All good things must come to an end...

I saw this sign at the bookstore the other day and it describes perfectly my Kentucky experience: 

Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone

This could not be more true for my 8 short weeks in Lexington, KY. Honestly, I was nervous at the beginning,  new state,  no friends,  no family, and not sure if I was ready for whatever Kentucky threw at me, certainly I was NOT in my comfort zone.  Although on the outside one may think I exude confidence, the opposite is true. I was shaking in my sneakers (I didn't own boots at the time but thankfully I am now the proud owner of new boots) Needless to say after reading the posts before this, Mom having to force me to pack up, this is certainly bittersweet. I made numerous new friends, had many laughs and adventures that I will NEVER forget. From conquering a fear of heights to celebrating with a patient whose hamstrings had returned, I've learned quite a few things from my experience that I would like to share with you: 

1. There is no other phrase that can replace "Bless your heart" and I'm bringin it to the Northeast. 

2. Although it may have slipped a few times "Y'all" just doesn't roll off this New Yorker's tongue like it should and will not be in my new vocabulary. 

3. Never approach a horse from the front or be in kicking range. 

4. In rehab, attitude is EVERYTHING

5. Everyday you have a choice to go out and live for the moment or sit back and watch life pass you by

6. People are friendlier than you think, greet them with a smile, be honest, and the world is a much more pleasant place. 

7. You are never truly alone. 

8. Not paying rent will get you evicted. :) 

9. Chicken should never be eaten for breakfast. 

10. Bourbon Slush can always use an extra splash of Bourbon. 

• 8,000 miles on Tillie the Tahoe, 40+ hours a week for no paycheck, lots of $$$ on Bourbon, and countless memories were all worth it! So I thought I would be more insightful in my last post on this blog but my brain is mush from 13+ hours of driving. 

• To all the PT's, Friends, Clients, and Horses,  I cannot thank you enough for my experience. 

• To everyone who read this; thanks for reading and motivating me to enjoy every second of my clinical in Lexington, KY!

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.   ~Winston Churchill

Torrent Falls Climbing Adventure & Natural Bridge

Hello?! Does anyone still read this?


Torrent Falls Climbing Adventure & Natural Bridge: A Trip to Red River Gorge 

So for those of you who don't know me...I'm afraid of heights. Example: Brad Paisley concert @ Mohegan, I cried because we were in the top row. Enough said? I think so. Never in a million years would I think that I could go rock climbing. Well, I guess anything is possible when in Kentucky, and to be completely honest, this blog had to go out with a BANG! So I suppose I have to thank you fools who actually read this for making me do such craziness. 

I am going to let these pictures speak for themselves...let's just say my friends were great cheerleaders, I said a lot of hail mary's and I'm so glad I did it! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. 

This is a panoramic of the first half of the amphitheater that we climbed. If you look to left of the picture you will see the cable system that you clip into and some of the rebar hand and foot holds. This was called Via Ferrata. A via ferrata (Italian for "road with irons". Plural vie ferrate. In German, Klettersteig) is a mountain route which is equipped with fixedcables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities. There is only 5 of these in the US. I certainly felt challenged but safe at the same time! 

Natural Bridge

• The sandstone arch that is called Natural Bridge has stood for millenniums. The arch is 78 feet in length, 65 feet high, 12 feet thick, and 20 feet wide. Some geologists believe that the stunning natural sandstone arch is at least a million years old. There are other natural archways in the area, but none have gained the prominence of Natural Bridge. Since 1889, visitors have made the trip to the eastern Kentucky Mountains to see this amazing natural wonder.(Info taken from Kentucky State Parks Website) 

• Natural Bridge is composed of what is known in geological terms as Pottsville conglomeratic sandstone. Large blocks of stone falling off either side of a narrow sandstone ridge caused the first opening that began the transformation of the sandstone outcropping into an archway. The weathering process, along with the root systems of plants, continued to develop the unique archway that makes up Natural Bridge. (Info taken from Kentucky State Parks Website) 

Mom comes back to Kentucky tomorrow! Starting to tie up the loose ends here, final CPI is complete and leaving is certainly bittersweet! Maybe a few more posts before this journey ends!

Bourbon Trail Passport = COMPLETE!

Bourbon Trail Part 2!

James came down from Cincinnati and joined Cardinal Hill PT kids, me, Mary and other James. We had a great Saturday and really enjoyed the Bourbon Trail! These distilleries are a little bit further from Lexington, out toward Louisville and we really enjoyed our scenic drive! 

Fun Fact: In Kentucky, they say the trees talk.... what does that mean? Well, especially during prohibition the law enforcement looked for these black trees. Distilleries create a mold that will take to the trees so during prohibition the trees gave away who was making moonshine! :) 

First Stop: Jim Beam

• Immigrants from Germany named Boehm came to America. They later changed the spelling to Beam, and fortunately for us, seven generations of Beams would—and still do—ensure that their name would remain synonymous with the world's finest and best-selling bourbon.
• What did the family do during Prohibition (1920-1933 in case you forgot your US History...)?
• They tried their hand at citrus farming in FL, and Coal mining in KY, nothing was satisfying to them therefore when Prohibition was repealed in 1933 Jim Beam rebuilt the distillery in 120 days. Crazy! 
• Below is the budget that Jim Beam sat down to crunch the numbers and below is his list. 

Next Stop: Heaven Hill

• We were on a time crunch and Heaven Hill's complimentary tour was full & us poor PT kids didn't want to pay the $$ for a long tour. 
• Heaven Hill's portfolio includes both domestically produced products, such as Evan Williams Bourbon and Christian Brothers Brandy, as well as a growing line of selected imported brands from around the world, such as Hpnotiq Liqueur and O'Mara's Irish Country Cream.  
• Oh well, not much to share here but we got our stamps for the passport! 

Last Stop: Maker's Mark! 

• What's in a name?
• Marjorie Samuels always had a special knack for marketing our little bourbon. She was a fan of fine pewter pieces, which were known for the mark their maker put on them. Hence our name.
• But to truly embrace the name, she felt that we needed our own special mark. This led her to the SIV symbol, which stands for Samuels 4th generation. 
• Fall 1959: Maker’s Mark® was finally available for market after 6 summers of aging. The first bottle was a four fifths of a quart and sold for $6.79 a bottle. 250 cases sold in year one. All of which happened to be in Kentucky. The first case sold to Keeneland Racetrack in Lexington.
• We got to dip our own bottles at Maker's Mark!!

My completed passport!