my week so far

have i mentioned that my brain hurts? this week i spent hours cutting and labeling hundreds of index cards to help me learn some of the new "foreign language" i'm studying. i even tagged along with matt, karen, emmy, and jeanette to memory park to study those terms while they ran. hoping that the name of the park wasn't a lie. i was actually able to remember a lot, even though i spent more time than i should have, watching all the cute dogs splash in the pond. missing maggie.

school hasn't been all terms and definitions though, i also got to have a few lab classes. in one lab i got the opportunity of experiencing a couple of hours in a wheelchair.



i had to push myself around campus. it was thrilling for about 20 minutes, but then the pads of my palms started aching. the point of the experience was to help us see how limited a wheelchair-bound persons options are and to, hopefully, be able to understand our future clients a little more. the bruised hands were a bonus.

in another lab our entire class had to "dress down" for the day. we were asked to wear a sports bra,



gym shorts, and for our first day in this particular lab we were able to keep on our t-shirts. woohoo! my entire class of 22 students (which is what we're down to, now that 2 of my classmates have already been scared off) filed into the physical therapy lab



and took turns locating each others' spine, and coracoid process. obviously some people's were easier to locate than others'. mine were both hidden beneath layers of ding dongs and fried chicken.

and in my final lab of the week we got to go back to the cadaver lab to see what human muscles look like when they aren't covered by skin. i'll spare you any photos of that...not only because cameras aren't allowed in the lab, but because it's a lot worse in photos than it is in real life (or death). however, i think this photo sort of gives you an idea of how we (at least I) felt, even though we were somewhat able to seem professional and unaffected.



and finally, this morning i woke up at 5:30am to ride with matt, todd, and emmy up to emigration canyon, where the 3 of them relayed a half marathon. it was the perfect day to run (or watch people run) as there was a chill in the air with even an occasional rain drop. i love that even though they did all the running, i still got to enjoy the free breakfast at dee's, courtesy of todd. mmm.mmm. good. i sure am glad i gave myself permission to eat like i normally do on the weekends.

and that, my friends, is my week so far.

**ps...none of the photos on this page were taken by me, not even the one of the grey's anatomy cast.