Little Bavaria... In Michigan

As enjoyable as watching TV all day is... I thought I should start exploring the area I have been living in for two weeks.

Destination: Frankenmuth

• #1 tourist spot in MI
• Michigan's "Little Bavaria"
• Bier 
• Kase
• Fudge
• Bier
• Boat tours down the Cass River
• Home of the biggest Christmas store in the world
• Shopping
• Bier
• And more....

Mat Kearney kept me company during the one hour drive up to Frankenmuth. On one of my families many road trips, back in the day, we traveled to Frankenmuth, stayed at the Bavarian Inn (5 indoor pools- no big deal), and shopped. It was a lot of fun, but I wanted to experience it again--- as an adult :) 

I got there at about 1pm and started with a $2 admission to the Frankenmuth Museum. I learned a lot about how Frankenmuth came to be. Settlers from Germany endured a 51 day boat ride to make it to America. In the 1840's a German missionary residing in the Saganaw Valley (where Frankenmuth is), felt the need to establish a German-Lutheran community. The people wanted to honor their German heritage - through language and tradition and remain true to their country. They even honored their country throughout WWI and WWII by sending care packages to German troops. The settlers made friends with Native Americans in the area, Anishinaabeg or "Original Peoples." The people of Frankenmuth thrived off of the land and used the Cass River as a major resource. I also found out they had only 200 half days of school a year... must have been nice! You can read the full history of Frankenmuth if you want... I may have gotten it wrong :)

That was about the most education I could handle. So I went shopping, ate some cheese at the Cheese Haus, tasted fudge and took a boat ride down the Cass River. Last but not least, I visited Bronnstrom - the largest Christmas store in the world!

I also got this AWESOME.... MAD-DANA. You can wear it 10 different ways! It is perfect for when I go to Africa! Check em out! Best Bandana Ever! They are only 10 dollars. And yes, I am wearing mine right now. Alison, Jill and Anna, I highly recommend you check this out!

All in all, it was a great Sunday! Who knows where I'll go next :)

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

I was offered a very flattering compliment today by the Occupational Therapist I work with at the hospital. We were working with a patient who is morbidly obese on the cardiac ICU. She has a tracheostomy (a tube for breathing that goes into the front of your neck) and is unable to speak. In order to communicate, she lip syncs everything. Yesterday, I saw this patient alone to do some exercises to keep her strong. She was getting bored with counting to 15 for each exercise so she decided to dance a little bit. We had fun!

Today, I saw her with the OT so we could sit her at the edge of the bed. Anna (OT) was already in the room when I got there, but when I walked in, this patients face lit up! :) She remembered me from yesterday. Throughout the treatment she was communicating mostly with me. I was struggling and expressed my apologies to her for it taking me a while to figure out what she was trying to say (could you imagine? so frustrating!). She was understanding. After the treatment we chatted for a couple minutes and then Anna was signaling it was time for our lunch break. I told Anna that I should probably learn to say bye to patients quicker so I could be more efficient with my time.

Instead of agreeing, Anna complimented me on how well I listen to patients and offer my attention to them. She said she could tell that this particular patient really appreciated it. 

THAT is why I got into PT. To make a difference in a patients day, even if it is as little as talking about where I am from and doing a little dance with them :)

short and sweet

Sorry Ash :)

1. Tuesday's officially suck!! This week and last (my only 2 Tuesday's here so far) I have woken up at the time I should be walking out the door.... oops. Thankfully, I have an hour in the car to let my hair dry, so I took a quick shower made a bagel for breakfast, Aunt Deb set up the coffee machine for me in the morning (she spoils me), and basically ran out the door. Believe it or not I made it on time both Tuesday's. Wish me luck next week!





2. Just figured out my blog has stats! I'm not usually a stats person - sorry Dr. D. - but I found out that there are some international readers of my blog! Apparently my life is cool enough for Canadians, Germans, Brazilians, South Koreans and Portuguese people to read. Cool!








3. I added a link on the top right of my blog to follow by email. I am really bad at remembering to check blogs that I follow, so if you are too... feel free to submit your email and you will receive email updates when I update my blog!




Laters

btw

I finally bought the new Mat Kearney Album: Young Love. I love Mat Kearney, but this album really made me love him more. It has a different feel than his previous albums. It's perfect for summer!

If you haven't heard of him... here is his website:

MatKearney.com 

I already have a couple favorite songs, but this one in particular has made my day. Makes me miss Kyle!

Mat Kearney: Count on Me

A Note for Wayzata Legacy

No Power, No Problem

No Power, no problem..... YEAH RIGHT!! The power went out yesterday at about 4pm, right in the middle of Kyle's game against Montreal. However, it was a blessing that Kyle and I were able to have a Skype date that morning before his game. It was nice to talk and be able to see each other! 

Anyway, back to the power outage. My Aunt and Uncle's house has a well as their water source, so the electricity is needed to pump the water for the house. So not only were we without electricity we were without water for 26 hours. Although it got a little old by the time we woke up this morning and it still wasn't on, it was kind of fun. 

Last night, the 'kids' went to the mall to get out of the house (classic High School move). We didn't buy anything, we just walked around. Then to kill more time we drove around a bit and then stopped at this store called Five Below. Everything in the store is under 5 dollars. It was awesome! Robbie got the best things.... a package of fake mustaches and a cap gun! When we got home, my Aunt and Uncle and their nephews were sitting by a bon fire in the back yard. We went out and sat with them and were being serenaded by some bumpin music of a neighbor house. Naturally, Robbie, Katie, Bailey (cousin from the other side of the family) and I went to go check the party out! It turns out this was a pretty big party... we were too scared to go in so we decided to make up a story that we attended the party. All in all, my night summed up the night of a typical high school teenager. It was really fun though!

It's back on now and I am thoroughly enjoying my internet, cable, and lights! 

Nerts!

The whole family played Nerts tonight. What is Nerts you ask?! Only the best card game ever. "Screw Your Neighbor" is the name of the game in this household, in the MN household we call it "Nerts" and the Portland (Now California I guess) Wagner's call it "Ultimate Solitaire." If you are looking for the most descriptive name... go with the California Wagner's. If you are looking for the meanest name... go with the Michigan Wagner's. If you are going for the BEST name... go with the Minnesota Wagner's.

The game is really fun. I highly suggest you play. Each person gets their own deck of cards and plays Solitaire in front of them (13 cards in the main pile). Instead of playing only with your Aces, everyone throws their aces out to the middle of the table and you can play on everyone's cards. It's really fast paced and super fun.

Anyway, we had a blast!! Uncle Rob was bragging that he was really good. His technique is good because he stands up in order to see the whole table. Katie follows his lead and stands as well. Kim just sits at the table and calmly throws her cards out. Aunt Deb is yelling and screaming but not really getting anywhere and Robbie... well... Robbie is lost. First of all, he doesn't even know how to shuffle. Then, he didn't know the rules of the game. He ended up just quitting to become the score keeper and he and Kayla refereed Riley (their 9yo cousin) to make sure he wasn't bending the rules... which he was :)

Throughout the game, we start to notice a TON of gnats and mosquitoes. Kim got the fly swatter and started to swat, then passed the responsibility onto Uncle Rob.... He decides to get up onto the table but the bugs were too quick for him. Finally Aunt Deb gets hold of the swatter. Oh man... I was crying I was laughing so hard! Shes swinging that fly swatter harder and faster than I have ever seen!! She was even swatting the bugs that were already dead and stuck to the wall hahahaha. Kayla and I were cracking up!!

It was a blast and I hope we get a chance to play more games together!

Daily work attire

Yesterday was my first day at Detroit Receiving Hospital. Holy Smokes!!!! It was intense but so much fun! My clinical instructor, Norm, was off so I worked with my CCCE (don't know what that stands for), Linda. She had an extremely long list of patients (30) to get through so we didn't have time for a formal orientation. She pretty much showed me where the fridge was and then took me up to the burns ICU. Yikes. I can't even explain how intense it was to be exposed to that first hand... full thickness-full body burns. After we saw about four patients on the burns unit we went up to the neurological wing which was much calmer. A little bit of comfort food during lunch - chicken wings and mac and cheese - helped me relax. The staff I will be working with (PT/OT/SLP) are awesome. I can definitely see myself fitting in!

My first day finished a little early, with instructions to show up a little late today (Tuesday) because Linda usually gets coffee with another PT first thing in the morning. I showed up 5 minutes late not really knowing what you can be a couple minutes late meant. Linda was surprised to see me so early!! I was nervous to be late to the late start. :)

Today was much calmer. My CI was back and he gave me a little more in depth orientation. I get my own pager! I have never used one before. Oh and all I kept thinking was "... Do you know if the hotel pager friendly?... Cause I'm not getting a sig on my beeper" I also got my badge! I got to attach it to my scrubs today.

Our view... not too shabby

Okay, I can't forget about the Tigers game last night! After work, I drove back to Davisburg, proceeded to change my wardrobe to Tigers gear and hopped back into the car to drive to Comerica Park! My Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Robbie and Kayla had so much fun at the game. Believe it or not, it's the Twins/Tigers series this week in Detroit. We had 13th row seats right behind home plate! Thanks Aunt Deb and Uncle Rob!!

We all know that I am such a HUGE baseball fan... so here are the highlights from the game....
1. The annoying Twins fan in front of us
2. The kid behind me who told his mom he needs to brush his teeth because he has pulled pork stuck in his braces

The pants.... gross

3. The vendor who sang about his hot dogs with his opera voice
4. The annoying Twins fan in front of us and his "Circle me Bert sign"
5. The vendor who hip-hop danced to the songs in between batters to encourage people to buy his beer
6. The annoying Twins fan in front of us who kept bashing on the Tigers....
7. Catching a ball the umpire threw to us... my dad actually caught it. I wasn't paying attention (normal)
8. The annoying Twins fan in front of us who's pants were WAY too tight and just happened to be directly in front of me when he stood up which was like every break so he could get his stupid sign on TV
9. Actually enjoying the baseball aspect of the game because it was the Tigers 
10. BEING IN DETROIT WITH ALL THE DETROIT FANS!!

Jealous of my new residence in Detroit, Dad left this morning. It was so nice of him to drive out with me. Definitely made the drive a lot easier. We had fun in Detroit together. Now, exploration is my middle name. (Don't worry mom, not gonna go into the ghetto)

How Could I Forget?!

I completely forgot to mention the two cats that I will also be living with! Scout and Penny are both black cats. I might get this wrong but I think that Scout is Katie's and Penny is Kim's. Scout likes to hang out in 'my room' because it's Katie's and I think he's getting a little confused why a stranger is in his room. We will make friends soon I think!

P.S. He just jumped into my garbage can haha

and so it begins

After a nice 12 hour drive from MN to MI, my dad and I made it to Davisburg, MI where I will be living for the next 11 weeks. My Aunt Deb, Uncle Rob, Robbie, Kim and Katie, were gracious enough to let me join their family for my first rotation at Detroit Receiving Hospital. We got in on Saturday at about 7pm, had dinner and hung out. It's been a while since I have seen my family so I had to catch up on a couple years! I can't believe how old and tall all three of my cousins are. I also got to meet Robbie's girlfriend, Kayla.

I will also be living with two dogs... Molly and Sadie. They will help me miss Dexter (Kyle's dog) a little less.

Molly is on the left. She is a cuddle bug and is also very needy (both qualities of Dex). And Sadie is on the right. She gives me the "big dog" feel that Dexter does and is also very curious and friendly!

Davisburg is a small town of about 7,000. It's about 40 miles away from Detroit and kind of reminds my dad and I of Mahtomedi area where my friend Elena lives. The houses have a little bit of land attached to them too so there is a lot of room for activities!!

Katie kindly gave up her room in order for me to have my own room during my stay. Her and Kim get to have a slumber party every night until I leave! I already told them I will occasionally be joining the party :)

My commute is shown on this map. It will take about an hour (with traffic) to get to 'work' each morning. Although its a long car ride I think I will enjoy it. I'm hoping  I will find it relaxing and will give me a chance to mentally prepare for each day as well as unwind after each day.

My dad, aunt and uncle drove down there today to get a feel for the campus and explore the hospital a little bit so I know where I am going tomorrow. The drive was really easy, especially since on the highways here the speed limit is 70mph so you can drive like 80mph the whole way!

On our visit to the hospital, we found out the PT department is under construction.... hmmmm. So I have to call my supervisor tomorrow morning before I start to figure out where I am actually supposed to go. I am really glad we went there today so that I didn't have to freak out tomorrow! :)

I am really excited and a little bit nervous to start tomorrow. My classmate Anna and I talked a bit today about what we should be studying and attempted to project what our first days will look like! She is working in an outpatient sports orthopedic clinic in Rockford, IL. My experience will be a little different as I will be in a hospital setting working with inpatients. I will be working in the Neurotrauma ICU and also in the Geriatric wing. I am assuming I will be working with some very involved cases, especially since the hospital is a level 1 trauma center!!!

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow! I hope I can remember some things I learned these past two years!

FINALLY!!!

MY LAST CLASSROOM TEST IS OVER! It felt like this day would  never come! The last week has been one of the most exhausting weeks I have had in a long time. But I can now proudly say I have completed 2 years of academic physical therapy school and start my 40 weeks of clinical physical therapy school in 10 DAYS!

A couple of the girls in my class decided the proper way to celebrate after our last exam was to stuff ourselves with delicious breakfast food! Paige, Alisa, Layla, Anna and I were joined by Alisa's parents from out of town to  indulge at Keys Cafe. We all ordered one of the biggest meals on the menu because we wanted a little bit of everything. It really hit the spot! Especially the bacon! :)

After breakfast I drove Kyle and couple of his team mates to the airport for their game in Montreal Saturday night. I'm bummed that Kyle can't help me celebrate my last day of classes, but he did buy me a bottle of champagne that he is requiring me to save until Sunday evening when he gets home.

I also called my parents after I was finished. The conversation was brief but they were excited to hear from me!

My plan during this off week is to enjoy some much needed outdoors time, sleep A LOT, unpack those car loads I mentioned before, and enjoy time with family and friends that is much over due. I have a 'to do' list (of course), but my tasks have shifted from; turn in resume, study for test, do pediatric eval etc. to more exciting things like; stand up paddling on Lake Calhoun, use my Groupons, putt putt golf etc.

To my classmates: I want to thank you guys for an amazing two years! I can't believe how quickly the time went by. It has truly been a blessing to get to know each one of you and I wish you all well in all of your endeavors, inside and outside of the PT world!

It's time to take a nap. I hope to see as many of you as I can before I leave next week!

Kaitlin

Goodbye Lake Calhoun... Hello Basement Apartment

Well, I am no longer a resident at the Calhoun Greenway Apartment complex in Uptown. A little bitter sweet... New management took over about 6 months before my roommate Beanie and I moved out. New construction annoyed us as renovations began, but all the 'old folks' living in our building talking about how they are going to start getting charged up the wazoo with the new management, made the situation a little brighter/funnier. Upon check-out this past Sunday, management thought it would be a nice gesture to show me what the newly renovated apartments would look like. Of course, the gorgeous new apartments made me want to resign my lease.

So much thanks goes out to my Mom, Dad, Laura, Kyle and Casey for helping with the move. Seven truck/SUV loads and eight hours later, my apartment was spick and span and ready to go. Mom and Dad got their work outs in for the next couple of weeks as I live on the third floor with no elevators. Kyle had already helped someone move the day before and had an 80minute scrimmage the morning of, so he was beyond exhausted. Oh, and sweaty was an understatement for the movers!! Laura and Casey came over for a bit before they headed to a friends wedding, but don't get me wrong they helped more than you can imagine. In fact, Casey demolished an old couch so we could throw it off of my balcony!! And by 'we' I mean Kyle and Casey threw it. I have never seen either of their eyes light up like that! You'll have to turn your head sideways... sorry I'm not savvy enough to turn this thing.

Following one of the most exhausting days all of us have had in a while, my mom and dad treated Kyle and I to Burger Jones for delicious sweet potato fries and milk shakes. Kyle almost fell asleep on his food

Two days after my move, my dad helped me get my bed set up (even though shark week was on) in my new 'apartment' in my parents basement. Don't worry though, those 8 truck loads of stuff are sitting in the room next to me....completely unpacked. However, this will be my residence until August 13th when I pack my bags for Detroit! My Aunt Deb, Uncle Rob and cousins: Rob, Kim and Katie graciously accepted me into their home for 10 weeks during my rotation at Detroit Receiving Hospital. Can't Wait!!

I have my last 4 days of class EVER this week, including 2 finals and a presentation. Naturally, my procrastination has led me to start my blog. I want to thank Tracie Wollman for encouraging me to write this. Also, thanks to those who plan to follow. I'll try to keep it interesting. If worse comes to worst, I'll start sharing the stories of when I fall/stumble/trip/run into things/drop stuff etc. :)

It will be fun to document the next year of my life as I travel around the country and world, learning, growing and living.

Kaitlin