This is why I became an Occupational Therapist...

I walked into work today feeling as though it was going to be a good day from the moment I woke up. I am starting to feel comfortable with the paperwork, staff, organization of the department, and orientation of the hospital set-up. I am also starting to realize how much I really do love acute rehab. Your patients are with you for about 10-14 days, so it really allows you to really understand, appreciate, and watch your patients progress over that timespan. My very first "acute rehab evaluation" was on a little 89 year old man who recently lost his wife this past October. He fell this weekend and sustained a lumbar compression fracture. His wife would normally help him around the house, but ever since she passed, he has had to manage everything himself. He has managed to hide his grief behind a big beautiful smile and jolly laugh and will constantly joke with me about how "efficient" I am and work his "bottom" off. For an 89 year old, he is just as sharp and attentive as a young 20 year old. He has rarely mentioned his wife to me and I have not asked questions because it is a very tender subject and situation. So today, I was helping him with his morning routine (he is very impulsive with his rolling walker and has become very weak since he has fallen) and going about my buisiness when he told me to stop and looked at me intently with his gorgeous sky blue eyes and stated, "You know sweetheart, my wife used to help me button my shirt and get dressed but she's not here anymore." Tears quickly formed in his eyes and I didn't say anything...instead I put a hand on his shoulder and got down to his level and said, "I know, and that is why I am here...I want to help you get better so you can be back home living with your wife's memory, the way you want to." He then smiled and said, "You know, I don't know if anyone tells you this everyday, but I sure do appreciate you...your smile and the warmth of your hand just made my entire day, let alone month...i haven't felt that sense of peace since my wife passed." Needless to say, I started to cry. We often take too many things for granted in life. As I was once told by someone very special to me, "Smile everyday, because you never know who is appreciating it."

Welcome to Kerrville!

Well folks, I successfully made it to my next traveling OT assignment. I love it here! Above is a picture of my apt community and lovely pool (sorry had to add that pic first for my family and friends back home that probably haven't seen an uncovered pool since maybe August? haha), which is gated access and very beautiful, as you can see! It surpasses Mrs. B's cottage by far...even though Mrs. B's cottage had a lot of character and comfort added to it, I was starting to get tired of finding dead water bugs and cockroaches in hidden spots...yes one of those lil' brats chewed a hole in my cashmere sweater!!! Let's just say, when I was packing up, I screamed when I saw the lil' bugger attached to my sweater and cried when I saw the hole shortly after! Everyone that resides here is so pleasant and welcoming! Come to find out, there are about 5 therapists that live here and are working in the same hospital as me, so it is nice to have something to relate to. My apt is also convienantly located only a mile down the street as well, which Jackie the Jetta is happy about considering she used to spin her wheels nearly 40 miles a day to work (that is a lot considering she never drove in Boston, maybe once or twice a month). In regards to the hospital, I love where I work and it's only the second day! It's an acute care/acute rehab setting, which is what I am familiar with and feel the most confident with my clinical skills. Furthermore, the department is very organized, the staff is very happy and content with their workplace, and my supervisor is superb! It's just amazing how I have gone from one extreme to the next. I still am a firm believer that things happen for a reason, and I can already think of a few reasons why I was placed in Mount Pleasant first and why I was forced to leave so early...I will not mention those reasons...but I think a few of you may know why;) I will write more later...so stay tuned.

"Now what in heck is a FLAPPER girl?" Bringing the 1920's back to Texas...

Another Halloween came and left! This year, I decided to take everyone back in time to a 1920's Flapper girl. I had a lot of fun creating the costume too! As my friend Kristen would say, "you are such a dork," but yes, I watched YouTube videos that displayed make up tutorials on how to apply 1920's-style make-up. I gained a bigger appreciation for these beautiful women after going through what I did to look the part. Flapper girls wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to the new jazz music, and flaunted their disdain for what was considered acceptable behavior. They were seen by the public as brash for wearing excessive make-up, drinking, smoking, flirting, taking work outside of the home and driving automobiles, which basically challenged women's traditional social norms. Overall, a flapper was reckless, attractive, and independent (sound familiar?). This behavior redefined women's roles forever. We are the women we are today in part, because of these beautiful flapper girls! So...here i am...the finished product! I hope you all had a very safe and happy halloween and I look forward to y'alls photos as well!

Texas meets Maine Lobster Bake

Mmmm...Maine Lobster steamed in seaweed. That salt water smell brought tears to my eyes, because I miss that Atlantic ocean really bad.

My dear friend, Kristen and I

The "crew" that came out to enjoy the lobster bake, which turned into my going away party. The Dallas Cowboys jersey was ONLY worn on Sunday because I was forced into it. I'm still a NE fan, by heart!

The spread: Lobsters, marinated ribeye, potato salad, sauteed veggies, grilled corn on the cob, southern cheese biscuits

7 hours southwest...

First off, I apologize for not updating my blog in some time. As most of you may know, the last few weeks have been a little busy for me, but fun, needless to say. Secondly, I wanted to let you all know that in just a week and a half, I will be moving, AGAIN! Yes, I received an unexpected call from my recruiter last Thursday. She called to tell me some "exciting news," which were her exact words. The second she said that, I instantly thought that maybe they were able to secure the assignment I was looking to take at the end of January in Colorado; however it was the complete opposite! The nursing home that I am working in has been struggling with their budget for sometime; therefore, they needed to make some necessary changes by laying off a few of the staff. That being said, I was given a 14-day notice. So, Joy proceeded to say, "Kristi, you have been having a hard time dealing with this place since the first day you stepped into their doors, I think this is a blessing in disguise." After she made that statement, I paused for a minute and agreed that this was probably for the best. As my family has heard numerous times, I was not happy with the organization of the department and found myself sitting in pools of ethical dilemmas on a daily basis. From other staff violating patient's rights and dignity to the relationships within the interdisciplinary team, I never felt comfortable practicing within that environment. I take pride in my skills and practice and sure as heck respect my patients, unlike several of the staff working there. So, with that said, my last day at the nursing home will be November 6th and will pack up in Mrs. B's cottage on the 7th to drive 7 hours southwest of Pittsburg. I have been doing quite a bit of research on the new town that I will be living in and am rather excited! It's a town of about 20,000 people that draws in tourists from all over the U.S. The Quadalupe River runs through the middle of the town, making it a fantastic spot for floating, kayaking, and sight seeing. In addition, the town has an artistic and "outdoorsy" flair, which makes for an exciting place for creative discoveries! It's a place convienantly situated 50 miles northwest of San Antonio and 1.5 hours from Austin. I will be working at a private, fairly new, 126-bed hospital that has both an acute care and acute rehab floor, which happen to be my two favorite settings to practice. While working at the nursing home for the past 5 weeks, I found myself missing the craziness of acute care and ability to get to know my patients in acute rehab.

I am sad to leave my new friends that I have made here, but know deep down that this probably the best thing that could be happening to me right now. Everything happens for a reason and you meet the peole you meet for several of these reasons. When reflecting back on my arrival and the few friends I instantly met and connected with, I am able to make sense of why we crossed paths. I will take something from each of them, which in the end, has definitely made me a bigger, stronger, and better person.

To my precious Godson on his 1st birthday...

Tomorrow is my nephew and Godson's first birthday and it saddens me that I am not there to share it with him and my family. I love this picture of us because it was taken on the very first day that I met him and held him in my arms. I remember leaving and telling my mom that if I already loved Cole so much, I cannot even imagine how much love I would have for my own children. I feel so blessed and honored to be his Godmother and thank my sister and brother in law everyday for giving me this opportunity to play this part in his life. It was difficult enough for me to live three hours from him when I was in Boston and now I am finding it even more challenging to live over 1800 miles away. But I am fortunate enough to have such a wonderful family that sends me daily updates and pictures of him so I can experience each moment by just looking at his expressions in all the photos.

Just thinking about him makes me smile. He already carries such a vibrant, outgoing, creative, and loving way about himself, that I am excited to see what type of personality he will take on as he continues to grow and mature. He is the love of my life and brings so much joy into our family. So, Cole Michael, may you have the most beautiful and exciting first birthday! Eat lots of cake, because you know that your Auntie would be proud!

A Godson's Love

Samantha Ritcher

Tiny hands, tiny feet

i've waited so long for us to meet.

Who could've known a love so true

i'd given up hope, then along came you.

Innocent and perfect, you're safe within my arms

i'll watch over you and protect you,

i'll keep you safe from harm.

With mischief in your smile

and wonder in your eyes

watching you as you sleep,

feeling every sigh

i could look at you for hours

and always be content.

You became my living angel

when you were heaven sent.

Just the thought of you,

makes my world seem full...

you are my life,

my love, my Godson

my precious Cole Michael.

I love you baby boy!

You're 27? Holy, I thought you were only 22...!

I celebrated my 27th birthday this past Saturday and was fortunate enough to share my celebration with my great new friend, Kristen. Her birthday followed a few days later. The pictures posted above are just some pictures of the important people that shared it with me. We kicked off the "birthday weekend" (yes, I do not like to have just a day, I enjoy an entire weekend of festivities!) by going to the Mount Pleasant County Fair, which was an experience in itself. It was such a muggy evening, thanks for buckets of rainfall the day prior. Kristen loves crazy rides and I thought I did too until the 2nd ride. I started sweating profusly and felt my stomach bounce off my other 27 year old organs. So instead, I decided to take pictures and watched Kristen laugh like a little kid as she jumped from ride to ride. In addition to the rides, we enjoyed gigantic corndogs, homemade lemonade and nachos with jalopenos (yum!). About 1 hour into our time there, a raindrop soon turned into terenchal downpour, so our time at the fair was cut short (i didn't mind). I have never seen so many large belt buckles, startched Wrangler, taperd jeans, and cowboy boots in my life...I stuck out like a sore thumb with my flip flops, rolled jeans, and tank top in addition to my lack of accent.

On my actual birthday day, we went to Mardi Gras Seafood (see picture above) which is basically a hole in the wall that has "ok" seafood (yes, I"m a seafood snob, but the Texans think it is the best there is) and live music. I got a shout out from the band and even was sereneded with a beautiful birthday song. I was fortunate enough to meet Kristen's family and more of her friends. Her friends now only refer me as "Maine" or "Yankee girl;" therefore I only respond to those two nicknames . The rest of the evening was history...but as I enjoyed my evening and heard nostalgic songs such as "Pour some sugar on me" which reminded me of college freshman year, "Take me home tonight" which reminds me of Maine, and "Black" my favorite Pearl Jam song, I refleced back on my 26th year. It was pretty damn good! I ran my first 10K race, survived an amazing vacation in Key West with my best friend, took on a big career change, moved home to Maine for a month, which ended up being one of my best summers thus far, learned how to crochet, bought a new VW jetta (her name is Jackie), discovered my love for running and yoga, was blessed with a beautiful godson/nephew whom I love dearly, and lastly shared a memorable cross country trip with my little brother, while making some amazing new friends along the way!

I cannot wait to see all the adventures that the year 27 holds for me...you are only as old as you feel.