This is today's XKCD... exactly what we were talking about in Exercise Biomechanics on Monday. :) Gotta love when physics/science meets kinesiology!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Mugs and more...
Can I say that I am "in love" with these mugs...
Or this one that I got as a birthday gift from my friend Heidi...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Passports and plane tickets...
I have to say I'm in love with Google's Gmail themes. :) It seems like every time I check my email, the background's changed and shows some kind of desk detritus. This was part of this morning's Gmail theme:
Last night a couple of my friends and I somehow got on the topic of outdated IDs, horrible pictures on our A&M student ID card, our excitement over getting sideways driver's licenses, and passports. I got to thinking that since I got my current passport in 2008 the only stamps it's had are the entrance and exit stamps from Togo... one sad little page. My previous passports have been full of exciting stamps and fun stories of my globe-trotting adventures; not this one. I'll be returning to Togo over Spring Break with my parents as they serve as Associate Trainers with EQUIP Ministries to help lead a pastor's conference. I can't wait to hand the Togolese immigrations officer my little navy blue book and hear "Bienvenue au Togo."
Then yesterday as I *attempted* to clean up my room before my roommate moved back in, I came across the stubs of several plane tickets that I had stuffed in the pocket of my interview suit, the tiny Bible that I carry when I'm traveling, and the folder I took to all my PT school interviews. I love $99 same-day, round trip fares from College Station to Dallas/Ft. Worth! And then as I finished Dear John last night (see previous post) I found my ticket stub from IAW to CDG (Washington Dulles to Paris/Charles de Gaulle) from this summer... ah, fun memories.
I love passport stamps. I love airplane tickets. But what I really love is the excitement that always seems to accompany traveling. You're not quite sure if you're going to land on time, if you're going to be able to find your gate, if your bags are going to get there, or if your ticket is going to somehow get "marked" so that you get a pat-down search EVERY time you go through security. You don't know what's waiting for you on the other end of the jet bridge. But that's OK. You have the plane ticket and you know you're supposed to be on that plane.
It amazes me that some people don't have passports; my parents said I got mine at the American embassy when I was just a few days old and my picture is of Dad holding me. I've never had one expire on me, but I'm glad that now I'm 18, I don't have to renew it every 5 years! The way I see it, a passport = freedom to follow God at a moment's notice wherever He leads. What if another earthquake hits Haiti tomorrow and I have the opportunity to fly down there on an emergency relief team. What if someday when I'm in Africa the embassy's going to ask all American citizens to evacuate because of political unrest. What if there's a short term missions trip to Asia that needs a guide because their original guide got sick? If I have to wait for the Houston passport office to expedite my passport application, I might miss an incredible opportunity... or the last flight out.
Well it wouldn't be a typical "Katie post" if I didn't give you tons of links to check out. :) But I want you to check out this one... http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
Holding on...
from loveishuman via lovequotesrus
Friday, January 14, 2011
Rice=Time
So in Wednesday's RA training I went to a workshop on time management. The Hall Director leading the session gave each of us a handout and a cup of rice. Below each little box on the handout we had to write different activities that take up our time. Eat, sleep, class, study, and RA duties were easy ones... then came FB, watching movies, volunteering at Hope, chilling with my close group of friends, and late-night "me time."
We then had to allocate the rice in our cup into the boxes on the paper based on how much time we spend doing those activities in a single day. And I discovered some interesting things about where my time goes:
We then had to allocate the rice in our cup into the boxes on the paper based on how much time we spend doing those activities in a single day. And I discovered some interesting things about where my time goes:
Monday, January 10, 2011
Dreams...
God, You blow me away.
Per Dad's request, my family's been reading "Put Your Dream to the Test" by John Maxwell. He and Mom have been leading a small group through the book and it's been interesting to hear what the group's been learning.
Go buy this book. Like seriously.
For those of you familiar with the Life Purpose Planning booklet, John Maxwell's book takes it a step farther. LPP focuses on finding the "golden thread" of God's hand in your life as you write down people that have influenced you, verses that have stood out to you, books you've read, experiences you've enjoyed, the meaning of your names, your spiritual gifting... it's actually a rather exciting little booklet and it was a good tool to kind of figure out that God's been preparing me for a life of investing into younger girls and has called me to something in the medical field and that all the traveling I've done is in preparation for overseas missions.
But "Put Your Dream to the Test" comes at it from a little more of a secular side. Mr. Maxwell says, "go dream... what's the biggest thing you can imagine... now, let's make sure it's something that is actually feasible and what needs to happen to get you there?"
I'm only on the 3rd chapter, but I wanted to share what I've come up with for the answers to the 1st chapter's questions. Maxwell encourages the reader to write down their dream and share it with others. If I can succinctly communicate my dream to those I care about and show my passion in a coherent manner that's a big first step--and a necessary skill for raising the money, personnel, and resources I'll need to carry out my dream.
The following dream has been inspired by many things; but especially by a paper I had to write last year for school, the book "The Hospital By the River," and some subsequent research I've done about that hospital.
I realize that this is not the normal type of post you'd expect out on a blog for the world to see (not that this blog is followed/RSS subscribed to by more than a few dozen people), but I want your comments.
Is this something you could see me doing? Will ya'll remind me of this when I post how much I hate PT school and anatomy lab?
And expect to see more installments as I delve into more of "Put Your Dream to the Test."
My ideas for this village are based off a project already in existence with the International Fistula Foundation’s branch in Ethiopia, which can be found here: http://www.fistulafoundation.org/wherewehelp/ethiopia/longtermcare.html
Per Dad's request, my family's been reading "Put Your Dream to the Test" by John Maxwell. He and Mom have been leading a small group through the book and it's been interesting to hear what the group's been learning.
Go buy this book. Like seriously.
For those of you familiar with the Life Purpose Planning booklet, John Maxwell's book takes it a step farther. LPP focuses on finding the "golden thread" of God's hand in your life as you write down people that have influenced you, verses that have stood out to you, books you've read, experiences you've enjoyed, the meaning of your names, your spiritual gifting... it's actually a rather exciting little booklet and it was a good tool to kind of figure out that God's been preparing me for a life of investing into younger girls and has called me to something in the medical field and that all the traveling I've done is in preparation for overseas missions.
But "Put Your Dream to the Test" comes at it from a little more of a secular side. Mr. Maxwell says, "go dream... what's the biggest thing you can imagine... now, let's make sure it's something that is actually feasible and what needs to happen to get you there?"
I'm only on the 3rd chapter, but I wanted to share what I've come up with for the answers to the 1st chapter's questions. Maxwell encourages the reader to write down their dream and share it with others. If I can succinctly communicate my dream to those I care about and show my passion in a coherent manner that's a big first step--and a necessary skill for raising the money, personnel, and resources I'll need to carry out my dream.
The following dream has been inspired by many things; but especially by a paper I had to write last year for school, the book "The Hospital By the River," and some subsequent research I've done about that hospital.
I realize that this is not the normal type of post you'd expect out on a blog for the world to see (not that this blog is followed/RSS subscribed to by more than a few dozen people), but I want your comments.
Is this something you could see me doing? Will ya'll remind me of this when I post how much I hate PT school and anatomy lab?
And expect to see more installments as I delve into more of "Put Your Dream to the Test."
My Dream (December 31, 2010)
I desire to be a wife and mom, first and foremost.
I will, Lord willing, spend my life in sub-Saharan Africa, using physical therapy full time until I have a family (after which PT will become a part time position). I foresee myself working at a missions hospital compound, not in a small remote village.
I want to use PT with the amputee and VVF outcasts of Africa as a follow-up to surgeries performed.
After I have spent several years in Africa, have made connections, gained their trust, and built my “dream team,” I want to build a village for my patients where they can live for as long as they need PT or if they cannot return home. New patients will come to the center of the “village” to the “PT hut” for therapy, longer term patients will assist new patients, and permanent residents will help teach patients to read/sew/make crafts to bring in money.
My ideas for this village are based off a project already in existence with the International Fistula Foundation’s branch in Ethiopia, which can be found here: http://www.fistulafoundation.org/wherewehelp/ethiopia/longtermcare.html
Questions from John Maxwell’s “Put Your Dream to the Test” book:
Chapter 1
1. The Ownership Question: Is my dream really my dream?
A. What would I do if I had no limitations?
· Go train with the PTs at “The Hospital by the River” in Ethiopia
· See answers to C
B. What would I do if I had only five years to live?
· Graduate from A&M
· Go to Nigeria this summer and learn alongside the nationals how to make prosthetics, and then be a lay PT there in Africa.
· Get married
C. What would I do if I had unlimited resources?
· Donate money to NGOs like Mercy Ships and International Fistula Foundation to provide VVF surgeries and housing/training for chronically incontinent women
· Build a “village” for VVF women and amputees where they share a little “hut” and there’s a PT clinic in the middle to provide long-term care.
· Create a “dream team” of international healthcare professionals to fully staff the “village” and set it up as a clinical/training site for both international and local healthcare professionals to come train.
D. What would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail?
· Complete PT school
· Get specialized in women’s health PT and prosthetic gait training
· See answers to C
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
When either/or should be one and the same...
The last couple of weeks I've had the chance to reread "Dear John" and rewatch the Korean TV show "Boys Before Flowers" (that a friend of mine got me into freshman year...) My family gets up insanely early to do their CrossFit training at like 5:15am and so they go to sleep pretty early. Allows me to have a few hours to myself every night. Just what I've needed.
So there I was, sitting on my bed late one night with tears rolling down my face. Why oh why can't Savannah marry both John and Tim? Why can't Jandi have both Jihu and Junpyo? Why do so many of the current books and movies have the girl choosing between her soul mate and her love? Like she chose the guy that was there for her when she needed it and she couldn't live her life waiting for the first guy to come back--and when he does, she realizes that her life would have been so much different if she'd married him instead of the guy she did? Or like she's tried to forget him, tried to move on, and even though the soul mate has become her best friend, she still can't get her first love out of her head?
These stories are sad... and why are they bestsellers or one of those "go to movies" when you have a girls' night... we're hopeless romantics, I guess.
Maybe we see ourselves in their stories... and we hope that one day we won't have to choose between the best friend/soul mate and our first love... maybe they'll end up being the same guy.
So there I was, sitting on my bed late one night with tears rolling down my face. Why oh why can't Savannah marry both John and Tim? Why can't Jandi have both Jihu and Junpyo? Why do so many of the current books and movies have the girl choosing between her soul mate and her love? Like she chose the guy that was there for her when she needed it and she couldn't live her life waiting for the first guy to come back--and when he does, she realizes that her life would have been so much different if she'd married him instead of the guy she did? Or like she's tried to forget him, tried to move on, and even though the soul mate has become her best friend, she still can't get her first love out of her head?
These stories are sad... and why are they bestsellers or one of those "go to movies" when you have a girls' night... we're hopeless romantics, I guess.
Maybe we see ourselves in their stories... and we hope that one day we won't have to choose between the best friend/soul mate and our first love... maybe they'll end up being the same guy.