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Busy, Busy, Busy

Whew!

It has been a CRAZY past couple of weeks, which is why I haven't written in so long. Work has definitely picked up in the last 2 weeks with every fall season sport arriving on campus and beginning their preseason camps. Luckily, tennis was one of the last teams to show up, but in the time it took for their arrival day to come, I was slammed with admin projects and asked to cover a bunch of other sports last minute. While I was grateful for the opportunity to be busy, I can't help but notice how exhausted I was! 

I was asked to cover football practice twice for one of my bosses, which was actually a lot more fun and rewarding than I ever expected. I worked together with one of my other GAs who has worked football for the last year and it was really nice to work with him and lean on him for support at the times when I was clueless (i.e. when I had no clue how to supervise both of my position groups on the field when they were SO spread out!). The players, to my surprise, were very welcoming to me and enjoyed having a new face around. I was especially flattered when one athlete came up to me the next day after I taped his shins and said "I don't want anyone else taping me but you.. how do we make this happen because I know you're not with us permanently". To be complimented on your tape jobs is one of the best feelings an athletic trainer can have! Although my time with football was short-lived, it definitely reinforced why I could never have a career as with a football team as an athletic trainer beyond the high school level. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE football. I love watching it on TV, in person, and even playing a pickup game of flag football with friends. But supervising practices as an ATC at the collegiate level is a whole different ballgame, and if I'm being honest, it is just not my cup of tea. It is a little too intense for my liking, on top of having over 100 athletes to take care of. I was not the only person covering practice, but it is still a lot to take in. I will gladly take my laid-back tennis team of 10 girls any day over 100+ sweaty guys! 

I was also asked to cover both men's and women's soccer at various points throughout the past few days, which was much more laid back and quieter than football, which was definitely more my style. I will admit soccer is not one of my most favorite sports, but strangely enough I love supervising it as an athletic trainer. It's intense enough to keep my focus and keep me on my toes, but not nearly intense enough to leave me feeling drained and exhausted after one practice. Perhaps I will pursue a career in some sort of soccer setting..? I guess only the future will tell!

Between stepping in for my coworkers and racing around my office to get admin projects done for our faculty, I have been busy spending time with family and friends (I know, I actually have friends and time for a social life.. who am I?!). When I haven't been texting, calling, or FaceTiming my friends back home, I have been hanging out with some of the friends I've made here in Chicago and showing my family around my new place! Two of my best friends back home have been having some pretty exciting things happen in their lives, so I have been constantly chatting with them and getting updates on how things are going. One of my good friends I made here last year just moved to NYC, so I've been keeping up with him and his busy life in the Big Apple. Another one of my really good friends I made here recently moved to a suburb about an hour away and we have been catching up with each other about everything and anything. My sister and I talk just about every second of every day, and she has been updating me on her house hunting efforts. This past weekend, my mom and Dan drove from Detroit to bring me a bigger kitchen table and chairs for my new apartment and to spend some quality time with me. We spent the first part of their visit rearranging my place a bit, then I took them on a tour of campus and showed them where I spend my time when I'm not watching Netflix or sleeping. Then we went bar hopping around Chicago, had a nice dinner, then called it a night. We had a nice breakfast together the next morning and then they had to leave so they could make it back home at a decent hour before work the next day. I didn't realize how much I missed my mom until it was time for her to leave. I hadn't seen her in about a month until her visit, and when it hit me that the next time I would see her wouldn't be for another month or so, I got a little emotional. I have lived away from my mom for about 5 years now, but I still miss her like I did the when she dropped me off at college for my freshman year! 

Now that the semester has officially started, I am a little anxious to see how my schedule plays out and how crazy my life really gets. Between tennis and covering other sports, being a TA, doing admin projects, and completing my own classes for my Master's, I really hope I'll be able to make some time for myself and do the things I enjoy, like reading, watching Netflix, and hanging out with people who tolerate my presence. Here's to hoping that this semester (aka my LAST semester of school...EVER!) is great and that it ends with my sanity in tact!

Until later,

~Tara

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