Photos!

I woke up to quite the surprise this morning in my email inbox- photos from the LT! I haven't seen any new photos from him since he left, so it was quite the pleasant surprise.  He looks like he is doing well, rocking the "Q ball" look for sure :) I love how he always shaves his head for training, I guess the tradition continued for deployment.  I just hope it grows out a little bit in the next 6-ish weeks, so he doesn't freeze completely for R&R.

As to the R&R dilemma, I just decided to go with a long weekend in Chicago.  We have never stayed downtown or done more than day trips, so I think it'll be a nice quick get away that won't be super expensive and we can plan it on the fly, no need to worry about missed flights.

I also FINALLY saw my first patient- it was nerve wracking, crazy, and awesome!!! So great to finally practice what I've been learning about for the last 4.5 years.  My patient was very patient with me, and while I made some mistakes due to being flustered, it all worked out just fine.  I'll get to see my patient again in 2 weeks when their fancy new earplugs I ordered for them come in.... yippee! Now I start doing full AA (audiological assessments) on sophomores in the Speech and Hearing Science program.  I'm just hoping they are all normal, and I don't have to be the bearer of bad news.  After the incident with my mother, I really don't want to have to tell some 19 year old that they have hearing loss.  So here is to hoping it all works out :)

Finally- a photo the LT sent, one of the few I can share.  Just him chatting on the radio.  Here is to hoping I get to see your sweet face in the next 6-ish weeks.  Hurry home Soldier!!