March 22

March 22, 2013

Friday finally came, and we thankfully only had a half day. The OT Lindsey and I were shadowing went out of town Thursday night, so we hung out with the lady who was over all the rehab in the hospital. We learned a ton! Then we went home!

I was so excited to see Killer! And she was so excited I was home! I think she was expecting Brad to walk through the door, because when she saw me she just went crazy. I couldn't get her to stop licking me for probably about 20 minutes. She was crying and whining and licking, clearly excited I was home. It always makes you feel good to know you're loved. And the Killer pup definitely loves me. 

Brad got home a little while later, and he and Killer were both nice enough to take a nap with me. I was beyond exhausted. I slept until dinner, came home and slept until 10 the next morning.

Brad and I decided that me being home called for celebration. Instead of eating what I had planned on the meal calendar we went out to our favorite Mexican place down the street. We love it there. It's so good and so cheap. And, according to Brad, pretty authentic. 

It was so good to be home! I missed my little family tons. I really don't know how I'll survive for 3 months next year when I'm in Louisiana.

Courtney

March 21

March 21, 2013

My week in South Carolina for fieldwork was not what I expected. Without going into too much detail, Lindsey and I were both a little disapointed by our experience. We were so excited to go to this site and had our sights set high that it would be an amazing learning opportunity. We were let down greatly, but we did learn about how we would like to change the mental health field if we were ever to go into it.
Lindsey. I will never be able to say too many nice things about this girl. We hadn't really spent that much time together before this trip, so we both didn't really know what to expect Sunday night as we were making the 2 hour trip together. We quickly bonded over our mutual disdain for the unkempt apartment, the squeaky beds, (the lack of sleep we were getting because of them), and our ideas about life in general. As the week passed, and I learned more and more about her, the more and more I really liked her. She is seriously one of the most open and honest people I know. She is kind-hearted and tender-souled. She is funny, has an amazing work ethic, and doesn't let anything stop her.
On Thursday, the OT at the hospital we were at does this thing called "breakfast club" where the patients work together and make their own breakfast. It's pretty awesome. Definitely one of the highlights of the week. After breakfast was made, and we were all at our spots sitting around the table, the OT asked everyone to say something they were thankful for. Lindsey was one of the last ones to go. Her response took me by surprise. She commented on how thankful she was that she was able to spend the week with me. She said how she started off the week a little nervous because she didn't know what to expect, but she was so glad for the way it turned out. She was grateful I made all those freezer meals so that we never had to eat out while we were there. She said sweet thing after sweet thing. After her turn was over, one of the patients I was sitting by leaned over and said, "That was so nice. That was so nice." He was right; that was so nice.
I honestly probably would have been miserable that whole week in South Carolina if it hadn't been for my dear friend Lindsey. We definitely kept each other sane. I am so grateful I was able to get to know her better! Nothing like a dirty apartment and a bad fieldwork to bring you closer together. 

Courtney

 

March 20

March 20, 2013

The middle of the week hump needed a little pick-me-up. Lots of the patients suggested we head downtown and check out the great little candy shop there. Lindsey and I both LOVE candy, like serious obsession. Her's might even be worse than mine, and I didn't think it was possible for someone to have a bigger candy sweet tooth than me. But she may just take the cake.

This was a really great candy shop. I'm so glad we went! They had all sorts of old-timey candy, like candy buttons, taffy, and smartie pops (my favorite).

 The lady who ran the shop was just the sweetest! I told Brad about her, and he said, "Oh course, she's sweet. She runs a candy shop!"
There was a huge random purple gorilla just outside the shop. Couldn't pass up that photo op.

The downtown was so cute. There were tons of nice little shops, a big ship, and a great amphitheater area. There were also at least 10 or 12 of these swings. Perfect for sitting in and enjoying the ocean view.

Later on we stopped by a chocolate shop. While Lindsey was picking out something delicious for herself, I found this. It was ridiculously expensive or I would have bought it for Brad. So I took a picture instead.

This quick candy shop stop and walk around downtown totally got us through the rest of the week.

Courtney

March 19

March 19, 2013

Almost everyday in South Carolina Lindsey and I ate outside. The hospital cafeteria had a lovely little outside area where we really enjoyed sitting and taking in the scenery.

 I took this picture from our lunch table!

  

They also have these little bugs called no-see-ems. They're almost like little sand fleas, so tiny you hardly ever notice them, hence their name. They are everywhere, and if you can go outside and not get bitten you're a lucky soul. I wasn't so lucky. Right after I got bit my wrist started burning a little, then a few hours later it turned into an awful itch. So glad I only got one bite!

Courtney

 

March 18

I've obviously been beyond slacking on this blog. I somehow got behind in writing my March posts. So behind that it feels overwhelming to try and finish out the month of March at this point. But I have all the pictures nicely organized and ready to go, so I need to finish. I haven't wanted to write anything else until I finished these, so if not for any other I need to finish these March posts so I can write about other things that happen in our lives besides all those things from 2 months ago. Plus, what else is there to do when you're up all night with a new puppy.

March 18, 2013

 This was my first day of my mental health fieldwork. I was really excited about this one! I felt like I got a great placement, and I was really interested in the OT aspect of mental health care. There's a great housing program across the south (maybe the nation??) for health care students that's designed just for things like this. They have apartments that are reserved just for migrant students. So Lindsey calls them up, tells them will be coming, and they mail us a key. They great thing is that if you're a resident of the state you're doing your rotation in it's almost always FREE. Since we went to South Carolina, not our state of residence, we only paid $75 for the week. Not too shabby considering there's no way we could have gotten a hotel for this price AND we had a kitchen. I made freezer meals the Saturday before we left, so we not once had to eat out. It was great. Unfortunately, the apartment wasn't up to either of our cleanliness standards, the beds were uncomfortable and squeaked every time you moved, and our roommate was a weirdo. But really, it was $75. We couldn't complain.

Before we went into work the first day, we stopped and got our ID badges. Pretty exciting... 

That first day was a bit of a drag. They didn't have many patients, so there wasn't much for Lindsey and I to do. The OT we were shadowing took us a very unique tour of the hospital, to say the least. But at one point we found ourselves in the pediatric outpatient clinic, which had an AMAZING swing room. Seriously, what more could a kid need?!

 From hammocks to ziplines and tire swings. All themed fittingly for the jungle. I hope that if my kids ever need OT that they'll be able to go to a place with as many resources as this outpatient clinic.

Courtney