MVP Physical Therapy - Angela Kroll, Chris Morris

My wife, Kathy Northcutt, has been suffering some mobility issues and opted to try Physical Therapy. I like the exercises and have started to some myself, especially the balance one. If you see someone falling down, or running into a sliding glass door, it is probably me.

She graduated today and wrote the following note that I think benefits anyone taking Physical Therapy.

Greetings!

I just graduated from Physical Therapy (today!) with Angela Kroll. I’d like to share what I’ve learned, hoping it will be of benefit to you.

We come to heal.  Consider this an investment in yourself, a gift to yourself.  “Begin with the end in mind.”  (Stephen Covey,  Habit #2, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.)  What are your goals for Physical Therapy?

Improved strength, flexibility, balance, or, I want to be able to do _____  are all fine answers.  For extra credit, consider creating  S.M.A.R.T. goals:  specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time based. For instance: I will stand on my right foot for a minute at a time without holding on for support by (fill in date) is a S.M.A.R.T. goal.


                                Physical Therapy Goals  
                                                       (fill in your name on the top left)

Goal # 1: ________________________________________

Goal # 2: ________________________________________

Goal #3: ________________________________________

Take a moment to ponder what you dream of doing.  Two I listed were to paddle, and roll my kayak again, to have the strength to train up another large dog.

Dreams






Now that you’ve set goals and given yourself permission to dream a bit, look over what you’ve come up with.  It’s time to commit to: achieving your goals, pursuing your dreams, and to heal.  Your therapist is here to show you the way.

See next page for a sample spreadsheet I used to track progress.  It was very simple:  the date column down the left side, names of the PT exercises listed across the top.  I just filled in the exercises and whether it was 1, 2 (or more) sets.

Consider using the margins to record a specific reaction to an exercise on x date.  It helps your therapist to receive specific, time based information. They may ask:  what were you doing before x happened, for instance, and it’s great to have it all there on the chart.  Looking back on it, I’ve kept a chart in two different physical therapies and it really spurred me on.

Listen to your body.  As much as I like having my chart all filled in, there were times I had to stop and rest during a set, or stop trying that exercise altogether for the day.  Let your therapist know when that happens.
“Do not despise the day of small beginnings”, ( excerpt from Zechariah 4:10, NIV).  Be patient with yourself and take joy in your progress.

Lastly, get creative about fitting PT into your daily schedule.  Any time you’re standing in line and there’s something to hold onto nearby, consider practicing standing on one foot, and then the other while waiting, or while chatting around the kitchen counter.  Is there a PT exercise you can do before getting out of bed in the morning?  If so, check!  One or more done before your feet hit the floor.  Watching the game? Do you have a favorite TV show, or watch movies at home?  That’s a fabulous time for PT.  Conference calls are, too.  Another benefit of PT during conference calls is it’s unlikely you’ll fall asleep during the call……

Happy healing to you,

Kathy

Sumner Sweethearts Wine Walk

What fun. I was the designated driver, so I did the taste and dump thing. I think it was $15 a ticket in advance and they gave us commemorative wine glasses and a heart shaped box of chocolates. We signed up early, which means going to the Will Call line. If we go next year, I think I will either pay cash or volunteer to help structure the Will Call line. It was very slow; both Kathy and I have a lot of experience from our years of putting on conferences, there are some simple tricks to speed things up and it is a way to give back to the community.

Our last store to visit was Off the Beaten Path and we acquired a couple treasures. I found a drawknife in great condition and Kathy found three bags of metal buttons. We watched Seven Days and Six Nights last night and Kathy sorted her buttons. I have not put the drawknife to use yet, but plan to hone its edge this afternoon.

We got there fifteen minutes early and that worked out well. This is becoming quite a popular attraction and parking can be limited. And we got out just as the snow started falling which was a plus.

Urban Timber Coffee Company

The dusting of snow this morning was gorgeous. The weather report says it will be sunny, but just in case, Kathy and I went to get some supplies. We decided to do our shopping at WinCo and since Urban Timber is in the same shopping center we decided to take a look. It is a very interesting concept bar that does wine tasting and has a number of beers and also cider on tap.

They let us split a pint and try two choices. I had the Mango Wiezen and Kathy had the Seattle Cider. Altogether the bill was $10.00 plus tax. They had a little corner area with incredibly comfortable chairs and a table that is guaranteed to spill drinks, it is made of four 8x8s, but one is a bit taller than its neighbor. We figured it out.

They have a very interesting menu, but we ate lunch just before we went to the store and were not hungry. I could not find a menu online, but it is a cross between bar food and some novel creations.  Looking forward to trying the food next time we visit.

Farrellispizza.com on Main Street

We were in the Fred Meyer since we have a few errands to run preparing for Thanksgiving. I was hoping for the enchiladas at the Taco Del Mar, but it has closed. No worries we love the Farrelli's and they are very gluten free sensitive.

Our server was Joie and she was alert and on it. Kathy had the "Mom's Salad" I had the Classic Sausage Lasagne. The food was great as usual and the portions were very generous, we both had to ask for a box. We also had a Long Island Ice Tea to celebrate something I cannot mention until next week. Pretty sure it is my first LLIT, and I am sure they did a good job, but I struggle with sweet drinks, with or without alcohol. Bill before tip was 34.79.

Mama Stortini's

Gosh I love this place. I had the Seafood Risotto, Kathy had the Cedar planked Salmon. Wonderful experience.

Could not finish my food, but managed to get two more meals out of the portion. I heated it up with some chicken broth in a non-stick skillet. Fantastic. S.

Frankie's Pizza

My wife is gluten free, but yesterday she wanted pizza and she wanted it delivered. We keep the various coupons that get delivered and one from Frankie's.

She ordered two gluten free pizzas and a Greek salad ( which is enough food for us to live on for three or four days).

She was very happy with the customer service and the delivery time and the pizzas were tasty though at this point in my life I could only try a slice of each (Hawaiian and Green Pepper/Mushroom).

She had tried to order pizza before from other groups, but they did not serve the Sumner area; Frankie's does so we will keep their data in our local events drawer.

Woodland Park Nursery

The driveway at our house in Sumner/Bonney Lake was just too steep. Our truck could get up with not problem, but cars were bottoming out so we decided to regrade. The project has been a bit of a mess, but we are near the end. Where there is bare soil, the county wants to see replanting which brings us to Woodland park. Kathy and I decided to do the landscaping ourselves to save a couple thousand dollars on the project. I can wield a shovel and she knows which plants to place where.

Woodland has been a working nursery for about 100 years and is good fun. We have always liked it, but now we need it, so we have been stopping by every couple days, getting flats of plants and putting them in the ground.

Everything has a price on it, but I am not sure at all why they bother. When you check out, if you are lucky enough to have Bob Herbert behind the counter, he stares at the flat and comes up with a price that is always an even number. $14.00 seems to be the most common. He also seems to be having a great time, there is always a tiny smile on his face and he fits right in with the friendly people running businesses in Sumner. Woodland has saved us an incredible amount of money over using any other nursery.

My business brain was screaming, how to they stay in business? Today, instead of going in with Kathy to help pick out plants, I stayed in the truck. And now I know the answer, the foot traffic is incredible. People kept coming in and then leaving. I also saw a professional landscaper and he filled his entire pickup truck bed; I am guessing that was more than @14.00.

The bottom line, incredible resource, very thankful for the Herbert family and Woodland Park Nursery.