So, update in order - this one is mainly job related...
I finally managed to land a job near Daytona. I've been at Florida Hospital - Deland's outpatient clinic for 4 weeks now and I am loving it!! :) Orientation was a fabulous start, where they kept on emphasizing Christ centered compassionate care (it is owned by Adventist Health Systems), talked about the start of Adventist Health (basically the brothers that originally made Kellogg's corn flakes were in charge of the 1st Adventist "hospital" and the health system still holds to the idea of healthy eating, exercise and fresh air. I mean, really? Can I have a better fit in values in a place to work for? I think not. So we get to have lunch for free and I get to eat some pretty amazing salmon that's like $3.40, add in broccoli, carrots and a bottle of Aquafina for <$6 (and good crushed ice...you know the kind...). The salmon was better than the salmon I had at Red Lobster a week before.
Now I get over to my clinic (which is about 6 miles from the hospital...so I don't get to partake much in their amazing cafeteria...) and there are 2-5 therapists (all ladies - I'm filling in for the only man out on medical leave) there each day depending on the day of the week. They all seem to get along, work as a team, joke around, and learn new things and try to show me new things. Thus far, those main "new things" are Graston technique with the tools (which are $2700 to buy) and Kinesiotaping. (yes, that's the stuff you're seeing on all the Olympic athletes right now) So I'm getting to learn the basics of both of those (probably almost as well as I would in class which would be about $500 each for a class), and I've gotten to share some Strain-Counterstrain (Positional Release) with them...well, my book atleast...never taken a class on it! It's been great! Being here reminds me the good ole days of working at Laburnum...we had a good team and a lot of fun :)
The patient population is quite fabulous, too. I've gotten to work with a 6 year old up to those in the 80's, from orthopedic to neuro. We get 45 minutes to treat, 60 minute evals without any overlap, and a little documentation time! Probably my biggest challenge actually has been on the neuro side - particularly Parkinson's disease. Thankfully there just happens to be a free series of modules on APTA's Learning Center right now that I have been able to go through to get a few new ideas!
This has been an excellent change and about face from my time spent in Ft. Myers where I didn't have many patients, no other therapists at my clinics, and a small set of diagnoses. YAY! :)
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Honk for Jesus: Part 2
Ok, so just to show that I'm not all talk, I wanted to showcase my Honk for Jesus shirt... (I actually made it when I was still in Ft. Myers so over 2 months ago...Daytona is just keeping me a lot busier than Ft. Myers was so there's not as much downtime for blogging!)
The supplies:
Drifit shirt and iron on letters from Walmart: (they're a little smaller than I wanted...oh well)
Ironing on:
And the finished product!! :)
This is after using said shirt to do a very sweaty mountain biking ride at Spruce Creek Preserve near Port Orange, FL...so there were not any vehicles for me to actually try out my experiment on, but it works just fine in 105 heat index temperatures as it was today...
The supplies:
Drifit shirt and iron on letters from Walmart: (they're a little smaller than I wanted...oh well)
Ironing on:And the finished product!! :)
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Florida Keys: Observations
So being in FL, and never having been down to the Keys before, (and not currently working), Jonathan and I decided to go down to the Keys for a few days. So here are a few of my observations from that!
After talking with a few Florida natives, we determined that Key West itself might be a bit crazy, that the Floridians go to Islamorada instead. (which thankfully is a much shorter drive!) So we based ourselves out of Islamorada, which also happens to host some fabulous watersport activities. Actually, all of the Keys seem to be home to fabulous watersports, so I would highly recommend partaking in them if you go.
Surprising to me, the Keys were not full of long white sandy beaches everywhere you looked. On the contrary, much of the coast is mangrove swamp. There are definitely some areas of white sandy beaches, but if that's all you're looking for, I'd really recommend the gulf coast of Florida instead!
If you're ready to be a little more adventuresome, the Keys do offer many snorkeling and diving opportunities that are great due to the clear water, and fairly shallow reefs and many sunken ships several miles off the coast (unfortunately the snorkel from the beach options aren't the best, so for better viewing take a boat out a few miles). After doing a little research, we thought Alligator Reef off of Islamorada might be the best - lots of fish, shallow reef, and a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean to boot!
Fish love to hang out in the shade of the lighthouse and there are THOUSANDS!! (Unfortunately I didn't take an underwater camera, but a few highlights were: Blue Tang, Sergeant Major fish, Yellow Tail Snapper, grunts, little minnows, Rainbow Parrotfish - if you listened underwater you could actually hear the Parrotfish biting coral!, etc) We saw quite a few Barracudas, a Moray eel, and just after sliding off the boat near the lighthouse (our 2nd stop - first we stopped in a deeper reef for 45 minutes) I spotted a 5 foot grey nurse shark! I came right back up and yelled, "Shark!" and Jonathan was able to see it, but no one else was really in the water yet and thankfully the shark decided it didn't like humans that well (and I personally don't like sharks that well, even if they are supposed to be harmless like this type was).
Speaking of sharks and watersports, we also did a little stand up paddleboarding - well, about 3 hours worth - which was plenty! (all my little foot intrinsic muscles were very tired and sore after that! ...ok, so they were already sore from ultimate frisbee in cleats, but anyways) While SUP'ing, however, I saw 2 more, smaller sharks, about 2 feet long Black Tipped Sharks like this little guy:
We also paddleboarded by an area where a crocodile lives (again, I was very thankful NOT to see said crocodile with a measly 4" fiberglass board being all that separately me from the water) in someone's backyard, and out to Indian Key a half mile out to sea. There was once a settlement due to the wrecking trade in the 1800's that was attacked by Seminoles and largely burned and then turned over to the military - all that remains are a few cisterns and foundational structures on this tiny little island that once housed about 60 people.
So yes, we did go down to Key West for a little while one day, hit up the historic sites, which was fun! We saw mile marker 0, Hemingway's house, the "southernmost part" of the US, were closer to Cuba than a Walmart, lots of chickens walking around the town, the Key West lighthouse, and a few endangered Key Deer on the drive home!
As far as food goes, well, we ate a lot of fish (duh!) and Key Lime pie... Ma's Fish Camp and Islamorada Fish Company (yes, the same one that's in the Bass Pro Shops - this is the original!) did not disappoint at all and breakfast options in Islamorada were also quite tasty at Bob's Buns and Mangrove Mike's!
After talking with a few Florida natives, we determined that Key West itself might be a bit crazy, that the Floridians go to Islamorada instead. (which thankfully is a much shorter drive!) So we based ourselves out of Islamorada, which also happens to host some fabulous watersport activities. Actually, all of the Keys seem to be home to fabulous watersports, so I would highly recommend partaking in them if you go.
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| Alligator lighthouse about 3 miles off the coast |
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| The shallow reef near the lighthouse |
Fish love to hang out in the shade of the lighthouse and there are THOUSANDS!! (Unfortunately I didn't take an underwater camera, but a few highlights were: Blue Tang, Sergeant Major fish, Yellow Tail Snapper, grunts, little minnows, Rainbow Parrotfish - if you listened underwater you could actually hear the Parrotfish biting coral!, etc) We saw quite a few Barracudas, a Moray eel, and just after sliding off the boat near the lighthouse (our 2nd stop - first we stopped in a deeper reef for 45 minutes) I spotted a 5 foot grey nurse shark! I came right back up and yelled, "Shark!" and Jonathan was able to see it, but no one else was really in the water yet and thankfully the shark decided it didn't like humans that well (and I personally don't like sharks that well, even if they are supposed to be harmless like this type was).
Speaking of sharks and watersports, we also did a little stand up paddleboarding - well, about 3 hours worth - which was plenty! (all my little foot intrinsic muscles were very tired and sore after that! ...ok, so they were already sore from ultimate frisbee in cleats, but anyways) While SUP'ing, however, I saw 2 more, smaller sharks, about 2 feet long Black Tipped Sharks like this little guy:
| I did not take this picture...but it looks the most like what I saw! |
We based our snorkeling and SUP'ing adventures out of Robbie's Marina, just a few miles from where we stayed in Islamorada. There are other activities such as deep sea fishing, kayaking, and feeding the tarpon you can do there. Feeding the tarpon?! Yup, you can see these 100 lb fish fighting over the food you throw them from the dock at Robbie's. Costs you a dollar, but would be highly entertaining for small children... OR, if you happen to have rented a SUP or kayak from them, you might actually want to stay a little further away as I was a little scared paddling back in as these HUGE fish thrashed around as people fed them that I might just get bumped off my paddleboard into the water with all them!
So yes, we did go down to Key West for a little while one day, hit up the historic sites, which was fun! We saw mile marker 0, Hemingway's house, the "southernmost part" of the US, were closer to Cuba than a Walmart, lots of chickens walking around the town, the Key West lighthouse, and a few endangered Key Deer on the drive home!
And off course we also sampled some more Key Lime Pie...
So overall, I would say if you're looking for a more laid back approach to the Florida Keys, Islamorada is an excellent (and cheaper!) way to go, but if you like a more lively "scene" then Key West would be a better choice. Also from Key West you can visit the Dry Tortugas (if you have a reservation far enough in advance) which look pretty awesome!! If we had been in Key West longer, however, I would have loved to have tried the all inclusive beach pass for a day which had a parasail, kayaks, SUPs, Windsurfing, Sailing, etc!
So a recap/words of advice if you're heading to the Keys? Stay atleast part of the time in Islamorada, take lots of bug spray and sunscreen, and indulge in various water activities besides sunbathing! (and eat lots of fish and Key Lime pie!!)
It's all about effort and attitude!
So when I was in high school, we had a couple basketball t-shirts with sayings on them...one reminiscent of Notre Dame: "Play like a champion today", and the other I think Coach Harvey kinda made up himself: "It's all about effort and attitude".
I might not play that much basketball anymore (sadness I know...but I would love a game of pickup if anyone's interested), but I've been struck recently be how true that second quote is in life... A few examples:
In my last rotation, I was in an office where the 'leader' was the doctor, though unofficial, he is the one in the position of power afforded by his credentials. Effort I can't necessarily speak to as I am unaware of the productivity and things along that line, however attitude was easily observable. I was at 2 clinics a week for the same practice, however different staff at the 2 locations. They were set up similarly - 1 MD, 2 PA's, multiple medical assistants and office staff. However, the palpable feel was very different, and as I spent more time there, I believe the attitude of the "leader", in this case the doctor, makes a huge difference in the overall attitudes of the rest of the staff - which were constantly complaining, often out on sick days, often upset. In this clinic the doctor had many complaints as well, and seemed to expect others to fix problems that affected him which he could also help fix. In the other clinic, things were busier as far as caseload it seemed, however the MD and his main PA took it in stride and maintained a good attitude - joking, seriously considering problems without yelling or demeaning another, teaching other staff as they went along.
So I tried a little experiment - with the office that needed an attitude adjustment, I tried to be very friendly, not get into too much gossip, constantly ask if there were ways I could help, and even brought them some ice cream sandwiches on what seemed like it was a very stressful day. And while they seemed to have a fabulous opinion of me with all that, it didn't seem to do much to alleviate the overall tension and attitude of the office.
So that led me to conclude that 1 random happy person cannot completely change attitudes, however 1 well positioned person can definitely sour attitudes (and hopefully improve them as well). I guess I'm a little naive to just be struck with this so much at this particular time - thus far I have been blessed to have bosses who do lead by example and work to create solutions rather than complain about circumstances.
So that being said, if you are in a position of power and/or influence (as said at Second Mile), your attitude will greatly affect the quality of life of those around you - use it for good! And since we all have someone(s) we influence somehow, it's a challenge to myself to not complain, but seek to improve bad situations, and as I Peter 2:23 says, "When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he ENTRUSTED HIMSELF TO HIM WHO JUDGES JUSTLY."
If I entrust myself, my job (or current lack thereof), my relationships to the Lord, it puts a different light on things - I don't need to complain, or throw myself a pity party, or sulk when things don't go my way - instead I need to keep looking for what the next opportunity God may have for me is, and try to consider what He may be trying to do in my/other's lives with my current circumstances (not that I may ever realize what that may be).
I might not play that much basketball anymore (sadness I know...but I would love a game of pickup if anyone's interested), but I've been struck recently be how true that second quote is in life... A few examples:
In my last rotation, I was in an office where the 'leader' was the doctor, though unofficial, he is the one in the position of power afforded by his credentials. Effort I can't necessarily speak to as I am unaware of the productivity and things along that line, however attitude was easily observable. I was at 2 clinics a week for the same practice, however different staff at the 2 locations. They were set up similarly - 1 MD, 2 PA's, multiple medical assistants and office staff. However, the palpable feel was very different, and as I spent more time there, I believe the attitude of the "leader", in this case the doctor, makes a huge difference in the overall attitudes of the rest of the staff - which were constantly complaining, often out on sick days, often upset. In this clinic the doctor had many complaints as well, and seemed to expect others to fix problems that affected him which he could also help fix. In the other clinic, things were busier as far as caseload it seemed, however the MD and his main PA took it in stride and maintained a good attitude - joking, seriously considering problems without yelling or demeaning another, teaching other staff as they went along.
So I tried a little experiment - with the office that needed an attitude adjustment, I tried to be very friendly, not get into too much gossip, constantly ask if there were ways I could help, and even brought them some ice cream sandwiches on what seemed like it was a very stressful day. And while they seemed to have a fabulous opinion of me with all that, it didn't seem to do much to alleviate the overall tension and attitude of the office.
So that led me to conclude that 1 random happy person cannot completely change attitudes, however 1 well positioned person can definitely sour attitudes (and hopefully improve them as well). I guess I'm a little naive to just be struck with this so much at this particular time - thus far I have been blessed to have bosses who do lead by example and work to create solutions rather than complain about circumstances.
So that being said, if you are in a position of power and/or influence (as said at Second Mile), your attitude will greatly affect the quality of life of those around you - use it for good! And since we all have someone(s) we influence somehow, it's a challenge to myself to not complain, but seek to improve bad situations, and as I Peter 2:23 says, "When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he ENTRUSTED HIMSELF TO HIM WHO JUDGES JUSTLY."
If I entrust myself, my job (or current lack thereof), my relationships to the Lord, it puts a different light on things - I don't need to complain, or throw myself a pity party, or sulk when things don't go my way - instead I need to keep looking for what the next opportunity God may have for me is, and try to consider what He may be trying to do in my/other's lives with my current circumstances (not that I may ever realize what that may be).
Friday, May 25, 2012
Unexpected Grace
Mr. Officer asks for my license, registration, and proof of insurance. I get everything out and then as I look at my wallet realize that my license is in my gym bag, at home. He thinks I mean it's packed in all my stuff in the back of my car (since I'd loaded up most of my belongings last night), but no, it is back at the condo, in my gym bag with my travel pass. another utoh. So now I'm looking at speeding AND driving without a license and I'm an out of stater... So he takes down my info and is gone a long time. I finish my smoothie (bananas, KALE, and berries). So he comes back with my info and a white piece of paper in his hand. Utoh...
Then he explains, this is a written warning, not a ticket, to buckle up and have a nice day...
That's when I start crying.
Why is it that the 2 times I get pulled over and don't get a ticket when I was speeding I start crying AFTER they tell me I don't get a ticket, but the one time I actually get a ticket for speeding I don't cry at all?
I think it's grace, and how it's something we don't deserve...
Perfect example of how God's grace leads us towards repentence.
"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" Romans 2:4
When I actually did get a ticket, there was a consequence, one that I could meet on my own, pay the fine for what I did wrong, accepting the consequences for a known wrong doing (I think that one was 77 in a 65...or maybe 72 in a 55...I don't remember (thankfully it wasn't reckless driving though!) )
However, when we're talking about life here, there's no way I can repay all of the ways I've missed the mark of perfection, that's a fine I cannot pay in and of myself to get back in the "black" with God. So I could try to get around paying the consequences, and go to a "jail" of the most awful kind because I just keep ignoring the 2nd, 3rd notice that arrive and tell me I haven't paid the sign. Thankfully God often gives us even more "notices" than that, but how often do we ignore them? Somewhere along with way maybe one of the "notices" sink in and we realize we CANNOT pay out the huge fine that now sits with our name on it. Gazzillions of Euros (since those are worth more than dollars) owed because of these little lawbreaking things I've done.
Then Someone comes along and offers to pay your fine.
WHAT?! How in the world do you have gazzillions of euros? You look pretty ordinary, nice, but ordinary to me...
"Well", He says, "I do own the cattle on 1000 hills, but this takes even more than that. It'll cost my life, but you're worth it."
WHAT?! You're willing to die for me? Why?
"Because I love you", He says.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Airboat tour! A Florida must!
You may see alligators:
Lots of birds...
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| This one is called a 'stilt legged' |
A 2 minute movie, including a 'nas' gator at the end!
At the end of your tour, you might even get the chance to hold a real, live alligator!! :) They're surprisingly soft, not too wiggly, and will "smile" if you tap on their nose!!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Don't Run with Pencils
Ok, so in the past week I have been to 3, count'em 3, Mary Kay things. Checked out the women's small group at church, where they were doing "facials" as an end of semester thing, which turned out to be the Mary Kay makeovers. So at the end, they ask you if you'll be willing to help - host a small party, host a big party, listen to the marketing spiel, become a consultant, etc. Or you can say, NO! I never want to help you or have anything to do with Mary Kay which just makes you feel like a bad person. So interesting option, you can be a "face" model at their consultant meeting sessions they hold weekly. So myself and another girl signed up for that option. It was kind of the same thing as we did in the mini makeover, and at the end we went in and told the consultants what we liked the most, etc. Then Thursday went to listen to the marketing for becoming a consultant - was really doing in support of my new church friend (the girl I went with on Tuesday) as she was intrigued by what she heard Tuesday night, plus it helps our lady from church to get to do 2 instead of just 1. However she had to stay home, so I got to go learn about being a MK consultant all by myself. It wasn't as scary as I thought.
However, if you know me, you know I'm not really a make up person.
That being said, eyeliner scares me. Seriously, who decided it was a good idea to put a sharp pencil up next to your eye?! Didn't your mother teach you not to walk/run/skip with pencils pointing up because you might trip and stab your your eye out?! So wouldn't that translate into don't put pencils near your eye to begin with?!
So Saturday I had my first encounter of me trying to put eyeliner on myself. It looked like this...
However thankfully on the 2nd time around on Tuesday night, I looked a little better, and managed to not poke out my eye.
So all that to say, I'm glad to be improving, but some how doubt I'll make the jump into eyeliner any time soon. And as you can see my skills at Paintbrush improved with 2nd time around, too! (although they really need a smudging tool!)
Mary Kay is definitely a pretty cool company for women, with good values and a great set up for rewarding hard work. Don't tell my boyfriend, but there's a woman near Daytona who's earned $4 million through it and bought her husband his 2nd airplane.
I think I'll stick to being a PT for now though...otherwise I'd have to get good with other devices like eyelash curlers. Those also freak me out - what if you accidently curl your eyelid instead of your eyelashes?!!
However, if you know me, you know I'm not really a make up person.
That being said, eyeliner scares me. Seriously, who decided it was a good idea to put a sharp pencil up next to your eye?! Didn't your mother teach you not to walk/run/skip with pencils pointing up because you might trip and stab your your eye out?! So wouldn't that translate into don't put pencils near your eye to begin with?!
So Saturday I had my first encounter of me trying to put eyeliner on myself. It looked like this...
 |
| with the squiggly lines being eyeliner, not my eyelashes |
Mary Kay is definitely a pretty cool company for women, with good values and a great set up for rewarding hard work. Don't tell my boyfriend, but there's a woman near Daytona who's earned $4 million through it and bought her husband his 2nd airplane.
I think I'll stick to being a PT for now though...otherwise I'd have to get good with other devices like eyelash curlers. Those also freak me out - what if you accidently curl your eyelid instead of your eyelashes?!!
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