The Life of Jess
Hello, My name is Jess.
I know that it has been a long time since I have posted on my adventures blog. By long time, I mean 2+ years. Wow! How the time has flown. I came back from Africa, and finished my degree at Harding. I moved to Myrtle Beach, to start working a private pediatric speech clinic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I worked for 9 months to finish my "clinical fellowship" and after that can now sign after my name: M.S. CCC-SLP (which really means I have my masters degree--MS and I am certified in clinical competency--CCC in speech language pathology--SLP).
The past few years in review: I have continued to work at the same clinic in Myrtle Beach for the past 1.5 years. I have another 5 months working on this contract and then I am off to my next adventure! During my time at Myrtle Beach I adopted a dog (Phantom) and a cat (Nova). Phantom now lives at a friends house who wanted a dog and Zorro and I get to see him often. We still have Nova at our house and she is a crazy, crazy cat. I live in an apartment by myself and I get many visitors, which I love. Please enjoy the pictures attached as an overview to my time at Myrtle Beach.
Life Lessons:
ME
I have learned so much about myself as a person while on this life adventure. I have learned how to be more independent while learning that it ok to depend on others. I have learned how to attempt (I am working really hard at it) to be more of an extrovert, while at the same time embrace my introverted-ness and revel in it! I have learned that I miss my family, but how to continue to love them from a distance. I have learned how to be a host (let me tell you, everybody wants to go to MB:)) I have learned who my true friends, while making new friends here. I have learned to live with disappointments and make the best of all circumstances.
SLP
I have also learned so much as a speech therapist. I have learned behavior management strategies that will save your life (sometimes almost literally) as a therapist. I have learned so much about assessing patients as you treat and always thinking on your feet and re-evaluating. I have learned vital skills in differential diagnostics. I have learned to rejoice with parents who have heard their first word and to mourn with parents who have received the most difficult of diagnoses. I have learned the importance of effective and simple family education as well involving families in the therapy session.
The WORLD
I have also learned so much about the world around me. I have learned that people are not always as they seem. This can be both good and bad. I have learned that people I expect the worse (or actually just have under expectations) from can usually surprise you. And that sometimes the people you have high expectations for, sometimes do not live up to their exceptions.That's ok. I often do not live up to others' expectations of me. And I hope for the people that underestimate me I get to surprise them. :)
The LORD and CHURCH
Wow! These past few years have been eye opening for me in regards to my own personal relationship with God. I have learned just like loving in a relationship, our relationship with God is a choice. It is not a one time and done choice but a choice everyday. Some days I make the right choice, some days I make the wrong choice, and some days I don't make a decision at all (which is also I feel the wrong choice). I have learned that I struggle to make my relationship with Christ personal and it is something that I need to continue to work on. It has been a struggle for me to continue to attend church by myself. I am living in a city where I knew no one, and attend church by myself. Luckily the church that I chose to attend has been super welcoming! Everyone there is very friendly, however it has been hard to connect at church with people on a deeper level. Being one of the only people that are my age, and working a lot in addition to other commitments it has been difficult. I have started to realize that the relationships with other Christians at Harding (a Christian university) is a blessing and should not been taken for granted. I have a lot of personal goals for this coming year. Most of them include bettering me as a person, speech pathologist, christian and friend.
"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."
So please. Enjoy these memories from the past two years. I hope to be sharing more and more of my plans for the future! I am so excited for what is in the future!
We graduated from Harding with our masters in speech pathology!! I could not have made it through without this girl, Lindy McDaniel as well as many others, thanks Catherine, Caitlyn, Taylor and so many others!!
Driving the moving van to MB! Luckily my family: Jared, Mark (aka dad) and Joyce (aka mom) helped me drive from searcy to MB and then load everything up 2 flights of stairs to my 3rd floor apartment!
After moving me in, this was our first real trip to the beach! We took boogie boards and went crazy (if I remember correctly!)
These cuties were my first visitors! My brother and sister-in-law. They drove down to see my new digs and to visit the beach! The Myrtle Beach sun was not kind and they both left with terrible sunburns! :(
Zorro LOVES the beach. When you ask: "do you want to go the beach?" Freaking out is the best way to describe his response ;)
I (of course) love the beach, and enjoyed getting a really good tan the first summer!!
I would be lax if I didn't mention my job! This CF (clinical fellowship) was tiring but I wouldn't change the knowledge I gained for the world!
About 3 months in I started feeling really bad for Zorro being left all alone.... so we got a friend, Phantom. Phantom stayed for about a year and then another family wanted to take care of him and love them as their own. We were happy to share him, and he is so happy to have a back yard and two little girls to play with!
Then some more fam bam came to visit!! Olivia, Landen, Kaden, Mandi and Joni (my cousins and their kids) came for a visit! We had an absolute blast!!
Then the biffle Amanda came to town. We went parasailing and hung at the beach for the most part. She loves me. And I love her. *not pictured is the following year when Amanda and her mom and my mom can down to visit. Apparently not pictures were taken in the making of those memories :(
One of my favorite things was to send pictures of me just at the beach to my family. Everyone is always super jealous!
Joyce and Mark came for a visit!! They always treat me and the boys to special fun! We love when they visit!!
Then these crazies (Brent and Taelor- the other brother and sister in law) came and visited! We had so much fun! Margaritaville was worth the wait!
Joyce came and visited again!! She's a good mommy! That first year was lonely and she was always willing to fly to the beach to visit Zorro and I!
hen I was blessed to get to go to a conference in Boston! While I was there a little baby was born, baby Brayden! My first nephew.
And I got to see some of my favorite girls!
Jared, Mark and Joyce stayed at my house for thanksgiving. We went to see the pirate show do a Christmas story.
And then the Christmas card picture. Well one of the options actually!
Spent a week at Christmas at home. What a blessing to spend time with my family!!
This is when Nova joined our family! She is a gorgeous Bengal cat!
Then my best friend Lindy Gale came to visit for a weekend. We went camping and went outlet mall shopping at Kate Spade! This girl keeps me inspired as a speech therapist and as a person! This is your shout out, Lindy Gale!
Then I was visited by my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Jeff all the way from Nashville! My parents came down to hang too! We had a good ole time and went to the beach and went to Brookegreen Gardens.
Then Jared came and spent some time down! I think my parents came down at the beginning of this trip too! Jared and I went kayaking in Murrells Inlet and of course visited the aquarium!
I got to go home for Taelor's baby shower and got to see my cute nephew Brayden... strangely enough I don't have any pictures of the shower on my phone. Haha!
Then I got to travel to Arkansas to see all my lovely grad school friends! I took a few extra days off and spent time with Lindy Gale at her house in Jonesboro. Then we took a trip down memory lane and stopped at Harding to see campus, eat some sushi at the Sushi Cafe and of course a mandatory visit with B. Weave!
I survived my first hurricane and Joyce conveniently stayed the week with me so she got to experience the wonder as well!
I also got a chance to fly to Indy and see my new nephew Ezekiel James-- or Zeke for short :) Isn't he adorable??
I have had the opportunity to work with some wonderful people who care deeply for the children in our care. These aren't just names or a paycheck but are part of our lives! We rejoice with every new gain!
I had the opportunity this Christmas to spend time with both of my nephews, Zeke and Brayden as well as spend time with my family! These memories are so special and it's hard not to take this for granted! I also have so many people to thank that are not pictured. Especially those who I have spent time with on the phone talking, ranting, supporting, and being supported! Thanks Kayla Rosu for all the time you spend with me on the phone, your support all the way from the west coast is felt here. So there it is; about a year and half summarized into one blog post! Whew! If I forgot anything I appologize, this was a lot to think about! Hopefully the posts following will not be as long winded ;)
I know that it has been a long time since I have posted on my adventures blog. By long time, I mean 2+ years. Wow! How the time has flown. I came back from Africa, and finished my degree at Harding. I moved to Myrtle Beach, to start working a private pediatric speech clinic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I worked for 9 months to finish my "clinical fellowship" and after that can now sign after my name: M.S. CCC-SLP (which really means I have my masters degree--MS and I am certified in clinical competency--CCC in speech language pathology--SLP).
The past few years in review: I have continued to work at the same clinic in Myrtle Beach for the past 1.5 years. I have another 5 months working on this contract and then I am off to my next adventure! During my time at Myrtle Beach I adopted a dog (Phantom) and a cat (Nova). Phantom now lives at a friends house who wanted a dog and Zorro and I get to see him often. We still have Nova at our house and she is a crazy, crazy cat. I live in an apartment by myself and I get many visitors, which I love. Please enjoy the pictures attached as an overview to my time at Myrtle Beach.
Life Lessons:
ME
I have learned so much about myself as a person while on this life adventure. I have learned how to be more independent while learning that it ok to depend on others. I have learned how to attempt (I am working really hard at it) to be more of an extrovert, while at the same time embrace my introverted-ness and revel in it! I have learned that I miss my family, but how to continue to love them from a distance. I have learned how to be a host (let me tell you, everybody wants to go to MB:)) I have learned who my true friends, while making new friends here. I have learned to live with disappointments and make the best of all circumstances.
SLP
I have also learned so much as a speech therapist. I have learned behavior management strategies that will save your life (sometimes almost literally) as a therapist. I have learned so much about assessing patients as you treat and always thinking on your feet and re-evaluating. I have learned vital skills in differential diagnostics. I have learned to rejoice with parents who have heard their first word and to mourn with parents who have received the most difficult of diagnoses. I have learned the importance of effective and simple family education as well involving families in the therapy session.
The WORLD
I have also learned so much about the world around me. I have learned that people are not always as they seem. This can be both good and bad. I have learned that people I expect the worse (or actually just have under expectations) from can usually surprise you. And that sometimes the people you have high expectations for, sometimes do not live up to their exceptions.That's ok. I often do not live up to others' expectations of me. And I hope for the people that underestimate me I get to surprise them. :)
The LORD and CHURCH
Wow! These past few years have been eye opening for me in regards to my own personal relationship with God. I have learned just like loving in a relationship, our relationship with God is a choice. It is not a one time and done choice but a choice everyday. Some days I make the right choice, some days I make the wrong choice, and some days I don't make a decision at all (which is also I feel the wrong choice). I have learned that I struggle to make my relationship with Christ personal and it is something that I need to continue to work on. It has been a struggle for me to continue to attend church by myself. I am living in a city where I knew no one, and attend church by myself. Luckily the church that I chose to attend has been super welcoming! Everyone there is very friendly, however it has been hard to connect at church with people on a deeper level. Being one of the only people that are my age, and working a lot in addition to other commitments it has been difficult. I have started to realize that the relationships with other Christians at Harding (a Christian university) is a blessing and should not been taken for granted. I have a lot of personal goals for this coming year. Most of them include bettering me as a person, speech pathologist, christian and friend.
- Make a decision daily to serve the lord
- Keep a daily journal
- Keep up with my adventure blog
- Enjoy my time in Myrtle Beach, SC
- Be excited for new experiences and accept the Lord's will in where I go.
- Gain new experiences in speech pathology
"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."
So please. Enjoy these memories from the past two years. I hope to be sharing more and more of my plans for the future! I am so excited for what is in the future!
We graduated from Harding with our masters in speech pathology!! I could not have made it through without this girl, Lindy McDaniel as well as many others, thanks Catherine, Caitlyn, Taylor and so many others!!
Driving the moving van to MB! Luckily my family: Jared, Mark (aka dad) and Joyce (aka mom) helped me drive from searcy to MB and then load everything up 2 flights of stairs to my 3rd floor apartment!
After moving me in, this was our first real trip to the beach! We took boogie boards and went crazy (if I remember correctly!)
These cuties were my first visitors! My brother and sister-in-law. They drove down to see my new digs and to visit the beach! The Myrtle Beach sun was not kind and they both left with terrible sunburns! :(
Zorro LOVES the beach. When you ask: "do you want to go the beach?" Freaking out is the best way to describe his response ;)
I (of course) love the beach, and enjoyed getting a really good tan the first summer!!
I would be lax if I didn't mention my job! This CF (clinical fellowship) was tiring but I wouldn't change the knowledge I gained for the world!
About 3 months in I started feeling really bad for Zorro being left all alone.... so we got a friend, Phantom. Phantom stayed for about a year and then another family wanted to take care of him and love them as their own. We were happy to share him, and he is so happy to have a back yard and two little girls to play with!
Then some more fam bam came to visit!! Olivia, Landen, Kaden, Mandi and Joni (my cousins and their kids) came for a visit! We had an absolute blast!!
Then the biffle Amanda came to town. We went parasailing and hung at the beach for the most part. She loves me. And I love her. *not pictured is the following year when Amanda and her mom and my mom can down to visit. Apparently not pictures were taken in the making of those memories :(
One of my favorite things was to send pictures of me just at the beach to my family. Everyone is always super jealous!
Joyce and Mark came for a visit!! They always treat me and the boys to special fun! We love when they visit!!
Then these crazies (Brent and Taelor- the other brother and sister in law) came and visited! We had so much fun! Margaritaville was worth the wait!
Joyce came and visited again!! She's a good mommy! That first year was lonely and she was always willing to fly to the beach to visit Zorro and I!
hen I was blessed to get to go to a conference in Boston! While I was there a little baby was born, baby Brayden! My first nephew.
And I got to see some of my favorite girls!
Jared, Mark and Joyce stayed at my house for thanksgiving. We went to see the pirate show do a Christmas story.
And then the Christmas card picture. Well one of the options actually!
Spent a week at Christmas at home. What a blessing to spend time with my family!!
This is when Nova joined our family! She is a gorgeous Bengal cat!
Then my best friend Lindy Gale came to visit for a weekend. We went camping and went outlet mall shopping at Kate Spade! This girl keeps me inspired as a speech therapist and as a person! This is your shout out, Lindy Gale!
Then I was visited by my Aunt Ruth and Uncle Jeff all the way from Nashville! My parents came down to hang too! We had a good ole time and went to the beach and went to Brookegreen Gardens.
Then Jared came and spent some time down! I think my parents came down at the beginning of this trip too! Jared and I went kayaking in Murrells Inlet and of course visited the aquarium!
I got to go home for Taelor's baby shower and got to see my cute nephew Brayden... strangely enough I don't have any pictures of the shower on my phone. Haha!
Then I got to travel to Arkansas to see all my lovely grad school friends! I took a few extra days off and spent time with Lindy Gale at her house in Jonesboro. Then we took a trip down memory lane and stopped at Harding to see campus, eat some sushi at the Sushi Cafe and of course a mandatory visit with B. Weave!
I survived my first hurricane and Joyce conveniently stayed the week with me so she got to experience the wonder as well!
I also got a chance to fly to Indy and see my new nephew Ezekiel James-- or Zeke for short :) Isn't he adorable??
I have had the opportunity to work with some wonderful people who care deeply for the children in our care. These aren't just names or a paycheck but are part of our lives! We rejoice with every new gain!
I had the opportunity this Christmas to spend time with both of my nephews, Zeke and Brayden as well as spend time with my family! These memories are so special and it's hard not to take this for granted! I also have so many people to thank that are not pictured. Especially those who I have spent time with on the phone talking, ranting, supporting, and being supported! Thanks Kayla Rosu for all the time you spend with me on the phone, your support all the way from the west coast is felt here. So there it is; about a year and half summarized into one blog post! Whew! If I forgot anything I appologize, this was a lot to think about! Hopefully the posts following will not be as long winded ;)
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