Never Gonna Grow Up

“The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” –Lucille Ball

            I took the words of my wise great-aunt (okay not really but wouldn’t that be cool?!), to heart this weekend.  A self-proclaimed grandma I may be, however, I have a serious fear of actually growing old.  So my roommate and I celebrated our upcoming birthdays with a party embracing just the opposite.  Instead of celebrating the big 2-4, we decided to just celebrate the big 4.  That’s right.  We had a 4-year-old birthday party complete with a piñata, balloons, and an egg toss.  I may have even worn a tu-tu.  Although this may not be all that surprising to those of you who know me and my tendency to act like a 7 year old at times.  Overall, the kool-aid may have had a little more kick than it once did, our outfits were spot-on and the party games were even more fun once everyone had a few drinks in their system J

Note the pinata in the background

Spotted: Man in a diaper

Two very happy birthday girls

It's here!

            It's official.  October is here and it is like that steamy summer air was waiting around for the month to roll in and give it one last kick out of here.  October has brought with it that crispness that I have been waiting for and in order to breathe in as much of that fall-ness as possible, some friends and I walked down the street to Taps and Tapas, a new restaurant with great outdoor seating, in Hillsboro Village for a late night glass of wine.  It was chilly, I wore boots, and I embraced the fact that red wine makes my cheeks turn pink and my insides feel all warm and sleepy.

Fall is here y'all...finally!  What are you doing to celebrate?

Ta-Da!!

“Children get to say ta-da! And I guess magicians, but other than that, it’s an underutilized expression.  I’m trying to think – an adult might say it as she waltzes in with the turkey, or a homemade cake.  But a self-congratulatory ta-da! Would certainly be warranted for any number of daily accomplishments.  I cleaned out the trunk of my car – ta-da!  I finished filling out the insurance application – ta-da!  I made the bed – ta-da!”  -- Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life

Ta-Da!  It’s what I felt like shouting when I woke up this morning and realized that all of the little boxes on my oh-so-long to-do list were checked off.  This week has been crazy to say the least and there were a few moments when I considered throwing the to-do list out the window and running off to London, or Fox Point, or maybe even the circus.  It just didn’t seem like it was possible to get everything done, (not to mention get it done well), and it seemed easier to just say to hell with it all.  But I didn’t.  I stuck it out and am currently experiencing a curiously delicious mix of caffeine withdrawal, delirium, and that oh-so-satisfying feeling that comes with accomplishing something that once felt so daunting.  So since it’s not all that socially acceptable for a 23 year old to shout Ta-Da! in real life, I am shouting it here in blog-land.  TA-DA!  Take that, to-do list.

TO-DO Ta-Da! List:

• Case conference presentation
• Dysphagia exam
• Amplification exam
• Disorders take home exam question
• Aphasia group plan and presentation
• Disorders coding assignment
• Plan activities for artic/reading therapy sessions

Getting My Grandma On

On this blog I frequently refer to myself as a grad school grandma.  It is often used in reference to the fact that, in the past year and a half, I have morphed from a wild child sorority girl into someone who has a 10pm bedtime, needs two cups of coffee to function in the morning, and has been known to pass up a trip to the honky tonk in exchange for my pj’s and a movie.  Now don’t get me wrong…that party girl is still in there somewhere and I am fairly certain I can still hold my own at a frat party (and I plan to prove it when I head back to WFU homecoming in two weeks), BUT, I can get my grandma on with the best of them.

            Which is exactly what I did this morning when some friends and I made a little trip to the Nashville Flea Market.  It comes to town once a month and I had heard rave reviews about the treasures that can be found there so I was very excited to see it for myself.  And it did not disappoint.  Though I wanted to walk away with a truckload of antique furniture to furnish my “someday” house, I resisted the urge and just took some pictures of my favorite things instead.  Enjoy!

Ball Jars...I had to.

This picture is really awkward but I found this hall tree made out of an old door 

and just had to test it out.

And just for kicks...I show you some of the really weird crap that people were trying to sell...

Annnnnd I'm officially creeped out.  Happy Weekend!

Trying to Make a Little Difference

One of the beauties of my chosen profession is that we get to see change.  Nothing is stagnant and though our role may be small in the grand scheme of things, we can make an impact.  One small way in which we can make that impact is by advocating for our patients, bringing attention to the challenges they face, and working to change the way in which they are treated.  A group of communication disorders that is especially in need of this advocacy is Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorders are increasing at a staggering rate and to date there is no effective medical cure.  

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders are often misunderstood and stigmatized due to their struggles with communication, social interaction, and behavior.  It a challenging population to work with because there is no quick fix, every child is so very different, and there is so much more that still needs to be learned about the disorder. 

In an effort to raise money and awareness for Autism research and treatment, Nashville hosted the Walk Now for Autism and the Bill Will sponsored a team.  The event was a huge success with over $130,000 raised.  Though the walk was inspiring and it was powerful to see all how many families in the Nashville area are impacted by ASD, so much more work needs to be done to help these children.  So if you feel so inclined, please visit the website.  Though the walk is over, you can still donate.  If you’re broke like this girl, you should still check it out if, for no other reason, than to spur a little extra compassion the next time you meet one of these unique children.