A Life Well Lived

What if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Blessings – Laura Story

I heard this song on my way home from work yesterday. It was before I learned of Cheryl’s passing. This song has always touched me. When I saw that her life here on Earth was over the only thing I wanted to do was sleep. I don’t know if subconsciously I thought if I slept that I would wake up and this news wouldn’t be real or if I just didn’t feel like I could handle it right at that moment, but I went to bed.

Sleep did not come. I felt so much sorrow. So much loss. It’s always hard to lose the ones we love, but it seems so much harder when you’re just not ready to see them go. When my great grandmother passed away, I was sad but I had known for a while that her time was coming. Her mind would come and go, and her body was just simply worn out. It was time. It was welcomed.

But Cheryl, I was not (maybe still not) ready to let her go. I have been praying for her healing for months now. We hadn’t had enough time with her. I know that it’s selfish to still want her here when she has experienced so much suffering. As I lay in bed all I could do was think of the all the memories that I shared with her. I knew her my entire life. She taught me so much. With sobs intermingled with laughter I recalled the following life lessons from Cheryl.

1.How you address someone is dependent upon the setting. As I mentioned before Cheryl has been involved in my entire life. She taught some of the classes that I was in at church when I was very young, but when I was in 3rd grade she also became my social studies teacher at school. I had been prepped ahead of time by parents and grandparents that in school I was to call her Miss Allison. I did great the first day. the second day I accidentally called her Cheryl. She gently reminded me that at school she was Miss Allison. When I saw her at church later in the week I called her Miss Allison. She told me it was okay to call her Cheryl at church. I told her this was confusing and hard. She told me I would get the hang of it. I did. Now I know when to address friends with professional titles or to call them by name.

2. How to encourage others. In that 3rd grade social studies class she put up with some pretty annoying 7 and 8 year olds and their shenanigans. I like to think we were simply preparing her for success in the future. Even though we might have been a nightmare to deal with, she never let us see her disappoint (or fear; my class was known to strike fear in even the most prepared substitute teacher) or frustration. She simply encouraged us. I remember one particular assignment was to draw the U.S. Capitol Building. She told one student that his drawing looked more like a spaceship than the Capitol Building, but it was a very good spaceship. Cheryl never failed to have an encouraging word. She also taught me that stapler can easily be turned into weapon in that class, but that’s an entirely different lesson.

3. Fun can happen anywhere, anytime with anyone. When I was in 5th grade my Sunday school class memorized the books of the Bible. As a reward Cheryl, Sandra and Mike took us to stay a weekend in a cabin in New Harmony. We laughed so much that weekend. We called the church van “The Party Bus”. We made toilet paper hats and some wore Nanny socks. We drove by people driving slowly trying videotape the beauty of nature with deer that were just off the road, and we yelled “Your door’s ajar!” as we sped by. Cheryl almost caught the tree on fire trying to light the grill. We also realized the when the windshield wipers were down spraying washer fluid was like shooting a laser from the side van.  We may or may not have tried to hit some of the deer with it. Who knew 5th and 6th graders could really be friends with adults? The fun didn’t end as I grew up. My sarcasm was never lost on Cheryl. I could always count on her for a witty reply. I’m happy to say that as I grew up I was able to join her as an adult befriending members of our church youth group.

4. How to mentor others. I always view Cheryl as one of my greatest mentors. In my 30 years on this planet I have looked up to many people. Sadly, most of them have a found a way to let me down. People are imperfect. I recognize that, but Cheryl was one of the people that never let me down. She didn’t try to hide her faults or struggles. She lived a life that was real, sometimes messy, but always beautiful. When I was in chiropractic school I went through a time of indecision. I wasn’t sure where God was leading me. So I called on a few individuals that I knew I could count on to help me find my way. Cheryl always made a point to encourage me that I was doing the right thing and to remind me that God’s plan and timing are perfect. She was also there with a good kick in the pants when that’s what I really needed. After completing chiropractic school I moved back home to start practicing and I found myself in a new role at church. I began teaching the senior high youth Sunday school class. I’m not sure I had ever felt more out of my comfort zone, and that includes the time that I ended up teaching and adult Sunday school class filled with people double to triple times my age. That was intimidating. Teaching the youth class was terrifying. But Cheryl helped lead me. She showed me how important it was to be involved in there lives, and how important encouragement in this stage of their lives really was.

As I look back on the life that Cheryl so graciously shared with us all. I know that best way that I can honor her memory is to take these lessons and teach them to others. So when dealing with friends in a professional setting address them with the appropriate title, but remember that you’re still just friends in more familiar settings. Always find a way to encourage others even when they may not be at their best. Don’t forget to have fun in life. Laughter is too precious to be passed up. Finally, mentor others. Take the wisdom that the important people in your life have given you and share it with the world.

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Blessings – Laura Story

Last night was one of those hardest nights, but these lessons were the blessing.
Cheryl, you will be missed by so many, but your impact will live on for many years. Rest in peace.

Nerd Rage

That’s what it’s called when book lovers are up in arms about the fact that a movie didn’t exactly mirror the book it’s BASED on.

It’s something that I’ve not personally dealt with but have consequently dealt with most of my 28 years due to the book lovers in my life. Between my sisters, friends and boyfriend I’ve seen a lot of nerd rage. Being the one that never read books I never had an issue with the movies. I first read the Hunger Games series after seeing the first two movies. I have to admit, when I read the books I pictured the characters that were portrayed in the movies so I knew that I wasn’t coming close to experiencing what all the nerds were experiencing when the nerd rage came out.

After completing the Hunger Games I moved on to Divergent. I loved the series and couldn’t wait for the movies to come out. I finally got around to watching it last night. Surprise. Surprise. I don’t have nerd rage about it. That’s not to say that there weren’t parts of the story changed or that the casting of some characters didn’t fit what I had imagined, but I went into it logically knowing that there is no way that everything that happened in a 500 page book was going to fit into a two hour movie. When you can’t include everything some things have to be altered for flow of the storyline.

Andy and I both commented on some of the characters not being what we had imagined. Some of the characters we agreed upon, but others we both pictured differently from one another. As we discussed this I realized that the main issue the nerd ragers have is that they don’t see outside the bubble of their own imagination. While two readers/viewers might agree that the casting for a certain character is wrong if the characters were recast to fit the ideas of the first person the second person would still not agree with the casting because it was not what his or her imagination had conjured up.

That’s the beauty of imagination. We can make people and places look the way we want them to look. It’s part of what gives us our individuality.

You’ll notice that earlier when I mention a movie being based on a book that I put based in all caps. The movies don’t claim to be the book.  There’s a little thing called artistic freedom that occurs when a movie is based on something else. It does not have to be a carbon copy. For me as long as the core of the story is still intact I will not be upset by the differences between a book and a movie.

So for all you nerd ragers out there, next time you go to watch a movie based on a book keep it together when it doesn’t fit your imagination. It’s not the end of the world.

Having a Dog

When I was growing up my family had a Black Lab-Chow mix dog. Her name was Bridgette. (Good choice in keeping with the B-names, right? Bethany, Brittany and Bridgette. Fun and semi-related story: when she was a puppy we used to put her in the basement when we left the house to prevent her from destroying things. On one occasion my mother and I left the house early in the morning so she stuck her head in the bedroom and told my stepdad that Bridgette was upstairs in bed and Brittany, my sister, was in the basement. Their names were interchanged regularly.)

Bridgette as a pup.

Anywho, I loved that dog. She had been a stray that showed up at our house while my stepdad was out of town on a business trip. I immediately requested that we keep her. My mom told us that if she was still around when my stepdad returned we could ask him. Then as she was leaving for work she said, “Don’t feed her.” When mom was safely out of sight my sister and I hit the fridge for some lunch meat. Needless to say, she stayed, and it didn’t take much convincing to get my stepdad to agree on keeping her.

I missed her a lot when I went away to college. She ended up with hip dysplasia, which is fairly common in Labs. One day when I was in chiropractic school I got a call from my mom telling me that they were having to put her down. She could no longer get up and it was painful for them to even lift her to get her to the vet’s office. I still have a picture of her on my dresser. Sometimes when I return to my parents house I still expect to find her waiting at the door to greet me.

One of last photos of Bridgette.

She’s been gone for almost 3 years now. During that time I have had several friends offer to help me find a new dog. Unfortunately my living situation has not allowed for that so I spend time with other people’s dogs. Luckily, when I started dating my boyfriend I also gained a dog, Sally. I like to consider myself part owner (Sorry, Andy. She loves me too). In my time without a dog I had forgotten about all the hard parts of having a dog like cleaning up their messes and having to plan activities around their ability to control their bladder. But the negative aspects to owning a dog can never outweigh the positive ones. Here are 3 things I had missed about having a dog.

1. The Welcome. Whether you’re gone 4 minutes or 4 weeks the response is the same. They are excited to see you. Sometimes I feel like Sally is more excited to see me than Andy. Of course, that would be weird if he greeted me by barking at the door and shaking his tail so hard he was about to fall over.

Sally

2. The Comfort. When you’re down dogs can tell, and they know just how to snuggle up to you to let you know you’re loved. They’ll sit for hours with their chin on your lap because there’s nowhere else they’d rather be.

3. The Playfulness. Sally loves to wrestle and she’s pretty much always up for a game of tug-of-war with her rope. Even when Bridgette was older she would sometimes have a burst of energy and take off running through the house making figure eights around the dining room table. I admire their ability to drop everything and have a little fun.

Do you own a dog?  If so, what do you love most about him or her?

Do You Know About Leading?

There’s a great movie called Big Fish.  It’s about an older gentleman named Edward Bloom that tells a lot of “big fish” stories about his lifetime.  You should watch it.  Anyway, there’s a scene where his son Will is trying to confront him about some of it.  It goes as follows:

Albert Finney in Big Fish

Will: You know about icebergs, dad?

Edward: Do I? I saw an iceberg once.  They were hauling it down to Texas for drinking water.  They didn’t count on there being an elephant frozen inside.  The wooly kind.  A mammoth.

Will: Dad!

Edward: What?

Will: I’m trying to make a metaphor here.

Edward: Well you shouldn’t have started with a question, because most people want to answer questions.  You should’ve started with, “The thing about icebergs is.”

Will: Ok, Ok, Ok.  The thing about icebergs is…

After I wrote this post I realized that I wasn’t really asking you a question.  I was actually just telling you about my experience.  So let me start again.

The thing about leading is…

It’s Hard.

Really hard.

Sometimes it’s hard because you have to be the responsible one when something goes wrong.  If a patient is unhappy with a portion of their care in my office, I am the one held responsible because I am the doctor.  I am responsible even if the problem is with a portion of the care I do not actively perform. As the business owner, when the air conditioner quits on the hottest day of the summer, I am the one responsible for making sure it gets fixed (read: calling Gordon and Grandpa to come the rescue).

Sometimes it’s hard because you have to make moral choices that are unpopular.  As a leader for Campus Crusade for Christ on my campus, I was responsible for bringing in speakers.  Some speakers that were offered up to me as choices by friends and classmates were more bent on the political message they were trying to send than that of a spiritual message.  It was hard, but I had to tell a few friends no.

Sometimes it’s hard because it’s lonely.  I have had several leadership positions in my lifetime.  I started as a club leader in high school for numerous organizations then became a leader in Student Government Association and Campus Crusade for Christ in college.  In chiropractic school I was a part of the Student Doctor’s Council and I was a part of some improvements in the clinic credit system. I am now a business owner, and I am just finishing up a position as a Sunday school teacher in my church.

Of all the positions I have held, leading other Christians is absolutely the hardest job.  Sometimes you feel like no one else cares.  I am sadly leaving my post as a young adult Sunday school teacher due to a lack of interest.  It’s  hard to be a leader when those you are leading don’t care.  I have progressively become more and more frustrated at the apathy of Christians in my generation.  Not just an apathy of the church, but an apathy toward every thing that’s important in life.  People will get into fiery arguments about books, television, movies and music, but they could care less about tending to the needs of the hurting. My arguments for involvement seem to fall on deaf ears.

I won’t give up leading in the church.  Even though it’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, it can also be the most rewarding.  My only hope is that the apathy of Christians soon turns to a burning passion and I pray that my pastor sees enough of us that care that he doesn’t burnout by the same premise.

“A Dweam Wifin a Dweam”

“Mawage, that bwessed awangement, that dweam wifin a dweam.” One of my favorite scenes from The Princess Bride movie is Princess Buttercup and Prince Humperdinck’s wedding. When the Impressive Clergyman tries to bestow some marital wisdom on the couple he speaks of a dream within a dream, inception, if you will.

The Impressive Clergyman

My favorite thing about this book was that much like the “dweam wifin a dweam,” this was a story within a story. *WARNING* If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie and plan to you might not want read any further to avoid any spoilers.

The book is written by William Goldman as though it is an abridgment of a long historical book by S. Morgenstern. Goldman claims to have fallen in love with the original as a child when his father read it to him. As an adult he realizes that his father had left out all the boring parts. He, in turn, does the same to abridge the book for his readers. Throughout the book he stops and interjects his own comical thoughts claiming to have edited out 44 or so pages of unneeded descriptions of parties or packing or foliage.

I must admit, at first I was convinced that all this was true, but as the story progressed the interjections became more and more far fetched. At the end of the book was the first chapter of a fictitious sequel that Goldman supposedly wanted to abridge, but unfortunately lost the job to Steven King.

In my opinion, Goldman wrote a brilliant story. I’m glad this was the book I chose to start with. I love it and I plan to own the physical book. Reading this gave me a whole new respect for the story.

One last disclaimer, the proximity of this post to the last would make it seem as though I read this book within a few days. I actually started it last year. Don’t get your hopes to high that I came flying out of the gate to become a better reader. Hopefully I’ll be able to shorten the time it takes between books, but I don’t make any promises.

New Year’s Goals

I don’t know that I’ve ever made a New Year’s Resolution so I don’t think I’ll say I’m making one this year.  I do, however, have a couple goals for the year.  The first goal is to become a better reader.

I have been surrounded in life by people who love to read, and I have never been that kind of person.  My mom and sisters are big readers, my best friend in undergrad is now a librarian and my boyfriend’s compilation of read titles makes my reading skills look embarrassing.  For as long as I can remember my reading comprehension skills have not been the greatest.  I can read 15 pages of a book and realize that I have no idea what I’ve just read.  So I go back and start again and it makes reading a book a long process.  Even so, I know that reading is good for the brain, and someday I want to encourage my children to read.  Just as I don’t ask my patients to do anything that I haven’t tried first, I don’t expect to ask my children to do something I’m not also willing to do.  The best way to get better at anything is to practice.  So I’ve decided to spend more time reading.  To start I’m going to read The Princess Bride.  It is one of my favorite movies so I thought I’d start there.  I have a few books that I’ve decided I’d like to read this year, but I’m open to suggestions if anyone has any they would like to offer.  I don’t really know what kind of books I even like so I’m open to try about anything. My boyfriend likes reading as a stress reliever.  At this point I can’t say it’s a stress reliever for me, but I know what is.  When I shared my last post I realized how much I miss blogging on a regular basis.

That is my second goal for the year.  I want to spend some more time writing here.  It’s relaxing and it’s my happy place.  Some days the posts will be long.  Some days the posts will be short.  Some will be insightful, some will be funny, and some will be just plain ridiculous.  I think in order to keep myself motivated on my first goal I will have some posts about what I read.  I’m not going to tell you that there will be a post every month about a book.  It will likely take me longer to read most books than that, but I will do so when I finish a book.

So those are my New Year’s goals.  Feel free to share any reading suggestions with me.  Please remember that I’m “a beginner” so a 4000 page book might be a little overwhelming to me.

2013 Quotes Year in Review

I noticed recently that a few friends posted their 2013 Year in Review on Facebook.  I checked mine out but I doubt anyone else really cares to see my year in review.  Instead I decided to have my own Quotes Year in Review.  I compiled my top 25 favorite quotes recorded in the Quote Book for the year.  Some of them are funny if you know the context behind them.  Most are funny without context at all. They are listed in no particular order and I have withheld the names of the individuals that uttered these sayings to protect their privacy. So without further ado here are the top 25 quotes I recorded in 2013.

1. Behoove.  I’ve never used that word in public.

2. Nothing says I love you like a close-out.

3. I like it better when you were little and quiet.

4. They have all new anatomically correct clocks.

5. The extra ham is in the bathroom.

6. Person A: Who was the 1st woman recorded in the Bible to wear makeup?                          Person B: Mary Kay of Nazareth?

7. I’d rather sing in front of the Pope than speak in front of the church.

8. Nothing hard ever comes easy.

9. Better is better.

10. I was a lot better at this when no one was playing with me.

11. Not too many people are going into the nun business anymore.

12. Germans are serious about their beer and chocolate…and hate crimes.

13. This really does matter.  It’s not like math.

14. Nothing ruins the smell of a car like fear and poop.

15. It’s so hard not to tell your children to shut-up when you’re tired.

16. Person A: I could care less about the post-season.                                                                 Person B: Spoken like a true Cubs fan.

17. You can quit when Bob Johnson is puttin’ a tie on you.

18. Glitter is like the Herpes of the arts and crafts world.

19. My milk doesn’t get soggy.

20. I got a charlie horse ringing my bell.

21. Santa? I mean, grandpa?

22. If you didn’t put it in my belly don’t touch it.

23. Shh. This is my show.

24. Sorry I’m late.  My squirrel got loose and I had to chase it down.

25. Person A: Have a drink for me on your trip.                                                                           Person B: A cocktail?                                                                                                           Person A: Well, yeah.  I can drink lemonade at home.

Thanksgiving 365: 341 – 365

341. Candles.  We lost power for a while a few nights back when the storms were going through.  Just as I was about to step into the shower the room went black. There’s nothing like a candle lit shower.

342. Our church worship team. We just mesh really well and I love that even practice is used to really praise God.  Getting together with them is something I look forward to each week.

343. Relaxation methods. I have a terrible time when it comes to sleeping.  I lay down and my mind runs.  If I ran as much as my mind I’d be a marathoner.  One thing I’ve found that helps is using relaxation techniques that force me to focus on relaxing my physical being so I’m not thinking about everything else which allows me to fall asleep.

344. Water filters. We may not have the worst tasting water, but it’s definitely not the best tasting water.  I drink a lot of it so I’m very thankful for my water filter.

345. Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark. It might be the one treat that I look forward to the most at Christmas time.  I received some as a gift this past Christmas and I’m rationing them.

346. Rehab exercises. I’ve had shoulder problems since an injury in high school.  I didn’t seek any treatment at the time, but that was back when participation in sports was more important to me than the long-term effects not treating were going to have on me.  I didn’t seek treatment for it until I was in chiropractic school when it became a major problem again.  It hadn’t bothered me since I stopped throwing shot put, but once I started adjusting people on a regular basis I was getting shooting pains in my arm.  I had to take care of it now.  It threatened my livelihood.  I sought treatment from a chiropractor who specializes in sports injuries and I’m glad I did.  Not only did it improve my shoulder, but it also created a great friendship.  She adjusted me and performed muscle work, but part of the treatment was my responsibility.  I had to perform the rehab exercises she gave me.  It was determined that my past injury was a small tear in my rotator cuff; not enough to warrant surgery, but enough that if I didn’t rehab the muscle it would never be right.  If I don’t keep the appropriate muscles strengthened it puts strain on the muscle that was injured.  So even though I don’t always feel the pain I know that it could come back so I keep doing my exercises and appreciating that I am able to use my arm everyday.

347. Water pillows. I was skeptical at first.  How could a pillow with water in it be that special?  I needed a new pillow and didn’t want to go buy one so I used the last one that was left in stock in my office that had been included in the sale of the business.  It took me a few days, but once I found the right amount of water to suit my needs I was converted.  I used to wake up in the night and mash my pillow around trying to get comfortable.  I never do that now.  I’m still amazed that it works as well as it does, but I can’t deny the results I get and others have gotten with them.  Needless to say, I restocked.

348. Scriptures that speak your core. I was recently invited to be a part of an encouraging scripture exchange.  You emailed the scripture that you go to in times of need to someone else in hopes that it will encourage them.  The two scriptures that I shared are as follows:

Romans 8:26 – Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

These two scriptures can bring me up in situations that seem way too big for me.  I love the idea that even when I’m speechless the Spirit will pray for me.

349. Upward Basketball. It put’s two great things together: God and basketball; in that order.  My favorite games to watch are the 1st and 2nd graders. Sometimes that make awesome plays, and sometimes their just comical.

350. The imagination of kids. I recently attended the 1st birthday party of my cousin’s daughter.  There were a handful of other children there as well.  One particular little boy had come in wearing his boots and cowboy hat.  Later, he had taken someone’s cane and was riding it like a stick horse.  It definitely provided some added entertainment.

351. Super Bowl parties. My family has a Super Bowl party every year.  We mostly go for the food, commercials and fellowship, but occasionally we’ll watch the game.

352. My Neu Year calendar. I won it over on my friend Julie’s blog which I’ve linked to numerous times, but hey, what’s one more.  It’s helping me keep track of loans and bills and various other financial benchmarks.

353. Biofreeze. When I’m training hard this stuff gets me through the next day.

354. My Sunday school class. They’re not the biggest talkers in the world.  It was like pulling teeth to get them to interact in the beginning.  I’m no dentist, but they’re starting to come around and their getting excited about seeing our class grow and serving the Lord.  Today we actually decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International.  We can’t wait to support this beautiful girl from Columbia.  We look forward to pouring into Sara’s life and seeing the ways that God will bless her.

355. Twitter. I’m not exactly the most Twitter-savvy.  I’m still working on it, but I have found that it’s a great way to keep up with the stuff I love, like Cardinals baseball, my favorite music and trends in chiropractic.  It’s also become a really great marketing tool for my business. If you want to follow me personally: @BMeeksDC or professionally: @FFChiroClinic.

356. Fiction. Sometimes you just need to get away from real life.

357. Unexpected text messages. I love hearing from friends unexpectedly.  Those texts always seem to come at the right time.

358. Things to look forward to. I kind of miss living in the city and hanging out with all my chiropractor friends.  I love being home closer to my family, but a lot of the people that I hung out with before I left for school have moved elsewhere.  I feel like I’ve started kindergarten all over again.  I don’t really like having to make new friends.  I haven’t done much of that over the last year and I’m beginning to feel like a recluse.  I do have two events coming up this year that I have to head south to attend.  So I’m looking forward to getting away for a little relaxation time and and hanging out with some old friends.

359. A new treadmill. I mentioned to my step-mom that I was in the market for a treadmill and she offered me hers.  She just had to have it and then it became a close rack.  I’m looking forward to having it because I don’t like running in the cold, and if this summer is anything like last summer I will also not like running outside then either.  I have an aversion to running in weather that you can bake cakes in.

360. The Weekly Sticky. This is a tool that I use to help educate people about chiropractic.  This week’s sticky was about football.

361. My new vacuum. I think it’s safe to say the the majority of people don’t get excited about vacuums.  I am not the majority of people.  I asked for it for Christmas, and Santa (my mom) delivered.  It’s so much better the ones I had in the office before.  I only have to cover a section of carpet once to pick everything up.

362. I’m my own boss. There are days that this has it’s drawbacks. The day the air conditioner went out, for instance, was not a good day to be in charge. However, most days I am grateful that I can do things the way I want.

363. A network of doctors. I keep in touch with several of my friends from chiropractic school and we have become a sounding board for each other.  If there’s ever a condition we’re not sure about or something isn’t working the way it should we send out group texts and everyone throws in some ideas.  It’s a great resource to have.

364. Snow. I love that it makes everything look clean.  Secondarily, and I’m almost ashamed to admit it, snow means people will be shoveling out their driveways.  Most people don’t use the best form and that leads them to my office.  The two busiest weeks of my practice were the two week following the blizzard.  (How’s that for a chiropractor’s confession.) It’s bad, I know, but it could not have come at a better time for me financially.  I was wondering how I was going to pay all the bills, but God provides.

365. All of you.  I’m thankful for all of you who have stuck around.  You’ve put up with ridiculously long posts and even longer hiatuses between posts.  I looked back at all that I have been thankful for.  Some of the posts made me laugh and some made me cry. All in all, I’m glad I took on this adventure, and I’m glad you came along with me.

That’s the end of the Thanksgiving 365 series, but don’t be mistaken it’s not the end of my thankfulness.  Today I saw a post on Facebook from Operation Christmas Child.  It read, “No matter how good or bad you think life is, wake up each day and be thankful for life. Someone somewhere else is fighting to survive.”

Thanksgiving 365: 321 – 340

321. Kiwanis International.  They do a lot of great stuff, and now I’m a part of our local chapter.

322.  Art.  My sisters are artsy.  I don’t so much fall into that category.  I like to jokingly tell them that they’re artsy and I’m the smart sister.  Just because I’m not necessarily good at it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it.  My younger sister made this piece for my office.  She’s pretty good, I think.

323. 62 days until Cardinals baseball.  There are only 62 days until the Cardinals start regular season play again, and only 25 days until spring training games start.  Life without baseball is so boring.

324. Facebook.  It can sometimes be a hinderance to me getting things done, but Facebook also has a lot of good qualities.  It helps me keep in contact with friends from Bethel and Logan.  It helps me keep up with my entire family.  I can even market my practice through Facebook.  For all it’s shortcomings, it sure is helpful.

325. An electrician.  He also happens to be my grandpa, and he takes care of a lot of stuff for me.  Most recently he fixed the annoying squawk coming from my furnace.  My office is a much nicer place without all that noise pollution.

326. Jesus Calling.   It’s a daily devotional by Sarah Young.  The entries are very short but can be very powerful.  I received it as a gift when I graduated from chiropractic school.  It helps me get my day off on the right foot.

327. Space saving solutions.  My living situation has me confined to a small space so efficient storage is always on my mind. I always like things that compact down or nest for storage.  I’m a big believer in vacuum space saver bags.  I can make all the things that I am not actively using fit into a tight space.

328. Rain.  As I write this we are under a tornado watch and there is are threats of severe storms all evening.  Although I don’t care for severe weather and the damage it can cause, I can appreciate the rain that it provides.  This summer was so hot, and we had so little rain.  Many people here were affected by the drought.  It’s a farming community and a large portion of our economy is based around crops.  So I can’t help but be thankful for rain that we are being blessed with.

329. Acupuncture successes. I completed my acupuncture training back in October and began treating all the acupuncture patients in my office in November.  I have treated so many conditions with acupuncture that I would not have known how to approach otherwise.  It’s great to be able treat people for knee pain or infertility, but I love hearing the success stories.  In December I began treating a man that had experienced a headache since August.  He had seen multiple specialists that had put him on numerous medications to treat them, but he still couldn’t get full relief.  On top of that, the medication side-effects were beginning to interfere with his life.  They were affecting his mood and memory.  He came to me as a last ditch effort.  Earlier this month he reported to me that he had gone off all of his medications and had gone an entire month without a headache.  It’s stories like this that make me absolutely love what I’m doing.

330. Babies getting well.  I am blessed to have had the opportunity to take care of several infants this past year.  They suffered from colic, reflux and general crankiness.  I’m so glad that chiropractic can help with these things.  It’s great to see babies getting well, but it’s even better to see the relief in the parents’ faces when their child is no longer suffering.

331. New siding. This summer I had new siding put on my building and it has given it a huge facelift.  The change makes it almost unrecognizable from its previous state.  In fact, I had a few patients miss their turn shortly after the job was complete because they didn’t recognize the building.

332. Decorative changes.  I’ve done a lot in my office.  I’ve installed new flooring, painted walls and added some of my personal photo prints to the walls.  It’s updated the look and helped me to make it my own.

333. The Topaz.  That’s my car, or at least it used to be my car.  It was my first car.  A 1992 Mercury Topaz.  It was five-speed with manual windows and locks and tape deck.  The only automatic portion of the car were the seat belts, but the motors had gone out those before I ever owned the car.  This summer I had some car trouble with my Buick.  So while it was out of commission my parents let me borrow the Topaz.  I’m pretty sure I’ll always like that car, even with all its faults.

334. My employees.  Initially I kept the employees that had been working in the office, but one of them decided to move on to a better opportunity and I was left searching for a replacement.  I was fortunate enough to have found a really great temporary employee until I could find someone that could stick around long term.  The long term employee I found is equally great.  I’ve heard a lot of horror stories from some of my colleagues about crummy employees so I feel incredibly blessed that God provided me with both of these women.

335. Catching up with old friends.  This summer I had the opportunity to hang out with a friend from high school that I really hadn’t had to opportunity to speak to in a long time.  It was great getting to hear about all the wonderful things she’s doing. We shared many laughs over snow cones.

336. Snow cones.  Who isn’t thankful for snow cones?

337. A community that supports one another. The community I live in is one that supports each other.  When someone falls on hard times they do what they can to help.  I’m glad to be a part of it.

338. Kid President. This kid cracks me up and I love the message. Here’s a pep talk for you.

339. The Phantom of the Opera.  Everyone has that movie.  You know the one.  It’s the one you’ve seen a million times and you can recite it word for word.  It just never gets old.  For me, it’s The Phantom.  I’ve seen both the movie and the live performance, and I love them both.  I’m not much of an arts snob.  I hate it when people try to convince me that one is better than the other.  You’re not going to convince me so save your breath.

340. A friend’s improving health.  A friend had a heart attack last week.  He was dead and was brought back to life.  He is now in a rehab facility and improving everyday.

Thanksgiving 365: 300 – 320

Let me first say, I know it’s been over a year.  My life has been flipped upside-down since my last update.  I definitely overestimated the amount of free-time I would have in 2012. Please allow me to finally get this series finished.  To save you from one dread fully long post I’ll finish up within about 3 posts.  Then I promise to move on to something else. So here we go.

300. I’m a business owner! This is pretty much old news, but still exciting.

301. A rockin’ shredder. A couple of my friends got me this awesome shredder.  I know what you’re thinking, “Who gets excited about a shredder?” I’ll tell you who gets excited about shredders: business owners.

302. Awesome chiropractic stories. I have some.  Ask me about them some time.

303. I’ve lost another 13.5 pounds since the last update.  At this point I’m pretty much just working out and eating right (most of the time).  It’s amazing what happens when you jump start your metabolism.

304. My office manager is amazing. I’ve mentioned her before. I’m not sure what I would have done without her over the last year.

305. I learned a few things from the youth.  They tried my patience at times, but it was a good experience overall.

306. We got a new pastor at my church. He’s been great for us.  We’ve accomplished so much this past year, and he continues to lead us well.

307. TV shows that make me laugh every time, i.e., The Big Bang Theory.

308. My iPhone. I can do almost anything with it.  At this point, I may have forgotten how to function without it.  We’ll have to test that theory some day.

309. I survived my first year in practice. Thanks to everyone that helped me out in any way.  Whether you were here for me as a patient, friend or colleague, I greatly appreciate it.  You all rock!

310. The Run with the Big Girls 5K.  My friend Julie is awesome and we all helped raise funds for some other awesome friends that were preparing to adopt. I can’t wait for the next one.

311.Those friends finally got the call.  Their new daughter is adorable.

312. Almond Milk.  I’m a bit of a milk-a-holic. Even though I know that my body is not intended to digest it properly I’m addicted.  So I’ve decided to swap dairy milk for healthier, almond milk.  It’s more expensive so it may help me cut down overall.  So far I’m a month in and mostly not craving that dairy.

313. My inspiring dieters.  I’ve seen a lot of dieters this year and they’ve cumulatively lost hundreds of pounds.  I’m so proud of them!

314. A new health blog.  I’m starting a new health themed blog on my company website.  I’m pretty excited about the ways I get to educated the public.

315. Avoiding the flu.  I’m generally not a superstitious person, but I hope writing about this doesn’t jinx me.  I’ll keep you posted.

316. New goals.  At the beginning of last year some of my fellow colleagues and I decided to set some short and long term goals.  I’m happy to report that I accomplished most of them and came very close to reaching those that I didn’t.  Now I get to come up with a whole new set of goals.

317. Personal growth.  While I was contemplating what to write about today I happened to look at my About page and I realized that it is completely out of date.  While some things are same other portions have turned around entirely.  Here is what it used to say,

This blog is mostly for my own entertainment/stress relief/release.  If you enjoy it, good for you.  I will be sharing thoughts, opinions, stories, and life updates as I am struck to do so.  I may update daily, weekly, monthly, or annually (Hopefully I’ll have more time than that, but who knows).

As for me, I’m Bethany.  I’m a random person.  I’m a chiropractic student trying to survive chiropractic school.  Some days it’s so much work  I wish I had been an English major, but most days I love it and I know that this was what I was called to do.  I want to help people, because I feel that the easiest way to show people you care is through your actions.

Goals and Aspirations:  I want to spend my days enjoying what I do.  Someday I might like to own my own practice but I haven’t decided on that completely, neither have I decided on where I will end up.  At this point I figure that’s up to God and all I could even think of doing is giving you my best guess.  I plan on making nutrition a huge part of my practice as I have recently become enlightened to its wonders in the treatment and prevention of disease.  Some day I would also like to own a llama or two.  Did I mention I was random?

I’m no longer a student.  I survived that crazy world of chiropractic school and I’m so thankful that I did it. I love seeing dreams realized. I do get to spend my days enjoying what I do.  I love it, and I don’t use that word lightly.  I was so unsure about where I was going and if I wanted to own a practice.  Those days are long gone.  I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nutrition and weight loss have become a large part of my practice.  It might not have incorporated it as much as I had planned, but I’ve realized that nutrition is merely a piece of the puzzle.  I do still want to own llamas some day.  I’m also still random.  It’s good to know some things will never change.

318. The Crazy Love study. While I am no longer leading the youth Sunday school class at church, I have taken over the young adult class.  They’re a good group and I hope we continue to grow.  We’ll be starting Francis Chan’s Living Crazy Love study soon.  I think it’s going to be great.

319. A warm coat.  It’s been chilly here for the last week and I’m happy to say that I have an abundance of warm coats.  I broke the zipper on one this past weekend and without batting an eye, I just grabbed another.  I am thankful to have the resources to be able to have that option when I know so many do not.

320. DVR. I hate to say it, but I’m pretty much married to my work.  I start early, I work late, I sometimes skip lunch and I will wake up in the middle of the night at least two times a week and think of something I should do.  In fear of forgetting, I always get up and make myself a note.  Needless to say I don’t get a chance to watch everything I would like to watch when it actually airs.  Thanks to my DVR I’m able to catch up on all the things I miss during the week on Sunday afternoons, the time that I have deemed work free (except in the case of emergency).

 I know I previously mentioned changing things up here, but I’ve decided not to change the name too drastically. You may have noticed a design change.  Then again, since I haven’t updated in over a year you may not even remember what it used to look like.