Woa, this is weird.

It is weird to be blogging...but, now that the semester is over, I feel like I can blog for fun because there aren't other, more productive things I should be doing. In fact, this is one of the more productive choices I have right now...
Another semester under my belt, and I am slowly remembering what being (relatively) stress-free feels like. All I have on my plate for the next week is 1) one more shift at work, where I smile and point people in the direction they are supposed to go 2) figure out if want to pack all leggings for Utah, or if I'm going to be fancy and throw in a pair of jeans or something 3) travel to Utah and 4) have fun with family and friends for 7 whole days.

Some pretty fun and exciting things have happened since my last post. They all don't merit their own post (though, some probably do), so here's the "reader's digest" version of life lately...

First and foremost, Chris got into chiropractic school! To be honest, I think this is still sinking in. I am so incredibly proud of my husband and all of his hard work. I am also so psyched that we are one step closer to a big goal, and that I will be--in about 4 short years--a chiropractor's wife! So, in late July we will be packing up all of our stuff and heading to Spartanburg, SC. I know, that's really far away...and kinda scary, but Chris and I visited over the summer and we both fell in love with the area. Its beautiful and green and there are a lot of fun things to do close(ish) by. We will be about 3 hours from the beach, 2 hours from Chris' family's lake house, and about an hour away from Charlotte, NC and Charleston, SC. FYI the airport in Charlotte is one of the cheapest airports to fly into/out of in the US...I expect lots of visitors.

My mad panorama skills...This is Sherman College of Chiropractic. Beautiful.

Secondly, but very exciting, I will be interning with the ACT team next semester! This will be my first of two internships, and I couldn't be happier. I ended up at my #1 choice and I will have the opportunity to work with some pretty incredible people. I am also looking forward to getting a taste of what "real" social work will be like. For those of you who don't know, ACT stands for Assertive Community Treatment team. The team is multidisciplinary, meaning that we have lots of professionals who specialize in various areas...giving the clients all the resources they need to be successful. Our clients are individuals with severe mental illnesses, primarily thought disorders (think schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, Bipolar, etc.). A few of our goals are to help our clients recover through rehabilitation and community treatment, achieve reduction in psychotic symptoms, acquire and maintain a job, maintain a substance-free lifestyle, and meet additional individualized goals. I will get to experience all aspects of the ACT team (closely supervised of course). I am most excited to (possibly) get to run my own substance abuse support group!

Thirdly, less exciting for everyone but me, I was hired as a TA and the Social Work department writing tutor! These have been my dream jobs ever since I started the social work program. I think its totally awesome that I'll get to learn from an amazing professor, help my program-mates, become a better writer, AND get paid all at the same time. It works perfectly with my internship as well, because I get to choose my own hours. Needless to say, I am stoked for next semester.

Chris also got a sweet (paid) internship! Next semester, Chris will be helping with BYU-I's the Biggest Winner program. It is a weight loss program that almost exactly resembles NBC's The Biggest Loser. Chris & I love watching TBL together, so its super cool that he gets to live it! I know Chris will be a great trainer!

While Chris and I love school, it is also exciting to see graduation looming on the horizon. Chris graduates in April and I graduate in July. We have both worked very hard for our degrees and are looking forward to a new chapter in our life together.

Less significant, but still fun...
It is really, really cold in Rexburg. I'm sorry, but when I see my Utah friends and family complaining about 10 degrees, or even 0, I think: You guys are all a bunch of whiners. This morning, as I was scraping the inch of ice off my car, standing in two feet of snow, it was -9...which feels like -25 with the wind chill. Love you all, but it isn't that cold in Utah. However, I don't completely despise the cold because it gives me good reasons to stay in on weekend nights, light a candle, crank up my electric blanket, drink some herbal tea, and watch too much Netflix.

Also, on the plus side. This is what Spartanburg looks like in the dead of winter: Not too shabby... :)

My sweet husband bought me an iPhone 5s. In gold. I am a sucker for all apple products, but this phone takes the cake. Gold? Thumb print reader? Are you kidding! Anyway, my 4s had taken some unfortunate falls (aka I dropped it) and the screen and front-facing camera (sad, I know...one less person taking selfies) were broken. Chris saved up his commission and bought it for me as a surprise. I know, I don't deserve him. And yes, I know this is a completely shallow and materialistic thing making me happy.

It was actually a stretch to find a way to take a photo of my phone because my phone also functions as my camera. Haha

 I've discovered haircuts for curly-haired people. It has seriously changed my life! My hair is much more manageable and I actually like my hair. The stylist cuts your hair while its dry, so it's cut with your natural curl pattern...not just hacking it off wherever the stylist feels like. For those of you who are interested, here is the website with the products I like to use and a stylist finder to search for certified stylists in your area. I seriously have nothing bad to say about the products or the haircuts!

This book is awesome. I started reading it last night while I was killing time in Barnes & Noble, waiting for Chris to get off work. I got about halfway through the book, and decided I wanted to finish it bad enough to buy it. It's a good read, especially if you're a fan of Mindy and/or The Office...there is some language in it, though, so be aware of that.

 Anywho, that's basically us for the time being. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!