So Wrong

Riley the Puggle is not normal.

 (She loves to eat chew sticks on her back while she holds them with her paws.) 

Sitting has been a very difficult thing for her to figure out. She rarely sits like dogs are supposed to. That's OK though we still like her.

Summer Break

This used to be me...until today.

I just came home from my last class of the semester, and only have one quiz and one final left to take.


This is kind of bitter sweet for me. I'm going to miss school for the next couple of months, but the summer break will help me feel so much better physically. Plus I'll get to be near my fantastic family.


 I feel like I accomplished SO much this year. I'm never sure I'm up to the challenge, but everything worked out wonderfully.

sentence diagram

I had to take a linguistic grammar class and I was dreading It. I am no good with English grammar. (Simpsons quote click here)Guess what, I accidentally rock at it. Who new I could have fun diagramming sentences? No I didn't learn how to spell or use punctuation properly. I did learn to understand how a sentences is formed in your mind, and then how to explain the process you used to rearrange that same sentence when you said it out loud. 


I have also completed two semesters of ASL. I feel like I have improved a great deal. One of our more challenging projects was to compose a poem in ASL. That meant you had to rhyme hand shape instead of words. Tricky right?  My poem was on fishing in case you were wondering.

I also completed a semester devoted to the ear. It was so interesting. The cochlea and vestibular apparatus are amazing bits of anatomical architecture.

Next on the docket, summer break. I've got big plans, but I will save those for another post.  

Spring

Time for a catch up post.

1. Dominic has left the MTC and is now in Texas. He sounds so happy I really love getting his emails and letters.

2. Brittney had her "farewell." There were an incredible amount of people there to support her. I don't really like that she's leaving, but I think it is wonderful that she's going. Does that make sense?

3. Josh and Cousin K were in '"Bye Bye Birdie," at the SCERA, and I thought it was great. I can't wait to see what they do next year.

4. Scout (Camile) won gold with her futsal team and got to meet a player from the Real soccer team. Ugh, she is so much cooler than me. :)

I'm busy at school. The end of the semester is so close I can taste it. Lately, I've been feeling sick enough to contemplate dropping the semester, but my pride always gets the better of me. Spring break helped me feel a little better, plus it's pretty much springtime, so I've got cadbury mini eggs, flowers, and conference to buoy me up.

One Year

Can you believe that it has been a whole year since the stroke? I can't decided if it has been a long year or a short one?

"Nice try stroke, but I'm still here."

"I had a stroke what's your excuse?"

Thanks for the funny hoodies mom.

Just so you know stroke humor is crazy hard to come by.

I've found that doctors love to explain things by comparing them to fruit. They told me that a human brain is about the size of a large grapefruit. It's embarrassing to say, but I've held more human brains (thank you anatomy and physiology) than grapefruit so I'll just have to take their word for it. The part of my brain that was damaged was about the size of a plum. That's a big percentage of brain! If someone stole a chunk of my grapefruit the size of a plum I think I would notice.

I love watching those videos to see how far my speech has come.

I've had lots to relearn. It's still a struggle to swallow, and talking sometimes takes concentration. I can't hold onto information like I could before, most of my left side feels like it just got back from the dentist, my hand fights me every ASL class, and I keep getting disoriented around campus. There is more I could list that remind me every single day that I've had a stroke, but the list of blessing is much longer.

People keep telling me I'm "such a fighter," which makes me laugh. It's important to me that you know I'm not particularly strong or persistent. I was given strength that was not my own and gifts of healing I don't deserve. Everything I've gotten back has been a blessing and I couldn't have done it on my own.

I've been surrounded by good people who've encouraged me and loved me through all of this. So many of you have become angels in my eyes.

I've been going over some of the blessings that came with the stroke and I'm in awe.

• It's easier to be happy and I laugh more often.
• I've found I'm more capable then I ever supposed.
• I've felt a closeness to our savior and I rely on my faith more.
• I got to spend extra time with my family
  
• I'm able to do most everything I did before the stroke.
• I've gotten an inside look at what it would be like to be an SLP.
• I got to ride in a helicopter :)
• I got the coolest nick-name ever "stroke jade" I'm not kidding that is what my medical bracelet said. I think it's going to replace Cocoa motion.... you didn't know that was my nickname?

I would list more but it could go on for pages.

One thing I really do miss though is being able to fake a smile. My fake smile just looks like a lopsided grimace. Who would have thought I'd miss being able to lie with my face.

I still use the X-Jet(power chair) around school. Without it I would be blacking out lots more. The X-Jet is such a lifesaver.

The hole in my heart is still leaking but not nearly as much as before.

The pacemaker is wonderful. If I were allowed I would go and get myself another one in a heartbeat. (Ha-ha.)

The Eye doc says that the glaucoma has advanced but not enough that we need to start treatment. Whew!

I am in he midst of a rather difficult semester. I am exhausted, stressed, and for some inexplicable reason I still love all my classes.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm doing good.

PS I thought I would share this link with you about stroke awareness. Why? Because it made me laugh. I haven't seen a stroke awareness add that doesn't totally crack me up there is even one that teaches you to do a dance called "the stroke" I don't want to ruin it for you should you look it up but it involves you pulling half your face down and swinging one of your arms around all limp. Sound awesome right? Oh boy I will just give you the link it's too funny leave off.

What?

I have recently learned a few things that have been very disconcerting

First, the great wall of China is actually the great walls of China. There are multiple unconnected sections built during different dynasties, and whats WORSE is you cannot see the great walls of china from space! What?

Next, Haagen-Dazs a logo for a delicious ice cream brand doesn't actually mean anything. The founders made the word up deliberately trying to trick us into thinking it was a Scandinavian product. Good lie though, Scandinavian ice cream does sound like it would be especially tasty.

I know it's upsetting but celery, that green, fibrous, tasteless stick everyone eats when they diet is not actually negative in calories. Yup I'm pretty mad about that.

Finally, remember that cute, shy, nun from sister act, whose voice is so great? Brace yourself, it is a lie she was lip syncing. I spent my childhood loving that nun and her voice . Sister Mary Robert I feel so betrayed.

That family that breaks a hotel bed together stays together?

If you know my mom then you'll know these were all her idea. Pretty great right?

Most Mom's say don't jump on the bed, my mom says, "Me first!"

The best Christmas tradition ever.

My favorite Christmas tradition is called the Christmas ball. This tradition comes from Marian D Hanks. My great grandfather served a mission with President Hanks and incorporated this Hanks tradition into our own Christmas celebrations.

We do the Christmas ball on Christmas eve. Everyone sits in a big circle on the floor and we start to roll the ball.

The ball used to be rolls of paper towels with a prize taped to each square but now we use beautiful material balls my Aunt made. Each pocket has a prize something like; gum, pencils, whistles, dish clothes, (I hated getting dish clothes as a kid) gift cards, and the occasional number.

The numbers are the best prizes, they mean you'll get a BIG prize after the ball is over. There are also papers in some of the pockets and they usually tell you to do something like sing "Jingle Bells," or hand your prize to the person next to you. These papers usually crack me up so long as I'm not the one who finds them in my pocket.

The big prizes that come with the numbers are usually the most exciting part. Your number might get you something fantastic like a bottle of sparkling cider, makeup, a candle, and once I even got an Mp3 player. There are also prizes that kind of stink like; a Chicago Bears wall clock, a solar powered pocket calculator, or jumper cables (which I later found out didn't work very well at all), etc.

The Christmas ball is the best! Even if you're the one to end up writing your name with your hips in front of everybody and win a glasses case as your prize. It's odds on, that you'll have fun being with your family, laugh lots and at least get a dish clothe or two out of it, which I no longer dread and totally hope I get.