365 Blog-Day 31

The bluebonnets bloomed in front of the entrance to the hospital. It makes driving to school in the mornings a little better. It has been a little chilly lately, but it warmed up this afternoon, so I treated myself to a nap in the sunshine by the pool. :) It was a great ending to pretty crazy day! It was my first day of my last fieldwork I. I am at a nursing home and I sat two ladies next to each other that almost got into a fist fight that was later broken up by the chef in the dining room. I then tried to leave the building after my observation was over, and I set off the fire alarm when I left. All I could do was laugh when I got to my car. They will never forget me at that facility. I was the girl who on her first day riled up the residents and set off the alarm! I'm unforgettable, what can I say?!! :) haha

365 Blog-Day 30

Today's 10 minute break in our 4 hour lecture was quite a bit more exciting than normal. Someone hollered at us to run over to the 2nd story window and look out at the pond. Below us was a crane with a big fish in it's mouth! We watched as it pecked at it on the ground, as it wet it in the water with it in its mouth, as it got a drink of water, and then as it arched its neck back and choked it back in 3 big gulps! It was truly incredible and I got it all on video! Here is a picture that doesn't quite do it justice, but it was pretty amazing anyhow!

365 Blog-Day 29

**Disclaimer: (This may be boring. However, it was very exciting for me and I felt it was worth sharing.)

Today marked a significant milestone in my OT schooling. My research team administered our survey to a corporation that employees adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. We have spent the last 2 years researching this particular population and writing literature reviews each semester. We had to have our research approved by an institutional review board (IRB) and then we had to write the survey. So, now all we have left is to analyze the information, write up a journal article and hopefully have it published in a national journal...(wish us luck!)

365 Blog-Day 28

Anna and I paired up to present to our labs strategies and assessments for clients with low vision. These are goggles that you can wear that simulate various visual deficits. We had a lab for the kitchen, living room, bathroom, reading, medication station, and for ambulation. We taught our class compensatory strategies as well as how to walk with a sighted guide or on your own to protect yourself as you're navigating around your environment. I just thought we looked precious and couldn't help but share. :)

(P.S. I told Anna that I wanted to take a picture with her for our low vision lab, but what she doesn't know is that I just wanted my picture with the famous OT Grad Student who won on Wheel of Fortune a few months ago!!! haha)

365 Blog-Day 27

We went on a little hike this morning after waking up to the birds and the wind through the trees. It was a beautiful walk and there were a lot of plants in bloom. We had a great camping trip and enjoyed being away from the big city for a few days.

365 Blog-Day 26

For April's birthday, she wanted to go on a camping trip. I jumped on it and we loaded the Toyota and headed east. We got to Lake Tawakoni and they were booked for the night for all campsites. We decided to just head on to Lake Bob Sandlin because we weren't going to let a full state park stop our adventure. We had a great time at our new location and explored the lake, made a campfire, set up our tents, made hot dogs, cooked s'mores, and star gazed. A cool front came in around 11 and we had to snuggle together to stay warm :)

365 Blog-Day 25

My mom's mom used to collect dimes. So, whenever my mom finds a dime, she takes a moment to remember her mother. On Friday, I found 3 dimes! I just felt like it was ironic that I found so many in one day. Just wanted to take a moment to remember my grandmother, Mee Maw.

365 Blog-Day 24

We decided to go camping this weekend at Lake Tawakoni. I've never been there, but it looked like fun on the Texas State Park website. A few girls from home group wanted to celebrate their birthdays camping, so Michael donated his tents once again for our adventure. I wanted to make sure we were set before we got out there with the correct amount of poles and steaks. I got some pretty crazy looks from residents and maintenance employees at my apartment, but for the most part, people enjoyed watching me attempt to put up 2 tents on my own. I even had the receptionist in the apartment lobby peaking out the window to watch the crazy outdoorsy girl set up tents on the lawn. It was a beautiful morning and we are now set to go after I make a list for the store. (Hot dogs, s'mores fixins, charcoal, etc.) I already have a bundle of firewood in my storage compartment in my car from my home group leader-thanks again Alan!

365 Blog-Day 23

Scene from The Sandlot

Ham Porter: Hey, Smalls, you wanna s'more?

Smalls: Some more of what?

Ham Porter: No, do you wanna s'more?

Smalls: I haven't had anything yet, so how can I have some more of nothing?

Ham Porter: You're killing me Smalls! These are s'more's stuff! Alrite now pay attention. First you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the 'mallow. When the 'mallows flaming... you stick it on the chocolate. Then cover with the other end. Then you scarf. Kind of messy, but good!

We had S'mores tonight at home group. Thought of this movie when we gathered around the campfire after having taco-pile-on. It's a great movie that made s'mores famous and in which my nickname comes from.

I have always been one to do things differently. When I was first learning how to throw a softball, I was a pretty scrawny kid. I wanted to play outfield, but couldn't get the ball into the infield without throwing a funky sidearm. My dad, brother, Coach Soliz, Coach Cox, and a throwing specialist all tried to help me rid the habit, but they were never successful. To this day I have a wild arm, but I have adapted and can throw down to the catcher from centerfield...well, I could back in the day. It might have ended up in the dugout a few times, but I could throw it hard and fast...just not accurate. So, needless to say, since I was about 12 I've had the nickname Smalls. :)

365 Blog-Day 22

"Rise and Whine"

I was procrastinating studying for my midterm this Friday and decided to make myself breakfast. I used my grandmother's mug, the teapot my dad gave me for Christmas, had Earl Grey Creme Tea, pancakes, and an egg. :)

I had a GroupOn coupon for Picasso's Pizza and took Marci there for dinner. It was delish! We decided to workout after we got home. I think we should have waited a little longer though. We were feeling the big meal as we made the outside loop of The Village doing high knees, butt kicks, karaoke, skips, bear crawls, sprints, walking backwards, step ups, crunches, core stretches, and a jog through the apartments maze to test Marci's ability to find our apartment! She did it! We had a blast and enjoyed a big glass of ice water as we watched the ducks swim in our pool.

365 Blog-Day 21

So, last night I decided to go through some of the paperwork in my room, but only accomplished making a bunch of different piles. I got tired and decided to go to bed, but hated to leave all of the piles out on my floor. As I was going to sleep I was thinking about how Kay Lee and Courtney's visit went by too quickly and how I wished they were still here. So, these two things are what I was thinking about as my head hit the pillow. For those of you who know me well, you know that this usually means that somehow I'm going to combine the two and have a pretty crazy dream. Well, you are right! I dreamed that Kay Lee and Courtney were still staying with me, but that I decided to go to bed before them. So, in my dream, I woke up and couldn't find them and was worried that I was taking up too much room in the bed and hadn't left room for them on the floor with all of my paperwork spread out. I panicked and started tearing through my sheets. (At this point I started sleepwalking and really did mess up my sheets and switch out pillows in the meantime.) Then, I got out of bed and looked around my room and was trying to decide how to organize my piles. Then, I went into the living room to look for them and didn't see them and got scared that they might have left. So, I went to the window and looked out the blinds for them. (This is when I woke up. I think the wind was so loud that it woke me up when I was at the window. I'm just thankful that I had 2 locks on the door. Otherwise, I might have gone to look for them even farther. HA! I looked at the clock and it was 4:30AM, so I just went back to my room and crashed again!) I love being a weird dreamer, sleepwalker, and sleeptalker. Courtney told me that I talked in my sleep when she was here. I wish I could record myself sometime. I think it would be really interesting. Here is the view of what I woke up to at 4:30. I didn't take a picture at that point, but realized this morning that I'm really going to miss this place. I love having coffee and reading on my porch. :)

365 Blog-Day 20

Sunday was the last day that Kay Lee and Courtney were in town, so we went to Buzzbrews for breakfast. It was delicious. I hated to see these girls leave, but it was a treat to have them here. It was also my last day of spring break, so it was back to reality on Monday.

365 Blog-Day 19

All of the bridesmaids and the beautiful bride at the reception. It was a gorgeous wedding outside at the A&M Gardens in Azle, TX. The weather was perfect! My parents drove in from Abilene, so that was a fun treat too! :)

(From left to right: Amber, me, Courtney, Rachel, Kay Lee, and Anna)

365 Blog-Day 18

The ACU crew! :) What a fun reunion at Rachel and Cody's rehearsal dinner. Courtney, Kay Lee, me, Amber, and Rachel from left to right. We had such a fun weekend catching up and reminiscing.

365 Blog-Day 17

I drove back to Dallas today and met up with my group for 6 hours for a presentation next week. Ugh! School work during spring break! No fun!

But, then Marci and I treated ourselves to Crystal's Pizza, Pasta, and Spaghetti in Irving on our way to pick up Courtney from the airport. :)

365 Blog-Day 16

Ok, so this picture is really cheesy, but it's all I had for the day. I had other pictures on my phone, but if you look closely at the picture, I'm using a NEW phone!! So, I had to use the only picture I had on my new iphone 4. I was taking a picture of my new hair cut and color to send to the bride for the wedding I was in this weekend. I wanted to get her approval. :)

It was quite a busy day full of going through my stuff in the garage, my closet, and Katy's closet. Then, I met up with my cousins, Kasey and McKinley, for frozen yogurt at the new place in Abilene, Nikki's Swirl Shop. It was quite tasty and a fun treat with the gals. Then, I went with mom to get my hair cut and colored and then with mom and dad to get my new phone at AT&T. My other phone was super slow and even the AT&T employee couldn't believe how slow it was running. Ha! Made a quick trip to The Mall of Abilene to pick up Caleb and Maegan's wedding gift! :) I can't wait for them to open it! (I'll share that later.) Then I met up with Maegan and Jordan at Sharky's to plan Maegan's bachelorette party.

Whew! What a day! I have loved being home and getting to hug the necks of those I love the most and have gotten to eat some pretty wonderful home-cooked meals! Thank you mom and dad! :)

365 Blog-Day 15

CRAFT TIME!!! Mason and Sawyer were so excited to make miniature aquariums for their craft today. Hannah has come up with themed weeks to entertain the kids. This week is Fish Week, so they've watched Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, made these aquariums, and are going fishing this weekend. What a fun idea. I had so much fun drawing ocean animals for them to color and then helping them assemble the fish in the ocean. I also had fun catching up with Hannah and eating at Chick-Fil-A. I really am still a kid at heart.

365 Blog-Day 14

Ok, so it was a little windy and there was no one to take our picture, so this is the best we got! haha Mary Kay and I went to lunch together at Taco Bueno (an Abilene Favorite)! However, even more important than the food was the company. I would say that I don't know what it is about this woman that allows me to completely be myself, but I do know what it is. It is her sweet selfless spirit. Thank you MK for sticking with me as your student worker for so many years and for making time for me years later. You're truly one of the dearest friends I have. Love you. ~B.~

365 Blog Day 13

After getting home from Lubbock at 2AM, the time changed to 3AM. We were so tired and still had to get lunch together for Sunday before hitting the sack. Needless to say, the morning came quickly. I got to go to church with my brother and his fiance, my sister and her boyfriend, and his 3 kids. What a blessing. Lunch at our house included a game of ping pong, roast, green beans, potatoes and carrots, rolls, salad, and brownies and ice cream. I sure do like being home! Then we went for a ride on the horses and doubled up the saddle to make room for JJ and Brittany. What a beautiful day. The afternoon was full of fixing up Caleb's (and soon to be Maegan's) yard. No one had raked the leaves or cut back the trees in years, so it made for a full days work. We rewarded ourselves with Rick and Carolyn's burgers and fries and ice cream.

365 Blog Day 12

What a full day! Mom, Dad, and I drove to Lubbock for the day. They visited friends and shopped while I went to a dear friend's wedding. Katherine was my roommate when I lived in Oxford, England, and we travelled to Bath, England, Salzburg, Austria, and Tossa de Mar, Spain together. We also had the same schedule of classes and got to travel around Oxford on Mondays and go to museums, the parks, and play in the snow while everyone else was in class. I wouldn't miss her wedding for the world and was so happy my parents were willing to make the day trip with me. I even got a project done on the drive down there and back. Doesn't she make a beautiful bride?

365 Blog Day 11

I'm HOME! I came back to Abilene for spring break. I am so spoiled and had a full meal prepared for me! I just love these guys! We had Steel Head Trout, wild rice, and zucchini souffle. I felt so welcomed and loved!

365 Blog Day 10

Holland had a free ticket to a Mavs vs. Knicks game and guess who she invited to come with her?! That's right, me! I was so honored! We had a blast getting to meet the news cast and then sitting in her season ticket seats. The Mavs won, which made it that much better!

365 Blog Day 9

This week was midterms. We had a 2 hour lab test and a 2 1/2 hour lecture test and then a 2 hour lecture after the tests. It was a long day! In order to keep ourselves sane, Mo, Lena, Holland, and I pretended we had veggie chips as teeth for the picture. :) I think our brains were fried from studying over 1,000 pages and 29 chapters for the tests. So glad it's over!

365 Blog-Day 8

Laura Smith came in town for her spring break, so we went to dinner at Gloria's. Yummy. We had plantains, which is one of my favorite sides. We had a good visit and Laura even made us Chocolate Cobbler for dessert!

365 Blog-Day 7

I have gotten used to having fresh flowers every day in our apartment. Marci's boyfriend Michael always brings over fresh flowers. It's just kind of something he likes to do. It was something that made me smile tonight as I was studying for my exams and it made me realize that this will soon not be the norm. I will enjoy it for now! ;)

365 Blog-Day 6

I only have 4 more Sundays at work. Marci and Michael brought me an Icee. :) Don't I look so lovely in my tan outfit? Ugh! I'm so ready to be done at this place. However, it is nice to have 5 hours a week to do homework and to get paid for it!

365 Blog-Day 5

Okay, I'm not good at remembering to take pictures yet, so I thought I'd just take a picture of what I was doing for 12 hours today. That's right, I read ALL day long. Yuck. I did take a break for church and for dinner. Marci and Michael made breakfast for dinner for everyone in our home group. Every Saturday night we go to church together and then eat afterwards and then do something fun. It's usually at our apartment since we are the most centrally located. I love this group of people! I wish I had remembered to take a picture of that part of my day since it was obviously the most exciting. It was quite the group: Marci, Michael, me, April, Kenner, Sally, our neighbor from next door, and one of Michael's friends from work. We went around the table and shared fun breakfast stories from our childhood years. I excused myself to my room to study more. :(... Lame life I live the weekend before midterms. Notice the time on the clock. That is AM. Maybe I shouldn't have had coffee with the breakfast/dinner.

365 Blog-Day 4

If you have a Wii, you have to rent this game-Just Dance 2!! It was so much fun! Marci, Melinda, Michael, and I played this game last night at Melinda's apartment. We had so much fun and enjoyed laughing at each other and ourselves. You mirror the dancer on the screen and it tracks how well you mimic the moves. Some of our songs included: Britney Spear's Toxic, Rhianna-SOS, Monster Mash, Indian music, African music, Pirate music, Jamaican music, 80s songs, 90s songs, etc. haha

Here is Michael and me attempting to dance to an Indian song. Somehow, it ended up that I was the man and he was the woman, so it made it that much funnier.

365 Blog-Day 3

Ok, so I have to confess that I am struggling with coveting. I covet my neighbor's dog. Well, all of my neighbor's dogs. Well, actually any dog. I even drove all the way to McKinney to hang out with this dog and her owner. It's like a part of my soul is missing without a dog. I was so excited to get the chance to hang out with Annabelle! (oh, and of course her owner, Melinda too!) haha I can't wait to have my own place and my own dog, but in the mean time, I'll just have to love on everyone else's. :)

365 Blog-Day 2

We found out our Fieldwork II rotations today in a meeting. I am going to be in Norman, OK from June 27-Sept. 16 and then in San Antonio from Sept. 26-Dec. 16. Then I graduate on December 17th. Then I will hopefully go skiing to celebrate. Then I will study. Then I will take my boards. I don't think my eyes have ever scanned a piece of paper as fast as I did to read the bottom corner of this page to find out where I'll be for the next 6 months! I'm happy with my placements and excited to see what all I will experience.

March to March

Ok, please forgive me. Grad school is a lot busier than I expected. I am about to update my past year in one blog. I'll mostly post pictures, but wanted to catch up.

Courtney and Kay Lee came to visit!

Love these girls

Michelle and I went to a Ranger's game for her birthday!

Kay Lee and Rachel and I went to a game too! I was having the time of my life going to so many games!

Billy Bob's with the gals (Marci, Cassie, Whitney, and Melinda)

Caleb and Maegan came to visit

Courtney and I went to New York!! We were about to see Mamma Mia

Lounging in Central Park

My New Yorker Kite

Times Square

Enjoying a Gray's Papaya Hot Dog in Central Park

On top of The Rock "Rockefeller Center"

Family Reunion at the Hamilton Ranch

Nichole threw me a birthday party!

Jenavene's lingere party. Best toilet paper dress I've ever seen-guess it helped to have professional costumers at the party.

This guy is getting so big-(Zach and Sarah)

My birthday party at the Ranger's (M&M and me)

Laura, Kenner, Jim, and Me

Holland, Katie, Kristyn, and Me

My future sister-in-law and myself (but she had no idea at the time!)

He proposed and she said YES!!

What a great trip (Caleb, Maegan, and Dad)

We got to spend a day fishing with Breckers!

Marci and I went to visit Courtney and went parasailing in Tampa

Megan and Courtney could not believe how excited Marci and I were that we got to go to Disney for free and ride a ride for free as many times as we wanted! So fun!

All dressed up for a night out at Disney with Megan

Laying out in the Florida Sun

Could these twins be any cuter? (Sawyer and Mason)

Visiting Hannah and the twins

Swimmin' with The Campbell's

My classmates used me to study the origins and insertions of the back and shoulder muscles

Jen Jen and Se Se got married in New Jersey! It was beautiful and I was so honored to be a part of such a great celebration of their love!

A bunch of girls went up to Oklahoma to Turner Falls for a camping weekend

It was definitely an adventure

Early morning

JJ's soccer game

Hannah and Me on Fancy

The Arena Audience

Brittany getting a piggy back ride

Billy Bob's with Court, Rachel, Trevor, Mo, Rob, M'kenzi, Marci, and Michael

Happy Halloween

Campisi's with the gals

Marci, Michael, and I went to Six Flags-attractive huh?

Judge Roy Scream

So, I may have gotten a little too much into Halloween for our church trunk or treat

I died my hair for the first time-it's an auburn brown color-this is my attempt at a model pic hahaBreck came to Dallas to surprise her mom in the Susan G. Komen Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness
We got to hang out all weekend!
And eat at my favorite restaurant in Dallas-Rusty Taco

I love Dallas in the fall-the trees are beautiful when their leaves change colors

Seth and Jenavene were in The Grinch and there was a show in Dallas, so my family made a trip up here to see the show and to see these two. They were incredible! We always watch The Grinch at Christmas time, so it was perfect

Christmas at The Great Wolf Lodge (It snowed inside!)

End of the semester party

Decorating for Christmas

Playing the piano with my mama
Cute Quincey

Bowling with The Stremmel's

Sharky's with the girls-it was gray day apparently

Lunch with Leanna and a horseback ride

The dogs were just about as sad as I was for me to go back to school

Marci and me at Teddy Bear Park-I'm pretty sure she was trying to push me into the lilly pads

New Year's Eve in Austin

Nichole's 25th birthday

Zach watching the dogs in the backyard

Sawyer and Mason's 3rd Birthday

A West Texas Sunset

Courtney was here for Kathleen's wedding, so we explored Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens

Kathleen's wedding-isn't she beautiful

Sarah and Carioca dancing the night away

Sarah and Zach and me getting down on the dance floor

Love train

Ice Skating at The Galleria with Courtney

Spa night at Home Group (Sharon, my home group leader, and me)

Bike ride around White Rock Lake

8 degrees in Dallas looks like this-I've never seen so much snow or ice in Texas. I missed 5 days of school

This leaf is under the ice-cool huh?!

Sledding on cardboard boxes-much more fun than studying

A train ride to Ft Worth to keep myself busy during the snow days

A day

at the park-88 degrees 2 days later-only in Texas

A creative game of frisbee golf landed me in the mud-sick

Sarah and I made chocolate covered strawberries for Jesus Said Love Ministries (JSL)

We had a blast

I sure am going to miss this place-even though I never, ever thought I would like living in a big city-Dallas, you have grown on me