May 13th

So in High School this date was a very important date! This was the day of my Senior Banquet(CCS Prom), and I was so excited that I was finally going to graduate High School and move on to college.  My Senior Banquet got even better when my first nephew, Ben the Man, was born the day before!  I will never ever forget this date in my life.

Today this date got a new memory for it.  I will be having shoulder surgery on May 13th at 9:30 am.  I have been trying to get this surgery scheduled for the last week, but today they finally called.  I was just glad that it all got worked out.  Now it is just waiting for the info packet from the Doctor's office telling me all the things that I can and can't do.  I am kinda feeling ready for this just to get going.

On the other hand I am feeling a bit anxious because this is my first surgery.  I know, I know I am 26 and just now having a surgery.  Most people I tell are like "WHAT?!?!".  I just am trying not to work myself up about the whole thing.  I think if I got too nervous then I would say forget it and just live with a hurt shoulder.

I am mainly curious what it will be like after surgery.  They have told me that it is a 6 month-1 year recovery time.  4-8 week of that will be in a sling, and not being able to use my arm at all.  I am still planning on taking my classes and being a human being, so how is this going to change my life.  For the first month they say that you can't move your shoulder, so no dressing myself or brushing my hair with that arm or pulling my hair up in a ponytail.  I am just going to have to be very dependent on others, and I am not a huge fan of that.  I like being able to do my own thing, and not having to worry about things being done for me.

I now have to start planning where I will be staying for those first few days home, and who is going to help me out.  I am not even sure where to start this process.  Hopefully I will just figure it out.  I know there are people that are willing to help, and would jump at the chance.  I just don't want to put other people out of their time and energy.

Well that is enough whining from me.  It will all get sorted in due time.  I will try to keep you updated and if you are really good I might even post a blog while I am on pain killers for your enjoyment and for the future ridicule of me.  Thanks for reading, and not stopping half way through.

Homework...whats that?

So life has been busy.  I am just in week 2 of the Spring Quarter, and I am already seeing that it is going to be a looong quarter.  I am taking 3 classes, which I have taken 3 every quarter since I got here.  The odd thing about this quarter is I am taking 2 classes online.  I am not a huge fan of online classes, but it is how my schedule worked out this quarter.

I am having to be very careful to not forget to do homework.  I just forget it since I am not in the classroom physically.  I finally had to write it all down on a calendar to try to help.  So far it has not been super helpful, but maybe it will just take time to get into the swing of it.  I just really do not want to get behind in any of my classes, because you never catch up.

Part of my schedule craziness is from something that I have absolutely loved!  This week has been Missions Fair.  This whole week we have been having event trying to promote Missions.  My job of this week was to help the Missions Organization that were invited get everything they needed.  We had 20 organization showing how we as students could work with them currently and in the future.  We have also had lectures and panels about missions.  This has been a great week!

Next Wednesday, I have my follow-up appointment for my shoulder.  They have been having me do physical therapy for the last month, and it has made it feel a bit better.  I am still sore doing some tasks, but it is getting better.  So on Wednesday, they should be saying what the next step is...that could either be more physical therapy or surgery.  I am kinda hoping they say surgery just can I can get it over with.  I know that it will not be completely better in an instance, but I hope that it would make it better sooner.  I am just starting to hit the point of being ready for this to be over.  I hate being injured, and not able to just be me.  So hopefully I will have some news on Wednesday.

Outside of all of that life is great!  I am loving my classes this quarter, and seeing so many ways that God can use me and my skills in the future.  I am even getting excited to see and meet some other people that have a heart for India.  I am actually getting ready to start Hindi lessons with an Indian friend of mine.  We will see how good Mel is at Hindi.

Well that is all for now.  Please be praying for my shoulder, and that the Doctor will have great wisdom for treatment.

Well that's gotta hurt

So the last time we left off in the adventures of Mel, we were in the middle of an intensive class and feeling a little overwhelmed.  So on today's exciting episode, we will be bringing you up to date.

So after the intensive things went back to normal.  Work, school, study, sleep and repeat.  The play that I was going to be doing had to be cancelled due to lack of men.  So my schedule slowed down just a bit.

One night after a helping a friend do her taxes we were enjoying a lovely steak dinner, that she had made, with 2 other friends.  During the conversation a challenge of combat was thrown down between two of the girls.  So doing what anyone would do, we moved the furniture and prepared for battle.  (I must say this fight was completely in fun and not in anyway done in anger.)  As the fight got going we realized that it was not going to anywhere and was going to be boring.  Then someone had the clever idea that Mel aka ME would be great at this and she should give it a shot.  So I took all my jewelry off pulled my hair up and got into the "ring".

Round One: Ended rather quickly with my pinned tightly on the floor.

Round Two: Was a bit longer, but in the process I felt this sharp pop in my right arm.  I got up checked myself, and I could still move and feel my arm.

Round Three:  This was our longest round!  I got the other girl pinned for like 1/2 a second, but that didn't last long.

After three round, we decided to end so that I could study and she could go watch the Oscars.  So that is what we did.  My arm was not feeling great, but I tried to blow it off.

NEXT DAY: I called my sister to tell her what happened and ask her for her amazing medical advice.  She promptly and nicely told me I was not as young as I used to be, and that I needed to get to the Doctor ASAP.  So I get an appointment that day and the Doctor tells me to go get X-Rays done.  So I do.

FEW DAYS LATER: I get the Results back and X-Rays are negative, and she want me to come in to meet with a Physical Therapist.  I get to the the Doctor and the PT looks at me and says "this is more that we are thinking it is she needs an MRI"  So off to the MRI I go.

2 1/2 Weeks after Injury: I get the MRI results and I have a completely torn tendon in my shoulder, and I need to go see a Orthopedic Surgeon.

3 Weeks after Injury(aka Yesterday)-  The orthopedic at first thinks that the MRI results I was given are wrong and that he want to just do physical therapy then go from there...until he starts messing with the images and then finally sees the tear in my shoulder tendon.  So then change of plans...I will do 1 months of PT then talk about when we can schedule surgery.  I found the funniest thing about this appointment is my doctor kept asking if I had been in some crazy car accident or motorcycle accident before this injury, because this injury is very uncommon in my age group and it would take a very large force to snap the tendon of someone my age.

So now I have my first PT appointment tomorrow, and then we will see how we go from there.  On top of all of this it is currently finals week so I am trying to write paper, and keep my arm still so that it does not hurt as much...not doing a great job at either of these tasks.

Well that is the end of the episode for today...hope you enjoyed it...I will try to keep you updated on the progress as it happens.  Thanks for reading!

  

Its Been Intensive!

I figured I had not posted a picture lately...here is me and some friends just before the quarter started

So I am currently taking an intensive course at school.  It is a history of missions in the Christian church.  I feel a bit scattered in the class.  I am not really sure what I think of an intensive course yet.  For this course we meet for 2 weeks Mon-Fri for 3 hrs a day.  It would fine if I was not juggling all the other things in life, but I am doing the juggling.

This quarter I have felt very lost and unsure of myself.  I have felt that maybe I am in the wrong spot even at times.  I just have to keep running back to the Lord to say HELP!  I keep getting a strong sense that I am where I am suppose to be, and the I just need to enjoy the Lord in this time.  I just often will feel isolated in friendships since I have not had time to build the strong relationships that I had back home or at Hebron.  I have never been a person that felt like I had that perfect spot, but this has felt like a much stronger feeling.  I just think that I need to sit back and enjoy.  The Lord has been so good to me to bring people around me to let me know that I am doing fine, and that I am loved by so many people here.

Outside of all of that life has been good.  The play that I was working on is over and I am so proud of my cast.  They did an awesome job, and I am so glad that I got to get back in to the world of theatre that I love so much.  The group that put the show on is getting ready for the next show.  In this show I will get to act in the shows. I am a little nervous for auditions...I have not been doing any acting work for awhile, and I have not auditioned for a show in like 3-4 yrs.  I have this slight fear that I have forgotten how to act, and that I will make an utter fool of myself.  The show that we are doing is Dead Man Walking.  This is based on the film with Sean Penn.  I am so excited by this show!!! It is all about capital punishment, and we are doing in partnership with a conference that is covering capital punishment.  Of course I would love to play the nun who is the lead role, but this show has some great roles in this show.  Outside of acting in the show, all I am doing with it is helping with props/costumes and advertising.

Work has been wonderful.  My manager has been so sweet to help me with my schedules and trying to make sure that I get to do all the things that I would like to do in my life.  I am just so happy that I have always been places in jobs that my managers are amazing.  I have started feeling like I really know what I am doing in my work, and not being that stupid new kid.  I am able to answer questions and have gotten the task often to organize some the the stuff we sell.  I cannot wait to see where the Lord will lead in this job.

So things that you can help me seek the Lord on are peace in my presence here, being organized in my time and things, and last but not least I am starting to pray about getting a car.  I have not had a car in 2 yrs, and have started realizing that I might be in need of one soon.  I know that the Lord has always provided what I need and I am just praying that he will show me if this is something that I need or just something that I want. 

Hello Stranger!

Hey all,

   Sorry for not posting in what seems like forever! Life has been a bit crazy, but not in a bad way.  I have finally got a job!!!! I know that some of you have been praying that I would find one, and it finally happened.  I have been working at Office Max for almost a month now.  It has been a great job, but during the Christmas holiday it was very time consuming. I was working 40 hr weeks, but that means for really good checks :D  

I have also been directing a play.  We actually open the show tonight.  I have been working on it for weeks and now it is time to see the fruits of my and cast labor.  I have been so excited to actually be getting to do some theatre work again.

I am also taking classes right now too.  I am currently only in 2 classes which are Old Testament Writings(covers books in the Old Testament like Nehemiah) and then I am taking American Church History which has been an amazing class!  Then in the first weeks of February I will be taking Making a Global Christianity(which deals with look at Christianity from not just a western point of view).  That class will be an intensive.  So instead of getting 10 weeks to learn the course material I have 2 weeks.  This will be my first intensive so I am curious how I will handle it.

I have also been given the great honor of helping some friends here organize their wedding! I love doing this job.  For one the couple are really great to be around, and they have some great ideas.  I cannot wait to see this wedding come together.

Well that has basically been my life for the last few weeks.  Not much else has happened.  Ohhh I did get my grades back from my last quarter and I got an A-, B+, and a B-.  Not horrible, but with definite room for improvement.

Thank you so much for reading about my life, and keeping me in your prayers.  I know that you all are busy enough with things going on with you.  Please know that I think of all of you often, and hope to come home sometime during this year to see some of you. 

I was wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying!

Well here is another installment of the life of Mel.  I have had a lot on my plate lately, and a few days I ago I felt extremely overwhelmed.  I did not have a job, I had lots of homework, and a play to direct.  I just felt like everything was crumbling around me.  I just keep wishing and hoping that something would change or get better.

I found myself sitting in my friends house just crying about everything.  That day I had had two interviews for jobs and they had both gone terrible!  I just did not see how anything would be getting better anytime soon.  I was thinking that I might as well just give up and run back to Oklahoma with my tail between my legs.

I started praying and had others praying as well.  That is one thing that I love about this school, people will just stop and pray with you no matter what is happening.  Sometimes they will even pray in other languages(because they are international students), which just makes me so excited for some weird reason.  We were all praying that something would happen that good would come!

I came home from church on Sunday, and felt a little better.  Classes were officially done til January 7th, and all I had left to do was write 3 papers.  I had already started one, and was making good progress on another.  I walked in my front door, set all my stuff down, and then decided to check my phone.  I had apparently missed a call, which I get excited when I have a call, because I do not get them often!  I listened to the voice mail that was left...and it was from Office Max(aka one of the terrible interview), they wanted me to come in to do the background check and the drug test!  Now I am still wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying that I get this job!  If I did it would be one of the best options for me right now.

Once I hear anything I will try to post it! For now I just have one more paper to write, and it is not due til tomorrow!  I am just glad that things are starting to possible look positive, and that there is a way to make it through life here another day!

Interesting Title Here

Hey all,
   Sorry for the lack of a good title.  My brain does not seem to want to function.  It is now week 9 of the quarter we only have one week left!  Then there is finals week.  I am amazed how fast this quarter went.  I though it would be like Undergrad that quarters took forever to get over.  Here things are just so fast paced that the quarter ends so soon.  Also since we are on the quarter system, I will come back from Christmas break and be taking all new classes.

These last few week have been great but busy.  I am getting to direct a play here on campus, and I am so excited! I am directing The Actors Nightmare by Christopher Durang.  It is a funny script that I have actually been in while I was at UCO.  So I have been trying to get ready for that and start having rehearsals.  I have also been getting projects for classes turned in, and now all I really have left is one more normal paper and 3 final papers.  I am actually ahead on one of my finals(which is totally not normal for me).

Then I have decided to try to get sick.  I have a wonderful stopped up nose and sore throat.  I am trying to sleep it off as much as I can but it is not always working.  Hopefully it will not get much worse.  I am not wanting to be sick during the Holidays.

On the job front I have had 2 interviews this week with 2 very different jobs.  I am just waiting on the Lord to provide.  I just don't always have the patience.   I just get worried about not having enough money for something, and I try to scheme something new.  I have to remember that the Father is in control and he knows where the money and things are going to come from.

One thing that I am super excited about is the fact that the Webster Family is coming to visit from Oklahoma!  I have been trying to get everything ready for them.  I am very excited to see some people from home!

Well I am going to go! I think I need to try to work on at least one of my papers soon.  Thank you so much for reading my blog, and for all of your support!  I really wish I could tell you all enough how much I appreciate all of you!