DIsneyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!

I totally met Mickey Mouse

Again.

I LOVED Disneyland. It was, I think, the highlight of our trip to California. Call me childish, call me small-minded, but it may very well be the happiest place on Earth. Why else do all the superbowl winners and gold-medal winners and Presidents and important people always say, "I'm going to Disneyland! (or Disney World, equally as cool as Disneyland.... but nevertheless.)" I just love Disney. I even got this fab little pin of Minnie dressed as a nurse that I keep on my badge... right next to RN. :) We totally got up early and drove in our crappy little rental car from San Diego to Anaheim to live @ Disney until like 1125PM that night, when we got back into our crappy rental and drove back to San Diego. It was a blast. 

Park Hopper?? Uh, Yes.

We did California Adventure too, just incase you were wondering. We took breaks for food and the occasional restroom break, but for the most part, we filled every minute of our day with meeting Mickey & the gang and riding neat rides and seeing fab shows. I have now met my blog quota for the word "fab" and will no longer be using it, just incase you were wondering. 

Despite forgetting to take my meclizine prior to entering the park (the medicine which keeps me from yacking after being tossed and turned about, as you do at amusement parks), I rode on. We both totally loved the Toy Story ride- It was incredible! You sit in this car with a gun and 3-d glasses and shoot at moving targets throughout the ride. The car keeps track of your score and at the end, I was victorious! It's all pretty fantastic- getting flinged around corners and swirling around, everything is 3D and wowee. It was impressive. We also loved the Indiana Jones ride, despite a minor expletive release at a climactic point in the ride. Ha! And of course, we did all the usuals.... Pirates, Haunted Mansion, etc. We could have easily filled a second day, but alas, we only had 1.

Jordan & I 

We got these little "Happy Anniversary" buttons when we first got to Disney and proudly wore them alllll day. So our anniversary was the day prior to our park adventure and all, but we were still all about the celebrating. The neat thing is, all the worker peeps... "Cast members" as they're so referred to, walk around and say happy anniversary! to us all day. It was fun :) Of course, throughout the day, I saw people with "Just Married" buttons, "Happy Birthday" buttons, "My first visit" buttons, and "I have epilepsy" buttons. Well, maybe not the epilepsy thing, but i think most everyone had a special button. It didnt make me feel any less loved, just for the record.

Mr Incredible & Mr Incredible

While our trip to the California form of Disney was short-lived, we had a pretty awesome time. I hope one day to go back, see the things we missed and ride the rides we didn't get around to. 12 hours is not enough time to do 2 parks. I would love to do Disney World again soon- havent been since 11th grade. Jordan hasnt been since he was like, 8. 

Oh and we had the most delicious lobster & shrimp ravioli.... if anyone knows where to find anything close to what they have at the Jazz Kitchen (in Downtown Disney) holy cow, let me know. mmmmMMMMmmmm delish.

Current song stuck in my head: Everyday People by Sly & the Family Stone

San Diego; A Whale's Vagina.

The view from our room

(it's hard to tell from the pic, but that's the Pacific just past the pink building)

I really enjoyed our little hotel- it was so quaint!!! It was only a block or so from the ocean, in a perfect location. It is locally owned, kind of a large B&B. They brought us yummy breakfast to our room every morning and had cookies & lemonade each afternoon (sometimes we were there for cookies, sometimes not.). La Jolla was beautiful; full of little shops and delicious restaraunts. It was very hilly- we got a workout everyday! The best & most surprising part?!? The temperature! It only got up to the 80's, I think. Most everyday it was overcast and cool with a cold breeze. It was such a nice departure from the heat of Texas. I dont think I ever took my hoodie off!

@ the Beach!

The water was freeeeezing!!! We definitely didnt swim- and I quickly ran back out of the water after this picture was taken! I may be just a bit disappointed that we didnt spend more time at the beach... we looked at it a lot, but didnt really spend a lot of time @ the beach. The La Jolla cove probably isnt the best location for laying out and sunbathing, which is usually all I do when I hit the beach. The water was super super clear- you cant tell from here, but you could see straight to the bottom! Totally gorgeous. 

The "beach"

So probably, around the corner, is a real beach that you could walk down to. This was really what things looked like in La Jolla. It was a hike between coves, can I emphasize enough the walking??? :) It really was gorgeous, breathtaking coastline. 

A partial view of the San Diego skyline

We went downtown for our anniversary and walked around the Gaslamp Quarter. I'm only slightly ashamed to say we ate at the Gaslamp Strip Club! How funny, right?!? It wasnt really a strip club, as in take-off-your-clothes strip, but new york strip, as in melt-in-your-mouth good. Although the restaurant capitalized on the strip club thing by giving the menu items fun names, among other things. It was tasty and fun and unexpected anniversary dinner! Not only did we have a new york strip, we had grilled asparagus (my fav!!!) and white truffle mac & cheese. Delish- totally delish. Pretty much all our dining experiences were great-- except maybe the Disneyland food... not so great, and crazy expensive. 

More to come........

Current song stuck in my head: watching WNTW- another fav show :)

I'm sitting in the Albuquerque airport, waiting for our next plane to board. We will be homebound once again. Isn't the last day of a wonderful vacation just the pits?? Knowing that you'll have to go back to real life after days of indulgence and frivolity, is never something to look forward to. We had an amazing time in California- it was beautiful and cold! (a welcome change from the 103-105 degree days we're having in Fort Worth. Once I get home and all our pictures are loaded, expect the next few posts to be all about our fabulous trip.

My mouth hurts. I'm talking hurts. There are times (few, but there ARE times) where I think this hurts worse than a kidney stone. I cant say about labor, but I've heard it's very painful too (everyday!) It hurts to chew, touch, brush, drink... my teeth are super sensitive now too, so even if it doesnt hurt to chew, if the food/drink isnt lukewarm, it'll hurt then too! I'm totally frustrated by all this- and I know Jordan's about ready to kick me out of the room with all my whining and complaining. I've probably totally destroyed my liver with all the NSAIDS i've been taking (with no relief) for the past week & 1/2. Either I have very little liver function, or I'm on the road to a GI bleed. Nice. I'm hoping to see the dentist (dread!!!) tomorrow, but that'll only happen if someone cancels. I dont know if I've got an abscess somewhere, or my wisdom teeth are giving me fits, or what, but there is nothing that I can do to make this pain stop! It's driving me crazy!!!!!!!!!!

Enough whining. It's time for another advil... or maybe 8. Hundred. 

Current song stuck in my head: Damaged by Danity Kane

Black

I am disappointed by the hatred in the world.

I have recently learned of a horrible thing that happened to someone so near to my heart, she and her husband are like family. The ultimate betrayal of security for her came in the form of a man who broke into her house while she was home alone. The unthinkable happened. 

My heart is broken for her, for her husband. To know what was done makes me sick to my stomach. I cant imagine what they are going through and I hate being this far away during such a time of turmoil. 

They are no longer living in the same area, but staying with family members while looking for a new place to live. I dont know if I'd ever feel comfortable someplace again, as they were in a "nice" part of town. I pray they can find a safe place to call home again soon. 

Most of all I am angry. These 2 people are some of the sweetest, most God-fearing people I know. I look up to them as a married couple and fellow sister & brother in Christ. I am angry at God for allowing this to happen. I cant imagine how to begin to pick up the pieces after something like this, how to heal, how to survive both physically, emotionally and mentally. This must be such a struggle on a new marriage, I pray that they both turn towards God in this horrible, horrible time. I can only trust that there is a silver lining in this, and somehow, God will be glorified. 

Current song stuck in my head: Heaven let your light shine down by Collective Soul

Bad Days

Generally, the response I receive when I reveal my job to new people is one of 3 things:

1."Ooooh babies!"

2."Oh my _____  just had a baby"

                    3."Wow, what a happy place to work."

I'd say about 90% of the time, #3 is correct. And then there's that other 10% that nobody ever talks about. The cases that went bad. The baby that went bad. The baby that passed away. Very few people understand that while we have some great highs in Labor & Delivery, we also have some really really low times as well, lower  (in my opinion) than other departments. 

Saturday was one of those low days. It seems like we have waves of fetal demise or IUFD patients. Some months we'll have zero, and then, like this past week, we'll have 6 deaths in 2 days. I was witness to 2 fetal deaths on Saturday, one of which was  22 weeks, born alive, but too immature to perform any life-prolonging measures. This sweet little girl, barely bigger than my hand, lived for about an hour and died in her daddy's arms. Who had to tell the family that the baby's heart stopped beating? 

Me.

Our second death was of a patient who did not speak english and was under the assumption that her baby was perfectly healthy.  She had come to the hospital having contractions, and a heartbeat was never found. She was 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I was there for that delivery as well, and this patient's sobs, her guttural wailing, her cries to God I can still hear in my head. 

Postmortem care? Me again. 

What a difficult day. After long hours and little relief and little recognition, the entire unit is in a very low place right now. I love the girls I work with and it's what gets me up in the morning. We work so very hard for our patients and there seems to be little changing to ease the burden we're all carrying. So yesterday afternoon, in a "secret/anonymous" meeting with our hospital directors, we all cried out together. An hour and a half of venting and crying, cursing and screaming and I think they got the picture of what was really going on. The problems that aren't going further than our immediate supervisors and managers, and the underhanded things they've been doing to keep the unit looking perfect.  Our directors cried with us and gained a lot of respect from the nurses in attendance. I will be more hopeful when changes start occuring. I don't know one person that I work with who is not worked to the bone and ready to throw in the towel. We all expected things to be crazy and chaotic in the beginning, but now we've been open and operating for over 3 months and had well over 1,000 babies. Things should no longer be crazy and chaotic.  

And my mouth hurts.  And my eyes still itch. 

I just had to throw those last 2 in for good measure. As if I werent already feeling bad enough for myself! 

On a positive... We leave in 3 days for sunny California.

Current song stuck in my head: I kissed a girl by Katy Perry

The countdown has begun

10 Days Left!!!

Current song stuck in my head: Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk

7th Inning Stretch

Rangers Ballpark

Gooooooooo Braves!!!!

Braves Win 5-2!!!

The Boys (minus Greg... or Shannon)

We had so much fun on Jordan's birthday! Of course, it always helps when the hometown boys win the game :) It was my first Rangers game, and it was great (and hot! 100+ degrees! Yikes!!!). We loved getting to love on our friends- some newer than others, but still wonderful! And what tops the evening off better than a cookie cake, ice cream and lots of Wii playing?!! We had a few friends over after the game for a while to continue our celebrating. I think we were the only Braves fans in the group, but our Rangers friends were pretty good losers :) But then again, who's going to argue with the birthday boy???

Birthdays for Jordan are always more fun than my own birthday- and more meaningful too. He makes a big deal about his birthdays, but instead of chiding him for acting childish, it humbles me. Nobody expected him to live past 15, much less 25. So every birthday is a celebration- for real!

Current song stuck in my head: the What Not to Wear theme music (it's on now)