First day as actual therapist

This is what I looked like going into my first session today. Can we just say that my nerves were getting the best of me. I had my first two clients today and I dont think I ruined their lives (PHEW)!!! I cant believe how nervous I was going into this situation, it is what I have been getting training for for three years. Amazing things happened while I sat there with my clients. Answers and advice just popped into my head when I needed it. It was as if I was an outside observer that was looking in on some therapy sessions. Things came out of my mouth that I was not prepared for. I know that the Lord was with me. Although my clients were not active LDS, I felt the spirit of Lord in the room and I felt his love for them. It was like he was reaching out hugging them and trying to give them hope. It reminds me that we are all loved and important to our Savior. He loves us and he wants what is best for us, we just need to reach out and take his hand. He will guide us safely home.

Legacy and Fair

I dont know if you can tell but this is the legacy highway. We took a ride on the new highway on opening day. I loved it. It was much more scenic than the freeway. There is also a really neat jogging trail on the side of the highway. Anyone up for a run?

Here is the UTAH STATE FAIR! Look at how many kids we had to keep track of. It felt like we were at the circus instead of the fair. We had tons of fun petting animals, riding the huge slide and eating fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (YUCK, dont try it) and fried oreos.

It is hard to see this man, but he was the highlight of the night. We were trying to be inconspicuous when we took a picture of him. He had hyena spots in his hair, a skunk stripe down the center of his head, and a bull's ring in his nose. Poor guy, he is just crying out for attention.

Kevi's B-day & Favorite activity

Kevi's the big 3-5. He really wanted to have a paintball game with friends. So we spent Friday night shooting our loved ones. I have always wondered what that means to enjoy shooting other people. Oh well, I'll try not to get to analytical.

If you are wondering I had no problem shooting my twin. Normally I would have to say I'm not as inclined to do so, but she was shooting at me. So I took her down. It was fun to have her and her friends there too.

Can you say SEXY. Kevin is so serious about this game. He loves to run out in the middle of everyone and try not to get hit. He usually ends up getting hit in the neck. So it looks like he has a hickie. NICE!

This is Kevin's sister, Freda, and her hubby, Shawn. She really did not want to come and get hit by the paint, but Kevin made her feel guilty. She is so awesome for doing something she was not comfortable with. It meant alot to Kevin. Thanks, Freda. It was fun to have you there.

Here's our girls team. We won. Holly and Angie distracted all of the players and Jen and I took down all of the opposing team members. Thanks for taking some shots for the team Holly and Angie.

Gratitude

Can I just say that I have so much to be grateful for. I spent an entire week assessing individuals who have horrible lives. Their problems expand from suicide attempts to severe addictions. Many of the clientele have lost parents due to suicide, murder, or addictions. My heart breaks when I hear how awful their circumstances. I just want to take them home and show them how a normal life can feel (well, that is if you consider Kevin and I normal). I also had to live without my husband for a week. I now that for some that is nothing, but for me I realized how grateful I was for him. He does so much for me. He is my best friend, my confidant, and my support. I felt like I was in a room full of people, yet all alone. I decided that it is crucial for me to have him and that maybe I need counseling for my codependency issues :-). No really, I feel lucky to be a part of this religion and to have the comfort of the holy ghost in my life daily. I also feel blessed to have the priesthood in my home, and let me tell you I had a need for it when Kevin was gone, and I felt lost without it. I also feel blessed to have such great friends who help out (emotionally, and with anything) when I cant do it on my own. Mostly, I am grateful for a wonderful mother-in-law who is awesome at picking up my slack as a parent. I can never thank her enough and I would not be able to do my masters' program without her. She deserves a degree also. I know without a doubt that I am supposed to be here and it is amazing how the Lord makes things that seem impossible possible. Hooray for the hidden blessings in our lives.

TAGGED

Sorry Lindsey I didn't realize that you tagged me. So here goes:

A. ATTACHED OR SINGLE? Attached, 12 years
B. BEST FRIEND? Kevi, he is the bomb
C. CAKE OR PIE? CAKE, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting
D. DAY OF THE WEEK? Friday, because I get to go on dates with Kevin, and stay up late with him. It is the only night he will stay up late.
E. ESSENTIAL ITEM? Shower, soap, and water (just ask Jen M.)
F. FAVORITE COLOR? red, I love it. It makes me feel happy and bright.
G. GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS? Neither
H. HOMETOWN? Syracuse, Utah
I. INDULGENCE? running apparel and gadgets
J. JANUARY OR JULY? July. I prefer the warmth
K. KIDS? Three wonderful daughters
L. LIFE ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT? My family, religion, education, and running
M. MARRIAGE DATE? February 2, 1996
N. NUMBER OF BROTHERS AND SISTERS? Just my twin sister and an older brother.
O. ORANGES OR APPLES? It depends, some days it is apples and other days it is oranges.
P. PHOBIAS OR FEARS? Being alone, being alone in the dark, vomiting, and losing Kevin.
Q. QUOTE? "Its all how you look at it."
R. REASONS TO SMILE? The funny things that come out of my childrens mouth, the moments when I witness my daughters choosing the right, watching Kevin play with our girls, and trying to be photogenic
S. SUPERMAN OR WONDERWOMAN? Neither, they're lame (I have to ditto Lindsey)
T. TAG 5 PEOPLE? anyone that hasn't been tagged already that wants to be
U. UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME? I am very disorganized. I try to organize but it gets messy so fast that I get discouraged. I would rather run a marathon than organize my stuff. I need Stephanie J. to come teach me some lessons, she is awesome.
V. VEGETABLES? artichokes, corn, spinach, and lettuce
W. WORST HABIT? I love to tweeze Kevin's hair
X. X-RAY OR ULTRASOUND? Neither. Everytime I got an ultrasound with my daughters they told me that something was seriously wrong, and then it wasn't. And then the only x-rays I have seen have been when I broke something, my daughters broke something, or when my daughters have had pneumonia
Y. YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? I love anything with chocolate, and I also love fresh homemade rolls or bread
Z. ZODIAC SIGN? Taurus

First day at new internship

Can I just say UGGHH. Not only was all of my paperwork and agency agreements hard to get from DBH but my supervisor forgot I was starting today. I sat there for a half hour waiting for her to show up and when she did she said "Oh, I forgot I had a student coming." Well since I had to get my hours in she had me sit in a room and read literature reviews and files all day. I must say that is better than being thrown right into a therapy session. I at least got a better idea of how things are documented at the agency. Tomorrow seems like it will be better because I am shadowing her and her clientelle all day. The plus side is that she is really easy to talk to and she seems like she will be open to giving me a lot of experience. She stated that I will be working primarily with the severely mentally ill and domestic abuse victims. Yeah, that is what I wanted! Oh and since I am talking about being a therapist I wanted to share a qoute that I heard by another therapist, it is "kids dont need perfect parents, they need parents who admit to their imperfections" (Virginia Satir). I admit I am definitely not a perfect parent but I really liked this qoute because it gave me hope as a parent.

Girls Camp

Here is Kevin letting his hair down (or something). He was such a clown. This is actually the outfit that all the leaders wore for our skit.

Here I am walking across a tightrope (which was really high). All of the girls got to do this experience.

The girls were anxiously waiting to get the bishop and Kevin wet when they came out of their room in the morning. Little did the girls know that the men were going to come out with garbage cans of water. When the girls saw this, they dropped their buckets and went running. Once again the boys won the water fight. Their nickname is now Brother Water and Bishop Wet.

Oh and here is what happened to Sariah while we were gone. She got her first "Shiner." It is a good thing school pitures are in a few days. We wouldn't want her to look normal! :-{