Birthdays in the "Nursery"

I received a package of cards today from a second grade class for all of my residents celebrating a birthday in April. It might be the sweetest (and most entertaining) collection of cards I have ever read. Hope you enjoy these messages as much as I did... and as much as Edna who exclaimed, "Happy Birthday to MEEEE" when I showed the card to her. Seriously, nothing could make their day more than a handwritten card and picture from a sweet kid.

Dear Mery,

Hey I'm Abigail and am 7 years old. I hope you get 1 pretty cake with sprinkles. I hope the party is fun end you have balloons. I hope that all your wishes are great. Even though you're in a nursery, people are still caring about you.

Sincerely,

Abigail

Dear Geneva,

Hello my name is dafne and I'm 2 grade. I wish that you have a graet happy birthday. And also wish that you have a good happy birthday cake.

Your friend,

Dafne

Dear Inez,

I hope you have a cake for your birthday. My name is Daniel and I am writing to wish you the happiest birthday. I hope you have one big cake delicious with extra frosting and sprinkles.

Your friend,

Daniel

Dear Dora,

I hope you're doing well in the hospital. And that you had a great birthday. I hope you had lots and lots of balloons and that you had a very delicious cake.

Sincerely,

Emily

Dear Edna,

I want to you to get the best birthday and get cake and get frens dat you like and get great present and get balloons.

Your friend,

Pedro

My thoughts on these birthday messages:

1.) The teacher wrote "cake", "balloons", "great", "happy", "your friend", and "birthday" up on the chalkboard as writing prompts.

2.) They wrote these cards right before lunch.

3.) They are learning about adjectives... examples being "big cake delicious", "great happy birthday", and "good happy birthday cake".

So dang cute.

In the Mood for a Melody

I did it. I got back on the bike. And not for just a short ride around the neighborhood.... but for an eight to nine mile adventure around Town Lake. After an exhausting week of work, it was just what the doctor ordered. And one more thing to cross off my bucket list! I can't believe I've been in Austin for over a year and had only stepped foot on the Town Lake trail twice, once to rent a kayak and another time to get to the ACL festival. Shame on me. It was a beautiful ride! The trail was packed with people.... runners, bikers, walkers, dogs, strollers, etc... the most impressive were the ladies running while pushing a stroller. Kudos to you, superwomen. I will be proud of myself if I walk around the cul-de-sac with my child three times a week. It was refreshing to see everyone out there being active and engaging in their city. So much more exciting than the gym. It was only slightly frustrating when I had to slam on my brakes or balance myself while going 0.5 MPH if I wasn't able to get around a family of walkers that took up the entire width of the trail. Can't blame a family for wanting to bond. I was surprised they weren't singing Raffi songs. The views of the water and the city skyline were picture perfect... I always feel grateful to live in this city, but I felt particularly lucky on this day. It was hot enough to break a sweat under myattractive helmet that Firas was kind enough to lend me, but there was enough of a breeze to keep me from passing out. As far as my confidence on the bike goes, I have definitely made progress. As I was riding, I was thinking about how my parents used to say, "It's not you that we don't trust. It's the other drivers on the road." That's how I feel on my bike. I trust myself. I don't trust my bike. Or the loose gravel. Or the pedestrians that don't seem to notice anyone else on the trail. Or the curbs that Firas sometimes jumps, forgetting that he has a mountain bike whereas I have a road bike. Give me time. I actually think it would benefit me to have my first big spill sooner rather than later. Just get it over with already. Watch me fall off my bike into the river the next time I go for a ride. The next picture you'll see of me will be in a hospital gown. Fingers crossed that's not the case.

We had seen a segment on the news featuring a story about 16 donated pianos that the Austin Art Alliance have placed around Austin, but I had yet to see one until our bike ride. We saw two actually! Though I have absolutely no skills on the piano, the worn in bench was calling my name. I played "Heart and Soul" and the first verse of "My Heart Will Go On", taught to me by my dear friend Katie Burns. I'm almost certain that people were to itching to hear the theme song to Titanic, one of the most heart-wrenching movies, while soaking up the sunshine and exploring the trails of Town Lake. Who wouldn't? I let Firas have a go and he wowed the crowd (and by crowd, I mean me) with a couple notes from the Beverly Hills Cop theme song. We should clearly start a club... for people who know how to play the most worthless piano music. The best part is that all 16 of the pianos have the same invitation written across their front... "Play Me, I'm Yours." I never thought I'd be given the chance to play the piano on a bridge that overlooks a city skyline. Their goal is to bring art to the streets, encourage people to engage in conversation, and to lift the atmosphere. Austin is simply amazing.

"The piano sounds like a carnival, and the microphone smells like a beer

And they sit at the bar, and put bread in my jar

And say "Man, what are you doing here?"

Sing us a song, you're the Piano Man

Sing us a song tonight

Well, we're all in the mood for a melody

And you've got us feeling alright..."

Set Fire to the Rain

I just found a small journal that I kept while doing a senior internship in a dementia unit and during my first year working as a Recreation Therapist in a nursing home. I cannot wait to share some of those entries with you. Just last night, I was racking my brain as to why I am in this field. I am exhausted. My frustrations have been outweighing my fulfillment, and that has been discouraging. But it's not the residents that get me down, it is all the other crud that comes with almost every job. As I flipped through this journal, I was reminded of how easily moved I was just a beginner in this field. I had a fresh outlook and a positive attitude. My focus was on knowing the residents and providing them with quality of life, dignity, and a sense of community. I believe that is still my focus, but the lens often becomes blurry when I let the negative stuff get a hold of me. I am going to make a conscious effort to regain the mindset of a young and inspired 22-year old girl. Life would be so much more fun.

An entry from 2007, from a conversation with a resident that had a huge impact on me and the way I care about people:

"I really believe you've chosen the right field... you are perfect for this, sugar." -Emma H.

And on another positive note, I am about to pick up one of my very best friends from the airport. Eliza Joy, also known as EJ or Squirt, is coming to visit me for the weekend! I told Firas last night that it couldn't be better timing... there are times when you just need to be with someone who has known you forever, and this is one of those times. Hope she brought the monkey mask! Or Mom's pogo-stick that she's been asking about for eight years now....

This was the weekend of Vail's wedding (July 2009) and was the LAST time Eej and I saw each other... ah, this will be a sweet reunion. Minus me jumping on her because she's pregnant with her second little bean!!!!

Friday Friday Friday

Today is Friday, and I am missing the mornings in high school when I would wake up to the redneck on country radio singing, "It's finally FRIDAY, I'm free again.... got my motor runnin' for a wild weekend!" That's how I feel right now. Finally freakin' Friday. With the exception of a killer catch in the outfield at our kickball game last night, it has not been the best week for me. But as I was walking to my car last night with my head down and feet dragging, I heard a bangbangbang on one of the windows. I looked up and there was one of my residents pressed up against the window, huge grin on his face, and waving at me with all of his might. He is one of my younger residents and definitely a favorite. I instantly perked up and waved back at him, and he motioned for me to stay where I was and not get in my car just yet. I waited for a few seconds and when he returned to the window he was holding a camera. Another huge grin on his face. And yes, he took about six pictures of me. Standing alone in the parking lot next to my car. He gave me a big thumbs up after the final picture and both of us were just laughing as I got in my car and drove away. I started to think about my week and tried to focus on the good that happened instead of the same old (insert bad word here) that happens every week. Besides the resident taking pictures of me from his window, there were a few other entertaining moments....

-Ellen chasing my (female) Music Therapist around while loudly singing "La Bamba" and spanking her on the butt.

-Suzanne insisting that she has sat at the same table in the dining room (she normally eats in her room) for 20 years (we've only been open for one) and threatening to call the French Embassy, where she knows every single important figure and they will shut us down in a matter of seconds.

-Edna believing her roommate is her "Mama" and when I commented on how much she loves her, she replied, "She is my life."

-Bringing Edna into the activity room for group exercise and having her shout, "I WANT TO SIT BY A MANNNNN."

-Having a complete language barrier with a newer Spanish-speaking resident, but whenever I do the grapevine into her room, she laughs and squeals like a little kid. Me making a fool out of myself appears to be our common language.

See, it wasn't all bad.... still glad it's Friday though!

"Is That a Boy or a Girl?"

Barton Springs... CHECK! Not only did I check off going to Barton Springs and laying out beside the spring-fed pool... I checked off jumping in to it's 65 degree water. Just like Aerosmith, I'm livin' on the edge. Maybe not to the same degree as Steven Tyler, but in my own fashion. I have a running bucket list of things that I want to do and see in Texas, and I'm trying to make a more conscious effort to start fulfilling these wishes. When Nicole, Deirdre, and Tara were in town, we came across this painted wall with all sorts of quotes, ideas, and suggestions for everyday life. One read, "Do one thing a day that scares you." Sunday, it was jumping into hypothermic waters. Yesterday, it was this really awkward exercise that Firas encourages me to do at the gym in front of a bunch of buff, sweaty, macho bodybuilders. Today, it was driving to work. I had to be there at 7 am this morning, which already makes for a somewhat cranky Jaclyn.... and what doesn't help is when I'm too busy/too lazy to fill up my gas tank the night before, and am so below empty that I don't think I'll make it to work. So I pull in to the closest 7-11 this morning and get out of my car to fill 'er up. By fill 'er up, I mean put $15 into her... big spender. Within three seconds of me unscrewing the gas cap, the somewhat spastic man at the tank diagonal from mine walks to the car in front of me and says, "Excuse me ma'am? If this lady comes out and starts acting crazy, call 911, okay?" Um, okay. "She's my friend's Mom, got some issues and is in AA. I'm in a band. Do you know where the home is around here for people with disabilities?" (As he's having a one-sided heart to heart with me, I am meanwhile scanning the parking lot and inside the store for this "crazy" woman.) What the *&#?! One, I never saw her. Two, I thought that maybe he was filling her tank up with gas as a favor for his "friend", but after telling me about this lunatic woman, he quickly drove away without looking back. Three, I don't care if you're Lady Gaga's drummer.... let's focus on this crazy woman that I'm going to turn in to the police. Needless to say, I gave Elsie Tease her quarter tank of gas and hightailed it out of there. So yes, I did one thing today that scared me. Back to the hypothermic waters...Firas and I made our way to Barton Springs on Sunday afternoon to enjoy the last few hours of sun that the weekend had to offer. We paid our $3 admission fee and found a nice place on the grassy hill to lay out and soak up some rays. With sunscreen, of course. Sunscreen that seemed to attract every single bee in the state of Texas. I literally had six bees swarming around me right after I applied my sunscreen, and you would have thought I was six years old again. Firas couldn't help but laugh as I jumped up and started whining like a little girl. ONE bee is manageable, but six!? Firas suggested we jump in the pool, and at this point I was desperate. I dipped my foot into the water and told him that there was NO way I was jumping in. He took the plunge and kept telling me to just do it! He's seen too many Nike commercials. So without further hesitation, I jumped! Right into the 65 degree water. And it was freaking freezing. Bone-chilling cold. I could tell that my body was starting to acclimate to the arctic temperature of the water, but when I saw Firas's lips turning purple, I knew it was time to climb on out. Five minutes in the water still counts... and next time, I'm definitely doing a cannonball.

We laid out for another hour or so.... enjoying the sun, live music coming from the boy on his guitar behind us, and topless girls. I mean, what?! Rewind. That's right. Apparently it is appropriate/legal for girls to go topless at Barton Springs. Had I known, I wouldn't have bothered to put on a bathing suit! Sike. That would send the whole crowd running faster than my cannonball. I've had to wear my eyeglasses for a few days now, so I was completely blind with my sunglasses on when Firas nudged me and said, "Hey, check it out, she doesn't have a top on." I quickly tore off my sunglasses, threw on my eyeglasses, and scoped out the scene. Hence the title... "Is that a boy or a girl?" It was a girl. A confident one at that. Ten minutes later, Firas turned his head on the towel and BOOM! another tata. How unfortunate for him, right? This one very clearly belonged to a girl. We spotted a couple more, and I was just blown away. Not in a "Wow, this is cool" way, but in a "Wow, I don't know what to say" way. Forget the beaches of France when I have my own topless pool in town. As the saying goes, keep Austin weird.

Family Ties

There are countless reasons why it is hard to be far from home, but the hardest part is feeling helpless when there's a difficult situation going on within the family. It's as if my body is here, but my heart is there. Even though I wouldn't be able to fix the problem, I'd feel better if I could at least be present. But since I am over a thousand miles away, I might as well use this blog for the reason it was created... to stay connected to the people I love. My uncle is having some complications right now, and without going into too much detail, I would like to request your positive thoughts, prayers, and well wishes. It has been encouraging to watch his three siblings, my Mom, Aunt Lori, and Uncle Jerry, look out for him and love him well during this time. And that's in addition to his amazing wife, my Aunt Cindy. Working at a nursing home, I see a lot of good families and I see a lot of distant ones. We're a good one, I am confident of that. They have hopped on planes, driven hundreds of miles, and made all sorts of arrangements to be present during this time. I think we owe a good bit of our family ties to Nana and Papa, who instilled positive family values in all of us. It is nice to have over ten shoulders to lean on.

So let me take a minute to give a well-deserved shout out to my Uncle Jiggs.... besides the one he already received for being the cool uncle that took me to my first drive-in movie. He's also the uncle that was in a fraternity and still won't reveal their secret handshake or traditions twenty years out of college. Uncle Jiggs was the first "frat guy" I knew of, and unfortunately not the last. I kid, I kid.... don't burn my house down Alpha Sigs. Until college, my only impression of a fraternity was slip and slide down a hallway after a huge party... that's the only story I remember him ever telling. Uncle Jiggs is the quiet but funny kind. Trust me when I say that I'm excited to hear that anyone reads my blog, but hearing that he enjoys it is a personal victory. Hands down, he is one of the funniest people I know. He's the real reason we ended up feeding Kevin Dillon a dirt burger at a family reunion. Uncle Jiggs was a bit younger than my Mom and Aunt Lori, so he and my Uncle Jerry were the young, cool uncles who put up with countless musicals and plays put on by the cousins every time we got together. We're talking every night of vacation. Patience is a virtue. And I'm sure a few beers helped as well. I still remember the first time he brought Aunt Cindy to meet all of the family. It was for a Stedge family reunion at my Nana and Papa's house in New Hampshire. Let me just start by giving major props to Aunt Cindy for braving that trip.... and surviving it. I remember how cool I thought she was because she wore her hair in a braid. And I'll never forget us cousins sneaking upstairs and finding the two of them locking lips in one of the bedrooms. We darted to the room next door and hid under the bed trying to stifle our hysterical giggles (I hate that word, but we were between the ages of 5 and 10.... we were clearly giggling). Two minutes later we hear a knock on the door followed by, "Giiiiirls....", and the giggling ensued. Ah, to be young and innocent again. Uncle Jiggs has always taken the time to teach us, talk to us, and play with us.... whether it was water-skiing, card games at the beach (where he gladly accepted our money that we lost to him and then was forced to give it back by our Mom's), walking through our "haunted mansions", or taking us to the drive-in movies. He is a great uncle, and an even better Dad. So to Uncle Jiggs... we love you and we're all pulling for you. P.S. Another quality of his might be that he hides when pictures are being taken because this is the ONLY one I could locate. It looks like it belongs on a motivational calendar, so maybe this will be inspiring. Ha ha...

Jump! (For Our Love)

"Jump! For my love.

Jump in! And feel my touch.

Jump! I know my heart can make you happy.

Jump! You know these arms can feel you up." (woah there Pointer Sisters...)

Needless to say, we are big fans of jumping pictures. And how could we pass up this perfect photo op while at Mount Bonnell, one of the most beautiful lookout points in Austin.

College BFF's slash Soulmates.

Four of a Kind.

Born to explore. Move over Lewis and Clark.

Hail to the Ram

We found a new friend while my sisters and Tara were in town. It was an unexpected meeting, but our lives were forever changed. It happened when we were walking back from Magnolia Cafe, where we enjoyed delicious late-night food after our St. Patty's Day extravaganza. Seriously though, what's not delicious after midnight? We took a shortcut from the restaurant to my apartment and as we turned a corner, we quickly did a double take as we passed by a fenced-in yard. And by yard, I mean 10 square feet of grass, a cement table, a bale of hay, and a.... ("Is that a....?", "What the heck is....?", "Did we have too many green bud lights....?") ... ram. I thought it was a goat. I need to go back to the first grade apparently. Chilling out in the yard, just one block from a main street in the city of Austin, was our new friend "the ram". It was love at first sight. Especially for Deirdre. We made several trips to see the ram while they were visiting, and part of us always wondered if he might have magically disappeared each time. The yard is connected to a house that has seen better days... windows are boarded up, the paint is thinning, and there's a ram living in the front yard. But the strangest thing of all is that there are reaaaally nice houses that seem to be connected to this dump AND the driveway has a lexus parked in it. Ah, the mystery of the ram....

I've promised to keep up my weekly visits to the ram. I had my first one last Sunday, and it was one of the more risky experiences of my life. It's one thing to visit the ram with a group of girls and take pictures of our new pal, but to do it by yourself is a whole 'nother ball game. I felt like a total creep. And beyond that, I imagined the owner of the house pointing a shotgun out his boarded-up window, assasinating me, and feeding me to the ram. Luckily, there were no signs of human life when I visisted last Sunday. I'll keep you posted on my future visits.

This picture is proof that the ram enjoys visitors. We found him like this on our second or third visit.... "the ram" was born to entertain....