Texas Time Travelin'

This past weekend I finally made it to Texas. We have had this trip planned for months! Every year in Austin, there is a women's slowpitch softball tournament. Teams come from all over the state to play in this tournament. I think I won the award though for most miles traveled to play. Friday afternoon I flew out of Philadelphia to Austin, but we had to make a stop in Houston. Crazy! We ended up leaving an hour late (typical for Philadelphia) but they somehow made up that time in the air and got us to Houston right on time. All we had to do was get rid of all those staying in Houston, load up those going to Austin and be on our way. Didn't work out that way. After they emptied the plane, they made an announcement that they decided that our plane would not be going on to Austin. Instead we all had to get off the plane and go wait 30 minutes until another plane arrived. The only problem is that we didn't have boarding passes or anything saying we were on that flight. The flight attendant reassured us though that he had a list of our name and he would let us back on the plane. So time came for us to board and sure enough, he had a list. All he asked was our last name and let us on the plan. No ID check or anything. But once we were up in the air, it only took us 30 minutes to get to Austin. Fastest flight I've ever taken.

When I got to Austin, my friends were there to pick me up. It was so good to see them and to be in Texas! I got in around 11:00 or so, so we headed back to the hotel, saw everyone, and then hit the hay. We were heading to the field at 7:30 the next morning so I needed to go to bed!

Our first game was at 9:00 and we actually played a team that we already played last summer in Mansfield. We ended up beating them, barely. Our next game was at 11:00 and the girls we were playing were pretty scary. I felt really small next to them. But, we were hot that game. We did have a couple of bad innings but were able to hold them off and beat them. After winning that game, we had a 2 hour break, so we busted out the grill and the meat from the Mexican meat market (how I've missed that!) and chilled in the parking lot.

Blanca and Tex, our cooks

Tex and me having a heart to heart

Our next two games didn't turn out so well. We played a couple of teams that were scrappy and we should have beat. We had more errors than I think we have ever committed in all of the games we have ever played. Horrible! But we enjoyed playing and had even more fun hanging out. I certainly miss this while I'm in Philadelphia!

Not Today

After we finished playing, we ended up staying at the fields and just hanging out for a couple of hours. We busted out the washers and had a blast!

Michele, Boose, and Molly

Heather and Tex playing washers

Blanca, me, Molly, and Boose

That night I finally got my mexican food. We went to Chuy's and ate before we went out on 6th Street. The first bar we went to ended up having a drag show. Crazy! Our very own Tennille was invited to join the girls on stage and was introduced as "the only one with real parts!" She rocked that stage too. They even inducted her into their sorority, Kappa Gamma Mascara, or something like that. We then headed to another club before heading back to the hotel.

Our own, Miss Diamond Stone

Tennille, me, Michele

Sunday everyone went their own ways. We grabbed breakfast and then hit up South Congress and did a little shopping. I, of course, bought a ring. It's a fun purple, green and navy ring. So Austin! Then we were headed to the airport to drop me off so my friends could drive back to Dallas. I won't lie. I was sad to be flying back to Philadelphia. I really enjoyed being back in Texas and spending time with my friends. While I love it in Philly, I think I'll be ready to head back to Texas in July. I am so glad that I am getting this experience to live on the east coast, but I know that I belong back in Texas. I am at the halfway mark, so I plan on enjoying these next three months. I have a few more trips planned and have a lot to check off my list. I'm not quite ready to move but getting there.

As Time Goes By

We are closing in on the halfway mark of my time here in Philadelphia. I can't believe that I have been here for three months. And I really can't believe that I only have three months left here. I feel like there is so much that I still want to see and do. I do miss Texas, my family, and friends, but I don't think I'm ready to move home just yet. I do have a lot planned for the next three months. I think every other weekend for at least the next 2 months I am going to be out of town to somewhere. I'll be going back to Texas a couple of times, I am going to DC to the Cherry Blossom Festival, I'm hoping to go see my cousin in New York City, and planning a trip to Atlantic City. The other weekends I'm just hoping to see all of the sights in Philadelphia. There' so much!

I'm super excited about this weekend though. I am (finally!) heading back to Texas. I am going to Austin to play in a softball tournament and couldn't be any more thrilled about it. Not only am I excited about just being in Texas, but I haven't played softball since November. One, because I moved to Philadelphia and left all of my stuff in Texas, but also because I had shoulder surgery in November. I haven't thrown a ball since then and I know I'm going to be quite rusty. Even though I was not the most compliant patient in doing my exercises, I feel pretty good about my shoulder since I've been working out with Lance. I really do feel like it's getting stronger. We will see if that's true this weekend!

Spring is on it's way here in Philly! This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous. Best weekend I've had in Philly yet! I went and played flag football with one of my students and had an awesome run Sunday morning. I love the spring. It's still cool in the morning and evening, but the sun is shining and it warms during the day. Fabulous! What I also love about spring is that it's the beginning of baseball season. And there's no better city to be in than Philadelphia for baseball season. The Phillies have a great schedule and I'm trying to make it to as many games as possible. I've already purchased tickets for the Red Sox game in May and I'm looking at buying tickets to the Nationals and Cubs games as well. I absolutely love watching baseball and sports in the east is so different than in Texas. The fans here are so passionate about their teams. Sometimes a little too much, but it just makes things a little more exciting.

Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries

It's been a good and interesting Thursday here in Philadelphia.

1. I got off early and was able to walk home when the sun was shining bright. On the way home I saw a couple walking two dogs and it made me think of (and miss!) Wilbur.

This is the latest picture my mom sent. While they were here in Philly, Wilbur was at Camp Bow Wow. Needless to say, he was pooped when he got home.

2. I went for a 4 mile run and it was great! I ran to Old City and then along Antique Row. There is so much to see in the city. I can't run with my Garmin because of all of the tall buildings. The GPS can't get a signal. I also have to stop and start a lot because of all of the traffic. I was only freaked out once today when I looked down to make sure I didn't fall and there was a homeless man asleep (in broad daylight, so maybe he wasn't asleep) on a steam vent. Yeah, I jumped.

3. Had a GREAT workout with Lance. I told him that my quads were sore from doing the leg press on Tuesday after he added 100 pounds. I also told him it was a good sore. So what did he have me do? Leg press with 100 pounds. He said he didn't want me to be deprived of that great feeling.

4. I'm going to be an aunt soon!!! No, Jason has not impregnated some girl. My best friend Autumn is at the hospital in Wichita Falls getting ready to deliver Landree Dilane. I'm super excited!!! Just sad that I can't be there.

Tomorrow is my last day to teach at Jefferson. I have enjoyed this so much and really think that I'd like to get into education. It's also nice to have the Friday away from the clinic. Starting next week though, it's back to a 5 day clinic week.

The weather here is also amazing and I can't wait to enjoy the city! I'm getting my camera ready to take all sorts of pictures of the sights ad with everything in full bloom!

Sunshine On My Shoulders

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it has been non-stop here in Philadelphia for the past month. Let's see if I can get us all caught up...

Conference

The first weekend in March (Friday through Tuesday) was The Hand Rehabilitation Foundation's Symposium. They have a meeting for the surgeons and a separate meeting for the therapists. It's a lot of sitting and listening to the experts in hand surgery and therapy. Even though you are listening to all of these great practitioners, it is still a lot of sitting. What made it worse was that it was the first gorgeous weekend in Philly since I've been here. And I had to be stuck inside all day.

What is nice about the conference is seeing old faces again and meeting new ones. I got to meet all of the past fellows that came back for the conference. I also got to meet some pretty well known (in the world of hand surgery and therapy) people.

This is Jennifer and myself with Evelyn Mackin. She is the namesake of our fellowship and the sweetest lady EVER. She was so much fun to sit and talk with. And she even signed our Rehab of the Hand books!

This is us with Dr. Schneider. He was one of the founder's of the Philadelphia Hand Center and a leader in hand surgery. He is also a huge flirt! He asked me where I was from and bust out into some song about Dallas. It was too funny!

This is Jennifer and me with Karen Schultz-Johnson. We have read so many of her papers and she is another great therapist. We had lunch with her on Tuesday and when she found out that we were the hand therapy fellows, she wanted her picture with us. She said "that way, when you are famous, I can look back and say 'I knew them when they were just beginning.'" She was too fun!

Conference is a great time, but it's also quite exhausting. We start Saturday morning and go to Tuesday afternoon, but then have to go straight back to work. I needed some recovery time and it didn't come. And since we were out for so many days, we play catch up for the next week. Crazy!

A visit from the family

Mom, Dad, and Jason all flew in the Wednesday after conference. It was so good to see them and show them my city. While I was at work Thursday and Friday, they went exploring. They saw all of the historical sites and then Mom took a tour of City Hall and Jason and Dad went to the Seaport Museum. I haven't done either of those things so I'll have to add them to the list. Thursday night we went to the Flyers game. That's something I can check off the list. They lost and there weren't any good fights, but it was still fun. Friday night we went to the Art Museum and saw the Picasso exhibit. It was really good. It was mainly his cubism art, which I find odd, but overall a good exhibit. Saturday it was pouring down rain! But, we braved it and went to the Eastern State Penitentiary. It is the oldest penitentiary in the United States. The cold and rain added to the experience.

This place is nothing like Alcatraz. It's falling apart and not kept up as well. We took a tour and the lady showed us many of the cells, including Al Capone's. I want to go back sometime this spring because they have an audio tour in the spring and you can walk around by yourself and see more of the penitentiary that isn't open in the winter.

A row of cells

The inside of one of the cells. They had little to no contact with their fellow inmates

Al Capone's cell. The guards treated him well. He was only here for a year on charges of carrying a concealed weapon.

Mom and Dad left Sunday afternoon, but Jason didn't leave until Monday morning. So, Sunday Jason and I just walked around town. We did go to Monk's and he was quite impressed with their selection of beer. They have an entire booklet on all of the beer they have. Jason said he hadn't even heard of half of them.

It was so good to see my family and get to hang out with them. I hadn't seem them in 2 months, but I talk to them so often that it didn't seem like that long. They are already planning another trip back so that we can go to Valley Forge and the Amish community.

So no I get to rest. And I'm so ready for it! This weekend I have nothing planned. I am going to try and get a good long run in on Saturday and then I'm just going to enjoy the weather. It has been so gorgeous here. The sun has been shining on my walk to work and it's been fabulous. Even better is the fact that it's still light outside when I get off work. It reminds me of the summer when I was growing up. We would stay out so late playing in the yard. Things here are also starting to grow and the parks are green. I can't wait to enjoy it more this weekend!

And then next weekend I'm Austin bound!!!! I can't wait! I'm so excited to be back in Texas and it will be my first time to play softball since my surgery. I feel like working with Lance has made my shoulder stronger so we will see how it holds up next weekend.

So, there in a nutshell is what I've been up to the past few weeks. Still enjoying Philadelphia!

Bad Moon Rising

There has got to be a full moon out because all the crazies have made their way to our clinic. Man! I think every patient that walked through the door today had issues. The minute I stepped foot in the office, our office manager tells me that they had to switch some patients around so I wouldn't be seeing my patient, but instead a patient that no one likes to treat and she doesn't like certain therapists. So, they give her to the fellow?! Great. Thankfully the rest of my schedule didn't look so bad.

It was very crowded in the room though. We have our conference this weekend so we have some visiting therapists. Yesterday we only had two. Today we had 7. It was a nightmare. The room we treat i isn't very big and when you have us, the patients plus 7 extra people, it becomes a madhouse. But, I just put my head down and worked my tail off. I must say. I do like it when it's busy and crazy. Makes it go fast and adds excitement to the day (and the end of the day when we sit with Dave and make jokes about everything (read everyone). Dave had it the worst though. In a nutshell, he could be considered a s*** magnet. Everyone of his patients was a head case. But he does so well with them. Everyone loves Dave. So when they hate every other therapist, we put them on Dave's schedule.

One unexpected thing I learned today was about "turkey chops". At first when this guy was telling me he cut his finger while cutting turkey chops, my reaction was "what's a turkey chop?" It took awhile for me to realize it's like pork chop, only made out of turkey. That was a new one.

I'm still going strong with my personal trainer, Lance. He has given me a lecture or two about taking care of my shoulder and doing my PT for it. (he just had a total hip replacement and has being doing his PT, so he's getting onto me for not doing mine). He also hasn't been to thrilled with the fact that my tailbone still hurts. It hurts to sit, to walk, to lay down, to run. Lance even threatened to stop training me and make me rest. So, I talked to one of the ortho fellows (it's so nice to get free medical advice) and he told me I could keep running and lifting. It would just be painful. There's nothing to do about it. So, I told Lance that and we hit it hard tonight with a good leg workout. I ran a couple of miles before lifting and was hoping to get in another couple after. Not today! My legs were done after Lance was finished with me. Such a great feeling! Good way to work off frustration from all the crazies!

Something's Gotta Give

Boy am I happy to see this week end. And possibly next week too. It's just been a whirlwind. Starting yesterday, we have tutorial guests visiting the clinic, so there are so many people in a not so big space. Then conference starts on Saturday and goes until Tuesday afternoon. Not only is conference from 8-5, but then there is a dinner every night. But I am excited that right after conference is over, my family is coming to Philadelphia.

It doesn't help that there is a full moon and we have had some crazies come out.

Crazy #1: I treated this patient Monday who was quite the "Debbie Downer". Nothing will make her happy. In fact she has been in the office every day this week for a splint adjustment and has no problems with placing blame on whichever therapist adjusted her splint the last time. My name was drug through the mud a couple of times. Oh well. Not the first...won't be the last!

Crazy #2: Showed up at the clinic yesterday...with a gun. Now, he does have his CHL. But he also has a neurological disease that would make him a little unsteady. Do you want him shooting and gun, not knowing where that bullet is going to fly?

On top of all the crazies, we were pretty slammed yesterday. Luckily the "curse of Cara" was working and 2 of my patients didn't show up so I was able to help on splints. I was even able to make my first Sugartong splint on a patient by myself. It's not the easiest splint to make, but it was a fun one to make. When given the opportunity, I jumped on it!

This was the one I made on Dave, but you get the idea.

So, we will see what today brings. Our schedules are getting busier and busier. Which is great. I love when we have busy days (and I'm in a good mood). It makes the day go by so fast and it's just to try and tackle a day like that.

Riding the Rails Again

What a disappointment. Friday morning I woke up to only about 1 inch of snow on the ground. I thought for sure that Southwest would try anything and everything to get flights out. Well, I was wrong. They cancelled all morning flights and I was hanging onto hope that they would let my plane leave. Around 10:30 I got the dreaded message saying my flight was cancelled. I was not happy. I was supposed to run the Cowtown 1/2 Marathon Saturday morning, get my hair done that afternoon and see my friends and family. The worst part is that they snow stopped around 11 or so and the sun decided to appear. So, it became quite a gorgeous day, but marred with cancelled flights. Boo on you Southwest.

After updating my status on Facebook, a friend of mine that lives in Baltimore invited me down. What's so nice about the east coast is that there are so many cities so close together and you can take Amtrak to any of them. So that's what I did. I caught a 5:00 train headed to Baltimore. It was a nice train ride too, that is once we were able to leave. The train was delayed about 30 minutes. It only takes about an hour or so to get to Baltimore with only 1 stop in between. Not bad. It was really nice to get out of the city for the weekend. Baltimore is a "big city" but it's not cluttered with high rises like it is in Philadelphia. There is some open space. It was also nice to sleep in an actual bed. Sleeping on a futon is not so fun and I was certainly looking forward to sleeping in a real bed while I was home. So even though I was unable to go to Dallas, this was a nice alternative. I also can't wait to go back in the spring and catch an Orioles game!

Another item to check off my Philly To Do List: Baltimore