UWM Spring Break: It was Great. Relaxing even though I still had to work. I took a few days off work and visited my brother, sister in law and niece. That was absolutely wonderful. I was also able to see my former mentor for a little bit and catch up as well as spend some time with my best friend who I constantly miss.
Milwaukee Ballet Spring Break: It was very nice to not work. I enjoyed just lounging around and relaxing. I still did rotations in the Athletic Training Room at UWM, where I now work with the swim team. It is their off season so some days are more interesting than others. I spent some time at home, housesitting, as my family took a road trip to Utah. I also housesat for by boss while he took his vacation with his family. It was nice to get out of the city and my apartment for a little while and have my own space. So nice that I didn't want to go back to my apartment.
Easter: I got to see my little niece again and celebrate her 6 month birthday with my brother's family as they came down to visit Wisconsin for Easter. We had a great time together as always. Although at some point during the weekend I began to worry about my fundraising for my London trip this summer. Every now and then I feel overwhelmed about what I should be doing and if I really should be going and is there something more or different I should be doing to raise money.
My work spring break ended well, at UWM, where I got some wonderful news from Dr. Earl regarding my fundraising for the London Olympics. God is good. And of course He wants to remind me He is in control. No matter what I do or don't do He has everything planned out. My airline tickets, to and from London, are paid for. What a blessing, and of course God's timing is perfect as the weekend before receiving this news I was completely worrying about how I would pay for this trip if the money in my bank account today was all I had to go on. Silly me for not realizing and understanding that these are things that I need to take to God and that if I am in His will He is going to provide. That news combined with my tax return and encouraging words, and a little extra funds, from my Granddad made for an extremely encouraging Friday.
God is good, and He constantly provides for me.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Time Flies
Well technically spring break starts in two days, but I don't have classes tomorrow or Friday, so I guess mine started today. I do have some assignments due tomorrow, and 5 hours in the athletic training room. But those things aren't stressful, sometimes the athletic training room is fun. Well most of the time it's fun, which is good because I want to spend the rest of my life in one I suppose.
I am incredibly ready for spring break though. This first half of the semester has been very stressful. It's been interesting being in this program, working, and living away from home. I like these things, but on different levels haha. OR in different ways is a better way of saying it.
School is stressful and hard. Not that its ever been super easy, but I'm pushing myself more and I feel like more is expected of me now because I already have a degree, because I'm older, and because I just should be a more serious and mature student. So most of that stress I have put on myself. I'm not a good student. I should be better.
Working is good. I'm getting a little bored with it. I have asked my boss if I can teach more consistently next year. He told me I could teach all the summer camps. But there was no definite answer about a year round school class. I do appreciate being able to work on homework while I'm at work though. And in two weeks I get to teach two classes.
Living at home this semester is different. I find myself more tired. I really just want to go to sleep when I'm at the apartment but I know I have other things to do. I also am unsure how to interact with my roommates. We are all on different levels, and have different personalities. We have different priorities and very different goals. Sometimes its just hard to live with other people. I have no idea what I will be doing next year.
Next week I'm hoping I can get a couple days off work and go to MN and visit my brother and his family. I miss them.
As far as the road to London. I have dropped off my final support raising piece. I have heard back from the Milwaukee Brewers, they cannot donate money, but I can request merchandise. I have heard from Dick's Sporting Goods, I need to make an online request.
On a different note: I began the application for the Sochi Russia 2014 Winter Games. If I'm going to do summer I should try and get winter on my resume also.
I am incredibly ready for spring break though. This first half of the semester has been very stressful. It's been interesting being in this program, working, and living away from home. I like these things, but on different levels haha. OR in different ways is a better way of saying it.
School is stressful and hard. Not that its ever been super easy, but I'm pushing myself more and I feel like more is expected of me now because I already have a degree, because I'm older, and because I just should be a more serious and mature student. So most of that stress I have put on myself. I'm not a good student. I should be better.
Working is good. I'm getting a little bored with it. I have asked my boss if I can teach more consistently next year. He told me I could teach all the summer camps. But there was no definite answer about a year round school class. I do appreciate being able to work on homework while I'm at work though. And in two weeks I get to teach two classes.
Living at home this semester is different. I find myself more tired. I really just want to go to sleep when I'm at the apartment but I know I have other things to do. I also am unsure how to interact with my roommates. We are all on different levels, and have different personalities. We have different priorities and very different goals. Sometimes its just hard to live with other people. I have no idea what I will be doing next year.
Next week I'm hoping I can get a couple days off work and go to MN and visit my brother and his family. I miss them.
As far as the road to London. I have dropped off my final support raising piece. I have heard back from the Milwaukee Brewers, they cannot donate money, but I can request merchandise. I have heard from Dick's Sporting Goods, I need to make an online request.
On a different note: I began the application for the Sochi Russia 2014 Winter Games. If I'm going to do summer I should try and get winter on my resume also.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
AAaaaaannnnddddd We're Off
So this morning the first thing to do on my list.....send the rest of my support letters! DONE! I had about 20 letters sent out. I was pretty proud that I got them out in the mail. I'm excited and relieved to put these things in the mail, one thing off my list of to-do's. I've never raised support before so its kind of exciting to have this done. Even more excited to see what happens.
School is going well. Today I was pretty productive in the Athletic Training Room. I finished 5 practice logs and one clinical proficiency. Practice logs are things that I learn in class and have to preform for an upper level student or a certified athletic trainer. I have to do each skill twice and they are generally in groups of 8. So in the first 3 weeks of school I had to complete about 8 different skills twice and get someone above me in the program to sign my papers. So I got a few in the next set done. A clinical proficiency is a skill that we have to do that we are graded on. We are graded on our skills in completing the proficiency, what we say to the athlete/patient, etc. I have now done 4 of the 6 proficiencies we have to complete. I prefer working with athletes in real time as opposed to working in a mock situation with someone grading me. But its part of the program and its good experience.
Hopefully I will get some good responses from my support letters!
School is going well. Today I was pretty productive in the Athletic Training Room. I finished 5 practice logs and one clinical proficiency. Practice logs are things that I learn in class and have to preform for an upper level student or a certified athletic trainer. I have to do each skill twice and they are generally in groups of 8. So in the first 3 weeks of school I had to complete about 8 different skills twice and get someone above me in the program to sign my papers. So I got a few in the next set done. A clinical proficiency is a skill that we have to do that we are graded on. We are graded on our skills in completing the proficiency, what we say to the athlete/patient, etc. I have now done 4 of the 6 proficiencies we have to complete. I prefer working with athletes in real time as opposed to working in a mock situation with someone grading me. But its part of the program and its good experience.
Hopefully I will get some good responses from my support letters!
Monday, February 20, 2012
It's Going
Thats generally my answer when people ask me how things are. I'm busy. I work. I go to school. I typically don't get out. But its ok. Theres a purpose.
Last Friday I assisted in the "coverage" of a track and field meet at UWM. As much as I enjoy watching specific events, I can't say it was the most exciting time. Fortunately no one got hurt, and even though thats when I actually get to do something, no Athletic Trainer hopes that an athlete gets injured. But coverage was long. I was at UWM at 8am for classes, reported to the Athletic Training room at 1:30 and left finally at 10:15. It made a long day. I did enjoy myself though. Talking with the athletes and seeing them in action.
It was a busy weekend in addition to that. I worked from 8am-3pm on Saturday at Milwaukee Ballet. I got a lot of homework done so that was super good. After I was finished with work my sister and I made our way to O'hare International Airport. We had to catch a flight to Atlanta, GA.
My younger sister, who is a senior in high school, is currently pursuing a professional job as a Ballet Dancer. She had an audition in Atlanta on Sunday and I volunteered to go with her. We got to Atlanta about 11pm rented a car and drove about an hour to our cousins house to spend the night. She had her audition on Sunday morning which went well for her. Then we went right back to the airport, got there around 2pm. All flights to Chicago were of course oversold. Stacey and I enjoyed our time waiting in the gate area and walking around the airport and we finally got on a flight at 630pm. Made it back to Milwaukee about 10.
It was a good, successful trip and I'm super proud of my sister for going to the audition and performing as she did. I'm excited for her to continue with her auditions and pursuit of a professional job in ballet!
Last Friday I assisted in the "coverage" of a track and field meet at UWM. As much as I enjoy watching specific events, I can't say it was the most exciting time. Fortunately no one got hurt, and even though thats when I actually get to do something, no Athletic Trainer hopes that an athlete gets injured. But coverage was long. I was at UWM at 8am for classes, reported to the Athletic Training room at 1:30 and left finally at 10:15. It made a long day. I did enjoy myself though. Talking with the athletes and seeing them in action.
It was a busy weekend in addition to that. I worked from 8am-3pm on Saturday at Milwaukee Ballet. I got a lot of homework done so that was super good. After I was finished with work my sister and I made our way to O'hare International Airport. We had to catch a flight to Atlanta, GA.
My younger sister, who is a senior in high school, is currently pursuing a professional job as a Ballet Dancer. She had an audition in Atlanta on Sunday and I volunteered to go with her. We got to Atlanta about 11pm rented a car and drove about an hour to our cousins house to spend the night. She had her audition on Sunday morning which went well for her. Then we went right back to the airport, got there around 2pm. All flights to Chicago were of course oversold. Stacey and I enjoyed our time waiting in the gate area and walking around the airport and we finally got on a flight at 630pm. Made it back to Milwaukee about 10.
It was a good, successful trip and I'm super proud of my sister for going to the audition and performing as she did. I'm excited for her to continue with her auditions and pursuit of a professional job in ballet!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Wait....What?
The title of this blog is dedicated to my little brother. He's 15 and his favorite thing to say is "wait...what?" Sometimes just to annoy his family members...rarely does he say these words because he actually didn't hear the person talking. He's great!
Anyways, the reason for this title: For the first time since going back to school I second guessed the decision. Not just questioned the decision, which I have done before, I seriously thought maybe I should drop out. This came about I believe on Tuesday of this past week. I was not happy with this feeling of un-surety. The reason for this: One of the athletic trainers, who works for UWM, had a birthday. We sang to her, she smiled, then I found out; she had just turned 23. That was the moment I thought "Wait....what?" I turned 24 in December, and now I will be working under and taking some hard criticism from someone a year younger than me. For the rest of my rotation in the athletic training room, roughly 4 hours, all I could think about was how I should have transferred from Northwestern and gone to an accredited school, then that would be me.
But I didn't. And reflecting on this week, and my decisions that have led me here, I'm glad. Despite that after spring break I will be working very closely with this woman I'm ok with it. I'm learning to trust in God during this, let go of my pride, be humble, be the "newbie" and learn/absorb whatever I can. I am the student, and this was my choice. And I think it was the right one.
During my time at Northwestern I met some great people, I had my first mentor and will cherish her forever, I developed a friendship that will last my whole life, I led a hall of women and learned how to be a leader, and I was pushed to pursue and take on the role as an intern with the United States Olympic Committee. Which brings me here. So many things would not have happened if I had transferred from Northwestern College.
Ultimately I wouldn't be volunteering for the Olympics. God has been faithful, despite the many times I have fallen and disappointed Him. So this position that I am in is a learning experience and will be something I look back on and cherish.....Hopefully
Anyways, the reason for this title: For the first time since going back to school I second guessed the decision. Not just questioned the decision, which I have done before, I seriously thought maybe I should drop out. This came about I believe on Tuesday of this past week. I was not happy with this feeling of un-surety. The reason for this: One of the athletic trainers, who works for UWM, had a birthday. We sang to her, she smiled, then I found out; she had just turned 23. That was the moment I thought "Wait....what?" I turned 24 in December, and now I will be working under and taking some hard criticism from someone a year younger than me. For the rest of my rotation in the athletic training room, roughly 4 hours, all I could think about was how I should have transferred from Northwestern and gone to an accredited school, then that would be me.
But I didn't. And reflecting on this week, and my decisions that have led me here, I'm glad. Despite that after spring break I will be working very closely with this woman I'm ok with it. I'm learning to trust in God during this, let go of my pride, be humble, be the "newbie" and learn/absorb whatever I can. I am the student, and this was my choice. And I think it was the right one.
During my time at Northwestern I met some great people, I had my first mentor and will cherish her forever, I developed a friendship that will last my whole life, I led a hall of women and learned how to be a leader, and I was pushed to pursue and take on the role as an intern with the United States Olympic Committee. Which brings me here. So many things would not have happened if I had transferred from Northwestern College.
Ultimately I wouldn't be volunteering for the Olympics. God has been faithful, despite the many times I have fallen and disappointed Him. So this position that I am in is a learning experience and will be something I look back on and cherish.....Hopefully
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Information Overload
So two weeks ago I got a call from Dr. Jennifer Earl of UWM. She was calling to tell me that I had passed the application process, interview and everything, to be selected as a first semester athletic training student in the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee's Athletic Training Education Program! I was so excited. After I had my initial interview I was not confident at all, I felt like they could make a decision either way. I felt like I had interviewed well but I just wasn't confident that I would be admitted into the program.
Fast forward to day 2 of classes in the spring semester..........completely freaking out right now! I knew this semester was going to be a lot of work, but I finally got all the information today of what I will be doing.....WOW. UWM sure knows how to run an athletic training program. In addition to the 8-10 hours a week I will spend in the Athletic Training room with the Track team (which honestly isn't that many) I will have to complete 15 PDU's, which is basically the undergraduate student equivalent of CEU's, 6 clinical proficiency's, which I still don't know what that means, x amount of clinical hours each month, in addition to exams and homework. That's for one 3 credit class! Once that class was finished I was talking with some of my classmates and we were all saying how we had no idea what any of the papers we were handed meant. SO CONFUSED!
It's ok though. I'm slightly excited for the semester. Its going to be a lot of work, and even though I don't feel prepared for it I think I'm ready. Weird, maybe a little, but athletic training is something I love, so hopefully, aside from reading textbooks, I will be motivated to complete all my work and I will enjoy it also :).
On another note, I have one support letter out to a contact. I hope to get another two out this week. The semester is moving and the London Olympics are coming, even though they seem far away, I got to get a move on with my arrangements!
Fast forward to day 2 of classes in the spring semester..........completely freaking out right now! I knew this semester was going to be a lot of work, but I finally got all the information today of what I will be doing.....WOW. UWM sure knows how to run an athletic training program. In addition to the 8-10 hours a week I will spend in the Athletic Training room with the Track team (which honestly isn't that many) I will have to complete 15 PDU's, which is basically the undergraduate student equivalent of CEU's, 6 clinical proficiency's, which I still don't know what that means, x amount of clinical hours each month, in addition to exams and homework. That's for one 3 credit class! Once that class was finished I was talking with some of my classmates and we were all saying how we had no idea what any of the papers we were handed meant. SO CONFUSED!
It's ok though. I'm slightly excited for the semester. Its going to be a lot of work, and even though I don't feel prepared for it I think I'm ready. Weird, maybe a little, but athletic training is something I love, so hopefully, aside from reading textbooks, I will be motivated to complete all my work and I will enjoy it also :).
On another note, I have one support letter out to a contact. I hope to get another two out this week. The semester is moving and the London Olympics are coming, even though they seem far away, I got to get a move on with my arrangements!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Pictures from London
I decided it was time to put up some pictures from my trip to London! Enjoy!!  |
| I was in Trafalgar Square for this picture. Lots of people around, it's a big tourist site. But they had a countdown for the Olympic and Paralympic Games so I had to get a picture! :) |
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| Trafalgar Square |
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| Had to be a tourist and see the Palace! |
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| This was where the wrestling competition took place |
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| View from the stands |
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