Saturday, June 28, 2008

Dissertation Blues

I am sitting here on a Saturday afternoon trying to motivate myself to work on my dissertation. My plan is to work on it the rest of the day today and tomorrow...not exactly a fun weekend. This dissertation is such the thorn in my side. I am determined to have the bulk of it written before I move in a month so I can defend before I get married. If there's one thing I've learned about grad shcool, it's that getting a Ph.D. has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with persistence. It's more about how much you're willing to put up with and how many hoops you're willing to jump through. Well, I've jumped through LOTS of hoops the past 5 years and this dissertation is the last one...and the hardest one in my opinion (aside from internship). It's hard to find motivation because I am getting my Ph.D. to help people, and the truth is, completing my dissertation will not make me a better clinician. I will get it done...and I will get it done soon so I can have my life and sanity back.

On a happier note, here are some pictures from last weekend...the roommate reunion which was MUCH more fun than this weekend!


Dan'l Boone Inn:

Jail Cell in Mayberry:

Opie's Candy Shop in Mayberry:

Fancy McDonald's outside the Biltmore:

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Boone Bugs


Boone has some of the weirdest looking bugs I have ever seen. This little fella who greeted me when I got home from work today is no exception. I mean, look at this guy...he looks like something from a sci-fi movie. I don't like bugs I'm not familiar with...they frighten me.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Carolina on my Mind

So, this is my first blog post. I have resisted creating a blog for quite some time because I never thought my life was exciting enough to document on a regular basis. However, my 2 college roommates (Alisia & Emily) came to visit me in Boone this weekend. Emily convinced me that my life isn't as boring as I may think it is given that I am about to move, complete my Ph.D., start a new job, and get married. Anyway, she was able to sell me on the whole blog idea. We had a really great weekend...it was so good to catch up with them! I can't believe it's been 10 years since we first met our freshman year. Here are the highlights of the weekend:


  • Friday- All 3 of us managed to fall asleep by mid-afternoon. Their excuse was an early morning flight. I had no excuse. We then went out to eat pancakes for supper at the Mountain House Restaurant.
  • Saturday- Went in to Blowing Rock to pick up my wedding invitations (woohoo!). We then had a lovely lunch in downtown Boone at Our Daily Bread. This was followed by a trip to Mayberry (Mt. Airy). Alisia is an Andy Griffith Show fan (much like Kent), so this trip fulfilled one of her life dreams. We ended the day with dinner at one of my favorite restaurants of all time, the Dan'l Boone Inn (or DBI as the locals call it).
  • Sunday- We spent all day Sunday in Asheville at the Biltmore Estate. I am a 12-month passholder for the Biltmore if that tells you anything about how much I like it there. We took a Behind the Scenes tour which was very neat. As we exited the Biltmore, we stopped at the McDonald's in Biltmore Village. That may not sound like a very glamorous place to eat after strolling through the largest, most extravagant home in America, but this is not your typical McDonald's. The inside is complete with fresh flowers, a fireplace, tapestries on the wall, and a baby grand piano.


  • Monday- We started the day with a hike to a waterfall near my place off the Blue Ridge Parkway. We then had some fabulous hamburgers at Sonny's Grill in Blowing Rock. They're now on their way back to Forth Worth...boo! It was a geat weekend!

I will post pictures from the weekend later, but here's a blast from the past for now!