One month left...

Wow.  It's the last day of June already.  Summer is absolutely FLYING by!  In just a little over a month, I'm moving away from home to Kalamazoo, Michigan... to start my new life as a doctoral student. 

It's starting to seem more and more real.  I set up my Western Michigan email account last night.

I was apartment hunting in K-zoo on Saturday.  Maybe one more trip up to look at apartments before the decision is made.  Once I know where I'm living... it will be more real.  When all my belongings are in boxes once again, it will be more real.  On August 3rd, when we go pick up the U-Haul truck, I will probably have a panic attack, haha. 

There's a whole lot of change coming at me soon and it is as exciting as it is terrifying. 

I just want to get to that place where I can look back and say, "Yes.  I made the right decision." 

But I'm in no hurry to get to that place today, haha. 

So, I'm home from my crazy and amazing two days in Chicago!  Went up there with Sam and Erin and Sam's parents... it was a trip for Sam's 25th birthday... she wanted to see Wicked.  And let me say... the show was incredible!  Wow!

We stayed at a Holiday Inn in a suburb and drove over to the train station (La Grange Rd. for us) and took the train in and from Chicago each day, which was an experience in itself.  Fun times on the train, haha.  So, Union Station was where we started and ended each day. 

The first day, we walked to the Oriental Theater, where Wicked was playing... just so we'd know where to go Wednesday... then, we went to this Irish bar called Jimmy Fig's... had a cheese steak sandwich and three beers, haha.  Then, we met up with Sam's cousin that they haven't seen for awhile and she took us to this restaurant and bar that she says "all the Cubs players" go to called Rockit.  She ate dinner and the rest of us had some more beers.  We took a cab back to Union Station.

On our drive back to the hotel, we decided to buy some playing cards... so we could play some euchre and continue to drink in the hotel... the 7-11 didn't have cards... we couldn't find any 24 hour drug stores... but we saw a Walmart, so Sue and Sam ran in while me, Erin, and Jeff waited in the car.  Sam and Sue came out 5 minutes later and said, "They're closed."  "But, you were inside... it took that long to realize they were closed?"  Haha... it was hilarious.  They walked right in... had their hands on a Bicycle 2-pack of cards that were only $2.97 and started looking for a check-out... when they noticed this lady giving them the evil eye... "Are you open?"  Lady shakes head and looks pissed.  Sue says she put the cards down and put her hands up in the air and was like.... sorry, we're leaving... so, that was hilarious... we kept joking around about how Sam and Sue broke into Walmart... and then we just couldn't get over a Walmart closing at 9pm!  What the hell is that about?  Haha. 

On Wednesday, we headed into the city at 10am.  Went to the top of the Sears Tower... what a view!  And what an elevator ride!  Sheesh.  103 floors in 60 seconds in a crammed elevator that goes 18 mph.  My ears were popping!  It was a cool experience, though, that I can now check off my list of things to do in my lifetime.  Then, we took our second and final cab up to the Rain Forest Cafe where we ended up not eating... but went across the street to Portillo's and I got a burger.  Then, we walked to the theater and were early so killed some time going in and out of shops.  We went to the 2pm matinee and omigosh, I cried/teared up/got emotional like 4 times throughout the play, haha... it was just so beautiful and powerful in person!  I loved every minute... definitely ended up being worth the ticket price.  After the show, we went to a coffee bar... then, we caught the 6:20pm train out of Chicago and headed home.

I actually arrived home around 1:30am and while my body was exhausted, my mind wasn't... so, I goofed around online and watched some TV.  I think I probably actually went to bed at like 3:30am.  So, that trip is history.  It was my second time going to Chicago... the last time being when I was 12.  I kept joking around that the last time I went to Chicago, my Converse had Looney Tunes on them.  Now, I've graduated to the big girl Converse that are just solid colors, haha.  A very good trip with some very good friends.  Hooray! 

So, I just returned from my doc. school interview roadtrip from all around the Midwest.  Wow, that was an exhausting three days. 

Started out in going up to Kalamazoo, Michigan Wednesday night for my Thursday interview.  I think it went well.  I made a couple of faculty connections and really clicked with a couple of current students and another girl that was interviewing... who I still need to email... note to self!  Haha.  From there, headed down to Knoxville, Tennessee for my Friday interview at the University of Tennessee.  It was supposed to take 9 hours.  It ended up taking nearly 13 because of all the insane ice, freezing rain, and snow... the interstates were so slow going... when they were going at all.  Lots of wrecks and stuff.  So, that was miserable.  By the time we reached our hotel, we had no time to sleep... we just had to get showered and ready.  And it was raining.  And it's crazy in Knoxville.  And the campus is weird and on a mountain.  I only clicked with one faculty member and none of the other 29 candidates.  It was a very surreal and discouraging experience.  They had us go out and walk around in the cold rain for a tour and my coughing got bad again and my hoarse voice was getting worse, so I told Greg I really need to cut out early.  And I did... I snuck away 2 hours early... but hey, it was at 3pm when they said it was going to end!  When I got there, they had changed it until 5pm... which was lame.  I knew I couldn't go to school there, so I was okay leaving.  I wasn't the only one.  So, it was a long and rainy 6 hour drive over to Memphis for my Saturday interview at the University of Memphis.  I was so glad to get out of the mountains!  It just kills my ears.  The mountains are nice to visit, but I couldn't live there.  Memphis was flat... yay!  We got to our hotel at 9pm Friday night and slept until 9am Saturday morning, haha... to make up for not sleeping at all the night before!  The Memphis interview went well.  There are three faculty members there that I could see myself working with and the other applicants were friendly.

After that final Memphis interview, Greg really wanted some Memphis BBQ for dinner... so we ate and then headed home... 8 more hours in the car!  It was a long trip.  We drank a lot of caffeine and also took caffeine pills to survive.  Played a lot of loud music on the iPod. 

We FINALLY got back home at 6am Sunday morning.  Went to bed until evening, then started doing our ridiculous amount of laundry.  I'm glad I made the trip, but it really wore me out and came at a bad time... still trying to recover from this bronchitis or whatever it is... I stayed home yesterday because of my exhaustion, coughing, and lack of voice still... I'm returning to my regularly scheduled program again today.  Just in time to be out in MORE snow and ice!  Argh!

Ph.D. Program Update!

**EDIT**  I got a letter in the mail from the University of Memphis yesterday, which is normally a bad thing... but it was actually an invitation for an interview!  And guess what?  It's on the EXACT same day... at the EXACT same time... as my Tennessee Knoxville interview!  Argh!

**EDIT**  I got  a letter in the mail from the University of Kentucky yesterday stating that my application is no longer being considered.

So, I have spent the past few months of my life applying to 8 Counseling Psychology Ph.D. programs.  Doing these applications really was like having a fulltime job.  It's been very intense.  Well, my last applications were due on January 15th, so I've had a couple of weeks to just wait... here are the 8 schools I applied to and what I know about them so far...

1.) Penn State University - Got a letter in the mail stating that I was no longer being considered

2.) Indiana State University - Had an interview there today

3.) Ball State University - Got an email stating that I was no longer being considered (and yes, this killed me and I fell on my floor and sobbed like I had just found out someone died or something)

4.) Western Michigan University - Have an interview on Feb. 21st

5.) University of Tennessee Knoxville - Have an interview on Feb. 22nd (Yes, that's right... going from Kalamazoo, Michigan all the way to Knoxville, Tennessee the VERY NEXT DAY!  Ahhh!)

6.) Lehigh University - Haven't heard from yet

7.) University of Kentucky - Got a letter in the mail stating that I was no longer being considered

8.) University of Memphis - Got a letter in the mail inviting me to come for an interview... only it's on the same day as my UTK interview!  Stress! 

So, that is the status.  Out of the 7 schools that I have heard back from, I've been invited for 4 interviews and gotten 3 rejections.  I have 1 more to hear from.  And since Ball State turned me down, I will definitely be moving if I get accepted anywhere.  My future is still up in the air, which is pretty terrifying actually.  Exciting and terrifying at the same time.  And there is always a chance that I'll be invited for interviews and still not chosen... which would really suck after all this time and money.  Just playing the waiting game now.  But yeah, Ball State... that was a big blow to my academic self-esteem... but luckily, I had the support of my family and friends... and on the same day I was crying over that rejection... both Western Michigan and University of Tennessee Knoxville contacted me and said that they wanted me to come for an interview... so, that helped with the sting just a bit.  I will keep you all posted! 

So, I went to the Indianapolis Art Museum yesterday for the first time ever.  (Yeah, I can't believe it either.)  ...and wow, it was amazing!  I went with Sam and her Dad (and ran into Wendy, Tim, and Bev by chance!) and some of his friends because her Dad got free tickets to get in to see all the Roman sculptures that are there temporarily... on loan from the Louvre!  So, that was pretty amazing... standing inches from a sculpture that was carved in 40 A.D.  I mean... 2,000 years old?  Just... wow. 

The first major painting that I came across... that made me gasp and then squeal, haha... was this huge Georgia O'Keefe painting.  She was my favorite artist in school and the one that I tried to paint like some of the time.  I have books of her artwork, calendars... it was really cool to be so close to an O'Keefe original... to see her brush strokes on the canvas...

Another amazing painting we saw included an actual Rembrandt.... his self-portrait.  I just stood there and stared at that painting.  That was definitely a cool experience to lay eyes on one of his paintings.

I also saw works from many other amazing artists.  I think that Mrs. Clark, my high school art teacher, would have been proud... all the names and works that I recognized, haha.  I saw works by Picasso, Toulouse Lautrec, Gauguin, Renoir, Degas, Cassatt, Seurat, Monet, Rockwell, Remington... and probably a few others that I am just not recalling right now.  It was an amazing experience and now that I know where the museum is located... and that it's free (unless you want to see the special exhibit, like the Louvre Roman sculptures this time)... I definitely want to take a day to go back, so that I can see more.