I guess the biggest change around here was my GRADUATION! I finally finished my thesis after a few months of writers block, a lack or enthusiasm, and procrastination. In the first week of February I defended that thesis to my committee of faculty members, passed, had a little goodbye party from my lab, turned in my completed and signed thesis for binding, and was officially awarded my masters degree in neuroscience from Baylor College of Medicine. Now my diploma is in and I am just waiting to pick it up when my bound thesis arrives as well (pictures to come). It was a long, twisty, and unexpected road to get where I am, but I couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out! I live by the phrase “everything happens for a reason” and I don’t regret any step I took in my education (no matter how hard that first year of grad school was or how unexpected my departure from grad school was). I now have a very strong education in both psychology and neuroscience, I had amazing experiences working in very different labs and through those experiences found without a doubt that a lab wasn’t where I wanted to spend my life.
So I am taking my well-rounded degrees, including a bachelor of arts and a master of science, and I am taking on a whole new unexpected adventure. And when I say unexpected, I mean it. No matter how much of my childhood I spent saying I would never be a teacher, I guess I finally realized how much of my mom is in me. That’s right, I am currently enrolled in an alternative certification program and hoping to land a teaching job (yes despite the education budget cuts) as a HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHER. I am taking my love for kids, my background in psychology, my understanding of human brain development, and my dream of having a job that I feel makes a difference in someone’s life, and I mashing it all into a new career I can honestly say I am truly excited about. A large reason I got the education I have is because of the teachers and mentors I had a long the way, including my number one teacher, Mommy, and that is something I want to give back. I can tell you that I spent a lot of time saying I wasn’t good a science and I wasn’t going to grad school, but I excelled and ended up where I am because of my support system (my parents and god parents most importantly) and those educators who took the time to mentor me and show me what is out there. But I know there are a lot of kids out there who don’t have what I grew up with and if I can reach even one kid and get them excited about their education than I will consider this new career of mine a success. And it turns out alternative certification here in Texas is pretty simple (which I am so thankful for because I am quite done being a student). I just had to attend a couple months of Saturday classes, get some classroom observation hours, take a content (Biology) exam, and do a few online modules. Right now I am studying for the test that makes me legally qualified to teach, finishing up some online modules, applying to any school district in driving distance, and counting on the need for quality high school science teachers outweighs the budget cuts. More to come on my adventure in future blog posts!
In the mean time, the bills have to get paid (especially with this wedding coming up haha). So despite how much Romo and I enjoyed my last few months of graduate school “writing from home,” I found myself a NEW JOB. I am currently working at the Houston VA medical campus (although I am employed by Baylor) as a research assistant in a psychiatry lab run by one of my old committee members. Despite my excitement about getting out of labs once and for all following graduation, it was a welcomed job offer at the perfect time and is the perfect transition job to adjust from student life to real life employee. I have spent the first couple of months simply analyzing backed up data in this very small lab (there are 1.5 of us) due to the ridiculous VA background check and orientation process (I won’t get into why it took me 2 entire months to be an official VA employee and how relived I am that Baylor is the one paying me). But now that I am officially allowed on VA campus (shhh don’t tell anyone I worked there for 2 months now ;)) I am heading up a behavioral study on alcohol drinking behavior in rats just like good old times!
So I think that is all the big changes in my life these days, other than being a happily engaged girl of course. With all the changes I am going through, Marc has been working as hard as ever at Exxon, playing softball, spending time with his “little brother” King from Big Brother Big Sister, and through all the chaos in my life has been my number one supporter and I am reminded constantly how lucky I am to have him by my side for the rest of my life.
Finally, in between our work schedules, trying to stay in a workout routine, finding much needed down time that we both can’t live without (as those of you who know us best know so well), and the everyday happenings of life we are finding time for wedding planning! As many of you know I love to plan ahead of time so the chance to plan everything ahead of time is something I am enjoying fully (even when others think I am little bit crazy). And considering that I am hoping to be finishing up my first year of teaching two weeks before our wedding date I am lucky to have this time to get as much done as possible now to avoid stress later. Wedding planning has been an absolute joy! I love every part of it and jump at the chance to use my creativity that has been stored away during graduate school and did I mention I love planning ;) And again I am reminded what a lucky girl I am because I have a wonderfully artistic, organized, and extremely willing co-planner/fiancé who has been involved every step of the way already! And on the planning team along with Marc and I, is my now expert wedding planning Mom ☺ She spends much of her days responding to my countless wedding emails about decorations, shoes, dresses, venues, budgets and even took a special trip out to spend the weekend venue hunting with us (and her venue selecting skills deserve a blog post all to themselves)! My favorite thing about this wedding in the end will truly be how so many people we both love, from so many different parts of our lives, are helping to make this day special for us. So many of our family and friends have amazing talent and creativity and are ready to help through the process and I can’t wait to see how it all pulls together in the end, and in the meantime the planning is something I am truly enjoying and I am sure something you will hear much more about as it gets closer to the big day of June 16, 2012! And I will to be sure to post the link to our wedding website as soon as it is up and running :)
Well, I think I definitely used up my blogging time for the day but I have a big post coming of my favorite month of March full of birthdays, visitors, and the rodeo! There will be lots of fun pictures and I hope to have it up sometime this weekend so y’all come back now! But for now I will leave you with a little March sneak peek Bahaha!
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