Sworn In...I'm Officially a CASA Worker!!!

I've finished my training and I've done court observation. The only thing that was left to do was to be sworn in by a judge in court. Today that happened! So that officially makes me a CASA. I had to go to a court in Spanish Fork to be sworn in. I am terrible with directions and finding places so I was nervous about getting loss. I made sure to give myself plenty of time to get there and factor in the possibility of getting loss. I had to be there at 4:30pm so I got off work around 2pm. I ended up getting there early, before Leah or Dee arrived. I stood around waiting with the other people who were going to be sworn in also. When Dee arrived we went into the courtroom and it was a quick ceremony of us standing up and raising our right hand and you know the rest. We took a picture with the judge and that was that. I was happy because I could finally start working on case with a child. I could start helping someone. Now all I need is a case. I hope Dee emails with something sooner rather than later.

Insight

I was complaining to my coworker about the cost of hearing aids today when she recommended that I look into Vocational Rehabilitation. I went to to the website and got their number. I called and was told I'd have to go to an initial meeting before getting a counselor. The receptionist told me the times and that no appointment was needed. My initial meeting with Voc Rehab was on October 5th. That was my day off so I was able to go, there were a lot of other people there, all ages so I didn't feel so self-conscious. I had to watch a video about what Vocational Rehabilitation is and other stuff. After I asked the guy who'd been in charge if he thought Voc Rehab would be able to help me. I explained my situation and he thought they would be able to help so I made an appointment with Heidi Immell who would be my counselor. I'm still going forward with Audient in case the Voc Rehab doesn't work out. I have an appointment with another audiologist at Hearing and Balance Center for the Audient program at 1pm. They want to see exactly how bad my hearing is before they can offer any assistance.

Today's My Birthday!!! But...

Today is my 23rd birthday. It was fine. I got cookie cake at work and my coworker made me a homemade cheesecake which is my favorite. But being a year older got me to thinking about where I'll be in another 20 years. I'm twenty-three and my hearing has declined so much, does that mean I'll be deaf by the time I'm in my forties? If that happens how will I communicate with my family and friends? How will I deal with being deaf? It's my birthday I shouldn't be thing such morbid thoughts. If it happens I'm sure I'll deal with like I deal with everything, fret over for a little while and eventually find a suitable solution. I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day. I do love birthdays!

Happy birthday to me!