The Know-Hassel Zone

Thanksgiving on the Range

2010-11-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

[You are probably wondering about the date of this post - or not. If you are, I started this post last Sunday on our drive home from Indiana. I finished it minus the pictures. I planned on uploading the pictures when we got home. We came home to our internet and tv not working. Long story short, it took until Thursday to finally get it all working again. SO - pretend you are reading this as if it were last Sunday...]

Ever since my dad has officially set his retirement date, he has continually referred to his farm/"work"after retirement as "Freedom Range LLC". Freedom is the name of the town the farm house is located. I thought it was a joke and assumed that he probably would have his farm running like a well-oiled machine. When Stephen and I were helping my parents move some boxes down to the basement, however, I saw this book that looked like an album. Being the nosy person I am, I opened it to see what was inside. Instead of finding pictures, it was a book of checks labeled "Freedom Range LLC". My dad was surprised I didn't think it was real. He had started the business in 2002 when Perry and his family moved into their farm house. Perry's family had horses that stayed on the property. The business began, so they couldn't sue my dad if a horse got hurt. Seems a little extreme, but he was covering his bases, if you will. Now the business is for his cattle breeding. He wants to be able to sell his cattle or their beef to local eateries. He is breeding his cattle to be the most self-sufficient animals to raise. This is his marketing scheme. He claims that as long as they have grass/hay, water, and some salt - they can survive.

To help his business, he bought a hay mower that attaches to a tractor. Stephen and I had the privilege of picking up the piece of machinery for my dad in Munfordville, KY. Stephen had some time off last week, so he went to Lexington to help his parents get ready for Christmas and all the family coming in town. Tuesday, on his way back to Nashville, he picked up the mower. Then, we headed up to Indiana that night.

The Hay Mower

My dad paid us for gas from the company account. It is pretty official, people.

On Wednesday, and every day thereafter for that matter, we went out to see the pets, I mean... the cattle. To get them to come close, my dad brought out some hay. Jud, the calf, is pretty timid. His momma, Judy, is very protective. When my dad laid the hay on the ground, the cows came to eat. Jud, who is still nursing, wanted to be like his momma and pretended to eat the hay as well.

Nursing...

It rained all day and was very cold. We saw the cows go into the barn when we were about to eat lunch. My dad wanted to make sure they had plenty of hay, so we went out to the barn. My dad gave them hay and sweet feed, which they love. While, the cow and bull were eating the sweet feed, the calf ran out of the barn. Within seconds, the momma ripped her head out of the stall and ran out of the barn after her baby. We were shocked. We didn't even notice the calf leave. At first, we had no idea why the cow had left. Judy's (the momma) head was in a stall eating, so the calf was out of her sight. Animal instincts are incredible.

Yesterday my sister and I went out to see them one more time. The cows were in the barn, so I gave them sweet feed. My dad stopped in a few hours later and gave them sweet feed too. Oops! They aren't spoiled or anything. When we give the cows food, we say "sue cow" , so they know we are feeding them. We are attached - it's bad!

The remaining of Wednesday, I helped my mom make food for Thanksgiving and Stephen helped my dad move a few boxes. My parents have moved all their things to Indiana. They lack a couple of computers and some clothes. Otherwise their house in New Jersey is completely empty. All of their furniture and such is in the garage of the farm house - for the most part.

That evening we ate at the Front Porch, a home-cookin', hole in the wall place in the next town over. We also stopped by my Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Doug's house on the way home to see my cousin Chad's and his wife, Sarah's baby, Olivia. We also went to see everyone else too ;).

Thanksgiving was a wonderful, over-eating day. We first went to my mom's aunt's house for lunch. She makes the best homemade chicken and noodles. Yummy!

The little boy on my lap is Eli, my cousin Lindsey's youngest son.

Then, we headed to my Granddad and Grandma Doris' house (my dad's parents) for dinner. Even though I was stuffed from lunch, I still ate...a lot.

To feel less guilty for the over-indulgence on Thanksgiving, my mom, sister, and I went for a walk Friday morning, while the boys went hunting. The boys came back empty handed - not seeing a single deer. After they got back, my sister, dad, and I took our daily cattle-peak. While we were out there, my dad pointed out a group of 7 deer running together across a field. Go figures.

Here's my dad coming back from hunting...

Stephen and Adam - after coming in from hunting...

One of my favorite parts of the trip was Friday night. My dad has two season tickets to Indiana University men's basketball games. He called Rick, the ticket guy, for four more tickets, so we all could go to the game that night. It sounds a little shady, I know. Before we went to the game, we ate at a place called "Nick's". It is a restaurant very close to the campus. When we walked in, it was filled with other game-going IU fans. It was so fun! I think we have found a new tradition. The food was awesome too!

Here are their "famous" fries!

They have a ton of seasoning on them!

All of Us... The Boys...

The Girls...

The decor was all INDIANA.

After Nick's, we headed to the game. We watched IU play Northwestern State. After a pretty rough first half, they came out a whole new team in the second half. It was a blast. I still get chills when they run out on the court and starters are announced. It takes me back to my sports playing days. IU won 100-64, making them 6-0! They haven't played any big named schools yet, but I am hopeful for a good season.

Assembly Hall

This is right after they announced the starters.
The lights were still off...

Before tip off...
After tip off... Perfect!

Banners... It has been awhile, I realize, but I am hopeful!

To hype the fans before the players come out, they show a video of the history of the program. They video highlighted the years that Bobby Knight was there. It was amazing the fan support for the ole' coach. My mom thinks Tom Creen, the current IU coach, is a class act. She thinks it is because of him, they recognize Bobby Knight. Most coaches would never want to recognize the success of a predecessor. Fun Fact: Tom Creen is the brother-in-law to John Harbaugh, the Baltimore Raven's head coach, and Jim Harbaugh, Stanford Football's head coach.

Yesterday, we took a family walk, trying to shave off a fourth of the calories we were consuming. I know our clothes are thanking us. Then, the boys decided to go for round two of hunting. Before they left my dad says, "After two hours, if we are unsuccessful, I will walk around and try to stir the deer up - don't shoot me. I will have orange on, so that should help." That's what you want to hear! Their final hunting adventure was bitter-sweet. Nothing was shot - not a deer or my dad.

Last night, we celebrated my Granddad and Grandma Doris's 60th anniversary. My grandmother is hardly mobile and doesn't like surprises. To accommodate, we went to a restaurant called "Piper's" in Greenwood just outside of Indianapolis. It was just close family who attended. I was very impressed how nice my grandparents looked. It was a good night.

My Uncle Doug (left) and my Dad (right).

The Lovely Couple - Notice how far apart they are sittng...

Adam and Jocelyn

Stephen was a good sport, helping my grandmother to and from the car, which takes lots of patience.

Olivia playing on her daddy's shoulders.

At the end of the night, we took a picture with our red coats on - my Grandma Doris' favorite color is red.

My parents were in charge of getting my grandparents to the restaurant. Then, my Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Doug took Joce, Adam, Letha (my cousin), Stephen, and me to the restaurant. It took about an hour to get there. On the way home, we started playing the church song game. You only give the first note of a church song and the rest of the people in the car have to figure out the song based on the first note. That game led to Stephen singing the medley he, Blake Jones, and Matt Hardison made up in high school. Basically they strung church songs together to create one large song. It is pretty impressive. If you are a Church of Christer, you would find it pretty hilarious. Needless to say, Stephen can't stop thanking me for making him sing a solo in front of my family. It was a hit though!

My uncle is a farmer and works with my Granddad. The Dyer clan is a very lucky bunch. There are many stories that end with "he's lucky he is alive!". They are a little absent minded, not careful, impatient, not always thinking through things, and, oh did I forget to mention, they play with chain saws, shot guns, and heavy farming equipment. My uncle was telling us stories of my Granddad and a few of his mishaps. It probably shouldn't have been funny - but I was crying laughing so hard. My aunt says "our guardian angels in Heaven are smokers on Prozac." The trip home went by so quickly. It was so fun catching up with my family.

We had a great trip/Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for much - mostly for our amazing families.

With Christmas a short/packed few weeks away, my goal is to enjoy the season and all it brings!

You Can Take the Boy Out of the Country, But You Can't Take the Country Out of the Boy!

2010-11-20T14:05:00.000-08:00

There are many days when I have a heap of papers that need grading, I have heard "Mrs. Hasselbring" about a million times too many, report cards screaming “fill me out!,” and feel so exhausted – yet need to squander enough energy at the end of the day to write plans for the following week. On such occasions, I think why did I want to become a teacher? Answer: FALL BREAK

So CEOs, surgeons, doctors, lawyers, businessmen out there – are you jealous of me now?

Actually, I have a great class this year, but don’t get me wrong – there are definitely those days when I think to myself: “Target is hiring, Jill!” Those days typically come right before a break because the kids are excitedly anticipating the days off and you are at that point when everyone is sick of everyone – thus the importance of breaks.

My fall break was great – mainly because I got out of town – which was a nice change. Since our trip to California was cancelled because of Mr. Clot – I have been dying to go somewhere.

On the first Saturday, I travelled to Indiana (without Stephen, he had to “work” a.k.a. paying Trevecca to gain experience– that is more than volunteering, people!) to see my parents. My dad is officially retiring in December. They are currently making the transition from New Jersey to Indiana. They just so happened to be in Indiana looking at houses the same time I was off.

Fifteen minutes after I arrived, we headed to my mom’s cousin, Paula’s, house for their annual Hog Roast. They own a flooring company that basically “fancies-up” cement floors; they make cement floors look glossy. Supposedly there is a market out there. It is their company/family/friends get-together. They invite over 150 people every year to the roast. Charlie, Paula’s husband, just got a new cooker that is on wheels. He roasted probably close to 20 big slabs of brisket. Charlie asked me to lift the lid to the cooker so I started to lift. No movement. I had to literally put my body under the handle to lift the lid. I wasn’t able to see inside when I did. Charlie, who is a huge guy, took the handle with one hand (with ease, mind you) and lifted the lid, so I could see inside. To my defense, it was wrought iron. There was so much meat and it tasted so good! I ate way too much – but it was break, right? It was great catching up with my extended family.

After church on Sunday, we visited my grandparents. Visiting them at their house is always an adventure, mainly because my grandmother is an extreme hoarder. She puts “Clean House” to shame. Instead of being a flea market junky who buys old stuff, she is a catalog orderer, if you will. She buys all sorts of things in catalogs and forgets what she buys. It is unbelievable. Many of her purchases sit in boxes for long periods of time or still have the tags on them. I should have taken pictures. Her newest thing: getting rid of all her clothes because she can’t fit into them and buying a whole new wardrobe. The lady gets out of the house once a week, maybe.

On Monday, I spent some quality time running a 6 mile loop near the house with my mom. Then I ventured off with my dad. I originally agreed to help him go get a trailer – but I should have known things would be different. Let me back up first…

My father grew up on a farm in Indiana. He lived out in the country as a kid. He went to Indiana University where he met my mom. Shortly after they were married, they moved to Indianapolis. Since then, they have moved 4 times, always living in suburbia. However, we always come back to Indiana to visit, and my dad spends countless hours on the farm when he returns – either hunting, cutting down trees, you name it. Over the years he has purchased his own acreage around the original farm he grew up on. My grandfather and uncle help him farm his land, since he is unable to do it himself. In the last 10 years or so, actually more like his entire adult life, my dad has been planning out his retirement. Obviously the financial side of it, but also the hobby side of it. Unlike most people who retire near the beach or on a nice golf course, my dad wanted to be back out in the country.

I vividly remember one Friday evening, when our family was living in Germany, probably close to 10 years ago, we were eating dinner together at a restaurant. My dad informed my mom, sister, and me that he had bought 18 acres of land about five miles from the house he grew up in. My dad did not even confer with my mom about this purchase - a perfect example of what not to do in a marriage.

On the 18 acres was an old farm house. It is the place we stay every time we come to Indiana. He originally made the purchase more for the land than the house. While we lived in Germany, church friends of my uncle’s stayed in the house. The father of the family, Perry, is a builder. My dad let the family stay there for free for free labor in return. While they lived there, Perry made the original car port into a garage. They put new flooring in the kitchen, painted, remodeled the downstairs' bathroom, and installed a bathroom upstairs. My dad was able to make huge changes to the house for a much reduced price. The family lived there for 3 or 4 years. Shortly after my mom’s mom passed away, the family staying there moved out, we sold my grandparents’ home, and moved all of my grandparents’ furniture into the farm house. Even though the house was not purchased as a place for us to stay when we were in Indiana, it has definitely become a very smart move on my dad’s part.

Here is a distant view of the ole place...

Here is a closer picture of the place.

Nothing too fancy.
We used to joke that it looks like a face.

Can you see it?

Here are some pictures of the new bathroom.

Dad/Perry basically created a bathroom out of an attic.

It is huge!

The toilet and a stand up shower are to the right.

A tub overlooking the cow pasture. You're jealous, I know.

All along the opposite side of the sink, there is a closet.

The ceiling is slanted, so that cuts down on space, but it is still really big.

The house/land was originally purchased, I think, for my dad to raise cattle in retirement and a place for his hunting buddies to stay when they came for hunting season. To fulfill his dream of raising cattle, he purchased a bull from Oklahoma and a cow from Kansas this past summer. My brother-in-law, my dad’s cousin, a family friend, and my dad went on a “Bull Run” (that is what they called it) to Oklahoma and Kansas to pick-up the animals. My dad (and Mom) became proud owners of Joe, the bull, and Judy, the cow. Yes, they named them. I can just see it now: “Stephen, can you get a pound of Joe out of the freezer and thaw him? We are having tacos tonight! YUMMY!” My dad says that "the current cattle will be used as breeding stock and not as a nutritional meal. Down the line they will just be a number and it won't be so personal." Here is the gang leaving on the “Bull Run”:

Here are Joe and Judy.

My dad would be ashamed, but I don't know which one is which.

Judy is pregnant in this picture, so you would think I could tell - but I can't.

Here is my brother-in-law, Adam, and Granddad collecting hay for the cows over the summer for winter.

While I was in Indiana, we were hoping that the cow would have her calf. No such luck. However, on November 6th, Judy had her baby. The email I got that day from my dad was tittled: "It's a boy!" They named him Jud because Judy was impregnated by another bull, not Joe, before they got her. My dad sent out an email informing us and other interested family members/friends about the calf’s arrival. He said "the calf has gotten more attention than some human babies...sad, but interesting." My mom’s comment: “Jill, he is so cute! You will love him!” My mom is treating him like a pet. It is kind of getting out of hand. Can you tell my parents need grankids or what? Uuhmm...Jocelyn!

Here is Judy cleaning her new calf.

Here is Jud. He is so furry, he almost looks like a dog.

The cow my dad got is called a Galloway.

They were developed in Scotland over centuries where it was always cold, so one of their signature traits is a double fur coat.

He won't have any problem with winter weather, that's for sure!

Back to my “trip” to get the trailer… My dad bought a new trailer for the “Bull Run”. Since they are moving themselves, they decided to take the truck and trailer he has in Indiana back to New Jersey in order to load it with household items. My dad had the trailer stored in another barn on some other land he owns about five miles from the farm house and needed to get it. I think he wanted a companion, so he asked me to go. I was interested in seeing his old stomping grounds again and where we used to go fishing growing up. The next thing I know, he is informing me that I would be driving a tractor back to the house. Excuse me, what? The tractor is a stick shift, which I know nothing about driving. My dad literally gives me a two minute tutorial. One minute of which was to inform me that I would need to get over, if a line of cars builds up behind me as the tractor goes max 15mph. Awesome! The plan was that he would lead the way with the truck and trailer, and I would follow him. After about two minutes my dad pulls over, I stop the tractor about 100 yards behind him as I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop it properly and would run into the back of the trailer. He walks up to tell me: “I can’t drive this slow – so I am going to go on ahead. You can make it!” Before I could say a word, he was back in his truck and off. It was the tractor and me. I started running every situation in my brain that could possibly happen and how to operate the piece of machinery if such a situation occurred. The next thing I knew I had to turn on a more main country road. The problem: My dad only taught me how to stop the tractor – not how to really slow down. Luckily no one was coming so I turned. I am pretty sure only two wheels were on the ground. Then, I came to a rather steep, long hill and I am going about 15mph. I am praying, “Please make it up the hill! Make it up the hill, please!” We made it! After about 20 minutes, I made it back to the house to park it into the barn. However, when I made it into the barn, I started stopping early, just in case, and it was a good thing. Instead of pulling up the lever to stop it, I pushed it down to make it faster. For some reason, I looked at my dad with an “oh my gosh” look before I abruptly pulled the lever down for it to come to a stop. I was about an inch (maybe) from hitting the bulldozer in front of it. I turned to my dad and I am pretty sure he had some sweat beaded up on his forehead. My nerves were shot. I don’t think my dad will ask me to drive his tractor anytime soon. Fingers crossed.

Now for some pictures that were taken during the process...

Here is my dad getting the tractor out of its original home.

The tractor is actually in a barn of my grandfather's.

While we waited for my grandfather to come unlock the gas tank to fill up the tractor, my dad informed me that this barn would be used for cattle one day because they will eventually outgrow their current location. He was going to fence in the land all around it to give them a huge area to graze.

I was thinking that the barn could be re-painted, or not, and used as a place to get married.

How cool would that be... I think at least.

Before we got the trailer out of the new barn, my dad showed me around the property. It had a pond on it. He said: "Wouldn't it be neat to camp out here with the grandkids and jump off the end of the dock?" Thought number one: We better have boys! Thought number two: You guys will have so much fun without me!

While my dad was doing things in the barn, I was looking around and found this chest of drawers. I asked me dad where it came from because I couldn't recall ever seeing it in our house growing up. He said that the people who previously owned the land/barn just left it. While I realize it looks pretty dusty and gross in the picture, it is acutally pretty nice. Nothing a little paint and new knobs can't fix. So I asked him if I could have it one day, and he didn't care. I was pretty excited!

Once I found the chest of drawers, I started looking around more. I was like a kid in a candy shop. I found this desk that was a little rougher looking than the chest of drawers. It is an old, metal desk. It would need quite a bit of work, but I think it would be so cool to paint in a fun color. I don't know where I would put it - but I could find a place. So I asked for it too - and my dad complied. The trip with my dad was so worth it!

Here is the barn/shed that is storing my "new" furniture...

There my dad goes - without a worry in the world!

When I told him I was riding this post yesterday, he did say that he was a little worried I got lost or something because it took longer than he anticipated.

It is kind of hard to see, but this is proof that I really only did go 15 mph the whole time.

I made it! Not a single car came up behind me!

Shortly after the infamous tractor ride, we went to Bloomington (location of Indiana University) which is about thirty minutes from the farm house to look at some houses for my parents. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much luck. Either the houses needed a lot of work, weren’t clean, had crazy floor plans, or the location wasn’t right. It was great to go, however, because I saw a lot of ideas that I liked and many I would want to avoid if we bought or built a house of our own. I also was able to see what was considered negotiable, fixes that were inexpensive, and ones that were huge. There was one house that had some upgrades and decorating ideas that I loved. They had great bathrooms with good lighting and sinks like this:

It was amazing how much a nice bathroom really made a difference to me. I also like the built-ins they had. It also had a “kids” room that had easily wipe-able flooring and a chalk board on the wall – which I loved. It was definitely a beneficial experience.

My parents have decided that they will build a house on the property they bought a few years ago. You are probably wondering why they looked at houses if they already had a lot... Well, it is such a buyer's market they were going to see if they could get a good deal. They are going to store all their furniture in the farm house basement, garage (it is insulated), and a barn near the house. They are predicting that they will live in the farm house for about a year.

On Wednesday, I headed back to Nashville, but made a small detour to Lexington to eat dinner with Stephen’s parents. We hadn’t seen them since May when we went to the race. A visit was much overdue. I expected to grab a bite out, but Diane made brisket. It was so good! It was great to stop and see them. I am very lucky to have great in-laws. How many people can say they WANTED to stop without their spouse to visit their in-laws? Not many.

To end my Fall Break, Stephen and I went to Gatlinburg with our good friends – The Allen’s, Jones’, and Hardison’s . We joked that this is probably a trip the boys’ parents took about 20 years ago together as they all grew up at the same church. The trip was originally supposed to take place a year and a half ago before Stephen started PA School as a guys’ trip. It had to be cancelled – the owner gave us a voucher in order to rebook at a later date. This time the boys decided it should be a couples’ trip. It felt like it was free because we had paid for it so long ago. We went to the Outlets, watched football, hung out, and the boys did the hot tub thing. Highlight of the Trip: Emery (Blake and Julie's baby) falling asleep in my arms while we walked around the Outlets. Lucky for Stephen she did so when we were in Gap – so I didn’t buy a single thing. The girls rode up together and the boys rode together – it was really nice having girl time and catching up. It was also nice to see our Birmingham friends – Matt and Andrea.

I have two more days of school until my next break - hopefully it won't take as long to post about our Thanksgiving Break.

The Best Saturday Ever

2010-09-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Ever since Stephen and I have been married – life has been really crazy. Our first year of marriage was my first year of teaching – enough said. Then, as I concluded my first year, Stephen began PA school. A few short months later, I started teaching a new grade level and began grad school. All of that to say, Saturdays were a day of catch-up – whether it be with laundry, school work, studying, grad school, cleaning, grading papers, grocery shopping, etc. There was always something!

But this past Saturday was different...

Stephen and I slept in until about 10ish – which I never usually sleep in – usually I get up early on a Saturday to get a head start on my never ending to-do list. Then, I made cinnamon rolls (Pillsbury actually made them! I got them from Publix for 25 cents – I am becoming a coupon freak! More on that later maybe…)

We watched the end of game day and some college football. After we ate breakfast, I turned to Stephen and said, “Let’s go to the flea market today.” I added that it was a beautiful day and it would be so nice to spend quality time together (fully anticipating a "no way" response). He agreed – I was a little shocked. It helped that he kind of had a break from school this weekend as he just finished his first clinical and starts his new one tomorrow.

Off we headed to the flea market… I was like a kid on Christmas morning. It has been a long time since I have bought anything for our home. We were only there for a few hours, but I came up with some good buys…

I saw this wrought iron lamp and loved it...

I got it for a mere 12 bucks. It looks pretty plain in the picture, but I still like it a lot. It needs to be re-wired (probably), painted, and a shade – but all of that will be a fraction of the cost of buying a brand new lamp that size.

Then, I found this mirror.

Two sisters were manning the booth. They call their business, “The Vintage Sisters.” One sister sews and the other paints – they refinish furniture, chalk boards, windows, etc. They make all sorts of pillows; some with silhouettes painted on them, some with a chandelier painted on them with diamonds, and others with flowers sewed on - which screams vintage and AWESOME to me. I really loved all their stuff! I wrote my email address on their email list because they send out pictures of new things they complete. Basically, the sisters give you first dibs on their stuff. It is all at a great price too. The other great thing is – the ladies are normal. If I had to meet up with them to get a piece of furniture – it wouldn’t be creepy. Here is their blog, if you are interested: www.2vintage sisters.blogspot.com. Their blog is not quite as impressive as their booth.

The last and biggest find was two golf clubs. Stephen found a 5 wood and a hybrid for about $100 less than their asking price on EBay. Yes, he came home and jumped on the internet to see just how good of a deal he got! While we watched college football, he sat with his clubs in hand, swinging them in the air. He could not put them down. You would have thought Christmas was in September at our house on Saturday!

Then, Stephen and I cleaned up our house and had the Lexington boys (and their wives, of course) over that evening to watch UK get slaughtered by the Gators. We ordered pizza and hung out. I don’t think I have laughed that much in a long time!

It was the best Saturday ever.

It hit me this weekend that even though I see Stephen a lot, it is not the same as spending time together. Because we have been so busy with the school thing, it is like we have been roommates for the last year or more – which can be a drag at times. It was so nice to feel like a normal, married couple this weekend!

Here's to seven more rotations in PA school! Good luck to Stephen starting his peds clinical tomorrow!

11 Months...

2010-09-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

In 11 months from today, Stephen will be officially done with PA school. While my mom often reminds me not to wish my life away - I want to make it clear that I'm not wishing it away - I am merely wishing that the fast-forward button be pressed YESTERDAY. That's all.

Stephen is half way done with his first clinical rotation. He has been at Elite (where he previously worked before PA school). He has followed Dr. Willers, their foot and ankle specialist, where he got to stitch up patients at the end of each surgery he observed. Then he spent time with Dr. Dovan, the hand specialist, and Joce, my sister and nurse practitioner, for a week each. You are probably thinking: awkward! Believe it or not, Joce and Stephen get along really well. It helps that they are both pretty laid back. The next three weeks will be with Dr. Elrod, who I think Stephen is looking forward to spending time with the most.

School has definitely been less intense since clinicals began or Stephen is beginning to get "senioritis," not sure which one. All I know is the ole debit card has been swiped quite frequently at golf courses lately. He continues to say almost daily that he is behind, but those are words that I have been hearing for 18 months. When he first started school, I would get nervous that that meant he wouldn't pass a test - and freak out! Now I just say, "You can do it!" with a smile and move on with my life. The day I found out about my blood clot and was admitted to the hospital, Stephen started studying for his Pharm final at about 9 pm. I think he studied until 1 or 2 in the morning, and then got very little sleep that night in the hospital. He ended up getting an 81% on the final, the class average being an 80%. Needless to say, I don't waste my time worrying anymore.

During clinicals he has to document most of the patients he sees, complete courses online and such, and prepare a research project that he will present in the spring. He decided this last week to do his research on lateral epicondylitis (a.k.a. tennis elbow). The plan is to research/learn about new treatment options for people with this condition. Very exciting, I know.

When I say 11 months left of PA school that also means only 11 months left of my graduate education. Be prepared to hear loud yelling and ridiculously annoying, high-pitched honking from the Civic on August 5, 2011. It will be us - you can pretend you don't know us for that brief celebration. But don't come knocking on our door when little Jimmy hurt his leg and/or can't read. We will ignore you! Ha! Just kidding!

My grad school took an interesting turn this semester. I persistently tried to get in contact with my advisor for about a week with no luck. Once I got in touch with her, she said that we decided last spring that I wouldn't take any classes this fall. I thought the plan was to take 6 hours during the fall and spring semesters and 1 hour in the summer - which equals 13 hours left. She informed me that our plan was to skip this semester and take 6 hours in the spring and 9 hours over the summer, which equals 15 hours left. Whatever! It wasn't worth arguing. I asked her if there was something I could take this semester. She said one of the classes I needed is offered, but it started the previous Saturday. It only met three times - so I had already missed 1/3 of the class - not an option. They were offering the same class in Knoxville at UT that would be half online and half face-to-face for 2 Saturdays from 8 - 5. I signed up for the class to prevent taking so many hours over the next two semesters. I got an email on Friday informing me that the class was cancelled due to too few students signed-up for it. I am back to zero hours. At least I made an effort to take something AND I don't have to drive to Knoxville now! I’m just hoping I will still graduate in August…

Here's to 11 more months of educational bliss!

Advice: Never Brag On Your Facebook Status!

2010-09-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

Or you might get one of these on your wrist…

On the morning of Monday, August 2, I wrote “Can’t wait to be in California in two days!” on my Facebook status. Literally, seven hours later I am lying on a medical table getting an ultra sound on my leg to find out that I have a blood clot. For those of you who don’t know, blood clot equals no flying. [Insert cuss word here.]

A week prior, I started experiencing minor groin pains; thinking it was a pulled muscle. The pain got worse, but improved over the weekend. After I updated my Facebook status, I went to school to work in my classroom, trying to get everything all set-up before leaving for California that Wednesday; my right leg swelled up pretty bad and it did not have the best coloring – kind of purplish.

Stephen joked that my leg looked about the size it did when I ran track. However, he was very concerned and immediately called my sister to get me in at Elite. They decided a Doppler (an ultra sound), to rule out the possibility of a blood clot, was in order. As I left for Elite, I asked Stephen if this would be an all-day affair as I had much to do before leaving for California. His response was: "No, just a couple of hours or so."

Once I got to Elite, everyone could not believe my leg. Joce looked at it for about 10 seconds and sent me off for the Doppler. Her comment as I left: "I will be shocked if it is a blood clot, you are only 24."

Within five to ten minutes of the tech squeezing gel on my leg, she informed me that I had a blood clot in my superficial femoral and common femoral vein (a.k.a. in my groin area). I immediately broke down. The poor lady doing the ultra sound didn't really know what to do. It was pretty clear at that point that California was out of the picture. I think I was more upset about missing our much anticipated trip than the fact that I had a clot in my body. I remember praying: "God, I know you have a plan for my life - but seriously?!?!" I made sure to let Him know I didn't agree with this path.

I called Stephen as soon as I could and he made his way to Baptist. The nurses told me I could go back to my doctor - so I literally walked out of the hospital to meet up with Stephen - which surprised me a little. You would think they wouldn't have allowed me to walk.

Since Elite's forte is not blood clotting, Dr. Elrod called and referred me to a good friend and fellow Titan's doctor, Dr. Williams. We headed to Dr. William's office where we were told he was running behind and would probably have to wait at least an hour to an hour and a half to be seen. They called my name about 15 minutes later and had Stephen and I sit in his personal office. It is nice to know the right people sometimes.

After waiting a little while, Dr. Williams met with us. What an interesting character! He recommended that I be admitted to the hospital for the evening. He also suggested a procedure where a surgeon goes in and unblocks the clot. Dr. Williams felt strongly about trying this surgery because I was young and active. At that point, he had never referred anyone for the procedure with a blood clot in the leg. He immediately took me off birth control – but was convinced it was largely due to my family history (it runs in my dad’s side of the family).

Next thing I know, a wheel chair comes to me. It is funny - I walked all over the place that day - but the second they say, "We are admitting you," they act like your legs have been cut off. In fact, when we were waiting at admitting, I needed to use the restroom. So I got up and the lady at the front desk became all frantic and told me that she would have to follow me to the bathroom. Then, she asked the lady who was doing our paperwork; if I could use their staff restroom (it was closer – it was obvious she didn’t want to get up!). The next thing you know, they come out with a wheel chair ready to take me to my room. If I hadn't tried to get up to use the restroom, I am convinced we would have sat there for another hour.
Note: If you are sick of waiting to be admitted, say you need to go to the bathroom. It speeds up the process.

While being wheeled to my room, I passed about twenty patients who were at least 70 years old. Awesome! Once I was brought to my room, I went to the bathroom that had one of those stools for old people to sit on in the shower and it smelled like urine. I just bawled like a baby (that was one of many tearful moments during that day). Stephen tried to console me. Then, I lay on the bed that all of a sudden made noises and started increasing pressure. I jumped up and had another break down. This was such a traumatic deal due to a time when I was three and cracked my head open needing 37 stitches. Ever since then, I have hated hospitals - everything about them! This was also the first time I had ever had to stay over night in a hospital. I was sitting on Stephen's lap when the nurse came to check me in. She had to be thinking: "Are you 4?"

Within thirty minutes of arriving in my room, I had an IV started, about 15 vials of blood drawn, and a shot in my stomach (Lovenox – for you medical people out there!). They know how to make a person feel special. By the way, the worst part about the hospital is the IV. It bothered me more than anything. They had to put it in on my forearm because they had a hard time finding a vein on the top of my hand. For some reason, it hurt to bend my arm and ached quite a bit.

Because it took us so long to get admitted, we missed the vascular surgeon. Even though we did not make a decision about the surgery, the surgeon already had given specific orders as if I were going to have surgery the following day.

Once I got a shower, I watched the Finale of the Bachlorette with my sister. Then, it was TV off for Stephen to study for his Pharm final the next day. He got a lot of studying in that day - NOT!

I survived the first night. I didn't sleep well at all with my leg aching quite a bit, the bed increasing and releasing pressure every 10 seconds, the anxiety of the whole deal, and the nurse or tech coming in about every two hours. I don't think Stephen slept much either - tossing and turning in a reclining chair.

The next morning, a vascular surgeon, Dr. Keyser, arrived early. He gave us the history of how blood clots have been handled and how they reached the new procedure they have today. It was clearly evident that the procedure was the best option for us. Dr. Keyser explained that without the procedure, I could run into some chronic leg swelling and issues 20-30 years down the line. The surgery included inserting an inferior vena cava filter using a needle through my groin on my left (good) leg. The filter is used to catch any remnants of the clot from the procedure and is left in for about 6 months. Then, flipping me over and feeding a needle up my right leg through the back of my knee to drop medicine on the clot to dissolve it. The procedure would take about 2 hours to complete. He also made it clear that everyone in my family should be tested again for clotting disorders. He said he would be shocked if it was just birth control that created the clot.

Shortly after, Stephen left to take his final. Adam and KB, some best friends of ours, came to keep me company. KB helped me get to the bathroom with my IV. Then, Adam went with me to get a CT scan. He waited with me for about an hour - making me laugh. I really appreciated all the magazines they brought and their support!

Next thing I know, I was making my way to surgery. I waited in the surgery prep room for about an hour. All the personnel in the room couldn't believe I was a "Keyser" patient because he typically has much older clientele. At one point, one of the anesthesiologists turned to his co-worker and said, "Check out this Keyser patient." The co-worker looks straight at me and goes "Where? I don't see one.” They thought it was so funny. I just smiled and probably became extremely red. The anesthesiologist informed me that I would be under general anesthesia for the filter part and then local for the second part of the surgery.

While I was in surgery, a couple of Stephen’s good friends from school, Stacey and Maci, came to the hospital during my surgery to study with him.

Having the surgery was definitely the right call. When they went in, they found that 8 – 10 inches of my vein was completely blocked. When they dropped the first round of medicine on the clot, the fresh clot dissolved. However, 80% of my vein was still narrowed due to scarring and clots I had been building up for months. Once they got the vein all cleaned out, they put in a four inch stent. It is amazing they were able to do all that with only two needle holes in my body and not a single stitch.

When I awoke from the anesthesia, I was shivering and shaking horribly and felt miserable. I was kind of moaning in pain because I felt really sick and had to pee. When I told them I needed to pee (yes, I used the word “pee” – there is no being formal when you aren’t feeling good!) The nurse looked at me and goes: “Just pee - you have a catheter in!” Excuse me, what? I also remember all these people telling me I was going to be okay. They told me I was cold from the OR. They put about five blankets on me and a bear hugger. Amidst all the chaos, Dr. Keyser came up to me and said everything went well and I was going to feel like I got beat up for a while. I thought, “Check – already do!” After a few minutes, I was settled down. Once I was calm, they took about 10 more vials of blood. The nurse that took my blood, however, is a guy that Stephen used to work with at Elite. Not typically the way I like to meet people - but at that time - I don't think I cared too much. Shortly after his shift was over, he went up to my hospital room where Stephen and my sister were waiting. He went up to let them know that I was doing okay. I thought that was very kind of him.

Then, I told a nurse that I was about to sweat. He couldn't believe how many blankets were on me. I still felt very achy and uncomfortable. I thought that was just apart of it. I just had surgery after all. I could hardly stand the pain anymore, so I mentioned to my nurse that I didn't feel well. The next thing I know he is putting Dilaudid into my IV. I instantaneously felt this warmth gradually come all over my body and I felt like I was in heaven. I know why people become addicted to pain killers. When he gave me the medicine, my heart rate went a little too low (in the 40’s). I was a little too relaxed. They asked me to take deep breaths, but that didn't suffice, so they put me on oxygen. It took a long time for the tests to come back, so I waited in the recovery room for a couple of hours. I'll be honest, I didn't really care. I was loving life.

Around 8 o'clock on Tuesday night, I made it back to my room. Joce convinced Stephen that he needed to go home, study, and actually get a good night's rest before his last final. She stayed with me instead.

I was much more relaxed that night and slept as well as expected. I was released from the hospital the following morning after Stephen finished his final exam. To celebrate, we went to Williams Medical Supply and picked up an $80 pair of constriction socks (a little more than normal Ted-Hose) on our way home from the hospital. Ha!

While this was quite an event for me, I am confident in six months I will rarely think about it. I am thankful that it was caught and taken care of properly. I am also very fortunate to have great doctors caring for me. I couldn't have asked for better. The nurses, techs, and all the other medical staff that I came in contact with were so nice and helpful. It was a really positive experience. I also believe now, more than ever, the single most amazing person in my life is Stephen. He was my rock in the hospital while he juggled studying for finals. Huge thanks also to my sister for being my “mom” in the hospital! And last, my hospital fears have definitely been diminished. Maybe God had a plan after all.

Since then, I have been telling people that it was a minor procedure (I was up walking around like nothing had happened less than 24 hours after the surgery.) Then, one day Stephen goes, “Jill, there was nothing minor about what happened. You act like you got a mole removed. Anytime you have surgery where they completely put you under is a big deal. Your vein was completely blocked! They had to give you medicine, so that the remnants of the clot wouldn’t clog up your kidneys. I mean all that is a big deal.” Opps!

I have become a frequent doctor visitor in the last month – which I am realizing is not fun! But I found out that all my blood tests came back negative or within normal range. In other words, I do not have the “clotting gene” or a clotting disorder. My Lupus Anti-Coagulant was also within normal range – which is good for pregnancy sake. That also means I won’t have to take the Lovenox shots when I am pregnant – which is a wonderful thing because they sting! Those tests also mean that I will be off Coumadin in two months! You know it’s bad when you are taking the same medication as your 81 year old grandfather!

However, when I went to a post-op visit with the vascular surgeon, he basically said “Those tests are not always the most accurate.” In other words, I am going to have to watch it for the rest of my life. I also went to my OBGYN who looked at me and said “Pregnancy will sure be fun with you!” That is not what you want to hear! According to both doctors, even though the blood tests came back normal, I will still be watched carefully and have to explain my medical history clearly with any new medical personnel in the future.

My uncle has a good friend who is a doctor. He informed my uncle that clotting due to birth control is more and more common now in girls my age. He said that clotting disorders are not usually passed through the X chromosome – so it is rare that females have it. He is 99.9% sure it was due to birth control. He didn’t forget to mention the whole high risk pregnancy part too. That phrase has haunted me lately!

Regardless, I am doing well and living life as if nothing happened – other than taking a few more meds.

Believe it or not, Monday, August 2 was one of the first times I had ever updated my status on Facebook. Needless to say, I will probably never do it again!

"If I Have to See This One More Time..." by Jill Hasselbring

2010-07-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

Warning: The pictures you are about to see are not for the weak stomached. There is potential for gagging to occur. Viewer discretion is advised.

I seriously could write a book with a "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" feel. It might go something like this...

DISCLAIMER: To Stephen’s defense, we have a friend staying with us. He is occupying Stephen’s study room/PA material storage space. Therefore, it has all been moved to our kitchen table.

If I have to see picture A one more time, I might stick my tongue back out at him!

Yes, this picture among many others sit on our kitchen table ALL THE TIME. Every time I go to the kitchen I bypass the rude man who can’t keep his oversized tongue in his mouth. Yes, people that is a real condition. He literally cannot put his tongue in his mouth. It is absolutely appetizing!

If I have to see picture B again, I might make a billboard that says “SAY NO to lip augmentations!” with this guy’s picture smack dab in the middle.

Stephen told me that what this guy has is what I had on our honeymoon. AWESOME!

Can you see the resemblence?

Every time I pile more papers and books on our kitchen chairs, I think “I can’t wait until I have my own custom built in bookshelves in a house one day – Stephen will love paying for that lovely upgrade! Revenge is sweet!

Kitchen Chair #1

Kitchen Chair #2

Here is an added bonus of our kitchen table - this is on a good day!

If I have to keep piling things up, I might just go mad. End of discussion.

These are some decorations that were on our kitchen table that got kicked to the curb.

And when you are free from the pressures of studying, we will spend quality time together organizing all this stuff.

I forgot to take a picture of the cabinet/bookshelf next to this pile, which is also filled with all sorts of goodies.

You will probably complain and say that you just want to play golf with the guys, but I will sweetly reply, "You are the one who created this monster!"

But when you finish these next nine days and pass all your classes, we will be flying out to the beautiful Malibu, California to see our niece, Katie Grace, and NEW nephew, Caleb, just a few short hours after your last final!

In 9 days, YES, NINE days, Stephen will be done with the academic portion of PA school. Then, 10 days from now, it will be one year until he is officially finished with PA school altogether (August 5, 2011). Can you believe it? There is an end in sight.

In his last year, he will complete eight clinical rotations. We found out this past week where he is going. Good News: He will only be out of town for one rotation – Cookeville. It is an ER rotation, so it will probably be 3 x 12 hour shifts. Only three days out of the week he will be gone – not bad.

Even though next year will be a little more relaxed, it will not be a walk in the park. He will still have studying to do to prepare for clinicals. He will have to log in patients he sees, complete hours online, work on a big research project, and study for his PA exam. I'm sure I'm missing things. But hopefully, he will be able to enjoy the football season a little more this year.

FUNNY STORY (to me at least): Stephen found out about two weeks ago when he would be going to Elite. He is going to get to go twice for his elective and surgical rotations. When I found out, I called my sister to tell her, but told her not to say anything to anyone (it wasn’t official enough yet). She works at Elite as a nurse practitioner. Stephen called Dr. Elrod last week to ask him about ideas for his research project. He did not mention his rotations because the official schedule had yet to come out. The next day Dr. Elrod mentioned to Joce in conversation that he talked to Stephen. Joce responds by saying, “Oh, did he tell you…” She immediately stops, remembering she wasn’t supposed to say anything. Of course, she quickly says “never mind.” Dr. Elrod asks what she was about to say. When Joce wouldn’t say anything, he says: “Oh, I know, Jill is pregnant.” He thought Joce was hiding some HUGE secret. When Joce was over at our house yesterday, she nonchalantly says to Stephen: “So, Dr. Elrod might ask you if you and Jill are pregnant!” Exactly how rumors begin… But I will be the first to stop this rumor dead in its track – WE ARE NOT PREGNANT.

So here's to nine more days of perseverance - you can do it Stephen (and Stacy, Maci, and Greg - and the PA Class of 2011)!

What Really Happened…

2010-07-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

Nothing says “happy 2nd anniversary” like waking up at 6:30 am to work on grad school for two hours, locking myself out of my house, cutting coupons, going grocery shopping, doing laundry, paying bills, updating our finance spreadsheet, straightening up the house, reading more for grad school, and then running at 3:30 in the sweltering afternoon heat with your beloved and feeling absolutely miserable.

P.S. Blake and Julie, thanks for letting us borrow your hose mid-run! You probably are completely confused because you are just learning this as you read. Yup, we definitely stopped and borrowed your hose without asking when no one was home today. We were dying and desperate!

AND nothing says wedded bliss like your husband rushing out the door and saying “see ya!” instead of the normal “I love you” and kiss goodbye because his hands were loaded down. My reply: “Happy Anniversary to you too!” His stunned looking face with his mouth opened as if he was going to speak but then couldn’t had “oh-man-I-can’t-believe-I-forgot PLUS I-am-going-to-have-to-walk-over-there-now-because-it-is-our-anniversary-and-give-her-a-kiss-goodbye-with-all-this-stuff-in-my-hands-and-I-am-running-late” written all over it. It was priceless. What is the score now? 2 to 1 – ME!

…

Ok Ok…enough is enough. Now that you have heard Jill’s version of our anniversary, let me tell you the truth. Ask yourself this… “Do I really think that Stephen forgot his anniversary?” If you said yes, you have evidently lost your mind as well. Let’s look at this logically. I am in school right now and my life revolves around remembering things. Jill walked out of the door this morning to get in her car, locked the door, and then realized she didn’t have her keys. This morning when I “appeared” to forget our anniversary I was merely testing Jill. When I got home, Jill wrongly accused me of forgetting how important today was… Here is that conversation:

Jill: You completely forgot our anniversary! Ha, I’m so much sweeter than you.
Me: No I didn’t, I was just testing you. You almost failed too. I was almost out the door.
Jill: I didn’t forget. I was testing you.
Me: No you weren’t. I was proctoring the exam. And you almost failed. I give you a 76% (that’s 1% above passing in PA school).
Jill: (crickets, tough to find a comeback for that one)

So you see, I didn’t forget. I was merely testing my dear wife in hopes to stimulate growth… You are welcome, Jill.

So from now on as you read this blog think to yourself… “I wonder what really happened...”

Today is RACE DAY...OR More Like Two Months Ago...

2010-07-15T05:23:00.000-07:00

Still playing catch up...

If you notice on the screen, it says "TODAY IS RACE DAY."

It took a long time to get this picture because I would never have my camera ready and the screen would change before I could get the picture snapped.

I think Stephen ended up getting this shot because I failed for so long.

There is too much to watch that it is nearly impossible to just sit and wait for the screen to scroll back around.

For the Memorial Day weekend, we went to Indianapolis for the Indy 500 with Stephen's parents. I think this is my favorite thing we do every year. I know what you are thinking... All you watch are cars going around a track, whoop-di-doo! That is exactly what I used to think! But I have become a HUGE fan. When I go, it is like sensory overload. I always think, if only I taught a grade level that learned about their senses. I feel like I could use my Indy 500 experiences to give them explicit instruction.

Let me try to convert you...

First, you SEE the most interesting people/things EVER. It is a wonder I don't run into people more often walking to the track because I will sometimes walk by people and think "did I just really see that?" And then, turn my head to confirm that my eyes weren't failing me. Nope, don't need glasses. It works as my annual vision test. I mean the most red-neck-ness you will ever see in your life. You will be walking and see a 300 lb. man with his shirt off, but you have to give him a second look because his farmer's tan is so prevalent. His purple back from such a severe burn confirms that he really does have his shirt off. Oh did I mention he is wearing shorts with tall white socks with sandals? Okay, I sound so critical. But I think I am justified, I proudly admit I come from a red-neck father. I think I finally just convinced him a few years ago that the socks/sandals look was not so hot. I mean my dad doesn't have hair on his legs because he got a chain-saw too close to his leg - not once but TWICE. He screams redneck! But I love him for it! I can also be critical because we look just about as bad. Sleeves rolled up awkwardly. Sweat marks all over our shirts.

Here is a picture taken while we were walking to the track..

Still walking...

[Disclaimer: I realize not a single thing I have said thus far is making you jump up and buy tickets to the race - but give me some time!]

You also SEE some of the nicest cars in one spot. All the brand new trucks, Tahoes, sports cars, and the race cars! This year Michael Andretti and Mark Wahlberg rode in an Indy 500 car for the parade laps. Pretty cool!

You will also never SEE so many people in on place at one time. It is unbelieveable. If I am not mistaken, it is still the largest single-day sporting event in the world with 300,000 spectators! The next few pictures will give you some idea...

This is inside the gate of the stadium...

We are almost at our seats...

We are at our seats! This is the mass of people from our seats...

I walked down to the bottom row to take these next few shots...

This is probably only like one-fourth of the stadium...

Is this not incredible? People, it's the place to be...

This is looking in the opposite direction into the first turn of the track...

Where's Waldo?

So who's jealous?

This is Stephen in about 40 years...

We bought Stephen's dad some racing headphones for Father's Day/his Birthday.

He is testing them out.

You HEAR the loudest sounds you will ever hear. You have to basically yell at each other or wait for the car to be on the opposite side of the track. The yellow things around Stephen's dad's neck (in the picture above) are ear plugs, which are a necessity. But you can't put them in for the first 10 laps because you are soaking it all in! Stephen taught me that... And the best words you will ever hear are...Drivers, START YOUR ENGINES! A.K.A. Let the noise begin!

You also get this huge FEELING of pride to be an American. They do a great job of recognizing our military. It gives me chills everytime I watch the men and women serving in the military spread the flag during the Star Spangled Banner. Then, they have people from the military stand in the back of a ton of Chevy trucks and ride around the track like a parade, while the fans give them a standing ovation. It's cool...

Jewel singing the National Anthem

Then, there are excited/adrenaline like FEELINGS you get all throughout the race.

First, you get it when they say "Start Your Engines!" I can hardly control myself when the cars start to move let alone when they wave the green flag. They have the drivers warm up their tires for quite a few laps before they wave the green flag. The anticipation kills you!

The Race is about to start...

Last warm-up lap until the green flag...

EXCITED...

Another adrenaline/exciting FEELING is when the cars pit. We sit right at the end of pit row. It is so awesome watching the cars exit pit row... It was in pit row plus his incredible driving that helped Tony Kanaan move from practically last place to become a contender in the race. It was so fun to watch.

The white line is the end of pit row - so literally right in front of us...

This is terrible to say, but the crashes generate a pretty exciting FEELING too (as long as they are not serious).

Here they are carrying a crashed car in a yellow tarp to the garage.

So I have to mention the food! There is nothing like an awesome ball-park hot dog, hot pretzel, and nachos! Yum! It TASTES so good! For some reason when you have sweat running down every inch of your body, hot race food tastes so good. Makes total sense, NOT!

And the SMELL is...well, I am trying to convince you, so I'll just stop there. =)

Oh, I can't forget to mention that we leave for Indianapolis for the race on my first day of summer break. That probably has a lot to do with the love I have for the race and the whole weekend as a whole. Plus, the catch-up time we get to have with Stephen's parents, the incredible meals they treat us to, Ritter's Custard (delicious ice cream) EVERY night, learning/hearing stories about Stephen's grandparents and parents growing up (Stephen's parents grew up in Indianapolis and his grandparents lived there until they passed away), and visiting their old houses.

Here is a picture of Stephen's grandparents (mom-side) house...

[These are not the greatest pictures - they were taken with Stephen's phone at dusk.]

The back of their house that backs up to a creek that goes through the neighborhood with a sidewalk around the whole thing... Very peaceful.

Here's the creek...
So, here's the question...any changes in heart? I'm not asking for you to repent for your negative thoughts - that's between you and the Indy 500, but I want you to know that you can come forward and admit you would love to go sometime. [That's for you Church of Christers out there!]

P.S. I tried to put videos on here, but it didn't work. I'll get pointers from other, more experienced bloggers, and then post them later. Hopefully! One of them is kind of funny because you can hear me yelling, "This is so exciting!" Funny!

One year, eleven months, and 6 days ago...

2010-06-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

... was our wedding day. So what? You ask.

Well since that day...
Our first niece, Katie Grace, was born...
Stephen applied and was accepted at Trevecca for PA school...
He has completed one year of school...
I started/complete almost one year of graduate school at Lipscomb...
I survived my first year of teaching as a second grade teacher...
I also survived my second year of teaching third grade in a testing year...
Blake and Julie had their first child, Emery Claire last Monday (surprise #1 that I mentioned from last post)...
Our first nephew and Katie Grace's brother, Caleb Andrew, was born last Tuesday (surprise #2 from last post)...
[I will post pictures if I get the okay from their parents. They are so cute! I think I have offiicially gotten over my fear of holding newborns. I love holding sweet Emery! I am at Blake and Julie's almost daily - it's pathetic! Julie, I am not getting "the itch," so don't get your hopes up! Ha!]
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST... I finally, yes finally, just finalized our wedding album...

Pathetic, uh? In fact, I was afraid to contact our photographer because I thought he would say it was too late. Thankfully, we have the kindest photographer in Nashville. Not to mention, I personally think his work is incredible. I definitely recommend him, not just for weddings but for anything. His name is Derrick Pierce. Do you think I will get a cut in price for that advertisement?

I made so many changes that I have to wait for another mock-up to be completed - but at least the ball is not in my court anymore. I do need to decide between two different album types. The album has been on my to-do list since I received it shortly after our wedding - to be able to cross it off feels incredible.

Maybe in the next 706 days of our marriage I won't procrastinate so much...

Update on Stephen's School
The last two weeks have been ridiculous. Test, after test, after quiz, after mid-term, after mid-term... They are also putting random extra classes in his schedule to prepare them for clincals and other things, which gives him even less time to study. By the way, did I mention that this semester is his hardest one academically? According to Stephen, "I am convinced they want us to fail." There is so much information he has to know; there is no way he can really know it all. It's unbelievable. Doesn’t that just give you the utmost confidence to have a PA giving you care? But just to give you a glimpse of the kind of stress he is experiencing... The night before last he comes to bed at 1ish. He wakes up about an hour later, sitting straight up in bed, and said, "I need to get up, I need to study." My reply, "No you don't!" He tried to continue to tell me that he needed to, so I finally said, "Stephen, it is 2 o'clock in the morning, you are not studying." He lay right down and went back to sleep. He did not recall this occurring when I told him the next morning. One day all this stress will be worth it, right?

P.S. Did all the Bachelor/Bachelorette lovers out there hear that Vienna and Jake BROKE UP? So shocking…right?

BEACH VACAY 2010

2010-06-12T05:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, this is the post I have been dying to get to...more pictures and more fun! A few days of surprises (more on that later), however, caused me to lose focus on the blog for a few days, but I am back on track to catching up!

A few months prior to going, we planned a trip to go to Gulf Shores for a long weekend between Stephen's third and fourth semesters. Well, the trip ended up landing on the weekend after the flood. The original plan was for Stephen to finish finals on Wednesday, go to Elite (where he previously worked) on Thursday, leave Thursday night, and return Monday night. He would, then, have another day at home before school started again the following Wednesday. What a long break, Trevecca! But with his finals being moved back a day due to the flood, he missed out on the trip to Elite. Not too big of a deal.

Remember, I mentioned sub plans in the last post. The plan was for me to miss school on Friday and Monday. I hate missing school and I am adamant about saving my sick/personal days for when the time comes to have a baby. Well, I can tell you I would have used all my days to take this trip. This was much needed for the Hasselbrings. It made it that much sweeter when friends would come up to me and say, "You guys totally deserve this trip." I mention all of that to say, even though the teachers had to report on Thursday and Friday (students didn't because of the flood), Dr. Register (the head of schools) forgave those who took any absences for either of those days. So, I went to the beach with only having to take off Monday instead of Friday as well. This made it even sweeter. I felt like this time God was telling us, "You guys really deserve this trip!"

Thursday night we set out with Stacy and Wes (Stacy is in school with Stephen). As we drove along all of a sudden, we heard this loud noise under the car. An armadillo jumped out onto the road and Wes nailed him. He couldn't avoid it - it happened so fast. We stopped not too long after it happened for gas and to check that everything was still intact. When we got out of the car, it smelled like meat was being cooked on a grill minus the seasonings. There was armadillo guts hanging from the undercarriage of their car. We tried to go through a car wash. Didn't come off. The armadillo accompanied us the entire trip. It didn't fall off until about a month after the trip ended.

Even though our dear friend armadillo didn't have such a good fortune, the rest of us made it safely. We met up with Maci (she is also in school with Stacy and Stephen) and her boyfriend, Chad. I will be honest. I wasn't too optimistic about the trip when it drew closer. Stephen, Maci, and Stacy were the only ones that really knew each other. It could have potentially been a very awkward weekend. Fortunately, it was the exact opposite. It was like we had been friends forever. It was such a great trip. A break from studying and PA school for Stephen. A break from grad school and work for me. Perfect weather. Great food. Lots of laughs!

Now for the pictures...

The First Day on the Beach with Stacy and Maci

Our First Night...

The Second Day on the Beach...
So I probably should explain this next one...

Growing up, Blake and Stephen would joke around and take team photos because they thought it was funny. They would always have a really cheesy smile too....

Everyday on the beach, we played ladder ball. We loved it!

So Stephen is posing with the balls as if he were a 5 year old getting his team photo...

Our game faces...

More fun with the girls... I'll just say - a gust of wind and I would have been on my butt. I didn't have the best balance - never did the cheerleading thing growing up.
The Second Night...

Our last day on the beach was Mother's Day, so Wes, Stephen, and Stacy wrote this in the sand with seashells.

So, this is the pictures we sent to our mothers on Mother's Day...

Our last night, we made the boys go down to the beach for pictures...they loved it!

When we decided, we were going to take pictures that night on the beach - Stacy and I looked through magazines for cute poses. Well, I can assure you, this is not what the magazine had shown. We failed miserably with the pose below. Stephen is smiling, but before and after the picture, he was like "Jill, are you serious? Jill, why are we doing this? Jill, this is dumb!" How romantic...

Failed attempt #2...

Back to Normal...

The Boys after four or five attempts - it was like taking pictures of children....

The girls...

For the record... I cannot do the sexy, serious face! Nope. I look like I am going to kill someone is this picture!

Group Shot...

Stephen and I have only gone on two beach trips together (this one and our honeymoon), but thus far there has been a trend. The trend being - the sun having some kind of beef with us.

In fact, I think I might call it our traditional "sun mishaps."

The last time we went to the beach (our honeymoon) this happened...

I was wearing lip gloss and my lip got fried. Then, I ate something spicy for dinner that night, which I think made it worse. The next morning, my lip was huge.

This time I burned my legs! They killed one night - but it was amazing what 4 Advil and aloe could do!

And Stephen's feet swelled...

As you can see, we avoided the oil spill disaster. I think we went at the perfect time of the year - in between spring breaks and summer breaks - because the beach was not very busy. We asked the locals if this was typical. They said they weren't sure if it was the time of year or how much the oil spills caused people to relocate to another beach. It was unbelievable to see how much the oil spill would kill these coastal towns' economies. Makes you frustrated with the whole situation. Someone told us that when oil hits the coast, the area becomes contaminated for 3 years. 3 years!

Well, I'm already ready to go back...

Rain-Shmain...is what I thought!

2010-06-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 1st, my sister and I made plans to go to Cool Springs to shop for birthday and Mother's Day gifts. We set out about mid-morning and it was raining. No big deal.

When we got to the mall, a Lexus in the middle of the parking lot was surrounded by water that was up to the bottom of the doors. I remember thinking, "Had it really rained that much?" With shopping on the brain, I forgot all about the rain. Joce (my sister) and I shopped around at the mall for a couple of hours and ate lunch, all while it rained. No big deal.

Then, we headed to Dick's. (Dick's is my family's go to spot for gifts for Stephen!) It wasn't until we were about to walk out the doors of Dick's that this lady stopped us and said, "The tornado sirens are going off - that's why we're waiting here." So what did I do? Convinced my sister that we should run to JoAnn's to get tie dye for the tie dye shirts I was planning on making with my students that week for field day. If I had children, I would have definitely entered a disclaimer that might sound a little like this: Little Hass - do as I say, not as I do.

Joce called her husband to find out that the weather was getting really bad and we needed to get home. Her husband is pretty laid back - so for him to have a sense of urgency meant something. My sister was pretty much freaking out the entire time we were in JoAnn's while I was making sure I got the best bang for my buck. Very typical. We finally ran out to the car and got completely soaked in the process. The whole way home we could hardly see out the windshield and we pretty much hydroplaned on 65 the entire time. So maybe this was kind of a big deal. I remember telling Joce that I didn't even know it was supposed to rain this weekend.

It continued to rain all afternoon. When it stopped, Stephen and I set out to find dinner. I can't remember where we originally wanted to go, but this is what we ran into about a mile and a half from our house.

For those of you familar with Nashville, this is on the corner of Edmonson and Danby.

What? I had no clue it rained that much. We were shocked. All evening we heard emergency vehicle sirens. So this is a pretty big deal.

Sunday morning I was up as usual at 5am to work on grad school and sub plans for the next week before church. Then, it started raining again. Hard. I basically sat in our love seat working on my computer for a couple of hours watching it come down in buckets. I turned on the TV to get an update. One of the news broadcasters mentioned that church goers should go to later services, if they felt the need to go. Of course we are going, I thought. I am a Church of Christ-er. You never miss Sunday service. I woke Stephen up and was talking a mile a minute about the rain. Let me tell you - he LOVES that in the am. Ha! While he was in the shower, I wondered if there would be church. I checked my email. Church was cancelled! I will never forget what the same broadcaster said about 30 minutes after his later church service comment - "Look, I am a PK (preacher's kid) and I am telling you NOT to go to church." All I am thinking is: This is a big deal people!

All joking aside, I have never seen it rain so much, for so long. It was a horrible disaster for our city. The days to follow were humbling; listening to stories of victims. One man interviewed on the Local News said that he had no job, no money, and lost everything. The only thing he owned was the clothes on his back. Sad.

School was cancelled all week for the students. The teachers went back only on Thursday and Friday. Instead of working in our classrooms, we were encouraged to go out into the community and help. I had to keep reminding myself that this happened in my city because everywhere I ventured looked beautiful and untouched by water. The waters in the picture above had down by Monday. I don't really understand where it went.

Just the other night, I attended the Metro Nashville Public School Board (the district I work in) monthly meeting for a grad class requirement. At the beginning of the meeting they allot time for awards and recognition. The principal at McGavock Elementary School came to the podium. He got a call at the beginning of the last week of school from the General Manager of Nike at Opry Mills Mall (the entire mall was flooded in May). She was given the choice to purge all the items in the store or salvage what she could and donate the merchandise. Fortunately, she decided to do the latter. She called the principal at McGavock and asked if she could use his school to set up all the merchandise for the flood victims in Metro School District by Friday. His reply was that all he had time for at the end of the year was closing up shop - but he knew someone that could lead a project like this. He walked down to his gym and asked his gym teacher if he would be willing to head up the project. They washed all the clothing, set it up in the gym, the gym teacher got over $2,000 worth of donations for food for the workers on that Friday, and found people to donate drinks for the victims waiting in line to shop. They had over 2 million dollars worth of Nike clothing in their gym for FREE to flood victims. Each family had a personal shopper accompany them as they found merchandise around the gym. It was incredible to hear. It made me feel proud to be a part of this city and school district.

For Stephen, when the rains began, he was studying for finals. Monday was to be the start of his crazy week. The original plan was to have two finals a day for three days. Sunday night he was informed that Trevecca would be closed on Monday. He was frustrated. He just wanted them over. The Monday finals (the ones he wanted to get over with the most) were moved to Thursday, which also meant his short one week break between semesters was decreased to just 6 days. Bummer. We did doing pretty good though if that was the worst thing that happened to us from the flood.

Stay tuned as I continue to catch up...

Graduate School Grind...

2010-06-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

Excuse me for the close to three month hiatus...

It has been a little crazy around here - but with school over and summer here - I am able to play catch up.

I last left with the stress of a research paper on my back. I successfully turned it in on time with no last minute, up till 1 am in the morning, freaking out, hating myself for procrastinating moments. Huge weight lifted off. Oh wait, I forgot to knock on wood. Oops!

After I turned in my paper, I basically stalked my class online daily. You know ... When you bring up the site in the morning, leave it up all day, and press "Refresh" constantly hoping that the professor graded your paper, but wishing all at the same time, she hadn't for fear of seeing a bad grade. This was a daily occurrence for A MONTH.

In late April, I got a generic email the professor had sent to the entire class stating that she was finalizing our grades and would be finished entering them online that night. She also let us know she would email if we had any missing assignments. Finally, I thought...

Nope - My paper grade was never posted that night nor was my final exam grade.

At school the next day, I got another email saying that my professor never received my paper nor my final exam. Panic attack. (Don't worry there were no students in my room - it was my planning period.)

I immediately go to my course online to find that I had submitted both. However, when I looked at my "Submitted" work tab, I found that she had resubmitted my paper to me with suggestions and changes nearly THREE WEEKS AGO. I was completely unaware she could do that - so I never looked. In other words, I had one night to make changes to my paper and resubmit it.

I had sent my paper to her prior to the due date to revise, so I assumed there was little to fix this go around. (You know what they say about assuming!) My arrogant self didn't even open the document to see the changes that needed to be made until about 7ish that night. I had a bunch of random APA format changes to make with my references, which took much longer than I ever intended to fix. (Side Note/Frustration: Whoever established the APA format and then decided it was necessary to change little things about the format of it every year - should be fired. I'm just saying...)

Not only did I spend hours making small changes, but I was told two of my sources weren't research based and therefore I could not use them. I had to have ten resources and they had to be cited in my paper. Now I had eight. Awesome - tears just rolling down my face. Stephen started looking for resources on the Internet for me trying to help when he had mountains of work to do himself. I am convinced he resorted to doing that because it was obvious I didn't want a hug. Oh how marriage counseling never prepares one for moments like this...

I was mainly frustrated because my professor never mentioned issues with my resources in the first viewing of my paper (which in my opinion would have been the perfect opportunity). Not to mention, I had difficulty finding ten resources in the first place. My topic was on gender differences in education. I don't know if this is a relatively new phenomenon in the education world as we are now realizing that boys are falling behind girls each year. Or if it is not a politically correct topic and thus there is very little research out there. Regardless, telling me I had to find two more resources and make those sources fit into my paper somewhere brought on a late night, freaking out, hating myself for waiting until 7 to start, and hating my professor moment. Needless to say, there are no pictures to document the occasion.

I found my sources and fitted them in my paper - not perfectly - but good enough and submitted my paper that night. My final...I forgot to put my name on it! Kind of makes me laugh now because that is one of my biggest pet peeves as a teacher. I didn't dare mention that mishap to my students!

And all is well again in the Hasselbring household...

More to come as I try to catch up...

Pig's Feet, Power Outages, Pliers, and a Paper...

2010-03-10T17:51:00.001-08:00

PART ONE: Pig's Feet

This all began Friday night. As Stephen was walking upstairs to study (of course; and yes, on a Friday night), he stopped mid-way to begin the following conversation:

Stephen: Can I bring home a pig's foot?

Jill: No! (Stated without hesitation due to the sheer randomness of the question.)

Stephen: Why not?

Jill: Seriously? Are you really asking that? Remember when you taught yourself how to suture by cutting a banana and stitching it up (I am not lying, by the way), and I opened up the refrigerator and found it? It made me want to vomit. I do not like things like that, especially in the kitchen! (I hate hospitals. I get queasy when I see anything medically related other than a band aid.)

Stephen: But, this is for school!

Jill: (My thoughts: Well, duh! I figured!) What are you planning on doing with it?

Stephen: Practice suturing.

Jill: Where are you planning on storing this foot?

Stephen: In the freezer.

Jill: NOPE!

Stephen: Why? It will be in a bag.

Jill: I do not want a nasty pig's foot in my freezer...

The conversation continues with me defending myself by saying that we cannot put a pig's foot that has walked in manure in our freezer (fully knowing that it would be completely sanitized). Then, I suggested that he bring it home, immediately practice, and then throw it away. Not going to happen. Little did I know that a pig's foot is very expensive and you do not throw them away. We have yet to come to a decision/compromise, but I would not be surprised if Stephen has already hidden a pig's foot in our freezer. I am just going to play "the ignorance is bliss" card.

In situations like these, I try to step back and think: Am I ridiculous to not want a pig's foot in my freezer? Then, I imagine myself getting chicken out of my freezer and thinking about a yummy dinner when I see a pig's foot that looks like it has been mutilated and then stitched back together. Or opening the freezer door in the morning when I am half asleep to grab a Lean Cuisine for lunch and a "railroad track" looking pig's foot falling to my feet and scaring me half to death. NOPE, I am NOT RIDICULOUS at ALL!

PART TWO: Power Outage

At approximately 2 am Saturday morning, our power goes out. You are probably thinking how do you know the time? Well, Stephen and I sleep with a fan and when that humming noise turned off, we were both wide awake. It came back on at 4 am for ONE MINUTE. Awesome. According to my neighbor, the top of the line was hit and they had to repair the damage. Needless to say, we were without power until 2 pm Saturday afternoon. The whole day I kept turning on lights and then saying, "Dang it! The power's out!" You do not realize how much you use electricity until it is gone. Oh yes, and my main to-dos for Saturday were: Do the Laundry, Clean the House (since I couldn't use a vacuum, that meant I also couldn't clean a bathroom - don't you love my rationale for avoiding cleaning?).

PART THREE: Pliers

Stephen went out of town Saturday afternoon for a boy's weekend. About two minutes after he walked out the door, I decided to get a drink of soda out of a two liter. BUT I could not open it.

Just a little insight on the "routines" in the Hasselbring household: When Stephen closes something with a lid and I am the next person to open it, I have to yell for him to come open the container almost every single time. I cannot get them open, and it frustrates me to no end that I can't, so I eventually yell for him. What does he do when he looks at the container? He says: "Jill, c'mon, you can open that!" My reply, "Um, no I can't! Why do you think I asked you to open it!" Then, he makes me attempt AGAIN in front of him just to make sure. At this point, my palms are sweaty, my hands hurt from the many attempts before - it is like they have become raw (so it is definitely not going to open), and my blood pressure is through the roof. After all that, he opens the container with ease and I need a shower from the workout.

Back to Stephen not at the house to come to the rescue...

So I try and try to open it. Once again, hand raw from trying so hard. I then think...PLIERS! I go get pliers, and they worked like magic. Then, I took one itty bitty sip and secured the top back on the two liter. REALLY, all that work for one SIP?

PART FOUR: BIG Paper

I should not be writing on the blog right now because I have a 15 - 20 page paper due in 10 days for grad school, of which I am still in the researching stage. I am not behind at all. Awesome. I say that to inform you that another drought is coming on the blog. I am telling myself that I cannot blog again until I am finished with the paper and the presentation. Who knows, that may mean I will post more frequently than ever...

So to leave you on a "good" note, here are a few pictures of Stephen suturing using a SUTURING KIT. Why would you ever want to practice on a pig's foot when you have a suture kit that has been recycled through many other PA students before you? Seriously...

Inserting the suture...Practicing...Stephen was so proud of this stitch (the first one from the left)!

Big News...

2010-03-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

Since I shared slight differences that Stephen and I have in the last post... I might as well keep the ball rolling and add to it.

Last night, Stephen recieved an email from his dad with pictures of Katie Grace (our niece) attached with a short message that included this question: "Have you heard the news?"

Stephen asked me if I had heard any news. My reply: no - but with a strong sense of urgency for him to call his parents and find out! What does he do? NOTHING. While I am sitting on the edge of my seat, thinking "is he seriously not going to call?" NOPE, he seriously isn't going to call UNTIL OVER AN HOUR LATER.

I am just laughing to myself as I write this because I feel like if someone were watching our lives and commentating they would say: "There goes Jill overreacting and flipping out again. And Stephen just ignoring her as usual!" That's so funny to me because it is so true; I can't really blame him.

The other thing that makes me laugh is that I think Stephen purposely waited to call because he knew it would kill me. That is his subtle way of saying CHILL OUT!

Or let's be real, he's a guy - he wasn't really thinking about any of these things at all! He just wanted to wait till the end of American Idol to call them.

Can the statement, "Men are from Mars and women are from Venus!" be any more true?

Now for the BIG news...

Stephen's brother and sister-in-law are having another child in July, which we already knew. I had a feeling the news would be about them finding out the sex of the child. I patiently waited (well, not really) for him to call his parents and ask. Guess what? They are having a BOY!

Our precious niece below will be a big sister to a brother!

Can you believe I actually have pictures on my blog for once?

All these pictures are taken of her at a park in California.

Notice the cute sun dress in MARCH - unfair.

A girl after Stephen's own heart - a ball already in her hands.

I love that she is wearing tennis shoes - that-a-girl!

She is walking all over the place. Rachel (my sister-in-law) told me that she doesn't even let them hold her, even far distances. The girl loves to walk!

So cute...

Congrats Andy, Rachel, and Katie Grace!

We are so excited to meet him!

My P-A-S...

2010-02-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

Just to ease the minds of the men who read my blog (namely my dad and father-in-law), the acronym in the title has nothing to do with anything feminine. It is safe for you to read on…

When Stephen and I were dating, I used to make fun of all the letters/certifications behind his name. For instance, on his old business card at Elite, it says: Stephen Hasselbring, ATC, LAT. Basically, all those letters mean athletic trainer. I don't even know what the LAT part means (I should ask Stephen, OH WAIT! He is studying! He has seven tests or quizzes in the next two weeks. Can someone say STRESSED? Not a good time to ask questions of little importance! He is understandably a little on edge...) I feel like he has more letters than a doctor would have…which is ridiculous to me.

Regardless, last fall he had to attend the Physician Assistant Conference in Gaitlinburg, TN. When he returned, I noticed that he had to wear a badge around during the conference with his name and PAS following. I thought to myself, “what does the “S” mean?” For those of you who are as slow as I was and took some time to figure it out, it stands for student. (Just in case you are confused, the P-A stands for Physician Assistant) What do I do? I go downstairs and immediately start giving him a hard time. Still to this day, I will say “how’s my P-A-S?” He hates it, so what do I do? Continue to say it! The kicker is he always giggles when I say it to him, so why in the world would I ever stop?

To give you an update on Mr. P-A-S… in May it will be one year that he has been in school. Sometimes I think it has flown by and then there are those bad days when I think he will never be done. Unfortunately, the later is the feeling most days. To be perfectly honest with you, there hasn’t been a day when I think: “I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Until last week…

On Tuesday, Stephen had a meeting about his clinical rotations. By the way, clinical rotations equals last year of school and a break from studying. Or you may like to see it the way I do: Clinical Rotations = I partially get my husband back! [Originally, I wrote "get my husband back!" BUT Mr. "I have seven tests coming up and full of optimism!" P-A-S says: "Umm...not really." Hence, the insertion of "partially."]

He will have to complete eight, six week rotations (Two Rotations in Family Practice, One in Internal Medicine, One in ER, One in Pediatrics, One in Surgery, One in Psychiatry, and One is an Elective). I am thinking that the meeting was rather long and boring because Stephen configured a plan. The elective rotation is the last rotation and gives students the opportunity to either: do a rotation in a branch of medicine that wasn’t offered in the other clinical rotations (i.e. dermatology or orthopedics) OR go to the place where you think/have a chance of being hired. Before even going to the meeting, Stephen knew he would go to Elite (where he worked before starting PA school) for his elective rotation. Then, he thought, “Well, why don’t I try to go to Elite for the surgical rotation as well?”

Let me interrupt the story for just a second…

When he came home, I asked him how the meeting went. Response: Good. During dinner, he gets a call from Dr. Elrod, which I thought was weird. But, unbeknownst to me, Stephen had called him earlier and left a message about the rotations, all of which I gleaned from their phone conversation. And yes, I was definitely overhearing the entire conversation. It also wasn’t until I was listening to their conversation that I became aware of all the things I just stated above. I don’t know why I am shocked – but it kills me sometimes that he does not communicate. If I were in his shoes, I would have been talking for an hour about the whole meeting and what I was thinking. Opposites attract, I suppose.

Back to the story…

Dr. Elrod told Stephen that if he could come for two rotations (surgical and elective) that would be the best. He would be with only him for one and then could rotate around and observe the other doctors in the office for the other 6 weeks. Perfect scenario! And good news! His wishes were granted at the end of this week, he will get to spend two rotations at Elite. I think I am happier than he is because I also found out that he could be out of town for a rotation. Bummer… At least I know he will definitely be in town for two of them!

Even though school is tough, he is doing well. Thankfully. We just have to keep reminding ourselves that this is for a short time. Thanks for keeping up with us!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer:

When I became a blogger last June, Stephen just laughed and said “once school starts, you will never keep it up.” (Thanks for the support, dearest one!) I am very competitive by nature, so I thought “I’ll show you!” Well, well, well…we all know how that went. Six months later, I post again. I am going to pretend that I haven’t skipped a beat and I am sure in postings to come (hopefully) events from the past six months will reveal themselves. I know as Stephen reads this – he is thinking – Stephen: 1 point Jill: GOOSE EGG. There is not the slightest hint of animosity in my tone. =)

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Hasselbrings! (I suppose I should also be wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year… but I am supposed to be pretending that I haven’t ignored the blog for half a year.)

This morning as Stephen and I woke up for church – I wished him a Happy Valentine’s Day in passing as we got ready. He immediately replies, “Oh, yeah! It is Valentine’s Day! Happy Valentine’s Day, Jill!” Needless to say, I wasn’t anticipating a dozen roses on the kitchen table with a comment like that.

As we were eating breakfast, he mentioned that he had great intentions of buying me a card, but he just didn’t get around to it. (He is still in PA school (it hasn’t been that long since my last post) – He had two huge tests this week in his hardest classes…) I just giggled knowing that I had bought him a card last week when I went to the store.

As he was eating, I slipped away with the card to sign it and add a few comments. When I finished, I set the card in front of him. He looked at me with a “dang it, I should have bought her a card, this is very embarrassing” look on his face. It was priceless! I was loving every second (remember, I am very competitive – and he is too!) The next thing I know he is pouring my coffee and getting me cream and sugar to go with it (in a completely joking way to make up for his shortcomings!)

The whole situation was hilarious to both of us!

I wouldn’t have changed it in anyway – because that is us.

But I will say: Stephen – 1, Jill – 1. Not that I am competitive or anything...

The Three Amigos Make Their Debut...

2009-07-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

This summer I have helped (very sporadically) one of Stephen's old co-workers, Jenny, with her triplets. Yes, triplets. Jenny was Dr. Elrod's assistant. From what I hear, she ran the show at the office - she knew everything about everything. She was definitely loved and it was a very sad day when she left. But she is now a proud mommy of triplets - Maddux, Nola, and Luce.

Typically when I help her - I show up at 10 am for their second feeding of the day. I help feed them, play with them, change diapers, etc. I also help her with the third feeding - and then head home. I have only gone about three times to help her because of scheduling conflicts. I wish I could have helped her more - but she has it down to a science. It is incredible. And for the most part, she is by herself all day with the kiddos. Their feedings are now four hours apart, so that gives her a little more time in-between. And they are sleeping through the night - which definitely helps.

Last Wednesday, I helped her take the triplets to Elite. This was the first time she was able to take the triplets to the office and meet everyone.

I met at her house at 10 am to help feed the little ones, change them, and get them all ready to go. I was shocked that we had fed all three, changed their diapers and clothes, loaded them up, and on the road by 11:30. For those of you that have one child, an hour and a half seems like a long time - but for triplets that's a feat - and there were two people working on the whole process.

We got to Elite by 12:15. I was pushing Maddux and Nola in the stroller and Jenny was carrying Luce (she is the lightest) in her carrier. They have a three-baby stroller, but we would had to move the babies out of their carriers to the stroller. It would have taken quite some time. And the stroller was HUGE and LONG - not very accessible.

Everyone at Elite loved them and were amazed how good Jenny looked after three babies - she looks like she never had a child. Everyone was asking questions because, like me, they can't comprehend how someone could handle three babies all at once.

Here are some more pictures from the visit... People were moving, so some of the pictures look blurry or our camera just stinks. Not sure which one.

Jenny getting ready to take Maddux out of his carrier.

That is the stroller I pushed around for the day.

It was perfect because we just had to set their carriers in there and they were ready to go.

Dr. Elrod with Luce.

He didn't get to spend much time with the babes because he had to go to surgery.

His face lit up when he saw Jenny.

I'm glad we made it time to see him - even if it was just for a few minutes.

Nola Bear.

She's the drama queen - you gotta have one in every family.

She is so cute.

Maddux - mid-yawn.

He is the biggest one of the gang.

He is a cuddler and just precious.

I feed him every time I go over there.

We have bonded.

Jenny taking Maddux to get his diaper changed - and change his clothes.

He peed through his diaper and clothes were wet.

Little Luce.

She was the culprit for the early delivery - she had a blood clot in her placenta.

The plan was for the doctor to get her out first, and when he tried she slid back where he couldn't reach her. She ended up being the last one out.

Luce is the laid back one of the three.

Nola with Jill.

Rick, the MRI guy, holding Nola.

She was all smiles with Rick.

Julianne, Dr. Elrod's nurse practitioner, holding Maddux.

Chasity with Luce.

Chasity is Dr. Elrod's nurse and worked along side Stephen.

Chasity could not get enough of Luce!

They were so good the entire time - which is amazing because they were passed around a lot. They slept all the way home until 3 minutes out - then it was definitely apparent that it had been about 5 hours since they had eaten. When we got home, they guzzled down their bottles in no time.

They are so happy and so sweet. I love hanging out with them.

Keep up the good work, Jenny! You are doing a great job!

A Few More "Unbelievables" to Add to the List...

2009-07-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

If you recall early on I made a short list of "unbelievables" at the end of a post. It may become a tradition on the blog because I think years from now it will be fun to look back on...

Top Ten Unbelievables...(in no particular order).

1. After tomorrow, Stephen only has two weeks left in his first semester. UNBELIEVABLE!

It has gone by so fast (for me, at least - he may think otherwise) - but he is quick to say that he still has a lot to do. He has a quiz in Physiology on Monday. His last week, he has class on Monday and Tuesday, then finals Wednesday through Friday. Unfortunately, he will be responsible for material covered on the last Monday and Tuesday on the finals. He is ONLY covering four chapters (probably about 50 pages in the textbook) in Physiology TWO DAYS before the final. NO BIG DEAL!

2. Stephen's last day of finals is my first day of school. Perfect timing.

That's right only 15 more days until I start back at school. I officially have to report on August 10th (11 days from now). However, I have to set up a new classroom (because I am moving from second to third grade), I will go back this Monday to start the process (4 days). Four days left of summer bliss. Unbelievable.

My sister is graduating from Nurse Practitioner School at Vanderbilt on Sunday. My mom is flying in tomorrow to attend her graduation and going to stay the entire week to help me with my classroom. It will be so nice because I will need all the help I can get. I have a to-do list a mile long.

3. I got my wisdom teeth out a couple of weeks ago. It has to be one of the easiest wisdom teeth extraction stories ever. And I am very proud to say that! I only had two and they were on the top. According to my dentist, top wisdom teeth give patients less trouble than the bottom ones. To make things even easier, they had already come in, so the dentist was able to do the procedure without putting me to sleep and without cutting or stitches.

I left my house at 7:15 am and walked back in my door at 8:00 am. Unbelievable!

I was eating a hamburger that night - even more unbelievable. I'll stop because I realize I am now bragging.

4. Two days after I got my wisdom teeth out - I scheduled to take the Millers Analogy Test (MAT) at Lipscomb University. It is an entrance exam for graduate school. Needless to say, I was freaking out about the test because it covered material from famous artists, authors, scientists, and musicians to U.S. presidents, wars, science topics, and maybe one question about math. And did I mention they were all analogies? Example of an analogy: MAT is to unbelievably hard as Jill is to failing. Here's a little more background: I never took U.S. history, the only books I read are children's books - not novels about Existentialism in Kafka's Metamorphosis (I only remember that because I had to write an essay on that in high school) - and if I had to choose a favorite part of a standardized test it would be the math section - which there might have been one question out of the entire 120. In fact, my example analogy is probably completely incorrect. And the test would not use the words "unbelievably hard" or "failed" - it would be vocabulary words no one has ever seen before except Matt Hardison (no offense, Matt). Oh yes - I must not forget the other reason why I was freaking out. The first time I took one of the practice tests in the book (without studying - just to see how I would do), I scored a 50%. Obviously, I needed to do some major studying. After learning almost 500 vocabulary words and trying to memorize random facts about everything, I took 5 or 6 more of the practice tests. On ALL 5 or 6 of the practice tests I took, I never achieve over a 50%. In other words, my studying was counter productive. U.n.b.e.l.i.e.v.a.b.l.e.

I took the test and passed. Not by a whole lot, but that doesn't even matter.

I will be starting graduate school at Lipscomb University this fall. I will be getting my masters in Leadership or Administration - I am unsure of the official title. By completing this masters, I will have the credentials to become a principal.

It will be interesting teaching a brand new grade and starting school all at the same time.

5. Even though he would probably never admit it, I think Stephen really loves what he is learning about in school. Yes, I think it is official - my husband is an anatomy nerd! The whole time I thought I was married to this jock - NOPE - a nerd. UnBeLiEvAblE.

When we went out for our anniversary, we ordered dessert. Before it came out, I looked at Stephen and said "I am way too full to eat dessert." He goes into an huge explanation about how stomachs have different sections...and I didn't understand anything after that. NERD.

While I was in Indiana, I called him one night to see how he was doing - and he seemed peppy on the phone. That was weird because he hates talking on the phone. It was because he got to dislocate a hip in the anatomy lab that afternoon. I think he was one of the students that initiated the entire event - and he got to help the anatomy teacher pull the leg across the body and then cut away at some of the muscle to cause the hip to dislocate. He said you could see so much stuff by doing that. What a nerd!

It is almost impossible to get Stephen to do anything other than study - but he found out that Dr. Elrod was doing a Extra-Articular Tenodesis of the IT Band with ACL Revision with Allograft with Bilateral Meniscal Repairs - a.k.a. - a three hour surgery where the knee is partly exposed. He had to go and see this. I couldn't believe he took 3 hours from studying ON A TEST DAY - But he loves that kind of stuff. I'm telling you - he is a nerd.

6. It has been almost a month now - but Steve McNair's passing definitely reached UNBELIEVABLE status in our house. Stephen was pretty upset about the whole incident, as all Nashvillians. Stephen's first year of working with the Titans as an Athletic Training Intern during Training Camp in college was Steve McNair's last season with the Titans. According to Stephen, he was an awesome guy and very friendly to everyone. He was very appreciative of the Athletic Training Staff and treated people like they were best buds. To lighten the mood after hearing about his death, I said "Your signed Steve McNair jersey will be worth a lot!" His reply, "We are not selling it!" Needless to say, he was in no mood for jokes. To hear someone die in such a way is really unbelievable.

7. The other night Stephen and I were trying to figure out what his average was in Physiology. You know what it's like when finals are near - you are trying to see how much you are really going to have to study for the final based on your current average - or sometimes you realize that you need a divine intervention if you ever want to pass the class. By the way, the task of figuring out his average was way above 3rd grade math. Because quizzes counted for so much percent and test counted a different percent. It was quite the process. Stephen is going into finals with a very solid average, which will make finals a little less stressful. And this is a course two months ago, he thought he would never pass. UNbelievABLE. I am not sure why he even figured out his average because it won't change the way he studies.

Studying Side Note: I met up with him at Trevecca for dinner on a Sunday before Physiology Test on that Monday. I walk in the room where he was studying and he had written (in his itty bitty handwriting) all over the white boards around the room. He had a picture of the kidney and they way it worked. There was so much writing crammed on those boards. It was unbelievable. He's been begging me to go to school and pick up some dry erase markers for him - now I know why. I am not going to make fun of his studying habits because they work!

8. Two weeks ago, a friend that lived near me in Germany (I moved to Germany in 7th grade and lived their till I graduated from high school) sent me a message on Facebook to say that he was coming in town for the NAMM (National something Music something?) Convention in Nashville. He was a year below me in school, but our grades were so small that everyone kind of knew everyone. We both played basketball and our teams would travel together. Since we lived close we road the bus together and carpooled from school (we couldn't drive in Germany - I road the bus as a senior in high school - pretty cool). We were pretty good friends. His name is Michael Bustamante, but we all called him "Busta."

By the way, I was shocked because none of my friends from Germany have ever come to Nashville because they all live in the north and northeast. We got in contact with each other and met up for dinner with his dad and brother that were with him for the Convention. The reason they came to the Convention was because his dad has become an entrepreneur. He invented/ developed something called the "Case Brace" and he is trying to sell nationally and internationally. If you open a guitar case and stand it upright, you can slip the "Case Brace" in the crease of the case and set your guitar in it upright and it acts as a stand. I am not a guitar player but it sounded cool. Regardless, it was fun catching up with him and hearing what was new going on in his life. And we definitely reminisced about the days in Deutschland. We had dinner downtown and went to Wildhorse after. Even though he doesn't listen to country music, they were shocked by the talent of the band. They were amazed by all the life music - even all the people walking around. They live near Detroit - and according to them - it has become a complete ghost town. In downtown Detroit either all the store windows are boarded up or the windows are broken.

Busta couldn't believe I was married and that I had a southern accent. I suppose some things have changed. It was unbelievable seeing a friend from Germany. I loved showing him Nashville - and I was super excited that he loved it here.

Me and Mike at Wildhorse

9. Stephen and I decided when we went out for our anniversary that in the summer of 2012 - the summer after he graduates from PA school - approximately 35 months from now - we are going on a big vacation somewhere. It is going to be unbelievable! And we are inviting anyone who wants to come with us. We are thinking an all-inclusive, beachy spot - since we had such good luck with the same kind of thing on our honeymoon. We are letting everybody know early, so that you can start saving NOW. That way there will be no excuses 35 months from now!

10. Last but not least - FINALLY - a note card update...

I took this picture about 4 hours ago, so it is no longer accurate. He has probably added about fifty to this pile since then. I put my life at risk taking this photo. If these piles would have fallen over - I would have been sleeping on the couch tonight.

Physiology Note Cards on the left.

Anatomy Note Cards on the right.

UNBelievABLE!!

I had to take a picture of this. This is what he uses to separate his note cards into chapters. He draws block numbers on a red card. It just seems funny to me - I have no clue why. And I should have taken a picture of his block number 4 - it's a good one. Maybe next time.
11. I leave you with a bonus for all you Bachlorette Lovers out there...Jillian chose Ed over REED!!! Unbelievable. I felt a little better about Ed after the rose ceremony show - but STILL. Reed was the much better catch! And I have to admit - I almost had to stop eating dinner when I watched how much Jillian and Ed were kissing each other on the couch - EVEN while Chris was trying to ask them questions. That had to be awkward for him. Well, I'm ready for the next season - I love drama - when it has nothing to do with me! I'm really thinking Scott Cagle (Julie's brother) should be the NEXT BACHELOR!

One Year Ago...

2009-07-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, on July 19, 2008, Stephen and I said these words to each other...

I promise to accept my responsibility as your husband/wife.
I will be faithful always only to you.
I give my soul enthusiastically to our relationship.
I ask that God may bless you and our marriage with faith, with hope, and with love.
I accept you with all my heart as my spouse from this day forward.
May God keep me true to this vow.

I give you this ring because I love you.

Please wear this ring because you love me.

May this love always complete you, and may this love make us one.

I was able to chisel out an evening slot from Stephen's studying schedule. That's saying a lot because he has a Physiology Test tomorrow. We celebrated the occasion with dinner at Fleming's. It was probably our first date in about 5 or 6 months. I can imagine the shock on your face - but Stephen and I love to go out with friends, we have been extremely busy, etc. And honestly, the last thing I ever want to do after a week of work is get all dolled up and go somewhere fancy. I really just love getting in sweats, ordering pizza, and calling it a night. But after getting all dressed up (Stephen even painted my toenails as I was drying my hair because I was running late) holding hands, and laughing together last night - we were giddy like we just started dating - we realized that we should probably have date nights more often. It was the perfect celebration and the food was amazing.

365 days of love

52 weeks of happiness

12 months of dreams

1 year of a beautiful marriage.

That is what the card I gave him says - but let's be honest - it was my first year of teaching as well.

So the more appropriate version...

365 days of being a shoulder to cry on

52 weeks of being an ear to listen

12 weeks of being a mouth of encouragement

1 year of being a rock to lean on.

And I can't believe you stuck it out...

I couldn't have made it through this year without him.

I am so thankful and blessed.

Happy Anniversary, Stephen.

I didn't know there was an Indianapolis 500 in July too...

2009-07-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

This is the best way to describe my weekend. Fasten your safety belt - it's a long ride. No pun intended.

I absolutely love going to the Indy 500 in Indianapolis on Memorial Day weekend. It is thrilling to watch. The speed is incredible - the only way to appreciate it is by attending in person. And believe it or not, watching cars go around a track hundreds of times never gets boring. I have to admit that the wrecks keep it entertaining. When wrecks happen, the yellow flag is waived until the track is clear.

I thought my trip to Indiana would be typical - family reunion - we do it every year. Just like the 500, I love to go. I get to hang out with family that I only see once a year. But there were a few wrecks and thus yellow flags that made it a little more interesting.

I am taking awhile to get to the meat of this post. I am trying to build suspense. Is it working? Good, because now you are getting the feel of what the Indy 500 is like before the race starts; I am setting the mood.

-- Side Note: I am giggling to myself right now because I can envision you shaking your head and thinking "Get on with it...I need to fold my clothes in the dryer! - OR - This better be good!"

The green flag was waived Tuesday night when my Uncle Kevin (my mom's brother) arrived in Nashville from Atlanta. The plan was for him to drive up Tuesday night, spend the night at our place, and take my car (his is becoming unreliable) up to Indiana Wednesday morning. Over the weekend, my car had a small billow of smoke coming out of the hood. We thought it was the air conditioner - but long story short - we couldn't take it to get fixed until Tuesday and it actually needed a new compressor - yep, the kind that costs a grand - NO BIG DEAL!

Anyways, we were promised it would be ready by Tuesday evening, so we could still take it to Indiana. Nope. Then, we were promised it would be ready by Wednesday morning by 8 am. Perfect. My uncle Kevin and I would go get it before we left for Indiana. We showed up at 8 am to find that the mechanic just started on it and it wouldn't be ready until 11:30 or 12.

Yellow Flag #1.

Shortly after, we called my mom to tell her of the delay to find out that my granddad was taken to the emergency room Tuesday night. He couldn't lift his leg to get into bed (their bed is way too high for their age - my grandma-Doris has to use a step stool - "Here's your sign!"), so he sat on the floor because he didn't know what else to do - and then couldn't get up. My grandmother decided to call 911 because she is incapable of helping him.

Another Yellow Flag.

When EMS arrived, they had to wait 20 minutes for my grandma-Doris to put on her clothes. My parents were already in Indiana and met up with them at the hospital. By the time they got to the hospital, my granddad was able to walk out of the EMS truck into the Emergency Room. They ran tests and could find nothing wrong with him - other than his blood sugar was a little high. He was sent home but told he needed to see his primary care physician the next morning.

Back to Green.

After picking up my car and grabbing lunch in Nashville, we headed north for Indiana. While we were driving - my dad was taking my granddad to the doctor. Unfortunately as the day progressed, my granddad was getting worse and worse. Thus, my dad's mission was to get him admitted in the hospital. After completing different scans, my granddad could hardly walk - and when he was admitted - he had to be taken in a wheelchair.

Yellow Flag #3.

My dad called me as we were getting closer to Bloomington to let me know that they admitted him and he wanted me to stop by to see him that night.

When we arrived, my granddad was very weak and unable to hold a conversation (even about farming or the weather - crazy!). There were a lot of personnel in the room trying to draw his blood, so we kept the visit short and sweet. I hugged and kissed him goodbye thinking that could be the last time I saw him. This was really unbelievable because less than 48 hours earlier my granddad was on the farm driving an 18 wheeler truck. He is in great shape for an 80 year old man.

HUGE crash on the track, Yellow Flag #4.

My parents have a house out in the country very near where my Uncle Doug (my dad's brother), Dad, and Granddad own land and farm. We call it the "Farm House" - that is where we all stay when we come in town. Because we are there so little I am always a little apprehensive at first. I think there will be spiders in the bed when I lift the sheets, its very dark at night, different smells... With those thoughts in my head in addition to my granddad in the hospital (Did I mention I hate hospitals?) and Stephen not there - I tossed and turned in bed for hours the first night - my mind and heart racing. I have never had a sleeping problem like that before, but I was legitimately freaked out. At one point, something motioned one of the landscape lights on outside my window, I was convinced someone was coming in and they were going to kill me. By the way, I was sweating in bed because I had to be under the covers (safer). I would have gone across the hall to where my Uncle Kevin was sleeping - but was too scared to walk 10 steps. It was the weirdest thing in the world.

Yellow Flag #5 - more for the people around me.

The following day (Thursday), I went with my dad to the hospital to check on my granddad. He was a new man - even though they still had no clue what was wrong with him - other than he probably had an infection (he had a temperature). He was talkative, ready to go home, lifting his legs in the air... He remembered I came by the night before with my Uncle Kevin - which surprised me because I thought for sure he had no clue. The nurse came in with his lunch and suggested that he try and get up and sit in his chair to eat. The nurse was ready to assist, but my granddad popped right up and walked over and sat in his chair without help - the nurse was shocked.

Back to a Green Flag.

We stopped by my Grandma-Doris' house to see if she was okay and then back to the Farm House to visit with my Great Aunt Doris (my mom and Uncle Kevin's aunt on my grandmother's side). We had Mexican for dinner and Dairy Queen for dessert. Then we headed over to the grocery store to get food for the reunion. While checking out we found out there was "pig wrestlin'" at the Owen County Fair that night. Just to make it clear - this town is old, country, and hick/red-neck. My dad who is an old, country, red-neck at heart had to go! We walked through the 4-H barns and saw all the entries for just about everything. I found out that my mom won Reserve Grand Champion for her Angel Food Cake that she made from a box - Seriously? Way to go, Mom. And another surprise, I thought when they said "pig wrestlin'" - they meant putting two pigs in a pen and watching them wrestle. Boy, was I wrong! "Pig wrestlin'" is when they put a kid in a pen with a pig and they go at it. All these kids of all ages were walking around covered in mud from head to toe. Some girls had shirts that said "Hot Mama Pig Wrestlers." Stepping foot into the fair was like stepping into a whole different world. It really is kind of like some of the people you see when you go to the Indy 500.

Green Flag remains.

Jocelyn, my sister, and Adam, my brother-in-law, came in town late Thursday night. My granddad was predicted to be released from the hospital Friday afternoon. Since Joce wasn't there yet to object, we delegated her to go to the hospital on Friday for those duties - my mom went with her. After waiting for a few hours, my granddad was released. Kevin and I were already in the area because he wanted to stop by my grandparents' graves (his and my mom's parents). Where they are buried is the same place as my great-grandparents (my grandpa's parents) and great uncle. Kevin explained when they died and stories like this one... my great-grandfather died when Joce was only about 1 or 2 and when they got to the funeral home, my sister said "he's aseepin' in da bed" referring to my deceased great-grandfather in his coffin. It was really interesting to be there and hear stories - I even have some possible names for children.

Green Flag continues.

I got the call shortly after we left the cemetery that it was official - my granddad could go home even though he wasn't feeling quite as good as the day before. Kevin and I were to meet Joce, my mom, granddad at his house to help get him in the house. When they arrived, my granddad was very weak. He was unable to move his legs out of the car. My uncle basically lifted him out of the car - my grandfather was dead weight. Once he was standing, we put a walker in front of him. He was able to move, but it was like his brain was having to tell his legs to move. It was really weird. By the time we got him to his chair, he was completely out of breath. He had to turn to sit down - but his legs wouldn't move. My uncle basically had to move him himself. So basically what I am trying to say is ... THANK GOODNESS my uncle was there. There is no way my mom, sister, and I could have ever got him in the house. Needless to say, we were all thinking "how can he stay here alone?" I was just shocked (not sure why because his body has been so unpredictable thus far) that he could hardly walk since we was walking fine in the hospital the day before.

Yellow Flag #6. Bummer.

Thirty minutes later, my granddad pipes up and says, "I need to go to the bathroom." We all shrugged a little based on thirty minutes before. My uncle helped him out of his chair, but he insisted on us not helping him to the bathroom. He got their on his own, went, and came back in 5 minutes. It was amazing. He zipped down the hallway with no problems. We all looked at each other and laughed because we couldn't believe the turn around. It became evident that we never knew what was going to happen to him from one moment to the next. Before we left for dinner, he was getting out of his chair on his own and not even using the walker around the house.

Short-lived Yellow Flag - thank goodness - And back to Green.

Saturday, we went to our family reunion on my mom's side - The Fleetwood's. My great-grandparents (the ones I mentioned earlier) had four kids (actually six - but two died at a young age). Only two of the four are still living - but we still get together each year. We eat lots of good food, play cards, sometimes swim, and just talk.

Green Flag.

- The Fleetwood Cousins -

These are the children of the four Fleetwood kids.

My Uncle Kevin is the guy in the pink shirt, in the middle, in the back.

And my mom has her eyes closed in the front.

After the reunion, we changed quickly and went straight to my dad's cousin's daughter's wedding. Her ceremony was in the same church where her parents were married - pretty neat. Then, the reception was at the Bloomington Convention Center. Emily, the bride, had cupcakes as her wedding cake. I knew this was always an option - but first time I have seen someone do it. She had a stretch-Excursion or Escalade take them, their wedding party, and her grandparents to the reception. It was awesome. It was a lot of fun seeing cousins and family we hadn't seen in awhile - and the food and dancing were great.

Green Flag.

My brother-in-law and sister at the wedding.

My dad and mom.

AND... Stephen and Me.

Well, me at the wedding with my imaginary husband.

Stephen couldn't make it to Indiana because of school.

My dad insisted that I post this picture because he thinks it's hilarious.

My granddad's brother and his wife. I didn't get a picture of my granddad but he looks very similar to his brother. They were the grandparents of the bride. They have been married for 59 years - they beat out another couple on the dance floor during the anniversary dance by one year.

All the wedding guests sang "Happy Birthday" to my great-aunt Marcela - she turned 89 that day. She is the widow to one of my granddad's brothers. There were eight brothers.

Sunday morning, we went to my Uncle Doug and Aunt Rhonda's (my dad's brother and his wife) church to support them as they were becoming deacons. Then, we headed to their house that afternoon for a cook out with family to see Chad and Sarah (my cousin and his wife) off to Arizona. They are moving because Chad got a new job down there. And my granddad felt able to come and join - so that was good news.

It was a great weekend, but their was definitely some suspense along the way with my grandfather's health - you never knew what to expect from day to day or hour to hour or even minute to minute - just like the 500. Unfortunately, they are still unknown about what really was wrong with him. He went back to the doctor last Tuesday and they told him to do whatever he feels like - well that was the green light for him to go to the farm. By last Wednesday, he was back out at the farm - he told my dad that he just had to get out there to set his coon traps around his crops and feed his catfish. I talked to him the other day and he was telling me that he caught three fish in his pond. These are all really good signs. His strength is not completely back but he is getting there.

There was other excitement throughout the weekend, which I have saved for last. My cousin Chad and his wife Sarah are having a baby! The Dyer family is very excited as this will be the first child from our generation and the first great-grandchild. And since Chad is the only boy cousin - he is the only one who can keep the Dyer name alive. My aunt Rhonda was probably the most excited as she was telling everyone the whole weekend - "I am going to be a grandma!" They told us all on Friday night when we went to Outback. Sarah gave Letha (Chad's sister) and Doug (Chad's dad) a present. It was a wrapped picture frame of the baby's first (and probably only because they don't want to know the sex of the child) ultrasound. Rhonda didn't get one because she had guessed that they were a while back. My Uncle Doug had no clue what it was and neither did my granddad. My grandma-Doris, on the other hand, noticed immediately and her jaw dropped. I was sitting inbetween Sarah and my grandmother. I was leaning forward and my grandma-Doris says, "Jill, can you move so I can see Sarah?" We now know who is the favorite!

A quick cousin shot before we left for Nashville.
Adam, Joce, Me, Sarah, Letha (in the back), and Chad.

And as far as I'm concerned - I only need to experience the Indy 500 once a year - not twice.

Checkered Flag is waived...

Behind Already...

2009-06-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

But determined to check up in one post.

I am leaving for Otter Creek's Camp tomorrow. When I return I will be in camp blogging mode, not catch-up-on-the-last-few-weeks blogging mode. Therefore, I must fill in the gap now before I leave for camp.

Even though I have largely only mentioned Stephen's progress through school, we actually do other things, I promise.

A couple of weeks ago, Blake and Julie let us watch their dog, Bo, for a long weekend.

Blake and Julie are some of our best friends. Blake and Stephen have known each other since they were 7 or 8 years old or in other words for almost 20 years. You could say they are like brothers...well no "like" about it...they are brothers. They find each other absolutely hilarious, can stay on the phone for 20 minutes talking about nothing - but laughing about their nothingness the entire time, have tendencies to engage in yelling wars - even through text messages, reminisce on the past 2o years on a regular basis - laughing about the same stories over and over again, can play the church hymn game for hours on end (if you are ever get bored in the car and know all the old hymns - we have the game for you!)...to sum this up they basically joke about everything all the time. As you can imagine, Julie and I had no choice but to be good friends too. Luckily, it worked out because I definitely need someone to endure all these moments with...so thank you, Julie.

I just thought I should give you a little insight on our friendship with Blake and Julie, since I am sure they will be mentioned often.

Back to Bo...AND...Here he is:

He loved putting our socks or shirts in his mouth. It was so funny!

I probably should not share this story because I will NEVER be asked to dog-sit or even baby-sit again, but I don't want to forget this incident.

Blake and Julie have a backyard and let Bo out to "do his business" without a leash. Then, on walks (when on a leash), he trots along - never needing to "pop a squat." This was completely new to me due to previous experiences with Stephen's parents' dog, Snickers. A walk for him consists of a 400 meter stretch (I ran track - this is how I compute distances) that takes 45 minutes because of Snickers huge desire to "grace" every tree along the way. With Bo, I was able to go at a great pace and actually get some exercise.

Because we don't have a yard, we would take him out on his leash (he was thinking he was getting a walk at 10 pm) to use the restroom - but he would NEVER go.

On Saturday, I picked him up early afternoon because it was so hot outside (All you dog owners are probably thinking dogs can hack it - but remember - he isn't our dog and we did NOT want him to have a heat stroke on OUR watch). We took him out the rest of that day- on his leash, of course - to pee and even on a walk - but he never "went" for the rest of the day. Finally, at 6 the next morning, Bo is scratching on our door and crying a little. I woke up and thought "this dog has to be about to explode" - so without even trying to take him out on his leash at our house - we got in the car and went over to Blake and Julie's backyard. When we got to their house, it took all I had to keep hold of his leash. I let him in his backyard - he sniffed for a nanosecond - and relieved himself for a good 30 - 45 seconds. Yes, I watched the entire time in amazement.

Needless to say that afternoon when we went on a walk (we were headed to their backyard so he could pee), he peed on his leash within 5 minutes. There I stood, joyfully repeating "good Bo, good Bo, good dog, way to go, Bo!" with a group of other dog-walkers around observing the situation. They had to be thinking, " Wow, lady, he is just peeing!" Too bad after this amazing discovery by Bo, he went home 12 hours later.

I have to say, I can see why people view dogs as great companions - within days Bo was following us around the house. I loved it - but we are not getting a dog in the near future, Stephen. Just had to make that clear, publicly.

Another visitor just less than 24 hours after Bo left was...

Our Niece - Katie Grace

I think she is about 7 months old in these pictures.

A proud aunt...

To give you a little perspective of what she looked like the last time we saw her at Christmas...

Andy, Rachel, and Katie Grace were only here for a very short time. We were so lucky they even stopped by considering all the people they needed to see all across the country. They live in California and drove from California to Texas to Arkansas to Tennessee to Kentucky just to make sure Katie Grace saw all her family (even a Great-Grandmother). Unbelievable. Really unbelievable with an infant in tow.

Stephen, Whitney (Stephen's cousin who lives in Nashville came over), and I were able to hold her, feed her, play with her, listen to all her noises, and she even fell asleep in my arms.

She is so sweet and lovable.

If she only lived closer...Hint, Hint, Nudge, Nudge...Andy and Rachel. =)

I'll leave you with a few other notable "unbelievables" from this past week...

1. Michael Jackson - "King of Pop" DIED. Unbelievable.

2. Stephen passed all his tests this past week with flying colors. U-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-e-a-b-l-e.

3. Jillian, the Bachlorette, kept Wes on for ANOTHER week. Unbelievable.

4. This post has gone on for far too long. Unbelievable!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Dad,

Here are a few reasons why I feel so blessed to be called your daughter:

1. You always loved and supported mom. You showed Jocelyn and me what a good marriage looks like.

2. You were not afraid to be firm with me. It made me feel more secure and cared about.

3. You taught me the value of a dollar, the importance of saving, and the rewards of giving back to God.

4. You taught me the importance of family and the small things in life. I will never forget the words we grew up hearing, "Girls, it doesn't get any better than this." I noticed that you only used that phrase when we were all together as a family and enjoying each other - not when we enjoyed anything of monetary value.

5. Despite all my mistakes - you forgave me. Through those mistakes, you showed me first-hand God's grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

6. You didn't protect me from consequences - you taught me that I needed to learn the painful way sometimes.

7. Everything you promised, you fulfilled. Thank you for never letting me down.

8. You were always consistent. You never confused me or made me lose faith in you.

9. You provided lots of love and understanding.

10. You showed me the benefits of hard work and the importance of commitment - whether we hate what we are doing or not.

...

Dennis,
Stephen is becoming more like you daily. I joke with him about it on a regular basis and he always says, "If I am half the husband to you that my dad is to my mom, I am perfectly okay with becoming like my dad." As a wife, it is hard to express what it means to know that her husband was raised by such a great father and husband to his mother.

In addition, I cannot thank you enough for treating and loving me as if I was one of your own. You have already taught me so many things I have treasured.

To the greatest men in the world, we are indebted to you forever for all the things you have taught us.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Jill and Stephen

I Could be the Host of "The Bachlorette"

2009-06-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

...Three weeks of school down, two packages of Fun-Sized Butterfinger Crisps down the hatch, close to twenty or more strawberry smoothies savored, and over a thousand notecards later... Stephen is gearing up for his toughest week yet.

I sound like Chris Harrison on "The Bachlorette" when he ends EVERY show saying, "We'll see you next week to witness the hardest rose ceremony in Bachlorette history..." Initially, I think "I can't wait!" But really, no week is any different than the last. There is always something big - but it is TV, of course, there is going to be something dramatic each week. But I have to admit I love the drama- so I can't really throw the show under the bus.

I may sound like Chris, but I am actually for real when I say, "Next week may be the hardest week in the history of the Hasselbring household."

Why?

Starting tomorrow, Stephen has an Anatomy written test. On Friday, an Anatomy Lab Test. Then, on Monday, a Physiology Test. Papers due the next two days and another test in Research on Thursday. Phew. I am done. Breathe.

Just in case you wondered what it looks like after studying for 10 plus hours on a Saturday for three different tests - here you go.

[This is posed, but I promise you this is what he really looked like when I walked in the room. He moved before I could get the picture, so I made him pose.]

It is 10:30 pm as I write this and Stephen is still at school studying. Luckly, he has found some people he really studies well with - which makes studying more bearable.

Oddly enough, I think Stephen is more prepared for this week than I am. I am just a nervous wreck. I feel quite useless, so I just pray.

"How will the Hasselbring household handle the week ahead? Stayed tuned to our blog to find out."

Until then, best of luck to Stephen and all his PA school study buddies.

Will there be a class on handwriting?

2009-06-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

Stephen has definitely found a method that works for him when it comes to studying. I am actually saying that with great pride because it is not even a month into school. I am thankful I am not typing that sentence a year from now. I would be slightly afraid for his patients, if that were the case.

But have no fear future patients out there! Stephen has discovered notecards - and lots of them. I think it would be smart for us to buy stock in whatever company makes notecards - at least for the next two years. They won't go under - I guarantee it.

When he studies, he reads a chapter and highlights important information. Then, he goes back and writes the highlighted information on notecards. Some notecards even have pictures. He can draw a brachial plexus like none other - I don't even know what that is!

After three weeks of school, here are all the notecards (These are excluding his Netter's Anatomoy Cards).

The only problem with the notecards is that only Stephen, and I mean ONLY Stephen can read them. To give you an indicator of how bad his handwriting really is - I am an elementary school teacher and I read lots of not bad (I don't want to be negative towards my students), but developing handwriting. Let's just say, I have good practice, and I still struggle with reading his handwriting. The combination between the itty-bitty size and the incomplete formations of the letters can ensure a really bad headache.

We quickly discovered after only quizzing him on his notecards twice - that I was more of a hinderance when I helped him than a benefit.

I would think that if you were standing in the room it would be quite humorous. I would try to sound out the scientific word on the front, but not say it correctly. Stephen would correct me and immediately start listing the information on the back of the card. He would finish and I would still be deciphering the first word on the back of the card. Since I basically missed everything he said because I was deep in "deciphering mode" in my brain, I would go back and make him list everything again. Needless to say, he stopped asking me to quiz him. And rightfully so. I'm thinking he decided that our marriage was far more important.

Just so I don't sound like a horrible wife (Stephen has already decided that this blog is for husband bashing), I will go ahead and give you another indicator of how bad Stephen's handwriting is...

On Stephen's first day of work at Elite, Dr. Elrod was reading some notes Stephen had written on a piece of paper. He turned to him when he finished and said, "Steve, we have plenty of paper here at Elite, you don't have to write so small."

Dr. Elrod even mentioned when Stephen left Elite in May, "Maybe they (PA school) will teach you how to write."

Then, just last week, a friend of mine needed her husband to see Dr. Elrod. After their visit, she sent me a message on Facebook. In the message, she explained that she was told to relay a message to Stephen by his old co-workers that "they found somebody who can write."

So for the record, I am not the only one "bashing" out there. For some reason it's okay though when other people do it. Weird how that works!

Bad handwriting or not, I am so proud of Stephen's dedication and the hard work he has put into the notecards and school so far.

My Second - First Post

2009-06-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Let me translate the title. About an hour ago, I finished my very first post - I was actually really proud of myself, so I tramped upstairs to read it to Stephen (who was studying, of course). I read it to him, made a few changes, and pressed "publish post" to find out that I did not have internet access. What does that mean? My very first post was deleted and I had to rewrite everything.

I was mad.

Stephen was laughing.

So here is my second-first post below:

Welcome to our blog!

It is official. We have done it. We have stepped into the 21st century and have a blog. Many of you (the two people that know this blog exists) are thinking finally; we have had one for years.

For me, this blog means more than just "being up with the times." It means I can finally check "create a blog" off my to-do list. (I really relate to Kupono Aweau, a dancer from "So You Think You Can Dance.") I am a to-do list queen, so today is a great day!

A short disclaimer about our blog. I am writing this blog for myself. (Let's be honest, Stephen could care less.) I am determined to keep up with our lives - especially now that Stephen is in school. I am convinced that if I do not document it - it will be forgotten. I have proof that such things do happen. I was talking to my mom the other day about the years my dad was getting his MBA shortly after they got married. She concluded the conversation by saying, "I don't remember much about those days - I don't know how we got through it all."
I refuse to let that happen to us and would hate to have to say those same words.
In fact, I can't wait for 26 1/2 months (it has only been a few weeks and I am already counting down, YES, I REALIZE) from now. We will be able to look back and marvel at our accomplishments and, probably even, laugh at how we got through it all.
And honestly, I want our kids to have proof that we actually had a life before they came along. [My short disclaimer became never-ending.] My point is that I am not a good writer and not very funny, so I apologize if I do not entertain you. Like I said earlier, I am doing this for me (a.k.a. - I am selfish!) This is the best way for me to keep up with our everyday lives.

Oh yes, I can't forget! I am also doing this for Stephen's parents. I think I am pretty accurate when I say they find things out about a month late. Mind you, it is because I call every once in a while to keep them somewhat informed, not Stephen. So here's to you, Dennis and Diane. This blog will keep you in "The Know-Hassel Zone" on a regular, immediate basis. I am not so selfish after all, right?

Thank you, Moriah Farmer, for formatting/designing our blog. I love it!

Looking forward to continually adding to our story...