Blessed with a Brain Injury

Whoa there!!! Slow down....I dont have a brain injury. Just hang on and let me explain.

I started my new job three weeks ago and since then I have meet some uh....how do I say it delicately....INTERESTING people. I am working in the State Department of Rehabilitation which specialized in helping people with disabilities get jobs, whatever that takes. Some of our clients need eye surgery, or a college education, or simply just on the job training. The DRS helps them schedule and pays for surgery, enrolls them in college, and helps them with job coaches and on and on. We pay for transportation, loan them computers, get them set up with motorized chairs...I think you get the point.

While I am on the subject of motorized chairs let me give you short education on the subject. It IS NOT an electric chair it is a MOTORIZED chair. An electric chair is what a criminal sits in and gets his brains fried and scrambled. A motorized chair is the chair that awesome people, who are not able to walk, sit and zip around the office tormenting others in. (These are not my words! This is the same lesson I received during my first week at work.)

Now back to my subject....One of the incredible people that I have meet is a young man (I call him young because I dont really know his age and he acts young) who acts as janitor for our building. We will call him Joe Bob for the purpose of this post. Joe Bob is always happy, joking, and basically making others smile. Oh and he is a hard worker. I mean he is a VERY hard worker. When Joe Bob introduced himself to me he looked at me with a huge smile on his face, extended his arm (that is covered in tattoos), stuck out his hand (that was covered in a surgical glove) and said, "HI my name is Joe Bob and I was blessed with a brain injury".....................UHHHHMMMMM What????? Blessed???? It did not take me long to understand what he meant.

Joe Bob was raised in a troubled home where he had little to no supervision. He raised himself and at a young age got mixed up with the wrong crowd. By the time he reached his late teens he was heavily involved in drugs and gangs. Joe Bob told me and I quote " I was on the high way to hell, but Thank God I was in a car crash and suffered severe brain damage." Now he is working two jobs, and happy to be alive. He has told me on several occasions that he is excited for January to come because he can file his taxes and get the return. I mean really!..... excited to file TAXES!!?!? But he has never had a honest job before where he had to file taxes, and dead people dont get to file either....

He came up to me today and it was obvious that something was bothering him. He told me that he ran in to a friend of his old self and was saddened because she was very obviously living the rough life of the homeless druggie. All he could think was that was the life he had been headed for. After a minuet he stopped what he was doing and looked at me, a huge smile coming across his face and he said, "Thank God for my damaged brain!"


I know that to some this is stupid but I cannot help but look at my own life and realize just how blessed I am. At twenty years old I was in college and working at a job that I loved. At twenty Joe Bob was learning how to walk and feed himself again. He is a constant reminder to me to be thankful everyday for the small things that I have taken for granted.

OOPPSSS!!!

No excuses...I have no excuses for not posting in TWO months. It has been so long that blogger has changed its layout and I am having to figure it all out again :) One good change they made was how pictures are uploaded.....IT IS ABOUT TIME! Finally I don't have to try two times to get my pictures in order.

 

Sorry that was kinda a rant in left field.

So much is going on that this one is going to be a humdinger of a post....

 

First of all back in August I sent in the paper work for a personalized tag and FINALLY received it in the mail...I did not think it would be hard to figure out but judging by the number of people asking me what it is it's harder than I thought....CLUE my car is a SOUL....

 

 

 

Couple weeks back it was FAIR TIME!!! I love the fair. Why?? I don't know...well that is not entirely the truth. I have an idea... it starts with chocolate dipped cheesecake and ends with corn dogs. I love fair food...awful I know but it is the only place that you can get a ReAllY good corn dog. Marissa and I went Monday night ...

 

 

This year at the fair I tried some of Marissa's Mexican corn (corn dipped in lime juice, smeared with mayo, sprinkled with some kind of cheese, and then dusted with red pepper) And I must say it was really good. I did however have to ask one of the Mexicans at work if that really was how Mexicans ate corn...she called me raciest...and then said it really was:) 

 

Speaking of Marissa, she and I went to a play titled "The True Story of The Three Little Pigs" I am pretty sure that we were the only ones our age there with out kids. But we had fun...

 

 

 

I could not resist posting this picture. This is the biggest fat mass that I have ever seen!! We (I say we, but really Dr. P did all the work, I just stood and observed) removed this mass from the abdomen of a old lab. This is the type of thing that I am going to miss about this job, the grossly interesting stuff. (It weighed 2.7 and was ruffly the size of a small chicken...We named it Mr. Jiggsalot)

 

 

 

And finally the wedding. Last month my little brother got married. I love my brother a lot and I am so happy for him and Raelene.

 

This is a picture of us at his and Raelene's wedding shower.

 

 

The Groom and his Groomsmen

From left to right, Ben, Collen, Tyler, and Jason

 

 

 

 

Me, Dana, Raelene, and Megan. Just as a side note Raelene's mom made all of our dresses and did an amazing job, they were beautiful.

 

 

 

HEHE!! Ok, so I know that pictures are an important part of the whole wedding experience but after a while they are a little stressful because they get redundant. My solution....act stupid....yep that was my idea. I am proud to say though that I made it through the whole thing with out falling or running into any walls.

 

 

 

 

And everyone says AWWWWW!!! This picture captures my mom's response to seeing Tyler for the first time in his get up....She cryed.....

 

 

 

 

This of course is the happily married couple

 

 

 

 

And again....

 

 

 

There are so many pictures that I could have posted but I am lazy and will not bore you. Funny thing, the whole week after the wedding Tyler kept calling me asking for recipes....ok so maybe I am the only one who finds that funny. I just get this image of Tyler in the kitchen wearing a "Kiss the Cook" apron....

Maybe next time I will have some earth shattering news that will really drop your jaw....but don't hold your breath ;)

Tying The Knot

I can remember coming home from Winter Heritage several years ago and giving my brother a hard time about a "pretty redhead" that he admitted to liking. His exact words were (if I remember right) "I think she is kinda pretty" (said with a shoulder shrug and that goofy half grin of his).

Well, my friends, years later on Easter Sunday Tyler asked that very girl to marry him...and surprisingly enough she said YES!! I knew not long after Tyler started talking to Raelene that we would be attending their wedding in the near future. I honestly don't know if I could have hand picked a better girl for Tyler, Raelene is sweet but she can also put him in his place when he needs it.

I stole some of their engagement pictures from them so I could share them with you....by the way Matt Rodgers did their pictures and did an amazing job.

I really like the last two....well all of them are good. The first one is so typical Tyler and Rae and the last one...I don't know why but I just have to smile when I see it.

The wedding is set for September 15th at 2:00 at New Life Tabernacle in Sand Springs. Because of limited number of invitations they were not able to send one to every one but if you would like to attend please let me know.

Titles are overrated

I hope you enjoyed my very profound title 'cause it took my little overworked brain a long time to come up with it. It is however a very un-true statement, because if this post had a dumb title you would not click on the link to check it out. ON the other hand if it was a truly awe inspiring title you would not hesitate to click on it and read the thought provoking text that would be sure to follow. As it is you clicked on my title anyway so it served its purpose.

Pardon my rambling nonsense I am tired and over worked (the over worked part is a good thing and a bad thing. Good because I got a WONDERFUL paycheck and bad because I missed Heritage to get that paycheck). I cannot believe that Camp was three weeks ago. Oh my word how time flies when you get older (and you thought I was going to say when you are having fun...HA gotcha!) Since Camp I have started to earnestly look for a new job...kinda...Tyler moved out (more on that later) and .....goodness what other news do I have to share....oh well maybe I will have something more exciting to share some other day ;)

And now the real reason I started this post...LOL PICS!! I have this truly uplifting app that I never go a day with out checking...and because I am such a nice person I will share them...

Ok so maybe I am the only one that finds the one above funny but I nearly feel out of my bed when I read it!!



Oh look! it is my Dad's new shirt!! JUST KIDDING....kinda

Well when you put it that way it does kinda sound....eughhh!

And that my friends is for all of you stalkers that never leave comments ;)

Hope you have a grand week!

P.S. Don't feel bad....I am a blog stalker too!!!

CAMP 2012!!

Goodness gravy! I cannot believe that Camp is already over!:( This year is just plain flying by.

I dont really know the right words to describe camp this year.... the moves of God were so...intense and life changing that to really understand it you needed to be there.

Bro Jones did a wonderful job of preaching the night services. I believe it was the first night that he preached about the "Consequences of Forgiven Sin" he talked about David and how his adultery with Bathsheba affected his whole life, even though God forgave him. Sin has consequences even when it is covered by God's blood. The best way to avoid these consequences are to avoid the sin. Such a simple concept but so true; it is unrealistic for a young person to think that they can walk away from God, enjoy the world for a while and then come back with out having some repercussions to deal with.

Wednesday night Bro Jones talked about Jacob and how God did not just change his name but also his nature. Bro Jones told us that God could not change us until we were willing to admit to him who we are or were. For some, this is a hard thing to do, we are so used to hiding who we really are, our failures, and our pain that God can not touch us. Only when we remove all pretence and admit to him who we are, can he step in and make us what he wants us to be.

Thursday night was just as amazing as the previous two nights but there was no preaching. We had several people receive the Holy Ghost including one of our bus kids.

Friday morning was probable the simplest but the one I needed the most. Bro Jones kinda just tought us a simple lesson, not something new to me but it was a concept that just clicked. He used Gal. 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." As I said this is not a new lesson but I finally realized that the things that I struggle with and decisions that I face can be overcome and made easer by walking in the Spirit. Each service was wonderful and very impacting.

NOWWW what would a post about camp be with out pictures?!?!?! I did not take that many this year but here are some of the better ones.....

Me and my Frieeenndd....Marissa ...Tuesday night.

The breakfest of champs....Chocolate gravy and biscuts...YUmmm YUMMMM!

Wednesday's theme this year was parts, plaids, and pigtails....here we are, all pigtailed and plaided out ;)

Dana, Marissa and yours truly

Sis Jones did and amazing job with the chior this year. My favorite song that we did was by far "Cover Me"

Wednesday for crafts the girls made (or attempted to make) ruffled cardigans from T-shirts...well some of us did it lookes like Brittany was taking a nap :P

Marissa and Brittany at dinner time on Thursday....let me stop right here and say Sis Hope is the BEST COOK EVER! I know all the young people appreciate all her hard work to feed us at camp.

Miss Rachel and I... and Jonathan... Congratulations on getting Camper of the Year Rachel!

Thursday night after Church....

Candace and I at the Talent show. Side note: the Talent Show was really good. We have some very talented young people in out church.  

Of course Marissa and I had to take a normal picture of ourselves ;)

Getting all close and personal in chior practice. Good thing we all use deoderent....

Ashlynn and I after Friday night church. We were twinkies!! I love this kid so very much!

Well that is not even half of Camp 2012 but I am sure that some one else will cover what I have left out. So for all of you blog stalkers keep stalking to get the rest of the story :)

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!

Today is your birthday

 Happy, happy birthday,

Today is your birthday

Happy Happy

HEY!!!!

Brittany, my friend, you are the best. What else can I say?

I am so excited that you are now joining the ranks of the old maid brigade :)

TOTALLY JUST KIDDING!!

In honor of your 20th birthday I dug around and found these...

Midnight invasions of Wal-Mart in Branson GUURRRR!!!

I think we were at a stop light...I think....

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Why is it that almost every picture is a goofy one???

OK so now in other news Saturday I ran the color run. Well we actually walked it....there were so many people there that there was not enough room to run. I was not able to get very many good pictures because I wrapped my phone in plastic to protect it. But here is the one I took.

For those of you who don't know, the color run is a 5k run (3.2 miles). For each K that you run, they spray you with a colored powder that sticks to you and your cloths. As you can see by the end we were "one hot mess" (those are Brittany's exact words).

Come back later for a recap of YOUTH CAMP!!! I am so excited! Cant wait!

Toodles

List of Funnies :)

Waaallll Howdy my silent friends! Summer is well under way and I am busy busy. I am currently on the hunt for a new job. I do not know any person alive that likes the process of job hunting, me personally I hate it. I tend to get tongue tied and at a loss of words when it comes to talking to a prospective employer. One of the hardest things about the application process is the ridiculous questions. For example, the one I filled out today asked me "What are your short term employment goals?" WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES THAT MEAN!?!??! I am not looking for short term employment....that is why I am applying for a full time position....

Anyhoo here are some more pictures I found on my favorite app ever...LOLPICS.

Funniest thing about this one is the kid looks just like a friend from fourth grade...Marvin.

For those of you who don't know this guy takes the lyrics of songs and puts them in oldish English. This one is the "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes...."



This one makes me laugh...like it is supposed to... I found it just after Tyler proposed to Rae. He had a hard time deciding how he was going to ask her but he kept saying he wanted to do something unusual. I found all kinds of wonderful ways to propose...spent hours of my time trying help him out...and what do you think he did...he took her to the rose garden. How un-unusual is that :)

AHHH one thing I forgot... I ran my first 5k Friday. 40:08 BABY!! I did not however run like I stole something. I shuffled like a overweight untrained person :) While we were running (I ran it with Marissa) an old lady plodded up beside us and said, "Is it hard to run in a skirt?" I had to bite my tongue cause I really wanted to respond, "Is it hard to run when you are so old?" but I did not. I kept my Holy Ghost, put a smile on my face and was kind to her.

All my lefties say HAAAAYY!!!



Oh YEaH! I am so going to see the Lion King when it comes to Tulsa next year. 

Docs orders people...who am I to argue with a highly educated individual :)

Intro to Sociology

Finished.....THANK GOD...I am finished. Well at least for this semester. This semester I took a Intro to Sociology class with Brittany. When I started the class I had no idea what sociology was or what I had gotten myself into. One night a week for three hours I listened and participated in a class that taught us how humans interacted with each other. We talked about everything: family, war, love and cultures. Over the course of the class we did some simple yet thought provoking activities.

For the first one she asked us to pair off and introduce ourselves, however it was not the present us that we were introducing. She wanted us to introduce ourselves as 70 year old people. She wanted to know if we were retired and what from, what our hobbies will  be, if we were married, how many times we were married, kids, grandkids, and anything else. It required us to stop and think about our long term goals in life. At my age it is not that uncommon to think as far ahead as college and what kind of career I will pursue, or even as far ahead as marriage and kids. But it is not that common that I think about when I am old and senile...I mean retired;) It was an interesting exercise and something that I have thought about many times since.

The other activity was much more interesting because I was  really surprised that I have not thought about doing this before. She had us take about five minutes and make a list of things we were looking for in our future spouse (or for those of them that were already married a list of the things that drew them to their spouse). Our instructor told us that she did this with most all of her classes and at one time she had a student that came up with five pages of things. Me, I had a good page of things I like in a guy (maybe someday I will share a few). It can be very eye opening to see, on paper, what you are looking for in a future spouse. 

I would encourage anyone who is looking for an elective class to take at TCC to take Intro to Sociology with Dr. Dutke (yes that is spelled right).

Now it is on to the summer and all its glory. Well kinda...I have to take a summer class and find a new job. Pray Saints Pray!

 

April ~ A Month of First

PHEWWW!! What a month..Hang on to your top hats cause this is going to be a rip roaring ride...

At the beginning of the month I turned...21...gaaaahh. I am now officially old:) just kidding. I did not do a blessed thing on my birthday besides go to school and church. (Yes I did go to school...only children skip school on their birthday;)

Then guess what!!??!?... I got a car! Yeah!!! It is the coolest Kia Soul ever:) My GusGus is a 2011 green Soul with about 30000miles on it. It drives like a dream and is so much fun..kinda like driving a go cart around town.

As far as work goes I was able to see my first bladder stone removal. Dr. P removed a stone that was about the size of a small strawberry from a schnauzers bladder. I know I am weird but i really enjoy assisting in surgeries and getting to see all the workings of the mammal body.

This month I also had to attend the first funeral that directly affected my own family. I have been blessed in that all the funerals I have attended have been for church family and I have always felt and played for them. They say that you never know what a person is going through until you have been through the same thing. Now that I have been through it myself I cannot tell you how wonderful our church family is. Not a day went by that I did not receive at least three or four texts of love and prayers. It is wonderful to know that people are there to help you bare your grief. So for the first time in many years we made a frenzied flight to Florida...well really we drove...and drove...and drove.

After the funeral was over the five of us did our best to make some good memories in the midst of the grief. The plan was to take two days to drive home stopping at some of the tourist spots along the way. Here are some pictures that I took.

We stopped at the USS Alabama spent two hours wondering through it. I love seeing and learning about the ships and the way of life for the soldiers aboard the ships. This first picture was taken from the highest point that we climbed to.

The picture below is of the chapel aboard the ship. 

 The bunks below are the typical hanging bunks that were placed every where they could cram them.

Ha...He wishes :)

Tyler sitting at one of the guns placed all along the deck.

The boat looks so small from the highway but it is HUGE when you get close to it.

We also spent some time at the beach. This was the first time that I had ever seen the Gulf in person. It took my breath away. I LOVED IT!!! And in that moment I made up my mind I will spend my next birthday at the beach! LORD willing.

I could sit and listen to the waves for hours!

Till next time....