The end of my internship

Monday, July 31st at 5pm marked the end of a very important year in my life. It was the end of my internship at FSGC in Topeka, KS. It was a great year, but it is exciting to be done. Not only I am done with the second to last requirement for my Ph.D. degree, but it also leaves me free time now to focus on and prepare for my baby's arrival in a few months. I won't miss the long work hours and being away from my husband, but I will miss the kids and families I worked with, my wonderful co-workers, the many learning experiences, and the wonderful feeling my work brought me. I will very much miss my great friends and fellow interns, Molly and Trish. I already miss talking to them and sharing pregnancy woes with Trish who is also pregnant. I had so many mixed feelings at the end that I was teary on a regular basis, and it was not due soley to my pregnancy hormones. It really was a great year and I will miss so many of these people.

I was very touched when my thoughtful brother sent me a beautiful bouquet of lillies to congratulate me on my accomplishment. It meant so much to me that he realized how important this step was for me. My lovely husband also helped me celebrate by taking me out to dinner. It will be hard for me not to be working full time for the coming year, but I shouldn't complain! I took the rest of last week off by giving myself a mini-vacation. Now it's on to baby prep and more dissertation work!