Happy Anniversary!

Today I am celebrating not one but two anniversaries!

Today Braden and I are celebrating 3 years of marriage! We have had an amazing three years, and lived in three (going on four) different states! Time is flying by.  It's definitely fun remembering all the fun we had with family and friends! Here are some of my favorite pictures from our wedding:

He put frosting on my nose

Today is also the one year anniversary of traveling. Exactly one year ago today, we began this marvelous adventure and I officially had my first day at my first travel assignment in Kerrville, TX. This past year hasn't been without difficulties, but has been AMAZING. Traveling is definitely one of the best decisions we have ever made, and we have gotten to meet so many amazing people and seen some beautiful parts of the country.  So Happy Anniversary Advanced Medical, I'm glad I don't have to eat year old cake. Gross. I have learned a lot in my year of traveling, so here are the top 10 things I've learned:

10. You need a lot less than you think:
I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff I thought I couldn't live without. The truth is it's just a pain to pack and carry around all the time. The hardest for me is cosmetic/hair product samples! I am a hoarder of those things. But seriously, if you haven't used it in a few months, you probably won't ever.

9. Make time for exercise:
It's a pain finding a new place to work out every few months, but it's worth it. If working out at a gym isn't your thing, find an at home work out program to do (I did Insanity for awhile). I feel so much better when I am exercising! Eating well (whatever that means to you) is also a biggie for me. It's easy when you're traveling to eat terribly- don't let it be an excuse!

8. Take opportunities when you have them:
Go explore wherever you are! You never know if your assignment will end unexpectedly (like one of mine did) and you won't get to do everything you wanted to do because 'there's always another time'. One of my biggest regrets this year was not driving through the Grand Canyon on our way to California. It would've been a few extra hours out of the way and we decided not to go because we were tired of driving. Turns out we never did get to go back.

7. Challenge yourself:
Stretch yourself professionally. You'll develop more skills and be a better clinician. With my background in geriatrics, I was terrified taking a job with pediatric autism. It was difficult but I grew so much as a professional and became a better SLP.

6. Get involved at your company:
I love Advanced Medical! I have really enjoyed getting involved with them more than just working for them as a therapist. I serve as a New Grad Mentor, help with marketing,  write guest blogs, and anything else I can do. It has made my already wonderful travel experience even more spectacular.

5. Make a difference:
As a traveling therapist, your circle of influence is increased dramatically. Strive to make a difference wherever you go!

4. Make friends:
When you travel, you might think it would be easier not to make friends since you aren't in anyplace too long. But I disagree. We have met some of our best friends on our travels! It's hard saying goodbye, but it just gives you another reason to go back!

3. Get involved where you work:

Don't be afraid to get down in the trenches. Participate in events. Help plan things. Go above and beyond. Really care for your patients. Investing in where you work seems counter-intuitive since you are only there a short time, so what's the point? But really and truly, I get back so much more than I give and it makes my work much more rewarding.

2. Be nice to the staff:
As a therapist, you work with lots of different professionals such as nurses, house keepers, CNA's, administrators, and doctors. Be nice to them! Get to know them by name, say hello, and tell them you appreciate their work.


1. BE THE STANDARD:
This picture was posted by my alma mater, Baylor University, during spring football training under the caption "Another perfect day to get better"

I believe as a clinician you should always try to be better and strive to Be The Standard wherever you are. Being the standard means being the best. This is my professional motto: wherever I go I want to set (and be) the standard. As my favorite football coach Art Briles said, "You can find opportunity anywhere. It's hard to find places where you can accomplish something." As traveling therapists we have lots of opportunities. Let's try to leave accomplishments.

Quarter Century

In case you missed it, last week was my 25th birthday! It was a pretty fun day. My coworkers threw me an awesome party with all my favorite things: pizza and twizzlers! They were so sweet and thoughtful, and of course my patients were super sweet as well. That night Braden took me out to a nice dinner at the Cheesecake Factory! It was so yummy but I was so full I couldn't even get cheesecake for dessert. Our nice waitress did bring me a little birthday sundae though! 

Braden and me!

Ice cream and Blueberry Mojitos

We had already celebrated my birthday (and my mom's) with family last weekend at an amazing restaurant in Houston called Tony Mandola's which is so so good and we had so much fun with the whole family.
This past weekend we were in Houston, again, and were able to go to one of our favorite places- the outlet mall! We were able to get a few good deals- I am obsessed with J Crew shorts right now, the Columbia rain jacket I wanted was on sale (a must for Washington!), and I was able to find 2 large Vera Bradley duffels for traveling for only $25! I love a good deal. I also got to go out to the barn on Sunday which was great. I am not ready to not be riding again. I've REALLY enjoyed getting back into riding consistently!
I can't believe we are down to less than 2 weeks left in Texas! Now we have to get down to the packing, the sorting, and the leaving. It's crazy that our time here is almost to a close- I feel like we just got here! Goodbyes are always hard, but that's one of the things I love about travel: my circle of influence is so much bigger than if we stayed in one place. I can really make a difference anywhere we go.
Cheers to making these last few weeks count before heading to WASHINGTON!

Mom, You Were Right!

Growing up, there's a lot of things that our moms tell us that are met with rolling eyes, folding of the arms, pouting, and maybe a good stomp out of the room. (Or was that just me?) But as we grow older, we realize our mothers are actually pretty wise individuals and if we had listened to them in the first place we might have saved ourselves from some heartbreak and trouble. So Mom, remember all those times growing up when you told me I would understand someday? Well, you were right. Here are some of the things you were right about:

1. Will it still matter in 10 years?

Whenever I would get mad, my mom would always ask me if it would still matter in 10 years. I always hated hearing it, and I usually would answer yes just to be stubborn, but guess what. All those things she asked me about? They don't matter today.

2. Don't let anything steal your joy!

Another little phrase that has a lot of truth. Your attitude is a choice. Don't let the little things get you down.

3. The "Red Apple Treatment"

Be kind to those who are mean to or mistreat you. You know, the whole "love your enemies" and "kill them with kindness" thing. 

4. Don't worry too much about the opinions of people. Chances are you won't keep in touch with them anyway.

At the time, middle and high school seem like such a big deal and the place where you meet all your life long friends. While this might be true for some people, it definitely was not true for me. I have a couple friends that I still keep in touch with from that time, but I wish I would not have worried so much about what other people thought of me.

5. You need to make priorities

I was the kid involved with everything. Horseback riding? Check. Volleyball? Check. Track? Check. Basketball? Check. Band? Check. But when I wanted  to do something new like dance or cheerleading, my mom would say "of course you can do that, but you would need to quit something else". I hated making the decision at the time, this really taught me about making priorities and about what I really enjoyed doing.

6. "I'm checking on you because I love you, not because I don't trust you"

I always hated when my mom insisted on calling to make sure where I was going really was where I said I was going. I dreamed of a mother who would trust me enough to never check up on me. I wanted her to be a "cool" mom. Now, I'm thankful that my mom loved me enough to care where I was. And let's  be honest. Once you get older you realize that the "cool" moms were really just "bad" moms. 

7. Don't pierce your belly button

Even though all the "cool" girls did it, mom wouldn't let me get mine done. I wonder why. I'm so glad she didn't! 

8. "You can cry out the door, but once you leave you're only allowed to look forward to the next adventure"

This little nugget is especially applicable to traveling. Whenever you leave somewhere, it's difficult. You are allowed to be sad until you leave, then you are only allowed to be happy about where you're going. Then you won't be busy comparing you past and present situations. This is one of my traveling mottos!

9. Always go to church

Growing up, no matter what we did on Saturday nights, we always had to get up for church on Sunday. I hated it (mom picking me up early from a birthday party because I had church? So embarrassing!) but it really established the habit. Now that we are traveling, we actively seek to find a good church everywhere we go, not just because we want to "go to church" but because we want to be connected to others and continue to develop our relationship with Christ. 

10. No short shorts!

Whenever I would go shopping and buy something, my mom would make me try it on for her before I was allowed to keep it. If it was to short/tight/revealing it went back to the store. At the time I thought my mom was determined to make me the biggest loser- but everyone shows their stomach, Mom! But now as an adult I'm really glad she wanted to protect me and teach me good clothing habits. 

 

11. Be a best friend

Mom has always taught me, from a young age, that people are more important than things. There's nothing more valuable that you can do with your time than invest it in people. This means being willing to show up, loving people in spite of themselves, and being willing to be the pursuer. My mom taught me how to be a best friend. 

12. Marriage is the union of two forgivers

As Mom likes to say, "Divorce is never an option- murder, yes, but divorce, never!" My parents have been married for 36 years, and while no one is perfect, growing up watching my parents has taught me so much. Marriage really is about forgiving. 

13. "Garbage in, garbage out!"

Ok this technically wasn't her phrase originally, but she said it all the time! Mom was very careful about what she let us watch on TV, movies, and listen to in music. It was so embarrassing when I wasn't allowed to see a popular movie or listen to the cool music, but Mom realized the truth of this little phrase: if the information you're consuming is bad (ie lots of cussing, nudity, etc) then in turn you will be affected with the things you say and do. 

14. Nothing good happens after midnight!

I always had to be home early because "nothing good happens after midnight". It's true, nothing good does happen after midnight. 

15. Someday, you'll want to be a mean mom too

"Mom, you're soo mean!!" Mom always told me that someday I would understand why she was so "mean" and that someday I would want to be a Mean Mom too. Well guess what? Someday if we have kids I do want to be a Mean Mom. And I hope that I'm half as good of a Mean Mom as my mom was because that would mean I would still be an amazing mom. 

My mom wasn't right about everything though, she did promise me that since I inherited her terrible teeth I would get her good eyes as well (she didn't need glasses until she was in her 50's). Well that promise was shattered in the fifth grade when I started complaining that I couldn't see the blackboard at school and I've worn glasses or contacts ever since. I'm not bitter at all! But hey, nobody's perfect. 

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world!