A champion is someone who gets up when he can't.~Jack Dempsey

This is a picture of my husband, JT, and his cousin Jennifer's two daughters, Bailey on the left and Sydney on the right. JT has moved to Louisville, KY to be the head basketball coach at Portland Christian School. It is actually the high school he attended and we are very happy about the move. Being closer to family is something that money, popularity, or being on television can not replace.

Really, I miss JT more than anyone can imagine. Imagine something that makes you so comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that at the sheer absence of it you feel uncomfortable. Well, waking up without him and not seeing at all is extreme discomfort. I have to engage in positive self talk to overcome this. So, I have come to realize that maybe we need a little discomfort every now and then to realize what we really have. Without this, I may have become one of those women who never really appreciates her husband or what he does for her. Or one of those women who sees her husband as a source of money and gifts rather than the person who makes her heart happy. I say this knowing that we have many more trials to come as a couple, but I feel being separated, though the most difficult time I have ever experienced may, in turn, be the most rewarding thing for my marriage and future family.

Have a good week and I am waiting on those pictures....!

"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."- Thomas Edison - I find this ironic seeing as how Edison was quite the genius. I guess he did put in some hours...

I wanted to put something small on here. I am really busy with school. It is so crazy because we have many lecture hours plus labs and TA sessions. I really miss home this time, A LOT. I am working on it though...trying to get through. A means to an end is how I see it.

About Grey's Anatomy. Izzie was wrong. The more I thing about, the worse it is. She had no faith. As much as I love JT, I would not risk his life to save it. The risks, especially in this case, outweight the benefit. And then Denny died. She will forever blame herself for stupidity. If she really loved him, she would have given him the autonomy to make his own decision despite his incapacitions. Moreover, she worked VERY hard to get where she was in her career. Love is more important than career, but you can't love your patients....there are laws against.....And for obvious reasons. Now, I will gracefully step off my soapbox as not to hurt my ankles again.

I hope things are well with you....Say a little prayer for my mom. She broke her ankle this past weekend. Also, I would love it if you all would email me pictures....of anything. It makes me feel closer to home. See ya!

Okay, here it is, your choice... it's simple, her or me, and I'm sure she is really great. But Derek, I love you, in a really, really big pretend to like your taste in music, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake, hold a radio over my head outside your window, unfortunate way that makes me hate you, love you. So pick me, choose me, love me.

I thought I would put some Grey's Anatomy on here today since the it is over for now. So I picked the most famous quote for all of you even though it is not my favorite at all. I have many other favorites because the writers are great and have many more monologues that are very well-written. However, this is familiar and we all like familiar.

I wanted to pose a question for all of you Grey's Anatomy junkies. What do you think of what Izzy did? And do you think that what the others did to help her was ethically wrong? As doctors, we take the Hippocratic oath of non-malificience to our patients....TO DO NO HARM. So tell me what you think....Who was in the wrong and what you do? Let me know!

Well, it seems to me that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with. Gillian Anderson

The pictures are from the hotel JT and I stayed in over the break. I wanted to share these with you because the hotel was so awesome. It was the Marriot Marquis in downtown Atlanta. The room was larger than most average size homes. It had a King size bed in the master suite with an office, a Murphy bed, dining area, office, bar, living area, sitting area, and an additional bathroom. It was utterly fabulous and gives me something to remember when I get overwhelmed here and think that nice and comfortable things no longer exist. I hope that you enjoy them.

I am on my lunch break. We have Neuroscience Lab at one o'clock. I am actually going to go buy the BRS (study book) in a few minutes. I hate to admit it, especially since my dad paid for them, but you really do not use most of your textbooks because most professors give such thorough packets of information. I will sell my books though, most of them at least, in hopes of getting return for the money I lost.

I have not done well on my diet thus far. I sprained my ankle Friday, which has kept me from going to the gym. It has been extremely frustrating. I should be eating well in place of it, but I have not been doing as I should. I hate myself for it. Obviously, I have not let myself gain weight, but I have not been losing. I think, however, I will be able to get back to the gym tomorrow. That excites me greatly.

Well I am off to the bookstore. Have a good day.

Happy Mother's Day: Part 2
I should have put this yesterday. So happy mother's day again.

Somebody's Hero: by Jamie O'Neal

She's never pulled anyone from a burning building
She's never rocked Central Park to a half a million fans, screaming out her name
She's never hit a shot to win the game
She's never left her footprints on the moon
She's never made a solo hot air balloon ride, around the world,
No, she's just your everyday average girl (but)

She's somebody's hero
A hero to her baby with a skinned up knee
A little kiss is all she needs
The keeper of the cheerios
The voice that brings Snow White to life
Bedtime stories every night
And that smile lets her know
She's somebody's hero

She didn't get a check every week like a nine-to fiver
But she's been a waiter, and a cook and a taxi driver
For twenty years, there at home, until the day her girl was grown
Giving all her love to her was her life's ambition
But now her baby's movin' on, and she'll soon be missin' her
But not today, those are tears of joy runnin' down her face

She's somebody's heroA hero to her daughter in her wedding dress
She gave her wings to leave the nest
It hurts to let her baby go
down the aisle she walks right by
Looks back into her mother's eyes
And that smile lets her know
She's somebody's hero

Thirty years have flown right past
Her daughters' starin' at all the photographs
Of her mother, and she wishes she could be like that
Oh, but she already is

She's somebody's hero
A hero to her mother in a rockin' chair
She runs a brush through her silver hair
The envy of the nursing home
She drops by every afternoon
Feeds her mama with a spoon
And that smile lets her know
Her mother's smile lets her know
She's somebody's hero

Calculated Risks

Are we your real children? they said & I said we had our pick of all the children in the world & we took a few home to try out & though we tried to return them later, it was more trouble than it was worth, so we kept them & loved them & taught them all the stuff they'd need to know when it came time for them to choose, so they wouldn't make the same mistakes we did & later I heard one of them say they didn't know about being a parent if it was as risky as all that.


No Regret

I sometimes wake in the early morning & listen to the soft breathing of my children & I think to myself, this is one thing I will never regret & I carry that quiet with me all day long.

A to Z

My mother always told me to finish what I started, but she had no idea of some of the people I'd be dealing with.

Clean Underwear

Make sure you got clean underwear, she always said, in case you get in an accident & I always figured that'd be the least of my worries, but now I'm older & I see there's a lot you can't control & some you can control & clean underwear is one of those you can. For the most part.
(All from www.storypeople.com)

Happy Mother's Day

I obviously could not choose between the above stories, so I put them all. They are in tribute to all the mothers in my life: my mother, who I miss so dearly today that thinking about it brings tears to my eyes; to Terri, my dad's wife; to Sharon, my mother-in-law who is so special; to Marilyn, who will always be a mother to me; to Melinda, my eternal babysitter; to Grandma Morris and Boshie, and Mamaw, and my cousin Brandie who just delivered her daughter yesterday, and all my friends with kids...Emily, Yvette, Kristy, Marcie....To all the 'mothers' in my life, Happy Mother's Day. I wish I were there, trust me.....I wish I were there. It is hard being away today. I guess it is hard everyday, but I will get through it. I do have things to look forward to, like JT coming in July. I can't wait for that. I want to do so well and make everyone proud. However, being here is so lonely, especially on Mother's Day.

Moving onward and upward to happier things, aren't the pictures above wonderful. Kim is such a great photographer, but she does not like to hear it. The pictures are from Tommy and Jeanette's (our landlords) garden. I think they are great. Well I might TRY to study. However, I might just chalk today up to no work and make it up this week. I guess we are all allowed one of these days. I love you all. And again, Happy Mother's Day.

Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything. ~Katharine Hepburn

(The pictures are more from my new place. The other one is of my friend Christine. JT said he wanted to know what she looked like since I study with her a lot. She is getting her braided-last semester.)

I am studying on campus right now. It is kind of quiet around here so I can stay. Plus, it is free air conditioning. Well, not free because of the amount of tuition I pay. However, it is not an additional cost. I am working on questions for the study session Christine and I are having tomorrow night. I then have to re-review physio. I have such trouble with it. I want to do so well with it, but it is a tough subject for me.

I am going to try to get most of my studying done early because there is actually a TV show I want to watch tonight....It is a Dateline or 20/20 special on the clinical aspects of Grey's Anatomy. They are having girls' basketball at five. If there are enough people, we are going to start a league. I would like that better than pickup. However, any of it will be good exercise. I worry about being too out of shape to play full-court. I will just have to deal with it I guess.

I better get back to studying. Have a great day. I look forward to hearing from everyone. And say a prayer for my cousin Brandie. She has a C-section for May 22 to deliver her daughter Tatum. See ya!

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience by which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.”Eleanor Roosevelt (Doesn't life often feel like this?)

I am sitting here listening to a lecture on my computer. I did not quite understand it, so I thought if I passively relisten to it then actively review it....I may finally get it. If you care to know what it is.....RENAL PHYSIOLOGY. Specifically, the kidney's handling of K+, Na+, and H2O. What a way to wake up? I hope that everyone has a good day. I am going to try to go to the gym today. However, when I was there on Tuesday, they would not turn the air on in the cardio area. I will not have heat stroke to be skinny....I will just eat right. Anyway......

I hope that everyone has a good day.

Love is that splendid triggering of human vitality the supreme activity which nature affords anyone for going out of himself toward someone else. ~ Jose Ortega

Well I am back at school now. It is sad, leaving again, I mean. I won't complain or mope but it is hard. My new place is good, epecially since the internet and phone are working now, which makes my move so much sweeter. I had trouble loading pictures so I will try to add some later. Tomorrow I will try to take some pictures of the beach that is about one hundred yards away. I am much closer to school, which I love. There are a few things I miss about my other place. However, the price difference and nearness to school outweigh those. Plus, the landlord, Tommy and Jeannette are great. They are always stopping to make sure everything is okay. Tommy has two brothers that married Jeannette's two sisters. All three families live around us. Their gardens are beautiful. I will take pictures of them when it is sunnier outside. I may actually let Kim take the pictures because her photographs are magnificent compared to mine.

Anyways. I have restarted my diet. I am sitting here eating fresh watermelon. I like mine with salt but I put a little too much on it. However, it is still very good. Well, I better go study. They second semester is the hardest....I want to get ahead rather than behind. Hope to hear from you soon. Phone and email are still the same.