed and dearly missed free time.  It's coming up on finals for Spring quarter, and I'm swamped.  I was happy to have a day off from the clinic to be able to complete (and in one case start) some big projects due this week.

However, I did take some time to remember World War II Navy Veteran Dennis Gail Latham or, as he was more commonly known, Grandpa Hook. 

Last time I visited his grave I took flowers and had a hard time finding it.  I think he was playing tricks on me.  One of my cousins suggested that if I had brought a deck of cards and some hot dogs I might have had an easier time finding it.  I'm not as big a fan of cold hot dogs as Grandpa was, so I went with another of his favorite snacks.  I took her suggestion to heart and brought the cards, a Snickers bar, and a Coke.  

Somehow, from beyond the grave and with an overturned box to hold his cards, he still beat me!

I found his grave easier this time.  In case anyone was keeping track, the grass is green now.  They've taken away the little spot of desert he and Evelyn were enjoying a few months back.

A family having a picnic with their loved one nearby asked if we would like an extra flag they had to place on the grave we were visiting.  They probably thought we had come unprepared.  I declined.  The way we left it was much funnier, which is what Grandpa Hook would have wanted.

Happy Memorial Day!

On keeping my big therapeutic mouth shut

My professor/boss/clinical supervisor told me about a year ago that the best advice he'd received when we has first starting out his career was this:

Learn to keep your big therapeutic mouth shut or you will end up very educated and very alone.

I thought this was good advice and tried to adopt it.  It's hard for me though, because I get so excited about some of the things that I'm learning.  I feel so passionately about what I'm doing, and just want to share it.  The temptation to put all my opinions out there is strong, but I also know many of those opinions rank pretty high on the potential-to-offend scale.  I hope my thoughts on a good laugh in class or on womanhood and maternity didn't offend anyone.  They weren't meant to.

I am super busy these days but really loving it . . . most of the time.  There are a few times when I get completely overwhelmed and/or exhausted.  Those times aren't as fun.  There was a day this past week when Blake asked if I was ok.  I started crying and said "I'm just so tired."  He told me I needed to sleep and tucked me in bed.  Thanks, Blake!

While this doesn't really have anything to do with keeping my big therapeutic mouth shut (I give you my permission to tell me to shut that mouth at any time), I'll give y'all an update on what I'm doing with my life.  I'm taking a full load of classes this quarter: Advanced Family Therapy Theory/Postmodern Theories (the name is scary, but I like the class), Gender Perspectives, Advanced Child and Adolescent Development, Quantitative Research Methods, and Case Presentation.  

Instead of writing a research based thesis, our program requires the in-depth presentation of a case as a final project.  There's one gianourmous paper detailing the theory you have chosen, how you understand that theory, and how it fits (or doesn't) your life experience and personal philosophy.  Then there's another paper detailing your work with a client session-by-session from beginning to end showing how you used your theory with that client.  (Client here refers to a relational unit, we can't use an individual for this project.  It has to be at least two people.) Then, you've got to edit video from those sessions showing what you talked about in your paper.  I'll have to get all this ready and present it sometime next spring to a panel of three of my professors who get to ask me questions about it.  All of that was a really long background for what Case class is; it's supposed to prepare us for our Final Case project.  About this time next year, I'm gonna be crazy busy with all of that.  Yikes!

In addition to classes, I'm doing clinical work.  Our school just opened a new integrated clinic with all behavioral health disciplines in one location: psychiatry, psychology, marriage and family therapy, social work, school counseling, child life.  I work there.  I'm seeing individuals, couples, and one family right now.  It's pretty awesome, but the move to the new building has been pretty stressful and has required that we make A LOT of changes in how we do paperwork and billing and scheduling.  I also run an Anger Management group through our clinic.

I work with another group at the University called Transition Support Services.  We have a contract through the local Office of Education to provide training to foster parents and staff in group homes in the Nurtured Heart Approach to working with difficult children.  This is another thing I could go on and on about.  Nurtured Heart Approach is an alternative to traditional parenting methods that focuses on transforming a child through the power of relationship.  It is especially useful for "difficult," high-energy, intense, and "problem" children and teens.  I LOVE the work I do there.

I just finished an internship with the University's office of Employee Wellness running a 12-week group we called "Unstuck."  It focused on goal setting and overall health and wholeness.  This last week was the 12th week, and the group was an amazing success.  We had a waiting list, so we'll probably do it again in the summer.

Aside from sleeping, playing with my best friend Blake, and nursery, that is how I spend all my time.  This may also explain why there is little time for blogging.  I have discovered that blogging Saturday morning before Blake wakes up works pretty well.  I'm awake, but who wants to clean or do homework or some other responsible thing on Saturday morning?  Not me.  So, I'll blog.  At least for today.

On a good laugh in class

Disclaimer: this post might not be pleasing to all readers.

I'm taking Advanced Child and Adolescent Development class this quarter.  It's pretty awesome, and that's something I don't say about every class.  Aside from attendance and keeping up on the reading, the only assignment for the class is to create a portable play therapy kit.  I'm having SO much fun buying toys and thinking of activities.  I went to the Mattel outlet yesterday and am now the proud owner of a set of matchbox cars and polly pockets in addition to some other really fun things.  Blake was so cute helping me unpackage the Polly Pockets last night.  I think we're going to be getting the play therapy kit out for us at home. :D

A positive side effect of this is that now I feel like I could actually invite friends and family with kids over to our house.  I have been hesitant to do that since we've moved here because we don't have a kid-friendly house.  Now we have toys!  Yay!  The only kids that have been to our house so far are our adorable nieces, and I am very ok with that.  I love my nieces (and nephew) and would love it if they were the kids who spent more time at my house than any other kids.

Back to class.  Last Thursday we were talking about books to help kids.  Our teacher was displaying books about puberty and maturation.  She showed one book that was geared more toward kids than parents, with lots of pictures and blurbs.  The pages were designed to look like a scrapbook or bulletin board with lots of bright colors.  She opened to one page that had a drawing that looked like it was done on notebook paper.  The class just stared at the drawing until the teacher said "It's a cartoon penis."  Then there were some laughs and at least one "Oh!"  I had the best laugh I've had in class in a long time.  I was just delighted by the fact that she had to explain what it was, or that she felt she had to.  What was even better, was that it had a smiley face and little arms on it.  If I were a naive 13-year old girl, those arms would freak me out.

Our class representatives were asking for ideas about a class mascot and motto.  I probably don't have to tell you what my suggestion was.  The other Latter-day Saint student and I thought this was completely hilarious.  There were a few of our classmates who were not quite so amused.  Apparently Latter-day Saints (at least the two of us) are NOT the most conservative people out there.

"It's a cartoon penis!"  Comedy gold.

On womanhood and maternity

A while ago I was at a social gathering and joined a game about to start.  I sat at the table and realized I was the only woman at the table.  I thought for a second about backing out, not wanting to impose on a "guy thing," some kind of male bonding.  I looked around and realized that all the women were on the other side of the room talking about pregnancy and motherhood.  I had the distinct impression that I didn't belong in either of those groups.

What does it mean to be a woman in our society who is not a mother?  The idea of the stereotypical woman is essentially maternal.  The stereotypical man is not necessarily paternal; he is so many other things besides a father, if he is that at all.  In some settings, without a child I belong with the men or the girls.  Women who have children sometimes talk about feeling connected to a great sisterhood or that they are connected to generations of humanity through that experience common to "all" women: childbirth.  I don't mean to diminish the awesomeness and reality of that experience--I hear it's great--but it does make me wonder where that leaves women who don't want to, haven't yet, or can't bear children.

Is society going to view me as "less than" until/unless I have a child?  I've heard some talk about how women without children can still contribute by nurturing other people's children.  I believe this talk is intended to be inclusive, but the underlying message is still that what women do is mother, that that's what women have to offer the world.  Does my education, my wealth of life experience, my contribution in a hundred other arenas in life combined not count for anything?  Is that still not enough to make up for not being a mother?

These are things I think about.

On 30 days of Blake

I'm working on a little birthday present/party for Blake's upcoming 30th birthday.  Check it out and contribute all you want.

http://30daysofblake.blogspot.com/