Bourbon Trail- Part 1

Made it to the Bourbon Trail today! James (fellow QU PT student) and I visited Four Roses, Wild Turkey, and Woodford Reserve. I'm not gonna lie I was pretty impressed with my tour guide abilities today. I managed to make a schedule of which distilleries to go to and which tours we would make and we managed to stick to it, without getting lost mind you and with the help of Frank (my handy GPS). The scenic drive was beautiful with a ton of horse farms. There was a ton of history and facts throughout the day but instead of boring you with all the details here are some of the highlights of the day:

What is Bourbon? (In a nutshell)

I had no idea but apparently in order to be called "bourbon" the alcohol must comply to Federal Regulations including:

1. Grain mixture must contain no less that 51% corn, but no more than 73%
2. Bottled at more than 80 proof. 
3. Only aged in NEW White Oak barrels 
• Old Bourbon barrels are then turned into planters or sent overseas to make Scotch and Irish whiskey that are often aged in old bourbon barrels. 
• Oak wood gives it the distinct mellow flavor and amber color.
4. Has to be aged for more than 2 years
5. NO artificial coloring, flavor, or preservatives
• There bourbon contains: Corn, Rye, Barley, Yeast, and water. Nothing else. 
6. Only Bourbon that meets the above standards is considered Straight Bourbon. Everything else is whiskey. 

Four Roses: 
  This distillery had gorgeous Spanish Mission Architecture. The story behind the name was really cute too. Apparently the founder Paul Jones, Jr had fallen in love with a southern belle. He proposed to her and she replied that if her answer was yes, she would wear a corsage with four roses, if no only three roses. Well, I suppose you know how the story ends...

Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey. Quite a different setting, only 8 miles down the road from Four Roses. Here we actually got to see the giant fermenter's and Bourbon that will be ready to drink in a few years after it sits in the barrel. We also got to meet Jimmy Russell, the Master Distiller at Wild Turkey. He's quite old and not usually there on Saturdays so it was pretty cool. He is in charge of deciding what is fit for bottling and how long barrels age.

Woodford Reserve
This distillery is the smallest of the three but owns the largest distillery in the world, I think you may have heard of it....Jack Daniels (but Jack is whiskey so that's another story for another day). This location had gorgeous stone buildings and only produces 160 barrels per week compared to the thousands produced at the others. This was the only location that has the entire Bourbon production process on-site, from fermenting, to distilling, to barreling, to bottling.

98% of all the world's Bourbon is produced in Kentucky. The seasons work well here for the expansion and collapsing of the barrels for proper aging and the limestone spring water that is used in the bourbon.

Keep your eyes out for Part 2 of the Bourbon Trail to complete the passport! :)

Average Friday at Clinical...

Clinical Week 3.  Is this real life?!

I rode 3 horses today. I rode Lincoln, Wanda, and Sage. They all have different strides, girths, and movement patterns. I actually really understood how the movement of the horse mimics the gait cycle of the human. The hips and shoulders (well once you get them to relax) move just like when you walk! I know I have mentioned this before one here but honestly, until you feel it and put together the pieces it finally makes sense. It also gave me the appreciation of what some of these kids do for an hour on top of the horse...its tough work! Especially when the mean PT student makes the horse start and stop every 5-10 feet and really engages those abs and pelvic tilt!

DJ (fellow PT Student) and I also got the chance to walk a trail outside that Kentucky Riding for Hope has plans for a Sensory Trail. Kids would ride the horses over hills, through water, weave in and out of trees, smell different plants, and follow directions to engage ALL of the senses! It seems like a really cool project that I may have to come back to KY to visit!

DJ, Hangin out on Sage 

Scenic drive to clinical... sweet life. 

Hello Misty! 

Kate! 

Make the World Your Playground!

Sorry it's been a week since I last updated... but let's be real, that last post was pretty hard to follow! Today the weather was bearable enough to go for a run since the 5K I did last Saturday to benefit the Kentucky Children's Hospital. So run I did. But downtown Lexington? No thanks. I ventured over to UK's campus to run through the Arboretum. Funny word. If you are from the 518, it's like a smaller version of the Crossings. However the Arboretum is the State of Kentucky's official botanical garden. The trail represents the seven physiographic regions of Kentucky:

• The Bluegrass
• The Knob
• The Pennyrile
• The Appalachian Plateau
• The Cumberland Mountain
• The Shawnee Hills
• The Mississippi Embayment

It was pretty cool. I will certainly return! More information can be found here: The Arboretum

Finally an Intelligent Post...Weird right?

LOKOMAT

Amazing Experience!

Today I got to experience the Lokomat first-hand! I would like you all to know that the following pictures are NOT FLATTERING in the slightest but I did it for the sake of your brain power. YOUR WELCOME. :)  So I could try to explain what it is but please see a description below from the manufacturers website that do a much better job than me: 

"Locomotion therapy supported by an automated gait orthosis on a treadmill has shown to be an effective intervention for improving over-ground walking function caused by neurological diseases and injuries in many cases. The Lokomat system assists walking movements of gait-impaired patients and is used to improve mobility in individuals following stroke, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis as well as other neurological diseases and injuries. The LokomatPro has been on the market since 2001 and has been a crucial improvement in the art and science of locomotion therapy." - Hocoma Website  <--- CLICK if you want more info 

Thanks to Whitney who grabbed my phone and took these pics..I'll post some brief thoughts below them but instead of me rambling I hope you enjoy the pics! If you want to know more feel free to comment below or contact me! :) 

The Lokomat Orthosis on Right, Treadmill, TV (most patients like ESPN to be on while they walk!

The Robotic Orthosis

 The Set-Up: A bit awkward but I guess ya gotta walk a mile in the patient's shoes, eh? 

Shelby... you look perplexed...I trust ya...

Bird's Eye View, Shelby messing with the controls..

That harness is awfully tight...breathing is optional. LOL

The Screen the depicts Stance & Swing phase of gait...

WHOA! It was a crazy feeling... especially as  the robot did 100% of the  work, all the way down to 30% of the work, along with varying degrees of body weight support.

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! Happy clinicals QU PT's!! *This may or may not be a shameless plug that I HIGHLY recommend that you come to Kentucky at Cardinal Hill for a final affiliation next year... just sayin, I'd come back if I could! 

Good Night... playing with the horses & kiddies tomorrow! :) 

Random Thoughts..

I apologize in advance for the randomness that ensues: 

Tornados. 

There has been much talk around here about Severe weather tonight and tomorrow and I really hope that doesn't mean any tornados find their way to Lexington, because being in a 2nd floor apartment with no interior rooms would kinda suck.

Grocery Store. 
So most of us are in a rush when we go to the grocery store. Yesterday, I didn't think I was. So I wandered,  meandered, <-- is that a word? sounds good, and took my sweet southern time. Anyway, I got in line and was thinking about that TLC show, Extreme Couponing, and wondered if that's a hobby I should take up. Well that is until I spent 10 minutes in line behind this old lady that was arguing the verbiage of "natural" vs. "organic" frozen chicken, dammit she wanted her $1 off. It was at that point that I realized couponing is not for me, I'll leave that one to Allie.

Beer.
Tonight I got out of my little box and went to dinner with a fellow PT student from Duke who is super sweet and showed me the little bit of Lexington that she has become familiar with. I was also introduced to Kentucky Bourbon Ale. It was delightful. I highly recommend it. Might have to bring some back to NY for Dad to try. I mean I'm no beer aficionado (<-- is that a word? sounds good to me) but I thought it was great.

American Idol. 
I am not much of an "Idol" fan but when I heard on the radio that the two finalists were Country I tuned in last night (and may or may not be watching right now)... I was pleasantly surprised. I mean it was kinda sorta on accident because I totally thought Glee was on at 8, whoops!  And no, don't have much of a favorite and let's be honest, at this point they have their name out there, and are gonna be famous so I'd say that's a winner either way.

Well bedtime for me. Goodnight Moon.
<3 me.

Sunday in the South

Ok, so I know it's Monday but I started writing this yesterday...

Sunday. A day of rest. Well, they actually slow down here in Kentucky, which is kinda nice. Went to the High Hope's Steeplechase and volunteered at the kids bouncy-bounce. Some of the kids were adorable and the others were monsters. Saw one Steeplechase race and 2 out of the 5 jockeys fell off their horses! OUCH! Luckily no serious injuries. A friend, fellow student at clinical from Duke and I made several plans for upcoming weekends, including hiking and the Bourbon Trail! Keep your eyes posted for those adventures.

Monday. Got up today and at 5:30 am there was a CrAzY lightening storm, which then proceeded to open up the skies and rain sooo hard and our 400m run for the CrossFit "Helen" workout turned into a 400m row. Glad I made it up in time, working out before clinical gives me way more energy and feels awesome to come home after and enjoy dinner. Speaking of dinner I was rather proud of my Filet Mignon with a blue cheese crust and a sweet potato!

I hope this weather pattern changes, hopefully no tornados coming this way and keeping those touched by these devastating tornadoes in my prayers!

Happy Monday!

PS- I think Skype is a fabulous invention and got a chance to enjoy lots of quality time with Katie Van who is currently in Poland/Prague....I am up to skype anytime: MerBear00 :)

Week One

Week One is over.... it certainly had it's ups and downs!

Mom left on Tuesday, and it rained until today (Friday) boooo, also been feeling sick, stupid sinus/sore throat/earache that has been nagging me for almost 3 weeks now. I don't buy this whole allergy business even though...did you know Kentucky is the allergy capital of like the whole world?! That's BANANAS, of course I would end up here. So I've been bummed that I haven't been feeling 100% and haven't made it to CrossFit Maximus here. Maybe I'll go tomorrow and try to sweat this thing out, then lounge by the pool all day?! I think that sounds like a solid game plan. Perhaps I'll throw a lil farmer's market in there too!

So it's Friday! Today was a STELLAR day at Kentucky Horse Park, where I got to learn some of the in's and out's of Hippotherapy. The kids were great and the horses are amazing at how good they are with the kids! I am wiped out though...it's definitely a workout getting some of those kiddies up on all fours on top of a moving horse!

Fun Fact: The horse's gait cycle is very similar to a humans, therefore when a human is on top of the horse, their pelvis moves like it should in a normal gait cycle. Crazy huh? 

Disclaimer: Don't read if you are from Long Island: 
Throughout the week, as people have asked where I am from, I respond "Upstate New York" and they continue to go on and on about how I don't sound like I'm from there. All these folk don't realize that even us New Yorker's think that the people from Long Island sound funny! Hahaha.

Hopefully I'll get out my camera and take some pictures as I explore now that the sun is finally shining!

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend! 

Rain Rain Go Away.

So day #2 of clinical, still getting my feet wet, figuring out where things are/ how things are done. The usual. Nothing too exciting to report.

Mom headed to the airport after dinner however she keeps getting delayed so maybe she will be back to cuddle one more night!

As for tonight, Glee is on the agenda. Exciting I know.

Katie Van- Have a stellar Euro trip!
Kelly- CONGRATS!! SOOO PROUD OF YOU!! :)

First trip to CrossFit Maximus tomorrow, nervous!! Haven't worked out in like 2 weeks with being sick/moving... might be a rough one.

PS- I know these post feel lame compared to Kenny Chesney however hopefully there will be plenty more adventures to report!!

Clinical Day One

Clinical. Was. Amazing.

Ok, ok, ok, so it's not Kenny's sweaty towel.... BUT:

Neuro patients. Aquatic Therapy. Kayaking. Lokomat. Hippotherapy every Friday. Top it off with 2 raspberry margaritas following clinical with mom, I think that's a solid first day.

I suppose I could have gotten some sleep last night. Cause I def only got about 2-3 hours last night.

Oh and to top it off: I didn't get a 50 on Research. I'm pretty positive I got the highest GPA of my life...weird.

On that note: I hope YOU had a great Monday!

EPIC.

Wow. I am still in shock. Got to Lexington, Kentucky at 1:30 pm and by 7 pm I was in the 5th row of Kenny Chesney's Goin' Coastal Tour at Rupp Arena, which just so happens to be across the street from my apartment. So let me back up a bit...


As we were driving to my apartment, we saw a sign for Kenny and "tickets still available." After going to Target, a late lunch, and unpacking I called the box office. They say they don't have any lower seats available at this time but to go to the box office before the show to check it out. 

Disclaimer: Meredith WILL NOT sit in nosebleed seats EVER because she will hyperventilate and cry. Reference: Brad Paisley, Mohegan Sun, Nov. 2010 (sorry roomies!) 

6:45 PM: Walked over, in jeans, rockin a QU intramural t-shirt, no make-up, no camera and flip flops because I thought there was no way we are getting tickets. The lady at the ticket office said they just released floor seats... $75. UMMM YES!!! So we missed some of Uncle Kracker, made it in time to Billy Currington, who was AWESOME, and Kenny was unbelievable as usual. Needless to say I am grateful for the invention of phone cameras....

It was an amazing showww. Oh, and did I mention George Jones came out?! He sang "I don't need your  rocking chair" and "He stopped loving her today" with Kenny! Apparently Kenny didn't know about it. It was sickkk. 

Icing on the cake: During "She thinks my tractor's sexy" he threw me his towel. And it's not like I wrestled with people to get it..it was TO me. 

During Kenny's Encore, "Boys of Fall" he talked about the simple things in life. Family, Friends, God, Love, and Sports. Cherish the simple things in your life today. :) The concert was fabulous, just me, my mom, no fuss, being ourselves and enjoying the music. 

What a way to kick off Lexington... Not sure if I can top this one but thanks for reading and we will see what unfolds here :) 

CONGRATULATIONS QU MAT's & DPT's!! So proud!!