Veteran's Day = Double Weekend

It was a short week. During which we realized that our schedules were rapidly shrinking. One of the PTs has to use his PTO or he loses it, so he'll only be working 7 days in the month of December. Good for him. Bad news for those of us who have to cover him. And that means we've got to trim down our schedule, which we've been trying to work on since we get 4 new patients a day and can't find room to reschedule them... The cool thing is that a lot of them just need commitment to a tailored home exercise program. But some of them don't.

We've got quite a few patients we see regularly who just don't seem to want to put in the work. So we meet with them twice a week just to do the same basic stuff - which is NOT the skilled care I would like to give. In that light, these select patients will be taking some time off to try on their own for a while at least. 

Sneak preview. 

One thing I really like about the VA is that we get most holidays off. Including Veteran's Day. Which I spent in Flagstaff distracting Roger from doing homework and getting frustrated with myself on the basketball court. Which seems to be a regular thing right now. 

I came back up to Flag on Friday night and did all of Roger's chores so we could hang out with his bro once he was off of work. We went on a little hike and took senior pictures (which is a thing, apparently). And I drew a bit. 

On Sunday, we got to watch the Chosen (highly recommend) and spend some time in church with Carol's family. And then we spent some time with Roger's grandparents. And also, I made some deliciously experimental blueberry muffins (with the CT blubes) which will be a repeat.

Which hunting company needs a new model?

The Biggest Aspens

 OkAY let me tell you about my patient. But not in too much detail because HIPAA. He has Parkinson's and has had some very typical PD problems of freezing and falling and shuffling and difficulty sequencing and the like. And so we've been working on this for a while (and by that I mean 3 weeks) and we're at the point where he freezes and I tell him to do a very simple task and retry and he crushes it. For example, he can't figure out how to get out of bed. So I tell him to give himself a high-five and then get up. And it's suddenly so easy. This is magic. 

The house Roger prepared for us. 

Anyways. Those are the most exciting parts of my life. But I can't tell you about most of it because there's too much. It's like missionary life. The day goes fast but takes four years because so much is happening. And I'm really excited for some food and a break by the end. 

I need to be better at my "signature pose". 

The other good news of the week is that my car is registered. I was well prepared. And it only took like 20-ish minutes total, despite the worker's doubts that we could do it. So I drove the new puppy up to Flag for the weekend, with the thought that we'd drive back down Sunday together so Roger could take the other car. Which did not happen. Due to the snow. In Arizona. In November. Ugh. 

"What happens when you forget toilet paper."

In case you haven't heard, Roger's entire family and extended family are hooked on "Chuck" - which is my favorite show. You're welcome. It's wholesome, action-packed, and hilarious. But the star, Zach Levi, also stars in Shazam. So we watched it out. It sure is cheesy, but it's worth a watch. 

The biggest aspen of them all. 

One of my favorite things about Roger is that he loves to cook. And he's good at it. Which is why I let him fry up some pork chops in bacon grease. And to repay him, I made him some pizza and oreo balls. Or truffles. Whatever you want to call them. 

The aspens. 

We hiked up to the aspens to grab a trail cam before the snow hit. I missed the fall colors, but I just like the skinny white trees that are all packed so close together. And some fresh mountain air. 

Look, me having a good time. 

We spent time with Carol/Ryan and the children and missionaries and ate Zupa's soup with homemade rolls. Carol crushed us at dice with a 4,000+ point roll. Smushed us. 

The elusive big foot. 

And we painted. But I didn't get to finish, so I stole the whole box of paints to draw this up. Any guesses where this is?

Last a Week (perfect attendance with a late record)

With the purchase of a new vehicle, I was excited to register it so Roger can also have a decent working vehicle. Unfortunately, I rushed all the way to the DMV after work only to have the man at the window inform me that I needed an appointment and there were none available until Friday. Next Friday. That's ok. I didn't really want to use the new vehicle ever. 

Becky and I have been running a mile every day and then Paislee and Marshall and I have been "working out". Paislee kind of tries and complains she can't do it and starts tormenting her brother. Marshall counts with us for like 2 exercises. And then I do the rest alone but with wild children running around me. Just what I wanted. 

The new ad campaign. 

I dressed up for Halloween. As the Brawny Man (lady) for work and as a classic ghost for Roger. He's starting to like Halloween just a little bit. Probably because I'm hilarious and very convincing. 

I convinced Roger to get the key to the church so we could play ball. And by that I mean I drove him to get it twice, because the first time didn't work out. It was my first time on a real court in over a year and testing out the new kicks on that dusty floor. Let's just say, there is progress to be made. 

And then Roger delivered an invite to our fake wedding to Mike Palmer. Because I also drove him there. And then reminded Mike that he's doing the ceremony. He's hype. We talked to him for at least four years. And then I went to bed. 

And I was stoked to receive and mail out a trial version of Grampy's book. We've both got some work to do, but I'm excited.