Physical Therapy

During the past few weeks, I have been dealing with some medical issues that have led me to need physical therapy, occupational therapy, and sensory therapy.  While this has been difficult, my doctors and therapists have incorporated my existing talents in a manner that has actually accelerated my rehab.  I am doing really good and moving along quite well.  I love the picture above, and at the beginning of all of this, it was something that really helped me, however as I have traveled along this journey, this picture below and the scriptures have given me more strength to go on day after day with therapy that takes literally all day to complete.  In my Heavenly Father, there is peace and strength.  

Hello Old Friend....

It seems like forever since I posted anything on my blog.  I admit the last year of collage was tough, however I graduated and last Friday my diploma came in the mail.  I am not sure I have the words to express how I feel except BLESSED.  My family was such a great support and blessing to me during the entire four years, I know I couldn't have done it without them.  My mom and dad came from Idaho for the graduation, joining my children and wonderful husband (who kept their promise and dressed like the mafia with Bill dressing like a mob boss, even though my degree changed from HIT (HIT MOM) to HIIM.) As I raised my arms high above my head on the stand, I could hear them cheering for me.  It was a true, WOW, MOM moment.  Now it is time to move onto the next phase of my life.....going out into the world and finding a job.

 Me

Class of 2014 with Faculty

Graduating Class of 2014
Health Informatics and Information Management

Loose Ends....

I finished my mystery project last night.  Who knew it would be a winter like hat for people who like to put their hair up or wear a "hat" and not mess up their hair.  The pattern name is "Quant".  I have no idea why it is called that, but there you have it.  Mandy modeled this really fun mystery for me.

In addition to knitting the mystery knit project, I also knit a pattern called "The Monster Dice Bag Of Doom" for Matt to keep his dice in.  He promptly named it the Cthulu Bag--Cathulu is the name of a mythological deep sea kracken.  He is very happy with it, and I must admit I really had tons of fun knitting all the tentacles and putting the eyes in weird places.  This was a very fun project!!

Most of all I didn't get behind with the massive amount of homework that I had.  If I haven't said it before, online classes are far more difficult than face-to-face classes.  Unfortunately this semester, the classed I needed to take are not offered any other way.  However, all in all, I have to say that it was a really good week.

Awards and such...

When I first returned to school I was rather spastic about doing well.  Imagine my surprise when just a few days into the second semester I received in the mail a certificate telling me I was on the Presidents list.  I was so proud and amazed.  I now have 2 Presidents list certificates and now with the one I received today, 3 Deans list certificates (1 semester I didn't get either).  Somehow they don't seem to mean as much to me as they did at first.  As I sat here and pondered this attitude, I wondered if it was because I now expect 1 or the other each semester?  My conclusion is that while it is really cool that I made the Deans list, I am much more confident in my performance academically than I was at first, so I do not really need a piece of paper validating said performance.  Instead, I take joy in knowing that I have done my best and the certificate is just a perk.  

I think my goals are somewhat different than when I started.  At first it was all about finishing what I began 30 years ago, perhaps even to make my mom, husband and children proud of me.  Now it is more...I love what I am learning and I can't wait to get out there and do a good job--perhaps put some away for the future.  We used all of our future savings taking care of Marshall and Ethel.  Now Bill is again looking for work.  I know the Lord has something for us and I am practicing patience waiting on the Lord, while doing everything I can to make good things happen.  It is going to be great, not because of some certificate, but because Heavenly Father blesses us for serving him faithfully!

Mary and Martha Day

It is a fact that I love to cook.  However with going to school and the children's weird schedules, it is sometimes hard to cook meals that we like every day.  I love to use the crock pot for many of the meals we eat, but that too takes time in the morning to set up, and we all  know that I am NOT a morning person.  My answer is to assemble freezer meals ahead of time that can then be dropped into the crock pot or slipped into the oven.  We call these assembly days "Mary and Martha Days"  after the story of Mary and Martha in the bible.  Found in Luke 10: 38-42.  I have always loved this story and admired both of the women for the talents each had.  The way I look at it, working like Martha to prepare ahead allows us to have more time for important things like Mary.

Today we prepped the veggies and various proteins and it looked like this:

Then came the assembly.  For the Crock pot we made:

Sweet-n-Sour Chicken

Red Beans and Rice

Black Beans and Turkey Ham

Bog

Potato and Green Bean Soup

For the Stove top we made:

Fajitas

Jambalaya

For the oven we made:

Mexican Lasagna

Sun-dried Tomato Penne (times 2)

Priazzo (deep dish pizza pies times 3)

They were assembled in large quantities for at least 1 meal for our crew with planned overs for lunch the next day and the same in smaller batches for Mandy.  When we were done it looked like this:

And is now residing in the respective freezers (sorry about the poor quality of the picture, however I am NOT taking it back out of the freezer to do over)

We are pretty much set and ready for the next semester of school to begin!  Now it is time to knit!

Rant...and a story!

People just ignore the blessings and miracles all around them.  The pace of life is just too fast....Seriously STOP and let those blessings fill you with joy!!

“A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people.

The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”