So Jake is at that point in his youth that a profession direction is starting to take shape. For years and years he has expressed interests in a (non-specific) medical field. He has shaped his high school class toward this and his high marks in the sciences and mathematics has reflected likewise. He is in the process of narrowing down colleges with strong medical related undergrad programs. On a side note: Jake got picked by school personnel as a finalist to attend Missouri Boy's State this summer. Not quite clear of the rest of the process, but hopefully he will be selected to go as it's a fun week and great on a college selection resume (I went the summer of my senior year).Shift to one of my main guys Ira Brown for a moment. Religion studies in college (many moons ago), built up a quality house framing business at the same time having 4 children with a phenomenally patience and smok'in hot wife (his words not mine, but I agree... about the patience part and I am not allowed to comment on the second part), and last winter they decided to wipe part of their slate clean and he went back to college to nab some undergrad stuff before entering into SBU's Physical Therapy Doctoral (3 year) program. His entire demeanor since this change is crazy as now he has a passion and desire like I had not seen in the years prior. This guy has more things juggling in the air in his life, but is absolutely beaming about it all. Not only is he in the PT program, but sets the grade curve for his class. I get a kick out of hearing the latest he studied on our rides.
With all the above said, yesterday evening was a super big treat for Jake (and I) as Ira got us in the SBU PT cadaver lab. It was awesome and absolutely enlightening and I practically had to drag Jake out of there as he and Ira were having a good time together. I have been around dead (recently dead) bodies before, but this didn't have that type of feel at all and was purely scientific. Jake really looks up to Ira in many ways and this was just another level of pedestal he is on now. One thing I always have liked is the way Ira doesn't treat/talk to Jake like a kid, but more along the peer lines; Jake loves that. Thanks tons, my friend as that experience was AWESOME.
Earlier Thursday evening Ian and I spent some quality time... that's right, shooting baskets at SBU. He is really working hard on his left hand shooting (already solid with the dribbling). The college team just finished practice so several were around to give him a hard time while shooting - he just beams with the attention.
Got home, ate, hit SBU Dead Zone, and came back in time for Jim A and I to continue our Spades winning streak against Deb and her mom. Afterwards I walked through and saw Jake playing some Halo 3 (we hadn't played that in ages) so when he slipped off to bed I jumped on - BIG MISTAKE! Sometime around 2am I come staggering into bed. I guess that's the price one has to pay to be declared Defender of the Earth (hating life this morning).
Deb took today with my mom and sister-in-law to finalize some Christmas shopping in SGF (changed it from SPR). I am pounding caffeine trying to keep the lids from shutdown. We are heading to BHS boys basketball games tonight.
One of my highlights when Carrie was in PT school at Mizzou was when she got me and a science teacher friend into the cadaver lab and showed us "her" cadaver. It was so amazing! I'm like you - I was completely awed by it. It was interesting, too, in that they had a list posted on the door telling the age of each cadaver and what each person had died from. Most of them were older people and most had died from "septicemia".
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