{elf yourself}

confession:

i love elf yourself (elfyourself.jibjab.com).  it's hilarious, and my family greatly aids in awesome pictures to pick from.

my lovely sister, kacy made this year exceptional.

go see for yourself... here

{thanksgiving}

i have so many things to be thankful for...

i have an awesome family who i got to go home and see for break!  it was so nice being home and hang out with my parents, relax, and visit.

my parents just moved over the summer, so it was my first time to the new house, and it's really cool.  it's on the lake, so this summer will be even more fun!  kayaking, canoeing, and wakeboarding, here i come!

that boy of mine gives me another reason to be thankful.  i like when he comes home with me.  he's funny, and cute, and treats me so well.  he does his best to show me Christ every day, and that alone is something to be thankful for :)

i'm also thankful because i'm done at the va!  it was a great learning experience, but i think i've realized i don't want to be a workaholic, and i don't really want to only do cognitive therapy for brain injuries 3-9 years out.  i can now sleep in, catch up on school work, and prepare for comps over the break...

another thing i'm thankful for... a new car!!!!
columbus (being so close to the honda marysville plant), has way more used hondas than lexington.  dad and i did some shopping via craigslist, test drove a few cars, and after much anxiety, prayer, and talking it over, i went with a 99 honda accord.

she's quite the upgrade from brownie... leather interior, sunroof, and my personal favorite... air conditioning! (it's the little things in life).  a name is still pending, but so far, we're bff.  with brownie, i gave her a goal of 4 years, and she was just shy, so this new car's goal is 10.  here's to hoping she surpasses it!

i have much to be thankful for this season...

{thankful}

today i am thankful for one particular client.

i would be lying to you if i said this semester has been a breeze.  a lot of the time i have felt stressed and pulled in every direction but the direction that helps people.

i wanted to become an slp because i wanted to see communication come back to people in one form or another.  i like seeing the joy on patients and families faces when they start to see the progress they've made.  that just hasn't happened a lot this semester.

i do have one client though, who has made some great progress.  it's especially encouraging because he hasn't made progress with other clinicians.  this could just be a timing thing where his brain is still healing, or he's putting forth more effort, but whatever it is, he's gotten so much better.

add to that his family is amazing.  his mom got me the best smelling candle from victoria's secret called indulgent vanilla (i don't usually like vanilla and this candle smells AMAZING) and wrote the sweetest card that i may have to read every day for the rest of the week.  it was seriously what i needed to get me through these next few days, and i'm so thankful for them.

i have 2 more days.  i can do this.

{the adventures continue}

well... showed up at my house tonight and the police were there.  earlier in the night my roommates had texted me to tell me someone threw my super cute pot ian got me for christmas at the door of our house (awesome.. it's shattered AND apparently someone hates us), and the neighbor got home and it was apparent someone tried to break into her house.  the police came in and took a look around at everything and told us to call if we saw anything suspicious.

on to happier things... Jesus prom was tonight!  it's one of my favorite things every year.  it's such a fun event and i love seeing people with special needs having a blast, but also people coming together to have a big party for them.  they have a blast every year... they dance and sing and they're the stars of the show. at one point, one of the guys i was dancing with looked at me and said, "thank God for tonight.".  that about summed it up for me.  thank God for these people who simply love life and love each other.  one of the guys remembered me from last year, and not just recognized me, but knew my name.  how insane is that?  they're just fun people!  if you've never been, come next year.  it will blow any of the proms you went to out of the water.

it's late, and i'm not feeling well.... here's to hoping my next week improves from the crappy luck i've had the past 2 weeks.  it would be super great if i didn't total anymore cars, have anymore run in's with the police (even though they've all been super nice), and my luck would turn around...

{car stuff and munchkins}

car drama continues... i'm quickly learning the process of getting things all taken care of isn't a quick process.

everyone i've talked to from the kid's insurance has been super nice (mostly b/c there's zero contest in who's fault it was... i wasn't even in the PARKED car).  they're getting me a rental car on monday and wednesday i think they're going to look at it.  my dad also taught me to be a responsible car owner, so i have all the maintenance records from owning the car, which the adjuster said could help get some $ out of the old girl.

now it's just the process of looking for a new car, trying to decide if i want to wait to buy one and try to share my fabulous boyfriend's car (how wonderful is he for letting me borrow his????  answer = super wonderful), and figuring out how much i think brownie's worth (i may try to push for emotional attachment...).

after a long day of car crap, i got to go hang out with my favorite kids.  we played in leaves, road bikes, and watched monster's inc.  it's a nice reminder of the important things in life when sweet little caleb looks at me and says 'hi aunt addi.  i uve you'.  or when claire argues with anyone else who talks to me that she was talking to me first.  busted cars are just little things compared to those sweet kids!

today was the praxis (blech) and off to hopefully find a seasonal job after this uk game!  weekends as an adult are just not as much fun as weekends without responsibility.  guess that's life!

{the final rip of brownie}

well... i knew this day would come, but you never think it's going to come as soon as it does.

brownie is dead.  may she rest in peace.  (and if you're confused at this point, brownie is my car that is unique and special to many... read about her here).

she went out in a blaze of glory too... old girl ain't goin out on the side of the freeway or refusing to start...

i was resting at ian's b/c of a sinus headache, and we heard tire squeals and a series of loud crashes.  in a sleepy haze, i told ian, 'gosh... bet that was brownie...'.  apparently, i'm that good.
ian's roommate took off outside, b/c he's rational and we're on kentucky avenue (home of many drunks), and was concerned he'd drive off without stopping.  he had the license plate memorized and everything, but thankfully, the dude stopped.  not before totaling brownie, another car, causing brownie to slam into yet another car, and doing some hefty damage to his own.

he also had about 10 people in his suv, which would have hit a pole if brownie wasn't in the way, so i like to think the old girl went out saving a life.

brownie in her glory days

poor old girl...

the antenna bent adds a nice touch

she got hit so hard she hit the telephone pole... it left it's damage as well

she's totaled.  he took out the trunk, the gas tank, the entire driver's side (which included both doors), my backseat got moved up about 6 inches so there's no leg room for anyone in the back, the back axle is bent, and all the lights need replaced.  she's dead.  and died a valiant death.

i know it's just a car, and i'm thankful everyone was ok and i wasn't inside when it happened, but i will miss my car.  she was the first car that was mine, and even though she was brown and often held together by pink duct tape, she was awesome (and if you've ridden in brownie,  you know this).  no other car will ever have the personality of that car, BUT i'm on to newer and better things!  so if you hear of a car for sale cheap, pass it my way.

i have many things to be thankful for.  i have a wonderful boyfriend who was so sweet and comforting and is letting me borrow his car, i have great friends who took off after the guy (and add that his dog, davey was so concerned and wouldn't leave the window... oh davey), the police were helpful, no one got hurt, and maybe this guy will think twice before being an idiot.

also funny, some drunk guy saw my 608 sticker, recognized it was southland and said he'd pray for me tonight.  who knows... maybe brownie will bring more good than i even know.  God can use an old, busted up brown car, right?

{fall oatmeal and surgery}

today, i got to see a laryngectomy.  being my first time in an actual surgical suite, i decided i should improve my breakfast from a granola bar to oatmeal.  also b/c it's the perfect excuse for my pumpkin pie oatmeal.

for real.  if you like pumpkin pie, you'll love this oatmeal.

last night i made a pot of steelcut oats that gives enough oatmeal for 4-5 morning breakfasts.
this morning i took a chunk off the stuff i made last night, added some vanilla coconut milk, some canned pumpkin, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, and reheated it in the microwave.  hello heaven!

ok... so now on to the best day of work ever.

#1. i got to wear scrubs.  any time you get to wear scrubs, the day has been better.  if i work in a hospital, one of my requests is that i get to wear scrubs at least twice a week.

#2. i didn't really have to work, i just got to go watch surgery.

the actual surgery was really cool.  i got to stay for about 3 hours.  i came right after they made the initial incision, and then left as they were taking a pec flap (they take out a lot of cartilage, so it helps with blood supply and protection to the neck).  the surgery was crazy.  the larynx really isn't that big, and this guy's was pretty messed up from years of smoking and drinking.  i've decided in my next life, i will be a surgeon.  they have sweet jobs, but i'm not sure if i'd think it was super sweet after doing it for years and years.  who knows.  i'm happy to just poke my head in an o.r. every few years from here on out!

basically, it was a really cool day and i had a lot of fun just sitting in an o.r. talking to the doctors while they were working.  i've never gotten to be 3 feet away from a patient on the operating table, and it was definitely something i'd love to do again!

{confession}

i've got sick.

when i get sick, i turn into a big baby.

i kind of end up wanting to crawl into bed and cry.

the good news is... today i feel so much better!  i fell asleep at 9:00 last night and slept til 6 this morning.  talk about wonderful.  i came home and made vegetable soup, and i may go to bed early again tonight.

talk about a crazy life

{grumpy old men}

i've discovered a new soft spot...

grumpy, cranky, crotchety old men.

now let me preface that i hope i never become grumpy and mad at the world BUT i find them hilarious.

it's become a new favorite of mine to attempt to win them over.  i thrive on competition, and after you get out of hs sports and intramurals and such, there's just not as much opportunity for competition.  i have found mine.

there's something about trying to win these old men over.  each one is different, and it often takes some time and dedication.

i had one in particular this week who is pretty much mad at the world.  he was without a voice too, which meant even more mad because he couldn't yell at anyone.

i some how won mr. grumpy gills over through my somewhat decent ability to lip read.  who knew that one little skill could take a man from irately writing angry notes to my supervisor, nurses, doctors, and anyone else who would read to grinning at me as i left?

well, i came out victorious.  today he told me (and i quote) 'you're the only one in this damn hospital who can read lips' i told him i was sorry i wasn't better, but i was happy i could try and help 'well you're a whole hell of a lot better than anyone else in this place'.  well sir, thank you for making me the only individual you didn't hate in the hospital, i'm honored.