365 Blog-Day 120

This was the sunrise this morning at about 6:30. I woke up on time! Wahoo! Let's hope I keep up the 5AM alarm time. It was a stormy morning with lightning, thunder and RAIN! For those of you in Texas who don't remember what that is, it is when water falls from the sky! I know, quite the miracle! I thankfully made it to work before it poured down.

I was with a patient today when I heard a loud buzzer. It was a fire drill, but with the weather earlier in the day, I wasn't sure if it was a tornado watch or warning or what. haha Thankfully it was just a routine drill. Also, on Saturdays, the city of Norman does a tornado drill at noon. Mom and dad were with me this past Saturday when it went off. I was so confused and for a brief second wondered if the world was ending or something, but it turns out it is just a typical occurrence. The other employees that I work with thought it was pretty funny when I told them that I went outside and looked around in the sky and was completely confused since there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Glad I can provide them entertainment.

365 Blog-Day 119

Major dork picture! haha Yes, that's right. I set up my self-timer on my camera and took a picture of myself at about 7 in the morning on my first day of fieldwork. I was about to head out the door and wanted to capture this moment. I was full of so many thoughts-fears, anxieties, excitements, etc. I've never been so overwhelmed in one day before! There was so much information that I was given and had to retrieve from the cobwebs that had grown in my head in the last month and a half. My CI (clinical instructor) is really awesome. She's super fast paced and keeps me on my toes, but I think it's really going to help me gain some confidence. She already had me writing out notes on our patients today. I also spent a lot of time doing orientation training on the computer, but I can already tell that this place is going to be really awesome and I'm going to learn so much. I'm going to have to completely rework my sleeping schedule too. With getting up at 5AM, I'm gonna have to go to bed around 10:30 or 10:45. I HAVE to get my sleep. It is one of my favorite things to do :) We'll see how I do.

365 Blog-Day 118

Well, after mom and dad headed out this morning, I decided to check out a church close to my apartment and see what I thought. It was super close, which is convenient, and we sang some Chris Tomlin songs, so that was neat that I knew some of the worship songs. It was the preacher's last Sunday before leaving for the summer vacation, so it might be a little different if I go back. It is a satellite campus like The Village was, so it is videotaped from another campus here in Norman. I enjoyed it and might stop by again sometime soon.

I was very blessed this weekend to have both of my parents join me in moving into my apartment. It really didn't take long getting everything moved in (maybe 15 min). This was a huge difference than moving to Dallas or even back home. It did take a bit of time trying to figure out how to arrange everything and find a home for stuff. Thankfully, I have one of the most organizationally-minded-mothers ever, so she came in handy. She completely rearranged the cabinet space in the kitchen and gave me tips for my room. She really does have a gift. Dad, on the other hand, took it upon himself to inspect the place and fix just about everything that needed fixin'. He fixed the shower drain so that it would drain, put up the shower rod and curtain, adjusted the thermostat, fan, and vent system for optimal air flow, adjusted the water heater so that I can have warm showers, fixed a broken drawer, and set up the coffee pot. Whew! It was so great having them here! Thanks again ma and pops.

In the afternoon, I decided to go exploring. I took my bike and headed out around the campus. I discovered that I was really close to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History (I've heard it's really good). I also rode over to the football stadium and looked up the 1950 National Football Champions and found my Uncle Gary's dad's name among the players. Pretty cool!

365 Blog-Day 117

Mom and dad came with me to set up my new place. We finished after lunch and decided to give Jerry and Michelle (my cousin) a call. They live about 1.5 hours away, so we met them in the middle for dinner. These are their 3 girls: Hannah, Sarah, and Leah. Aren't they just precious! It was so good to see them and to enjoy some yummy barbecue. Hopefully I will be seeing a lot more of them this summer.

365 Blog-Day 116

My new home for the next 3 months!

It felt like moving into a dorm room again when I unloaded my stuff into the fully furnished apartment here in Norman. I'm on the OU campus, so I guess it's kinda like going back to college again, except it's summer, so there are only summer school students. Norman is a lot prettier than I expected and there are a lot of great restaurants! I've already found the Super Target, so at least that will feel like home. haha

365 Blog-Day 115

Tonight was Gary's birthday party. There was swimming and wonderful food and family and friends! What a great last night in Texas. Here's me and Caleb being typical siblings. Gotta love 'em. :)

365 Blog-Day 114

I just love Target. They have this hair pin that is so easy to use! I bought one to check it out and it works so well with my hair. I also bought these other screws that keep your hair in a bun halfway up.

After the Target trip, I went over to Caleb and Maegan's and Maegan let me go through all her clothes that she's giving away. I got a whole new wardrobe practically! Then, we went to dinner at Sharky's and then on a walk around ACU to walk it off. We went back to her house to chat some more until Caleb came home from work. It was so fun talking with her. I sure am going to love having her around for the rest of my life! (Thanks Caleb). :)

365 Blog-Day 113

Well, since Caleb had his bachelor party on Mother's Day and I was off in Dallas studying for Finals, we decided to celebrate Mother's Day a little later this year when we could all get together. Dad made grilled Stealhead Trout and rice and squash casserole and I made okra and tomatoes. It was quite yummy. Caleb wore the perfect shirt for the night "Trout Bum". We went for a walk afterwards to walk off the meal.

365 Blog-Day 112

We watched The Tourist tonight-pretty cool movie and it took place in Venice! I was so tired after the movie and was going to go to bed when I heard dad say there was a storm rolling in. Sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs watching lighting and hearing thunder is one of my favorite things to do. It did not disappoint. It was one of the coolest lighting storms I've even seen. I tried to capture it on my phone and got some pretty cool pictures, but it doesn't even come close to the real thing (plus the earth-moving thunder). To top it off, a scared dog ran up in between us and knocked over a plant trying to seek comfort. We looked for tags, but didn't see any, so we decided to house him for the night and look for his owner the next day. When we let him inside, his collar broke and then the power went out, so we were chasing a dog around in the dark, which woke both mom and Katy up! haha It was such a funny sight I'm sure. We finally got him in the sunroom and then found his owner the next morning (neighbor's down the street). It was fun to have a yellow lab if only for the night. :)

365 Blog-Day 111

We celebrated Father's Day today! :) We are so thankful to have such a great dad. Caleb and Maegan couldn't be there at lunch because they were at her brother's girlfriend's birthday party. We ate a wonderful lunch and dessert without him though. James and the kids came over too. We even got some swimming in. Later on in the evening, Caleb and Maegan came over just in time to see a wildfire kicking up behind our property. We got on top of the barn and watered the dry weeds hoping to defend the barn. It was a bonding experience and cool to see Abilene from on top of the barn. A bunch of firetrucks surrounded the creek and eventually got the fire out. It burned right up to our neighbor's pond. Good thing they had that tank there or their house would have gone up in smoke.

365 Blog-Day 110

Melinda had a bridal brunch this morning, followed by a drive to Eastland to set up for the wedding. It was a memorable wedding for sure since it took place in the pouring rain after a hot day! At least it cooled things off! Only Lane and Melinda could pull something off like that! God helped a bit by putting up a double rainbow after the wedding and providing the sound of thunder and the sight of lighting in the sky as a backdrop for pictures and the wedding. It was really one of the most unique and special weddings I've ever been a part of. We had so much fun walking down the aisle in the rain and huddling together. One guy even broke out into an acapella song as Melinda walked down the aisle. It stopped raining in time for the reception and the food was catered by Abuelo's, so it was pretty great! There was a fun band with dancing too! It ended up being pretty comfortable outside and everyone dried off just fine. What an unforgettable day!

365 Blog-Day 109

We drove back to Abilene in time for me to get to Melinda and Lane's Rehearsal Dinner at Perini's! Yum! It was like a high school reunion seeing everyone there! The slideshow was fun to watch too since I've known them both since I was 5. All the girls went back to Melinda's house after the rehearsal dinner. It was so fun catching up with that crew.

365 Blog-Day 108

We slept in again, drank coffee on the porch, and visitated! Just marvelous. After lunch, we went to see my Great-Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Bruce and 2nd cousin Scooter. It was fun seeing this crew. Kelsey, Cody, and I left a bit early and went to the big city of Seguin to watch Super 8. It was better than I thought it would be and fun going to the movies with my cousins. My youngest cousin, Cody, drove us all around. It was so weird to me that he is old enough to drive. Anywho, we went back to the happening place of La Vernia for a home cooked meal! After dinner, Kelsey and I got the crazy idea to go on a jog. I say crazy because we had just eaten AND because Kelsey runs track in college on a scholarship, AND because La Vernia is a bit more humid than West Texas. haha I survived somehow and we ended up running almost a mile and a half! (Pretty good for me!)

365 Blog-Day 107

We had another yummy breakfast and then cousin Austin and I and Aunt Janet went for a dip in the pool. Austin is a year and a half and he absolutely LOVED swimming! It was fun seeing him have such a great time. Mom, dad, and I took off towards San Antonio after the swim. We met up with Kelsey, Cody, and Arthur and went to The Riverwalk and ate at El Rio to celebrate mom and dad's 37th anniversary!

365 Blog-Day 106

Today was a very relaxing day! Just what I needed. :) Mom, dad, Aunt Janet, Uncle George, and I sat around and in the pool all day just soaking up rays, reading, visiting, and eating. I finished reading "Safely Home". It was one of the best books I've ever read-a great reality check. Then, we went to another one of Cameron's All-Star games. After the game, Aunt Janet made me a carrot cake for my birthday and it was very yummy.

365 Blog-Day 105

Well, we hit the ground running and drove to Houston today. We stopped in Willis to visit my great-aunt Mil. She is 90 years old and will be 91 in July. She is still looking pretty great and it was so good to visit with her and her daughter Milly. Then, we drove straight to my cousin's All-Star baseball game. His team won! He hit a triple!! I was so proud. :)

365 Blog-Day 104

Here is the view of the pond at the Oasis State Park south of Clovis that we stayed the night at. It was quite beautiful with the sun setting behind the water.

365 Blog-Day 103

Today was our last day on the trail. We hiked out in about half the time it took us to hike in. We decided to get a warm meal in Santa Fe-La Choza's. It was great to have Mexican Food right off the trail after only having Cliff Bars, trail mix, and peanut butter crackers. haha After that, we drove to Clovis, NM and stayed at Oasis State Park to break up our long drive back to Texas.

Me and my daddy :)

365 Blog-Day 102

Today was our restful day. It was so nice just to go on a day hike to Spirit Lake (about an hour round trip). We also played frisbee for about an hour, read in the sunshine, napped in the sunshine, and just enjoyed being in the wilderness.

365 Blog-Day 101

Here is one of the views from our 6.5 hour hike. It was a steady climb, but a nice trail. The last part was pretty tough and we had been hiking almost all day, so when Bob saw a campsite near a stream, we all decided it would be best if we stopped for the night. We were so glad we did, because as soon as we stopped we realized how tired we were. It was a beautiful hike and the views were nice. We could not have asked for better weather. The only sad part was that there were no campfires or stoves allowed, so we couldn't enjoy a nice warm meal or sit around a campfire. I slept wonderfully with the sounds of birds and wind and the smell of the woods. :)

365 Blog-Day 100

Dad and I decided that we needed a little backpacking adventure before my summer ended and my internship began, so he and I and Bob Sanderson drove up to the Pecos Wilderness outside of Santa Fe, NM for a quick 14 mile, 3 day backpacking adventure. Here is our first campsite as the sun was setting.

365 Blog-Day 99

We had a triple birthday party for dad, me, and Katy's boyfriend's daughter, Hannah. We were turning 60, 24, and 11 respectively. We had a great night full of food, fun, and family. I got a $50 gift card from the Dankworth's and Wills', a shirt and hiking attire from Caleb and Maegan, a Life is Good shirt that says "Bed and Breakfast" with a tent and campfire on it from The Musgraves along with a 365 day devotional book, a scarf and Target gift card from Katy, James, and the kids, and a new camelback from the 'rents. I felt very blessed, but mostly enjoyed just being at home with family! It sure has been nice being around for times like this.

We always take a sibling picture at our birthday parties and this year we got to add Maegan! Yay!! ;)

365 Blog-Day 98

Today I flew home from Seattle :(... But, the flight home was beautiful. I could see the Pacific Ocean on our flight out, Mt. St. Helen, Mt. Ranier, The Rocky Mountains, etc. Not only was it scenic, but it was a bit scary too. A 60 year old man had a seizure on the plane in the aisle next to me and the flight attendant had to get on the overhead speakers to look for a doctor or nurse on the flight and for a working stethoscope (theirs wasn't working). I wondered what the rank system was for health professionals. If there is not a doctor or nurse on board, is an occupational therapist next on the list? Thankfully there was a doctor, a retired doctor, and a nurse. It kind of felt like LOST as they analyzed the plane for the missing seat to find out who the man was who was having a seizure. We had priority when landing and came into DFW at higher knots than I've ever landed (I learned that term from the man in front of me haha) Then, we had to wait for emergency personnel to carry him off before unboarding. It was pretty stressful and chaotic, but he ended up being okay as far as I could tell. Then, I drove back to Abilene-quite the traveling day!

Here is Mt. St. Helen from the plane covered in snow.

365 Blog-Day 97

Today we woke up and drove to Lake Washington. On our way there, we had to be rerouted because of a Susan G. Komen Race for The Cure. It was so cool to see that many people in pink walking the streets of Seattle. The line of people went on for miles. We got to Lake Washington and met Matt's friend Neil to go kayaking. We spent about 2.5 hours on the water exploring the lake and enjoying the view of Mt. Ranier, the lake houses, the wildlife (turtles, herron, etc.), raced to cross the lake after huge ships, and kayaked over the wake through the canal and under bridges. It was such a cool experience that I'll never forget. I LOVED it! Afterwards, we had barbecue and it was wonderful! I mean, it was up there with some Texas barbecue. Then, we went to Freeway Park and took some fun pictures with the waterfalls. Then, Marci had to go to the airport, so we dropped her off. :(... After that, we went on an underground tour of Seattle and it was so entertaining. Our tour guide was pretty funny and it was interesting about the history of the town as well.

365 Blog-Day 96

We started off the day with a walk through a park on the way to breakfast at Bang Bang Cafe where we had breakfast burritos and coffee-YUM. Then we indulged in Dublin Dr. Peppers that Matt gets at his favorite coffee shop-Bedlam. Marci and Courtney did a little shopping after that and Matt and I sat on a bench. haha Then, we drove to Snoqualmie Falls and watched a magnificent waterfall that is over 100 feet taller than Niagra Falls. It was beautiful. We checked out the local town of Snoqualmie and then drove on to the Chateau Ste Michelle Winery. Little did we know that they were having a Moody Blues concert that night and that we'd be the youngest generation represented. Since there was a concert, everything closed early and we only missed it by a few minutes. :(... Oh well, we enjoyed the scenic drive there anyhow. On our way back to Seattle, we stopped by Ballard Locks and watched a boat go through the locks from the ocean to the lake level. It was pretty cool watching the water levels change that quickly. Matt's favorite restaurant is Local 360-where everything is brought in from a 360 mile radius around Seattle. So, everything is fresh and local. It was wonderful. I had the vegetable and mushroom risotto and it was probably one of the top 10 meals of my life. I absolutely LOVE risotto. We ended the night hanging out with some of Matt's friends and then watching a few episodes of Modern Family.

Here we are at Snoqualmie Falls

365 Blog-Day 95

We filled the day full of fun things to do in Seattle including: a full course breakfast, basking in the sun on the rooftop of the apartment enjoying the views of the ocean, the Space Needle, and downtown, walking through Pike Place Market, drinking a cup of Joe at the original Starbuck's, adding our gum to the gum wall, exploring the top of the Space Needle, playing frisbee at Gas Works Park and watching the sailboats and seeing the house boat from Sleepless in Seattle, climbing on the Fremont Troll from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, eating a Blue Cheese Hamburger at the Golden Garden Park Beach. Here are the girls at the beach. It was so beautiful watching the sunset on the beach.

We ended the night by watching 500 Days of Summer, which I only made it through 2/3rds of before crashing.

365 Blog-Day 94

Well, I made it to Seattle and then Courtney and Marci followed soon after. Courtney and Matt and I walked around downtown and ate at a grill by Pike's Street Market and then picked up Marci after that at the airport. Here we are at Olympic Sculpture Park. We also ate at Beecham's Cheese Factory and went to the original Starbuck's and went to Matt's favorite coffee house and had doughnuts and coffee.

365 Blog-Day 93

Well, I fit all my stuff into a carry on and my liquids under 3 ounces. Grabbed my bag and headed out the door. As I was walking out the door, my luggage broke. So, I had to drive to WalMart, pick out new luggage, and then pack again. Whew! Finally headed to Dallas to spend the night with Marci and then fly out the next morning at 7AM.

365 Blog-Day 92

Hannah and the twins and I went swimming today in the early afternoon after eating Heff's burgers. I was really excited because I've been wanting to try this new burger joint in Abilene for a few months now. We had a blast sliding down the slide, jumping off the diving board, and watering the plants.

Then, after that swimming date, I came home and JJ and Brittany wanted to go swimming. So, I made a day of it...and paid for it later with a sunburn...oops

Brittany actually taught Gus how to swim with his paws under the water. She worked with him for about an hour and I'm pretty sure it worked. Way to go Brittany-no more splashing from Gus!!!

365 Blog-Day 91

Here I am in the back of dad's truck with everything loaded up :(... I loved living here at The Village for the last 2 years. It has been such a blessing. I will miss having such a beautiful walking trail and being so close to the pool. It was sad when I turned in my key. It made it official.

365 Blog-Day 90

Ok, I'm cheating again. I'm putting up two pictures. I just couldn't decide. They were both too great.

So, here are my church friends and I at brunch at BuzzBrews. Mom and dad came too. It was wonderful and a great last brunch.

Later that day mom and dad and I went to the Dallas World Aquarium. Here they are looking at all the sharks swimming around them.

365 Blog-Day 89

After cleaning and packing up all my stuff with my parents at my apartment in Dallas, I went to my friend's wedding reception. Here we are all the OT girls with Mo on the dance floor.

365 Blog-Day 88

I went swimming today and Gus hates it when I get in the deep end. He thinks I'm drowning, but is too afraid to get in to save me. He's a weird dog that doesn't know how to swim very well and can't jump in. He usually just lays on the first step. It looks like he's giving me a high five in the water, but he's really just attempting to save me from drowning. Sweet dog.

365 Blog-Day 87

Katy and I rode horses tonight. It was so nice to be up on top of a horse and to chat with my sister. Just one thing I love about being home. :)