The end of one chapter and the beginning of another

Time sure does fly! I am done with my second clinical rotation and Christmas is coming in a few days! I have been working on last minute presents, trying to relax and spend time with my family before I leave Idaho. My cousin Josiah came in on Friday, my parents, Shelly, and my cousins Zach and Sam fly in tonight and Brett comes in tomorrow night. Everyone except for my cousin Nick and his wife Sara will be here for Christmas! We have not been able to have a big family Christmas like this for at least 5 years!

Before my classmates left for home we went out to eat with our clinical instructors at a place called Donnie Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine, it was a neat restaurant in a garage like looking building, with very good food! The picture above is of my classmates Erin and Jamie, Eddie (A rehab tech at St. Lukes where Jamie and I were for our clinicals) and Jamie's CI Brett. There is actually a table inside of that car and people eat in there! It was a fun place! The picture below is of my CI Lynae and I.

Brett and I will start driving back to Oklahoma on the 28th and then I will be able to spend time there with him until the 9th of January.

I am also very excited that my friend Cassie is possibly coming to visit from Philadelphia! I have not seen her since our friend Savanna's wedding in August and it will be fun to show her Oklahoma!

We are also planning to go down to Dallas to visit Denny and Bev (Brett's great aunt and uncle that I stayed with during my first clinical rotation) and Brett's great grandma is visiting with them for awhile also, so we will get to see her as well.

We are so excited to have time to spend together even if we are busy with visiting and traveling- things just don't seem to slow down- but we are enjoying all of our adventures!

I got a call from my CI Rudy from Texas yesterday and he updated me about a patient that I had done my case study on from there. He had an amputation and we were preparing him for a prosthesis, but I had to leave before he was able to get one. Rudy said that he has his new prosthesis and now only has to walk with a cane and is independent in his daily activities! I was so happy for him and sad that I wasn't there to see the whole process through- but Rudy is sending me a picture from him and the power point presentation that the next student put together about him. I am excited to be able to learn about prostheses, I haven't had the chance to, so hopefully I will have more of a chance to follow a patient through at a later time! It is just so rewarding to hear the stories of people that you were able to help become more independent- I think we take for granted little things like being able to walk- and go to the bathroom ourselves. I hope someday to have a chance to go back and see him walking around with his new leg- maybe I will make it down there sometime to do that!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope you take this time to reflect on all God has blessed you with this year! We are truly blessed to have friends and family like you!

Love,

Emily (and Brett)