We're Not dead yet...

With the news of North Korea testing nuclear weapons and denouncing the treaty, we are starting to get a bit nervous...

Somebody from the base called and asked Joe if he knew how to use his gas mask (yes we were all given gas masks when we got here). If the news stories didn't freak us out, that surely did.

We are talking about Joe and Jordy going back to the states, possibly soon.

I am not jumping up and down to be alone here for two and a half months, but would feel awful if we didn't get them to a safe place and something bad did happen.

For the next two months I will be on nights anyways- and I hardly see them when I am work nights. But it will be pretty lonesome...

This saturday we are supposed to go to China. I am hoping my leave doesn't get cancelled.

My plea to North Korea- please play nice until the 15th of June so we can have our vacation.

Lost in Seoul

I had to take an ACLS class (advanced cardiac life support) class in Seoul on Thursday and Friday. Several other people from the med group got approval to stay up at the army base where the class was being held last month so I figured I would do the same. When I turned in my papers, I was denied b/c they had spent too much money on the previous groups. I didn't think much of it and figured I would just take the bus up.

The morning of the class I arrived at the bus station at 645 ready for the 7AM bus. Much to my surprise there was no 7AM bus! So that meant I had to drive up. I stopped at the ER and got directions and I was off...

I got lost on the way to the freeway and circled around for quite a while. Then I had to sit in traffic for an hour. Finally I made it, but I was 30 minutes late. Luckily the main instructor was super nice and didn't mind that I was late.

The real problems started when I had to go home...

One wrong turn and it was over...

I realized I was going the wrong way, and tried to get off the freeway. There was a freeway exit and I figured it would lead to a street where I could turn left and get on the freeway exit on the other side....nope. Didn't happen. The off ramp was actually a link to a bridge that led across the river. Once on the other side of the river I had to choose between all kinds of other freeways that I had never heard of.

I found another bridge and took that back across the river trying to get back to the 1 freeway. Long story short, I circled the river for two hours! Going back and forth, back and forth over the river. Each time I thought it was an off ramp and took it, suddenly I was on a whole new freeway.

Frantically I called the ER to talk with one of our Korean guys. I tried to explain where I was, "I am on a freeway. There are lots of Korean people all around me. I am going under a bridge right now. I am directly under the earth's sun..." Mysteriously no one could tell me where I was, and I couldn't read any of the signs to tell them where I was.

I called Joe and had him try to look at our GPS and asked him to navigate me home. This should bring anyone who knows my husband to tears b/c Joe is the worst person at directions I have ever seen. After a few minutes of talking I realized this was a lost cause.

So it was me against the road.

I am proud to say that 2.5 hours later, running on fumes in my little Kia Avella, I eventually found my way back to the 1 highway.

In Korea they have gas stations on the side of the freeway- you don't even have to exit the freeway, just pull over to it. They are kind of positioned like rest stops. I pulled into one and got gas.

3.5 hours after I left my ACLS class on Thursday, I finally arrived at home.

By then I was fuming mad that my request to stay up at the base where the class is being held was denied. Plus, I forgot to mention, there were other people from my hospital that had their requests approved, and we were in the same class. Murderous Rage building....

P90x continues...

Last night I did the Yoga workout...I hated it. I have tried in the past to like yoga, it seemed so relaxing. When we lived in S. California, I used to get up early on Saturday to make it to a yoga class. There in the 24 hour fitness group exercise room, I would stretch and breath and hold weird body positions for one hour. At the end of it I didn't feel any fitter, stretchier, or more at peace.

Finally I had to accept the fact that I don't like yoga.

I like a workout that leaves my muscles achy, my body drenched in sweat, and when I wake up the next morning I had better feel it.

The P90x yoga workout is 90 minutes! That's right, an entire hour and a half! I only made it through 30 minutes b/c I was ready to shoot myself by then. I did add in the 10 minute ab workout afterwards out of guilt.

We'll see how today goes...legs and back day.

Everland

We went to Everland yesterday. It is the Korean Amusement Park, basically it is a gigantic rip of Disneyland. They even have a version of It's a Small World.

Jordan's favorite part was the petting zoo. Joe couldn't go into the Butterfly Garden. Actually he did go in,but had to run out almost immediately. Too many butterflies fluttering around his head. For my mom's sake, I won't post those photos (she has a crippling fear of butterflies).

Now let's try that again...

Joe and I started doing the P90x workout about two weeks ago. Then I got really sick and worked everyday for a while. I did try to keep going with the workouts, but had to stop when I had a fever and nearly dropped dead when I came home.

So now that I am fully recovered, I am trying again. Tonight I resumed the workouts.

Some of the workouts are really hard. All of them are about an hour. But the results the infomercial showed really were outstanding. Plus one of the nurses I work with had great results. He highly recommended the program.

So off we embark on another fitness goal...I will be really proud of myself if I can do the first 30 days. That is my goal, complete P30x as Joe has nicknamed it...then we will worry about the next 30 days...

The most perfect B-day picture ever!

Some of our good friend's son was having his third birthday. It was kind of a big deal since I got to be at his birth! When Stacey delivered via C-section, I got to be the baby nurse! While she was being sewn back together, I got to make sure that little Elijah was doing okay.

Now that kiddo is already 3 years old! Wow how time flies!

All of the kids were excited to eat the beautiful cake, made by Dr. Sarlay's wife. I felt just awful when Jordan walked right up to it and stuck his hand in the frosting. You had to forgive him though, it was after all his time attending a birthday party

Then when Elijah blew out the candles- he spit all over the cake! You can actually see the stream of saliva pouring out of his mouth in the picture! So hilarious! Kids are wonderful!

Here are all the wives!

And all the kids! Plus two of them are missing...

Beautiful skirt giveaway!

Hey check this out! Maybe I will win it! Milk Weed Skirt

What's in the bag?

Today was a crazy day...to make matters worse this guy came in who had cut off his finger.

Surprisingly he was very calm. He was more patient that some of the coughs and colds we had waiting to be seen.

Then the most amazing thing was when we were discussing reattaching the finger- he didn't want to be a bother! He said if it was too much trouble we didn't need to bother!

The Ortho doc came down and took a look and said just to close up the skin over the bone and to let him go home. So that is what I did.

Good News!

I have nearly recovered for the worst cold I can ever remember having. It all started last Thursday and progressively got worse until just yesterday. We are talking fever, body aches, sinus pressure, coughing all night keeping everyone up, coughing so hard I vomited (all over the bed!), losing my voice...it was wonderful. Oh did I mention that I worked still, no one to cover for me :(

So today is the first day I have felt like a human being in a long time! Hooray!

Some of my faves...

I just love the internet.

I wanted to share some of my favorite sites:

Awful Plastic Surgery is one that has all kinds of celebrities and their bad surgery. Very funny!

Evil Beet Gossip has all kinds of delicious celebrity gossip.

Enjoy!

V

Do you remember that series called "V" that was out in the early 80's?

It was the highlight of my family's week! Every Friday night we would go out to eat at Bob's Big Boy. Then we would shop at Fedco and buy all kinds of yummy snacks and chocolate. Then we would rush home and watch V!

The series was about an alien race that invaded earth. At the time it was the greatest show ever! It had great special effects and the aliens would peel off their skin- it looked so real!

My favorite part of the entire thing was the routine. I liked the dinner, shopping, and then watching a show with my entire family. For evening a week we all ate together, shopped together, and sat through an entire show. There was no fighting, no interruptions. We all got along and enjoyed eachothers company.

Now that I have my own family, I wanted to recreate the experience. After years of searching for V, I found it! I bought it, I watched it...and I must say it was a bit disappointing. What seemed like the best and most realistic special effects in 1980s are just silly by today's standards. The acting is way over the top- almost like a soap opera.

Although the show itself is a disappointment, I do really like snuggling up with Joe (and sometimes Jordy too- but most of the time he runs around playing with his cars) and spending time together. Except instead of raving about what a great show it is, we laugh at how hokey it is!

I do feel very fortunate to re-create one of my favorite childhood memories...next a houseboat trip to Lake Powell!