Mission Status!

I met with my VR (Vocational Rehabilitation) counselor yesterday. I have a meeting with her every month. Well three weeks ago my neuropsychologist brought asked about my mission out of the blue. I said that I really want to go but I have to wait. She asked how long and I said 4-5 years. That is depressing I think. She stated that I am putting my whole life (meaning the love part) on hold until I have served a mission and that I would have gone if I did not have this accident. I agreed with her and it made me really sad and anxious. She then said that I could go. I asked about VR, what will happen with them? We (the family) thought that if I am "inactive" in this program, they would drop me. My neuropsyc said that maybe they will hold my funding. So yesterday was the meeting to ask Cady what would happen with my VR plan if I were to leave on a mission at the end of the school year this year? She was very understandable and considerate. She said that if my therapist and doctors say that I am ready to go then it is fine that I go. I probably will not get the funding to go to therapy anymore which is ok cuz I am almost done but my education funding will still be there for me. Just when I leave on my mission they will put my file in the inactive department until I get back. I can send in my papers Feb. 1, 2008!!! I am soo excited!! My life is coming back...and then I can get married. :)

A Bit of An Update

I havent put the pictures from the trek that I was a part of on the computer. When I do I will post and tell you all about the wonderful experience I had. I did have a great experience and I loved being a part of the trek. So I have been pretty busy with therapy. I started volunteering at St. Joseph's Hospital and I am loving it! Since I am working to become a nurse they got me a position where I can closely watch what nurse's do. I am learning a lot and I have seen some of the bad part of nursing and I am not scared. I am so excited to become a nurse. I do a bunch of work at the hospital. I file a bunch because the huck hates doing it so she leaves it for me to do and sometimes I get a huge pile of papers to file. Oh i go 4 days a week. A total of 18 hours a week. I clean machines and find them and make sure they are on the unit, I have transported patients before, I clean the soild utility rooms, I have interviewed patients to obtain their history which is pretty fun, I helped feed a patient once, I get supply's, answer the phone, call people, stock paper, and a bunch of other activities that I do. Its a load of fun tho. I get to see doctors and what they do and they are really funny. I start school on the 25th at Phoenix College. I am way excited because I am moving on with my life and I do not have to go to therapy as much. I am taking Biology 156, Chemistry 130 with the labs, and Weight Training. After these classes I have only one more class I will be needing, Biology 201, before I can apply for the nursing school at a community college. I have pretty much all of my co-req's done for nursing school except Biology 202 which I probably will get done when I am on the waiting list. Man I have made leaps and bounds since my accident. I am improving so much and I am getting better everyday and learning also. I do still have some difficulties but I am either getting better or figuring out how to compensate for those difficulties. I also have some more exciting news to tell but I am not sure if it will happen just yet so I will say it when I really know for sure.

2nd Trip: Utah/ Idaho

We went on a trip to Utah and Idaho for a week and a half. Let me tell ya, I have low tolerance for that long and I was aching to go back to therapy, kinda weird. I had the oppertunity to baptize my nephew. It was a really great experience and I was really happy for my nephew that he wanted to be baptized.

We drove up to Utah and it took forever but good thing i-pods were invented. We first went to my cousin Shawn's house and slept there and visited for the next morning. We then travled to my sister Stacey's house and slept there for one night then travled to Idaho to visit my Uncle and Aunt Mike and Cathleen. We went to there mutual activity which was speed dating and all of them wanted to know why I was not on my mission yet so I would tell them I fell 30 feet and landed on my head. Then they wanted to know the whole story. After like the fourth girl I was getting tired of telling it because it took up the whole time. So I had them promise me not to ask. Before my dad told us to find a date for tomorrow. I thought he was joking but it didnt matter. I asked this beautiful girl and my two younger brothers and my cousin, or well I had to ask for my cousin, asked girls. We played at the park and then watched a really cheesy movie but over all it was a great date.

Friday we went camping and I met this really awesome family! Their Uncle had a brain injury too so they knew like everything about me. There were two little girls and two boys who wrestled. The little girls were the cutest expecially the youngest. They taught me some really fun games and it was just fun hanging out with them. Then we went to the dance on Saturday in which I won the dance contest because I have some sweet dancin skills. One kid played the guitar and I asked them if I could play the piano and sing but they said no we have to hear it and then next time. I told them I lived in Arizona but they said no and its final. They were missin out.

Our last stop we visited my Uncle and Aunt Garth and Debbie. I love visiting them. I spent the night with my brother Adam at my cousin Mike's house and it was so fun. He has a precious family. He took us to his work, he builds cow farm stuff I dont know what you call them. We saw a dairy farm and he showed us around and it was really interesting and also smelly. Then we went to the river/lake and I went on the toob and the first time it was really dumb becuase they did not want me to get hurt. The second time was fun, we were jumping and falling out. Then I tried wakeboarding but it was the oppisite footing so I could not get up. The trip was great seeing my family but I really wanted to get back to therapy like I said before. I am excited for the trek. This is my last vacation I am going to take and then it is serious talk from here on out.

1st Trip: Havasupai

On Wednsday the teacher's and priest of my ward went to Havasupai for the super activity. It has been my second time going to Havasupai. It was a blast! I could not do what I was able to do before but it was still awesome. I did not take very many pictures because I was afraid of getting my camera wet. I brought my digital camera that I paid for myself so I do not desire to buy a new one although I think it is time for it. Anywho, on Wednsday we left at 12:00 and got there at some time, I do not know I was not paying attention, but I think it was maybe 5:00. We hiked till it was dark and camped on the trail. I stayed with my dad the whole time, which was in the back...very far back, because my therapist told me to and I was only allowed to carry 20 pounds in my pack. It never happend, I think I carried like 30-35 pounds. Oh well though, I'm still alive. :) We slept under this over hang and all the kids (which were 11 others and I forgot to say but I was also one of the adult leaders but I was not really just on paper) took all of the space to sleep. So I found a rock that was the right length of my body and was semi flat. So I set up there and I had my helmet on just in case I rolled off while I slept. I stayed on the whole night and it was actually really comfortable.We finally got to the camping place and it was crowded. There was this good spot but then these other muchacho's decided to take up two camp sites and we had a brawl of words. We negotiated the problem down to spliting the campsite in half and two picnic tables. The first waterfall we swam at was Havasu Falls. Swam behind it and I dove off which probably was not good to do. First it was really tiring to get over there and then back. When I got back to shore I was really off balance for like a minute. I can not do the same stuff I was able to do before my accident. :( Jumped off some other places near Havasu and played around there for like an hour or two, it was fun. The water was cold but really refreshing. By our campsite we had two rope swings we played with a lot the whole time we were there. So we played with those for the rest of the day and trying to hook it up with girls. There was actually a bunch of mormons there, probably the majority was mormon. Then next day we went to Moony and it was scary going down to the waterfall, those who have been know what I am talking about. There was really nothing to do except Beaver is farther down but it was too far to walk for a waterfall. I tried swimming to the wall by the waterfall but my shoe was coming off and there was a lot of waves that made it hard to see and it was really tiring so I swam back to the rock island next to it. Then we went to Navajo and I jumped off twice and then my dad got mad that we were jumping off there because it was too dangerous, so we were not allowed to do it anymore. Some of us guys talked to a group of girls there but they were not interested in me or at least the girl my age.
We hiked out on Saturday and my dad and 8 other boys got mules to carry out there packs. I had to carry mine out but it was ok because it weighed nothing. The group of girls we talked to were so lucky because they knew the helicopter pilot so they all got flown out of there. The switch backs were the hardest but I made it. I actually went down back down once like a quarter of the way to give one of our leaders a bottle of water then a second time about half the way to help out my dad and three others. On the way home we were starving when we started out but the closest resturant (an hour and a half away) was too busy so we went another hour and a half or two to the next good place. We had to listen to the techno station (thats all we could get) to keep our minds off of food. Overall, I loved the trip. I want to go back because it was fun and I have a great tan. One of the leaders had a really funny shirt and actually I would love to have one like it. Hope you all of a laugh.

Wonderful Performance!!

Sorry this is late but I got it done. So the play was awesome!! It was soo fun and it was a memerable experience. I wish I had done it before my accident. Anyways, so I was only in the chorus and there were a ton of little kids there. When we were not on stage we were in the dance room playing around. There was this really cute girl (age 6) that I would always hang out with and tease. Then there was this other girl who I taught how to swing dance and I mean I was doing these pretty sweet moves and like ton of other little girls came over and wanted to learn. So I was teaching all the little girls all these moves and they were like lined up for a carnival ride. It was so fun and the girls loved it! I signed up to do volunteer work at St. Joseph's Hospital. I OT got me a great job that will help me view other nurses and maybe even do what they do and even at its worst. Im pretty excited about that, I start on Tuesday. I took my Psychology final yesterday, I hope I did an ok job. My teacher does not read my papers. I will submit a paper, I will later read it and find so many mistakes, and he gives me a 100% on all of my papers. I start school in August at Phoenix College taking Bio 156 and Chem 130, plus weight training. I am really excited about this, I have to take those classes then Bio 201 and then I can apply for nursing school! This Wednsday I am going to Havisuppi and going to have blast. Then the week after that I was given the opportunity to baptize my nephew so I am really excited about that. I will take pictures so I hope you guys are excited.

In News Paper...again

I was in the news paper again yesterday Wednsday May 28, 2008. I will post a link but I dont know how long it stays posted so hopefully you guys got it in the newspaper. I am signing up to do voulenteer work over at St. Josephs and I saw one of my therapist when I stayed in the hospital. He was like my teacher for school stuff. I saw him when I was at an orientation and he wanted me to sign his newspaper so I did. It was really good seeing him, I miss my therapist. Today is when the first show of the play my stake is doing, Hello Dolly. I am sooooo tired cuz I would get home from dress rehearsal at like 11:00 and then wake up at 5:00 to go to CTN. But the show is going to be sooo good. Yesterday's dress rehearsal was really good and we did amazing. It would make me really happy if you guys went. The showings are today at 7, tomorrow at 7, and Saturday at 2 and 7. We are performing at the Deer Valley High School located at the Performing Arts Center, 51st Avenue and Union Hills and it is at NO COST. ITS FEE!!! Or you can go to our website... http://groups.google.com/group/dvplay Hope to see you there. Here is the article in the newspaper link and I am posting a picture of me in the play http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/27/20080527phx-mackey0528.html

WOW Pictures!!! :) :}

This is a friend I met at EFY. We are at an ASU Football game which was awesome. This is post-injury.

This is in Canada and I think this is a sweet picture. It looks like we are models. We should be hired. Pre-injury

Pre-injury, I was a snob for Halloween. I am pretty good looking though.

Graduation. This is with my friend Annie Fudge. Post-injury

My best friend Elder Lazenby IV, Annie Fugi, and me with a big smile. At seminary graduation, post-injury.

I preformed "You Are Loved" by Josh Groban, or he sings it, at EFY. I thought I didnt do so well but others think I did good. Post-injury.

EFY with my friend Kayla. Pretty crazy eh? Tried to renact what actually happend. Post-injury.

Post-injury, I would dress up for school everyday. I always had a different outfit and this day was nerd day. Kids were so excited to see what I would wear next. I was going to PVCC.

Post-injury, I forgot to tell you I am engaged. It was love at first sight.

This is my SWEET screw I got in my mouth. When it wasnt coverd I would try and unscrew it but the dentist told me not to do that. I think they use like a star wrench to screw it in. Post-injury.

Ok so this is an awesome wrestling picture! For your information I recieved first place at this tournament and this is the championship match. This kid actually pinned me the first time I saw him in the second period. I met him in the championships and I totally killed him. I later found out he was on steriods. Also to make me look even better I was weighing 162 and he was 171. :) Maybe I am cocky. Pre-injury.