Mission Complete.

HALF DOME

Our team leaves Thursday morning for the big adventure. We will travel to Yosemite, spend Friday seeing the sights, and begin the hike Saturday morning bright and early. My group meets at 3:45 a.m.!!! Then we'll take the 1-hr bus ride to the trail head, snap on our headlamps, and start walking. We hope to reach the base of the dome by lunchtime so we will all have time to ascend the "ladder". If you look closely at this picture, there is an arrow pointing to the cable ladder. Fun times await!

Wikipedia says, "As late as the 1870s, Half Dome was declared "perfectly inaccessible", but it may now be ascended in several different ways. Thousands of hikers reach the top each year by following a trail from the valley floor. The trailhead is only 2 mi from Half Dome itself, but the circuitous route is 8.5 mi long. The final ascent is accomplished by following a pair of metal cables raised on posts up the peak's steep but somewhat rounded east face. The cable route was constructed in 1919." It seems to be quite a popular route, and we are expecting quite a crowd once we get there.




Wish us luck as we hit the rock! I'll try to post pics as soon as I get back!

Quick Update

Well... it's been awhile since I've thought about blogging. Now that I don't have homework anymore, I hardly ever just sit at my computer and procrastinate. I don't even remember to read other people's blogs, so I just spent an hour catching up on everyone! I absolutely love not having homework, by the way, and get really excited about it every single night. Work has been great. I actually like going there every morning. I like having my own desk and computer, seeing patients by myself, and being a real person. I'll be even more like a real person in 2 weeks when I start getting my own patients! Right now I am just seeing patients who really belong to other audiologists, but it's fun, nonetheless.

So here's the update:
-Lori, Green, Sadie, and I moved to a new (to us) big (for us) house on May 1st. We have tons of space, but you wouldn't know it for all the boxes still piled up. The dogs LOVE the backyard though.
-We (Dad, Julia, Sadie and I) had a fabulous trip to Mt Rushmore. You can see the pics on the "MY PHOTOS" link to the right. Caution: there are 6 albums!
-I started my externship May 12th and I am an official UTD employee, complete with benefits! I also got my own computer, stapler, scissors, tape, and Callier Center stamp. It's the small things that really make me feel cool!
-Hike training is going well and we are about 3 weeks from the REAL DEAL! I am getting so excited about seeing Yosemite, and I've made lots of new friends.
-Today we did hearing screenings at Special Olympics and my mom came to help out! It was so fun to let her see what we do for fun - EAR NERDS!
-Jenny's been staying with me this week and the rest of the fam is coming up tomorrow for the holiday weekend. Hopefully we'll get to go to the lake one day!

I think that's about it for now... hasta luego!

Reality Check

Today was a sad and very strange day. It was our last official day together before we go our separate ways. It is hard to imagine life any other way than it has been these past three years. We have gone through everything together. We rely on each other and keep each other sane. Of course we will still be in touch, but it is hard to think about life without these six people by my side.

It is also strange because there was no ceremony, no send off. Without some rite of passage, like graduation, it's hard to understand what this day really means. It's like we're all just going on vacation and we'll all be back together again soon. I secretly hope we all end up back in Dallas in a year, but I think it's foolish to assume such a thing. I'm sure this year apart will help prepare us for real life and we'll eventually be okay going our separate ways and getting back together for conferences and such. It's just not something I can really wrap my mind around today.

Luckily, the transition will be gradual. Susan goes first, then Sara, and then Greg and Julia. I am fortunate enough to be placed with Reagan, and Rachel will be close by also. We've been to the pit and back together - more than once - and we'll always have a special kind of bond that only a few people can understand. We are... us.

My week in pictures

Luckily, I have the internet to keep me sane.
The next time I blog I will probably:
1. no longer be a student
2. live in a new house
3. have a new hobby or two
YAY!

Hiking Pictures

Part 2

A man in his eighties reads that hearing loss is rapid at his age so he decides to give his wife, the same age, a test. She is in the kitchen with her back to him so he asks quietly "What’s for lunch darling?" He gets no response. A little worried, he takes two steps nearer. "What’s for lunch darling?" Again she keeps her back to him and does’nt respond. Now he is really worried so he goes right up behind her and asks again, "What’s for lunch darling?" At this she suddenly whirls around and yells "For the third time DARLING we’re having pork chops!!!!!"

Seems an elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the audiologist and was able to get a set of hearing aids that allowed him to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased you can hear again." To which the gentleman said, "Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will five times!"

Funny Stories

I love working with old people. They are so fun and often funny. Here are a few jokes to share with you some of the things I experience on a daily basis...

Three old guys are out walking.
First one says, 'Windy, isn't it?'
Second one says, 'No, it's Thursday!'
Third one says, 'So am I. Let's go get a beer.'

A man was telling his neighbor, 'I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art. It's perfect.'
'Really,' answered the neighbor . 'What kind is it?'
' Twelve thirty.'

Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical.
A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous young woman on his arm.
A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, 'You're really doing great, aren't you?'
Morris replied, 'Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.''
The doctor said, 'I didn't say that. I said, 'You've got a heart murmur; be careful.'

And a few quotes from actual patients I've seen...

"Now just wait a minute while I get my head oranized."

"One hearing aid is broken and the other's not working."

"Well you can't live forever..... thank goodness!"

Raising dogs

Sadie the Destroyer and Green the Disaster









Here they are pretending to be friends.














Usually, it is more like this...
















No, these are not posed.

So anyway, I've decided that having dogs must be a lot like having kids.

Here's why:

If they get too rowdy inside, you can always:
a) force them to play outside
b) take them to the park, or
c) drive around in the car in hopes that they'll pass out in the back seat.

I am constantly cleaning up spills and messes.

They cannot go to the bathroom without my help.

If you stop paying attention to them for long enough, they will surely get themselves into trouble in the meantime.

You can never get both of them to look at the camera at the same time, and if you want to take a picture of something they do, you can never get them to do it again for the camera.

They can usually be bribed with treats.

It takes lots of discipline, consistency, and repetition to train them to listen and obey.

But in the end, they are fun and rewarding to have around...most of the time...

Hard to believe

The seven of us on St. Patrick's day during our first year of grad school! We were already inseparable.

Today marks 4 weeks until the end of the semester. While we are beyond ourselves with excitement, we're also beginning to wonder what it will be like to move on from this "black hole" we've been stuck in for so long. These 6 people have become my closest friends. They've been with me through literally everything; they are my biggest support system, and the only people who truly know what my last 3 years has been like. And believe me, it's been hard. I can't wait to move on and see what life holds. Still, it's hard to believe our 3 years is over. Going forward with 4 of these people missing is going to be strange. Luckily, 3 of us are staying in Dalls, and the 7 of us will be required to have monthly chats during our externship. Darn! ;-)

Hike Update

Hey guys!

If you haven't had a chance to donate to my hike (or if you're feeling rich and want to give again) today is a great day to do it! I have raised almost $5000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. What a cool accomplishment! For any donations I recieve today, Friday, March 28th, I will be entered in a drawing to win a sweet prize. Any amount works, so even $5 gets me a ticket!

Training is going great. I love getting to hike every Saturday, and our team is really fun. See if you can spot me in the picture we took at Lake Grapevine a few weeks ago. (I love the sky in this picture.) The weather has been great, too. Much better than during July & August last year! Check out my website to see the progress and to make a donation!!

http://www.active.com/donate/hfdntx/hfdLButler2

Tough times

Aunt Peggy
Mama Dara

The last few weeks have been super hard for me. Two of my 2nd moms have gone to be with Jesus. While I celebrate their victories and cherish their lives, these 2 tiny people have left a big hole in my heart. It is hard to believe this has really happened.

I've also found out that my favorite teacher (Dr. Northrup) has lung cancer. You can read about her at www.caringbridge.org/visit/brisynorthrup. She has taken me to Panama twice and these have been amazing trips!

On a happier note, I have 31 days until I finish classes. Then I will start my externship May 12th, at Callier. I've also had some exciting adventures over the past few weeks, which I will post when I have all the pictures uploaded.

Until then...

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Sadie

It's only been about 3 weeks, and I've already taken way too many pictures!

Passion

Every so often I stop and wonder whether I've chosen the right path. After all, I've spent the last 7 years of my life (soon to be 8) preparing for a career in audiology. That is 1/3 of my life at this point. I love working with people who have hearing loss, and being able to help them make a difference in their life, and the lives of their family. However, I've realized that I can spend my whole life preparing for this career, working to stay on top of the changing technology, trying to stay employed in a desirable setting, and hoping I sell enough hearing aids to make a living. And then I think about how easy it would be to open a tanning salon, or to sell some specialty item (like printer cartridges) to an ever-hungry market. Peaople actually want these things and are willing to pay for them again and again, unlike hearing aids, which people hate buying. I sometimes think about how many ways there are to make a living and wonder why I've spent so long preparing for a job, when there is so much more to life than work. But I think there is something to say about passion. I admire people who love what they do, those who are passionate about it. I want to have a job that I love doing, that really makes me want to get up in the morning and go to work. And I think audiology opens that door for me. Working with patients in an ongoing relationship, helping them face and overcome their challenges, seeing them smile and laugh, and showing them that someone does understand what they're going through and wants to help them make it better - these are the things I love. I also love the thought that I am soon going to be a real audiologist, my own person, not someone's "student" who is in their workplace, doing their job, under their watch. I look forward to my future in audiology, whatever it may hold, with anticipation that my passion for helping people will be with me throughout my life. And to me, that's way better than selling fake sunshine or printer ink.

Sadie

This is my new dog Sadie. She is just over a year old, and full of energy. When people ask me what kind she is, I tell them she's "black" because I really don't know. I love her ears because one goes up and one goes down, as you can see. She loves to play with toys and chase animals outside. I think she'd be a great hunting companion. I'll leave it at that for now, except for one funny story I must share.

Sadie loves to hide her bones all over the house. If she could, she'd take them outside and bury them, but until we have our own backyard, we try to minimize our time outdoors due to her predaceous nature. Anyway, today I gave her a bone and she intently searched the entire house for just the right place to hide it. I sat on the floor "Indian-style" and watched her wander around for probably 5 or 6 minutes, tenaciously scoping out all the possibilities. Finding no place suitable, she eventually came over and buried the bone in my lap, of all places. Of course, as soon as I got up, she had to start all over. What a peculiar lady. I kind of wonder how many bones we'll find tucked away when we move out in May!

p.s. Sadie's full name, according to Lori, is: Anna Maria Sophia Sadie Elaine Bumkins Butler... and this is my favorite photo so far.

Pondering

Ever wonder how a copy machine works or why people from different parts of the world look so distinctly different? I mean, we're all human right? It's just interesting to me. Other things that really get me thinking are fax machines (weird) and the postal system. I mean, we complain about the price of stamps... but I'd charge you a whole lot more to carry a letter from here to Montana, and it would probably take me longer, too! And then you got airplanes. I mean, I can kind of explain to you how and why it works, but really, there is no rhyme or reason why a 777 should ever make it off the ground. Seriously. And then of course there's hearing. I've spent almost 3 years studying how hearing works and it still amazes me when I think about it. It's so incredibly intricate! Not to mention the rest of the body... I won't go there. These are just a few things that have crossed my mind in the past day or two (probably when I was supposed to be doing homework or something "productive"). I just wondered if anyone else ever ponders these things....

p.s. If there is anyone out there who actually gets how a fax machine works... don't bother trying to explain it. I'd just rather wonder.

Hooked

Well, I took the bait and decided to stay at Callier for my externship. I haven't decided exactly how I feel about that just yet, other than that I am super excited to be staying in Dallas awhile longer. I love it here, and it's become home. Someday maybe God will decide to bring me to a new place, but for now I'm thrilled to be here.

Now that I've got my externship worked out, I'm ready to move onto more important things like finding a new and exciting place to live! We've loved where we are now, but sometimes a change of scenery can be quite exhilarating. Lori and I have been looking into some townhomes. I'd love a garage; she wants a backyard. The challenge comes in finding something which fits that description, in a decent location, at an affordable price. We think we may have struck gold in one potential neighborhood just a few miles south of where we are now, but we need to wait a few months to be in the right time frame. Unfortunately, one more semester lies between now and then.

Getting back in the swing of things after Christmas break has been a bit challenging, and I often wish we could go back to "vacation" mode. In a few months' time there will be another break in the action, and I don't think it could come soon enough. Hopefull the next 4 months will fly by and I'll get all of my assignments turned in for the very last time. And what a relief that will be!

Here's to a great 2008!

On the edge of reality...

Well, I'm 5 days away from beginning my final semester of classes. I'm not sure I'm ready seeing as I've been off for over a month and every day has felt like Saturday for the past 5 or so weeks. It has been fabulous! I have had a month to kick back, not think about school, visit friends and family, and pretty much just chill. Only problem now is, I'm 5 days away from two days of testing during which I should be able to remember everything I've learned in 2 1/2 years of graduate school. (And I've been off so long I think I've forgotten everything I ever knew about audiology.)

Over the holidays, I got to spend 3 weeks at home with the fam. It was probably the longest time I've ever been home since I left for college and it was lots of fun. It was great to be in a new place, visit old friends, and see all the sights (my parents live less than a mile from a shopping mall and a mere 3.7 miles from REI in Houston)! I love our new house and the area we live in. It's easy to get to, yet relatively tucked away for being in the middle of Houston, and reminds me a lot of camp (lots of tall pine trees). We went on a 6 mile bike ride one afternoon through a beautiful park. The weather was gorgeous the whole time I was there.

I've recently decided I must be hitting the quarter-life crisis, because by the end of my stay I was pretty convinced I could just stay there and scrapbook all day, run errands for my mom, play Guitar Hero and Pool with Ben every night, and ride bikes on the weekends. Getting back to reality is going to be a bit of an adjustment. I don't think I'm ready. This semester is supposed to be a lighter one but right now it is seeming very daunting.

In less than six months I'll be starting my externship, which should be my first taste of grown-up life. I'm really looking forward to having no homework for a change. I've been in school for the past 19 1/2 years (about as long as my sister has been alive) and I'm ready to have a little free time on my hands! As soon as my tests are over, I'll be counting down the days!

Things I'm thankful for...

Lately I've been reflecting on the many things I am so thankful for each and every day. Here are just a few.

*health - for me and my family.

*a roof over my head and three (or more) meals a day.

*the awesome friends i've made at church and school. next year will be so weird without them!

*the ability to be in grad school - financially, intellectually, emotionally!

*having family close by in dallas - and lots of little girls to play with!

*toilet paper - strange, but true. Where would we be without it?

*CHRISTMAS BREAK!! A much needed time of rest, and hanging out with the fam at our new house in HOUSTON!

*seeing the end of school in sight... just about 4 months of classwork left!