When I was little...

Every little kid dreams about what they want to be when they grow up. According to my mom, when I was little I wanted to be 1 of 3 things: a lawyer, an interior designer, or a professional basketball player. When I stopped growing at the height of 5'3" the hopes of a pro basketball career ended. I also realized that being an interior designer didn't sound as interesting as it once did. So when I was entering high school, I was pretty set on becoming a lawyer. I loved arguing and had enjoyed my experiences with Mock Trial so going to college and then law school seemed to be a good choice. However 2 days changed my career path. Let me tell you about January 7th, 2006 and December 4th, 2007.

January 7th, 2006 started out like an typical day of my high school career. Go to school, come home from school, play in a basketball game that night. Everything was going perfectly until the middle of the 2nd quarter of the game. That's when what I thought was thinkable happened. I made one wrong move and tore my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and medial meniscus in my right knee. The only way to fix it was through surgery and physical therapy. It was tough to suddenly be unable to do everything I normally did. Throughout my rehab, I would spend hours talking to my physical therapist and physical therapy aides. In that time, my interest in the field was peaked. I wondered if maybe physical therapy would be a good job for me. But once I was done with rehab, the thought went to the back of my mind pretty much forgotten for two years until the next eventful day.

December 4th, 2007 was just the ordinary Tuesday in Wisconsin. Head to school with my sister, grad dinner with the basketball team, play in the game that night. Little did I know that it forever change my life. Like that January day in 2006, I ended suffering a serious knee injury during the game. I would find out at the emergency room that I had tore my ACL in my left knee. Needless to say, I was devastated. Not only had my high school athletic career ended, my hope of playing college sports were gone in a matter of seconds. Another surgery brought on even more physical therapy. It was during that time that I fell in love with the field of physical therapy.

I realized that physical therapy would be a great option for me thanks to lots of encouragement for my coaches, teachers, therapist, parents, and friends. The way I talked about it with others, the more I realized that physical therapy included many things that I loved. It would give me the chance to work with athletes as a way to stay close to the sporting arena I love so dearly. I had always enjoyed science and psychology, both of which are components to P.T. Also, I would get to work with so many different people and would have the opportunity to work in a variety of places. By the time I graduated from high school in May 2008, my career path had changed from Law to Physical Therapy. Thankfully I was attending a University were I could study both if I later changed my mind. But I haven't wavered in my almost 3 years of college. I am even closer to becoming a physical therapist with my current major of Kinesiology and the stack of Graduate School applications sitting on my desk waiting to be filled out this summer.

If you told me 6 short years ago that two basketball games would forever change my life I probably would have laughed in your face. But that's exactly what happened. I found my passion for physical therapy and learned a valuable lesson along the way. Bad experiences don't have to have bad outcomes. You can find something good in everything.

~Abbie

One More Week!

Ah, Thanksgiving is almost here! I am especially excited as this happens to be one of my favorite holidays. There is just so much to love about it.

1. Time with my family, including those that I don't see often. Plus, my adorable little cousins who grow so much while I'm at school.

2. Attending my home church. Nothing beats going back to see fellow members I have known for years. Or hearing the pastor preach a fantastic message.

3. Food. My family knows how to throw down. Farm raised turkey, ham, and chicken. Then there's the stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and riced potatoes. Not to forget the homemade rolls. And the dessert- yummy pumpkin pie, apple pie, and chocolate cake all with ice cream.

4. Football. Everyone in my family is a huge sports fan. Everyone shows my a few hours before dinner so we can watch some football together. Even my aunts will start yelling at the t.v. It's quite loud and an awesome sight to see.

5. Thanksgiving Day Run. I have to get n my holiday exercise and this is my favorite way. The run was started after my former doctor and well known community figure passed away unexpectedly. Every year, thousands come out to run or walk along the lake front, raising money for charity. Usually my immediate all participates to remember the man who helped keep us all alive.

6. Shopping. Now I consider myself a serious shopper. However, I cannot handle being out there on Black Friday. I don't have that kind of patience to deal with all those people. Instead, I wait until Saturday and take advantage of the deals still going on to get what I need.

7. Down Time. As a stressed out college student, having 5 days away from school is a welcome break. I can sleep in, spend my time with family/friends, and catch up on some t.v. that I missed while I had my head buried in a book.

8. Christmas Decorations. Again, my family is big into the holidays so the weekend of Thanksgiving is when the first of the Christmas decorations are brought out. My dad and I will string up the lights outside and my stepmom starts to organize the Christmas decorations for the house.

9. Giving Back. Thanksgiving, and the whole holiday season in general, is a great time to give back to those less fortunate. My siblings and I often go to the store to buy food to donate to the local food bank. My grandfather also donates 10 turkeys every year too.

10. Visiting my grandmas. This October, I lost my maternal grandma. She was only sick for a few months but it got to be too much for her body to handle. This will be my first Thanksgiving without her. So due to her absence in person, I will be visiting her grave with my grandpa so I can finally see her gravestone as it was not there when I left home from the funeral. While I am at the cemetery, I will also be paying a visit to my paternal grandma's grave. Sadly, I do not remember her as she passed shortly after I was born. It will definitely be different without a grandma this Thanksgiving but I take comfort that they are both in a better place.

Now it's only one week til Thanksgiving day. But luck for me, I get to head home a few days before. I am excited for everything and can't wait. Hopefully I can focus on my classes and homework until I leave.

Til next time, "There is no finish line."

~AJ

Love of Shopping

During this time every year, I get the urge to go on a huge shopping spree. It probably has to do with the amazing sales that you can find between now and the New Year. Every commercial, newspaper flier, and email make it harder and harder to resist. And I don't even shop for just myself. I like to look for Christmas presents for my family, birthday presents for my sister, and this year baby shower/wedding gifts. But as a poor college student, I don't have the money to spend on everything I see. Therefore, I have to particular about what I shop for and how much I am willing to pay. Because of this, I have developed a system to determine what I get every year.

First, I figure out how much money I will have to shop. This means figuring out what I can sell my textbooks back for plus whatever other money I have set aside for this.

Then, I make a list of everything I NEED to get others. Included in this list: Christmas present for mom, present for dad, Birthday present for sister, and name exchange gifts for both my parents' families. I also go through and write down how much their gifts will cost so I know how much I have left to spend on myself.

Once this is done, I know what amount I have left to spend on myself. With that, I can start to make a list of what I want to get. Usually this list is at minimum 20 items, because I love to shop. I make sure it's listed from highest price to lowest too. This let's me see if it is worth it to get 1 expensive thing or several cheaper things.

After weighing all my options, I make the final decision and either order what I want from online or buy it in the store. This year, I have several items on my wish list. They include...









Those are just a few of the things on my list. Just writing this makes me wish Christmas and my Birthday were here already. Until next time, "There is no finish line."

~AJ

Bringing Perspective to the Bullying Epidemic

The current focus on school bullying hits very close to home for me, as I'm sure it does for many others. It saddens me greatly to see and hear so many stories about children who feel there is no way out and decide to end there lives. Even more disheartening is that several of these young people happen to be homosexual. And while I cannot relate to these kids is either of those respects, I do have personal experience with bullying. Let me share my story with you.

First I should probably address the most important thing. While I was the occasional target of bullying throughout middle school, usually I was the one doing the bullying. If you ask my teachers and classmates from back then, they will all admit that I was a bully. I rarely resorted to violence, in fact there is only one situation where I ever put my hands on anyone. But only after she insulted my father, and it still was not right. Instead, I used my words to hurt people in every way possible. You see, I thought I was better than everyone back then. I was arrogant, selfish, and most importantly just plain mean. I got some satisfaction out of making other people feel worse about themselves, so in turn that I could make myself feel better. When people threatened my self perception of superiority, I fought back by bullying them. I attacked their academic achievements, athletic ability, appearance, etc. It did not matter. As long as I made them feel worse than I accomplished my goal. It wasn't until I later was on the other side of this situation that I realized how wrong bullying was.

Looking back now, I cannot imagine how miserable I must have made some of my classmates feel. I was a cruel person, who lacked the social understanding to know what I was doing was wrong. Many teachers tried to put a stop to it through punishment, but I would just find ways to get around them finding out what I was doing. I managed to talk my way out of several detentions & suspensions using the promise that I would stop bullying. But I didn't stop until I grew up a little. That occurred once I found myself to be the target of bullying. I had alienated myself so much from my classmates that I basically had no friends. I had people who tolerated being around me, but that was it. This was when I became the target of minor bullying. It was very tame compared to what I was doing to others before. But it hurt none the less. I would spend several nights crying myself to sleep because of the treatment I was receiving. I imagine I made many cry too. After my experience, I gained a much needed perspective on just how wrong bullying was, and still is.

If I could go back now, I would have treated those people in a better manner. They never deserved what I did to them, just like the children now do not deserve the bullying. If you think bullying and downgrading others makes you feel better about yourself in the long run, I am here to tell you that it doesn't. I may have temporarily felt better about myself, but that feeling would fade away as quickly as it came. Once I realized this, I began to use my experiences to help others. But first I had to personally apologize to those I had bullying when we were younger. After that, I turned my attention to children currently in middle and elementary school. I helped with sports camps and made sure that all the athletes were treated in a respectful manner with no mistreat present. Now in college, I am a tutor at an after school program. When I see instances of bullying, I like to share my story with the children so that they can understand the consequences of their actions. I also hope to become more involved in various organizations so that I can continue to help bring an end to the wide spread bullying.

And to anyone who reads this as a victim of bullying, I am sorry you had to experience that. It was not right and should have been stopped. To those who bullied others, I hope you take the time to think about what you did and how you made people feel. Please continue to bring attention to this issue in whatever ways that you can. We need to educate people on the dangerous effects of bullying.

Please remember, It gets better.

~AJ

Saying Goodbye

It's taken me a week to come to grips with the fact that my Grandmother passed away. I had known the day was coming ever since she got sick in mid-August. But one is never fully prepared to deal with the loss of a loved one. For me, it was the first person I have ever lost that I was this close to. I have previously lost my other grandma but I was so young when she passed that I have no memory of her. But this grandma I had thousands of memories tied to. Here are just a few of the things I am going to miss.

~ She was one of my best friends. I knew I could talk to her about anything. She was always there to listen and give me advice. I am going to miss being able to do that.

~ She came to every volleyball, basketball, & soccer game, and track meet. Even in the bitter Wisconsin winters and rainy springs she would be there with my grandpa to cheer me on. And while I have since stopped playing sports, I will miss seeing her at my sister's games/meets.

~ Her love of travel. My grandpa and her have been all over the world, filling up 3 passports with stamps along the way. Because of them, I went to Disney World for the first time at age 7. Also, they helped fund my trip to Spain during high school which was truly life-changing.

~ How she was always willing to have visitors stop by the house. No matter what time, they were welcomed in and offered food & something to drink. I would routinely just drop by during the summer so she could make me food.

~ The meals shared over the years. Every month I would plan to go out to dinner with her and my grandpa. We would spend hours talking about everything from school to their world travels. I loved those dinners so much. Good thing I still have my grandpa to keep me company on them.

~ Her love of baking. Man could my grandma bake. It was her specialty. Between cookies, brownies, pies, and bars. Everything she made was fantastic. My friends would always beg me to have my grandma make cookies for my birthday treat. Thankfully, she passed the recipes down so I can attempt to make them. Or better yet, have my aunt make them for me.

~ Her love of collecting. She collected designed eggs from across the globe, Swarovski crystal figurines, and jewelry. She loved finding the perfect addition to her collections on every vacation. I will never forget her excitement to show me what she got after they returned from a trip. Now, I hope my family will continue her collections.

~ Seeing the love between my grandpa and her. They were adorable together, always holding hands and looking at each other.

These are just a few of the reasons I will miss my grandma now that she's gone. But I take comfort that she is in Heaven, looking down on me and my family. And I will never forget everything she has done for me over the almost 21 years of my life.

I love you grandma. I miss you. And I promise to take good care of grandpa.

~AJ

Time to Say Goodbye Again

Well, another summer seems to have come and gone. It feels like I just finished my sophomore year of college last week, only that was 3 months ago and I am only a little over a week away from my junior year beginning. It's crazy to think that 3 months of my life flew by so fast. But that has been the case with my summers ever since I started high school. I feel like I blink and miss them, hoping once they are over that I still remember something, anything that happened. Luckily for me, I had my camera handy to help me document the important things that occurred. Unfortunately, most of my summer was spent working so fun times were few and far between. And well I know I should not be complaining because I actually have a job, I can't help disliking have to go there 5 or 6 days a week. It wasn't a hard job. I just was bored, didn't like most of my coworkers, and was treated like a child by some of my superiors. But other than that, it could have been worse. So when I finally said goodbye to that place last week, it made it even more clear that I was not going to be here for much longer.

But, that is enough about the job. Time to get back to the fun stuff and see what I spent my summer doing.

First up- my cousin's high school graduation. That was me 2 short years ago. I hope she has a great first year at school.



Next was sisterly bonding time at the beach. Some say we look like twins, but certainly not in this picture. The beach was awesome that day, and I didn't get there nearly as much as I wanted to this summer.



Probably the highlight of my summer was my trip to Chicago with my best friend. We had such a blast and I loved every second. I miss her with her being in the army, so it was awesome to just spend a few days with her. Plus, Chicago is always a great time.





Can't forget some serious workouts. One of my good friends/former teammates really kicked my butt into gear.



Lastly, a day at the PGA Championship. I was just hanging with Tiger, Phil, and enjoying the fact that this amazing golf course is right up the road.





So there's a quick overview of my summer. Now it's time to make the move back to school. Hopefully my year will be filled with lots of fun times, good grades, and amazing opportunities. Until I blog again, "There is no finish line."

AJ

Where, O Where Did My Summer Go

I finally came to terms with the fact that it is now officially August. Umm, where did June and July go? I missed them somehow. But then I remember that I spend hours everyday working, having little to no social life, and sleeping. So that's where my first two summer months went. Now I find myself at the beginning of August with less than a month until school starts up again. That one month will go by just as quickly as well I'm sure. Before I know it, I will be buried in school books, standing in the bitter cold at football games, wondering why it's snowing in early October again, and enjoying those great nights out with friends. But there is plenty of time for that later. I have too much to do between now and September 1st. For example, I have to go shopping. I am in desperate need for some new wardrobe basics. Plus, I haven't gone in over six months so I'm due. Also, I still have to hang out with a few people back home before we all leave for school. Nothing says summer like a day spent at the beach, grilling some brats on a grill, and enjoying stories around a bonfire. Well I guess that means I should get back to enjoying my summer.

I only have about 3 weeks left here.



And only 40 days until opening day at this beauty.



Just remember, "There is no finish line."

AJ