Saturday, December 31, 2011

Gone, But Not For Long

Bloggy land, I am gone but will be back shortly, no worries! I have very limited internet access while at my parent's house (the joys of living in the country and having dial up internet).  I will be back in a few days to update Christmas happenings and some exciting news about 2012. 

Happy New Year to all, and I hope 2012 is the best yet for all of you!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Elfing

Or at least that's what my family calls it when we get ready for the holidays! I've been a busy bee in the kitchen, and I'd love to share photos but some people who read this blog are possible recipients, so they will have to wait- sorry folks!
In not so great news, I walked out to my car to go to the gym today, and found some footprints and a significant dent on my hood.  Great, just the start to break I needed.  I called the police, they filed a report and I guess I am going to turn it into insurance and get a new hood on my car.  Sigh, let the paperwork begin.  I just cannot fathom why people would want to walk on the hood of a car, rather than move 2 feet in front of it, or walk the 5 feet around it.  The lack of respect for my car makes me most upset about the whole situation.  I drive a fairly nice and somewhat new car, so this will not be cheap to get replaced either.
BUT- some upsides to my weekend: I won my first ever blog giveaway! Thanks to Chambanachik for hosting her Christmas giveaways.  I'm looking forward to my giveaway prize.  This was a great email to brighten my mood.
In some other awesome news, boyfriend and I officially booked our vacation! We decided to go light this Christmas, and instead spend some money on treating ourselves.  We are going to be spending a full week in the Bahamas on my Spring Break, and celebrate our 7 year anniversary together on the beach, along with my golden birthday!!  It's going to be a "happy anniversary, Birthday, Valentine's Day and everything else" vacation.
Not my photo- thank you Pinterest.
 I'm beyond excited for some relaxation! We are renting a condo to avoid the whole resort crowd and so we can do breakfasts and lunches on the cheap side, followed with going out for some fancy dinners.  I may be booking him a special surprise while we are down there, but I'm not going to spill until we come back.  Best way to plan spending my tax return yet.  So, the 3 month countdown to the beach begins! 3 months to get the beach body going as well, I cannot wait :)

Friday, December 16, 2011

Christmas Spirit

I should be cramming for my last final tomorrow, but a blog sounds like WAY more fun than Psychoacoustics and Sound Perception :)  I have just the one final left and then I'll be able to go to full Christmas prep mode.  I just have a few little things to pick up, and then my shopping will be all done! I have some baking and decorating still to do, but that is the goal for this weekend :)
I have seen this floating around and thought it would be fun to share.


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love paper, something about the tearing and making ribbons just says Christmas to me.
 
 2. Real tree or Artificial? Real all the way, well at my parent's house at least.  I don't have room in my apartment for much more than my 3 ft table top tree, so I settled this year.  When I get home next week my family will do our usual redneck tradition of cutting down the tree out of our backyard.  We planted the trees when I was younger, and pick one out for Christmas on Thanksgiving and shape it in the weeks that follow.  I just keep hoping we don't end up like the Griswolds and have a squirrel end up in the house, ha!

3. When do you put up the tree? We usually do this a week before Christmas, once my sister and I come home from college.  The day after Thanksgiving I also usually help decorate the tree with Boyfriend and his family, they do an artificial tree and enjoy having it up for a few weeks.
 
4. When do you take the tree down? January 1st.  We like to keep it up for a few days to enjoy it since we usually put it up so late.  We also do Christmas with my mom's side of the family on the day before New Year's Eve, so its nice to have the house still decorated.
 
5. Do you like eggnog? Can't say I do, but I may try it again this year.  I'm more of a mulled wine girl.
 
6. Favorite gift received as a child?  I think the year I got my American Girl Doll, I still have Felicity and all her clothes tucked away in a trunk in my parents house.  I remember being so excited because I finally got one, and I loved reading the books since I was in 2nd grade.  My sister got one as well, so that year we had fun dressing them up and playing with them together.
 
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Nope.
 
8. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad.  This year we got him a rocking gift- I'll be sure to post photos and the back story to go with it :)
 
9. Easiest person to buy for?  Boyfriend.  I stash my ideas all the time.  This year, I thought about his gift before he even came home, and on homecoming day he mentioned he wanted to pick one up.  It only took 3 times of telling him not to buy one before he put it together haha.  

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail!
 
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't really think of one.  As I get older they get more and more practical.  Last year I got a new trashcan, which to some people might seem pretty awful, but it's a Simple Human one and it has a lid that works unlike my last one, so I was pretty stoked :)

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?  It's A Wonderful Life.  I watch it every Christmas Eve with Boyfriend.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually after Thanksgiving or if there is a great sale.
 
14. Ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, but it was for an anonymous gift exchange.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My family's fudge recipe, its so delicious and I make several batches every year in traditional chocolate, mint, peanut butter and while chocolate with peppermint.
 
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear, it is so elegant and modern.  However, my family usually does colored so I get both between my two trees this year.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Tough one, I have favorite albums: Elvis, Harry Conick Jr, Michael Buble, Vienna Boy's Choir, and my N'SYNC album is still a guilty pleasure.  

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel between Boyfriend's and my parents' houses, so a whole 8 miles :)

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Sing it with me: you know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixen.  Comet, and Cupid, and Donner, and Blitzen.  And the most famous reindeer of all: Rudolph!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Glitter star.
 
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?  Well, I have Christmas with boyfriend and his family every Christmas Eve, then my family and Dad's side on Christmas day- so both!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?  The acts of charity and kindness don't last forever, I wish more of the altruism during the holidays would last year round.

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I love modern and bright combos- my apartment tree is silver and hot pink glitter ornaments, while my parents do a tree with all the homemade ornaments from my childhood.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Time with boyfriend and lots of photos together.  A Kindle wouldn't hurt either :)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Tinnitus and Military Service

Hello lovely bloggy world.  I'm procrastinating/taking a break from writing furiously on my 15 page tinnitus paper, and decided to go all AuD geek on you :)  I don't know if anyone Audiology related swings by my little corner on the web, but I thought I'd share. 

This is kind of milie and audiology related- yay for cross over!  My paper for my tinnitus is on the VA and how they are on the forefront of tinnitus management- go VA on this one.  There is no cure for tinnitus, but many medically accepted ways to manage it.  There is also no formal clinical protocol nationally, but the VA is doing OODLES of research into their current method, and it appears to be really flippin' awesome.... aaaaand end the nerding out.  We shall see, but I'm hoping for my 4th year placement to work at a VA and help with some of the data collection for their studies, how crazy would that be?

I think I may have found some of my passion I've been lacking lately in my school work, this paper is really getting me fired up about military audiology and helping vets.  Don't get me wrong, I love the kiddos and little bitty babies still, but man oh man is this tinnitus stuff interesting.  I know that as the service members keep coming back from overseas they are going to need some help, and current estimates show that anyone with military service (ranging in age of 20-89) is about 2.5 times more likely to experience chronic tinnitus in their lifetime than the normal population.  Wowza.  I wish this wasn't the case, but I hope in my time as an Audiologist I can help with implementing good proven management techniques.   

And finally, on the tinnitus forefront, there is an online podcast I listen to for Audiologists and they just did an entire hour long segment into tinnitus and talking about the VA protocol, talk about amazing timing for my paper.  If you are interested, you can find the podcast here, and it's called "Ringing in the New Year".  *groan* on the title.  Well, hope this helps any AuDs that pop in here, if not it's also good info for you fellow milie girls :)

Ok, enough chatter and back to writing and studying.  Can it be the 16th yet?

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Formal Photos Are In!

I'm in the midst of finals, 2 papers due tomorrow, along with a presentation, then final on Tuesday and 15 page paper and final on Friday.  Follow that up with a 15 page group paper on Monday and a final on Friday, oh and clinicals and a meeting about my clinical experience this semester.  So, when no one hears from me for a week or two- you know what happened. 

I'm running on an IV drip of coffee, tea and living off of granola bars and take out.  I'm just so ready for the semester to be over. 

BUT, the formal photos are in from the ball and I thought I'd share.  I think they look ok, the pose they had us do was a bit strange and I appear to be missing an arm.  Other than that I'm pretty happy with them.  Its nice to finally have a full shot of my dress and to see boyfriend wearing his spurs :)

I think I'm also not a super huge fan of the all white background, it washes me and boyfriend out a bit.  Next time I'll just ask to take photos without the chair.  Any maybe ask boyfriend to relax his hands a bit :)