Change

As many of you know, I hate change. But since this move to ATL, I have been "forced" to embrace it.

One good change this week was that I got my first real pay check! It was such a good feeling to finally be valued for my education and service. Of course we would always love more, but I think once it starts coming in every two weeks, we will finally be on our feet :o) We celebrated my job and first pay check by going out to dinner at Brio on Friday night, a date night! It was a lovely meal, but felt weird to actually be acting like adults! Then Saturday we drove out of the city, toward Alabama, to go to a haunted house and trail. We were a little disappointed but just happy to be experiencing something true to GA and getting in the Halloween spirit.

Another change in my life is that I just found out that I won't be able to go home for Thanksgiving. I was absolutely crushed when I found out, I was under the impression that I could work the weekend before and everything would be fine- apparently that isn't the case. I am a very traditional person, but I guess Ben and I will have to break our traditions and have the big meal here by ourselves. What makes it slightly worse, is that Thanksgiving was when my family celebrated my birthday... things have to change sometime, even if it isn't welcomed.

The next big change was that Sunday... I got my hair cut. I went in with the thought of letting them do what they wanted, and sure enough, they turned me back to blonde- and then cut it all off. Below is my updated-do. I have mixed feelings about it :o)

Next we are off to PA for my dad's 50th birthday party!! I am so glad to be spending time with my family and even more excited to be able to celebrate with my dad. This will hopefully help hold me off until Christmas when we can go home to PA again.




Love you all!

Ben's Parents Visit for the Weekend

We were blessed to have visitors this weekend! Ben's parents arrived Friday afternoon while we were away, and Wrigley gave them a wonderful welcome. It was fantastic to have a full house when I came home from work! Wrigley was well taken care of all day, so we were able to go out to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner, ohh boy was it yummy! Then Saturday we went to Einstein Bagel Brothers for breakfast. Saturday night we went tailgating at GT and headed to the football game. It was homecoming, so there were a ton of people there, they played VT and it was a great game (the student body stormed the field at the end of the game which was neat to see). The weather wasn't too bad and we had great seats too. Sunday, Lisa and I went to Buckhead Church, which was a huge production, and I also enjoyed being back in church. Then we went for a walk at the park and headed to The Pizza Kitchen in Lenox Square Mall for lunch. Before you knew it, we were driving them to the airport. It is never enough time when our parents come to visit, and always quiet when we return home. We were both very glad that they came and had a wonderful time.

In two weeks we are headed back home to PA for my dad's 50th birthday party! It will be a very short weekend since I have to work on Friday and Monday, but I am just thrilled to be able to see everyone, even if it is for only two days.

Ben's birthday is coming up, and two of his friends just decided to make the trip down to celebrate with him. I am glad that they decided to come, because now Ben has something special happening for his birthday. We will most likely be going to the GT football game that day, as long as we all can get tickets.

Starting another week back at work, which is going well- I'm getting the hang of multi-tasking and starting to fit in with the other therapists. I'll be sure to keep you updated!

Love and miss you all.

Work in the "real world"

I started working at Golden Living Center (but hired by Aegis Therapies) this past Thursday. My first day did not go so well... They were not prepared for me at all. My boss was out sick and I got passed around between a rehab aid and shadowing an OT. I was also not able to gain access to the computer the second half of the day which kept me from doing what was "planned" for me. I also discovered that the rehab staff (physical therapists, aids, and OTs) referred to it as a skilled nursing/long term care facility. I was told that there were a few long term care beds, but that the majority were patients that would eventually return home, and were there for general rehab. I learned that this was not the case. This is a great concern of mine, because the long term care setting is the only setting that I knew did not want to work in. Then to top it all off, I got stuck in traffic on the way home, it took me 45min to make the trip, when it should have only taken me about 20min.

The second day went much better, my boss (Emma) was there, and I spoke up and asked a lot of questions that I needed answers to. I also spoke up and cleared myself a spot to put my things, asked about parking, hours, and wages. I still have many more questions, but I got a good number of them answered. One of the Physical Therapists actually said that it was good that I spoke up, or else I would have never gotten my questions answered! All of the staff are very friendly and nice. There are a lot of newly hired employees, and at least one other new grad, and one therapist that only graduated 2 years ago. I hope that it will be a good fit for me, I will try hard to keep an open mind.

Ben's parents come down to visit this Friday and we are both excited to have plans for the weekend and see family! We are going to see the GT vs Virginia Tech game on Saturday night and then Lisa and I plan to go to church on Sunday. Other than that, we will attend the tailgate of course before the football game, but just relax, visit, and enjoy their company!

Only 3 more weeks until we travel home for my dad's 50th birthday party, we are excited to go home and see everyone! Miss you all- much love.

OTR/L

It's official! The state of GA decided to cough up my license! I can now put the letters "OTR/L" behind my name, something that has been my goal for the last 5 years of my life. I tentatively start on Thursday, October 8th. I am suppose to get a call from Ageis Therapies (the company that hired me to work at Golden Living Center) tomorrow to discuss a formal starting date and time. I am nervous to start working full time as an OT. I am also sad to be leaving Wrigley but think that starting out with only 2 days being left alone, and then the weekend, will be a good transition for him.

Wrigley and I have both been very spoiled these past two days, Ben had off for fall break and was home with us both Monday and Tuesday- I am definitely very grateful for being able to spend the time at home with both of them.


This past weekend was very calm and relaxing, we spent most of the days watching football. PSU, GT and the Steelers won- so it was a good weekend to watch football. We also took Wrigley to a park down the street and both enjoyed walking through the family neighborhoods. The weather has been in the mid-low 70s lately and is expected to warm up slightly but the forcast is for it to stay the same throughout the week. We are liking this cool weather and are in the fall spirit.


Ben's parents are visiting in 2 weeks and we can't wait to see them. They are coming down for a GT football game and will get here Friday morning and depart Sunday evening. Hopefully these two weeks will go quickly so we can see loved ones!


I miss everyone in PA and hope that you are enjoying the fall weather and festivities. Love you all- here are some pictures from the weekend...


Caught him mid bark.


A Penn State dog

He decided to bring his bowl over after he was done eating, And thanks to Lisa for his new toys and goodies! (the bat is in the background)

Hanging out :o)