Why I do it....

Yesterday one my patients got to go home. He wasn't there for PT rehab per say - more of the memory/speech/occupational therapy more so than me and what I could do to help him. He was my "uncharacteristic" patient. Didn't walk with a walker or cane. Didn't need to be supervised so closely as he always caught himself whenever his centre of gravity was off kilter. Didn't fall. Didn't need constant reminders of how to transfer safely. Didn't need me to roll beside him on a stool and guide his legs through the process of walking. We played catch and bounced balls while we walked. We stood on foam with our eyes closed. We did exercises on the theraball. We did a lot of balance stuff I don't normally get to do with my patients. And he was game with whatever I suggested. A really sweet man. And yesterday when we were walking one last time together and I asked him if there was anything he wanted to make sure he did before his daughter came to take him home, and secretly hoping he didn't say "swim in the pool", he stopped, took my hand, and said "I really appreciate all that you've done to help me. I enjoyed being here and I couldn't have done it without your support." And as the smile on my heart grew into an enormous grin I thought to myself, "This is why I do it..."
Today I was looking after a patient for another therapist while she was out of town, and walked into a very sticky situation which I had no idea about considering I had never treated this man during his length of stay in the hospital. He had decided he was going home as soon as the doctor would write the orders and refused to come down to the gym for therapy of any kind. After talking with the social worker I went down to his room to suggest some outpatient physical therapy places for him, so he could continue treatment. As I left the room I ran into his wife in the hallway, who was coming in from her car with an empty suitcase to pack. She was noticeably upset so I stopped to talk with her and reassure her, and to verify that she indeed had a support system in bringing her husband home to look after while she tried to hold a full time job. And after talking with her, I hugged her and walked back to the gym with tears in my eyes and thought to myself, "This is why I do it..."
Thank you Lord for all of my patients... May I never consider it a job to serve you in the capacity of being a therapist, but an opportunity to serve others who need help from the skills & knowledge I've acquired, and in turn glorify You...

I am officially offended...

The sport of hockey has been officially desecrated... There were CHEERLEADERS at the Predators game last night. I think there were around seven or eight of them, but I tried not to look directly at them... If they show up in Toronto they could very well be banished from the entire country forever.
i... am... speechless...

Raise Your Hand If You're Surprised

Yesterday was a very special day. Not only was it Groundhog's Day, and apparently "Nicemas" (refer to Nitty.Gritty. for details), but it was my first official payday. I've been working at HeathSouth for the last three weeks, and those hours finally fell into a pay period that I could reap the monetary fruits of my labour from! And man, was I excited! We have a payday social in the hospital cafeteria, and those were the best chocolate cookies I've ever tasted!

Brett and I have a wish list of sorts that we were going to get with this new found fortune. Oh, you know, things like finally buy a new pair of running shoes since my current ones are three years old, get the brakes fixed on the car, get a haircut, buy a couple more pairs of scrubs, etc.

For the past three years all of my time, money, blood, sweat, and tears (oh, the enormous puddle of tears) have been directly invested into Belmont University, specifically their Physical Therapy program. I "retired" from being the Dorm Director of the infamous Johnson Hall at Lipscomb to go back to school full time, and became an academic slave in August 2003. Exit income.

And then to make things more interesting Brett moved to Montgomery, AL to start the new soccer programs at Faulkner University. Exit husband.

And for the remaining four semesters of grad school we drove back and forth between Nashville and Monty as well as straight into debt. Enter school loans at a ridiculously high interest rate.

Then the long awaited day of graduation arrived! Along with it job interviews, the board exam, and upteen-million hurdles to obtain my work permit and SSN to work legally in the States.

And so, this Friday marked the day that I would receive my very first paycheque for being a PT. The monetary reward after all those tests, lab practicals, presentations, research projects and all the other yuck you have to endure to make it through grad school. We would officially become a two-income family after this 41-month hiatus! (Not that I'm anti one-income families, I'm just anti not-having-enough-money-to-eat-something-other-than-hotdogs-and-macaroni-and-cheese-three-times-a-week).

So why the sarcastic tone to this entry you ask? Well, after celebrating my first paycheque with friends and family {thanks so much for arranging last night's get-together just for me Ashley! :)}, I checked my account balance on the internet. And do you know what it said?

Are you ready for this, because even though I know better, I was not....

My balance reads $2.99. Yes, the decimal is in the correct place. Enter jaw on the floor of Brett's office.

I'm stuck somewhere in the middle of "Are you stinkin' kidding me?" and "Well, of course that would happen to me!"

So apparently my hard earned moolah is floating around somewhere in cyperspace, and I am left sitting here with my wish list remaining simply that.

And I say, for what seems the millionth and eighty-fourth time:

"Raise your hand if you're surprised by this happening to me!!"

Emily Paige

Since my friend Karen is having problems posting pics on her blog as of recent, I wanted to share a pic of my sweet "niece" proving to be worthy of being a sugar girl like her Mom and myself. Way to go Em!

Back in the Saddle Again...

Tomorrow marks the first day I will be paid for my services as a physical therapist!!

I couldn't be more excited (and terrified) at the same time...

I stand corrected...

According to the Honda Accord beside me on Narrow Lane this morning, the turning lane is also a lane to drive in as an additional lane for an extended period of time.... :)

Controlling Road Rage...

I just wanted to take this opportunity to let those of you who don't know what a turning lane is or what it is used for, to be officially educated (not that those of you who need the lesson are readers of this blog, but whatever...)
A turning lane is the lane you get in when you want to turn left. It's that big space you sometimes see between the yellow lanes of the road. Your entire car can fit in this lane, not just your front left tire. Miraculously enough, you can also slow down in this lane before taking said left turn. This prevents those of us who actually like to do the speed limit from having to travel at an even slower turtle-speed behind you. It's the beauty of the turning lane living life to it's fullest. It wants you to slow down while you're in it, and not a second before.
And while I'm on the topic of driving, let me also take this opportunity to let you know that when the power goes out and there are no traffic lights to follow, you're supposed to treat it like a four way stop sign. Thus, everyone gets a turn. It is not an invitation to turn on your brights and barrel through the intersection while shooting dirty looks at the drivers in the cars who had the right of way before you came along, acting like a dumbhead.
Oh, and your front tires go behind the lines at the intersections no matter what the weather is, or if there is power to the lights or not.
Thank you.
I will now step off of the soapbox...

Home again, home again, jiggity-jog...

We are home! Left Wednesday morning, crashed at Terry & Margaret's, then arrived in time for supper Thursday night. Had more than enough time to unload the truck, eat, and watch CSI & ER before the ultimate crash in our own bed. Of course the tornado sirens welcoming us back by going off at 6am Friday morning just added our own touch of Mitchell-ness to the whole trip! We of course went immediately back to sleep once the warning was lifted from our county, thank you Lord!
I am still awaiting my SSN before I can start working, but I have faith that it will arrive all in God's perfect timing.
And now I'm off to reclaim the space in our apartment...

Farewell Wal-Mart, fare thee well!

Well, Thursday marked my final shift in the world of Wally, so as a tribute to my experience, I'd like to give a shout out to all holiday shoppers from all the retail cashiers out there...

*We love the extra challenge of uncrumpling your wadded up money when you throw it at us once we've run through your purchase

*We consider it a bonus workout when we have to pick up your 100lb bag of dog food you've thrown up on the belt and try and pass it over the scanner to put it on your bill

*Yes, it is our fault that the debit machine isn't working nation-wide at the moment and if we were doing our job better you probably wouldn't have to put this purchase on your credit card instead

*Don't be fooled by the blue smock we wear, we are all-knowing and all-powerful. At any time we can calculate, from the millions of items the store stocks, whether we are "out" of a particular thing, and where in the store it is located exactly

*We also know why you have "insufficient funds" in your bank account that is causing your debit card not to work, are able to contact your local bank branch and straighten the whole matter out before your wife comes back from the bathroom and discovers her Christmas present sitting on the counter. We also can straighten out the whole "the-credit-card-I-just-swiped-was-denied" embarrassment as well.

*When we close our line at 4:30 and try to nicely tell you that we're closed when you run up to us noticing that we have no line even though everyone around you is waiting in a line of 15+, it's because we're just now going on a lunch break, and the orange we ate on our 15 minutes break at 11:00 is long gone. Before cussing us out ask yourself, have I already eaten my lunch today?

*Having a spazz-attack while we wait for someone to call back with a price check doesn't speed up the process. You're the one who didn't look for a price tag on your Eeyore slippers before you picked them up! Duh?

So adios retail-world! I appreciate the opportunity to make some money, but I'm ready to move on now!!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Literally. There's grass outside my window, where a thin blanket of snow lay just last week. Can we say global warming?

At any rate, I LOVE this song, it's one of my favourites. Check out the link I blog-stole from Laura... :)

White Christmas

Christmas Spirit

Christmas stresses me out. Because I don't know quite how to fit it into my life, my faith, and my priorities. Over the years, Christmas has definitely become a time Brett and I spent with family. Often this is the only time of year we spend with them. And at the same time we are running from house, to house, to house, never really spending time with any of them. And people say "what do you want for Christmas" and I think I don't really need anything, but here's some ideas of things I'd like to have... and I can't help but feel guilty when my mind wanders back to faces and families of those who have nothing but their faith and the clothes on their backs. And I feel blessed, and loved, and spoiled, and unworthy when I think of all I've received each Christmas.
On the other hand, I absolutely love Christmas. I love the music and how the songs are sung by each generation. I love the decorations. I love the smell of pine. I love the baking. I love the movies. I love the energy that seems to surround everyone at this time of year. I love the thrill of finding the perfect gift for someone you love. I love that even people who don't normally think about God, still pause and know that Jesus is the beginnings of what we are celebrating.
So, I came across this quote on another site that resonated with this Christmas struggle of mine, and thought I would share it with you...

“The Christmas spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor—spending and being spent to enrich their fellow humans, giving time, trouble, care and concern, to do good to others—and not just their own friends—in whatever way there seems to be a need….If we desire spiritual quickening for ourselves individually, one step we should take is to seek to cultivate this spirit. -JI Packer "God Incarnate" (emphasis mine)

‘You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich’ (2 Cor 8:9).”

May you find the spirit of Christmas...

Go Leafs Go!!

After an embarrassing seven game losing streak, which, unfortunately, Brett and I witnessed first hand in Atlanta, my boys in blue came out with a 5-4 win last night against Tampa Bay. They had to come back from a 3-1 score, but they tied it up before the end of the second and secured their first victory in three weeks. Finally, a third period that didn't sink us!!
Let's do the same thing Friday night in Carolina boys!! :)

I try, I really do...

but my father knows just what buttons to push, and what exact moments in time I am least prepared to deal with it... Like five minutes ago, or about three weeks ago, or minutes before my Hooding ceremony...
I try to have more patience with him, but trying for a ten day holiday is nothing compared to living with him for 8+ weeks. All it takes is one word, one look, a specific tone of voice and all reason is thrown to the wind and I want to scream........... and sometimes do.
Anyone else have a family member whose neck you occasionally want to strangle??

Where are you??

I am beginning to realize that there are a few of you out there wondering about my current status, such as which country am I in, am I working yet, and the like. (wow, you like me, you really do!)
The short answers are: Canada, and yes & no. Yes, I am working right now, but no, not as a PT.
"Let me explain... NO! There is too much! Let me sum up..."
Since I'm in Canada and can work in THIS country, and not in the States, I went and applied at Walmart since they were advertising for holiday help.
Enter prestigious cashier job. Yesssssssss!!!!!!!!!! I always dreamed of making $9/hr after grad school!!
And as far as the visascreen is concerned, after making a whirlwind trip to AL, I now have it in my hot little hands! So this week I plan on making some trips to the Niagara border to apply for my work visa, and then my SSN. Once all of that gets straightened out, I can begin working as a PT. Please Lord, let it be sooner rather than later!!
Until then... "I can help someone at register #10!" :)

More Birthdays...

Happy Birthday KDela!
Things I've learned from my friend Kristen:
1. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt
2. It's hard to hold your fake synergy during a Fugl-Meyer taping session
3. It's called a shopping cart, not a buggy!
4. Remove the saran wrap from your microwaved corn with care!
5. You can be put in time out if you go scapel-happy in the cadavre lab
6. You can be secretly killed from cayanne pepper in chocolate chip cookies
7. Not to order a vaccum from Ebay
8. Apparently, the HEISERMAN trophy pose is extremely well known...
9. She can't just "fill in a number or two" when you're stuck on Sudoku
10. "Should I use my invisiblity for good, or evil?"

And a special birthday shout out to my friend and yours, Mr. TR, who is forty-eleven today!! :)

Samantha Lynne

Nine years ago this morning Samantha Lynne surprised us all by arriving into this world weighing less than two pounds. We didn't know it at the time, but God was about to use that precious little tiny bundle to teach a lot of us about what is really important in life. And I thank God for the gift of her life, and for the opportunity to be a part of hers. I fell in love with that little tater-pot nine years ago, and have tried to love her across the miles ever since.
Happy birthday Samantha Sue... I love you!!

American Football

No one growing up in the Smith household in the booming metropolis of Newmarket was a football fan. We were raised on hockey and baseball... occasionally we would hear about the Gray Cup, especially if the Argo's were involved. But that's about it.
Then fast forward a few decades and now I'm living in Alabama. Football capital of the South East. Nothing could have actually prepared me for this, except I'm sure I received some sort of training living with the McDowells while the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl.

So I guess you could say that over the years I have become a football fan, of sorts, mostly through association.
Here's who I've been taught to pull for:
NFL-
Tennessee Titans: what actually put the NFL on the Sunday afternoon TV in the Mitchell household. Aren't we kicking some major booty this season, um, not so much!

College-
Ohio State: Sumer and Jenny ensured I was full of Buckeye fever as soon as possible.
UT Volunteers: Can we say I lived in Nashville for almost 13 years? And shame on all of you who turned their back on them after last season's bowl game, or lack thereof... A fair-weathered fan is no fan at all!!
Alabama: I would put the Reeves family to shame if this wasn't mentioned, although Nate decided to go with Miami and he's still loved...
Vanderbilt: For my girl Dinah!
LSU: If they're not playing the above mentioned teams... for Jeremy of course!

So, this weekend is the battle of Alabama and for the first time in four years I will not be there during the Alabama-Auburn game. I love watching football fans watch football. Wish I was at Ashley & Jamin's to witness it all...
Brett has decided to cheer for Auburn this year, so naturally I decided to go with Alabama.
Roll Tide!!

Mrs. Byles & Extended Family

So for the last little while I've been spending a few afternoons a week with Mrs. Byles, an aunt of a friend who will be 94 next month. I stay for about two hours and we cook meals that she can freeze in individual portions to eat over the next several months. She sits on her walker in her kitchen while I stand at the stove stirring and chopping... we make quite a pair. She tells me stories of places she's been, and food she likes to make, and people she's known in her life.
And I enjoy my time with her. Not just because it helps put a little spending $ in my pocket while being here in Canada, but it makes me think of my grandparents and great Aunts that were in fact additional grandmothers in my life. And I miss them so. I wish I would have spent more time listening to their stories, spent more time sitting with them, spent more time knowing who they were before it was too late. As I lovingly pointed out to my Uncle Normie the other night - he's the oldest now (as Mom frequently likes to remind him that he's her OLDER brother).
And I spent some of last weekend with my cousins and their sweet little ones... And I was reminded of all the crazy times we spent together over the years while growing up... in Grandma's backyard garden, in the sand pile, making up dance routines, getting rug burns from sliding down Grandma & Grandpa's stairs, weekends at the trailer, swimming in the pool for hours, watching the army boys cruise the strip in Grand Bend, the trailer trip to Florida... They were like my extra sisters we spent so much time together.
Did you grow up spending Sunday afternoons with your families? I'm so glad that I did! It's hard at times being so far away from family, and not being more a part of eachothers lives. But I am comforted in that whenever I'm back and I get to see them all, I'm still "Judes" whenever I walk through their door and we still have good times together.
So, here's to long distance family, and the continuation of good memories... Cheers!!

Numa Numa

http://amishdonkey.com/numa-numa.php

I've decided that unless you were in Voight's spine class in sping of '05 this is not nearly as funny... Okay, well, us and maybe Marie's Ryan...

Miss you guys!

Happy Birthday Dinah Lou!

We have studied together, cooked together, ate together, shopped together, walked together, cried together, laughed together, conquered Honduras together, and watched more Friends episodes together than I thought was humanly possible!! I would have never made it through PT school without the love and support of this wonderful girl... and I am thankful for the gift of her friendship!
Happy birthday DP!