Nothing profound...just the last couple of days, I have been okay with it.
So go ahead ask me how I am doing and I will honestly say - Thanks for asking, I am doing just fine! :)

It's been a long time...but it's taken me this long to truly digest and figure out how I am.
Everyone asks me - How are you doing?
I always faked it and just said I was fine and all is doing well.
All is doing well...but I don't know yet that I am fine with it all.

There are moments that are very easy, and I do feel okay. I truly feel like this all happened for a reason. I feel positive about the day to day accomplishments I have.

Then there are moments that are very hard, and I do not feel okay. I am frustrated and don't understand why this had to happen to me. I can only see all the "I Can'ts" and forget all the things I actually can do.

And one of the last things I want to hear right now is about how much insight I am gaining for when I am a therapist. Oh the empathy I will be able to show my patients because I know exactly what they are going through. Well, right now I AM THE PATIENT! And I hate it!!!! I know that someday, I will have a patient that I can relate so much to...but right now, I am on the table and going through this and not on the rollie stool giving instructions.

In the long run, I know that I will be fine with it all and I can give an honest answer of - I am fine and everything is going so well.
But today...today, I am not fine with this!

But until then:
Colosians 1:11
[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy.

How quickly things can change...
In the time it takes to fall from a standing position to crumpled on the ground, so much can change!

Long story short: I had a bad knee that turned out to be a horrible knee. I was standing with all my weight on the bad knee when it decided to buckle. I went down fast and hard! During the fall, my foot got crumpled underneath me.

An ER visit, x-rays, a visit to the orthopedic surgeon, mri for my knee and my foot, and a cat scan later....torn acl, partially torn mcl, medial meniscus damage, medial condyle fracture all in my knee, and torn liz franc ligament and dislocated bones in my foot.

This summer was suppose to bring adventures and family memory time n OKC with the grandparents. It was suppose to bring great clinical experiences and learning opportunities at OU Med Center. Now it brings two surgeries and long rehabs!!!

First surgery scheduled for Thurs afternoon to fix my foot. Then about three weeks after that, surgery for acl recontruction and clean up of the other issues in the knee.

How quickly it all changed...but the Good Lord doesn't give more than I can handle...it just isn't an easy road ahead...

I do so love my momma! She is the best!!!

Looking forward to...

~ Owning a house...no more obnoxious duplex neighbors!!!!!!

~ Having evenings not interrupted by homework.

~ Buying a new car...I think it will be fun to get the exact car I want (not that I am dogging our sweet Buick deal)

~ Working with patients and getting paid for it!

~ Vacations! Real vacations where we can actually afford to do things!

~ Having a backyard and a hammock in the shade!

~ Having little ones...but I am in no hurry and no I am not pregnant right now! (That was for you Jody!)

~ Getting a dog. I want a miniature schnauzer b/c they are so cute!

~ Brian maybe someday working a normal schedule...that would be nice...

Self-Revelation

I discovered today while in church, that I am indeed, uncomfortable around guys with long hair. I'm not talking shaggy hair, but long hair...like you could put it in a ponytail or use a straightener on it.

A man was sitting in front of me today that had hair longer than mine has ever been. It was wavy and shiny (in a healthy way, not a greasy way). And all I could think of was that it might touch me if he leaned any further back!

So moral of the story, and by moral I just mean the end, I think guys should not have hair longer than my pinky finger!

Working with high schoolers never ceases to amaze me! Here are some tidbits of info I gleamed during the last couple of days:

~If you have just recently gotten a new hairstyle and wear a sexy outfit to ask a guy to prom...he will say yes.
~ It is apparently now acceptable to spend the weekend at your boyfriend's house.
~ It is not necessary to wear closed toed shoes, long pants, or a jacket when it is 45 degrees, wind blowing, and raining.
~ If your mom and dad (who are divorced) get into a fight over the phone, it is to be expected that your mom will take it out on you...most likely by hitting you. (This one broke me heart!!! b/c the first time I met this girl she had a black eye which I assumed was from basketball, but now I don't know for sure.)
~ The new "it" thing to call a significant other is "babes" and not babe like it was back in my day.
~ Kids who have left the crappy little town I work in, desire to come back b/c they miss it. (This too makes me sad b/c this town is seriously a hole in the wall, backwards town that has nothing to offer these kids. I want to take them all away and make them believe that they deserve better!)
~ Number 18 from a certain school does indeed look amazing in those baseball pants!

So there you have it...some new knowledge to gain from high school kids...not all fun, but all very real to them.

And speaking of high school kids, it's amazing to think that 8 years ago today, Brian and I were just some dumb high school kids that decided to start dating and go to prom together. So I guess there is still hope for those dumb high school kids to grow up and become productive, loving adults.

1 Year, 2 Months left to go...
I am tired of school! I have been at this for six years and have another ahead of me...
Just having one of those days that I am looking forward to the day that I don't have group projects, case studies, boring lectures that make me want to paper cut my eyeballs, and teachers that teach their own agendas over what we actually need in order to be good clinicians.

I know there are those reading this that say, I wish I was still in school and not working! But I want to be working so badly. I understand that my job comes with crazy stupid paperwork, but I also get amazing patient interaction. I get to challenge myself in a real world situation and not pretend in a classroom. I know that there is definitely more knowledge I need to learn before I can get out there and practice...I just wish I could learn in fast forward mode and be done!

School, school, go away! I don't want to go back there another day!!! :)

As winter sports draw to a close my hours at work dwindle away to very seldomly working. So...when I got the call at 3:00 this afternoon to cover some games tonight, I said a quick YES!

Mullet count=3
Adults missing front teeth=4
Badly drawn on eye brows=1
"Aint Got None" phrase spoken=Uncountable
Getting unexpected work hours=Priceless!

Things that make me smile...

SUSHI! Love it!!! I could eat it everyday! Thanks Jody for introducing us to the amazing Japanese wonder of sushi!

Brian is an amazing man who loves in the good times and the crazy times!

Softball!!!My momma and memories of her crazy dog Killer!My dad who gives awesome hugs!Siblings who make me laugh all the time!!

I loved Steph's last random picture post...so now I copy it!

Lessons on Nutrition

I have learned so much since working in a high school athletics setting. My favorite lessons are about proper nutrition and what it now deemed healthy food. These lessons are taught by players, fans, and parents. The following are several of my favorite nutritional lessons...

Take for instance a girl who went to the concession stand and brought back three bags of M&Ms because she was "really hungry!"

Only eating one double cheeseburger before a game is way better than when the person used to eat three double cheeseburgers before a game.

Look, mom, I got something good for me at the concession stand...a hot dog!

Mom, can I have some money? I am going to get something healthy like nachos.

The chocolate chip cookies are better for you than the snickerdoodle cookies because they have more dairy in them because of the chocolate chips.

Happy Place

I often find myself daydreaming about my "happy place".
Today I wish more than anything I was there!

On the beach

under a palm tree

laying in a hammock

listening to John Mayer
reading a good book
and sipping a margarita!
Ahhh...

Pizza Balls

For those who love balls, a great fun recipe... :)

~Rhodes rolls thawed and rising like the bag says
~When they have risen and are soft, roll each of them into little flat rounds (or you can pull them flat like a pizza dough)
~In the center of each round, layer of Italian blend cheese
~Any toppings you want on top of the cheese
~Another layer of cheese
~Fold corners/edges together to cover all the filling and to make a little ball of goodness
~Bake according to the directions on the bag of rolls
~Cover with favorite pizza or spaghetti sauce
~Love it!

I had these for the first time tonight. They were fun and easy to make. Katelynn had all kinds of toppings set out so you filled them with exactly what you wanted. I absolutely loved them!

How do you decide...

So I have 3 weeks to come up with 5 possible sites that I would like to go for my third clinical. Here's where it gets difficult to decide...this clinical is a free option of what we want it to be. My two favorite options are pediatrics and sports medicine. But I am having a very hard time deciding which one I want to do an 8 week clinical in. Here are my reasons for loving both options...

Pediatrics:

• I see myself working in peds someday...I am realistic and know that starting out in peds is not easy and not always the best option. It's a good idea to get experience dealing with adults and getting comfortable practicing before you go into peds work.
• Kids make me smile. Take for instance today; I was having a grouchy, no good day that was turned completely around by having a fun lab day with school age kids.
• I like to squish little ones. They are so fat and squishy and cute.
• I find working with children rewarding and exciting.

Downside:

• Less options for clinical sites...but not impossible.
  
• Babies cry and spit up.
• That's all I could think of...
  

Sports Medicine:

• Sports med is what I know best. I have had a love for sports med for a long time now and have a great background in it because of athletic training.
• I love the sports setting and doing rehab that is sports specific.
• It would be an excellent area to begin working in after graduation.
• There are more options for sports clinicals.

Downside:

• I know this area the best so should I branch out and do something different?
• I could be passing up an opportunity to make myself look more experienced in this area if this is the area I try to get a job in.
• That's all I could think of...
  

See...tough choice! Got any suggestions?

Just for Fun-zies

Do you ever wonder if Jesus liked everything Mary cooked? Because He was perfect, did He have perfect taste buds? Or was He very polite and said - No thank you, I don't care for that. And then turn it into a pepperoni pizza b/c He can...b/c He's Jesus...Hmm...something to ponder!

There's No Crying at Wrestling Duels...

Hello all! I have been quiet long enough and have decided to jump sides and join this crazy blogging world.

Here's a quick update on all that is me...
~I am working part time as an athletic trainer doing home game coverage for Buffalo High School. I am employed by the hospital here in Bolivar, but am contracted to work in Buffalo.
~ I am just now starting the spring semester of my second year of PT school...on the downhill side of classwork! Woot double woot!
~ Brian got a promotion at work to Senior Officer (really more like a title change b/c not much else has changed from when he was a patrol officer)
~ Been making some new friends...not an easy thing for someone like me who is set in their ways. But I have grown to love Katelynn and Sydney very much.
~ I am heading to OKC this summer to do an 8 week clinical at OU Med Center in an outpatient setting.

So now on to the topic of no crying at wrestling duels... I had worked with the wrestling team several times by this point, and I had noticed something really great about the team. One of team members is a young man named Zach who I met a couple of years back. I met Zach while working as a PT tech at CMH. Zach has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. The boys wheel Zach to the end of the bench and include him in all of the team happenings such as high fives and pep talks. It's fun to watch the boys interact and value Zach.

So that brings me to last Thursday... Last week, I was working a duel between Buffalo and another school from Springfield. I was setting up my kit by the scorer's table when the Buffalo head coach came over to ask the ref if it would be alright to have an exhibition match before the duel between "The little guy in the wheelchair" and one of his other wrestlers. The ref thought that was pretty cool and let it happen. The announcer announced the exhibition just like any other match, and the head coach reffed the match so it was as legit as could be. Zach's nurse and the coach helped him walk out into the mat...he was even wearing wrestling shoes and headgear. His opponent came out and was amazing! Levi handled Zach very gently yet made the match look pretty real. Zach got points for a reversal, a near fall, back points, and eventually the pin!

The whole time I am watching this happen, I keep fighting back the tears...because there's no crying at wrestling duels...But there should be an exception when something so extraordinary happens!