Hello folks! Just thought I would share some awesome news with you! I just learned that I passed my National Board Certification exam for Occupational Therapy! YEAH! I am very relieved to be done with all my school work and necessary tests! Now I will become fully licensed as an OT this month! All I have to do it keep up with my continuing education units every year so I can keep my license. aaaaaaahhhh.... sigh. life is good.

This is a journal entry I wrote a while back which I recently stumbled upon. Since it was such an interesting experience for me, I thought I would share it with you.

November 10, 2003

My mind and soul are not fully capable of logically interpreting this afternoon’s events. This morning I decided to drive into school since I was running late. Plus, I thought it would be nice to have my truck there to drive home after school rather than waiting for the bus. When classes were finished for the day, I checked my email only to come across two messages from Rob: a journal entry from his trip to Europe, and a long and involved message attempting to bring some conclusion and understanding to our conversations from the previous evening. I must say that it was the second-most well-written unpublished piece of literature I have ever read. (it was awesome – thank you!) :) The best piece was something I semi-accidentally stumbled upon. Included in the European journal entry e-mail was a hyperlink to his blog.

So, I clicked on it. I had never seen one before. It was more for curiosity than anything; and trust me, I do not mean to pry into someone else’s privacy. But I feel it was also there for a reason. The second time I met him, I learned that he had gone through a very emotionally-trying experience of losing a family member, followed by his main concern: three young children left without a mother. This experience was documented in his online journal. Since I already knew of the experience, and his parent’s response to his writing, I decided I would embark on the journey.

No logical sequence of letters could be put into words, or words into sentences to accurately authenticate my subjectivity. The air in my lungs and the thoughts in my head were temporarily misplaced, and possibly replaced with feelings of wonder, respect, sadness, admiration... I have never felt so captivated by someone else’s experience of which I cannot relate. Due to this overwhelming feeling, I stepped onto the bus, realizing halfway home that I drove to school.

“You lift him up. You always lift him up.”

                             - Rob Mensching

Greetings family, friends and anyone else who happens upon this webpage! My main reason for creating this website is to provide you with easy access to updated, as well as fun outdated pictures without filling up your email inbox. If you have any special request for pictures from a special event that you would like to see posted, let me know and I will do my best to accommodate. :) 

As most of you know, I recently (officially) graduated from the University of Washington with a Master’s in Occupational Therapy. Some people thought I would be a life-time student with all the years I have been attending classes, but my time of requiring government funds for survival has come to a necessary end. As of Monday, February 7, 2005, I will enter the working world, joining a team of rehab therapists at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA. It is the main trauma center of the Northwest, and I am very excited to become a part of the team!

Some of you may be asking, “What has she been doing with all her free time since she finished her last internship on December 17th?” First of all, I would be very impressed with anyone who would be that specific. To answer your question, I have been very busy occupying my time with activities including, but not limited to sleeping late, walking/running, playing volleyball on Tuesdays with a league, cooking/baking, playing Halo 2, reading, studying for the NBCOT board examination (which I plan on taking in early March), and skiing with my family in Lake Tahoe. Since there is no snow up here and all four local ski mountains are closed, I am happy to have at least one ski trip this season – and of course, spending time with the family is always a good time!

To explain a little about the pictures I currently have posted... I have two nephews (Matthew and Benny) and one niece (Madison) – beautiful kids! Some pictures were taken in San Diego and my grandpa’s 80th birthday party, which also served as a miniature family reunion. Other pictures were taken at my graduation, fun events with Rob, and in Italy where Rob and I traveled for about one week through Rome, Florence and Cinque Terre this past September. Aside from getting what I could only assume was strep throat halfway through the vacation (no MD available), we had a great time! We traveled by train every other day and spent approximately one full day in each city, which I think was a good plan for a first-time visit. Cinque Terre was my favorite place, and next time I plan on spending at least 4-5 days there. If you ever plan on traveling to Cinque Terre, Italy, I highly recommend staying here.

Well, I’m off... as my boyfriend would say, “Keep coding. You know I am.” But as for me... remember to relax, have a good time, and never stop learning.  :)