Reason 139: How to Conquer the Week

Saturday, May 21, 2011.

One more week of this crazy Spring Term down.  Weeks FLY by.  And because of this, I've found myself becoming obsessed with studying.  Weird, huh?  Every single moment I think about studying. I just really want to do well in my anatomy class and I REALLY want to pass the BOC the first time.

Accomplishments of the week:
-I tried a Papusa at the El Salvador Restaurant with our almost- El Salvadorian friend, Sister Springer.
-Sammy's cupcake shake with Jake, Linz, Danni, and Courtney
-Red Robin for Mary's birthday for Jake, Aly, and Chelts
-Survived the Nervous System lab test AND lecture test
-Running, biking, weight lifting
-Watched the amazing BYU Rugby play Cal for the National Championship.  What a battle.

-Bountiful Basket.  Mmm mmm.
-Sang a solo (twice) in my vocal skills class.  Did you know that engaging your abs makes the breathiness disappear?
-Hair cut.  Well, trimmed. Growing my bangs out, still growing my hair out.

P.S. It finally stopped raining.  It rained Sunday- Friday.  Blah.  It's hard to have any energy when it is all doom and gloom outside.  

Reason 133: The Brachial Plexus

Wednesday, May 11, 2011.

Oh, brachial plexus, how you concern me.

See this?  I have to memorize this.  Be able to draw this.  Know what connects to what.  Know what is damaged/weakened when a certain portion is cut.  How do you memorize something like this? In the summer?

Then....how do you find this business on a cadaver?  My TA would lift up a little piece of insides and call it a nerve.  My jaw would have dropped to the floor, but I was afraid of inhaling too much formaldehyde ;-)

Today I also read an extremely long position statement on cervical spine injuries.  I basically highlighted the whole position.  That stuff is SO important.  And as of right now, my worst fear is handling a C-spine injury.  But I totally feel more prepared after position statement. 

I also read about environmental conditions in the Arnheim Principles of Athletic Training text book (yes, I am reading the entire 1000 page text book in six weeks). 

BOC. Functional Anatomy. BOC. Functional Anatomy.

Off to open lab!

Reason 131: BYU Rugby

Saturday, May 7, 2011.

Rugby is one of the most awesome sports on the planet.  Today, Jason and I met up with the Hepworth's to watch BYU Rugby take on Navy in the quarterfinals.  It was WONDERFUL- the team looked awesome.  We beat them 64-12!  Now we move on to the semifinals on May 14.  The championship game will be held in Sandy, so it would be SWEET to win that.

Photo from BYU RUGBY Facebook Page

I got to work with the Rugby team in Fall 2009 which was SO amazing.  It's nice to have time to go to their games now. It was also really warm outside today- perfect to be outside.  Only downside?  The top of my knees got burned.  BADLY.  And my arms, face, and neck.  But, oh what a blessing this warm weather is!

Go BYU Rugby!  I would love to see them win the National Championship!

Reason 130: Triathlon Training

Friday, May 6, 2011.

I am training for a triathlon.  To be honest, I am not sure my knee can handle a triathlon.  Mile 1.5 of my run tonight I felt this horrible clicking so I had to slow down and head home.  But regardless- it is the goal. Right now I am lifting weights for an hour, four to five days a week.  I run only once or twice, swim twice a week, and bike whenever I can.  It's already been a successful two weeks (well, not the running)... but I'd love to do a sprint triathlon in the next twelve months.  Kokopelli is in September in St. George- that is the tri that Jason is training for right now.  That feels REALLY soon to me- but we'll see!

Spring term is looking something like this- study for anatomy, study for the BOC, workout, play the piano. Those are the main four things that fill my days.  It's actually quite wonderful- it leaves plenty of time to be with Jason, watch movies, and attempt new recipes.  And I keep trying to convince myself that studying anatomy with "House" on will help.  I will let you know how that goes.

The BOC, to clarify, is the "Board of Certification" exam to become a Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC).  Basically, it tests everything I've worked for for the past 2 years.  It's a big deal.  An EXPENSIVE big deal.  And I MUST pass it in June so I can work as a graduate assistant in August.  No pressure, right?  If you want to read more about what an Athletic Trainer actually does, click on the underlined text.  Yep- I am shamelessly promoting my profession.  And so is your local legislature.  Athletic Trainers are a necessity in organized sports- especially high schools, colleges, and professional sports.  More and more cities are requiring a full-time Athletic Trainer in their schools.  That is GOOD news for me and the job outlook!

And finally- today we bought the wood to build our bookshelves and tv stand!  I am SO excited that Jason wants to build them.  I think it will be absolutely wonderful.  The wood is gorgeous.

Tomorrows agenda?  Bike ride, study for the BOC, BYU Rugby game with the Hepworth's, stain the end tables, and swim.

Reason 129: Top 10 BYU Classes

Wednesday, May 4, 2011.

As graduation approaches, I thought I'd make a list of my Top Ten Favorite classes as a BYU undergrad. It may be slightly premature- I still haven't taken Physics 106 & 108, Tennis, or Volleyball.  But I do have a lot of other classes.  So in no particular order (because that'd make this post really difficult)...

Top 10 BYU Classes

1. American Heritage (A Htg 100)

This class is often spoken of as the most despised class on campus. I think I got really lucky.  I had Matt Holland as a professor- current UVU President and the son of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  This class was so incredible- seeing the Gospel weave in and out of American history, discussing current events and how they will effect us, and getting a taste of economics.  

2. Mission Preparation (Rel C 130)

Brother Randy Bott. Wow- what a teacher.  This class taught me a lot about myself, and how preparing for a mission is the same as preparing for life- Gospel and Christ centered.  If you are at BYU and have not taken this class, you are missing out.  He also has some awesome one-liners.  Not at BYU? And even if you are- check out his book.

"Preparation Precedes Power"
Randy L. Bott

3. Human Anatomy (PDBio 220 and ExSc 400)

PDBio 220 was so brutal.  But it was also SO worth it.  Understanding the human body in a great depth is blessing and so intriguing.  I wish this were a GE because I think it is more important and applicable to life than a lot of GE's they require!  Here is my favorite quote on the topic.

"I marvel at the miracle of the human mind and body. What a remarkable thing you are. You can think by day and dream by night. You are a child of God, His crowning creation. After He had formed the earth, separated the darkness from the light, divided the waters, created the plant and animal kingdoms—after all this He created man and then woman." -President Gordon B. Hinckley

4. Kinesiology and Biomechanics (ExSc 362)

I love the combinations of physics and the human body.  This was a really interesting class.  I think it helped me improve my wakeboarding technique- hehe.

5. Injury Evaluation of the Lower Extremities (ExSc 416)

This was the class that made me realize I was in the perfect major.  We talked about injuries, pathologies, special tests, and how to handle it.  

6. Rehabilitation of Orthopedic Injuries (ExSc 418)

Pretty self explanatory description in the title of the class.  I love learning about rehab.  Sometimes I read my rehab book just for fun :)

7. Problems in Exercise Prescription (ExSc 468)
Once again, brutal.  But doesn't it usually turn out that the most time-consuming, stress-provoking classes are the ones that make you work the hardest?  This class was great- we focused a lot on applying physiology to rehabilitation, strength training, and nutrition.  LOTS of applicable things came from this class.

8. LDS Marriage and Family (Rel C 234)
Take this class from Guy Dorius.  This class is for people at all relationship stages.  It is doctrinally based and discusses topics from dating to engagement to marriage to babies.  SO good.  You learn a lot from the words of the Brethren.  And Brother Dorius is a fantastic teacher!

9. Beginning Weight Training (ExSc 191)
This class is wonderful.  I have totally fallen in love with weight training!  Our teacher is awesome- he has showed us how to correctly lift with free weights and helped us do our max and taught us the most effective way to work out.  No expectations.  Just go at your own pace.

10. The Book of Mormon- Pt 2 (Rel A 122)

I had a hard time choosing a tenth class, but this class was important to me because it is the class the prepared me the most to receive my endowments and be sealed in the LDS Temple.  This class really helped me to see the depth that is in the scriptures and how important they are.  Brother Thompson was a  great teacher and easy to follow.

Honorable Mention: Music Civilizations (Music 201 and 202)

Dr. Howard was so funny and SO knowledgeable!  This class took some work, but I feel like I learned a lot about art and music.  Definately a good GE option.

Well there you have it.  Maybe I'll do a top ten list of classes to absolutely avoid?  Haha.  I can't believe graduation is almost here- only 3 months and 6 days away!  

Reason 126: Spring Classes

April 28, 2011

Spring Schedule. Be jealous.

Functional Anatomy

With a couple of my favorite people like Mary, Jenny, and Nalani.

Weight Training

Yep.  Legit.

Basic Vocal Skills

Tryin' to find me some singing skills since I have a
*NEW PIANO!!!!!!!!*

Pansy schedule, eh?  I love being this <-------> close to graduation!  

Reason 125: State Drama and a Perfect Monday

Monday, April 18, 2011.

This has definately been a great couple of days.  On Saturday, I drove to Nephi to watch Andrew compete at State Drama.  This kid is SUCH a good actor.  He did a scene from the movie, "On the Waterfront."   He did a monologue that was performed by the great Marlon Brando. I will try to get the video up tomorrow, but for now here are a few pictures.

That is Andrew and Heather with their medals that they were awarded for receiving straight superior ratings from all 3 judges.  AND Heather was voted best female actress.  Way cool!

Yesterday was our last day in the Glenwood singles ward.  Kind of sad, but we are really excited to be in a family ward.  We had a really great calling in this singles ward as the Dating and Courtship sunday school teachers.  We taught the lessons out of the Family Relations manual.  It was so awesome!  We learned a LOT and had some really great discussions with our classes.  We taught the class during fall semester and we were asked to teach it again this semester.  That made us feel good about ourselves-- haha :)

And finally I had a nearly perfect Monday.  I took my Marriage and Family final at 8 am- it was 25 minutes of regurgitation (haha).  I walked over to the testing center and went right in to take my American Literature final.  This took only 17 minutes.  And I even reviewed all of my answers twice.  Score?  96%!  I only missed one.  That means I got my very first compliment on a final exam from the testing center... NOT an easy feat here at BYU.  

After finals I studied for chemistry, talked to my Grad school advisor about classes and my thesis, and got to come home with Jason around noon.  Pizza, movie, long nap with the rain pounding on the windows, two mile run in the rain, and totally unpacked our second bedroom.  

Only three finals left- technical communication (she told us we'd be wasting our time if we studied), Capstone, and chemistry.  StG in T- 5 days.  

Reason 124: Life in General

Friday, April 15, 2011.

Life sure does change a lot.  

February 2011

Knee surgery

Great-Grandma Lena Bartholomew passed away

Jason's uncle passed away

Apartment flooded

Had to move out and back into said apartment

Andrew starred in "The Foreigner" at DHHS

Gosh I love my family. 

Hard drive with 13,000 pictures was water damaged

March 2011

Moved to Springville (*Cheers*)

These are deer in our backyard.  Quite common.

Covered a BYU Golf tourney in StG at Entrada

Froze to death

Hannah turned 10 (tear)

Festival of Colors with my girls

April 2011

Got accepted in Grad school at BYU!
Jason fixed our hard drive.  Pictures=recovered

Renter's insurance flood return funded a pretty, new TV

General conference was amazing

Maren threw Jocelyn a lovely bridal shower

Bubble gum game. Jocelyn=fail. Just kidding :)

Cleared to exercise on this blasted knee of mine

Succeeded on a chemistry test

Classes ended

About to tackle a relatively manageable finals schedule

HOME for Easter

This has been an insanely crazy semester.  So many highs and lows but ALWAYS a silver lining.  

Me. Graduation:  3 months and 26 days away.

August 11 and 12.

BS in Athletic Training

BS in Exercise Science

Awarded "Outstanding Senior Athletic Training Student" last week

That came with a lovely Tucano's gift card!

Dr. Allsen says, "It's not bragging if you got it." So, I  promise I'm not bragging.

Just super stoked.

Jason: Cancer Research Fellow for summer 2011.

Working with BYU, U of U, National Institute of Health, Huntsman Cancer Center, and Harvard University.

Doing animal trials on a couple of drugs that may be able to
*Slow down the metastasis of cancer*
Woah.   

Now I am bragging.

This kid is super smart.
How did I get so lucky?

Current plans:
Jason graduates in April 2013 with a
BS in Biophysics 

Minor in Music
I graduate in April 2013 with a 

MS in Exercise Science

Emphasis in Athletic Training

Drive off into the sunset,

a.k.a higher education for Jake.

Possibly an M.D./Ph.D program.

Life is the 

Craziest. Adventure. Ever.

Reason 120: Conquering Wednesdays

Tuesday, February 1, 2011.

Every Wednesday is a battle.  Basically it is the longest day of my life- ever.  I am mentally preparing for tomorrow, knowing that it's my second to last "real" Wednesday before I have surgery.

6:00 am- Yoga

9:00 am- Marriage and Family (Great Class, Brother Dorius is highly recommended)

10:00 am- Clinical 4 

11:00 am- American Literature 

12:00 pm- Chemistry

1:00 pm- Eat, practice the piano.  Jason is taking private voice lessons and I'm his accompanist.

2:00 pm- Men's Volleyball.  Tape, treatments, etc.

3:00 pm- Men's Volleyball Practice

6:00 pm- Finish practice, close training room, go home to eat.... quickly.

7:00 pm- Work.  I ref water polo for intramurals... not real water polo, they are in tubes :)
10:00 pm- Go home.  Breathe a sigh of relief.  Success.  Easy sailing til next Wednesday!

Except for that little thing called a chemistry test....sigh.  I am super excited for this weekend, though!  Men's volleyball is playing UCLA in the Smith Fieldhouse on Friday AND Saturday night at 7 pm! And the fam-in-law is coming up to visit... pretty stoked :)

Eight days til surgery.  I had a crazy thought today... maybe I will be able to RUN again after this surgery! Well, not soon.  Rehab is expected to be anywhere from 8 months to a year.  But maybe by 2012 I can run again... that'd be a blessing.  I miss it so much.

Congrats to Jocelyn and Skyler!  I am super happy for them and wish them all the happiness in the world!

Reason 118: ..... and Orca Grants!

Thursday, January 27, 2011.

Well, the diagnosis is officially in.  I went and saw my orthopedic surgeon yesterday and we decided to do an ACL revision surgery on February 10.  I definately have mixed feelings about this.  My knee is so bad I can barely find an activity to do to workout.  I can't squat down to tape an ankle, if I ever had to spineboard an athlete I would be in excruciating pain from kneeling, my knee gives out all the time, and I have no stability.  On the other hand, I am just thinking about how AWFUL I felt after my first surgery- never slept, didn't want to eat, could only sleep on my back, headaches... ugh.  But in the long term I know there is no way I could live with my knee like this.  And right now, I have access to one of the best surgeons in Utah.  Most surgeons perform about 10-15 ACL reconstructions a year.... Dr. Kimball performs about 150 ACL Reconstructions a year.  He has also done a fair share of revisions and most surgeons have not done that.

So... here we go with surgery number three!  14 days and counting.  Gotta get my handicap parking pass, figure out how to navigate this massive campus, talk to teachers, and get this thing rolling!

And today we have some *WAY* exciting news!  JASON GOT AN ORCA GRANT!  I am soooo proud of him!  ORCA stands for "Office of Research and Creative Activities."  Jason did his proposal about cancer metastasis.  Maren also got an ORCA grant!  She is in the crayfish business :) hehe.  Do I know the smartest, coolest people or what?  Each grant is worth $1500!  Way cool, right?

Reason 114: Jambalaya, Football, and Bountiful Baskets

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Productive weekend so far.  And guess what?  There is one more day of it!  YES!  It's late so this will be short. But....here is a list of weekend successes!

1. Bountiful Basket

Do you see that goodness?  Bountiful Baskets is a co-op where you pay $15 and they go to farmers and markets and such and bring in all of these fruits and vegetables, divide them up for everyone that paid, and you pick them up!  Each basket is kind of a surprise- you never know exactly what you will get.  They try to stick with 50% fruit and 50% vegetables.  We also bought the Mexican pack of foods (peppers, tomatillos, onions, etc) and 2 pounds of granola.  Doesn't that all look delicious?  Mmm mmm good.  

2. Green Bay Packers

Packers won!  They didn't just win, they ate the Falcon's for dinner.  In the front of this picture is my Clay Matthews.  HOLY CRAP he is talented.  This picture is from NFL.com with the caption "The old adage is that defense wins championships.  The four teams still standing have the defensive playmakers to prove it." These are four very talented guys right here.
Next Sunday.  One pm.  Packers vs Bears.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP.

Bears are gonna get killed.  I hate the Bears.

3.  Jambalaya 

Jake and I made jambalaya this week!  We are super cultured like that.  Haha :)  Here is the recipe we used...

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pound frozen cooked shrimp without tails

It was so good!  We did it in our slow cooker so it smelled yummy all day.  Last night we put it over rice, tonight we put it over butternut squash.  I'd TOTALLY recommend the squash... healthier and way more flavor.

4. Granola chocolate chip cookies.

Yum.

I think I am obsessed with granola.
We also had granola, fruit, and yogurt for breakfast today.

Can you say amazing?

5. Dating and Courtship Class

It is with great sadness that we taught the final Sunday School lesson of our "Dating and Courtship" a.k.a. Marriage Prep class in a singles ward at BYU today.  

This class was SO much fun!  The classroom always filled up, so we got lots of cool discussions going with the class.  We got to teach on things like finances, communication, forgiveness, prayer, challenges, unity, and more.  We loved it and we will definately miss it.  But we also got word today that the renters are moving out of our Springville apartment in about 6 weeks! YAY!  

Reason 113: The tale of the Missing Laundry

January 14, 2011.

Last Saturday, we joined the rest of our complex in doing laundry in the Cambridge Court Laundry Room. We ended up needing four washers because we literally washed EVERYTHING- you know, one of those days.  We put the laundry in and left for a couple errands.  This took longer than anticipated and I was worried because we were late picking up laundry on such a busy day.  When we did get there, two of our washers had our wet clothes sitting on top (kind of weird knowing someone else touched your clothes- but I guess I would've done the same thing if there was such a demand for a washer).  So, I put all the clothes in the dryer and later return to pick all of the laundry up.

Over the next few days, I began to notice that pieces of laundry were missing.  First, it was my BYU Football Game day polo.  Then it was my Nike Golf Pants.  Then my under armour shirt.  Then my white BYU shorts and a white Sports Medicine tshirt.  Basically- I had lost everything I took to the bowl game. I was totally baffled.  Either:

A) Someone strategically combed through four loads of laundry to find EXACTLY what I wore the last two days of the New Mexico Bowl.
B) They had fallen out of the hamper and were somewhere in the closet.
C) I had taken them home to St. George and just- lost them all there.
D) I lost my mind and those clothes never existed.

The final straw was when, after only five days, I ran out of G's. I knew that THAT wasn't possible.  Who'd steal those?  It was all too weird.  I was just going to (sob) move on from all of my lost apparel.

I took the GRE today and got home to my wonderful husband who had all the laundry done, dinner was cooking, and the apartment was clean.  And lo and behold, my polo and pants and all of the other clothes were hanging nicely on the rack.

I had left them in the washer last week.  So the most correct answer is "D"- I have lost my mind (although, thankfully, my clothes still exist).

Reason 112: Condoleezza Rice

January 13, 2010.

Do you want to know one of the things I love about BYU?  They get the coolest devotional and forum speakers.  I've been blessed to hear from the Prophet, apostles, authors, musicians, astronauts, and now a very influential politician.  Condoleezza Rice came to BYU today and gave a fantastic talk about our nation and a lot of her opinion's.  Jason and I decided to go at the last minute and I am SO grateful we did.  I was amazed at her power of speech, her charisma, and her sense of humor.  In a 50 minute lecture, I was able to learn a LOT about why things are happening/have happened/and should happen in our nation.  

I love how we started out singing "Rejoice, the Lord is King."  That is a pretty powerful song with 18,000 voices!  My favorite point that she made was, 

“Today’s headlines and history’s judgments are rarely the same.”

Your life isn't necessarily about each individual day, but the culmination of day's and how it appears as one big group.  That is how you will be remembered in history.  And the beauty of this is that CHANGE IS POSSIBLE.  

"It doesn't matter where you came from, only where you are going."

Pretty cool.  Any day you can change your course.  It's just a cool perspective to have, especially when you consider the atonement.  And here is one last quote that I really enjoyed,

“As educated people, as people who are being given the gift of the transformative power of education, you have special responsibilities. You are fortunate that you are in a place here at Brigham Young University that believes that faith and reason go together, that does not see your intellect and your faith as enemies of each other, but sees them as integrally related in what you are.”

Did you know she was a music major for the first half of college?  She is a classically trained pianist.  Then she realized she didn't want to spend the rest of her life, "Teaching 13 year olds how to not murder Beethoven." Haha.  Looks like we were on the same page there!  

You can link to read more quotes from the forum HERE

And in other news, 

1. My husband is amazing.

2. I need this three day weekend.

3. I am refereeing water polo again... haha.  What a funny sport.

4. BYU Men's Volleyball is #2 in the NATION!  (They play #4 Standford this weekend)

5. Kelsi get's married in 8 days :)

Reason 111: Zumba!

January 10, 2011.

I think I wrote about this in April or May.. but Zumba is back!  I didn't have time for the classes in the fall because of football, but now I do.  Right now I think I will be doing yoga on MWF, Zumba on TTh, and some kind of weights/aerobics on Saturday.  I seriously love these classes.  For $48 dollars you get a wrist band and you can choose any classes you want to go to-- all semester.  There are about eight different kinds of classes for a total of 27 hours of class during the week.  I am SO stoked.  It will help my attention span to have all these different options.


And on another, less thrilling note, I finally saw an orthopaedic surgeon about my knee.  And it was a fail.  Literally- it was.  Dr. Kimball thinks that my ACL graft in my left knee has failed functionally and possibly structurally.  That means that....

This

and this

and this

....may all have to happen again.  Yep- they would redo my ACL reconstruction.  Can you say....awful? I wouldn't wish an ACL reconstruction on my worst enemy.  Ugh.  The only good thing that came from it was the rapid weight loss (hehe just kidding).  Nothing is for sure yet but I had a CT scan today and now we will just wait and see what the best course of action will be.  Meanwhile, I will try and continue these classes to the best of my ability (lots of compensation) and deal with it! 

Reason 110: And here we go again.

Sunday, January 9, 2011.

That was quick.  The holiday's have come and gone again.  A bit depressing, eh?  But now we are closer to the sunshine and summertime!

A quick rundown....

Fall semester was spent mostly in the Football Athletic Training room in the Student Athlete Building on Brigham Young University campus in Provo, Utah.   Every day from 1 pm to approximately 8 pm as well as all home games and most away games.  It was a rather large time commitment- but it was pretty amazing.  I was selected to go to the bowl game which was SO awesome!  Here are some pictures and a link to my Facebook album...

Flat billed New Mexico Bowl hats and gangsta trainers

Hooray New Mexico!

On the field

Me and Mary (and Kelts in spirit)

Chelts, Aly, Me, and Mary before the game

Click to here see the full album

Okay.  Then it was back to Provo and HOME to St. George!

That was a compilation of Christmas Eve, Christmas, Christmas break, and New Year's Eve.  ( And I realize that the Burton's don't take any pictures- ever.  But we did have Christmas with them, too!)  So much family- it was SO WONDERFUL!  We got to see Gran, Pops, Thomas, Sara, Greg, Sylvia, Paul, Ashly, Ali, Amanda, Jared, Dana, Justin, Josh, Joey, Julia, Jasmine... so awesome.  This big picture above is at midnight on New Year's Eve.  We went outside and we were banging pots and pans on the golf course and we were screaming.  Haha.  We also had my 21st birthday party that night!  Woot!

Here are some pics from my actual birthday...

Yep!  That is an un-labeled, pictorial rundown.  One more picture.  I got back to BYU and they had printed the poster to hang in the SAB about the bowl game.  I am so totally in the poster.  Can you spot me?  (Hint- grey sweatshirt)

Haha.

Now I am going to go watch the rest of Despicable Me with my amazing husband.