Sunday Funday

This is the way to start a week

 It's birthday time around these parts.  Six of us have birthdays within six weeks - three adults and three kids.  That means lots of laughter, food, and cake (and probably a bounce house at some point!).  The season kicked off tonight with a dance party and three choices of homemade, squishy goodness.  Happy Birthday Friend!

... and now to prepare for the Monday

Morning tea

On a Saturday morning this is what makes me happy

 

and now I think I'll go to the gym 

(and yes, I realize the picture is turned the wrong way but I'm not sure how to remedy that)

Thinking out loud

I haven't been around much lately as seen in the lack of posts.  My schedule has been more full than I prefer and by the end of the day I have no interest in opening my computer let alone writing a post.  It seems that life gets crazy in the spring.  Somehow the schedule fills up and I feel like I'm running a marathon that has a finish line somewhere in mid-June.  I leave the house in the mornings later than I'd like, but as early as I can manage and go from one thing to the next to the next to the next.  Saturday's tend to be crash days to let my brain rest before gearing up again for Sundays before running head first into Monday.  So the posts get put on hold and the blog falls low on the priority list.

That said this blog could also become a place for sanity.  My own little hideaway on the internets to stop and think thoughts.  Even this post about not posting and the craziness of life has helped me to stop and gain perspective.  Sometimes I wonder what I would tell myself if I were a client.  I'm pretty sure I'd give permission to stop and breathe.  To engage in a bit of self care in order to run a healthy marathon and be sure to finish the race well.

And I'd probably suggest turning to exercise instead of turning to chocolate as a form of stress relief.

Whatever.  It's raining outside.  Pass the chocolate.

Foggy morning

Mornings have been foggy around here lately.  There's a certain beauty in the fog.  It is stressful to drive in, but it can be pretty to see through a window if you're bundled up safely indoors.  On a clear morning I'd be able to see the mountains far beyond the horse pasture.  On this morning I could only see past the horses.

View from the front.

View out the back.

art

I find this to be lovely ...

 

Holiday Romance by Amanda Cass

PASS!

It was so anti-climatic because I knew in my gut that I'd pass.  No doubt.  I was nervous yesterday, but I got through that.  And today I passed!  Now to wait for that special little number that will stay with me all the days of my life :)

Thanks for the support my three blogger-world friends.

minimizing the panic

Twenty-four hours from now I will be sitting at a computer (not this computer) taking deep breaths to calm my nerves as I take an exam.  It's the second of two exams that cap off a seven year journey that spans two degrees and two countries.  In December 2002 I moved back to California from Auckland to finish my BA and begin an MA.  At that time I expected a couple of years of study and a graduation celebration announcing I had the skills to do what I felt called to do.  It wasn't until I was fully in the MA program that I realized the two year school process would extend to three to get the degree before beginning a long practical training process to get to licensure.  By the time I realized it I was so far in that there was no turning back.  To stop halfway would have been to waste the education.  To continue on meant that I was embarking on uncharted territory that I did not previously know existed.

Now, nearly four years since graduation (April 30, 2006) I sit studying on the eve of the second licensure exam.  When I pass I will have to pay another fee (it's no small cost to get licensed) and wait for the California Board to process and assign me a number before I can officially claim licensure.  In the event that I fail I will have to pay another fee and wait six months for the opportunity to take the exam again.

Externally I'm skilled at handling anxiety.  Internally I'm having a bit of a freak out.  Am I studying the right material?  Do I understand the test taking strategy enough to be able to conquer it the first go around?  Do I have the terminology clear enough in my mind to be able to apply the knowledge to the cases that will be presented?  Even as I type this I am holding my breath (literally).  I do that when I'm anxious which makes me laugh because my studies have taught me that one method of managing anxiety is to breathe deeply to allow oxygen to flow to the brain.  So, I've released my breath and had a laugh at myself.

Funny how writing this out has helped.  I'm more calm than I was at the beginning of the post.  I have time left today to study and will have some time tomorrow before the test.  I have plans for eating well and getting some exercise so I go in alert and able to focus.  I haven't yet decided what to wear, but I will sort that out.  All my clothes are clean, at least, so I have options.  The sun is out.  I am energized.  I can do this.

God-willing in twenty-six hours (the exam takes two hours) I will leave the testing facility exultant.  Then in three weeks or so I'll receive my licensure number and have cause for a HUGE celebration because what was begun in 2002 will finally be DONE!

*Worse case scenario I take the exam again in August.  That's not what I want to have happen.  But it won't kill me.