I haven't posted in awhile because things have been so crazy around here...these are just a few things that have happened...
1. I finally finished my Masters degree...and with a 4.0:) My thesis has been printed and mailed in for binding, so hopefully I will have a bound copy of it soon. This program has been such a wonderful experience, both personally and professionally, and I think it will really impact my practice as a music therapist, even if it doesn't have much of an impact financially. At some point, I plan to have some kind of graduation party/get-together but I'm not quite sure what we're doing just yet.
2. I applied for a faculty position at UE. Though I did not get the position, it was a surefire way to motivate me to finish my thesis so that I could have my MA and be qualified to apply for it. The woman who got the position was way more qualified and I'm excited to meet her. She has lots of credentials behind her name, as well as a lot of experience. She is also a FAMI, which means that she has completed all three levels of GIM (Guided Imagery in Music) training, which is something I hope to do at some point. I'm looking forward to meeting her once she settles in. Though it would have been a great experience to have a job like this, it would have been a really stressful year and it is probably for the best that someone else got it.
3. We had carpet installed a couple weekends ago. We are still putting some of the house back together, but I love the new carpet. It was a really hectic week or two when we had the house torn apart, but it is getting better.
4. I am working on some possible contracts and other ideas. One of these is starting a Music and Wellness course for adults. I'm currently looking into venues and fee structures. I've also been emailing alternative medicine practitioners and other wellness facilities to gather any suggestions they may have. I'm hoping to have this figured out by the beginning of the year. I'm also hoping to be able to leave CrossPointe by then and be completely on my own.
5. We have decided to refinance our house. Because the rates have dropped so much, our loan will now be a 20 year loan, instead of a 30 year loan, for only $13 more a month. This will save us about $60,000 in the long-run.
In other news, Ani is now walking! She is still a little unsteady on her feet at times, but she likes to run through the house and get into things, so we've been pretty busy chasing after her!
So even though I no longer have homework, I'm still waiting for the extra time to show up...with everything else going on, it doesn't seem like there is that much extra time. I guess there is always something to fill it.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Sleepover
Anya had her first sleepover Saturday night. She stayed with my parents while Eric and I spent the weekend in New Harmony. Several months ago, we had gotten a coupon on Seize the Deal for the New Harmony Inn. For $75, you could stay one night at the inn, which actually had a $140 price value, so it was almost half-price. While both of us have been to New Harmony, this was the first time either of us had actually spent the night in New Harmony.
We dropped Anya off at my parents around lunchtime on Saturday and headed to New Harmony. The room was nice and very clean but nothing extremely special, which was totally fine. We were just so glad to get away with just the two of us! After checking into the hotel, we walked downtown to find lunch. We ended up eating at Pop's Grill on Main Street. We split a milkshake (I decided to drop the diet for the rest of the weekend!) and Eric had a burger and fries and I had a BELTCH (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, and Cheese sandwich) and fries. It was pretty good. Then, we walked down to the labyrinth. As many times as I have been to New Harmony for school field trips, I had never been to the labyrinth. so it was on our to-do list. On the way back from the labyrinth, it started pouring, so Eric and I ducked into some little antique shops on the way. We also stopped at a modern art gallery. Eric found a fish sculpture he wanted but I insisted that it was way too expensive to buy, especially with a small child and a cat who could knock it over and break it in a heartbeat. Before heading back to the room, we visited the Roofless Church.
When we got back to the room, the weather had cleared up, so we decided to borrow the inn's complimentary bikes and ride around town. We rode down by some of the historical buildings and the Atheneum. We started to hear thunder again, so we decided to head back to the room and swim for a bit before dinner since the pool house had a roof. Afterwards, we showered and got ready to go out for dinner. I wore a new little black dress I had found on clearance at Old Navy the night before. We walked downtown again and ate at Samuel's Place, which is a little Italian restaurant. There was a guy playing the guitar in the restaurant which was kind of neat. We split some cheesey bread and Eric got some rigatoni and I had a calzone. The food was really good and there was a lot of it!
After dinner, we walked to the Cathedral Labyrinth and to some other little areas near the inn. Then, we went back to the hotel to talk to Anya and my parents through web cam. We wanted to try it out because it will be an option when we are in Jamaica, as long as Anya doesn't get too upset at seeing us on the webcam but not being able to get to us.
Once it got dark, we decided to drive to Maple Hill Cemetery. Back in college, some friends and I had come to New Harmony in the middle of the night to check out some of the supposedly haunted places. The Maple Hill Cemetery is one of those places. It has a really high hill in the middle of the cemetery and driving through it at night is really, really creepy. It was Eric's first time, and he definitely agreed with me!
The rest of the night, we just relaxed in the hotel room with a bottle of wine we bought from Michigan last summer. We also ordered dessert to go from the Red Geranium and split it.
We got to sleep until 8 the next morning, which doesn't sound much like sleeping in, but it definitely is sleeping in when you have a child! The complimentary breakfast at the inn wasn't much so we decided to eat breakfast at the Red Geranium instead. The portions for the breakfasts were huge, so Eric and I split one of them and had plenty to eat. After checking out of the room, we decided to do a little light hiking around the lake and the Wabash River. Even though the trails weren't very long, it was nice to be able to get out and walk for a bit. We walked for about an hour and then decided to go pick up our girl.
Anya was very happy to see us, but it sounded like she had a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's. They had toys that were new to her, so she really enjoyed playing with them. Overall, my parents said she did pretty well, and it was definitely nice for us to get some alone time. We will be doing the next overnight with Eric's parents in 2 weeks. This time, we will be staying at our house but we are planning to go out in Evansville that night.
We dropped Anya off at my parents around lunchtime on Saturday and headed to New Harmony. The room was nice and very clean but nothing extremely special, which was totally fine. We were just so glad to get away with just the two of us! After checking into the hotel, we walked downtown to find lunch. We ended up eating at Pop's Grill on Main Street. We split a milkshake (I decided to drop the diet for the rest of the weekend!) and Eric had a burger and fries and I had a BELTCH (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, and Cheese sandwich) and fries. It was pretty good. Then, we walked down to the labyrinth. As many times as I have been to New Harmony for school field trips, I had never been to the labyrinth. so it was on our to-do list. On the way back from the labyrinth, it started pouring, so Eric and I ducked into some little antique shops on the way. We also stopped at a modern art gallery. Eric found a fish sculpture he wanted but I insisted that it was way too expensive to buy, especially with a small child and a cat who could knock it over and break it in a heartbeat. Before heading back to the room, we visited the Roofless Church.
When we got back to the room, the weather had cleared up, so we decided to borrow the inn's complimentary bikes and ride around town. We rode down by some of the historical buildings and the Atheneum. We started to hear thunder again, so we decided to head back to the room and swim for a bit before dinner since the pool house had a roof. Afterwards, we showered and got ready to go out for dinner. I wore a new little black dress I had found on clearance at Old Navy the night before. We walked downtown again and ate at Samuel's Place, which is a little Italian restaurant. There was a guy playing the guitar in the restaurant which was kind of neat. We split some cheesey bread and Eric got some rigatoni and I had a calzone. The food was really good and there was a lot of it!
After dinner, we walked to the Cathedral Labyrinth and to some other little areas near the inn. Then, we went back to the hotel to talk to Anya and my parents through web cam. We wanted to try it out because it will be an option when we are in Jamaica, as long as Anya doesn't get too upset at seeing us on the webcam but not being able to get to us.
Once it got dark, we decided to drive to Maple Hill Cemetery. Back in college, some friends and I had come to New Harmony in the middle of the night to check out some of the supposedly haunted places. The Maple Hill Cemetery is one of those places. It has a really high hill in the middle of the cemetery and driving through it at night is really, really creepy. It was Eric's first time, and he definitely agreed with me!
The rest of the night, we just relaxed in the hotel room with a bottle of wine we bought from Michigan last summer. We also ordered dessert to go from the Red Geranium and split it.
We got to sleep until 8 the next morning, which doesn't sound much like sleeping in, but it definitely is sleeping in when you have a child! The complimentary breakfast at the inn wasn't much so we decided to eat breakfast at the Red Geranium instead. The portions for the breakfasts were huge, so Eric and I split one of them and had plenty to eat. After checking out of the room, we decided to do a little light hiking around the lake and the Wabash River. Even though the trails weren't very long, it was nice to be able to get out and walk for a bit. We walked for about an hour and then decided to go pick up our girl.
Anya was very happy to see us, but it sounded like she had a lot of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's. They had toys that were new to her, so she really enjoyed playing with them. Overall, my parents said she did pretty well, and it was definitely nice for us to get some alone time. We will be doing the next overnight with Eric's parents in 2 weeks. This time, we will be staying at our house but we are planning to go out in Evansville that night.
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