The Results Are In!

After much hard work and effort, phone calls, emails, and a waiting period that has seemed like an eternity, I have finally heard back from several of the graduate schools that I applied to! I am very happy to announce that I have decided upon....drumroll, please....my very own alma mater, Rockhurst! 

The day my acceptance letter arrived in the mail, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I opened the envelop. Thankfully the first word on the letter was Congratulations, which sent a wave of relief throughout my body, quickly followed by a surge of excitement! I think I just stood where I was, staring at the letter, until I finally processed what had happened. My first choice!

The reasons why I wanted to remain at Rockhurst are not only because it is the shortest driving distance from home (2 1/2 hours), that I already have the Rockhurst Speech-Language Pathology fleece jacket, or that the cookie twisters here are to die for. I feel that I have received a wonderful undergraduate education at Rockhurst, from some very smart and experienced professors. I love the fact that I am living in a city with over 90 different sites in which I can observe, volunteer, and/or potentially work at some day! While I did debate, for a time, on whether or not I should go out and experience what another school could be like, Rockhurst just seemed to feel right.

Now that I have a sense of security for next year’s plans, I feel more at peace and able to enjoy the last quarter of my senior year. It has absolutely flown by, but I want to enjoy as much as I can before I blink again!

Up, Up and Away!

One incredible spring break adventure that I forgot to mention in my last post was that I went skydiving. That's right, skydiving!! Ok, so maybe it was a skydiving simulation, but this experience sure didn't fail to send my adrenaline pumping. At the conclusion of our Disney World vacation, we were on our way back to the airport when we passed by a building with a sign that said "Ifly." Upon recognizing the building, David's dad pulled the car into the parking lot and told us about his experience at a similar indoor skydiving location. After hearing his story, I was sold on trying it out myself...for the most part. I must admit that I got a case of cold feet once I observed a group ahead of us. The skydivers each took turns flying in a glass tunnel, with air blowing up through the bottom. The tunnel looked a little intimidating! I saw a huge fan at the very top and couldn't help but be reminded of the scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, when Grandpa Joe and Charlie nearly hit the fan in the burping tunnel. However, the maneuvers the flyers practiced seemed very simple, and my confidence began to rise when I realized that I could surely do the same (that, and the flyers were no where near the daunting fan!)
Before we could hop in the flying tunnel, we attended a little session where we were taught how to fly. The instructor had each person practice the position we were to use in the tunnel, which was basically laying on your stomach with arms out to your sides but hands in front of you, and legs bent. We practiced and practiced until I was pretty sure I could instruct a class on it myself.  We were given jumpsuits, helmets, goggles, and earplugs, and we headed to the tunnel.
The confidence I felt in our practice session was just about equal to my floppiness inside the tunnel. Everything that I had learned left me once the wind hit my body, and my muscles couldn't seem to figure out how to move! Thankfully the instructor was in there helping to position us. At one point, my body figured out what it was doing and I was flying solo- that is, until I felt myself going higher and higher. I tried to maintain my position but the thought of the spinning fan that hovered above me made me crumple and fall. I may or may not have smacked into the wall once...or twice...
I quickly realized that indoor skydiving was much more difficult than it appeared, and that I would not only need practice to gain skills in it, but private instruction! But I will say that I had a blast. And now that I conquered indoor skydiving, who's to say that my next adventure won't be the real thing??

Days at Disney

Although it fell early this year, I was more than ready for spring break. With the arrival of Friday afternoon, David and I wasted no time in kicking off our week-long break. As soon as my last class of the day ended, I ran home to grab my suitcase, and before I knew it I was on a plane flying to the happiest place on earth...Disney World!

This time around, we spent most of our time at Epcot and Magic Kingdom. We were able to travel around the different countries at Epcot, take a ride with Peter Pan, Nemo, and Winnie the Pooh, and have our photos taken with Mickey and his friends! What I think I like most about Disney World is that while it's geared towards children, there are a lot of neat things for older kids and adults to enjoy, whether it's roller coasters or attractions that are educational but fun at the same time.

I had a great time while in Florida, and now I feel refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to tackle the second half of the semester!