Go Blake!

On Friday the 13th, Blake was invited to present at the Orthopaedic Research Day conference to present the findings on his research over the past three years. It was such an honor for him to be invited! He did and excellent job and got high reviews from many of the doctors that attended.
Here is a portion of his abstact. The paper is currently in the process of being published; yeah! Notice Blake's name in the title:

Geographic Mapping of Meniscus and Cartilage Lesions Associated with ACL Injuries: A Single Surgeon’s Findings at the Time of Reconstruction.

James R. Slauterbeck, Petteri Kousa, Blake C. Clifton, Shelly Naud, Timothy W. Tourville, Robert J. Johnson, Bruce D. Beynnon

Background: To determine the associations between patient sex, age and surgical delay with frequency and location of meniscus and articular cartilage lesions seen at the time of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction (ACLR) procedure.

I'll let Blake explain it to you in laman's terms.

50 Things About Me!

Many of my friends have done this on their blogs. I have LOVED reading them, so I thought I would give it a try. If you haven't done it, try it!

1. I love to write and would one day like to write a book.
2. I LOVE interior design and can’t wait until we get a house to decorate it. I love the deeper rich colors.
3. I am a perfectionist. I loved being a student because I was so good at it. I would go to insane measures to make sure I got an “A”. Good thing I have eternity to work on being a perfect wife and mom!
4. Anything to do with crafts, I am there! I love them!
5. I love the outdoors! From hiking, biking, camping, boating, skiing.
6. I love to exercise. It is not always the easiest thing for me to start, but I love how I feel after. One day I would love to join a gym and take some aerobics classes.
7. I love to dance! Lyrical and modern are my favorite. The movements are so uplifting and inspiring.
8. I’m very protective of my hair and my girls’ hair. I don’t think I have had a dramatic hair style change in 8 years. I’m afraid if I try something new, I’ll look ugly.
9. I have a demented toe. Yes, the set of toes on my left foot is different then the demented ones on my right. I try to avoid open toe shoes, but I’ve sort of come to the consensus that it doesn’t matter.
10. I love to organize parties and get-togethers, but hate taking charge at them. I’m just not good at it.
11. I LOVE chocolate. It has to be milk chocolate and not Hershey’s. I love symphony bars with toffee chips and any Cadbury brand. Brownies of course are another favorite.
12. I love to listen to all types of music. I’m a die hard American Idol fan too!
13. I hate video games and never intend on owning any type of video game device. Waste of time!
14. I’m extremely gullible! For this reason, I hate being teased, because I can never stand up for myself.
15. I don’t get jokes. If ever you tell a joke and I don’t laugh, don’t worry, I’m probably not laughing because I didn’t get it.
16. I love to be obedient. Granted, I am not perfect—not even close, but I love to choose the right.
17.I have a mole on my face that just won’t go away! I had it removed shortly after Kelsey was born and it grew back. What’s up with that! The doctor said it will get bigger and I grow older too. Oh no!!
18. I love children! They are so innocent and sweet and bring me so much joy. I want to have many more children, but won’t specify a number.
19. I think the internet and computers are some of the best inventions ever!
20. I love taking pictures and would love to learn more about photography! My poor camera got dropped so the batteries no longer stay in, so I have to tape the battery compartment up. So sad, maybe I’ll get a new one for Christmas, mine is a little out-dated anyways.
21. I am a worrier. I think up the most absurd scenarios! I drive myself bonkers sometimes.
22. Thank goodness Blake is good at math because I’m horrible at it! I do a really good job at tracking all of our expenses though. I know exactly where every penny goes and if I don’t know, it drives me crazy.
23. I love getting mail, both snail and email! I look forward to it every day!
24. I love getting compliments; it brightens my day and makes me feel good.
25. I love being a mom; nothing else could be more rewarding.
26. I love reading about successful people’s lives and try to learn from their good examples. One book I read recently for the second time is Russell M. Nelson’s book, “Father, Surgeon, Apostle”; I want to be like his wife Danzel. She was truly a remarkable woman.
27. I love getting new clothes and refuse to ever pay full price for them. Usually my rule is nothing over $10 for a shirt and nothing over $20 for pants. If I do pay more than that, it was just too cute to pass up or it was for a very special occasion.
28. I love getting a bargain! The other day I spent $29 on toothpaste, deodorant, and toothbrushes and saved $48! Sweet! One of my best deals ever though, was Kelsey’s bed set. Comforter, pillow sham, twin sheet set with pillowcase—all for just over $5.00! I was so proud of myself
29. I don’t remember the last time I paid to see a movie in the theater. In my opinion, it costs way too much. Blake and I wait until it comes out in video and then rent it from Redbox and pay only a $1.06. Now that’s a bargain, a date for a $1!
30. I like to try new recipes, especially healthy ones. I’m a little OC (obsessive compulsive) on calories and usually always know how many calories something has and will eat accordingly.
31. I love watching world news and being caught up on world events.
32. I would love to learn more about nutrition. I love eating things that I know are good for my body.
33. I’m not a shoe person. I never know what to buy and have a hard time visualizing what will look good with what. I usually just give up and get something really simple and practical—one pair of shoes for almost everything.
34. I much prefer email and blogging to talking on the phone. Really no offense. I always find myself at a loss of words with nothing to talk about and I hate silent moments. I like having time to articulate my thoughts on paper. I can’t always talk when people call either—Mylee is crying, I’m trying to get dinner on, etc. and I end up sounding insincere because of what's going on around me.
35. I act really weird in big groups. I find myself saying things that don’t make sense and I become fidgety and awkward. That is why I usually stay put at parties. Granted there are times I surprise myself and I am getting better. I hated dances in high school for this reason.
36. I LOVE long hot showers!
37. I am a people pleaser and will sometimes go to great lengths to make someone feel special. Time and money doesn’t allow all that I would like to do, but I find great joy in making someone else happy.
38. I can’t go without breakfast in the morning. I rotate between my favorite cereals, but right now Honey Nut Cheerios with a fresh sliced banana is my favorite. I go to bed looking forward to having my bowl of cheerios in the morning.
39. I love watching Funniest Home Videos. Nothing gets me laughing harder.
40. Nothing is more important to me then family!
41. I love to be organized! It makes me feel happy and accomplished.
42. I am not a pet person. I will never own a cat and if we do get a dog, it will stay outdoors. I can’t stand the hair, the smell, and the mess.
43. I’m not a huge dare devil. If it is potentially dangerous, I just won’t do it, at least not without a lot of probing.
44. I have a collection of sterling silver charms and love them.
45. I have a porcelain doll collection at home and would like to travel one day and get a doll from different countries I visit. Blake gave me one from Japan for a wedding gift.
46. I love the fact that I’m extremely girly, but yet will go mountain biking, skiing, play baseball, etc.
47. One day I would like to run a marathon.
48. I’m terrified of scuba diving and snorkeling. I’m afraid some sea creature is going to come and get me and that I won’t be able to breathe. Blake says I have to get over this before he will take me to Hawaii. Hummm, we’ll see about that.
49. I’m extremely indecisive and drive my self crazy because of it. I will only buy something if I know I can return it.
50. I usually never read forwards unless someone sends me one that never sends them. I guess I feel I don't have the time to read them. So sorry, if you send me a forward, it's more likely then not that I will not read it.

Well, now you know more about me then you probably wanted to know--hope you had fun reading though!

Beating the Heat

Vermont has finally decided to send us some summer weather this past week. I have forgotten how hot it gets here--90's with 80% humidity! We've been to the beach twice trying to get some relief and of course have fun!! Blake has had these past two weeks off and we have been trying to take advantage of him being home.

On a different note, do you ever feel like you are completely "losing it!"? Today was one of Kelsey's little friend's B-day parties. When the event was over I took Mylee to go pick up Kelsey. I went in and visited for a little bit and then left with Kelsey. I was helping her go down the stairs in her princess dress and shoes (it was a princess party) and my friend Miquelle comes to the door laughing saying, "Cami, do you want to take Mylee?" I had completely forgotten about her! Also in my conversations I have had a hard time saying anything coherent and what things I have said have been coming out all wrong making me regret that I spoke in the first place.

I'm thinking it's stress. From the obligations I feel I have to meet as a wife, mother, young women leader, visiting teacher, and the stresses that come from financing medical school and beyond have really been making me go loco! I think I need a vacation!! I can't wait to go see my family in July! I need to hear my mom say, "Everything is going to work out :)" I have to remember to count my blessings. When I do that, suddenly everything seems to be okay and I feel at peace. Hopefully I haven't been too frank in revealing this.

This is at Indian Brook Reservoir where Blake has been swimming to train for his triathlon in July. It's so beautiful!