Lisa's Adventures

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Working at South Valley Large Animal Clinic

Right now I am working at South Valley Large Animal Clinic as a Veterinary Technician. Every day is an exciting new adventure. Surgeries are always interesting and trying to restrain the 1500 lb, half-wild horses can be complicated. Yesterday I had to assist a Dr. in giving an enema to a horse, and also assist castrating a miniature horse. Today I had to hold a horses leg in position while we took an x-ray, and I also had to restrain a horse while it was getting dental work done by firmly grasping the horse's tongue and ear. Here are a few pictures I have taken with my phone.

A cute baby miniature donkey. His mother has liver failure and is currently in the ICU.

This is a stone that was surgically removed from a horse's intestines. The stones form in the intestines and then create a blockage which causes severe abdominal pain, or colic. Colic surgery costs anywhere from $5,000-$7,000. Last week I was in a colic surgery where they had to remove 18 inches of intestines and sew them back together.

Here is a cute little crooked-legged foal. She reminded me of Forest Gump. The braces are used to try and straighten the legs. This horse lives up in Heber at a very nice barn. I love going on farm calls. It is always fun to see all the different horse facilities and to travel around the state.

Here is a HUGE draft horse that came into the clinic with a lameness problem. The clinic sees anything from tiny little miniature horses all the way up to giant draft horses.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

I'm Engaged!

Preston proposed! He asked me while we were at my parent's house. We were sitting on the house talking while my parents were on a Sunday walk up the canyon. I was just telling him how I wasn't sure what I was going to do this fall (like go to school or something else). I told him I wanted to be a part of my life but I didn't want to pressure him into marrying me if he didn't want to. I just told him that I needed to know if I was going to go to BYU or Weber State in Ogden (where he lives). You see, we have been dating for over 19 months so our relationship was getting to the point where we needed to either get married or decide on something else. Preston just sat and listened quietly when I paused for a minute and he got up and left the room! I was like "ok...." I was feeling a little mad and confused but he came back into the room and then sat down next to the couch where I was at. I was like "What??" He was acting kind of weird, he kept looking at my ring finger.. Then he slipped the ring on my finger and I was like, "Prest, what are you doing?" He said, "Oh nothing." I was like, "Well, that's something!!" Then he asked me, "Will you marry me?" I said "Heck ya!"

I am going to be Mrs. Kent sometime in August. I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Preston's Ragnar Race

Preston just signed up to run the Wasatch Ragnar Relay Race. He is trying to run every day to get in shape for the big race. It will be held on June 19-20. Read on to learn more about it.

Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back

Think of it as a 188-mile party with 12 best friends. Teams of 12 will rock out to live bands, enjoy the wacky participant costumes, and make life-long friends with teammates and competitors. Teams will party along the backside of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains from Logan (85 miles north of Salt Lake City) to Park City, Utah (15 miles east of Salt Lake City).

An Easy 178

Running three legs during a 24-hour relay race is much easier than you think. Each team member runs three legs, ranging between 3 and 8 miles. This relay race is physically demanding, but legs vary in difficulty, and runners can choose their legs. This unique relay format makes the Wasatch Back an accessible race for beginners yet challenging enough for the most competitive.

Load 'Em Up Move 'Em Out

How do you get from one exchange to the next? Each team is allowed two support vehicles. The first vehicle will drop off the first runner, drive ahead a few miles, cheer the runner on, and provide them with water, snacks, and plenty of love. That vehicle will then drive ahead to the first exchange point to drop off the second runner and pick up the first runner when that leg is complete. They will repeat this pattern for six legs until they hand off to their second vehicle. This leapfrogging pattern will continue all the way to the finish line.

Ragnar????

Ragnar was a 9th century Norse King. He was a pirate, a raider, a conqueror, an explorer, and a wild man. The tough, fearless, rugged attributes of this Norse King are shared by all who participate in a Ragnar Relay. In much the same way, a Ragnar Relay provides runners the freedom to roam, to explore - a free-spirited curiosity to get out there and experience outdoor adventure. And maybe even to conquer. And though tough or rugged may not perfectly describe you, these attributes become a goal - something to strive for.

In a Ragnar Relay the wild nature of this Norse King is embraced by many participants. Participants who aren't afraid to paint their van plaid, to bring along their own hair band, to join together in yelling as they cross the finish line. You may think that you are not one of them, but you are. Everyone has a wild side and nothing brings it out of you like a Ragnar Relay.

Long live the Ragnar in us all!

Source: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/wasatchback/index.php