I love my Daddy

Yes, my dad, Steve Archer is another year older, but don't let that fool you. He is just as loving as always... he isn't one of those old (young at heart) bitter people. In fact, for his birthday, he took us to Lamberts in Springfield, MO! It was amazing! So much great food that you can't get enough of, but physically you can. We had a great time just hanging out and enjoying each other's company.

The dogs had a great time too. McDuff got a car ride (although I think he would prefer to drive) and Lucy got to play with Gracie.

Leftovers-need I say more?

Me and Spunky

The cute and happy couple oh and the birthday boy!

The Aftermath

Unfortunately, once all the fun is done, school still remains. BUT, I am nearing the end with midterms COMPLETE! That was a dreadful period of my life and I lived off of peanut butter crackers and coffee. I am very proud of one midterm though. This was the practical portion of my midterm for a class called Basic Instrumentation-Basic my Butt! We had to solder together the correct wires to the correct parts of a plug to make a working patch cord and measure the resistance to be sure it was soldered correctly. Then we had to make a parallel circuit with 3 resistors and measure/calculate the resistance, amperage, and voltage. Well, if any of you know, because I didn't until I had to google it, how to measure the current or amperage of a circuit.... you have to break the circuit! Luckily, I was able to manage without too much harm to my precious work of art.

Above: patch cord and parallel circuit (well, it's not a compete circuit until you connect it to a breadboard or some source of power)

NOW: on to building a loudspeaker for the loudspeaker competition for which we don't win anything if we win

**If anyone knows how to build a loudspeaker please contact me!

Blowing off some steam

As many of you know, from all of my complaints and tears, grad school has not been an easy run thus far. It would be extremely easy to give up and quit, but then where would that leave me and what would I have accomplished? NOTHING!

So, I have had to remind myself that nothing in life worth fighting for is ever easy and I have learned so much already.

I also have learned that its okay to have fun once in awhile... I prefer this method of blowing off steam

Erin, Crystal and myself enjoying a drink called Elk Water Creek downtown

A Bar with some ridiculous rules ... funny though

Frog Sperm and popcorn!!

Roommate and Classmates out for an adult beverage

Angie came to visit me!

There is a first for everything!

Well, lucky me! The Andersons were so generous to give both Stephanie and I a ticket to the Huskers 300th consecutive sellout game which also happened to be homecoming! It was a blowout game as the Huskers beat Louisiana Lafayette 55 to ZIP, but it was a wonderful experience!

Thank you so much Anderson Family!

Since then, I have also gone to the Nebraska vs. Oklahoma game. This was history in the making as Nebraska beat Oklahoma for the first time in a very long time! Too bad Oklahoma is missing their star quarterback, Sam... he is a heart throb! :)

V.I.P.

Yesterday, I started my first day of work in the State Office Building, next to the Capitol! It was a full 8 hour day with lots to do! First, I was brought to my GREAT cubicle!

I had some awesome office supplie

s waiting for me on my desk when I got there, which was quite exciting! I don't know

if it is all of the school I have completed and have yet to complete, but school/office supplies is something I look forward to buying

. And in my department, I don't have to buy them! I just have to head up to the 5th floor and pick out WHATEVER I WANT!!

Then, I got some more gifts! My boss gave me a tote bag that says EHDI (Early Hearing Detection and Intervention), a file organizer, a calendar, and some Jamaican Me C

razy coffee from another employee. And if you are observant, you will notice a huge exercise ball in my cubicle which was left there, courtesy of whoever left the office space.

I really do love it my cubicle, BUT the ladies behind me are very loud and I have a feeling that I will be moving. Everyone in my group says that I am so far aw

ay; maybe 15 feet from them. Oh and I am the youngest, newest person there with the biggest cubicle.

Anyway, I was introduced to about 20 people and I remember about 3 of them (the 3 in my group). Apparently, that was just the beginning of the introductions! Then, my boss showed me around the building, gave me a stack of

materials to read....

and talked to me about my position, his position, and

the responsibilities of the others on our floor.

So far I really enjoy my job even though I only have 1 day under my belt. BUT, I am excited to go back and help little babies and their families!

Downtown parking in Lincoln is limited and metered. Obviously, I can't plug up a 2 hour meter for 8 hours, so I have been taking the city bus. While I waited for 45 minutes for the bus to come (it was very late today) I took a picture of this building, across from the bus stop, which I just love!

Uninvited Guest

I have been waiting to post this story because pictures are necessary and until recently, the internet hasn't been up to speed. So, when I was religiously watching Big Brother, thank you Jymme-Lyn and Stephanie, I would get together with Erin from class to watch the new episodes.

Well, one evening during Big Brother, I was enjoying my glass of wine and Big Brother's house guests duel in ridiculous activities when in the corner of my eye I spotted something repulsive....

As my stomach fell to the ground, I gasped in utter fear, "OH. MY. GOD." Seeing me in complete upset, the spider crawled to MY bathroom, which was also its final destination when I sprayed it with an entire can of Raid... I was unable to use my bathroom for awhile as it aired out. Now my fear is how long that spider was really in our apartment and whether or not it had time to hide some tarantula eggs somewhere, like under my bed!

I am employed!

At least for my first year of grad school, I had planned to not work so I could focus on my studies and get used to a new atmosphere. Well, lately, I have been very concerned about the financial aspect; seeing money go out of my account while nothing is coming in! So, I applied for a couple of great jobs that came my way and both related to my field of study which is even better.

The first was a research assistantship position at Boys Town National Research Hospital for 2-3 years. It would be a lot of 'gopher' work and require a lot of time-20 hours a week plus an hour of driving time each way. However, I would be helping out with research, at a wonderful institution and in the Cochlear Implant Lab, which is my interest!... Too bad I didn't get that job.

No worries though because I did get a job working for the state of Nebraska, in Lincoln (only 2 miles from my apartment!). This is a temporary position, 1 year, BUT I have been told that I can work this position for 3 years; there are some technicalities that would have to be worked out.

My responsibilities at Nebraska Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program as

a Community Healthcare Educator:

For anyone who has had babies, you would know that your baby gets a Universal, Newborn Hearing Screening 24-48 hours after birth. This test is a pass or fail screening. All of this data would be sent to my location, my team, where we keep track of which babies pass or fail and put it into the state's data system. Then, we contact physicians and families to make sure the appropriate information and follow-up procedures are administered. Basically, we want to ensure that there aren't any children who fall through the cracks and don't receive assistance. Of course there are complications with this as well. Although the hearing screenings are wonderful and help provide early detection and intervention, some hearing losses may not be detected due to the type or the time of onset. Also, some parents don't continue to see the physicians or understand the consequences for failure to follow up. It is our team's duty to find these individuals and make sure they have adequate information to make the best decisions based on their child's possible or diagnosed hearing loss.

I will be starting my job the first part of October and I am very excited! Wish me luck!