Exam results :-o

Ok, I've left you hanging long enough.

I PASSED!!

I am officially Ashley M Hall, ATC!! (Certified Athletic Trainer)

For those who don't know, an Athletic Trainer is not a personal trainer.

Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injury and illness, especially those which are musculoskeletal in nature.

Athletic trainers are commonly know for taping ankles, "rub-downs", and on-field emergency response during a football game, but we are much more than that. Football, and other traditional sports are a familiar setting for Athletic Trainers, but they can also be found employed in Military, Physical Therapist offices, performing arts, occupational settings, professional rodeo, and other extreme sports. The industry is really expanding! It's very exciting.

Athletic trainers are educated in injury/illness prevention, first aid and emergency care, assessment of injury/illness, human anatomy and physiology, therapeutic modalities, and nutrition. A bachelors degree in Athletic Training is required, along with current emergency response certification, a national certification and various state requirements (in Utah, one must be licensed). However, 70% of Athletic Trainers have a Master's degree or higher! Once certified, one must complete CEU's - continuing education units to remain up-to-date.

I really love being a stay-at-home mom, but if I have to work, I would really love to be at the High School level. I would really like to get more experience in the rehabilitaion aspect of athletic training, so I may try to find something at a PT office to start out. We shall see!!

Anticipation of results

The past two weeks or so have been crazy. After I studied like crazy, I took my AT cert. test, then the next week Danny had finals for his Summer semester. So he was working like crazy to finish up his classes. This week, we are in Cedar City. Danny is helping our friend frame their new house (and getting paid, Yea!). We have been staying with them while we're here. It's good for Azilyn to have some playmates, but there is a reason God only gives us one child at a time. They have three kids, ages 6, 4, and 18 months. It's enough to make you crazy! I have found that things really are different when you have your own kids and I'm glad for that. Azilyn really is such a good girl!

So, among all that craziness, I find out that Danny is going to fail one of his summer classes. But of course, lucky Danny gets an email from his professor, on the day grades are due, saying, 'you can still turn in all the assignments which you never attempted this whole dang semester. I will accept them, minus 10%!' ARE YOU KIDDING ME!??? Only Danny gets so lucky. So, in order to not have to pay all our financial aid back and get probation for Fall semester, my friend and I go to work to do something to attempt to pass this class. We get almost all his homework done in 5 hours and turn it in at 3pm! I was sick with worry, hoping she would get the email before she had to turn in grades.

So, like my test, we have to wait for results. Two to four weeks for my test results and just days before grades come our for Dan. Ahhhh!

So, I have just been trying to get some sewing projects done for my (step) sister before she has her baby, anytime now. I am about half way done with some car seat blankets and still need to make a hooter hider! I just need to find some fabric I think she might like. And, that's impossible! It's always hard doing stuff like this for someone else. I hope she likes it! :-s

So, just before bed the other day, I checked emails, mine and Danny's. Danny received an email from his professor saying, 'I got your assignments and applied them to your grade.' LUKCY!! I got an email saying 'exam scores are posted.' Ahhh! My nerves. So, I log in and I'm frantically clicking on every link trying to find where my results are posted. Can you believe they don't even tell you where exactly to look!? Unbelievable! Well, I finally find it, and it reads...

...wait for it...

Did I mention we need family pictures?

...oh, were you waiting for something? I'm oh so forgetful these days...

...speaking of pictures, we were suppose to get family pictures with Danny's family, and it has been rescheduled like 3 times, and ultimately canceled.

Anyone know of a good, but inexpensive way to get some family picts?...

One last Exam - *fingers crossed*

My Athletic Training certification exam is this Saturday! Ahhh! I'm so nervous. Everyone pray that I pass. Please!!! I'm totally cramming this week.

Time for a new Title

Okay. So, now that I'm back in the blogging mode, it's time to re-name my blog.
Any suggestions??

Family reunion

This past weekend was the Robertson family reunion (my mom's side). My grandpa rented a couple of cabins up at Brianhead. It was sooo much fun! Danny didn't come because he was attempting to get caught up on the online classes he's taking this summer. Crazy! I think he made progress while we were gone.

Anyway, it was so great to see everyone and spend a fun-filled weekend with them. My cousin, Rachel, has a son who is just a month older than Azilyn, so it was really fun to see him (McKay) and to see he and Azilyn play together. Well, I guess there wasn't much of them playing together. You see, even though McKay is older, he is a chicken and hasn't started walking by himself, though I think he is fully capable. Rachel said he takes steps alone until he realizes what he's done and sits right down. So we'd sit them down to play and McKay would zoom away crawling or Azilyn would just jump up and walk away. It was fun none the less.

Everyone was surprised to see that Azilyn is walking, and talking. I didn't realize how many things she says until I started to tell my aunt all her words. She says Mama and Papa (more of papa), nanana, apple, cracker, thank you. Those are the words she says most clearly. She signs more and please. She also says truck, duck, ball (more like ba), up, shoes, bath (also ba). I know there are more, but I can't think. She also tries to repeat anything you say. While we were at the reunion, she learned, "don't touch that." It's pretty clear too! She surprises me every day.

Anyway, the highlights of our reunion include, yummy food, board/card games, billiards, hiking, watermelon seed spitting, karaoke, family skits - very funny!, ancestral spotlights, and an awesome testimony meeting! I love my family!! Here's a picture of most of us. I think my mom, Azilyn and McKay are missing.

Oh, my grandma made these great shirts with our family tree on the front. Hence, all wearing yellow t-shirts!

One year ago

I was just thinking, Sunday was Azilyn's first birthday. We have yet to officially celebrate it since Azilyn and I were at a family reunion this past weekend, and Danny just left to do some "handy-Dan" work with a friend.
We brought her home from the hospital one year ago today! It's crazy to think that just a year ago she was so tiny and helpless. Now she is walking, talking, and sooo independent.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sweet Girl!

There's no place like home

Well, after a long, arduous adventure, we are home again. Danny decided he was not doing well enough at sales to continue in Oklahoma, so we've come home. Of course, I supported him in this decision as I have all the rest. Neither of us regret our decision to go do sales, or to come home. We both learned some valuable and needed lessons.
Danny thought that he would try his hand in the call center at APX; outbound calling to potential customers who have previously expressed interest in an alarm. I would think this would be an easier sale and less intimidating than the door-to-door business. To my surprise, Danny thinks the phone guys are worse than the door-to-door guys. I think he termed them, the "ultimate bottom-feeders". (Can you tell he's a fisherman??)
So, that only lasted a week before his anxiety got the best of him. I can't say that I'm disappointed in him, just disappointed that it didn't work. He would have been getting paid hourly, plus commission, again, with potential for greatness (fiscally and otherwise). I know Danny could be a great salesman if he could get past the anxiety of the call. I can't say I blame him, though. I hated being on in-bound calls. It definitely made me a more cynical person, bitter toward humanity in general, for a time.
Sales can be great, but I don't care what kind of sales you're doing, it's tough! So, the search for work is on, again. Danny mentioned that his previous boss, doing pest control, is hiring again. Have we just come full circle???