Greeting the New Year in Style!

Hello one and all!  Here's my first post of 2012!  Can you believe it?!  This past year seemed to fly by.  I am so glad to see it gone though.  2012 marks a big new start for me.  But more on that later...time to talk holidays!

For Christmas, I was home Friday & Saturday.  The fam went to the Christmas Eve service at our church, opened a few presents, put on our jingle jammies (family tradition...we get a new pair of pj pants), and watched A Christmas Story.  Sunday morning we finished opening presents and headed back to MO for the big family dinner.  We ended up spending the night, then I came back home with mom and the bro for a couple days before heading to Chicago.

Chicago was a BLAST!  I was fortunate enough to be invited along by a few of my friends to spend Thurday through Monday at the Trump Hotel and Tower.  We had way too much fun.  Lots of fine dining, crazy times, and toasting the New Year!  Here are a few of the pics from the trip.

 The view from our hotel room

 The girls' room

 The girls' bathroom...complete with a tv in the mirror

 View from the living room

 The delicious chocolate-covered strawberries waiting for us when we arrived

 My friend Brittany and I getting ready for dinner the first night

 Our outfits for New Year's Eve

 Goodies waiting for us at Rebar...where we spent New Year's Eve

 The boys from the trip!  Bobby, Nick, & Zach.  They are crazy awesome.

 The gang!

 Gotta have champagne to toast the New Year!

 Big ole sushi boat!

 This is one of the many fights between Batman (Bobby) and Bane (Nick).  And of course there's Zach.

 Our group with the awesome DJ for the night.

 And this is what happens when we're told to make crazy faces.

 We left this morning to snow and frigid weather outside.  Glad to be back in MO where it's a little warmer!

And now here's a little clip of us toasting the New Year!

It has been an awesome holiday season.  But I'm glad that the traveling is dying down and I'll be back into a routine.  After a couple days in Springfield, I head back home for about a week.  Then I'll get back into the swing of weekly sessions and piano lessons.  These next 6 months will be interesting for sure.  This is the first semester that I'll be out of school.  The plan for now is to be in Springfield until June, during which time I plan to figure out how to start my own business.  Hopefully by the fall I will have started my own MT private practice in the NW AR area.  I've got some great resources to help get me started, and it's a brand new market, so I'm really hopeful!

Well, that's about all I have for now.  I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Here's hoping and praying that we all have a great year with many blessings to come!  Until next time!

Done and DONE! For Real This Time...

Hello all!  As I am procrastinating finishing up some documentation, I thought I would update you all on what's been happening the last month.

Well, I graduated!  Again!  I completed my degree and got my MMT!  (Master of Music Therapy).  Here are some pics!

 Me being hooded by Dr. Cassity

 Class of 2011 (Winter Commencement)

 I'm so cool...

 Me and the cuz...he graduated the night before from the Police Academy at Drury.

 As you can tell, we really like taking pictures...

 Me and Maw (my grandma on dad's side)

So proud!

My holiday plans are crazy!  I'm in Springfield until the 23rd, then Laura and I will travel home to Fayetteville.  But we're back in the Springfield area Christmas day to have the family get-together at my uncle's house.  I go back to AR for a couple of days on the 26th, then I leave for Chicago the 29th with a group of friends for New Years.  We stay there until the 2nd, and then I come back to Springfield to start up sessions again.  I'll probably go back home one more time before Drury starts back up, because that will be when most of my sessions get underway again.  Crazy crazy!  And now for some holiday pics of the fam!

 Our friend Hayden was over for the cheesy family photo hour, so we made him jump in as the adopted son

After all of the holiday shenanigans, I will get back into the swing of sessions!  I'll only have a few until June.  It's weird to pick up new clients and only see them for 6 months.  I won't have any school though, so I'll have lots of free time.  It will be weird to say the least.

Now I'm off to record a CD for one of my clients as a Christmas present!  I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  May this time be filled with friends, family, and of course, remembrance of the best gift of all!  God bless!

Thankful

I know it's already the day after Thanksgiving, but I thought I would list some of the things I am thankful for.  It's good to remind yourself every now and then all that you are blessed with.

I'm thankful for...

• my relationship with my Savior and Lord, first and foremost.  Without him, I would be nothing.
• my family, for all of their love and support.  Even when some of them drive me crazy, I know they will always be there for me.
• my crazy, crazy friends.  It takes special people to understand my crazy and be able to relate to it!  :-P
• my health.  I may not be the most fit person in the world (ha!), but I have no major ailments, and for that I am very grateful.
• my church home.  It's been tough not having a church in Springfield to go to regularly, but I am so thankful to be able to come back to FBC Farmington and feel welcome and loved.
• almost being done with school...for real this time!  I graduate in less than a month!
• a profession that I am happy in...music therapy combines music with helping people, just what I like!

Now the fun/silly list!  I'm thankful for...

• chocolate
• Pinterest
• Snuggies (I admit to owning a leopard-print one)
• movies that never get old (The Holiday!)
• sunsets
• my cats and my dog
• the way new books smell
• sleeping late
• the feel of clean sheets
• caffeine
• the ability to not get into Christmas mode until after Thanksgiving
• iTunes
• contact lenses
• cardigans
• the sound a symphony makes when it's tuning right before a concert
• my perfect guy (he's out there somewhere!)

I hope everyone was able to find something they were thankful for this Thanksgiving.  Now get ready for the Christmas season!  Until next time!

Denied

I received an e-mail from the Journal of Music Therapy editors earlier this morning.  Here's what it said:

Dear Ms. Jenkins,

 

I want to thank you for submitting your manuscript, “Functional Musicianship of Music Therapy Students Entering Internship,” for peer review. The reviewers agreed that the manuscript addresses an important topic, but did not recommend publication.  Primary concerns centered on methodology.

 

Although your manuscript was not selected for publication, the reviewers did provide some informative and encouraging comments that you may find helpful as you move forward with your program of research (please see attached letter).  It is also my hope that the reviewer comments will offer greater understanding for the reasons the manuscript was not selected for publication.

 

Thank you once again for your submission. We appreciated the opportunity to review your scholarly work and hope that you will continue to keep the journal in mind as a publication outlet for your research.

 

So, I got denied.  I know I shouldn't be upset...I mean, it was my first attempt at having a study published, having very little idea of what I was doing.  I gave it my best, and at least it got my name out there as a serious MT.  But I am upset.

 

The part that really aggravates me is all of the work I put into this study, virtually for nothing, and all of the BS I had to put up with to get it here.  I relied a lot on the knowledge of my professor/adviser to let me know what I was doing wrong, things I should add or change, etc.  I finished this study with such high hopes of it being published; he told me he couldn't see any reason why they wouldn't publish it.  And now I sit here, over a year later, not having the study published.

 

I shouldn't be so hard on myself.  It's just disappointing.  I can try and correct some things and submit it to a different journal, and knowing my professor, that's what will happen.  And I'm presenting this research at conference next week, so at least other people can hear about it. 

 

I guess I'm done ranting about it.  Off to class. 

Fall 2011

Hello all!  One of the things I love about Drury is its trees in the fall.  They are absolutely gorgeous!  During my undergrad years, I would walk around campus each year with my friend Erin and take pics.  Sadly, E-Mac is in San Antonio, but I was able to get a few pics from this year.  Here they are!

Happy Fall Y'all!!

Quick Update

Hello all!  Obviously, I haven't blogged in awhile.  That's only because nothing super duper amazing has happened in my life lately.  It's the same ole same ole.  I'm just getting through these last few classes, doing a few MT sessions, and chillin' in Springfield!

Looking at my semi-professional side, I finally finished my first major research.  I sent it off for review the first time at the beginning of September.  It was quickly sent back with a few minor corrections that needed to be made, and I sent it off again.  I should know by December if it will be published in the Journal of Music Therapy.  So here's hoping!  I'm currently working on my second research and will hopefully have that done and ready for review by December.  And in November, I'm going to the AMTA Conference to present my first research in a Poster Session. Pretty much, I make a pretty poster, stand there for two hours, and answer any questions someone might have.  Woohoo for me!


Now for the fun side of my life!  A few weeks ago, the music therapy students had a talent night fundraiser at a local coffee shop.  My friend Brittany and I got up on stage and did a rendition of a youtube video called "Axis of Awesome" (look it up, it is indeed awesome).  Of course I tried to upload the video on here, and of course it didn't work.  So for now, if you wanna see it, it's on my facebook wall!

My friend Zach had to have some head shots taken for his portfolio, so I took a few for him.  And afterwards we decided to have a Supermodel Documentary Hour photoshoot!  Here are a few goodies.

 I finally graduate in December!  Yay!  I am soooo ready to be done.  I'm tired of the same school routine.  I think I'm finally ready to be a big girl and have a full-time job.  The plan for now is to stay in Springfield until next June, then move back to Fayetteville in the hopes and attempts to start my own MT practice.  Prayer for that would be greatly appreciated, since I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing in that respect.

Well, that's all I have for now.  Time to finish my coffee and some laundry before getting ready for today's sessions!  Hope everyone is enjoying the Fall weather!!!