Drafted...

At the gym today, the NFL draft was on the TV. Although I was wearing my headphones , (therefore I couldn't hear anything they were saying) I decided to watch anyways. Sorry, quick side note. Have you ever seen a silent film or better yet, turned down the volume on one of the daytime soap operas? That's the only way I enjoywatching soap operas-with no sound. I like to make up my own words. Here's an example:

Girl: What? You killed my sister's best friend's mother's husband? Why did you do that? Guy: I had no choice. We were talking at the neighborhood coffee shop and all of a sudden he grabbed his sugar spoon and he tried to stab me with it! Girl: No way! He did not! Ok, well I guess we need to think up some alibi? Guy: Good Idea!!

Gotta love it. Anyways, back to the NFL Draft. So the camera jumped to a young guy (Joe was his name) sitting in his living room. He was waiting for THE CALL. His mom, friends and family were there too. Everyone was sitting on the edges of their seats. I'm guessing the phone rang because Joe picked up the phone. It was THE CALL. It was the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted! He was now a member of the Baltimore Ravens football team! Joe couldn't stop smiling, and his mom looked SO proud. She wouldn't let go of his arm! That's my boy, I imagine her saying over and over. A hand from behind the camera pulled out a Ravens cap and put it on Joe's head. Now it was official! The announcers then moved onto the next pick and that's all we saw of Joe. Believe it or not however, I was so moved by the whole process that a few tears started to form in my eyes. How great it must feel to be drafted by the NFL! All your hard work in high school and college football had paid off. All those three-a-days. All those hits and aches and pains had paid off.

Why was I feeling so emotional? I don't even know Joe. All I know is that he went to Delaware University and he can throw the football 75 m- saw that with my very own eyes (no wonder why the Ravens drafted him!). Then I started to get all philosophical about it: in a way, we have all been "drafted" at one point or another in our lives. If you don't like the word "drafted" maybe "accepted" or "called upon to fulfill a role/job." We all have a calling in life. Wife. Husband. Son. Daughter. Friend. Parent. Teacher. Student. Quarterback. Actor. Doctor. Nurse. Physical Therapist... you get my point.

For example, yesterday I was "drafted" into the profession of physical therapy. My school had a pinning ceremony; the ceremony was meant to "officially" welcome us into the PT profession. It was short and sweet but also refreshing and inspirational. At the end of the ceremony all the students recited a PT oath. It went something like this:

I pledge to hold faithful to my responsibility as a physical therapist... To always place the welfare of my patients above my own self interest... To exercise all aspects of my calling with dignity and honor... I commit myself to the highest ideal or service, learning and the pursuit of knowledge. These things I swear.

Maybe you're still waiting for THE CALL. Maybe you don't know where or by whom you will be drafted. But one thing I do believe. We have all been drafted by a great and awesome God. He calls upon us to be his sons and daughters. To be sisters and brothers in Christ. We are called upon to love unconditionally. To live joyfully. And to live a life that foremost glorifies God. Now that's a DRAFT! If that's not a reason to celebrate, I don't know what it!

Moments like these...

So, you're going about your day, and it's just your normal day (nothing special), but for whatever reason, you are momentarily taken aback. Have you ever felt this way? You stop what you're doing and look around, and it's almost like you're looking at life from a different viewpoint. You notice that the blooming trees look extra bright today. You wonder what it's like to be in someone else's body...just for a day or so, to experience life from a totally different perspective. All those things that you were so worried about last night, as you lay awake in bed, just don't worry you right now. . You feel both alone but at the same time, you feel more intimately connected to the people around you. And for however brief this moment lasts, you think, There's something more. More than today, more than yesterday. More than me and my problems. There's SO much more.
I had one of these "taken aback" moments today while I was sitting in my classroom learning about peripheral vascular disease. (Not a fun disease by the way!) And it was cool, you know? Like I said, today was just a normal day. But, for the rest of that class, I pondered life. Why am I here (in PT school)? Who are all these people around me (really)? Where will we be in 5 years? I didn't really answer my questions. Just pondered.

Maybe you could call these moments "reality checks" or a case of the "daydreams" or "wake-up calls." But I like to think that it was the presence of God . Kind of like the song by George Strait, "I Saw God Today." It's not that I'm not not aware of God's presence in my life. (That was a lot of "not's", sorry.) But, I think some times, His presence seems almost tangible. I cherish these moments. Maybe they are a sort of "wake/up call". I guess we all need those once in a while-probably more than once in a while. Have you experienced anything like this? I really hope you have. I cherish moments like these...

I'm ALMOST a Second Year PT Student!

Yes, it's true! One week from today I will be a "second year" [grad student.] It's surreal to think that I have completed a full year of PT school already. You know the feeling...it's seems like I've been here forever, but at the same time, it feels like just yesterday that I began this whole journey. It feels like just yesterday that I was ordering/recieving my new textbooks in the mail and then asking myself, how can I EVER learn all of this? It feels like just yesterday that I was hiding behind my laptop hoping that my professor wouldn't call on me because I was afraid I would look, well, stupid. Well, I still hide behind my computer some-days, but I try to limit this to only the times that I TRULY don't know the answer. And, it feels like just yesterday that I was standing outside of my new house/apartment and wondering how this was once considered a "one family" house. I still wonder this actually!

It's been a long (though positive) and growing journey since last August . I have met some truly wonderful people. One of which I have to brag...she makes AWESOME eggs over-easy! (If anyone knows the trick to flipping eggs without breaking the yoke, I would really appreciate it if you let me in on the secret!!). Back to what I was saying; I have also met some totally awesome PTs of whom I aspire to be like some day. And most importantly, I have learned A TON. Even still, I feel like there is so much more to learn. But I am certain that it will come. I am certain that some things will just become second nature. All with practice, right? What I know for certain is this: I am so grateful for this period of my life. A time where I am able to gain the knowledge and skills that will hopefully help many, many people regain physical strength and function. Most importantly, I am so excited and blessed to be entering a profession in which I can help people live life to its fullest.

So, here's to being one year closer to being a real and true and practicing physical therapist!! Thanks for sharing in this journey with me!

The 4C's Hit the Water...

For most summertime boaters (in the Northeast), April is a bit early to be out on the water. Fortunately, we're not most boaters. Today, April 19, 2008, the Four C's boarded The 4C's (that's the name of our boat!) and we had a wonderful, though at times brisk, but overall, wonderful afternoon out on the water. Bob Marley was playing on the radio. The sea air swelled lovely and sweet. And most importantly, we were all together. It's not too often that all 4C's are out on the boat together. That's why today was extra special. Plus, I miss my family when I am away at school. I miss my dad's corny, I mean funny jokes. I miss the way my mom "cracks herself up" over the silliest things and the way she always knows what to say. I miss Nicole encouraging me to get out of the house on a Friday night rather than staying in and watching a movie. I miss having dance parties with Nicole. Yes, it was good to be with my family. How I love them!

Funny story. So, we were all out on the water and although I can't speak for my mom, dad and sister, I personally was trying to "tough it out". My arms were covered with goose bumps, but I SO wanted to get a tan. Plus, I didn't want to be the only wimp who was wearing her sweatshirt on this beautiful day. So, I toughed it out...until...Finally, good ol' dad asked me to get his sweatshirt. "While you're getting his, get mine too?" mom said. "Mine too!" said Nicole. Ah hah! I wasn't the only tough guy on board. And so, I too gave in and put on my hoodie. Ah! Much Better.

Ok, so maybe April is a bit early for boating. But other than a bit crisp, today's voyage was wonderfully relaxing and refreshing. And what's this? I think I have a watch tan!! Gotta love the warm weather!!!

The 4C's Hit the Water...

Coming soon...
A continuation of last summer's "Captain's Log"

The saga will (probably) include:
(1) details on the 2008 maiden voyage of The 4C's
(2) brief recap of the history of The 4C's
(3) outlook on the 2008 boating season
(4) top 10 things Natalie loves about boating!
STAY TUNED!!?!!

what is natalie's nitch?

I have to say something. I think that my blog is very superficial and quite honestly, boring. I don't even enjoy reading what I write so how can I expect my audience, whoever you are, to enjoy it. I want to write about things that actually matter. I'm like the fashion editor of the magazine who hates that she is stuck writing about pointless things when she would love to be writing about politics and world affairs and things that actually matter. The thing is,however, I don't quite know what my nitch is. As a full-time grad student, I spend most of my time gaining knowledge about physical therapy and while I'm learning so much, it's no necessarily stuff I can share yet. What I mean is, that while I would LOVE to provide health and exercise tips about what I'm learning in school, I don't think I'm qualified for this (not yet at least). I don't want to give out wrong information and/or just part of the story. That's the thing. I'm a learning a little about this, a little about that and am until I can put all the pieces of the puzzle together, I'm going to hold out on the whole "medical blog" thing. So, maybe one day I can blog about the best exercises to do if you want to become a pro bodybuilder or how toknow if you might have a torn ACL.... check back in a couple years if you're looking for answers to either of these questions.

So, what is my nitch?" I ask myself. I feel like I am missing a overall big theme for my blog. My only idea presently is to share about the different experiences I am undergoing as a student, specifically a physical therapy student. At times, I migh thave to be pretty vague, but I would love to share with you all the cool things and the uniqueexperiences I have undergone. Some possible topics: what are common misconceptions of the elderly population (did you do know that only 4% of the elderly population lives in nursing homes?) or what it feels like to spend a whole afternoon in a wheelchair because you can'tcontrol of your entire lower extremity. Yea, maybe I can start here. I am so blessed to be receiving a great education and training for my future as a physical therapist and as a more conscious and aware human being.

What excites this grad student…

Friday was another beautiful day. Although it was supposed to rain, the weather held out, and thank goodness it did. Why? Well, because today was SPRING FLING 2008!!! What? You don’t know what Spring Fling is? Actually, don’t worry. I didn’t either…. Let me explain.

My friend and I were studying at the library like we always do on Fridays before exams. I have so much fun studying with my friend. We come up with the craziest ways of remembering things or when we don’t understand what our Neuroscience professor is talking about (which inevitably occurs), we make up our own explanations .This is our favorite part of neuroscience: if we don’t understand something, we now realize that it’s perfectly okay to just make it up! As long as it’s sort of reasonable, you probably won’t be too far off on your hypothesis. Because, in truth, more is unknown than is actually known regarding the brain and the nervous system. Oh, how I love neuroscience (most of the time.)

So, like I was saying, we were studying in the library and were in major need of a coffee break. We walked out of the library onto the field in the middle of our school campus (it’s a really small campus) only to find that the field had been transformed into our very own Carnival! There were blow-up jumpy things. Sno-cones. Cotton Candy. Face-painting. And the best part? Everything was FREE. We were in our glories. This was SO much better than studying! Between the two of us, we consumed:

1 Funnel Cake
2 Boxes of Popcorn
2 Ice Cream Sandwiches
1 Cotton Candy
2 Tacos
1 Red Bull
½ cup of BAD coffee

Yes, these are the things that excite grad students. Free food. free food so we can justify study breaks. And coffee. lot's of coffee!! So, my advice to you: if you know any grad students (or college students), free food is the way to our hearts!!

Happy spring once again!

Spring is...

Spring is like this flower:

VIBRANT. BEAUTIFUL. NEW. full of LIFE

What is your story?

A close friend of mine just finished her radiation treatment following an 8 month battle with breast cancer. First, praise God that maybe, just maybe, the hardest times are in the past for her. Second, my friend has an AWESOME blog. She was my inspiration for starting my very own blog (which you are reading right now). Blogs aren't the only thing that Angie and I share however. We also share the same blood: we are both Italian! If nothing else, this means, we both like to eat a lot and we laugh at the thought of serving "Ragu" with our pasta. Oh, and we get a good suntan come summertime!

Anyway, without further adieu, I do actually have a post I'd like to share with you. It has been modified some, but you can read it in it's original format at What's your story? by guest blogger nat. While you're there check out the blog....it's pretty cool.
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I once listened to a sermon by Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, MI. The sermon was entitled, “My Father is a Wandering Aramean.” The sermon was on Deuteronomy 26 and speaks about a time when the Israelites are freed from Egypt and have wandered through the desert and have finally reached the rich land that God promised them. In his sermon, Rob Bell commented that God knows man’s tendency to forget Him and to forget the way He had provided for them. For this reason, God told Moses and all his people, when you enter into the land of milk and honey declare, “My father was a wandering Aramean.” Essentially, he is reminding the Israelites that life wasn’t always easy. The road to the promised land was really really hard. There was a lot of pain and suffering in the Israelites’ story. Nevertheless, God did not abandon His people in the desert. He kept his promise and delivered them from hard times and troubles into a rich and prosperous land.

God makes the same promise to each one of us. God is a faithful God; He keeps his promises. One day there will be no pain or suffering. One day there will be no cancer, no addictions, no poverty. He is everything that we need. It would be so easy to just forget the pain and suffering in our stories. However, I don’t think we can ever be fully happy or fully ourselves if we separate ourselves from our pasts. Furthermore, it would be so easy to think that we made it through the desert by our own efforts. When life is good, when life is easy, we don’t think we need God as much. But, I believe that we will need God that much more. Like the saying goes, without suffering, we would know no joy.

So, I ask you, what is your story? Why do you believe what you believe? What deserts have you wandered through before reaching the place where you are now? More importantly, how did God keep His promise and remain faithful to you? Maybe you’re still wandering. Or maybe you haven’t had to go through any deserts. Whatever the case, I truly believe we each have a story. How is your father a wandering Aramean? What event(s) have shaped you into who you are today?

What is your story?

Coming soon...

.... I am about to be a guest blogger on my friend's blog. I am so excited If you want to know what a real blog looks like, you should check it out. I'll provide the link to the blog as soon as I get the thumbs up!