Confirmation

I've gone out and chatted with several different wise people in my life, and they have all validated and confirmed that I'm on the right path- going into counseling still but just working with a different population when I'm done with school in a year. I'll still get my master's degree in counseling from Denver Seminary next May, but look for a job when I'm done working as a rehabilitation counselor or something closer to MI, maybe even the twin cities. I'd be closer to Hilary, and it would only be about a 9-10 hour drive to Lansing if there was something going on with my family or something in Lansing. For a lot of different reasons, this seems to make the most sense for me right now, instead of starting a different degree or not even finishing since I'm so close. I've learned to LOVE Colorado, but my flight over Memorial day just confirmed that I can't keep doing this, especially once I'm in a relationship or have other people to (potentially) fly back to the Midwest with me.

I went out with a friend who had come out to do the church plant with us and she also helped my mother with paperwork for social security when I was in the hospital (she's just wonderful), and not only did Julie confirm my descisions about school and such (she does social work for a living right now), but also complimented me on how far I've come, with my speech and all of the accomplishments and such. When she left and moved back to Indiana over the summer, I was still in the hospital. Even though I'm still really self-conscious about my speech, it was nice to have someone who knew me beforehand tell me that she thinks that in many ways, I'm back to my old self. I think I lose track of that because I have so much going on in my life right now and it's hard to see the daily progess when you're just in the thick of it. I'm also REALLY self-conscious about starting a conversation and forgetting why I started saying it, forgetting where I've put something, reading something and not recalling it later, and other dramas with this recovery process. It hasn't been fun, that's for sure!

I also met with another great set of friends today, and they compliemented me on my financial descisions. Even if things are really tight right now, I've put things away in savings and I'm really sticking to my budget, even when it sucks and I don't want to anymore. Even on these specific diets, I'm able to make it work because I can just eat carrots or apples really. I've realized that even if other people can't see my descisions or my planning, I am making hard adult choices for the best for me regardless. Even though those compliments meant a lot to me, I've realized that I don't need them.

The diet SUCKS. I still got a migraine this last week, but I'm not sure that it was even dietary triggered. It's hard to distinguish as well because I have a chronic daily headache too. I never know when that is going to errupt into a migraine. Regardless, I gave up high fructose corn syrup last weekend, and that will be the easiet thing to challenge back into my diet, so I'm drinking 7-UP tomorrow to see what happens.

I have 1.5 weeks of clas left- one paper to go and two finals. I laughed with a friend who's graduating this semester who said he has senioritis. He said he stopped caring earlier this semester. I think I have it too, but I still have a year left. It's probably bad to not care and still have that long huh? I also have less than 5 weeks until I go back to the Midwest over Memorial day! YEAH! I need this vacation so badly! And those are my random thoughts for right now! :)

Love,
Amy Christine