The Final Hoop

I PASSED MY TEST, I PASSED MY TEST!!!! I took my OT certification exam 13 days ago and got the results last night. Everything I have done the past five years has led up to passing the exam (well, initially I was going to go to nursing school instead of OT, but it was all good because I had to take a lot of the same prereq's). I used up almost the entire four hours I was allotted for the test. After the exam was over I headed straight to the Elk for some lunch and a couple of pints of Guinness.

So what awaits me now? The certification board notifies the state of Washington that I passed and they issue me my permanent license. Once I have the license in my hot little hands I will have a real work schedule and will not require any supervision to practice. The supervision thing has been a drag. I don't have to have anyone watch me, but I have to have one of my two sponsors in the building while I am there. And they have to counter sign every note I write. That is the biggest pain in the ass. When will I get my license? I am not sure, but I am going to check online every day. My real schedule will involve working four ten hour days with three days off midweek in a row. I am so excited.

Walter and I have just been staying at home. I have been working on the house and yard a lot. I realized how everything got so out of control when I was wracked with grief and had no energy or interest in taking care of stuff, especially the yard. I have had a half-pipe (a big skateboard ramp thing) in the backyard for the past ten years. Seth quite using it and it got all wet. I have been taking it apart. I worked on it for about 9 hours on Sunday. It would have gone faster if I would not have wanted to salvage the wood, but there are around 20 eight foot long 2x4's that I just cannot bring myself to throw away. So today I will finish it and possibly till up the soil underneath. That area used to be my vegetable garden and the soil is beautiful and black. I flipped over one of the pier blocks and there were a bunch of fat earthworms under it. Always a good sign.

So Walter and I are just waiting for that piece of paper and a real schedule and we are getting out of town. I am thinking of a spring backpack to Priest Lake. There is never anyone around when it is still cold. And it is one of my favorite spots.