February

It has been a couple of weeks since my last update. Honestly, it is because not to much is going on right now. School is the primary focus now but so far it is going pretty well. I am trying to keep up and when I can get ahead. I have met some great people at my community group I go to through church. Some of them have done mission trips and one knew someone who may be able to give me some advice on starting a non-profit for the clinics! I had another woman contact me through th OT connections site who has had a clinic in Haiti for the last 10 years and needs people to go for 6 months at a time. She said she would take considerations for shorter trips but that would be on a case by case basis. I really need to pray about this because I could possible go in the fall for my next 8 week rotation but I don't know how I would do without Howard and Abbie??!! 
I picked my summer rotations and I got my first pick, The Childrens Center http://www.tccokc.org/, It is in OKC. But I found a place to stay over the 8 weeks for cheap. One of the OKC OT's is going down to Tx for her rotation and so she wont be there except for a couple of weekends. She has a 1 bedroom, which is nice cause I won't be bothering anyone that I don't know. Plus she said it is safe, gated and has a pool. The only true downside is that she doesn't have cable! But I will bring my computer and I would love to get the camera I have been gawking over and maybe take a photography class so i can spend time taking pictures etc... Plus reviewing for the national exam is always a good idea (Howards idea really :) Other than that I have my first neuro rehab for adults exam next Friday and then two more the next week. This week I have dedicated my after class time to these tests and one assignment and I have been successful so by the end of the week I hope to feel more confident about the exam. Love you all

update

Update on the pediatric grant... I had a meeting with the professors who run the grant program today. The meeting was mainly held to discuss my GPA and professional behavior. The GPA one is obvious because of my low (2.4) GPA from my first semester. There apparently was a GPArequirement of at least a 3.0. They have let other students in the grant who had under a 3.0 who showed progress and changes. They did notice my increase in GPA for the last two semesters (4.0 and 3.4) and placed a contingency of my acceptance into the grant with me getting at least a 3.0 this semester. I do forsee myself getting this or higher. The second thing on the agenda is my professional behavior. This still is somewhat unclear to me. But what I do know is that I have rubbed some professors the wrong way and have stepped on some toes. This of course was never my intentio but I guess when you are outspoken sometimes I speak when I shouldn't have. I told the professors that I am trying to improve on how I handle situations and opinons. It was also a plus factor that I am in a leadership position this year (VP-Tulsa College of Allied Health) and that at least for now, I have not stepped on any toes this semester. They did mention that they sent a list of all the applicants to the professors and the professors replied about each student. Apparently, some things about my grades and professionalism came up. For example, I take up too much class time with questions, don't know how I would do in a collaborative group setting. This took me aback a little, I did actually get a little teary and had to take a moment before I answered. But all I could tell them is that I am still learning and I am trying to better myself in this area. They did agree to forward the comments to my advisor (without the prof. names) to see where I could improve. I think this will help a lot because right now all I know is I need to keep my mouth shut a little bit more and if I have a problem start with the lowest person on the hierarchy... So with that said as long as I maintain a 3.0 GPA this semester and don't tick anyone off then I have a spot in the grant, that's the good news. I will let you know what I learn about what I should improve on.
One a different note, Abbie ate a whole bar of chocolate while I was a school today. I called the vet and I had to give her 1 tbs of hydrogen peroxide to make her vomit. Well I will just say she did, eww! She has now eaten, drank water and is now sleeping. The vet said she should be fine other than some diarreaha. What a relief! That is it for now...

Kelseys game

recent pic

Weekend trip

ere are some more recent photos. So Lisa and I have decided to do something spontaneous this weekend and go hiking at Greenleaf state park which is about an hour from Tulsa. It is an 18 mile hike around the lake with different terrain and hills. We are very excited! We are leaving early Saturday morning and rented a cabin with fireplace and all. We are going to bring games, wood and smore stuff, what else do you need?! Oh and yes, Abbie is hiking with us. I got her a little foldable bowl for water and food plus a little rain jacket so see doesn't completly freeze if it drizzles. I got some new hiking boots which are waterproof and have great traction. They will also be handy out at the farm! Lisa said that one her friends from work and her husband were wanting to do something this weekend so they may also come plus they have four wheelers!! So hopefully it will be a fun filled weekend while Howard is skiing in Breckenridge,Co (so jealous).

I have a meeting sometime tomorrow or Monday with the proffessors of the pediatric grant to discuss my grades (primarily from my first semester when I didn't do so hot). But I spoke with my advisor and she thinks as long as I am open and reflective then I should be fine. Cross your fingers for me and pray that my one bad semester wont haunt me and that Howard doesn't break a leg and that we won't have a thunderstorm in the middle of our hike!!

Monday

So I was in a funny mood and decided to take pictures of myself and they actually turned out pretty good after a little tweaking on picasa (picture editor). So this is one of the latest. School is going I am keeping up and ahead in some of my classes.The only part I need to catch up a little is the readings but it is my goal this week to read all the summaries!! I am going to do it ;) Abbie is feeling better and thankfully no more bladder infections! I am trying some new dog food that supposedly is allergen free so I am praying this will help with her shedding, licking of the paws and maybe bladder infections. I went to my Church's community group tonight and really enjoyed it. We are doing a series on Abiding God and what this means. This week we focused on how we a branch which is part of a vine and to bear the fruit we must nourish and keep our sights in line with Gods to share the fruit with others. We discussed how we do this and what things are need to keep a healthy vine... The main thoughts were to grow in a relationship with Christ and to do this one should be in the word of God, to talk and pray to him and overall be open to what you are to do for Him. This is hard for me to do at times because my life gets turned upside down when school starts to get hectic but if I make it a priority then things will be easier to handle. For instance, instead of watching tv for an hour, I read and pray for my break before getting to my homework or readings. If I get in the routine then I hope I will be successful.
I have emailed a few more individuals this week about the therapy clinics but as of now I am going to focus more on school and just keep contacts through the semester so this summer I can keep up the momentum I have started.