Travel time

Sitting in O’Hare airport, at my gate (K7), with 2 hours before boarding. That’s okay, I’d always rather be early than late. I get mildly anxious while travelling alone, so being early is key! Now I just need to fly Chicago to Paris, Paris to Helsinki, Helsinki to Rome, then take a train from the airport to Trastevere where Luke will pick me up.

The past week and a half has been insanity. I had two parties last week, because we had a going away party, and Luke threw me a surprise graduation party! It was the first time I’ve ever had a surprise party thrown for me, and I was so surprised! After choir on Wednesday we went to Spyhouse under the guise of me studying and Luke working on his law review petition. After about 2 minutes, Luke tells me how much he wants to go get a beer. I’m like, “but we’re studying…” and he says that we’ll grab a beer, then go back to studying. I was trying to concentrate so I didn’t even find that suspicious. For the next 45 minutes he was pestering me about when we could go, when I’d get a break in the AMTA standards of practice I was reading. So I finish and he says he wants go to the Lowry, to which I ask why don’t we go somewhere with a happy hour deal and he tells me he wants oysters. He has never eaten oysters. Neither have I. Not the most logical craving… but I brushed it off. When we get there a sign at the hostess station is directing us to the left, but he starts bringing me to the right which is blocked off, and I try to get us toward the bar area, then I see a long table of people, and the first person I identify is Ashley Scott, wearing a party hat. And then someone starts singing “Graduation” by Vitamin C, and it’s all a blur but I’m confused and Luke had to explain, “you didn’t have a graduation party so I threw you one!” It was SO wonderful, almost all the choir kids were there, and I got a couple cards, and may have shed a quick tear. So thank you all! I did not expect it at all, and you make me feel so loved.

On Monday when Luke got back from his cabin up north, we moved a ton of my stuff and stored it at his parents house (thank you x1000000000!), then I spent the night taking a practice exam for the music therapy board exam. Stress was abundant. On Tuesday morning I woke up early to take the exam all the way out in Blaine. Surprise surprise, the test was MUCH harder than the practice exam! I actually spent a good part of the exam thinking I wasn’t going to pass, and periodically stopped to give myself a pep talk. But I passed! I am now, Laura Roche, MT-BC (Music Therapist- Board Certified). Changing my resume felt awesome. It was almost surreal that day I kept thinking about how HUGE it is that I’m now a music therapist, not a music therapy student. But of course I had to move for the rest of the day, so I didn’t get to celebrate or even relax.  The rest of the day Tuesday Luke and I moved all my furniture and I did some cleaning. Wednesday morning I woke up early, cleaned more of my apartment, babysat all day, ran errands, picked up Luke, and drove to Chicago.

This whole time Luke was petitioning for law review which meant that Monday night he only slept 3 hours, Tuesday night he pulled an all nighter, Wednesday he worked all day, and during the 7 hour drive he got to sleep for the first time since probably Sunday. And he still took the time to help me move, help me clean, and tolerate me being a stressed out mess.  So Luke, THANK YOU. And huge congrats to him for getting a 4.0 second semester of law school! Smarty pants =-)

Now I just need to take three planes and a train. Meanwhile, I’ll reading National Geographic, all the wonderful books my mom got me today, and people watch like it’s my job.