I'm a big kid now!!!!

My new machine was finally delivered, and I'm now the proud owner of my very own professional writer. I feel like such a big girl now.

RPR Update

After practicing much patience, the long awaited “skinny envelope in the mail” has arrived. I have been waiting over five weeks for this and alas it is here!!!! Thank goodness all that studying paid off. The results of my Written Knowledge Test for the RPR finally arrived and with good news. I passed!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!

Test Day...Part 2

Those who know me best know that I have been relatively preoccupied lately with the RPR, hence the lack of updates. However, last weekend Day 2 of the RPR test FINALLY arrived. This portion of the test was the skills portion, which consists of three timed tests on your machine followed by a timed transcription time for each test. The end result is to hopefully turn in three transcripts that are 95% accurate or better. The total amount of time for the test ends up being about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. I was feeling relatively calm, cool, and collected about it right up until the day of. I felt confident I had done just about all I could do to prepare for it. However, that all changed the morning of the test. I woke up and was suddenly plagued with nerves. I thought I might actually be sick due to my nerves. But I got myself together, loaded up all my equipment, quadruple checked all my needed supplies, and hit the road for Day 2.

When I arrived, the room that was offering all three legs was packed. There were about 25 people total in my room and I quietly found a space for myself and set up my machine, laptop, and printer and proceeded to warm up. I was starting to feel little calmer. I am soooo glad I practice a lot with my eyes closed. I simply closed my eyes, and it helped to shut out the nerves, all the other people around me, and the uncomfortableness of a new testing environment. I was starting to feel a little more upbeat about the test. When the test officially began, and the literary warm up started, I was dead on. I nailed it. I knew I could do this. After the warm up the literary portion started.....WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!! As soon as the first words of the test were spoken, my fingers immediately turned to jello and I noticed they were literally trembling. I was writing, but I was feeling like I was hitting a lot of extra keys because of my newly acquired jello fingers. After about a minute, I noticed...I"M NOT BREATHING!!! (You always forget those darn simple things.) I quickly pulled myself together, regained my focus, and the rest of the test was actually pretty good. The jury was way better. I feel pretty good about that as well. Thankfully, the jello fingers that had plagued me on the first test, were not nearly as bad. Lastly, the Q&A....well, let's just say, it was your typical Q&A. I hated it and I know it wasn't a pass. Although my Q&A was no doubt lacking, I am feeling pretty hopeful about the lit and jury. Hopefully the jello fingers didn't mess me up too much.

So now I wait...and wait....and wait for my test results. Six to eight weeks to be precise. All in all, I think my first RPR experience was pretty great. I choose to celebrate that fact that I have made it as far as I have, and that I'm even at the point where I am allowed to take the RPR. Pass or fail, cheers to me! (of course, I would much rather have some passing going on than failing.)

And the winner is.....(drumroll)

Yep! My new machine is officially on order. After prolonged indecisiveness and contemplation, I have FINALLY made a decision. I have parted with the $5,500 necessary to call this puppy my own, and now the writer is currently being built. I should have it in about three weeks. Sianara my little Stentura friend; this cookie is moving on up to a big girl's machine. Although I AM sad to say goodbye to my faithful SRT200, it's time to move on.