Arbor Day- early and Happy Easter

Every Easter I find myself going back to visit my parents 13 acres and planting something new or rearranging the acreage in a different way. Several years back my parents had bought some small evergreens that were not so 'ever green' anymore since they were not put into the ground.  Since their future looked so bleak, on Easter Sunday I said "Lord, if these are supposed to live and grow- I will put them into your hands." I put them in the ground and 8 of the 9 are still thriving pretty well today. 

 This year my brother and I, or as my mother referred to us on this day, Ding and Wing- took to the yard with a 4 foot Silver Maple tree, a sledge hammer and some stakes to help brace the young tree.  Since Arbor Day is coming up on the 29th I have deemed this our ARBOR DAY TREE.  My brother usually doesn't participate in my shenanigans of the outdoors, but today he helped me by holding the stakes etc.  Since he did come out of his element to help, I let him use the sledge hammer to hammer in the stakes while I held them.  This image of my brother and I hitting the stakes into the ground with the other one holding the stake wave predestined for injury (hence the name Ding and Wing.)  My mom and sister had the cameras rolling for a rare chance that he would miss and we could win thousands on America's Funniest Home Video, but fortunately (or unfortunately) no accidents occurred.  The picture to the left is me punching in the last stake. I hope everyone had a good Easter and on the 29th- good luck on planting a tree to celebrate Arbor Day.

OTS thoughts:  My thoughts on this entry are how the spiritual, social, and daily activities help give balance to my life.  An OT takes all of these holistic factors into account when working with patients to make their interest inventory and help guide their treatment.  My family, my faith, and the opportunities to work outside are really a blessing to me.  I feel more fulfilled in meeting my purpose on this earth by being able to  get out of the house, play in the dirt,  and enjoy nature in the countryside.  These activities give meaning to my life and as an OT I will keep these in mind when working with clients, especially those that enjoy nature and hard work outdoors like I do.

Spring is in the air

There is something to be said about spring. New life is around you- flowers are starting to bloom, the sun sticks around for a bit longer and the weather (although windy lately) is more tolerable than a cold day. Rockhurst is buzzing with potential new students getting campus tours, OT is talking about finals and projects, and we are gearing up for fieldworks and a small break before summer Neuro. There are many tulips on the street to the west of Rockhurst's campus that help coin the term Tulips on Troost and Rockhurst has some sharp red tulips all across campus. They look nice and are a welcoming sign of nicer weather and a rejuventation in preparation for summer. Here is a recent picture that I took of Rockhurst's campus.

OTS thoughts:
Get out and enjoy the nice weather- If you are in a part of the country that has it today. Be thankful that spring is upon us and start working out- summer is right around the corner.

Bachelor Party- KC to Chicago, IL

In this edition of the blog I will be posting about a recent trip to Chicago, IL for opening weekend of the Cubs game as well as my bachelor party. I will discuss my thoughts on the train system (Amtrak) and public transit in Chicago. The picture (right) is the crew that was around after the ball game.

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Overall- the weekend was a lot of fun. The blackhawks won, the cubs won (the game we went to) and the bulls won.  We traveled via public transit and got a pretty nice deal on a hotel.   Thanks to my co-best man and brother Will Cuffe for hosting and getting it all together as well as all of the guys that came out.  Also a big thank you to my future brother's-in-law and father-in-law for being part of the day and getting to a cubs game with me.

TRAIN TRAVEL: 

KC to CHI

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AMTRAK- The train experience overall was DECENT.  

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PARKING: Union Station (KC,MO) is $10/day.  

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TRAVEL: On the train we didn't have any problems with other people on the train.  One suggestion that I would say is that if you are traveling for a long time bring something to do and some bedding to make your seat more comfortable.  

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Baggage: You can check your baggage or choose to keep it with you.  The nice part is that you can get up a

nd moving on the train- but the downside to that is the sometimes frequent stops which leave an opportunity for a traveler to grab your bag and walk off the train. (Picture to the right is after the game and singing 'GO CUBS GO')

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SECURITY:  As we chatted with some people on the train they commented how several people had been arrested since California at different stops, since AMTRAK is connected with the feds.  Security was pretty minimal which was nice- there were police and other checks points but mostly we walked right on without having to remove our shoes and belts and walk through a metal detector. 

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 TICKETS: Book at least 21 days out.  We fell right under the 21 days and the trip from KC to CHICAGO jumped from $61 each way to $96... this college kid was not too happy about that, but it was my mistake.

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 TRAVEL SAAVY: Always Google PROMOTION CODES for AMTRAK (or any other place of business) and see if others have posted any coupons or travel codes.

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STUDENT ADVANTAGE CARD- it helps if you are a student to purchase this depending on the length of your trip. I saved 15% on the trip each way.  The card cost twenty bucks but one trip evens your money and two trips saves you money.  If you are thinking of purchasing one- use me as a referral and it will help me with future travel. (Click here  http://sa.tellapal.com/a/clk/CRZYJ)

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Chicago Public transportation- I do not take much public transit and I am sure that most of the time it would be fine but I have heard those horror stories.  We talked with a homeless man on the train and he said that he was pistol whipped the day before and all he had on him was $3. Also, I got to talk to Sherron Collins on the phone via his friend that was on the train.  My buddy was wearing a JAYHAWKS t-shirt and Sherron's friend said "Rock Chalk" and told us what Sherron has been up to.  I got on the phone and talked with him and he said about how he is going to try-out in Vegas and has just been training to stay in shape.  Overall the experience on the train was good and we had a good sized group which helps.  The 3 day pass was worth it since we traveled everywhere by train.

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OTS Thoughts:  Balance was not part of the weekend as one would expect with a train trip to chicago with a group of guys.  Sleep was hindered on the trip and diet was not a high priority either.  We participated in leisure activities of hitting up the baseball game and socialization with the group of guys and really just took a weekend to relax and have a good guys trip in chicago.  My tips- research well, bring something to do and eat, stay hydrated, and have fun.