Officially Accepted!

     I am pleased to announce that I have been accepted into the SOU MAT program :)
     Yesterday was an extremely long day for me. I'm still feeling exhausted. I woke up at 5:30am to make the drive down to Grants Pass. I had enough time to get changed out of my pjs (more comfy to drive in lol) into my interview dress, drink a cup of coffee, and eat some breakfast....before hopping in the car to take off for Ashland. Luckily, I wasn't alone in this adventure. Britt, my mom, and Archer all came along for the trip. Britt has been considering going to SOU so she wanted to check out the campus.
     Having family with me for the day definitely helped with my nerves. I didn't really have time to overthink the interview or get worked up about it. And before I knew it, it was time for my meeting.
     The woman was very nice and it was very comfortable talking to her. She just asked me some questions and we discussed a couple of things. At the end, she said, "Well, it looks like we have everything we need from you. And I'm not going to make you wait to find out....you got in." And then she proceeded to shake my hand.
     I got hugs from mom and Britt, called my dad to tell him the good news, and then we went out for lunch to celebrate.

The drink pictured above was my celebratory drink, complete with clinking glasses. Pomegranate-raspberry martini. And it was delicious!
Come mid-June, I will be a SOU Raider.

My New Ride

     I was fortunate enough for a while to get the use of the Corolla. A tiny little car perfect for me. And when I mean perfect, 89 is on the license plate. I've always joked that it's mine. But with sisters coming home from  A-school, C-school, and boot camp, my parents needed more cars for the family to get around. Leading to this:

     The Oldsmobile. A car that has been passed around the Abblitt family for years. It's an '88. And I can't tell you all the jokes and laughs I get when I'm driving it around. While the left turn signal doesn't work in the rear, and I'm pretty sure the gas gauge is off when you get around a 1/4 of a tank....I have to admit, it still can hold its own. (Although paying $63 to fill her up is not a plus)

     Britt has given this car a new name: the Beth-mobile. Which makes me think of the Batmobile. And Batman was always cool in my books....so laugh away everyone. Laugh away....

SOU Update

Just a quick update on the SOU MAT program:
      Dad called me on Friday night, the 13th, to tell me that there was a letter from SOU. Now the funny story about this, is that I had told Britt that she was the only one allowed to open any letters from SOU. If it was bad news, I wanted her to break it to me, and plus, I don't like the idea of disappointing my parents (even though I know they wouldn't be upset and would just encourage me to try again). So Friday rolls around, and guess what? Britt isn't home because she drove to OIT (Klamath Falls) for the weekend to visit friends. And my mom isn't home because she was off at a women's retreat. Leaving dad to open up the letter haha.
      The letter basically said that I had met admission requirements for the program, and they had all the information they needed. Unfortunately what it didn't say was whether I have been accepted. Today I started emailing the application coordinator for the School of Education at SOU. I was curious what the rest of the process was going to be like before I would find out if I was in. She told me that the elementary coordinator wants to meet with me on the 27th at 1:00pm. After I read that email, it felt like butterflies were going nuts in my stomach! I'm usually very nervous for interviews, even though they usually always go well. And this meeting coming up is VERY important to me! 
      One of the things I have been trying to work on, and discussed a lot with my Head Teacher when I was interning at the preschool, is becoming more comfortable talking to people I don't know. I never have a problem opening myself up to children (probably why I've always wanted to work with them), but with other adults and peers, I struggle initially. Once I get to know the person, I'm completely comfortable. I had GREAT talks with my Head Teacher, and she was so encouraging. But I think this meeting at SOU is making me a little nervous. I have one shot to make a great impression and that's it. I can't afford to be quiet and uncomfortable. 
      This is going to be a huge moment for me....and will show me if I've made any progress conquering my fear. Wish me luck, everyone! This girl is going to need it! I'll update you all after the meeting :)

Patience is a Virtue (So I Hear...)

Just in case some of you don't know my plans: I am graduating this Spring. There was a slight hiccup over a foreign language requirement, but I am on track. I wasn't originally planning on going to my commencement ceremony. I didn't feel the need to walk. But then something exciting happened, the First Lady is going to be speaking at my ceremony. Regardless of politics, and where any of us stand on certain issues, you have to admit, that will be a pretty awesome story to tell my future kids and grandkids. My dad also expressed that he really wanted to watch me walk across that stage. So...in June, I'll be walking across a stage in black robes.

I decided to apply for Southern Oregon University's MAT program. It has always been my dream to teach, and this will get me the certification I need for public schools. I Fedex'd my application to SOU on Friday, 4/6/2012. And I know it arrived on Monday, 4/9/2012 (I requested a signature lol, couldn't risk that baby getting lost in the mail). 

But now I'm just trying not to go insane, while waiting to hear if I have been accepted into the program. I feel like one of my personal strengths, and what makes me a great teacher, is my patience. Which is definitely needed when working with 3-5 year olds haha. But right now.....my patience is dwindling. I don't like waiting around to see if I have been accepted. I like being able to plan ahead and right now, there is a great big black hole following my graduation. If I'm accepted, I immediately will be starting classes after graduation. If I'm not, then a whole lot of free time just opened up. Sigh....nothing I can do but wait. And it's just so dang hard!

Spring Break (AKA: Learning How to Relax Again)

Spring Break was quite nice. It was all about me learning how to relax again. Winter Term turned me into a bundle of stress, as I've mentioned in earlier posts. And all of a sudden, the term was over. One of the lingering aftereffects however, was that it felt wrong having free time again. I had been going 100 mph all the time, every day...so suddenly me sitting around and not doing anything just didn't seem right. Thank goodness I've been able to shut that impulse down!

So back to more of Spring Break:

I was scheduled to have my wisdom teeth taken out on Tuesday, March 27th. That first day was miserable! I wasn't in pain, but the combination of all the meds I had taken, made me sick. Fortunately, since I wasn't in any pain, I made the decision to not take any pain meds for the rest of the healing process.

I also had the joy of being reunited with my sister, Britt. Who I hadn't seen since July! She was awesome, and gave me an early graduation gift: a hiking backpack. Britt and I started a list a couple months back of all the things we want to do or see in Oregon/Washington. A lot of the things involve hiking....so her gift will be put to good use when we have all our adventures in the summer.

Britt also came back up with me to Corvallis to visit for a couple of days. Even though I was having to work at Ross at different times during the visit, we still managed to have a great time.