Love Your Brain...

We just returned from a state-wide convention for speech-language pathologists. At our convention, the keynote speaker was a woman (a neuroanatomist) who experienced a massive stroke in her mid-thirties. Did you read that? Mid-thirties. Not seventy, not eighty. This woman was young, healthy, and in the prime of her career. Not a person you would expect to have a stroke, right?

She lost her ability to talk, walk, and basically participate in life. It took her multiple years to fully recover, but she did (thanks to many therapies - including speech!). The reason I'm sharing all of this is because so many people have little awareness what the signs of a stroke are (don't tell me if you're one of them!). Now, put down whatever you are doing and pay attention.

Dr. Bolte-Taylor shares this acronym to remind people the signs of a stroke:

STROKE
S - speech or language problems
T - tingling or numbness in your body
R - remember/problems with memory
O - off balance/problems with coordination
K - killer headache
E - eyes/problems with vision

Another way we learned in grad school to be aware of a stroke was to do three things:

1. Raise your arms.
2. Smile.
3. Say "No ifs, ands, or buts." (Or anything really)

A stroke is a BRAIN ATTACK! Just like a Heart Attack --> if you have trouble with any of those, you need to call for help.

Strokes can happen to anyone at any time. Be aware of the signs! Now, go love your brain :-)

Hi Marissa! (thanks for writing this, and Lyla does have skillz!)
Hi Crystal! (thanks for coming!)
Hi Amanda! (thanks for rounding the crew up!)
Hi Autumn! (thanks for wearing red heels and making us dress up!)
Hi Jen, Jen, Erin (and Kasey!) -- (thanks for Cyclones and spandex rompers!)
Hi Jaci! -- (have that baby and come next time!)

SuperBowl

The SUPERBOWL is in Dallas (so close but so far away)!! All my high school boys wanted to know if I was going, since it was in my hometown... I said...Do you know how exepensive those tickets are?!

I am going for the Packers...because....their third string QB was my college QB at Texas Tech!! (Always pulling for those Red Raiders!!)

Speaking of school...my 5th grade teacher was Ms. Lowey.  (Lowey and I are FB friends!) And Lowey's son is kid journalist for The Dallas Morning News... He went to Media Day with the DMN for the Superbowl on Thursday! I think he did a nice job interviewing, writing up the article and asking questions that were relevant to his age range (and MY interests!!) Check it out here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/super-bowl/local/20110203-kid-reporter-gets-up-close-and-personal-with-players-at-super-bowl-xlv-media-day.ece

Here is his clip from the NBA All Stars last year: http://momsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/02/ten-year-old-jordan-sternblitz.html -- My favorite quote from this article is when he talks about his arm being sore from having to hold the mircophone up so high for these basketball players!!

New Years Eve

So Sorry! I don't know how to reorganize these pictures on blogger, so they will have to stay in chronological order.

Well, didn't want this one to be the first (b/c its rather dorky) but I wanted to show off my NEW PINK cowgirl boots!! 

 This is the girls before leaving for NYE -- we took the new DART train down to "Big D NYE" in Victory Park in Dallas.  Amy, Brooke, Rachel, Helen, and Alex

Garrett and Alex 

 The group waiting at the train station -- Mark, Garrett, Alex, Helen, Rachel, Bo, Ben, Brooke, Amy and Josh.



Me and one of my all time favorite friends, Brooke!



 At the Texas Tech Bowl game in Dallas -- it was SOO cold... I mean FREEEZING!! And half way through the first quarter we all left our good seats and moved into the sun. Much warmer there!! Plus -- we won the game!! YEAH!!

Rachel, Amy and Garrett

  

Go Tech

and

Happy 2011!!

Costume Choice

for fun parties:

for work -- (we were only allowed to wear one "halloween" item -- I broke the rules and wore 2):

(sorry both iPhone photos!)

The Bunny Rabbit Story

On Friday night, I came home and there was an animal in the driveway. (And remember I don’t “do” animals.) So, I rolled up slowly thinking my car would scare it away. I didn’t think it moved, so I reversed to look at it and it was still sitting in the same spot. So I rolled forward again, reversed again, still there. About this time I realize it is not my neighbor’s cat, but a fat gray bunny rabbit with a light ears and a white tail.


Next, I thought maybe it was the whole “deer in the headlights” deal, so I turned my headlights off and waited. Turned the headlights back on: Still there. Turned off again, waited, turned on: still there. Ugh, so I get out of the car and tell it to “shoo” and snap my fingers at it and it doesn’t move. (This dumb bunny is not scared of me. At all.) And I am certainly not going to touch it. So, I snap and stomp and clap some more and it finally takes one step forward. So…I keep snapping and jumping and clapping, like a maniac, and it takes another step forward.

I get back into the car. Rolled forward, Reversed, Looked: Still there. Tried the headlights trick a few times: still there.

So…I called my sister, Rachel, the animal lover – she worked at a vet clinic throughout high school SURELY she will know how to make a bunny rabbit move.

“Hey Rach, I am stuck in my driveway, there is a Bunny in the way and I can’t get it to move.”

“Bahhahahhahahah” “What? You are STUCK b/c you can’t get a little bunny rabbit to move” “Bahahhahaha” Hahahaha”

“Rachel, stop laughing. Seriously, Stop. I just need you to tell me how to get it to move.”

“Bahahah – hahah – hahha – telling all her friends how “hilarious” it is that I am stranded in my own driveway. – Bahahah Uhmm, just go out there and shoo it.”

So, I got back out of my car and started telling the Bunny to “Go” “Get outta here” “Shoo” :: Still there.

I started screaming “CAAA!! CAAA!!” and flapping my arms around like a bird :: Still there.

More jumping and flapping and clapping and snapping :: Still there.

I started screaming at Rachel to help me out and she keeps saying “What do you want me to do – I am 800 miles away!”

Ugh. Double Ugh. – Suddenly, The rabbit darted away…right underneath my car!! Ugh again.

“Rachel, Now it went under my car, what do I do?!”

“Just get in and roll forward very slowly.”

Ugh. I high-stepped it to the car (literally) and put my car in gear. Idled forward:: no squish, squeal or bump… so I kept idling forward until I pulled all the way into my spot.

The end.

Also, the next morning both of my neighbors told me they heard me last night… evidently they sat there and watched me out their windows. What!?!! Come help me next time!!! They both concluded that it was definitely someone’s pet rabbit.

The end.

Kids Say The Darndest Things...

5 year old boy -- articulation goals at the conversation level -- Playing a version of 20 questions -- You pull an item out of the sack for the other person to guess...

Him: Is it an animal?
Me: No.

Is it a human?
No.

Is it alive?
No.

.....few questions later...

Is it in the House?
Yes!

Is it in the Kitchen? Bedroom? Bathroom?
No. No. No.

....several more questions....basically he had figured out it was something brown, in the garage, and it was a hard object... several more questions...

...then he got frustrated and asked for a hint...

I said: "It's something that Dads like and Moms don't usually like it much."

He slammed down his hand, and with a big grin said: "I KNOW IT!!! IT'S BEER!!"  (It was a hammer.)

:) :) :)

Sorta reminds me of this post!

Eagle Sighting

We have some sweet neighbors at the lake... Terry took these pictures and sent them to us.

This was on his beach front -- right next door!!! Isn't that crazy and AWESOME!?!