Welcome Baby Asher!

This entry is dedicated to my best friend for life, Amanda Lem and her new little miracle, Asher Kale Lem. Through thick and thin, we've been there for each other over the years. From peewee cheerleading and city projects in GT, to high school softball practice and cheerleading, we've been together through it all. This girl means the world to me, and I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for her. I am so blessed to have her as my best friend.

This is one of Amanda's pregnancy pics taken by her Aunt Lynn!

SO cute and creative! She was such a precious pregnant woman.

Amanda started having contractures on a thursday/friday and went into the doctor on friday, December 10. She found out that she was already 5cm dilated, and plans were made to induce on Monday. Thankfully, I was able to take my Monday's final early at 8 am, then drive to Pine Bluff to wait for Baby Asher to arrive. I made it just in time, and baby Asher was born at 11:45 on December 13, 2010. He weighed 6# 10.7 ounces and was 19" long.

Welcome to the world Asher Kale Lem!

First family picture!

Me holding baby Asher next to his glowing mommy!

I was so thankful to be a part of this special day! Asher is just perfect, and this little family is amazing. Amanda and Kyle are going to be the best parents ever, and I plan to be the best Auntie Laura ever!

Clay Walker Concert

As sort of a last minute decision, Amber and I decided to attend the Clay Walker concert along with Leah some of her friends. Amber is NOT a fan of country music, but I am so glad she decided to come along. Clay Walker is sort of an older name in country music, but I was SHOCKED at how many of his songs I know! I sang along with nearly every song!

It was SUCH a fun concert!

Did I mention we were standing only ~10 feet from the stage! Talk about front row!

My sister and I waiting on the concert to start. The only thing about having such great seats is that we had to stand the entire time! The were two opening acts that were also very good!

Amber and I in between acts. I'm so glad she decided to come. She knew most of the songs, even though she claims to hate country! ;-)

Halloween

Halloween is always a big event, and this year was no different! In the past years, the 3rd year students haven't participated in the physical therapy halloween party, for whatever reason, but that just isn't our class' style. We tend to go all out. I wish I had gotten a group picture, but unfortunately I didn't. Besides our group, The Spice Girls, some other costumes included the characters of scooby doo, Party in my Pants, Dolly Parton, and many more!

Scary Spice, Dolly (Molly), and Nicki (Baby Spice)

Nicki and I getting in to character! We had a lot of fun with this!

Our whole group! We really threw this together, but it turned out really well!

The night before halloween a large group of us dressed up to celebrate Amber's 25th birthday! We had so much fun dressing up and watching the costume contests at Cajun's Wharf. I was a flapper, thanks to the dress provided by my Aunt Julie. I had a lot of fun accessorizing, and dancing was especially enjoyable with all the tassels.

The birthday girl, Amber, and I before going in to Cajun's Wharf in Little Rock

*Group picture still to come!

DPT Camping Trip

During fall break, my physical therapy planned our annual camping trip to Petit Jean. The plan was to go up on Wednesday afternoon, but Angela, Nicki, and I decided to make a day of it and go up early!

Nicki and Angela were planning to leave early the next day, so I'm glad we went up early on Wednesday. We got in a hike to the waterfall and took some pictures at the overlook.

We were the first to get our tent up! Not that we were racing, but if we had been, the girls WON! I think me and Nicki have plenty of experience in the tent area. ;-)

We had quite an eventful night filled with no campfire (burn ban) and lots of varmints(skunks/armadillos) trying to raid the campsite. The next day, Nicki and Angela had to leave, but once everyone got up and going we headed out for some more hiking.

This was the view from the highest point. We had to do

some pretty intense climbing to get to this point, but SO worth it!

This was the group of girls that made it to the top! We had so much fun and got such a good workout! The next trail we hiked after climbing this mountain was 4ish miles in a couple hours, all to find out that the grand finale was all dryed up...bummer. All in all, I had a great time and enjoyed some very beautiful Arkansas fall scenery!

Family Pictures

A few weeks ago, my family met with Melissa Stover, a photographer in Woodlawn, to have our very first professional family pictures taken! It all began when we needed to have a picture made for the church directory, because we missed picture day at the church. So, mom took this opportunity to have a good family photo taken. Dad thought we were going to have 1 single photo taken, and he wasn't very thrilled to learn differently. Needless to say he was a party pooper, but we still got some good pics!

This is the one we chose for the directory!

Overall, it was a very fun picture-taking experience, and I recommend Melissa Stover photography for any of your photo needs! =)

Race for the Cure

Wow! After coming home from Springfield, I got busy and haven't slowed down since! I'm so far behind with my updates, so I'll try to give a brief overview to get everyone caught up.

On October 16, 2010 two of my best friends, Amber and Nicki, ran together in what was my first 5k (3.1 miles)! We've done the race each year, but we've always walked it. This year, we've been training and working up to the big race.

It is always overwhelming to see the huge crowds of people that gather in downtown Little Rock to support the Race for the Cure. This year the LR race was the 3rd largest in the nation with over 35,000 women "racing for the cure"!

This is after completing the race! We were grabbing for water and pizza as soon as we crossed the finish line, but we made it! I know this isn't a very far distance, but you have to start somewhere. We decided this will have to become an annual tradition!

Welcome Home!

After enjoying a relaxing evening on friday, I woke up to a very busy and exciting day on Saturday. That morning I woke up early to have plenty of time to get ready and pack my things. After saying goodbye to Uncle Ron, Aunt Julie and I headed to Branson for some last-minute shopping. Since I usually only go to Branson with my family, I've never really experience the outlet mall due to my dad's refusal to shop! SO, I was determined to experience the outlet malls on my trip to Missouri. We found some really good deals!

After shopping and saying goodbye to Aunt Julie, I headed south to Conway. I had mixed feelings about coming back since I really enjoyed my time in Springfield, but I was also ready to get back to normal and be around my sister and friends. After enjoying the beautiful drive home through north Arkansas (the trees are starting to turn), I finally made it to Conway and was welcomed home in just the first glance!

Leah and Tasha had all the fall decor out and everything looked so great!

As I made my way into the house, I noticed that there were signs EVERYWHERE! I only included a few of my favorites on here, but there were over 20 signs!!! On the ceiling, on the mirror, on the shower, in EVERY drawer, in the closet, on the floor, and last but not least, IN my bed! They went over the top to say the least! I felt very loved and could tell that I was missed. It was very sweet and I am very glad to be home!

This one was ON the fire alarm!

on my bathroom mirror...

my bedroom mirror

This one is sweet, because I know how much Leah dislikes cleaning!

And this is the BEST!

If all my clinicals go by as fast and are as wonderful as this clinical, this is going to be a VERY fun year! And "almost PT" makes me very, very, very excited!!!! Stay tuned! =)

The End of a Chapter

Self-portrait on my new computer, purchased during my time here

Though it seems like yesterday I was preparing to move to Springfield, now I sit here wondering where the past 8 weeks have gone. I am all packed up, ready to head back to Conway tomorrow, and just want to reflect on these past 2 months.

Coming to Springfield for my 2nd clinical rotation has been in the plans for a while now, over a year to be exact. I had anticipated it for a while and looked forward to a nice break from classes. Never did I expect to have a new "home away from home", but that is exactly how it's been. From day one, my Aunt Julie and Uncle Ron accepted me into their home and made me feel very welcome. I have greatly enjoyed our talks, the free advice, yummy dinners, football saturdays, piano lessons, craft time, long walks, comedy wednesdays, and learning how to relax. =) It is amazing how time flies when you're having fun! I can never thank these two enough for making me feel right at home.

As far as my clinical, it was also the ideal experience. I immediately felt welcome in the therapy department and had an amazing CI (clinical instructor), Amy. The "lunch crew" called me over on day 1, and from there on out I enjoyed our daily lunches in the cafeteria! Sweet potato fries are my new favorite. =) Outside of my regular work, I enjoyed observing with some of the other therapists. Byron, a PT, took me in when Amy was out of town for a week and I enjoyed his laid-back therapy style. Maggie, a speech therapist, let me observe 2 different occasions, both of which I will remember forever. First was to watch a feeding with a precious angel in the NICU that had a cleft palate. She had to be fed at just the right angle and speed so that the liquid didn't go through the holes in the palate to the brain. This reminded me of the incredible design God planned out in creation. The second time was with one of my PT patients in ICU that was recovering from a motorcycle accident, from which he was expected to do. He had been intubated and sedated, so still has a trach. Maggie was introducing him to the speaking valve that would cover his trach and allow him to talk for the first time in weeks. I got to witness his first words, and after he realized it really worked, he teared up and kept saying, "Thank you God, my prayers were answered". All his nurses and family were so excited and touched by this medical miracle. Necollette, another PT, let me follow her around in the neonatal ICU a couple of different times to see PT for the babies. Once, I was able to hold a 33-week-old infant and do some therapy. Another time, I assisted her with making a brace for a spina bifada infant with clubfoot. Dennis, another PT and Paul's (classmate) CI, let me help out with a baclofen trial. This was a neat experience since I have learned about these and seen patient's with the pump, but never at this stage of the process.

As I've said, I had a wonderful clinical experience, thanks mostly to my CI, Amy. I was her first student, but I would never have guessed this by the way she handled things. In the beginning, she eased me into each situation, giving me more and more freedom as I felt comfortable. Throughout the clinical, she pointed out areas I could improve in, and I was greatful for her constructive criticism. Never once did she belittle me or make me feel dumb for not knowing what or how to do something. I can really look back and see how I've grown and my physical therapy abilities over this short 8-week period. I could never thank Amy enough for all the knowledge she has shared and instilled in me. Also, for whipping me into shape with those 8-flights of stairs multiple times during the day. She is a perfect example of how to model the importance of health and fitness throughout the lifespan. Now looking back, there are countless patients and experiences from the past 8 weeks that I will never forget. I only hope that in some way I was able to make a small, positive impact on their lives.

Today for lunch, Amy, Anna, and Dennis took Paul and I out to lunch at Red Robin. We enjoyed the bottomless fries and having good PT conversation over lunch. After a few more patients and lots of computer and paperwork, my time at Coxhealth in Springfield is complete. It feels like my time here has flown. I will never forget the things I have learned, both at work and at home. I'm not sure where life will take me, but I know I will always be welcome here.

The Best Things in Life are Free

Well, to say that I have neglected my blog updates is the understatement of the century. I just returned back to Springfield after a very memorable weekend at home. Tomorrow I will begin my last week here at Coxhealth in Springfield. On the one hand, my time here has flown, while on the other, I really miss my friends and am ready to return to normal in Conway. I will reflect on my clinical in a later blog, but for now I will give a summary of my busy weekend.

Now that it's all said and done, I can't believe I even considered missing out on such a wonderful weekend. After spending last weekend completely alone, I am realizing that having family and friends that love you and are there for you is truly a blessing. So, without much consideration of the 10 hours of driving, I decided to make a surprise roadtrip home to be with family for our annual reunions.

On Friday, I went in early and worked 7-3:30 so that I could head out as soon as possible. My CI is very thoughtful and sweet and sent me out the door at 3:00. Due to the excitement and anxiety of getting home, I made it home in only 4.5 hours! First stop was mamaw and papaw's for a short visit and to change clothes before the football game. The plan was to surprise them, and just show up at the door, but I didn't want to cause any heart attacks. ;-) So, I called them when I was a couple hours out and let them know. They were very happy and still very surprised. After a short visit and wardrobe change, I headed farther south to the Woodlawn homecoming game. I hadn't been back for a few years, so it was crazy to see how much everything had changed. The best part at the game was the look on my dad and sister's face when I walked up in the stands! My mom wasn't surprised as I had accidentally let the surprise slip the night before without thinking..silly me. At the game I got to visit with some friends from high school AND watch the bears win the homecoming game! It was great to be back!

On Saturday I was able to sleep in while Dad and Leah hit the woods for bow season. After going for a run, it was time to get ready for the day's festivities. We headed to the fire department for the McCoskey family reunion at lunch. I really enjoyed getting to be there with my family and visiting with others that we don't get to see very often.

The McCoskey Brothers and Sister

Uncle Donnie, Mamaw, Uncle Jimmy, and Uncle Jerry at the McCoskey reunion

After lunch, we headed back home to prepare for the arrival of the Jacks side of the family. I guess I should explain that much of the family is inter-connected...it is Arkansas right?! ha. So, my mamaw and her brother married my papaw and his sister, which leads to lots of double first-cousins! For this reason, when the family comes in for the family reunion, we might as well celebrate both sides on the same day!

Leah and I at the Jacks' reunion

The Jacks' Brothers and Sisters

Uncle Bennie, Aunt Zelma Rita, Aunt Carolyn, Aunt Mary, and Papaw at the Jacks' reunion

Everyone starting arriving around 5, loaded down with dishes and kiddos. It was such a beautiful day and thankfully we were able to spend lots of time outside. Mom had a very cute photo-op area decorated for family pictures, so we were able to capture the day.

My family. I like how you can see all the decorations in this picture.

My family

Also, we took this time to celebrate the upcoming 40th birthday of the twins, Merry and Sherry, my dad's double first-cousins. Merry's husband provided the cake and picture, and we all sang them a happy birthday.

Sherry and Merry

The twins' baby picture and 40th birthday cake

We all enjoyed eating supper together, and the kiddos especially enjoyed watching the deer come out to the feeder in the field. After supper, mom had bought a pinatta, and the kids enjoyed taking turns swinging until it finally burst and they all ran after the candy.

After all the family left, I headed to Monticello to see my friends Ashley, Chris, and Ben. We went to see the movie, EasyA, which was a total flop, but it doesn't matter with this crew. After the movie, we played cards and caught up on what has been going on...

On Sunday, it was good to be back at my home church. After church, we headed home for dad to open his birthday present. His birthday was last wednesday, but due to all the craziness, this was the first opportunity we had. Leah picked out a foot-massaging machine, a perfectly fitting gift for him!

After loading my car and saying goodbyes to dad and Leah, mom and I headed to Star City to have lunch with Bo, Uncle John Hugh, and Aunt Kay. It was good to visit over a delicious lunch. As you can see, family and food were a huge theme of my weekend! After lunch and a quick visit, I said my goodbyes and headed north for a looooooong drive. I was able to visit with several friends on the phone and this really helps to pass the time. Overall, I think you can see I had quite a busy weekend, but one that I wouldn't have missed for the world. If there is only one thing i've learned during this clinical experience in Springfield, it's the importance of being around the ones you love.....It's really true that the best things in life are free.

Leah and I at Silver Dollar City

Hello again! Things are still going well here in Springfield. I am loving my clinical at Coxhealth, and especially enjoying my CI. She is very good at directing me in my thinking without making me feel...dumb. Things are progressing very quickly, and I am already taking over many of the tasks. I am able to read the patient's chart, gather history, and perform an eval, followed up by the paperwork and entering the info into the computer. I know it doesn't sound too exciting, but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! That's a first for me! As much as I dreaded this acute care rotation, I am really enjoying it!

This weekend my family came of for a visit over the long Labor Day weekend. On friday night they arrived around 7. I had to be at work at 7 that morning, so I was pretty exhausted on Friday night! Needless to say, I wasn't the most social butterfly. Aunt Julie made burritos for dinner and later on everyone learned how to play the domino-game, "chicken-foot".

On Saturday morning my family loaded up for a trip to Branson. We started off our journey with a stop at Branson Zipline. A friend had done the zipline in branson and highly recommended it. So, we decided to try it out. Once we signed in, they took us downstairs to get suited up in our gear. There were 5 others in our group, along with my family. Then, they took us up the mountain in a military vehicle that could climb the steep, curvy road. Once at the top, we had a lesson on how to do everything, along with some history stories to stall time. ;-) When we were ready to take off, we headed across the rope bridge to the first tower. Since we were connected, it was fun to jump and make the bridge bounce. It made it very hard for the person in front of you to walk this way! (sorry mom) Once we reached the tower, we got our first glance, and it was a LONG way down! One-by-one they connected us and told us how to steer ourselves through the air. When it was our turn, we climbed up on the box, they hooked us up, and off we went! It was sooo much fun! The most entertaining part was the landing. If you were going to fast, you had to dynamite (spread out your arms/legs) to make yourself slow down. If you were going too slow, you had to cannonball to speed yourself up. Needless to say, not everyone had the dynamite concept down for the first landing, and we got to witness several crash landings. By far the best part! The first zipline was the steepest/fasted and from there we made our way down the mountain, taking 3 other ziplines. We had a blast and I would definitely love to go again!

Family Pic while waiting on one of the towers

After leaving the zipline, we headed into Branson to find a show for that night and our hotel. We had wanted to see "SIX", a highly-recommended new show, but they didn't have a show that night. So, we finally decided to stick with a classic, "The Presley's". After getting tickets and making our way through the hectic traffic, we finally made it to our hotel. It wasn't the nicest on the block, but it was very clean and did the job! After a brief nap, we headed out to dinner at T.Bones Steakhouse. We ate fairly quickly and headed to the show. We were very early (VERY unusual for my family) so we walked up and down the strip a little. The show started at 8 and it was a very good performance. A perfect combination of country and gospel singing, very talented musicians, and of course some great comedy! We all really enjoyed it!

Family Pic before entering Silver Dollar City

Sunday morning we were up early to head to Silver Dollar City! After a breakfast buffet, we headed that way, but quickly were in stand-still traffic! It took an hour and a half to get there, but we finally made it! We toured the whole park and enjoyed a gorgeous fall day. The weather was perfect and the flowers were beautiful. We looked through all the shops and watched all the homemade items being formed. We always enjoy watching the ladies make ceramic pottery, and this time we purchased a very pretty pie plate for me, but have to wait until Christmas! We also purchase a large amount of salt water taffy! YUM! We also enjoyed riding many of the rides. The barn yard swing was very fun, but the 2 roller coasters were a little extreme, especially wildfire. It was very fast and went upside down 4 different times! Oh my! Overall we had a very great day.

We had SO much fun!

Once we were back in Springfield we made a quick stop by Bass Pro Shops, but the store was closing, so Dad and Leah went back on Monday morning. Sunday night we enjoyed Chicken and Dumplings and another game of chicken-foot. We were all exhausted and called it a night rather early.

Monday morning dad and leah headed back to Bass Pro Shops, while mom visited with Aunt Julie and I. When they returned it was time to hit the road. After saying goodbye and waving them off, the weekend just seemed to pass all too quickly. It was very good to have some family time, and I will see them again in a couple weeks.

Until then, Aunt Julie and I are headed out to Ozark to the Overstock Merchandise store to scope out some good deals. That's all for now. Life is good.

A Change of Scenery

It's been a while since my last post, but life got pretty crazy there for a bit. With 6 finals, packing to move for clinical, a friend moving to Arkansas, and saying goodbye to friends and family, I had quite a lot on my plate! Did I mention 6 finals?! In hindsight, everything went pretty well. I only made one "B" in wound care, but in my mind it was an "A". Come on, a 92% is an "A" in my book all day. Yet, my GPA says otherwise. Oh well, life goes on!

Now I am all settled in here in Springfield, MO. This past week was my first week of CE II(clinical education rotation 2) and so far so good! I love my CI and am excited to learn from her. She isn't much older than me, and I feel I can learn from her without feeling incompetent when I don't know all the answers. Everyone at the hospital has been really nice so far. From what i've seen, Springfield in general is a very nice area! I'm looking forward to the next 7 weeks!

While here, I am living with my aunt and uncle, who just moved here earlier this year. God's timing is amazing isn't it?! I've always been told I act just like my aunt, so much that I should be her daughter, and this past week we have found this to be Oh So true! Fun times and deep conversations have already been had and I'm sure there are many more to come. It's not to hard to have fun when you get pleasure out of the little things, duster slippers with a little dancing music to name one. ;-) Also, I've enjoyed to advice and life lessons i've received so far. Though sometimes the truth hurts, sometimes it's exactly what you need to hear! I can't wait to look back on this time and be thankful for all the advice I've been given! Week One lesson from Uncle Ron when speaking about a boy maybe/maybe not liking me, he says, "Have you ever seen the movie 'He's Just Not That Into You"' And though that hurts, it's just the plain truth. We sometimes fall for people that aren't there to catch us. In time, we can get back up, pick up our pride, and move on to bigger and better things. Until then, there's always my aunt trying to fix me up. =)

But really, I want to spend this time having 'Laura time' and get some things checked off my to-do list. Learning to play the piano, learning Spanish, painting, reading, and training for a 5K to name a few. That's all for now. I'm excited to see what the future holds!

Fun with Friends

Last thursday, July 29th, I had a very fun-filled day. First a group of PT students met up and enjoyed the Traveler's game in Little Rock. They won 3-0! And after the game there was a diamond dig, in which any females could go to the warning track and try to find a hidden diamond ring. Due to other plans, we weren't able to stay for this event.

Me and my roomie(for the summer) Amber

This is most of our group at the Travelers game

Amber and I left the game after the 7th inning so we could meet up with other friends to celebrate Angela's 24th birthday. After a complete wardrobe change in the car, we went to meet up at Sway, a new danceclub in downtown little rock. We weren't there for long before deciding to head to our normal hangout, Deep. We had a lot of fun and danced the night away! I always have so much fun with these girls! I'm so lucky to have such amazing friends!

Me, Nicki, Amber, and Angela at Sway

Mom's Birthday Weekend

This weekend we were able to celebrate my mom, Jennifer Jacks, turning 48! On friday evening, she chose to eat at Chef Lee's, a new hibachi restaurant in Pine Bluff. This was my parent's first hibachi experience and we all enjoyed getting to eat together. Below is a picture of my family: Leah, Dad, Me, Bo, and Mom, outside Chef Lee's. It was so good and we were stuffed at this point! Mamaw and Papaw also ate dinner with us, but they somehow escaped before we could get them in the picture.

My sister and I had a photo shoot on the way home from the restaurant

Mom trying to blow out all 48 candles. I think it took 4 breaths, and it set of the fire alarm! Hope that wish wasn't very important. Also, according to Bo, this is the last year that she can buy enough candles for $1. Candles are 2 for a $1, with 24 per box. Next year, 3 boxes!

My beautiful mom.

On Saturday, mom wanted to go to the lake for her birthday. So, our family, along with the Richardson's (family friends) and their church group, headed to Lake Degray for the day. Despite a minor delay on the way, the day was wonderful! I think we just ran out of gas, but all the men were thinking we had a fuel filter or fuel pump issue. Luckily, after putting in more gas, the truck was able to crank and we were back in business! Once at the lake, it was noon and we all met up on a rock bank for a picnic lunch. Then, we spent the afternoon tubing, skiing, knee-boarding, and wakeboarding. During all that, we took plenty of breaks to soak up some rays and watch the kiddos jump off cliffs. This pic is of my mom showing us all how to ski. Not bad for a 48 year old! Overall, we had a great day and weekend celebrating my wonderful mom!