Random News

Last night I returned from the North Carolina Music Therapy conference. It was a great time spent learning different approaches to the field as well as more "tricks of the trade." One session was a lead by a speech-language pathologist and a music therapist; they both brought some special creativity into working with developmental disabilities. I loved the combination of research and creativity -- definitely my kind of thing. If you're working with kids, yes, it should be fun; however, CAN YOU SUPPORT IT EMPIRICALLY? They did both, and I got a lot out of it. The second session was all about how to market yourself as a music therapist. Many of the MTs there did at least part of their work as private contracting with nursing homes, schools, and service companies for disabilities. It was cool to hear about their experiences as well as different ways to get your name out. I took notes to put on file. :)

I got home around 9:30, and Ben was as happy to have me home as I was to be there. His kiddos at school were pretty crazy because it was their last day until spring break. He relayed his final conversation with a student to whom he had given Options (detention) when they returned from break. The student was not happy with the outcome of their conversation; he was trying to make excuses and Ben calmly fielded each one. The conversation ended with Ben telling the student, "You do not have the last word. I will see you after break." and sending him on his way. I think that it must take a special person to teach middle school....maybe I'm a little biased. :)

After I got home, we spent some time catching up, then watched the Will Ferrel episode of The Office. I was pleasantly surprised. Will Ferrel did a good job integrating into the show instead of making it a totally different thing. I must say, he's going to have to work pretty hard to do anything that can stand up to Steve Carrell.

This is the best Saturday we've had that I can think of. At least it's been a while. We slept in, woke up slow, and had breakfast -- all three are uncommon for us lately! Ben made the best coffee for me as well. He doesn't even drink it but it's the perfect balance of bold and light, and I had a treat of chocolate raspberry creamer to go with it. We made plans for a yummy dinner while we sat around and I drank coffee :) and then Ben went for a run while I started on the final stages of my senior research paper. I'm not sure how I managed to do this, but I have not had to make a table in Excel for the entirety of high school or college - go figure. Now, in the final weeks of my bachelor's degree, I was faced with this very daunting task. After trying on my own (and failing) to create tables, Ben helped me make some gorgeous graphs to insert into my growing project. We alternated between spreadsheets and chicken marinade as our friends are coming over later this evening. I spent a few hours tweaking and proofing, then sent it off to a friend for critique. I will be incredibly happy to have this out of my hands. It is due Monday, so when 9:45am rolls around, I will be a very happy lady!

Tonight we have our delicious dinner to look forward to - baked chicken, green beans, and roasted potatoes, as well as brownies that Jake & Mitzi are bringing for dessert. Now to get the house cleaned up and ready for company.

It has been a fantastic weekend so far.