Minnicks On Their Road To Ever After: LCSW and Poppy’s Birthday at the Lake!

Oh Yes we had a LOT going on the last few weeks and let me just tell you…. you are now reading from the words of a Licensed Clinical Social Worker!!!!

Oh yes! It may not have been pretty BUT as of Friday, I am officially an LCSW!

Can I just say parents who “go back to school” after having kids KUDOS to you!! Just my few days out studying and having it weight on me was miserable. I don’t know how i could do that on an ongoing basis!

Anyway, pretty neat huh!?!?! I honestly never thought this day would come. No really, Actually when I got out of school and got my LMSW I had kind of decided an LCSW was just “too much work” you know, for the over achievers!

After a year or two i figured, well I’m getting supervision for free and i have the work experience for sure, let’s just see where this takes us….

When Lola was born there was a new pressure I felt to get this license! It would mean owning my own practice, something i ALWAYS dreamed of but never thought could be real, it would mean being home with her more, making my own schedule, helping kids and more time to love on my own… getting this license suddenly meant EVERYTHING to me!

Fortunetly by this point i was SUPER close to winding it all up, This May I had 4 years of experience post grad under my belt and more than enough supervision hours to submit my application to sit for the exam…. SHIT JUST GOT REAL.

Even then, never did i think i would pass and studying almost overwhelmed me more- I did it anyway (thanks to mom coming up like a road warrior to watch Lo)!

I became an avid Starbucks worshiper- Yes on of those…. I don’t even rink coffee but i downed more Strawberry Acai’s to pay their rent for the month ;)

Lola also enjoyed our snack time face time dates together!

Monday came and it was my last day to CRAM before the BIG TEST tomorrow! Around 5:15 I started to wrap my things up but just before leaving i checked my confirmation email to get directions for the test center…

Ensue Crisis.

I did about mllion double takes, it said my exam was 7/17… I looked at the computer calendar 20 times which read 7/13… but Today is Monday i thought, my test is on Tuesday…

Oh yes, many tears, encouragement from my sweet hubby and “oh gee that’s not a big deal at all that we drove up here to watch Lola for your test tomorrow, we needed a break from painitng at the cabin anyway” from mom and dad was all to follow…

I had officially missed my test.

So with all of their encouragement; I stopped on the way home for some necessary feel betters!

Fortunately, at the end of my pity party week I was able to reschedule it for an ASAP opening on Friday, mom was able to come back and finally… it happened!

I PASSED!

Talk about a relief! Lou an dI had planned a celebratory lunch break together or a depression stuff your face date together depending on the results!

I was SO glad it was a celebratory one!

Even better that night we got to meet baby Jadyn and go see Poppy’ lake “Trouse” for the first time that evening to celebrate his birthday weekend!

We got in late after meeting baby Jadyn so the next morning we had lots of exploring to do and look who wasn’t so scared of getting a little dirty!?!? Lola was TESTING the limits so we decided it was time for a swimsuit! Isn’t the view just gorgeous! One of my favorite things about it is that it’s RIGHT on the water (isn’t that view gorgeous) so we can take her in for a nap and go down to the water with a monitor until she gets up!

Speaking of which, have you ever seen anything cuter getting up from a BIG nap?!?!?

Lola coincidently wakes up just in time for HAPPY HOUR and snack time of course!

Everyone has signs to lead to their hideaway on the lake so mom made one just for Poppy- it was by far his favorite present! You can thank our July 4th2014 crew 2014 for the term “Trouse” by the way :) My sweet girls! This girl was killing the cherries, she loves them and had a stained face the entire evening! That an no pants on…. at her Aunt Taytays ~~demand~~ request… ugh.

Lola learned to say boat this weekend too! She loved watching them pass by!

Mean mugging Lo.. Time to do a little fishing! Just heaven, I am so excited for the summers Lola will get to spend here, and it’s so close to us!

Let the memory making begin! Taytay even taught Lola how to fish!

Happy Birthday Poppy!

I got little frisky with wanting to start hanging things on the walls (shocker I know) and mom had bought lots of signs just wasn’t sure where to put them yet so we found some nails and spruces it up a bit! It was a foreclosure that has sat for over a year and they have done an AMAZING job bringing it back to life!

Poppy brought champagne for us to toast to my new credentials… it was actually SUPER good and green apple flavored!

Cheesecake and Lola’s first time joining in on singing the birthday song and clapping (instead of screaming) at the end!

We learned a valuable lesson about Lake life… there are no bedtimes and rarely and rules…. Lola was up until all hours of the night and it’s official- she is in no way shape or form allowed to sleep with Aunt Taytay- it’s way too much of a party! I actually woke up in the middle of the night and freaked out because it was so dark and I couldn’t find Lola in the bed with us… I started patting and then felt a big lump… I eventually saw this so i just had to take a picture before moving her

Isn’t it beautiful there!

Our last day there was when we REALLY noticed Lola’s increase in appetite which we are so grateful for now! Mostly snacking but eating everything you offered her!

Hallelujah!

These girls….

We were all ready to soak up our Sunday and thankful for a much shorter commute home!

Notice Lou’s smile perking up when i asked to take a pic with him AND Tuck ;)

Love my boys! Then you have this girlfriend ;) I LOVE this picture of my girl, she was being such a dare devil until i tried to convince her to jump off the doc into the water…. she was not trying not hear that Se did however go swimming out from the shore- in a very spastic like motion!