2 more reasons my cat is a dog

1. she comes when she's called (preferably call her "Kiii-tty")
2. she ate my leather shoelaces out of my sperry top siders (bummer) but i love her!

FW: Day 1 at The Med

So, today was my first day of FW! It was quite interesting & exciting! My classmate from Chattanooga (we'll call her Linda) & I rode together since neither of us really knew where to go! It was great to have someone else share the same excitement, anxiety, and curiousity as me - it helped validate the spectrum of feelings i was having!

We did mostly orientation stuff in the morning, got ID badges for The Med (yeah, we're legit!), and flipped a coin to see where we would be: heads=Linda in outpt & acute; tails=Linda in inpt. Well, it landed on tails. So Linda headed upstairs (:() far away from where I was. But I met my CI and she seems great! She's got tons of personality and seems easy to get along with. I think I can learn a lot from her, too! What was really neat to discover is that she actually has her OTD and a deep passion for occupational therapy. I'm excited to get to know her & learn from her.

I got out a little early today, so I headed over to the building where our OT school is to find one of our professors. Today was his last day at UT (:() but he wasn't there! Apparently he's been working from home the last week. But I'll try to reach him another way. He's in town until mid-July.

Speaking of July - tomorrow is our 2 year wedding anniversary!!!!!! And it also marks our 8 year dating anniversary!!!!!! Boy, it's been a blast! He's so awesome (i tell him that all of the time & he says i had better stop or his head will explode from being too big!).

This afternoon, B & I went to the library, Kroger for tilapia - which they didn't have. What?!?! Kroger didn't have tilapia?!?! nope. then we came home. Our landscaper stopped by and told us we can now cut our yard if we want (YAY!) which means we've been watering it properly (more yay!).

So, today, B accomplished giving us 3 brand new light fixtures for free. Well, kind of. We bought a ceiling fan from Home Depot with AmEx points & replaced the fixture in our bedroom with that. We then moved our breakfast room chandelier thing into the dining room (no more 1950s chandelier!!) and put the fixture that was in our bedroom into the breakfast room. So there you have it folks! 3 new light fixtures for free!!

After dinner, we went to a local trail on a river that runs through town & rode our bikes for about 4.5 miles. It's so fun to do that plus that area is soooo beautiful. I have to remind myself that, yes, Kerri, this really is Memphis, Memphis can be beautiful!

When we got home, we were taking our bikes off of the rack on my car & a neighbor (whom we've never met) was walking by and told us our house/yard/grass looked beautiful!! After 6 months of a 7-ft-deep trench & dirt for a front yard, I'd say anything is an improvement! I just wonder what people/neighbors thought for those 6 months!!! Probably nothing good!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow & will hopefully get to see some more patients/clients as opposed to orientation kind of stuff (though that's necessary!). Anyway. I'm excited & heading to bed! 5:15 comes early!!

xoxo
Kerri

gin rummy's the best

gin rummy is the best game ever. My Gramma taught me how to play. My fam's been playing it for generations apparently. My great-grandfather (Grampa Hatch - my Gramma's dad) played like a champ. I like to think that when I beat my Gramma at a game of gin rummy, that it makes my Grampa Hatch proud :). Brent & I love to play. We played yesterday & tonite! It's a great stress reliever, too.

I'm really excited about my FW starting tomorrow!! I hope everything goes well! I'm really excited to have a friend/classmate from Chattanooga at the Med with me!

We've had a great & relaxing day! We went to church, hung out, at lunch, sat out on our DECK in the shade & read!, then we helped E&M move stuff (long story). Well, really, B helped move stuff & I helped watch the kids! The kids & I went for a walk then went to TCBY. Jilly got rainbow yogurt & got it all over her face!! She was soooo cute & funny. Then we came home & started watching Juno which was hilarious btw. We grilled out marinated pork & veggie kabobs which turned out GREAT!

I had a happy nite...I've been working on Dottie's lingerie shower invitation using my computer & printer. It's been impossible. So, I gave in and went out to FedEx Kinko's. Well, lemme back up a little bit. The invites were $1 apiece off the internet. But, to have that company print them, it was $90!!! So I ordered the invites blank & hoped for the best! Anyway, went to FEK...typesetting (i.e. typing in the information) would have been $25! Instead, I went to their business station, typed it in Word, saved it to my jumpdrive, and did it in less than a minute & a half for 20 cents! Then, for her to print them up (much better than I ever could have at home) it cost an incredible $2.13!! YAYAYAY! Not only was it cheap, but it looks amazing! I couldn't believe it. Why didn't I do that sooner?!? ok. just got really excited about that!

OK - going to bed to get some rest b4 tomorrow's long day!! Good luck to all of my classmates!!

xoxo

PS If u get the chance to read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet then read it. It's great. I'm only half way through it (it's really long) but I love it!

ok gnite now!

get it highpoint

Brent played softball tonite with our church, Highpoint Church (check it out: www.highpointmemphis.com), and they won!!!!! Actually, they kicked some major boo-tay and the umps called the game when we were up 21-1 in the top of the 5th. B scored 2 runs & made a great play as catcher at home & got a runner out! B went 3 for 3 plus a sacrifice RBi! YAYAYAY!

fieldwork disasters! augh!

Well, I just received an email from my FW coordinator that my last FW which was going to be at the North Mississippi Regional Center in Oxford, MS (AKA God's country) has fallen through. I am so bummed. I should really be looking at it as there's some reason - there must be a better psychosocial placement for me out there.

I went to the Dr. today for my TMJ syndrome. Dr. Wener is awesome. He suggested I stop taking all the pain meds (Excedrin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol etc.) and try some migraine meds when I feel a headache coming on & perhaps an OTC sleep medication as needed. He was great (Thanks E&M!). I'm going in the morning there for a CT scan to be sure I have a brain. LOL

E is here at the house working with B (who is on vacation!). But that's ok! I enjoy the company!

B's so awesome - he finished the deck this morning!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAYAAY! We have an amazing, beautiful, large, fabulous deck built by 2 of my fave guys - B & my wonderful FIL!

Boy I'm sleepy - but the doctor says no more naps in the day b/c of my TMJ/headaches/sleeping probs! augh!

I'm excited for this weekend! Just relaxing, fun, and restful b4 my first day of Level 2 FW!!! Yay! I'm out.

xoxo

more of the same

loved the weather this morning! cool, sunny, refreshing! hard to believe it's June in Memphis!! Then it got bloody hot this afternoon! But that's ok!

Karen is here (as usual you will learn soon). She brought her own bagette to eat for dinner...gotta love her! She's stealing my cheese - noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I looooooove cheese!

Anyway.

Brent's dad (Ronald) came up today and helped B with the deck. Ron's so awesome to help us with all of our home improvements!

Dottie's lingerie shower invitations came in today!! I love them! They are so cute! Now, I just have to figure out all the funky margins & stuff & print them up! I worked on those a little this morning.

Well, Karen decided she didn't like my cheese so she's having a PBJ bagette. Hmmm. Oxford is very interested....

I then spent an hour trying to find a general practice doctor here in Memphis that is good (for my TMD). Finally, it dawned on me to just ask the Spiegels. And of course, they love theirs & I made an appt with him for tomorrow (YAY!!). I think it's hilarious - his name is Dr. Wener. Tehe. Too bad he's not my OBGYN. LOL

Can cockroaches fly (those found in Memphis)?

B & I then went to Colco Fine Woods b/c we roll like that. The guy told us that he just got through turning a pen for Oprah...his neighbor's daughter lives in the same neighborhood as one of Oprah's houses in SoCal & knows Oprah. She's going to give her the pen to encourage Oprah to endorse her father's book that is about to be published. So, you heard it here first folks. Neither of us can remember the name of the guy or the book. So just keep your eyes & ears peeled. We're less than 6 degrees from Oprah!

Then we went all around Memphis - Sonic (for Cranberry Slush during happy hour!! Amazing), Home Depot, Costco. We also almost witnessed a wreck of a guy on a motorcycle - if we had been there 2 minutes eariler we would have seen it happen. The guy was still on the ground and covered in blood. No worries-the ambulance was there, he was conscious, and we were in a low-speed area so he could not have been going very fast.

We came home & unpacked. I didn't make it to Ave Maria Assisi Adult Day Center like I wanted to - I volunteer there. I try to once a week make it there and after this week b/c of fieldwork and the hours, I don't know if I'll be able to go each week :( I freaking love that place - and all the clients and the ppl who work there! You here that ladies - if I don't see you, I love you Leigh, Quita, Charlotte, Robin, Nancy, Renee'!! You're awesome!

Anyway. We got my car fixed - it was the catalytic converter. Or as someone I know once called it - my cadillac converter. Too bad - you mean my Honda can't be converted to a Cadillac anymore? Damn. The peeps who fixed it were great: Advance Muffler & Something on Summer Ave here in Memphis. They fixed my car in less than 45 minutes & had FANTASTIC customer service - which is hard to come by nowadays!

Now, Karen's here & might go with me to Curves tomorrow (I work there from 8-1 tomorrow). My aunt owns 2 of them & I work at the one in Germantown at Exeter (come visit!). Tomorrow's really my last day...I might be able to squeeze in a day or 2 here and there throughout FW but it's been a fun ride!

Anyway. So busy today, haven't showered yet! Better go do that! xoxo

PS I freaking love my dog-tranny cat (Oxford)! She's amazingly doggish!

home at last!

well, we've made it home from orange beach - at last! just a short post...my cat is a dog trapped in a cat's body:



1. My cat plays fetch.

2. My cat likes people.

3. My cat loves water.

4. My cat kisses my face.

5. My cat chases her tail (she's doing it right now!).

6. My cat is a dog that doesn't bark. And I love her.



boy, it feels good to be home! more tomorrow!



xoxo

i hate tmd!

TMD (AKA TMJ) is when someone has problems with the jaw and the muscles of mastication (chewing). Sometimes TMD can be caused by misalignment of the jaw. Symptoms include clinching, grinding your teeth, tender / tight muscles around the jaw (including trapezius), headaches, pain, etc. Symptoms can be exacerbated by stress.

All of that being said, I am at the lowest stress level in my life, yet my symptoms are the worst they've ever been. Ibuprofen does not work. I have to take Excedrin. For those of you who may not know, I don't drink caffeine (just water), and Excedrin has caffeine in it. So you can imagine that I'm bouncing off the walls much of the time! Secondly, experts advise those with TMD not to ingest caffeine as that may exacerbate the symptoms. So, I have a dilemma: take Excedrin for TMD-related headaches, not sleep well, and exacerbate my clinching/grinding. OR have excruciating headaches with no relief ever. hmmmm....what would you do?

It's quite hilarious b/c it's gotten to the point now where my grinding is so loud (I have a custom-fitted night guard) that I wake myself up! I often wake up B when I grind, too! He wakes me or grabs my jaw or something and I apparently stop (for the moment).

B/c I'm so active in my sleep, I am needing more and more sleep to feel rested. Last night I slept 11 hours - almost 12. And B still had to make me get up.

I know what you're thinking: GO SEE A DOCTOR!

Here's the problem: my insurance does not cover any treatment related to TMD. Bummer. I have researched 2 different specialists in Memphis & my first visit would be $300!!! AUGH!

First, I plan to see a general prac doctor when I get back to Memphis (do you recommend any?). We'll see what he/she recommends, then go from there. A $20 copay is much easier to digest than a $300 out-of-pocket fee.

If you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment!!!

OK, I abs HATE complaining, so let me close with this: we are about to get out of bed and get ready for the beach. I am so happy to be here with my honey! While I'm blogging he's just navigating around Google Maps on his computer following the roads down to Key West and back up again. He's so entertained! I love him! He's so freakin' cute!

xoxo

va-cay bay-bay

hellzyeah. B & I are finally on our vacation to Orange Beach, AL. We got here around 5:30 PM, checked out the beach, then went to dinner at a place called Hazel's Seafood Restaurant. I've decided I'm a little too much a food snob. It's really hard to find good food that's decently healthy for you. I tried to order the grilled mahi mahi - they were out. so i got the grilled grouper - and only ate half of it. They had a seafood buffet for like $25 per person (outrageous!) and it was outrageously bad for you. We were talking about how maybe we have become too accustomed to eating at home - making things how we like it. But I like it that way! That's how we stay healthy! I feel for those people's whose parents don't cook and they eat out all of the time. Blah! How can you do that and remain healthy?!? The only place with good food that's pretty good for you that I've found in my short life is Oxford! Another reason to call Oxford "God's Country."

Which reminds me. A lady at the airport in CA asked Mom and me where we were going. When we told her Memphis, the lady said she just got back from Greer's Fairy Lake (beautiful area might I add). While she was applying the following statement to AR, Mom and I both agreed the same holds true for Oxford: "It's like God made that place and then kissed it!"

We came down 45 all the way from Tupelo to Mobile; in other words, we basically drove down the length of the east side of MS today. Man, I saw some beautiful countryside. I would think it's hard to believe this is MS. Then I would think, well, really it's not hard to believe. This state has a lot to offer. More than most people realize!

I have recently and often thought of moving away from the South and maybe even the U.S. to live somewhere we've never been before just for a change and for fun and discovery. Then, I am reminded of how wonderful the South really is, how much My South has to offer (even MS!), and what a great place it truly is to live.

I am beginning to realize - I really do love it here. Just probably not Memphis!

Tomorrow, our plans are to hang at the beach & pool, read, sunbathe, shop (maybe), and RELAX. I am getting up and working out first thing (I know if I don't do it first, I won't do it!). This has now become my lifestyle - not just something I need to do! Vacation is no excuse!! (This is mostly a reminder to myself LOL). Ok - 2 long posts today. Hope you enjoyed them!

xoxo

My South

We're getting ready to leave for Orange Beach, AL, in a few minutes, but I wanted to share something that I loved! We went down to Oxford (our home town) for Father's Day. We ended up going to the Grove for a free concert with my parents to celebrate with my dad. It really made me miss Oxford. I truly love the South - the small towns, the college atmosphere - and especially Oxford. It's such a beautiful place and great town for great food, fun entertainment, and Ole Miss of course! It's also a wonderful place to raise kids...we'll probably move back there someday.

The following is an email I got from my dad (Richard; he's really my stepdad; I call my stepdad "my dad" and my real dad "my real dad."). Apparently he heard this guy speak at the Chamber of Commerce dinner in Oxford; he told this story. I found it very accurate, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Can you keep a secret?

This was written by Robert St. John, executive chef and owner of thePurple Parrot Cafe, Crescent City Grill and Mahogany Bar of Hattiesburg, MS.

Thirty years ago I visited my first cousin in Virginia. While hangingout with his friend, the discussion turned to popular movies of the day.
When I offered my two-cents on the authenticity and social relevance ofthe movie Billy Jack, one of the boys asked, in all seriousness; 'Do youguys have movie theaters down there?' To which I replied, 'Yep. We wear shoes too.'

Just three years ago, my wife and I were attending a food and wineseminar in Aspen, Colo. We were seated with two couples from Las Vegas.One of the Glitter Gulch gals was amused and downright rude when Idescribed our restaurant as a fine-dining restaurant.
'Mississippi doesn't have fine-dining restaurants!' she insisted andnudged her companion. I fought back the strong desire to mention thatshe lived in the land that invented the 99-cent breakfast buffet.

I wanted badly to defend my state, my region, and my restaurant with a15-minute soliloquy and public relations rant that would surely changeher mind. It was at that precise moment that I was hit with a blindingjolt of enlightenment, and in a moment of complete and absolute clarityit dawned on me -- my South is the best-kept secret in the country. Whywould I try to win this woman over? She might move down here.

I am always amused by Hollywood's interpretation of the South. We arestill, on occasion, depicted as a collective group of sweaty, stupid,backwards-minded, racist rednecks. The South of movies and TV, theHollywood South, is not my South.

This is my South:
My South is full of honest, hardworking people. My South is thebirthplace of blues and jazz, and rock n' roll. It has banjo pickers andfiddle players, but it also has BB King, Muddy Waters, the AllmanBrothers, Emmylou Harris and Elvis.
My South is hot. My South smells of newly mowed grass. My South was kickthe can, creek swimming, cane-pole fishing and bird hunting.
In my South, football is king, and the Southeastern Conference is thekingdom.
My South is home to the most beautiful women on the planet.
In my South, soul food and country cooking are the same thing.
My South is full of fig preserves, cornbread, butter beans, friedchicken, grits and catfish.
In my South we eat foie gras, caviar and truffles. In my South, ourtransistor radios introduced us to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones atthe same time they were introduced to the rest of the country.

In my South, grandmothers cook a big lunch every Sunday, so big that wecall it dinner (supper comes later).
In my South, family matters, deeply.
My South is boiled shrimp, blackberry cobbler, peach ice cream, bananapudding and oatmeal cream pies.
In my South people put peanuts in bottles of Coca-Cola and hot sauce on almost everything.
In my South the tea is iced and almost as sweet as the women. My South has air-conditioning.
My South is camellias, azaleas, wisteria and hydrangeas.
In my South, the only person that has to sit on the back of the bus isthe last person that got on the bus.

In my South, people still say 'Yes, ma'am,' 'No ma'am,' 'Please' and 'Thank you.'
In my South, we all wear shoes....most of the time.
My South is the best-kept secret in the country.
Please continue to keep the secret....it keeps the idiots away!

lowe's, target, and books-oh my!

It's been a busy 24 hours! We hosted Eric, Melinda, and their 8-month old beautiful bouncing baby boy (Dylan) last nite for dinner. I use the term "hosted" losely b/c they brought most of the food! It's been a while since we all have hung out and it was great fun! We didn't do anything structured, just laughed, ate, drank, and were quite entertained by the baby! I am so glad to have them as a couple to hang out with. AND it doesn't hurt that they have cute kids!

Today, I got up at 8:30 and went to my uncle Dale's house - I've been house/dog/cat sitting all week! It's been fun but I'm glad it's over! We then had our ritual Saturday morning pancakes (one of my fave rituals of ours!) and lounged around for a while. Then we went to Lowe's to look at metal panels for the 3 panel screen B is building for the area from our kitchen to our dining room. That way we can keep the kitty in an area that is big enough to maintain her interests an lower her troublemaking abilities!

After Lowe's we went to the library to find some fun books to take on our trip. We got The Old Man and The Sea by Hemingway on CD. I know what you're thinking but don't be jealous! Brent got some of his geeky mathematics/physics books so he can excitedly describe to me novel theories and philosophies...oh joy.

We then went to Target to buy me some new sunglasses b/c mine disappeared on mom & I's flight(s) to Cali. I was a little confused...the sunglasses that had 100% UV protection were $20. However, you could buy bargin ones (which we did) that were 99% UV protection for $6. I don't get it - why is 1% more UV protection so much more expensive?! And my next question, does that 1% really matter that much - are my eyes going to get scorched with that 1% UV burning through my sunglasses?

We've been packing all afternoon long. Melinda (we call her M sometimes) came over so we could show her our amazing-engineered-by-Brent sprinkler system for watering our (NEW!) yard. She's so awesome to do that for us. I know she's really busy so it means a lot to me that she would take time out of her day to do that for us!

I'm so glad Karen's back soon. We've really missed her...and her craziness. I talked to her briefly tonite - she's made it safely back to Nashvegas for a few days - then back home to Memphis on Tues.

I'm also helping Dottie (my best friend since diapers-our moms were college roommates) and John Mark (her fiance') with wedding planning since 1. I'm her MOH and 2. I've done it before (rather recently). It's been a blast so far, but I know Dottie is very stressed and strapped for time. I hope she continues to enjoy it, though - I think she will...it'll pay off! Everything will work out-it has so far...beautifully I might add.

Brent remembered at like 4 o'clock that he had a softball game tonite, so we went to that. They lost. But that's ok - it was quite entertaining. B has a headache for some reason :(. I hope he's feeling better by morning. I'm sure he will be - we're headed to the beach (yay!!)!

Well, laundry's done-gotta go finish packing! Hope I'm not boring u to death!

xoxo

PS - feel free to comment!

exciting first blog

yes, i'm a blog virgin. and probably not very good at it anyway - but i thought i might give it a shot. i have been trying to decide what i want to put on this blog but i'm not sure yet what the theme will be. i imagine it will be everchanging as life is most of the time anyway! well thanks for being patient and following my life...hopefully i won't bore you to death! xoxo