AM Wake Up Drill

Yes, that's a baby I'm holding. We had to maneuver a full drink tray around an obstacle course while picking things up for our passengers...including fallen babies and cell phones. Hmmm. Don't ask about the life vest. I have no idea??

This is my roommate...Janice. She is picking up cans and restocking them in the right order. It was a game to see which team was faster. I liked pushing that cart at top speed all around the classroom! We won!


Okay folks, we're getting down to the wire.

Tomorrow is my 2nd day off since I got here 3 weeks ago. YEAH! I have time to study without trying to manage homework!

Everyday is filled with new and interesting events. Take this morning for example...

After finally getting to sleep at 2:30am I was jolted from my slumber at 5:20am. A flashing blue light and ear shattering alarm knocked me right out of bed. My roommate heard the alarm and came running into my room.

"Kathy, what did you do?!?!"

"What?!!! I didn't DO anything. It's the fire alarm...where's my room key?"

I frantically started looking around for my room key. Crazy girl. Janice found my key and we ran out the door. Hey, shouldn't we have assessed the door for fire? Yes we should have and no, we didn't.

But we were the first ones outside. People turn into walking zombies in an emergency.

So, 3 hours of sleep and a full day of training. WAKE UP KATHY!

I took a test on inflight services. I missed 2. Don't you hate when you make silly mistakes.

I also did some interesting things today...see above picture. I've never been a waitress, but I know how to be nice to people. I hope I don't spill!

Oh, about the fire alarm...turns out something was wrong with the sprinklers in the laundry room.

Beverage Service

Today and tomorrow we are learning the beverage service. My head is spinning with how precise it is. All the little rules that I've never even noticed! Honestly- have you ever noticed that whenever the F/A gives you a snack or water bottle, the logo is facing you? It is. And the napkin is set on your tray at a specific angle everytime? It is. Palms are always open. Trash is never collected while serving a beverage or snack. There are plenty of other little rules too. I'm having fun though.
Class started late today...not until 3:30pm, getting back to the hotel at 11:00pm. Tomorrow we start at 8:30am. So what the heck am I still doing up? Good question. I had to do my homework. Here's some pictures from today. BTW- my eye is getting better. Also, I asked about posting cockpit photos and they didn't seem concerned about it. Okay then! One more thing...you can fit around 12 of the CRJ's in the hanger! That's impressive.

Announcements: Part 2

Cut off again! That's okay...I hardly know much past the baggage paragraph anyway. Study, study, Kathy!!

Announcements: Part 1

Today's Pictures...I'm to tired for words.

Our instructor filled the cabin with smoke and turned off the lights. What a different and scary place it became. The classmate at the top of the stairs in this picture was elected our F/A. She had to evacuate us. We were seated in the back. I now have some idea what a terrible way this would be to die. It only takes 1 minute to engulf the cabin in flames. Again, time is renforced. We did it again, but this time had to find the exit doors and open them. I couldn't find 'em because I forgot which asile the exit row was on. I went for 8 when it should have been 6. Wrong aircraft. This picture looks like I'm falling down the stairs. Not really. I was just playing.

Black Eyed Spot

So are you dying to find out if I passed or not?

I'm sure my blog is THAT interesting, right?

I woke up this morning not feeling nervous. I sat in the shuttle not feeling nervous. I stood in the hallway not feeling nervous. As soon as I walked through the door to re-test...I got nervous. That familiar rolling stomach and pounding heart threatened to blow my calm outward exterior.

I smiled at Jackie (one of our instructors).

She asked how I was feeling. "Great!" I said with much enthusium.

She made another comment on how I was feeling and it dawned on me that she was talking about my face. It's easy to forget that I have a huge bruise covering my entire right eye.

One of my classmates has even taken to calling me "spot." That made me laugh...and laughter is medicine.

"Oh, my face...yeah, I'm fine."

Next came the question on everyone's lips right now, "Have you heard about your blood test yet?"

"No, not yet", I replied.

I like Jackie. She is a very nice instructor. I like all of the instructors. They can be rough and tough sometimes, but that only makes them better teachers and me a well trained flight attendant .

So, did I pass? Yep. I did. I get to stay...at least for now. However, two of my classmates did get sent home. That makes 4 lost since I started. It sort of shook me up and reminded me that I need to stay focused.

After re-tests, the real bulk of today's lessons got started. Security. I can't talk about that.

Back at the hotel, our class got together for dinner. Catherine made a lasagna and salad. I had salad. I did manage to get in 3 miles of running first.
It was nice sitting around and talking with the girls...and Lamaar (our one male classmate). I think I offended him by asking if he was gay. He isn't. Opps. Sorry Lamaar.

Knowing that I had already completed my homework, I took the rest of the evening off. I wondered around The Gateway Plaza (very nice outdoor mall). I knew right where I wanted to go. The Planetarium! I bought a ticket and waited for the doors to open. Unfortunately, their computers had crashed and I was unable to watch the show. All is not lost...I was comped a new ticket and tomorrow I am going back with any of my classmates (friends) that want to tag along.

On the way out of the theater I came upon a tragic scene. A lady was sitting in her car crying. She was trying to fill out some paperwork the police had just given her. I wanted to go up and give her a hug. I felt so bad for her. I watched as the parmedics loaded a man into an ambulance. She hit him. He was riding his bike. She was just coming out of a parking garage. How many times have I done that and come close to hitting someone? Probably several times. Lives are changing all around us.

I walked back to the hotel. It was dark and this town is full of strange folks. People talking to themselves, walking funny, flapping their arms in all directions, mumbling incoherent things at me...

I had bought a jar candle in one of the shops. I fastened it around my wrist and decided that if anyone messed with me, I'd knock them out with it.

Fortunately, the moment did not present itself. However, a very primal attitude empowered me with each step...

"Don't f**k with me, I'm a flight attendant!"

Tough Day

1:00pm, Our instructor randomly starting writing down names on the board.

My name was last.

Joy.

I was hoping to get it done and over with early, but this was not the case.

I stood in the hallway for an eternity, praying and waiting for my turn.

I couldn't seem to get an idea of how difficult it was by gauging the faces of my classmates who went before me. None of them looked very happy.

My heart was pounding and I wondered if my mouth would actually move if my brain told it to. Luckily it did, as if on auto-pilot, (no pun intended).

There were 7 parts to this test. If you failed any one part you would need to be re-tested on that part. Upon completion of the last section, you leave and come back later to counsel with the instructor. Only then will you be told what parts you passed or failed.

I heard my voice shaking and wondered how noticeable it was. I answered the initial questions (part one) correctly. As the oral testing went on, I began to get more confident. Perhaps to confident. I blew the 6th section of the test. I knew I did. I forgot to assess the exits before I opened the doors. Dang it! There goes that one.

I left the room feeling good overall, but grew increasing concerned as the clocked marched on. One by one, we were called into our individual conferences. As they came out, I learned the horrors of how strict and petty they were on grading. Man, they got us for EVERY LITTLE THING! But that's good, right? It means you have the best trained F/A's working in the skies.

My turn.

First test....passed. Second test....passed. Third test (the hardest one)...passed. Fourth test....passed. Fifth test....didn't have to take because I passed the fourth! Yippee. Sixth test....failed. seventh test...failed.

WHAT!!!!! I FAILED!!!!

Well, like I said....I knew I didn't get the 6th one. But the last one? No way....I nailed that one! For the first time I actually said all of the correct commands at the correct time while doing all the correct things. I've been messing it up in practice and finally got it right on the test. How did I fail that one?

I was stunned and didn't really pay attention to her evaluation of it. So after class I went back and asked her, "What exactly did I do wrong so I don't do it again?"

Ready....Nothing. I did it right, but it needs some "polishing."

WHAT???

I don't think anyone is going to care in a real water evacuation if my voice was a little shaky. I guarantee you, when actually faced with death...I'll be screaming those commands!

So, I'm not happy with it, but I'm not going to complain. I've already been practicing it more here at the hotel and tomorrow I'll re-test at 7am. I better get it right the second time around or I have to go home.

This was a tough day. Out of 11 classmates, only 3 people passed all 7 tests.

Famous crashes, 90 second evacs & beckon life vests.

Today was the longest day so far. We watched and talked about famous crashes that have occurred. Most of them fairly recent. It was cool to get a REAL description of what actually happened, instead of getting the scope from the news media. There wasn't a dry eye in the room when the lights came back on. It made you ask yourself, "do I really want to do this?"

We took a written test (which ended up being the easiest part of the day) I missed one. Doah!

The real challenge was in practicing the evacuation commands and actions for all of the aircraft. FAA mandates that our aircraft must be fully evacuated in 90 seconds. It's more involved then just pushing people out the door.

Tomorrow we are tested on all the things we've done the last two days. It will be a 20 minute oral test, one on one with the instructor. No help and every step must be done PERFECT without hesitation or giggling. I'm nervous, but I know the Lord's strength is within me. I can do it because God's power is greater than mine.

The picture above is of our class inflating the life vests. It was the last thing we did today and we were all very tired. Like my shiner? I got another one on my shoulder.

Gotta go study my flashcards and NTSBO

Evacuations

Today went by fast.

We are learning how to prepare the cabin for emergency evacuations. If I was ever shy, this is the time to get over it. I must be assertive, calm, direct, concise and in control.

I am a kinda bossy person by nature, so this should be fun. I actually GET to shout at people. Actually, there are a lot of things that must be done and said before I shout.

Today we went over some of the duties a flight attendant MUST perform when faced with an emergency. That's if you have time. Time is the key word here. Another VERY important element is crew member communication. Don't panic, assess the situation and spring into action. However, keeping in mind not to act dumb. We watched a video today of what NOT to do. It was funny, but sad too because I knew that some flight attendants have actually done these things. Like evacuating an aircraft unnecessarily on the active runway simply because she didn't wait for instructions from the pilot. She put all those passengers at great risk.

We also watched two videos of actual footage with real emergencies in which an evacuation took place. This is serious stuff folks. I'm trying to stay focused as much as possible. You never know when an emergency will happen.

Even though it is getting confusing trying to keep the commands straight with which aircraft I'm on...I want to be that flight attendant who knows what to do, does it and saves your life because I took my training seriously.

We were not tested today. Tomorrow we will practice commands and review the homework in preparation for our written test. There is another test tomorrow, but at this time it escapes me.
Monday we do our big 'Prepared Cabin' oral announcement test, in which we will be required to go through the entire motions (briefing passengers, demonstrating brace positions and securing the cabin). We can't miss a single step. If we do then we've failed and will be given one chance to re-test. Of course if you fail again, you go home. However, if you study and practice, practice, practice...you do fine. Wish me luck!

These classes sure beat the nervousness out of you! I could probably recite my announcements to a whole auditorium by now without freaking out!

I can't believe I'm doing this!

Scary Day Off for Me

Today was our first day off.

I woke up and went to the bathroom. I know...to much info, right? Read on.

While sitting there, I got nauseous, dizzy and sweaty. Next thing I know I'm lifting my head off the tile floor. I still felt sick and disoriented. I stumbled around for a bit, sweating profusely. I was cold and clammy. I thought...this is not good.

I was scared. I prayed.

I knew I needed help. I thought of my roommate. She's a heavy sleeper and didn't hear me calling her. I put on my shoes (crazy what you think you MUST do in an emergency) and grabbed my insurance card. I left the room and headed down the hallway. Luckily, my room is on the main floor only a few steps away from the lobby. Glancing into the dining room, I saw my classmates (friends) eating breakfast. I went straight for them and told them I needed a doctor.

I sat down and Ann went for help. Another lady came over to me and took my wrist. She said she was a paramedic. She asked me some questions. I felt kinda stupid cause everyone was starring at me, but really I was still to dizzy and shaky to care much.

The hotel shuttle took me and another classmate to the urgent care. The took my blood pressure a million times (cause it was different everytime) did an EKG, drew blood and sent me down the road to the Imaging center for a cat scan. I am now waiting for the results.

I feel better, but my head still REALLY hurts. I hit it hard. I had laid on the bathroom floor for almost 30 minutes unconscious. Nice way to spend a day off, huh?

Hey- the way I see it...it's a VERY good thing this didn't happen on a day when I should be in class. If you miss any time for any reason, you have to start all over again. FAA mandates it.

So I came back and struggled to finish my homework. When it rains it pours, but I'm a fighter!

Pre-Flights

Me in the Jumpseat preparing for emergency landing...haha (not an actual brace position)



Ever wonder why it takes so long before the plane is ready for boarding? I used to wonder that...not anymore! There is a butt load of things that F/A's have to do before boarding passengers can begin. Today I was tested on that. It's called a pre-flight. You literally have to write out every step with the exact wording. The pre-flight test was 5 pages long. I missed 3 and scored a 97%. For wrong wording they mark you down half of a point. Example (what I did) 'straps' instead of seatbelts.

The next test was a diagram of the CRJ200. It was easy and I would have gotten 100% if only I heard the instructor tell us to write down the number of items (example...3 seatbelt extensions). I knew it...but I was still processing her last instruction and missed that one. I didn't feel so bad when the guy next to me missed it too and he gets 100% on everything. Smarty pants. Most of the class didn't put down the numbers.

Ah, the last test. Our usual 25 question multiple choice. I aced it. 100%

Damn, I'm good!

Tomorrow we do the same thing, but with our last 2 aircrafts...the CRJ700 (66 passenger) and CRJ700 (70 passenger). These planes are similiar to the one I learned today, but just enough differences to drive me batty. Also some differences between the 66 and 70. Uh!!! I am trying so hard to keep them all straight.

Let's see...We have

TURBO PROP ENGINES (all have only 1 F/A and seat 30 passengers)
EMB 120 Forward Galley
EMB 120 Forward Galley with Cart
EMB 120 Aft Galley

JETS
CRJ200 50 passenger 1 F/A
CRJ700 66 passenger 2 F/A (has a first class section, which is why passenger seating is lower)
CRJ700 70 passenger 2 F/A

We fly Delta Connection and United Express

I've never sat through so many power points in all my life! I love this!

News

Things are looking up.

Michael (MB) let's just use his name...shall we, was admitted into a very good drug and alcohol rehab center today. I had to make a lot of phone calls, but thankfully he's getting the help he needs.
The last few months (especially the last week) have been extremely rough. You know how everyone makes a plan of action for the day...things they need to accomplish and a pretty good idea of what events are going to take place? Well, my plans are changing so often that it kinda scares me. So many things I try to control lately take off spinning in the opposite direction. That's good and bad. It means pain and joy. Ying and yang.

My life is a yo-yo.

But that's okay.

I feel like the rotation of the weather in hyperspeed. This morning I woke up to a nice white layer of snow outside my hotel room. By evening, the sun was out and I was walking across the parking lot with Elena to use the indoor pool in another building.

Training is going well. Everyday I take written tests and get up in front of the class to recite a different announcement. Sure I goof up once in a while...but that's why they call it 'training'.

Today I passed my tests 100%. Aw-yeah baby! This job is so me. But I gotta tell ya...it's not some easy waitress of the sky job like you might think. There is a lot to remember and learn. All the FAA regulations...policies, procedures, compliance, memorization and responsibilities. It's enough to make anyone throw their hands up and say FORGET THIS! But then we board the aircraft and I'm hooked. It's a way cool job and I want to do it!

Tomorrow I must recite my Prepared Cabin Announcement. Thankfully not ALL of it. It's very long and serious. It would be the first announcement you would hear from you flight attendant in the UNLIKELY event of an emergency. I like this one, cause I get to be somewhat firm with my voice. Ladies and Gentlemen, LISTEN TO ME!!!
Something like that...(wink)

Along with that, I have 3 written tests tomorrow on the CRJ200 50 passenger jet. I need to know the entire preflight procedures and where everything is located.

Let's see...what else? Oh yeah, there are all kinds of actors running around the hotel because Warner Bros is filming a movie across the street. It's called 'Unaccompanied Minor". I guess it's about a kid at Christmas in an airport?? Ironic isn't it? I don't know if it's coming out this year or next? Let's see if I can link it. Okay- click the title.

Something funny- I had just run 5 miles and decided to step into the dining room for a quick meal with my classmates. That Valderrama guy was sitting down having dinner with my roomate and another classmate. I had no idea who he was and neither did my roomate. I guess he sat down cause it was 'social hour'. That's what they call dinner time around here. I could have sworn I saw Russell Crowe. Hmm...

This hotel sure gives us a lot of food.

The worst Easter ever

This morning I woke up and looked at the clock. 6:07 am. CRAP! I over slept! For some reason the alarm didn't go off. Luckily I still had 50 minutes before the shuttle left.
I quickly got ready, made my lunch, grabbed all my stuff and headed to the dining room to eat breakfast. I glanced over at the tv and remembered...it's Easter Sunday.

The screen displayed a picture of a large cathedral, but I wasn't very interested. My stomach was rumbling. The next thing I saw on the tv screen was a question. It said..."What is your fondest Easter memory?"

I thought to myself, "It won't be this one!" My kids are at my in-laws, my husband is home sick and I am in Salt Lake City without even a hint that it's a holiday because I am going to class.

Don't get me wrong. I am loving this training. It's fun, exciting and challenging...but with all the drama going on back home...I am scared, mad, worried and stressed.

I need to stay focused if I'm going to make it through training. There is so much to memorize. I am doing very good on my tests. Today we went back on the aircraft. This time we explored the EMB 120 turbo prop forward galley aircraft and AFT (rear) galley aircraft. Both planes seat 30 passengers.

I asked if I can post pictures and she said to ask when I get to the security portion of the training.

Today they let us go early. We were only there from 7:30 to 12:00. VERY good. But I have a ton of stuff to learn for tomorrow. Yesterday was a much longer day. We did first aid and CPR training. I'm pretty sure I can post a picture of that. I passed both of those tests easily.

I can now officially save your life.

Be afraid...be very afraid.

How am I doing?

I am busy! I have run twice and don't even have time to keep up my log! I should be doing homework right now. I am tested daily.
Today I did great on my test. I got a 96% and only missed one. It was a stupid mistake on my part. Darn it.

Life at home is crazy...but the girls are doing well and having fun at grandma's house.

Everyone PLEASE pray for MB. He is having a very difficult time and needs our prayers. As of right now, I don't know where he is. I pray that he is okay.

Thanks
My brain is getting stuffed and it's only the end of the third day. Yesterday we went down to the hanger and practiced opening the emergency exit doors on a brand new CRJ700 Canadair Regional Jet. I have some really cool pictures, but I don't know if I'm allowed to post them. Rules are very strict around here!

UPDATE: I finally spoke with MB. He is struggling, but otherwise is well. There is so much going on right now that I couldn't even explain it all if I had time. It's mind boggling, but all fits together.
I was worried that MB would do something to hurt himself. He did not. He called our church. I am VERY proud of him.

I've never seen the work of the Lord so incredibly clear as I do right now, in this troubled time.

God is good! Praise His holy name!

I'm here

Hey folks,

I should be sleeping, so consider yourself well thought of. I just wanted to take 5 minutes before I turn out the light to update you on my day.

My flight went great. It was tuff to say good bye to my family, but I managed to get on the plane without chickening out. I flew on the CRJ700 which is the largest plane in the SkyWest fleet. It holds 66 passengers. Man, was it small!

Now I know why they hired me. I'm tiny.

Seriously- I'm nervous about tomorrow. I just meet my roommate and we practiced saying the announcements to each other. I did okay, but I was way more nervous than I wanted to be. I hope I do better (not worse) tomorrow for the instructor. If I make even one mistake, I'll fail and be sent home. Geez....talk about pressure!

I'm not to worried about the multiple choice test or the physical agility test.

I'll talk more about my VERY nice hotel room and my super cool roommate in another post. Right now me need some sleep. I hope whoever is blasting the TV in the next room shuts it off soon!!!

Bonus

Wednesday I got a phone call from an old friend. Deborah and I went to the same church back when we all lived in Sacramento. I moved north and she moved MORE north...to Washington.

She nearly floored me when she announced that she moved back to Sac two weeks ago. We talked for over an hour. Because I am leaving this Monday, we made immediate plans to get together for a real visit.

This morning Deborah made the trip (45 minutes) up here to see me. I had offered to meet her half way, but nope...she really wanted to see all the work I've done to the house. The last time she saw it, we hadn't even moved in yet. Much has changed since then.

We had a nice long chatty visit. It's been 3 years since I last saw her. Some things have changed, but mostly we are both the same.

One big difference is that she was diagnosed with MS. Her form is mild, but still brought tears to her eyes while explaining the disease to me.

Outside the sun was shining again (yipee!) as we hopped into my car and headed for the school. I needed to take Megan's mission project into her classroom. After that, we stopped at the local deli (where everyone goes for a good sandwich) and I ran into a couple more friends. I introduced Deborah to Jana.

After lunch, I ran into my mechanic and told him that my brakes have been whistling. He said, "bring it in Monday and I'll take a look at it."
I bet he won't charge me a dime. That's just the way he is. That's just the way this town is. I like that.

Tomorrow Katie and I are headed for San Francisco. We are going to take the bart train into the city so we can shop to hearts content at our favorite clothing store...Ross. S.F. has a big one in the financial district.

Tonight we are all going to the theater to see Ice Age 2, The Meltdown. Then we are going out to dinner. I feel like I'm trying to squeeze in a ton of family time before I leave. I suppose that is EXACTLY what I am doing.

Man, this is happening so fast!

By The Tree...Where will God take me?

I am happy today.

The sun came out! I was able to get out and run for 6 miles. Did you hear me? OUTSIDE! OH YEAH! LOVING THE VIT D.
I also rocked out to some new music. Click on the title above to enjoy my newest selections.

Yes, they are a Christian rock band. 'By The Tree' performed in concert at a youth group conference called "Planet Wisdom" that my daughter (Katie) attended over the weekend. If you hang out on this site long enough, you can play their new album. I love it! Especially that first song, "Hold You High." Luckily Katie's friend bought it and let Katie borrow it.

She traveled with a ton of other teenagers and parents down to Antioch. She was moved. She was rocked. She loves the Lord and I couldn't be more proud of her.

She is having to go through a lot of crap right now and for me, knowing that she prays and still loves Christian music at this age...gives me hope that she will know God forever and carry in her heart the only kind of love that truly lasts.

I know I've said it before...but it's true. No matter what deep pain we go through or how many times we try to ditch him...He is still there, still caring, still loving us, still wanting to make our hurts go away.

Okay, enough preaching.

Wondering about my job? I leave in 4 days. I'm scared to death!

Not just scared.

I'm also excited, challenged, thrilled, anxious and worried.

And I have some very good reasons to feel all these things at once.

Here's one of them...
I'm mostly afraid of handing over the control that has been mine for the last 13 years. It's so hard to trust someone else to take care of your children. Even when it's their own father. The longest I've been without them is 10 days.
This adventure will take me away for 24 days. Then if I get the domicile I want (Sacramento) I will be gone for another week of training. After that I will have to be willing to be gone at the drop of a hat.
Honestly, I don't know if I can do this. I'm worried. I will miss them so much, but I know they will be safe and in good hands.

My mother and mother-in-law think I'm doing the wrong thing. It's a mother's point of view...I'm endangering their grandkids. Why can't you get a 9-5 job Kathy?
How do I explain?
I'm digging the idea of this job because it challenges me to overcome a fear of flying. Plus I really want to see the world. This will be a great way to accomplish that desire and make some money to boot. I am looking forward to meeting new people and taking my family to Portugal. Is this really so hard to understand?

I feel like I'm standing at the world's door...and I really want to go through it. I want to experience it. I want to fly!

If only I could be a bird for a day.

Listen to the song..."Beautiful One." It just might be my new favorite song on the album?? Perhaps.

Depressing

All this rain is depressing. I am reminded of why I moved away from the coast.

I NEED THE SUN!

Oh, dear sun...please come out and shine.
Touch my skin with your warm embrace.
And bring a smile to my saddened face.

The forecast calls for rain all week and next.

Flooding is everywhere.

Waterfalls rush down where they never existed before.

The weather continues to dominate the top story on every news channel.

I hear of the canyon walls crumbling into the street on a daily basis.

High tempetures are barely getting over 50.

But Kathy....Aren't you going to Salt Lake City soon? You can catch those rays there, right?

Nope. Their weather forecast is looking pretty much the same.

Sand in the street
the world is so small
with the clouds at your feet
and the crumbling wall

its closing you in
the water is strong
I hope you can swim
for it won't take too long

your tears dry the pain
a new day will come
say good bye to the rain
and where it came from

Living Will

I just got this email joke from Thea...she's a crack up!



Living Will...
I was sitting in the living room and, as my wife walked past, I said to her, " Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug."
She walked over, unplugged the TV and threw out all my beer.

GREAT NEWS FOR THEA

Here's a picture of Thea at Halloween. She was a scarecrow. Not scared of anything, this one.

Hey folks,

Been wondering about Thea? For those of you who don't know...Thea is my dear friend who became paralyzed from the waist down 2 years ago when the horse she was riding reared up and landed on her.

Last I told you she had been accepted as a candidate for stem cell surgery in Portugal this November.

Well, things have changed.

There are a series of tests you must go through before the surgery can take place. It turns out that Thea's injury has progressed toward recovery a lot faster than expected. Which is GREAT and has EVERYTHING to do with her early commitment and determination for therapy.

However, the progress she made over the last 2 years disqualified her for the surgery.

At this point they determined that the surgery could in fact, worsen her condition.

So, what does this mean for Thea? Will she ever walk again?

YES!!! I believe she will and not because of any new medical breakthrough. She will walk again because she never gave up believing that she could.

This woman has more heart and faith than anyone I've ever known. I love her a bunch.

The original plan was to go to Portugal for the operation and then spend some time in Michigan doing post surgery therapy. Thea is skipping the surgery altogether and heading straight to Michigan this May. I'm so happy for her. Last week she used her walker WITHOUT her leg braces.

You don't really understand what that means, do you? She is paralyzed. She can't tell her legs to move like you and I can and using her hip muscles to walk without the support of braces is scary! However this doesn't surprise me.

She hasn't been sitting on her butt the last 2 years crying "oh poor me, why me!"
No, Thea has been busy educating herself, overcoming great fear, finding solutions to everyday problems, raising her 3 kids, struggling, working, driving, riding, walking...smiling.

She has never spent much time at the pity party. Doctors have told her to accept her situation, become friends with the wheelchair and get on with her new life. Thea has flat out refused.

She is brave and I respect her greatly. She is an inspiration and when I look at her, I am reminded that anything is possible.