Chubbie's

That is one HUGE burger!
All the fixins' on Chubbie.

For one final treat at my parent's house, we decided to take Josh for a surprise treat! Chubbies has fantastic burgers that are the size of your plate! He had no clue what I was ordering for him, and was shocked when his burger came! He WAS able to defeat his challenge!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Emma & Eva!

"Mom, seriously, only TWO more pictures."

Hooray for presents! Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas to Me.

I have mastitis. Again. Please pray for my boob. I am in a lot of pain, and feel terrible. Ugh.

Remember When.....

Remember when I was complaining about Josh and his Fantasty Football crap?

Well, I have had a change of heart. Josh has been in the "superbowl" for fantasty football every single year that he has played. He has always gotten at least his money back for playing, and usually won some extra cash. This year, his league decided to "up the anty" and guess what--he is in the Superbowl again. He is 3 points behind his opponent, but Josh has 2 players yet to play tonight in the Packers v. Bears game. If the Bears defense and Josh's best wide receiver (Greg Jennings) score 4 points, Josh will win a LARGE sum of money. He called me last night and told me not to spend the money yet, but that I should start figuring out what I want!!!!! Yippee!

O.M.G., I am so nervous. Go Bears defense, and go Greg Jennings!

Northwestern Today: Natural Care for Those in Need

Northwestern Health Sciences University is working with the Volunteers of America of Minneapolis, Minn., to provide more accessible natural health care to the elderly in the community. Volunteers of America has provided $150,000 to Northwestern’s Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies to produce a one-of-a-kind project, focusing on the organization’s services for the elderly. According to Roni Evans, MS, DC, dean of research at Northwestern, this is more of a demonstration project versus a research study. She says, “The primary goal is to determine the feasibility of developing a sustainable and replicable model for providing integrated chiropractic, acupuncture and massage services for Volunteers of America’s elderly residents.”
According to Dr. Evans, the integrated services will be offered to elderly residents with varying degrees of impaired physical and mental function. Some of the residents are in transitional care and are expected to return to their own homes; others are in assisted living, long-term care, or memory care. “We would like the Volunteers of America residents to experience an increased function and quality of life through our services,” says Dr. Evans.
According to the United States Government Census Bureau, by the year 2030 nearly 25 percent of the United States population will be age 65 or older, while the population of citizens ages 85 and older is expected to triple in the next 40 years. Dr. Evans explains, “The older society gets, the greater their health care needs become.
The preparations for the project began in September 2008, placing chiropractic, acupuncture and massage fellows in the Volunteers of America facilities.

The fellows involved are: Lori Baldwin, LAc; Deanna Benson NCTMB; Cara Borggren, DC; Corrie Vihstadt, LAc; Jodell Skaufel, DC; and Kristine Westrom, MD.
Included in the process is: Establishing doctors’ orders, developing methods for sharing information and documenting services, and identifying resource needs. This needs to be done before services are offered to the residents. Dr. Evans says, “There is so much potential for natural health care professions to meet the needs of the elderly and, through integration with other health professions, establish a greater role in the larger health care system.”
Mark Zeigler, DC, president of Northwestern, says, “I am excited about the opportunity to work with Volunteers of America. I look forward to what this can mean to our profession when the project is done.”
“Everybody is working very hard so that we can begin offering services to Volunteers of America residents by the end of January 2009,” says Dr. Evans. There are several things to be accomplished before services are offered. According to Dr. Evans, “Among the most important is learning more about the Volunteers of America’s facilities and how we may best help them meet their needs in caring for their elderly residents. We look forward to expanding chiropractic, acupuncture, Oriental medicine, massage services, and practice-based research in more facilities in the future."

Eva--9 Months

Family Photo Shoot!

Our first ever family photo shoot! Great job, Joy!

[Not sure why they are so small--I had issues when scanning. You will have to click on the image to see them enlarged, if you want!]

Happy 35th Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

Thank you for the example that you have shown us.....

Merry Christmas from the Borggrens'!

Disney On Ice

A fantastic performance by Mickey & Friends!
Josh and the girls at the Excel Energy Center

Eva was at first mesmerized by the show, but then drifted sweetly off to sleep in Daddy's arms!

Da'Montae--3 Months

Caite and Montae at Thanksgiving.

My favorite Godson at 3 months.

Don't you just want to squeeze him?

Fa La La, Fa La La

Our computer is broken.
Our T.V. is getting fixed on Tuesday.
Tra La La.....

However, a big announcement to come on Tuesday, and no, I'm not pregnant.

Humble Me.

Today I had an experience that tested every sense from within my body, from smells, to sights, to heart-breaking sensations, and an opportunity to utilize my healing touch. I worked all day at the Minneapolis Convention Center at the Project Homeless Connection. We serviced over 3,000 homeless people and their families with health care, a warm meal, hot Starbucks coffee, tools to get kids in schools, resources to find employment, new glasses, massages, warm coats, fillings in cavities, and chiropractic care, to name a few. I was one of 3 physicians that triaged and adjusted lines long of hurting people. I personally cared for over 50 individuals, and received homeless hugs, blessings, high-fives, and tears after a quick 5-minute hands-on experience. I had no clue there were this many homeless people in the U.S, much less the city of Minneapolis. How thankful I am to come home to a much-taken-for-granted warm home.....

I am a changed woman, and a much more empathetic doctor.

Happy Thanksgiving, Joy!

We Are Such Bad Parents.

Eva, in a bag.
"Hey, guys, it's me!"

"Seriously, let me out!"

You Know You Have Good Friends.....

.....when you get this e-mail in reply to your "Thanks A Ton" e-mail:

"Oh, you are so welcome! We had a blast!
And don't worry about Eva's toy snatching! LOL--I'm sorry Shirley is an eye-poker. Yeesh.
And no, there's no WAY I'm going to take your money--we're friends. I had so much fun, that the next time you need someone, I'd better be your first call! Emma is SO sweet! She wasn't too thrilled to wake up to me. She said, "I want my Cara and Josh." It melted my heart! But she was happy to help with Baby Surrey and Eva was just so incredibly sweet.
Thanks for a fun morning!
E."

Thank you, Erin and Surrey. We love our Auntie Erin....., and can't wait to return the favor!

Erin, can I have permission to post this?

Stuff.

A lot of busy-ness has been going on--here are some updates.

~My brother-in-law, Jon, is now home and is being treated for a fungal pneumonia. Please pray for continued healing. Thank you to all of my prayer warriors for getting our family through this trial.
~My grandpa does have Lymphoma, which they are not going to treat. It seems to be slow-progressing, but in his frail state, we are praying for comfort for him. I hope to see him one last time over the Christmas holiday.
~I have SO MUCH to be thankful for.
~Josh is awaiting news about his future career endeavors. OMG.
~I now have a house cleaner. I cannot tell you how wonderful this is. I feel so liberated, and able to be more effective when I am home.
~Our Nanny is amazing. We love Joy all around.
~We have 30 people to buy Christmas gifts for. I am over half way done. Go me.
~I have been treating a lot of patients out of my house. Love it. Love helping people. Love it.
~I have SO MUCH to be thankful for.
~Emma has been reciting her ABC's for about a month now. It is hilarious--make sure you ask her about it when you see her. Oh, and ask her to sing, "Ring Around the Rosie" while you are at it..... You won't be disappointed.
~Eva's new nickname is Roozer, short for "Squish-A-Roozer."
~My parents, sister, and nephew are coming this weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday. Can't wait--but I foresee a blog on Monday morning titled, "My Townhouse is TOO Small." Watch for it.
~I have SO MUCH to be thankful for.
~We are going to join a gym--just don't know which one yet.
~My favorite class of students graduated this past weekend from Northwestern's College of Chiropractic. I miss them already.
~I have SO MUCH to be thankful for.....

"Eva, Show Us Your New Teeth!"

"Nah, but I'll show you my big blue eyes..."
"Can you see them, Mom?"

"No, please don't squish my cheeks open."

"How 'bout my tongue, wanna see that?"

"Hey Mom, I'll show MY teeth!"

Pizza Debachle

Josh and I were taking a very important phone call upstairs this past weekend while enjoying our weekly "Pizza & Movie Night." We left our smorgusboard sprawled on the coffee table. A few minutes into the intense phone call, Emma came running upstairs:

"Guys, Eva's eating pizza!!!"

We hurried downstairs to find Eva enjoying her first few bites of heaven--and laughing! She had apparently gotten out of her seat (she was enjoying a bottle when we left), crawled over to the coffee table, reached the pizza box, pulled it down, smeared and picked at pizza, and enjoyed her feast..... Needless to say, we had a huge mess--but a content baby!

Emma's Favorite Place to Watch Cartoons.....

An Answer To Our Prayers.....

Update: Now ALL biopsy tests have come back negative, yet they are confident that something is obviously wrong. They are sending his biopsy slides to the University of FL, and will present his case at a conference on Friday for collaboration. Please continue to pray.....

Preliminary results of Jon's biopsy are indicating that there is no detectable cancer in his body, and that his health concerns are likely due to a bacterial infection that is secondary to a fungal infection of his lungs. He is going back home to IL tomorrow! Praise God. Thank you all for making this miracle a reality for our family. Jon, we love you, and can't wait to see you well again! Come visit us on your time off from work! :)

When It Rains, IT POURS.

It has been an interesting week. My brother-in-law, Jon, is still hospitalized in Florida. They have ruled out Tuberculosis, which would have been the most infectious option, but can't seem to effectively rule out metastesis and other infections. He is having a lung biopsy tomorrow, so hopefully a conclusion will be made early next week.

In other depressing news, my Grandpa, who successfully had a pacemaker installed on Tuesday, was told that the post-op x-rays showed a tumor on his lungs, which appears to be a form of cancer called Lymphoma. His biopsy will also be tomorrow, which will predict prognosis and provide a treatment plan.

And to top things off, Josh is absolutely miserable at his job, and has decided that his new career cannot come soon enough. [Have I mentioned that he successfully took professional courses to become a licensed insurance producer (agent), passed his licensure exams the first try, all while working 55+ hours a week, taking classes on his days off, and effectively being a father? Yeah, I am beaming with pride.....]

Yet, the first thing that comes to my mind:

Be still, and know that I AM GOD.

Prayers For My Bro!

My brother-in-law and his beautiful bride have been honeymooning in Daytona Beach, FL this past week. Jon got very ill over the weekend, and has been in isolation in a hospital down there while they batter him through tests to find a diagnosis. The parents have all flown down there to show support and be by his side. Please pray for my family as we await results. And don't forget Megan, who has patiently waited by his side. What a honeymoon it has been (not), and what a terrible way to start a marriage--with thousands of dollars in medical bills. We just pray that the diagnosis will be a curable one, so that the two of them can continue on their journey of marital bliss.

Opportunites.....

My time as a Chiropractic Resident is nearing an end. My contract ends in August. My, how fast three years can go..... While I have been told that there will be an offer for me when I conclude my residency to continue employment at NWHSU as a professor and practicing clinician, I am cognizant of the fact that the economy is struggling. However, I have been blessed with one final departing experience.

Beginning in October, I made a commitment with the Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies to be a research fellow for a pilot study with the Volunteers of America, delivering chiropractic services to 2 very different establishments in Edina and Eden Prairie. One is an assisted living facility, and the other is a facility that houses long-term care patients, memory care patients (dementia and Alzheimer's), and a transitional care unit, which is basically an off-shoot of a post-op hospital setting. I will be collaborating with another chiropractor, a massage therapist and 2 acupuncturists to offer innovative treatments to these populations, beginning in January. In the meantime, I have gotten to be a part of the developmental stages of designing this research project with our renowned research department. A study of this nature has never been completed in this capacity before, and I am blessed to be given this opportunity, especially at a time where experiences on my resume could make the difference for future employment opportunities....

A Message From the Universe?

I worked a 14-hour day yesterday, and barely saw Emma when I got home at 10pm last night, and didn't get to see Eva at all yesterday. I was hurried-ly getting ready for work this morning, and had these encounters with my babies:

Eva: Awoke with a huge smile when she saw my face, then reached out her arms, and hugged me for several minutes. She is 8 months old, people.

Emma: Peeped her head up as I was kissing her good-bye, and said "Hi Mommy. Are you leaving me again?"

Needless to say, I am spending the weekend with my girls.....

Family Wedding Fun

Mr. & Mrs. Jon Clark (Josh's brother)
Emma getting her hair done!

Up-do fun!

Megan and her adorable veil and 'do

Bridesmaids' Fun!

Me and mine

Beautiful Bride!

Flowergirl #1!

All dressed up!

Tired of pictures already?

Me and my new sister!

Sisters, daughters and nieces!

Flowergirl #2!

Attempt 12,654 at a family photo!

Daddy's Little Angel

Kisses!

My Mom & I

Thanks, Mom, for helping so much with the girls! :)

Bride & Groom

Picture time!

My Squish.

Still tired, but still happy!

Papa's Girls!

Emma & Owen (Ringbearer) on the dance floor!

Cute--"best friends" by the end of the night!