Why I will not treat family

Over the past 3 yrs I have heard from our Belmont Professors that it would not be a good thing to treat family members, for various reasons. I have agreed, and this is my reason for feeling this way.....
I have a horse..her name is Contigo's SuperLove, but I call her a Haven. I got that name from her mom's name, which was Pinehaven SuperLove, but I called her Ginger. Anyways....Haven has had continuing problems with her feet...for different reasons, but last week she started limping. This time she was actually limping on the tip of her left hoove.
So I proceed to put her in her stall and try to figure out why she is
limping. Although I am not a Veterinarian, I did get my undergrad degree in Animal Science. That combined with my PT degree gives me an in site into the foundations of musculoskeletal conditions...even in animals..we are all pretty much the same. I was working my magic and by Sat evening she was walking around better....well my dad thought we could let her out into the small pasture....I said, "that is not a good idea...she will start running around and jumping." My dad said, "she will not since her foot is hurting her." I said" Yes, she will b/c she will excited to be out of her stall." GUESS WHAT? He let her out...she walked out....then trotted...then broke out into a run...then began bucking and jumping.....Fast forward to Sunday morning...Haven is back in the stall....worse.....
It is now Wed....she is not any better..no matter what I do....
That my friends and family is why I prefer not to treat family..and some friends.......b/c they DO NOT LISTEN!!!!!

A Blast from the Past

This Sunday during church Mike talked about not waiting for the world to change....and during his sermon he told the story behind a watch that he wears. He received the watch from a family that were members at a church he was the minister at in Texas. The family had the watch engraved and gave it to him after the funeral of the family's mother, who had passed away from cancer. The engraving was Jeremiah 29:11. As Mike said the verse my Adult ADD kicked in and I started to look up the verse, instead of listening to Mike, who was actually reading the verse. As I turned in my bible to the verse I saw that I had already underlined it...sometimes I see that I have underlined verses in my bible but do not remember doing so, but as soon as I read it I remembered when and where I had underlined this verse.
Back in the last part of Feb 2003 (was 23) I was in St. Louis at a Christ in Youth conference for Jr. Highers called "Believe." I was on the trip as a sponsor. I was there to be there for the kids but that weekend my mind was occupied with a battle that was going on in my mind and with a decision that I had made the previous week. Cindy and Jan were on the trip too, and I talked with them about wheter I had made the right decision or not, but Marla, the children's minister, was not aware. I am not sure how the conversation started, but prior to Friday nights worship I was trying find peace about my decision while reading through my Bible, when Marla, who is sitting next to me, leans over and asks me, "What battle are you fighting up there?"..referring to my mind. I was taken aback. I filled her in on the situation...and then worship started. During the message Marla puts her Bible on my lap and points to Jeremiah 29:11, which reads, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I can not tell you what the speaker spoke about b/c I spent the service staring at that verse and tying other verses together (which I cannot remember where they are or find them at the moment). Here is what God revealed to me that night through scripture and through conversation....When you are truly seeking God in your life He will give you the desires of your heart, but as you seek him your desires and dreams in life transform into God's desires and dreams for you. Although the verse did not answer my question it provided the peace I was searching for.
My struggle began 3 weeks earlier when I found out that I had been accepted into both PT programs at Belmont University and New York University. I had until the Monday after the Believe conference to let NYU know if I was coming to there program or not.
My struggle was: Do I let go of my dream (my desire!).. .that God had blessed me with (b/c we all know He is the reason I even was accepted), OR accept the alternate route that God had also paved for me {by having Jon and Becca move to Dyersburg after grad from Belmont PT...working with Hope, my friend and youth minister's wife (Her own person though) and creating the opportunity for the conversation with them that led me to PT.}
I had chosen Belmont earlier in the week...I think to please my parents and b/c it seemed the safe choice, but that verse gave me the courage to..Stop..and seriously reconsider the decision I had made.
I remember on Monday morning I was in the computer room and found myself writing Belmont on one piece of paper and NYU on another. After 10 throws the outcome was......NYU-10 and Belmont-0.
I was also doing a lot of praying and listening.
I finally emailed NYU and told them I was not coming..that I was going to Belmont.
I wish I could say that God stood before me and said, "Anna, go to Belmont." He did not..I know you are surprised, but He did lay Belmont on my heart that morning.
Even after accepting Belmont I did not mentally accept it...I might have been a little bitter and not really excited about it, but over all I knew that even though He had given me my desire I needed to trust in his plan for me in Nashville, even if I didn't know what it was. I am not saying if I had gone to NYU I would have been going against God's plans for me, or never have achieved them...... I just feel that sometimes God's gives us our desires and also gives us a better option. Each are fine and He will use us no matter what.
So like the verse says, I didn't know the plans He had for me But I had to trust He HAD plans for me.

I don't know if that all made sense..

So, that whole struggle was what flooded back into my mind during church yesterday..just thought I would share how God provided me with a peace about the unknown and sometimes unwanted paths in life.

A lot happened over my 3 yrs at Belmont..a lot of people I might never have met and possibly a lot of places I might never have gone.

I love how God's word can grow with us..that it transends time...
I am again touched by this verse as I am trying to decide where to work. I know that anywhere I go I will benefit from the things that I will learn there. I just have to remember to seek God in this search, go forward with the knowlage of Jeremiah 29:11, and then trust He will place before me the desires of my heart.

The date is set

TODAY I finally got comfirmation to schedule my exam...AND I scheduled it....after many weeks of waiting and hair pulling out....So you are wondering when I am taking the exam....well I will tell you...
September 28th at 10:30 am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am now very nervous and a little scared...ok alot scared.

I was planning to take it alot sooner but with the delay in scheduling the date kept getting farther and farther away, and also feel I could spend an extra week studying. Better safe than sorry.

If anyone out there has a special secret to making the last 3 years

A New Look

I am doing all I Can do besides study for the Boards, so I thought I would update the look of my Blog. First I transfered my blog to blog beta, which is suppose to be better and easier to manage....it is...after you figure it out. At first I thought I lost all the previous blogs and pictures, but as you can see I did not. You actually have more freedom with the layout of your blog...like rearranging the order of your info, links you read and stuff like that.

On Sunday I got hooked into watching the last 3 episodes of Band of Brothers, which is a miniseries produced and directed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielburg. I have watched all the episodes before and I still get wrapped up into the story. For those of you who do not know, BOB is about the 101st airborne division during WWII. It follows the guys from basic training till after the end of the war. The story, the action, the actors are all amazing. There are 10 discs in the set, and each are about an hour. So, if any of you want to start a marathon or a quest to watch these, hold on to your seats....and when you hear the last line in the entire series call me.
DISCLAMIER: The TV verison has alot of the language edited out, but the real versions have not, so beware....when I rented it I watched it with my parents...and yes I was a little embarresed, but I telling you...this series is amazing...esp if you are a history buff.

Also on Sunday I did some studying, but better than that I washed the dogs b/c on Monday I was taking them to the vet for their annual checkup and shots, and I did not want my car smelling like wet pondy, cow manure. I did anyway after I took them, but probably not as bad if I had not washed them.

NYC pics

Here are some more pics of NYC:
The angle fountain across the pond from the boathouse


The Statue of Liberty at weird angles


The original SOL flame that is located inside of the monument



A view of the SOL from Ellis Island


Ellis Island


George Washington on the Arch leading into Washington Square Park

A pond in Central Park


A close up of the Bull

The Downtown Skyline fromt the Boat that is going to the Statue of Liberty

Graduation Pics

Here are some random pics from Graduation .
Dennis and I waiting to walk out of the auditorium

The Honduras crew

Kristen and I on the Fork lift

Judy and I waiting to walk

Justin and Cara

Kristen and Kevin at Laz Paz, the after party

So, as many of you know I am a Gilmore Girls fan. I have seen all the episodes at least 3 times up till the beginning of season 6 b/c of school.
Well, this summer the WB has been replaying all of season six, and it seems that the only time I catch an episode is one that I have already seen. Well, yesterday I was excited b/c I was going to get to watch new episode, but not just any new episode, it was the first one of season 6, the one where we find out what happens after Lorali asks Luke to marry her. HOW EXCITING. Ok well, the first bit airs then the theme song and THEN our cable goes out. When our cable goes out, which it does reguarly, it out for the count. We are talking hours. So, I still did not get to see the first episode of season 6.
The devil is playing games, he was taunting me.

Wrapping things up

Well, Graduation is done with!!!

Just call me Dr. AnnaJane

Also, I let the truth be known that I am NOT moving to Alaska. I was letting some friends from Sarasota (and some now of Nashville) think that b/c they LIED to me about thier Torch trip getting to go Roatan. I believed it for like a month. I had to let some innocent people believe it in order to make it believable. Sorry.
BUT, only 24 hrs after the truth came out, I got it back. I will NOT reveal how b/c that will give them credit.

I stayed in Nashville after Graduation to help Terry, Margaret and Nate move their things, and some how managed to be persuaded into staying until today. Fun was had by all. I now have been embarrassed in the Bellevue Walmart as well as know the feeling of cramming myself into the "bob the builder" coin truck inside of the Walmart. (sorry no photos)

Love to all

Dr. Palmer

GRADUATION

I am back for NuwAuwlins and I am leaving tomorrow to head to Nashville for GRADUATION!!!
About time..I started my college career in 1997 at Harding, --> Dyersburg State --> Abilene Christian University-->University of Tennessee, Martin (B.S. in Agriculture) and then Belmont (DPT)
8 years and some a penny.

Friday Night 7pm Curb Center, Belmont University, Nashville TN
All are welcome

New Orleans

I am going to New Orleans tomorrow, so I will be out of the pocket till Sat. I am going with Brett and Judy and the Faulkner Soccer team to do some relief work with Hill Top Rescue. Look it up. It is based out of Chalmette, LA, which I think is southeast of New Orleans. I haven't been there since before Katrina, so I am in anticipation to see how it looks and to see how things are movin along.