Joe & Katrina Inc.

2012....Thank God you are here!!

2012-01-07T05:37:00.001-08:00

.

Wow, I haven't posted in six months....

Finally I understand why my mother never finished my baby book. Life with two kids, a full time job, and maintaining a healthy marriage....is exhausting. It doesn't leave much time for such luxuries as blogging!!

Between work, kids, and maintaining the house... I am a dead woman by the end of the day. Most of the the house looks like a bomb hit it. The sad thing is that I hardly notice the mess anymore! I just plop myself down on the couch, too tired to care! As long as the kids are alive, fed, and somewhat happy- we are good!

I am so happy for 2012 because this is the year I get out of the military!! Hooray! We are planning on moving back to California at the end of the year, once I am a free woman. It is overwhelming to think of so many changes in one year...but I have been dreaming of getting out of the military since Day 1!!

Jordan is now 4 1/2. He is so much fun! His talking is so much better, you would have hardly guess he was a mute until the age of nearly 3!! He is busy all the time. He goes to preschool and has finally stopped hitting everyone! Finally he is getting past the terrible twos and tyrannical threes. He is just like his daddy, loves video games and electronics. He knows how to work the iPad better than me! Also just like Daddy, he is a safety freak. Always needs to have everybody safely buckled in to car seats, strollers, etc.

Claire is 18 months, and is such a little sweetheart. She loves animals and always tries to hug Pez, and wrap her up in the blankie. Pez is tolerant of her, but runs away at the first chance she gets. Claire is also learning to talk very quickly! Everyday she learns new words! Claire is quite the little drama queen- if you tell her no she wails and covers her face with her hands like it is the end of the world! Sometimes she will throw herself on the floor in a fit of rage! Joe will tell her "Stop It!" and immediately she does!

Certainly life with kids is a lot more work & much more exhausting than life before kids, but it is worth it (at least that is what I am telling myself)...

This year I am hoping to get caught up on scrap-booking. I have fallen so far behind! Also I would like to keep up with the blog... We'll see how it goes!

2011-06-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out my email, and I found this one from 2005! It is when we first moved to Nebraska! What a blast from the past. We have really changed so much since then.

Hello Everyone!
Well we survived the drive out here, it was not fun....but we did it! We left on Tuesday morning really early and got to nebraska Thursday afternoon. We were able to find our new apartment complex with no trouble. Our apartment is fully furnished-rather nicely too, but it is on the third floor. Joe nearly killed himself carrying all of our stuff up three flights of stairs!

Within ten minutes of being here I got bitten by a mosquito. We went to the super Target to go grocery shopping and I got bit while loading up the car. It swelled up to the size of a grapefruit! Well not really, more like a raisin, but damn does that thing itch! Since then I have been covered in bug spray and clutching my citronella candle at all times.

The people here are different. They are all so polite and friendly. Joe was walking the shopping cart back to the front of the store when a lady offerred to take it for him, we were floored! Then when we couldn't find a place on base, one of the employees who was on his lunch walked us all the way across the parking lot two buildings over to show us where it was. People sure are nice here, except for the people who live in our apartment comlex. They are probably the biggest bunch of jerks I have ever run into! One lady nearly had a coronary because we parked in a parking spot that was not ours while we were unloading our stuff. It wasn't even here space, I don't know if she is the parking lot monitor but it was completely uncalled for! Our immediate next door neighbor would rather die than say hello to us, I make a point of saying hello to her everytime I see her. Yesteerday I nearly broke my arm trying to flag the unfriendly old biddy down, just to say hi!

The weather is also different. Yesterday there was a warning on the television to look out for "golf ball sized hail". Now we didn't see any, but were glad no one in our building received a subdural hematoma from direct trauma to the head from said golf ball sized hail, because it sure would be a crying shame if those kind people were hurt.....

In an attempt to make this place feel more like home, we joined the gym. We got the super duper package that includes five sessions with a personal trainer. Joe had his first session today. While I was relaxing in the pool, Joe apparently hit the deck. I was lazily doing laps when I saw Rodney, Joe's trainer, coming in to the pool area to report that "Joe had to lay down". I got out of the pool and came around to the free weight room to see Joe, pale and sweaty with the "emergency towel" around his neck. He kept muttering "I don't know what happened....what happened...happened...." A few minutes later he recovered from his strenuous workout of playing patty cake...no just kidding he was actually lifting weights :) We came back to our apartment and I made him some lunch. He seems back to normal now.

We had hoped that our house would be ready soon, but one drive by our place and all of our dreams were stomped all over. I think that Jennifer said it best, "It looks like a bomb shelter". And it does. we have a big hole in the ground where the basement will, and walls around it, and that's it!!!! Allegedly once the basement is done things will go very fast, at least that is the crap the sales lady is telling us! So we may be in our apartment for a while, I know the parking monitor will be pleased!

I start work tomorrow. I am really glad that I did a rotation here back in September so I know my way around and know some of the attending doctors already, otherwise I would be really nervous. As it is I am only at mild panic. I am the only female resident the Air Force has this year, and that sucks. I got a copy of the schedule for the first month and they have something extremely shocking at the end of the it.....so shocking I am not sure if I can write it.....okay I will...a fitness test!!!! I have to be ready to run 1.5 miles, do push ups, and sit ups!!! I don't know if I will make it in my current state of flabbiness. I better get back to the gym!!

Surviving in Nebraska,
Katrina & Joe

Disney World- Magic Kingdom

2011-04-29T03:54:00.001-07:00

We took Jordan to Disney this week. Claire stayed with Grandma. I felt bad leaving her, but thought she wouldn't like being outside in the heat all day.

Jordan loved it! He ran us all over! He went on all the rides, except Haunted Mansion (he's afraid of the dark). After Splash Mountain he said, "That was really scary!"
But right after that he wanted to go on Big Thunder Mountain.

By the end of the day, Joe and I were draggin...But there was Jordan bouncing all over the place. Even when we were walking to our car, he was jumping over the cones in the parking lot!

But as soon as he was in his car seat, he was asleep before we even made it out of the parking lot!

What a Weekend!

2011-04-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend Joe had finals for his Physical Therapy program. He was so stressed out, hardly sleeping, and even more scatter brained than usual. The entire week he was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Finally Thursday night, everything came to a head, prompted by a horrible tooth ache. Unfortunately for Joe, he had a tooth that had been bothering him for months, but the dentist didn't want to do a root canal.

Friday morning I got up and Joe looked like hell. His eyes were blood shot, he hadn't slept at all! I felt awful leaving him with both kids to go to work :(

Later he called to say that he was having an "emergency root canal". They gave him percocett for the pain. He was supposed to drive to St. Augustine later that night (2.5 hour drive). I pictured my poor sleep deprived husband all hopped up on percocett driving off a bridge!

I left work early and drive him up to St. Augustine. He slept the entire way. After we finally got to the hotel where he was going to stay, he realized he forgot his backpack!

I just felt awful for him. Here he was so stressed out, in pain, on narcotic pain meds, and just losing it.

The only thing I could do to help him, was to drive all the way back home, get the back pack and bring it to him! So I did it!

I spent over 7 hours driving on Friday! I was so sick of driving!

Joe did great over the weekend, even with all the drama. He passed all his tests!

I'm Baaackkkk....

2011-03-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

So I haven't blogged in quite a while...

Several contributing factors caused my deliquency... First having two kids and working full time is extremely exhausting! I don't know how women do it! Some women make it look so easy, but don't be fooled! My house is a constant wreck! I haven't worn make up since the baby was born!

Also, my computer died! I have debated endlessly whether to get my laptop fixed, but Joe ended up getting a new laptop, I got the hand me down. So as silly as it sounds, I don't have my old bookmarks on this one, so I just kind of forgot about blogging!

At work, my responsibilities keep growing! I keep trying to cram triple the work into the same amount of time (who wants to spend more time at work- especially when I don't get paid for overtime!). That means I bring some stuff home to do after the kiddos are in bed.

Jordan now stays with my mom during the week (Claire does too) rather than daycare (separate post on this later), so when we get him home I take him out to play with the neighbor kids a lot more. I am still trying to keep him social! That means when I get home, I am outside pretty much nonstop playing. On the plus side, I have lost weight and am back to a size 6...but the house is falling apart.

Joe started school in January. He studies like a maniac all week. Poor guy can not multi-task to save his life. He does his best, but it isn't like before when he cleaned and cooked...That is mostly me these days. On Mondays and Fridays when he is home, he still does everything, which is wonderful!

Vacation Is Wonderful!!

2011-01-14T16:10:00.001-08:00

This last week, I had off! And it was just wonderful!

My best friend, Jennifer, came down to visit and meet Baby Claire. After a week of screaming children, temper tantrums, diaper changes, and night terrors, I think she has already scheduled her hysterectomy. She did great though handling all the chaos that is my family!

We started out the week in St. Augustine. Joe started his PT (physical therapy) program there. To save on hotels, I found a hostel called Casa Yallaha, and we all stayed there. I thought it was okay, but Joe nicknamed it Casa No-way-in-hella. It was very clean, but the people there looked like homeless people and kind of reminded him of a house for people just getting out of prison. Everyone was nice enough, and I really enjoyed the experience. It was fun talking with the other guests and hearing about their travels. One guy was riding his bike with a friend from Key West to California!

While Joe was at school, Jenn and I took the kids on the dreaded Red Train. The Red Train is a tour tram that goes through 22 stops through St. Augustine. Jordan loves it and pitches the hugest fit everytime we got off. Jennifer was good sport and tolerated the damn train. We stopped for lunch, and Jennifer drank her weight in beer. After we were juiced up we resumed the train riding. After damn near six hours riding the train, Jordan still wanted more. I could take no more, and Jennifer threatened to jump out of the moving train. We returned to the hostel and then met up with Joe for dinner.

The next day, Jenn and I packed up screaming children and headed for home. I thought that Jordan would drive us all insane asking for the Red Train!

During the week we went on an air boat ride, which was really fun. Jordan saw lots of alligators!

We rounded out the week of fun by all getting sick. Jordan keeps telling us that
his nose is "raining".

I was sad to see Jenn go back home. Hopefully she won't swear off having children due to my temper tantrum terror named Jordan!

Christmas Dinner Cooking Fiasco!

2010-12-27T09:36:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas, I planned on cooking a ham. My mom makes great sauerkraut (not sure if I spelled that right?) so I wanted a delicious ham to go along with it. I also wanted to make yams and apples, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, crescent rolls, and gravy. The day of cooking started off well with all kinds of peeling of potatoes.

While that was going on, I already had the ham in the oven. I used my old friend LaLa's recipe, which calls for a lot of liquid (not allowed to share what kind as I am sworn to secrecy).

The ham was smelling great, the potatoes were almost all the way peeled....things were running smoothly until I needed to run the garbage disposal to flush all those peelings down the drain. They just wouldn't go! I kept shoving and the water kept coming back up....confused I kept switching off and on the disposal when I felt something cold on my foot.

Much to my dismay, water was running out from under the sink. I opened the cabinet to reveal the holy hell of potato peeling explosion under the sink!

Just then Joe was coming around the corner, I popped my head up to stop him before he saw the horrible mess I made. To those that don't know, just one year ago I convinced Joe that based on a video I saw on youtube, we could replace our kitchen sink ourselves. Three horrific days later, hundreds of gallons of water on our floor later, and at least a million swears, Joe completed the project and vowed to kill me if I ever suggested something like that again. So you can imagine me not being thrilled at just messing up the plumbing with potato peeling explosion.

"Joe, before you see what I just did, I want you to remember that I love you!" I shouted.

He looked down, and asked, "Did you throw-up in there?"

I just started laughing because, really, it did look like vomit!

I explained what had happened, we laughed, and started to clean it up...that is when I smelt something burning. I looked in the oven, and the ham was bubbling over and smoke was pouring out of the oven.

Oh crap! I got some oven mitts and started to move the ham to the stove top- spilling boiling ham juice everywhere.

Just then the baby started screaming because Jordan hit her with his new helicopter that Santa brought (not on purpose, he's just a terrible flier).

So there we were, potato peelings up to our ankles, ham juice spilling everywhere, Jordan screaming fix it, baby screaming...

The phone rang and it was my mom. Joe answered and told her "Get over here now, it's bad over here!"

I just started laughing, he sounded so dramatic, " It's bad over here!"

My mom showed up in ten minutes all in a panic. By then we had things mostly under control!
She took a picture of the carnage and left laughing so hard! Fortunately we didn't ruin the ham, Joe fixed the sink, baby sister recovered from the helicopter to the head, and the helicopter still flies, so Jordan is thrilled.

Merry Christmas

Playing Catch up

2010-11-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

Life with two kids has been chaotic, but wonderful. I am so busy all the time, and hardly get a moment. Now I finally understand why there are always tons of pictures of the first child, and barely any of the second- we are just too busy!

Claire is already four months, weights 14 pounds, and rolls over. She is starting to giggle as well!

Jordan loves jets and planes. We took him to the air show, and he had a great time until they got really loud. Then he cried and insisted on going to "Jordy's House".

Great Weekend!

2010-11-01T18:21:00.001-07:00

After a really rough week of Jordan's tantrums, we needed a break. Thankfully I had decided earlier to take Thursday and Friday off, and we went to Sea World on Friday.

The weather was just perfect, Jordan behaved like an angel, the park wasn't too crowded, everything was just perfect....except I forgot the camera!

Jordan loved the kiddy roller coaster, the Shamu Express. I thought it would be a mild ride, but was wrong. Immediately after a slow climb to the top, the ride suddenly banked left, my glasses fell off my head (thankfully I caught them), and from my blurred vision it looked like Jordan was going to fall out of the ride! I grabbed him and he laughed and screamed so hard! As soon as the ride was over he screamed, "More Again, More AGAIN!!!"

So Joe took him at least ten times on that roller coaster, mommy recovered in the shade from the scare of watching her baby fall out of the ride!

We had so much fun, and it was wonderful to just enjoy my little boy again.

Saturday we had a party for my mom's birthday, which was a successful surprise!

Sunday we went to the Air Show. Jordan loved the beginning of it, but was scared to death of the really loud jets. I just felt awful for him as I was holding the baby, who was also shrieking from the loud noise, and saw Jordan drop to the ground into a little ball! I grabbed him and held them both, while they both cried! We left immediately!

But after nap, Jordan seemed to have recovered. He asked again about the big jets...tough kid!

Evening rolled around and Jordan didn't want to wear his costume. I thought he could pass out candy, but when kids started arriving he grabbed his pumpkin bucket and wanted to go. Joe was jumping up and down to go to (he is really just a huge child!). So they both went, in regular clothes, and had a blast! I stayed home with Claire and passed out candy.

Jordan came so proud of his candy bucket! What a cutie!

Post-Partum Depression is Finally Working For me!!

2010-10-03T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have a long history of depression and have been pretty open about it to most people. Being in Health Care I feel kind of an obligation to be open about it to possibly be a model for someone else. That way if they were struggling they might come forward because I talk to openly about my struggles.

All through High School, College, Med School and now...that damned depression has followed. Finally though it is paying me back in a big way....after taking so many days of my life, it will give me 180 back.

After having Jordan I got pretty depressed. Of course it didn't help that I was fat as a pig after having him, then turned 30 on top of it! It took a while to recover and return to my baseline. So after having Claire I kind of expected it. Certain family issues compounded the issue, plus going back to work to find my responsibilities ever increasing did not help my mood any. Also Jordan has hit the Tyranical Threes.

I was feeling overwhelmed, completely miserable from one day to the next, and buying wine like crazy. I just wanted to sleep all the time, which is usually my M.O. when I am depressed.

After realizing I was falling into my old habits, I called my doctor (a P.A. who works on the other side of my clinic) to up the dose of my antidepressant (Zoloft). He wasn't available so I spoke to his nurse, who put in the Rx.

Three days later, my boss called me into his office. I thought I was in trouble b/c I had left a bit early the day before, but instead he told me I was getting DEPLOYED!

Six months. Of. My. Life. Gone.

I broke down and started crying on the spot. I asked how they could do this, I just had a baby! I am still breast feeding! I can't go, I wailed!

My boss asked about my health status and if there was any medical reason I couldn't deploy. I told him about my depression and post-partum depression and medical changes....then a miracle happened.

The military has a rule that if you adjust any anti-depressant, you are not deployable for six months! Hooray!

This doesn't mean I will never deploy, but at least it will buy me some more time with my little girl. I can't bear to leave her now. I can't imagine what deploying would do to me, to her, to Joe, to Jordan.

So thank you Depression, finally you are giving something back!

Hooray for Potty Training!

2010-09-26T17:45:00.001-07:00

After months and months of waiting for Jordan to take some interest in the potty himself, I gave up.

I decided that I couldn't afford two kids in diapers, and changing two kids all day was exhausting. So we decided to do Potty Training Boot Camp! This method was given to us by our friend Angela.

Basically we picked a long weekend and went to work. I had a four day weekend over labor day, so we chose that one.

We started bright and early Friday morning! We got the big boy underwear on Jordan, and every twenty minutes we fought him to sit on the potty. It was horrible, to say the least. The kid is incredibly determined and strong willed. By noon I had enough, and told Joe I was gonna go to work! But we stuck it out and kept going. Finally by the end of the day he did pee on the potty!

By Saturday afternoon he got the idea. By Monday he was a pro. It has been now three weeks, and he is doing pretty well. He does have the occasional accident, and we are using Pull-ups at night (mostly b/c I get so little sleep with Claire, I didn't want to add bet wetting issues into the mix).

Hooray for Jordan!

Claire @ 2.5 months

2010-09-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

My little girl has grown so much already. At her 2 month appt she already weights 11.6lbs! She's a chubby little thing!

She already is quite the little diva! She loves bubble baths. Sometimes the only way I can get her to stop fussing is to put her in a bubble bath! She kicks her feet around and smiles and laughs so cute!

Claire also loves to lay in her crib and watch the mobile go round. She laughs so hard at Tigger, Pooh, Piglet, and Eeyore go around and around. I wish that I could be so entertained by those guys swirling around above my bed.

Although she can't sit up on her own yet, she certainly tries. If she is laid down on the floor she looks like she is doing crunches trying to sit up!

She already tries to talk, making all kinds of cute little noises and coos. She is a perfect little angel!

Jordan Turns 3

2010-09-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my little boy turned 3.

I can't believe how much he has changed, how fast the time has gone by, and most of all how much I love that little boy.

My whole world revolves around my kids! Jordan is an amazing little guy. He has changed so much in the past year.
- He started out at age 2 barely speaking, to being a chatterbox now.

-He loves dinosaurs, trains, anything with wheels, and baby sister!

-He is very sensitive and oohhhhsss and ahhhsss over tender moments on tv.

-He loves ice cream and keeps getting it out of the freezer and bringing it to us to get him some.

- He just moved up to the preschool class and loves it!

-He still doesn't sleep through the night, in fact baby sister sleeps much better than he does!

-He is very strong willed! He likes to do things his way.

-He can count to 12 and knows most of the abc's. Pretty amazing for a kid that hardly spoke 5 words six months ago!

-He has me wrapped around his little finger!

His birthday party was fun. Jordan didn't understand why all kinds of people were in our house and screamed bloody murder when we sang to him! It was cute and thankfully I got it all on video!

Looking Backwards...

2010-08-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Whenever my dad is dreading something he says he is "looking backward to it" rather than looking forward to it.

Now it is my turn....I am definitely looking backward to going back to work.

I have been home since mid-June and going back to work is definitely going to be hard. It has been wonderful to be home with the beautiful baby Claire. She is such a good baby, and already sleeps better than Jordan!

It has been nice to spend a lot of time with Jordan as well. He has been wonderful with the baby! This weekend Jordan turns 3! I am excited to see how he likes his party.

Not that leaving my kiddos for 8+ hours a day is bad enough, I also am having to deal with all kinds of headaches at that job of mine. My poor team has been dealing with all kinds of crap at work in my absence and are anxious to get me back. My first three days are filled up with the most annoying patients! Somehow I will get through this week...it is gonna be rough though!

Name Change

2010-08-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't plan ahead....

When I started this blog, I didn't plan for future children. And let's face it, calling the blog Jordy's Mommy isn't fair to Claire or any future offspring.

I am very sensitive to the second child syndrome. You know what I mean all you second and third children out there. The first kid has thousands of pictures, second has a few, and third is lucky to have any at all.

So that is why I have changed the name of my blog, and am promising to have just as many pictures of Claire as I do of Jordan!

Claire Olivia

2010-07-27T14:56:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the long delay....but finally here are pictures of our new bundle.

Quickly a recap of how she arrived:
Just when I could take being pregnant no longer I spent the day crying and whining to Joe. It was a Sunday night and Joe suggested that I call my OB first thing Monday and asked to be induced. I said I would think about it. I went to go lay down, but couldn't get comfortable from throbbing back pain.

After an hour of shifting around uncomfortably, I got the heating pad with no help. Then I finally realized that the throbbing pain seemed to be coming in a pattern....yes I know I am a doctor, but sometimes we are pretty dense!

I told Joe about the contractions, and the fact that I started spotting, and off to the hospital we went. I didn't think they would keep me, and was sure that I would be back home in no time. We got to the hospital at 1030 pm, and by 9AM we had a baby girl!

She was 7lbs 13oz, 20.5 inches long, and cute as a button! She looked just like Jordan when he was born, and like her older brother she didn't cry either!

Misery

2010-06-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

I am now at 38 weeks and 3 days....and every second is misery.

My feet and hands are swollen, my back is killing me, I am exhausted and not sleeping well.

When will this hell end?

Atlantis Shuttle Launch

2010-05-16T05:31:00.000-07:00

On Friday was the Atlantis Shuttle's last launch. Since I had the afternoon off, Joe and I decided to head up to Cape Canaveral (about 30 minutes away) and watch it.

We went to my work team's monthly lunch first. It was at a Japanese resteraunt. So after loading up on soy sauce and plenty of salt, we headed up there. We made it just in time to see the shuttle launch.

It was an amazing thing to see! So much smoke, noise, power!

All that amazement lasted about 15 minutes...then it took us 2 hours to drive back to the base to pick up Jordan from day care.

Unfortunately it was in bumper to bumper traffic. There were people everywhere! Just when we were in the middle of wall to wall traffic, the soy sauce hit us. We were so thirsty! There was no where to stop...it was miserable. Finally we did find a McDonalds, thank God for McDonalds!

Overall, it was amazing to see the shuttle launch, but it was miserable getting back. I would recommend watching on TV!

Success!!!

2010-05-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

I finally got Joe to quit the gym! It is not that I am against the gym, it is just spending money every month when Joe NEVER goes to the gym!

So finally after a solid two months of gentle reminding and urging (nagging), tonight he did it!!

Hooray! I feel richer already!

Hooray for Half Days!

2010-05-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

I talked to my OB and got on half days! It couldn't have come at a better time. By noon daily I am wiped out! I could tell that I was getting more frustrated with my patients and really just wanted to scream, "Get the hell out!!" Not a good thing for a doctor to do!

So this week I have been able to see patients until noon, then come home! I took a long nap today thanks to Charis being here to wrangle the Jordykins!

Only 9 more weeks to go....it really feels like time is at a stand still!

Busy Day

2010-05-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Today was Sunday, usually a kind of lazy day....but not today. Jordan was up at 6:30, and I was up with him. We went downstairs and had breakfast, then right outside to weed the garden. I also harvested some compost from my worm farm!

Then we headed back inside to start cooking. I made some pizza pockets, which I leave uncooked and Joe cooks for lunches through the week. I also made about 40 waffles for the freezer as well. I got this idea a few years ago from my friend Jennifer (thanks Jenn). These are great for the morning, just pop them in the toaster like Eggos! Much cheaper, and less calories and no preservatives! I also made some refried beans, and another batch of yogurt.

Meanwhile I also had several loads of laundry going.

Eventually Joe got up (he likes to sleep in!) and we mowed the lawn. I did most of the backyard, he did the front yard.

After roasting outside in the yard, Jordan and I took a nap. After nap I ran to the store to get some more diapers (Jordan will never be potty trained!) and some milk. Then I picked up Pez from the groomers, and finally headed home.

I am beat!

The Worm Farm

2010-04-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

One of my goals has been to start composting. I finally did it!

Not only did I make a rubbish pile in the back yard for yard waste, but I also got the stuff for a worm farm.

Originally I saw the "Can of Worms" on the Oprah show when Julia Roberts was on there talking about her worms. Initially I was interested, but that was several years ago while we were living in, well actually I don't remember where the hell we were.... we have moved too many times! Joe wasn't thrilled about the idea of a worm bin in the house.

So I put the idea aside, but kept wanting one. They seemed to be so helpful, and if Julia and Oprah endorsed it, how could I go wrong!!

Well I finally I saw the Can of Worms at a garden show that I went to. I was so impressed by the entire worm composting that I needed to get one. The lady at the show was charging almost double the cost of what I had seen on amazon, plus she wanted over 45 dollars for a pound of worms! So I waited and ordered online.

I found the Worm Factory for much cheaper than the "Can of Worms", and it is the same thing, with a square design.

Joe was sweet enough to find me a lady in our area who sells worms. We got a pound of the red wigglers for 20 dollars. With the Factory and the worms, I was ready to start composting.

I set the entire thing up in our laundry room. Joe was really concerned about it smelling, but there really isn't any! The worms are busy eating all of our household food scraps, so I don't feel as bad throwing food away- it is making compost! It is neat (and a bit gross) to open the layers and see them squirming all over the place!

From the BAD to the GOOD!!

2010-04-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

So, I took the longer gluocse tolerance test, and all the results were NORMAL!!!

Hooray, I am not gestational diabetic.

Plus, I am taking the iron twice a day and feeling much better. I don't know if it is actually long enough for it to be working, but I will take the placebo effect!

Today I had a great day of scrapbooking with some other ladies. I got (almost) caught up on scrapbooking! Plus Charis and I vowed to spend every "Cobbler Night" scrapbooking. It will be good to get things done! I know that if I don't finish Jordan's baby pictures done before this little girl arrives, I will be screwed!!

All kinds of badness

2010-04-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't written anything in a bit...things have been rough.

I have been just so exhausted lately, and sometimes literally will come home from work and go straight to bed! Being pregnant, working full time, and having a 2 year old were to blame... or so I thought. Turns out I am really anemic, with my hemoglobin (RBC count) below 9! Normal should be up around 12.

So yesterday I started taking iron. Hopefully it won't take long till I start to feel better. But unfortunately that wasn't the only bad news the OB had to tell me. She also said that I failed my glucose tolerance test. I have to go back next week to do the 3 hour one. I am freaking out that I am gonna be diabetic, not only for this pregnancy but later in life too. The risk of diabetes goes way up in women who are gestational diabetic...bad news :(

At work I refer tons of people to a certain Imaging Center to get mammograms and bone density screenings done. When the rep came by and saw that I was pregnant she offered to set me up with a free 3D ultrasound! Joe and I went and got to see amazing pictures of our little girl! (yes they once again confirmed it was a girl, I was really worried it had grown a penis!) We got to get some pictures too (which are too technically difficult for me to post here....sorry!)

I was really excited about the entire thing, until I told my OB doctor about it. She was pretty mad about the whole thing! She said there is some study out that prolonged 3D imaging can be harmful to the baby! I feel just terrible now, and stupid that I didn't know about the study and possibly put the baby at risk.

The other really crappy thing that happened involves our rental property. We currently have great renters in there. They have been there for two years and always pay rent on time, no problems what so ever. We found someone who was interested in buying the place, so I got all excited that we may be able to sell. Then the lady changed her mind. Well at least we still had our renters...nope! They will be moving in August! So now we have no buyers, no renters, nada!
Oh the stress. Our property manager is working on finding some new renters....

So that was my week...all kinds of badness...

Outcome of Fight Back Challenge

2010-03-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

Well, sadly I lost my battle of the Nebraska taxes. I went to the on base tax center and they took a look at what happened. Somehow Turbo Tax calculated my taxes for Nebraska as if I was not a resident of Nebraska at all. So much to my dismay, I won't be due another 2,000 dollars like I wanted!

But I did not take this loss in stride....I vowed to figure out a way to fight someone! Instead of the Nebraska taxes, we are taking on our home phone. We hardly use the darned thing, but I really insist upon having one since I don't always keep my cell phone on me. Plus for emergency purposes I like to know where I can get to a phone that will get me to someone immediately. With a cell phone I never know where it is.

Right now we have Vonage, which I am very happy with. But my mom has something called a Magic Jack, that is 40 dollars for two years! We almost pay that much for one month of Vonage! I am sending Joe tomorrow to get the Magic Jack.

In addition we are considering switching from our local cable company, to satellite. I think it will be cheaper, I am just concerned about installation fees and such. We need to sit down and figure all that out and if it would indeed be cheaper.

One money saving thing I did this week was make Homeade Yogurt. It turned out okay, just a little runnier than I had hoped. I will experiment and get it just right! There are several reasons I wanted to make my own yogurt. First my version will have much less sugar in it than the store bought. Plus it is much much cheaper! And there are no plastic cups to end up in the landfills since I put them in reusable containers.

I will keep you all updated on my Fight Back!

Update on Garden

2010-03-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

Jordan loves to water!

The garden has been so much fun for Jordan and I. I love to go out after work and water with him. He has so much fun blasting each plant with water. I keep expecting the plants to
shoot out of the ground from the water pressure!

These are my first radishes! They were yummy :)

Here is some lettuce! Coming up nicely!

Fight Back!!

2010-03-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

I read this blog called the Red Tape Chronicles, and read an inspiring post today.

It is about taking on some stupid fee in your life and taking an hour out of your day to fight back!

We pay too damned much for our tv, internet combo. This week I vow to spend some time trying to get it lowered, or switch to someone who is cheaper.

The other thing I vow to do is figure out our Nebraska taxes. After I did my taxes, I was supposed to get some money back from the state of Nebraska. Then we got a check in the mail for about half what I expected. NO explanation, No means to contact them to figure out....nothing. I will get to the bottom of this!!

I will report back in one week and let you know how it went....

What are you going to fight this week?

Cobbler Night

2010-03-17T17:20:00.000-07:00

Joe is taking a class every Wednesday night from 5-9 pm. So every Wednesday I was alone. Most of the time I wasn't even getting to see him when I came home from work, so my mom or Charis was watching Jordy until I got home.

The last several weeks we started a Cobbler night. It all started by accident. I was having a really rough week, and had to get some stuff from the market before I went home. Since I was so upset, I did some emotional shopping and came home with cupcakes and ice cream and a blackberry cobbler.

When I got home, Charis and my mom were already there. We made the cobbler and hashed over the distressing events that led to the emotional grocery shopping. It was so nice! So we have been continuing the tradition.

Tonight we had cobbler and made cards. I am a huge scrapbooker, and thanks to my friend Katie, started making cards to use up my scraps of paper. I taught my mom how to use her stamps and she ended up making some nice ones (we won't mention the starter card she made!)

Charis's best friend, Bridgette, is here visiting and was a great addition to our cobbler night. I wish she didn't live so far away!

Cobbler night has turned out to be a bright spot in my week. Instead of having a lonely night, it is really nice to look forward to girl talk, yummy food, and sometimes craft time too. Jordan seems to like coming over intermittently to see what we are doing!

Update 101 in 1001

2010-03-14T03:56:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I updated this...in fact I forgot about it :)

Time to start again with renewed vigor!!

The Blue are in progress, The Red are completed, The Brown are Abandoned

1. Become a member of AAFP and complete the monthly CME quiz.

2. Read the ER book by the time we leave here.-just didn't finish it all :(

3. Every month while I am in the ER, draw blood and start an IV so I don't lose my skills.(9/9)

4. Go to at least 3 social events with work people before we leave here. (3/3)

5. Renew ACLS

6. Take on a new task at work.- Radiology Wet Reads while Eric was gone.

7. Once a month date night where Jordy has a sitter.

8. Take Jordy to play group at least 10 times before we leave here (Korea). (10/10)

9. Find a wonderful daycare for Jordy once we get to Florida, one that is bilingual.

with all the problems with speech delay Jordan has had, we were just happy to get him speaking one language!

10. Work with Jordy, when he is ready, to learn spanish.

11. Take a family trip to Everland.

12. Take a family trip to Mt. Sorak.

13. Start going to church here, go at least 10 times (hey I am being realistic!) (0/10)

14. Find a church once we get to Florida.

15. Have professional pictures of us done.- will do this once Baby Girl arrives!

16. Have a big family Thanksgiving where I do the cooking.

17. Take Joe on a romantic weekend alone.

18. Take Jordy on a camping trip.

19. Go on a cruise with family.

20. Make a letterbox and place it.

21. Make 8 weekly menu plans to alternate. (2/8)

22. Learn 5 vegetarian recipes. (2/5)

23. Learn to Eat Clean and Incorporate some of these recipes into the regular

24. Go an entire two months without buying anything for myself. (2/2)

25. Go without tv for one week.

26. Get one of my scrapbook pages published in a magazine on a website

27. Close accounts that I am not using.

28. Master Quicken.

29. Make and keep a monthly budget.

30. Save "enough" for a down payment for a house in Florida.

31. Start saving for Jordy's College.

32. Get Joe a car when we get to Florida that isn't too outrageously expensive.

33. Get an annual credit report for both Joe and I. (1/3)

34. Start a garden to grow vegetables.

35. Start composting.

36. Have a big yard with a doggie door for Pezzy.

37. Make a cleaning schedule and stick to it. (4/32)

38. Buy Joe the tv of his dreams.

39. Have people over for a home cooked meal and a movie.

40. Get pictures from my dad, sister, and a few others to have enlarged and displayed in my home.

41. Send 5 thank you cards to people for how they have impacted my life. (0/5)

42. Test drive an extravagantly expensive sports car.

43. Get Botox.

44. Play golf for the first time, and not miniature golf.

45. Read 15 books from the library, or other second had book. (4/15)

46. Stop swearing! This one isn't measurable, but I really need to stop being such a potty mouth.

47. Knit a sweater.

48. Participate and complete the 365 Portrait Challenge

49. Take a Class at the Community Center on making paper crafts.

50. Lasik- Sadly this had to be abandoned, not for my lack of trying though. I found out b/c of my incredibly dry eyes, I am not a candidate for it! Guess

51. Recycle aluminum Cans Regularly.

52. Once I am doing the cans, move on to plastics.

53. Stop buying individual yogurt cups, buy the big one and put in my own reusable container.

54. Have one day per week where I don't drive and use public transportation.

55. Buy/Find enough cloth bags to use for grocery shopping. (5/10)

56. Consistently use the cloth bags when grocery shopping for one year. (0/24)

57. Donate old clothes and other things rather than throwing them away. (2/4)

58. Start using natural cleaners in my home such as Vinegar and Baking Soda and lemon.

59. Buy an Air purifier to clean out the YelloW Dust

60. Stop buying paper towels and napkins for a month. (1/1)

61. Take the clothes Jordan has outgrown to the Consigment Shop on Base.

62. Eat Sushi 10 times (10/10)

63. Go to the Seafood Festival in Florida

64. Play video games with Joe at least 5 times. (1/5)

65. Go to 10 movies with Joe, or watch pirated ones here in Korea, that Joe picks. (4/10)

66. Find 15 new ways to tell Joe that I love him. (2/15)

67. Have a spa weekend with Jennifer, my treat.

68. Landscape backyard.

69. Try 10 new resteraunts. (10/10)

70. Make 100 scrapbook layouts.

71. Go on a picnic 4 times. (0/4)

72. Draw Jordan's Family Tree

73. Make a photo book of all of Jordy's pictures.

74. Go to Disney World

75. Go to Disney Wild Animal Park

76. Get an account on Facebook

77. Watch a Marky Mark movie with Jennifer while we drink strawberry daiquiris

78. Visit the Park's in Alaska.

79. See 5 plays/musicals/concerts. (0/5)

80. Find a Charity I am passionate about and help them raise money.

81. Participate in Gimme your Stuff

82. Send PostCarts in Post Crossing (5/5)

83. Exercise for health, not to maintain some unrealistic goal for myself.

84. learn to love myself, my body, and mind, even though there are countless flaws.

85. Go to Miami

86. Exercise regularly 3x per week.

87. Run a 5K

88. Get a perfect score on my next fitness test.

89. Laser Hair Removal

90. Do pictures for at least 5 groups of people. They can be family, wedding, kids. (0/5)

91. Stop buying bottled water. Get a filter for work so I can use a cup instead.

92. Continue to be a nonsmoker and encourage my patients to quit.

93. Have Joe and I both make "bucket lists"

94. Make a list of 100 things I love.

95. Go Hiking at least 10 times. (4/10)

96. Go to the DMZ.

97. Make Joe a new quilt.

98. Wear heels at least once per month starting in March 2009

99. Go to the Florida Keys

100. Write in my blog once per week.

101. Organize this list!-I just don't care to organize this list....too many other things in my life that need organizing :)

Personal Goals:

98. Wear heels at least once per month starting in March 2009. (0/30)

100. Write in my blog once per week.

101. Organize this list!

94. Make a list of 100 things I love.

92. Continue to be a nonsmoker and encourage my patients to quit.

80. Find a Charity I am passionate about and help them raise money.

81. Participate in Gimme your Stuff

82. Send PostCarts in Post Crossing (4/5)

97. Make Joe a new quilt.

92. Continue to be a nonsmoker and encourage my patients to quit.

93. Have Joe and I both make "bucket lists"

94. Make a list of 100 things I love.

95. Go Hiking at least 10 times. (0/10)

Environment Goals:

91. Stop buying bottled water. Get a filter for work so I can use a cup instead.

60. Stop buying paper towels and napkins for a month. (1/1)

61. Take the clothes Jordan has outgrown to the Consigment Shop on Base.

Fitness Goals:

83. Exercise for health, not to maintain some unrealistic goal for myself.

84. learn to love myself, my body, and mind, even though there are countless flaws.

85. Know that having a few jiggles here and there doesn't make me unlovable.

86. Exercise regularly 3x per week. (0/

87. Run a 5K

88. Get a perfect score on my next fitness test.

Work Goals:

1. Become a member of AAFP and complete the monthly CME quiz. (1/32)

2. Read the ER book by the time we leave here.

3. Every month while I am in the ER, draw blood and start an IV so I don't lose my skills.(1/9)

4. Go to at least 3 social events with work people before we leave here. (0/3)

5. Renew ACLS

6. Take on a new task at work.

Family Goals:

7. Once a month date night where Jordy has a sitter. (1/32)

8. Take Jordy to play group at least 10 times before we leave here. (0/10)

9. Find a wonderful daycare for Jordy once we get to Florida, one that is bilingual.

10. Work with Jordy, when he is ready, to learn spanish.

11. Take a family trip to Everland.

12. Take a family trip to Mt. Sorak.

13. Start going to church here, go at least 10 times (hey I am being realistic!) (0/10)

14. Find a church once we get to Florida.

15. Have professional pictures of us done.

16. Have a big family Thanksgiving where I do the cooking.

17. Take Joe on a romantic weekend alone.

18. Take Jordy on a camping trip.

19. Go on a cruise with family.

64. Play video games with Joe at least 5 times. (0/5)

65. Go to 10 movies with Joe, or watch pirated ones here in Korea, that Joe picks. (0/10)

66. Find 15 new ways to tell Joe that I love him. (1/15)

67. Have a spa weekend with Jennifer, my treat.

68. Visit Heidi in Kentucky and meet her family.

Travel

96. Go to the DMZ.

99. Go to the Florida Keys

Jordan is taken over by the Exorcist

2010-03-09T06:20:00.001-08:00

Friday night I was feeling pretty down,and just wanted to go to bed early. It had been a long week, and I was ready for it to be over. Joe and Charis were wanting to go see a movie, so I stayed home with Jordan. As soon as he was all tucked into bed, Joe and Charis left, and I nestled snuggly into my bed to watch some tv and play on the internet.

Soon after I finally fell asleep, Jordan came running into my room crying. I woke up to hear and see him projectile vomit, seriously at least three feet, of chocolate milk and bologna chunks all over my cream colored carpet. It went on and on and on! I jumped out of bed and by the time I reached him, it was still going!

Finally it stopped and I picked him up and we went into the bathroom, to prevent my carpet from any further demise. I grabbed the phone and called Joe to tell him to come home immediately, after he stopped at CVS to pick up a prescription (sometimes it is great to be a doctor!).

Poor Joe and Charis had just got their tickets, gotten all their snacks, and had just sat down in their seats when I called them! They both were so sweet and didn't complain at all, just rushed right home.

Unfortunately Joe misunderstood me and just got some pedialyte, and didn't get the prescription. So back to CVS he went, this time to the wrong one. But finally the poor guy got it all right, right CVS, right prescription. I felt so bad. We gave Jordan the nausea medication, and he intermittently would complain of a tummy ache but thankfully no more vomit!

My carpet on the other hand will never be the same. After vigorous shampooing, there is still a stain...damned chocolate milk! Too bad that wasn't the only insult my carpet sustained this weekend.

After the vomiting bonanza was over, the next joy to settle upon our house was diarrhea! I was taking a nap, because I also got some sort of plague during this, leaving Joe to man the house alone. Joe came rushing up with Jordan and declared he had explosive diarrhea. He plopped him down on the bedroom floor and started to change him. When he opened the diaper it was like he opened the portal to hell! The smell was horrific, but was even more disturbing was the sight of completely watery poop come flowing out of his diaper and all over the carpet!

Back to the carpet shampooer I went. Like the vomit stain, it will always be reminder of this horrible weekend.

For the next three days Jordan had diarrhea, nearly every 10 minutes! I swear it was terrible. We went through an entire box of diapers, a sixty count, in one day. I would have been completely panicked if he weren't bouncing off the walls between episodes.

In the middle of the night he would get out of bed and wander into the hall declaring, "Poozy!" Joe would get up and change him. I tried to alternate with him, but felt like death myself.

Today is Tuesday. Jordan seems to be better. I still feel weak and tired. Walking up the stairs took a huge effort. But the real victim is Joe, he is sicker than a dog now. Last night he was just burning up and said he felt nauseated.

This weekend we have some people coming to visit, hopefully we won't infect them!

Vacation, temper tantrums, and family drama

2010-03-03T17:19:00.001-08:00

Joe on Bourbon Street

Joe ate a raw oyster, I played the pregnancy card (no raw foods!)

Eric, Roger, Brad, and me (guys from residency)

These last few weeks have been a whirl wind of activity. I had a military training/conference thing to go to in New Orleans. Being as this is probably one of the last times Joe and I will have to go on vacation before the new baby arrives, we decided to leave Jordan at home!

We went to New Orleans and had a wonderful time. Half of my residency class was there! It was great to see them again. We had so much fun catching up and comparing life after residency. Most of the days I was done with my lectures before 12, so Joe and I would hit the town! We were right in the French Quarter so we were within walking distance of everything. Every lunch and dinner we went out of incredible meals. I actually gained 6 pounds in five days! I was an eating machine!

Some of the days Joe was feeling pretty down because he missed Jordan so much. We saw him on skype every night. Charis did an incredible job taking care of him! My mom also watched him when Charis had to work. Together they took Jordy to the zoo, the beach, and the park. I wasn't as worried about Jordy as Joe was, but I knew he was in good hands, and have left him in the past for long periods of time. But this was only the second time Joe had ever left him! When Jordan was about a year old, Joe and I left him overnight with my parents. That was it, in 30 mos, Joe has only been away for one night!!

So we were both really excited to get home and see Jordan, but Joe especially! When we did get home, Jordan was so excited to see us! It was so cute to see his little face get all excited! Plus he started calling me mommy instead of Bee!!

We were all so happy to be a whole family unit again....

Then the next day happened.

I needed to return some maternity clothes that I had bought online to Old Navy. We got to Old Navy and while I was talking with the sales people, who couldn't return my stuff b/c I didn't have the invoice, Jordan found some silly putty he wanted. Joe tried to wrestle it away from him, resulting in a horrible temper tantrum.

We got outside the store and we put him on a time out. Joe had to pee really bad so I said I would hold the bag, my purse, and two jackets, plus watch Jordy so he could go pee. Just when Joe was out of sight, Jordy made a run for it into the street.

I darted after him, as fast as a pregnant woman wearing uncomfortable maternity pants that are too big and falling down, holding a purse, a bag of unreturnable clothing, and two jackets, could dart. I did manage to catch him, grab him by the shirt and drag him to the other side of the street, all with about 3 cars witnessing the spectacle. Once on the other side, he wriggled free and made another dash for it.

This time I caught his arm, and yanked him back from certain death. Thank God we were in public, because by this point I was so mad I could have killed him on the spot!

Joe returned to Jordy howling on the side of the road, me crying, and the day shot. I insisted on being taken home.

Joe got Jordan into his car seat, and hugged me, then said, "This is what we rushed home for?"

The next two days weren't much better. Everything we planned to do, Jordan found some new level of temper tantrum to reach. Joe and I periodically look and say, "I can't believe we are doing this again!"

I certainly hope my sweet little boy returns soon....I miss him.

On a happier note, we got the ultrasound done on Monday. We were fully expecting it to be another boy after taking that IntelliGender Test. Imagine our surprise when the lady said, "Its a GIRL!"

We made her check three times, each time it was still a girl!

That night I went out and bought a little pink dress! Then after a quick look around the little girl department, realized it is quite possible I will go to the poor house buying cute pink clothes!

Being the Bad Guy....

2010-02-07T04:58:00.000-08:00

In our family, I do the budget, manage money, and pay the bills. It has always been this way since Joe and I were dating. The reason for this is simple....Joe sucks at it!

I am very fortunate that he acknowledges this this fact quite openly, and often tells me that we would be living in a cardboard box if he were in charge of the money. We don't have money fights because whatever I say is golden. If I say we can't afford something, he is (usually) very good about accepting and moving on.

The only problem that this set-up leaves us with me always being the bad guy. Whenever we get all excited to do something, it is always me to say NO!

It leaves me feeling like the big bully of the house, the fun crusher, the kill joy, mean mommy....I hate it!

Last night in a moment of weakness combined with not wanted to be the bad guy once again, I said yes to buying Jordan an adorable pair of converse shoes with little orange flames on the side. The were 22 dollars, yes 22 dollars for a toddlers shoes seems excessive when I usually get him Payless Shoes for much much less....but I was weak and sick of being the meanie.

This morning I am having remorse of the 22 dollar shoes and am wondering if we should take them back....

Bingo!!!

2010-02-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to get out of the house and do something new, I took my mom and Charis to Bingo!

I like to play, and thought that my mom would enjoy it. Honestly I thought it would be a nice relaxing thing us ladies could do once a week....I imagined us sitting around our bingo boards and snacking and having funny conversations, and occasionally winning some money might be nice. Boy was I wrong!!

We got to the Catholic Church, yes it was held at a church! This is important for later on, so hang on to that little pearl.

The cost was 14 dollars for the basic pack, plus 1.25 for a bingo dauber. I selected a beautiful teal color, it really was quite pretty. As I turned from the table where the cards were sold, and turned to look at the available seating, I knew we were in for some trouble.

There was two huge lunchroom looking auditoriums, both with huge folding tables set out. Women, the vast majority silver haired and obese, were sprawled out all over the tables. There were women hogging an entire table to themselves. Seriously some of them had 3-4 Bingo Cards each, with each card having 9 games on it!! That is 27 to to 36 games per person!!

Most women had at least 5 bingo daubers laid out. Snacks were everywhere! Most of them the obese women preferred some sort of potato chip, I notices fritos to be especially popular. The few women that were thin, had packs of cigarettes piled up. Thank goodness they had to go out to smoke!

Finally we found a spot where we could all sit together. But unfortunately we didn't know which order the games were played in. We giggled and laughed as we asked the girl sitting next to us. She had all kinds of facial piercings and looked like she might belong in a tattoo parlor rather than a bingo hall, but was fairly nice and explained stuff to us. While she was explaining, there was an extremely bitter woman sitting behind us, she said quite loudly mind you, that we had better shut up when the game starts!

Eventually we did start. When someone would win there was a flurry of conversation and curse words! My mom and I exchanged surprised looks as we were in a church!! A CHURCH!!

When one lady one, the bitter woman behind us exclaimed " I just can't stand that woman!" No attempt to hide it!!

Finally during one of the game my mom blurts out, "I never want to do this again....I feel so old!!" Then she starts laughing and snorts so loud in the middle of the near silent bingo hall!

There were angry shhhh's heard from all over the place! Those women were ready to attack! Of course the more tense the situation got, the sillier my mom got! I am surprised we all made it out of there alive!

I don't think we will be going back. My mom hated it, I didn't win anything....although we did leave soon after the snorting incident and didn't finish our games.

Next week perhaps we will try another activity! Any suggestions?

Jordan's Turning into talker!!

2010-02-01T14:29:00.000-08:00

Jordan has learned so much in the past week!!

This week he learned to say "hot" rather than just blowing on stuff! This week he also started doing the elephant noise. He also knows what a sheep and a cow say. And now he knows the name of our dog, Pezzy, but he says what sounds like Pissy.

He also learned the word Pushing, but it sounds exactly like- and this is my personal favorite b/c it is so hilarious to hear- Pussy!! So funny! We were worried when we went to church this week and he was in the day care that we would be told he was a potty mouth when we got him back!!

That is another development...we have gone to church for the past three weeks! Shocking I know!! We hadn't been for the last four years! I think we found a church that we like. There is just one guy in the choir that irritates us, otherwise the pastor is great.

Joe built me plantar boxes for my garden this year. I am pretty excited about them, and hope I don't kill everything that I touch. Joe calls me Dr. Brown Thumb. I read a book called about Square Foot Gardening, and got inspired. They made it sound so easy....We will see how it goes.

Joe's sister Charis moved in with us in January. She is supposed to be working at Chili's starting pretty soon. She is getting pretty bored sitting around the house. I love having her here! She is so helpful with Jordy and does the dishes and cooks sometimes too!

We have been working on the house a lot! We got the living room almost all done! I got my family photo wall all done, and Joe and Charis are painting the rest of the room! I love all the colors- all earth tones!

Oh Happy Day!!

2010-01-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

Jordan has had so many troubles talking, I was beginning to think he would be a mute! Then the past few weeks have been just wonderful!

About two weeks ago he screamed "a Tree!" when I brought our little palm tree inside to keep it from freezing outside. I was so thrilled.

Then today he said "a bike!". He also started saying "hurry".

It makes me so happy to hear his sweet little voice! I can't wait to see what he will learn tomorrow!

14 weeks and counting...

2010-01-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

So finally my secret is officially out...Joe and I are having another monster, I mean another blessed angel. With Jordan just hitting temper tantrums and becoming more independent, I keep wondering what on earth we were thinking having another one.

We got to see the baby on ultrasound two weeks ago. It is so amazing and makes it seem real. I have been feeling well, and finally got my appetite back, as evidenced by the five pounds I gained over the past two weeks!

I am a little frustrated that everyone thinks we are dying for a girl, since we already have a boy. My dad has even started referring to his "grand daughter". It makes it seem like no one will care about this baby if it is another boy. They seem surprised that I would like to have another boy. Jordan is such a fun little guy, who wouldn't want another one?

Well we are going to find out, if not to shut up all the speculation... Hopefully by the time we have the baby in July, everyone will be settled and happy with whatever gender we are having! Funny people get so uptight about other people's children...

On Call....

2009-12-31T14:25:00.000-08:00

I was so excited for the three day weekend, then realized I am on call. At least it is home call! I am just fielding phone calls from people who don't know how to care for themselves at home. Seriously do people not know that you don't need to see a doctor for the common cold?? I guess I shouldn't let that little pearl of wisdom out since my future income depends on the idiocy of the common man....

I guess I am a bit bitter....

2AM, can't sleep

2009-12-21T22:49:00.000-08:00

It's 2 AM and I can't sleep.

I was so sick last week that I actually took two days off work. Now I am just plagued with a cough that strikes whenever I assume a supine position. Torture. Pure Torture.

I am so tired, but can't stop coughing. All the hot tea with honey, cough syrup, decongestants, Vicks vapor rub, and even a vaporizer has not helped. I even tried putting Vick's on my feet...yes that right, feet. Some family of ours swears it helps. It made my feet feel nice and warm, but still coughed!

So now I am up, on the computer.

With the new year coming up, I will look back at last years Resolutions and see how they went...

Work Goals:
-Become member of AAFP and read the entire journal monthly
-Renew ACLS
-Read that ER book
On these I got 2/3! I didn't finish the entire ER book, but did read a good portion of it!

Family
-Date Night at least once per month
-Find regular baby sitter for Jordy for date night
-Take Jordy to playgroup whenever I am off work
-Menu planning so that we don't waste so much food
Joe and I aren't doing very well on date night. Jordy started daycare, and I take him there everyday. Since my mom moved close to us, we have a regular sitter. The menu planning is always a work in progress...

Financial
-Do Monthly Budget & meet it!
-Start saving for Jordy for college
-Increase savings for retirement
-Save “Enough” for down payment for house in Florida (not sure how much "enough" is)
3/4 here!! I haven't started saving for Jordy's school, but honestly don't have the money to spare right now. I will open an account and start slowly adding...

Personal Enrichment
-Find masters program
-Start Masters program
-Stop Swearing!

I actually decided not to start a masters program. I am so sick of school and want to focus on other things now, like family!

Fitness
-Get Body Fat Measured
-Work out 3x per week
-Give up the fantasy that I will ever look like Giselle or Heidi Klum & love myself anyways!

Working out is always a challenge... I did get back to pre-prego weight! I am happy with what I look like now, and am doing things to maintain it!

Friends
-Call my friends and family regularly
Doing well on this one, although I use the computer more- easier to do when you have screaming children in the house!

I will have to come up with the 2010 list!

What a week!!!

2009-11-28T17:13:00.001-08:00

This week has finally come to an end, and not a moment too soon. Jordy got sick Sunday night and had a high fever. He stayed home from day care all week, which was awful for Joe since he is trying to study for his test, which is one week away. Jordan was incredibly whiny and clingy, and couldn't be put down for a moment. No matter what we gave him, nothing would bring down his fever. By Tuesday, I was sick too. After work I just went straight to bed. Joe was exhausted from 24 hour Jordan whining. I was literally no help!

Tuesday we took Jordan to the pediatrician. He gave him some antibiotics, for what I don't know. He never really said. I think the pediatricians just hand out amoxicillin. Anyways we are giving it to him.

Thanksgiving Joe and I were both exhausted. I did manage to cook a turkey, but d/t the plague Jordan had given us, neither Joe or I could eat very much! Most of the turkey is still in the fridge. I get a little nauseated just thinking about turkey. Funny but the only thing that I have been able to eat since I got sick is fast food! I swear I am going to gain 50 pounds by the time I recover.

Because we were both sick and caring for the whiniest kid on the planet, all housework was completely neglected. I swear every dish in our house was filthy! I spent over an hour doing dishes...and I am still not done. Laundry piled up....clutter and dirty tissues everywhere...oh it wasn' pretty!

Jordan has fully recovered, I am halfway back to normal, but Joe the sickest now. On Monday I am flying to San Antonio for the week for a class. I feel awful having to leave Joe the week of his test! Thank goodness my mom is out here to help out.

Ahhh, the daily grind

2009-11-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

So now that the excitement of moving back to the states, getting in our new house, and starting my new job have all wore off what I am left with is.....work!

At my last base I was in the ER which is a much better schedule, sure it was 12 hour days, but I only worked 15-18 days per month! Plus somedays I hardly did anything...clinic is just not the same!

So far everyday I get to work around 7AM and am pretty much busy nonstop. Fortunately I am able to make my schedule how I like, and I am taking on a 20 minute lunch so that I can leave early. I get out of there around 3.

For my entire career so far everything has had a time limit on it. During residency all our rotations were one month. In Korea it was only for one year, and that was broken down into months of either days or nights....now it is for three years!! THREE YEARS!!

Three years is a lot of of daily drudgery. I need to find stuff to make it more bearable b/c right now I am bored with doing the same crap daily!

Victory(s) for this week, and some frustrations too!

2009-11-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

1. I got just what I wanted for my birthday, a Roomba. I am sick of sweeping my gigantic downstairs everyday, only to have the dog and Jordy run by two seconds later and ruin it! At least now I don't have to sweep!
2. Joe and I had a wonderful day together this week. We went shopping and watched a movie together, sans Jordy! It was nice to sit and enjoy each others company without chasing a 2 year old...
3. We ate at a new Chinese buffet.
4. I got to spend three days at home with Joe and Jordy this week!

Frustrations:
1. The chinese food place was terrible! I hardly could eat anything there! Then we had to pay 30 dollars!! What a waste!
2. Jordy was so difficult today! He spent 3/4 of his day in timeout!
3. I mopped the floor this week. After I was done I was rinsing out the mop and a dead lizard came out of it. I was so disgusted I nearly passed out! I got all light headed and pasty and had to sit down. I just couldn't get the image of me spreading dead lizard all over my floor...ewwww!
4. I stayed home b/c I had the flu. I was home, but felt like hell!

Victory(s) for this week!

2009-11-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

1. Jordy completed his first week at daycare. He did really well! He even was taking long naps while he was there. Plus he is drinking out of a cup like a champ now! At home Joe insists on giving him straws b/c Joe hates cleaning spills.
2. Joe took the GRE-He improved a lot, but was 80 points shy of his goal. I am still super proud of him!
3. I completed my first week of real work at the clinic. After being out of primary care for an entire year I was really worried about how much I would remember. But it seems to be coming back pretty quickly!
4. I may be able to finagle my schedule at work so I don't have to go to the 645 PT! It is still in the works...
5. After three weeks of meaning to, I finally got to the grocery store!
6. Joe and I have been doing good on our budget!

Halloween Pics!

2009-11-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

Finally, here are some pics of my little Superman!

Jordy was so cute when he went trick-or-treating. He hardly ever gets candy, so every time he got anything, he wanted to stop immediately to eat it! After one trip around the block he was chocolate face!

Victory(s) for this week!

2009-10-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

I got Joe to agree to buy generic diapers and wipes.
I got Jordy signed up and ready for day care.
I actually got some documents scanned and emailed.
Applied for life insurance.
Had date night with Joe, we went out for sushi (yummy).
Planted an avocado tree in our yard.
Got the builders to remove a palm tree from our yard (it was dead).
Celebrated our 8 year anniversary!

Changes

2009-10-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

Changes are afoot!

This Monday Jordy will be starting day care. Not because we need someone to watch him, but b/c I think it will be good for him....and Joe agreed (after much nagging and cajoling).

I was beginning to get worried about Jordan's speech, after all his is 2 and hardly says 15 words. We had him evaluated and he was diagnosed with speech delay, and if you have had the opportunity to see him with Joe you will understand why. Those two have some sort of freaky ESP thing going on. Joe will look at Jordy and say, "He's thirsty". Then hand Jordy a drink, which he will happily take. I don't know how Joe knows these things, but somehow he does! The kid doesn't need to speak while Joe is around, Joe can read his mind!!

So Monday will be his first day at daycare. He is going to go to the one on base, right across from my clinic. I hope that it is a smooth transition and that he (and Joe) can survive the separation!

Ashley's Furniture Sucks

2009-10-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well, not their actual furniture. But their business practices are just awful!

This actually happened about a month ago, but since we have been busy as all heck since then I just haven't had time to write about it. Finally I have a moment, and I think others should hear about this.

We shopped around for a couch. I wanted a large sectional, in a earth toned color. We found one I loved at Rooms to Go, but it was 3000.00! Much more than I wanted to pay considering we have a messy little boy, a dog, and let's face it- I'm messy too!

We shopped around and found one that I liked, not loved, but liked enough at Ashley's Furniture. The price was 1200, which included delivery. The lady said it was not in stock, but would be delivered to us in 9 days. I paid for the couch, was give a simple hand-written receipt, and left the store.

About three days later, a fancier receipt arrived in the mail. I didn't pay much attention to it, other than it had our order number on it.

For nine days, we sat on our uncomfortable tile floor to watch tv. Finally Joe bought a bean bag and we would all pile in that. The day before the couch was to arrive, I hadn't heard from the delivery people to know my "three hour delivery window", so I called the store.

They explained the couch wasn't even in stock yet. I was irritated as the lady assured me that it would be delivered on that specific day. Plus my ass was hurting from sitting on tile!

The couch was supposed to arrive three days later, and they once again assured me that the couch would be delivered on that coming Friday.

Once again, I was all excited to get the couch...of course you can see where this is going- the damned couch didn't show up!

I called and was told that the delivery truck broke down and that the soonest the couch could be delivered now would be Tuesday. The delivery trucks were already loaded for Saturdays deliveries, and those deliveries couldn't be bumped!

Now I was livid. I called my mom to assist me in a good 'ol fashioned hell raising, and we (me, Joe, my mom, and reluctantly my father) all went to Ashley's. We were told again and again that there was no way we could get the couch on Saturday as blah, blah, blah....

My mom really came through here. I finally said I just wanted my money back and that I would buy the couch from the friendly folks at Rooms 2 Go, who had successfully managed to deliver an entertainment center to our home at the appointed time. The manager then said that to return the couch we would have to pay a 20% restocking fee.

My mom literally exploded all over this stupid manager lady! "Are you serious??" She repeatedly screamed at the woman. "You want them to pay for your inability to fulfill the obligations of the contract?"

Then the manger lady directed me to read the fine print of the receipt that was mailed to me three days after the purchase was made- in small print on the back of the receipt it explains that Ashley is not responsible for delays in shipping!!! So literally you could wait for months and months and they don't care!

Finally to get rid of us, they guaranteed delivery the next day- and they actually did it too!

Well I do enjoy the couch, it is comfy and looks great in the room. But I will never purchase a stick of their furniture again due to their poor customer service!

Okinawa

2009-10-22T01:38:00.001-07:00

Today court got done early, so we actually got to explore a bit. We went over to Kadena AFB. They have a huge Bx- two floors. I bought a few things for the house, and a toy for Jordy.

Then we (me and two other witnesses testifying in the court case) went to a place called American Village. Kind of a touristy place. We ate a delicious tempanyaki lunch. They weren't up to trying sushi :(

Some family pics

2009-10-21T02:29:00.001-07:00

Another thing to check off the list....

2009-10-21T02:21:00.000-07:00

I can now check of my mental to do list of life; testify in court martial hearing, go to Japan, sit in a room for 9 hours with three total strangers and discuss nothing for the entire time.

Actually none of those things were on my to do list of life, but that is what I have done for the past two days.

After much speculation, I did indeed get called to testify. It wasn't too bad. I was really nervous, but answered the questions honestly- which is pretty easy b/c all I kept saying was "I don't recall". Really do they expect me to remember one drunk guy that I saw nearly one year ago?

In case you were wondering where your tax dollars go to, here is a brief run down of how the government wastes tons of money. My ticket cost 3500 to get me from Florida to Okinawa. Plus the cost of me not seeing patients in my own clinic, so at least 100 patients had to go off base to have their medical needs met (I have no idea how much that costs). There are 4 witnesses for the prosecution, all at least 3500 per ticket, plus lodging, per diem (food,etc). There are 7 witnesses for defense. You can see how it adds up very quickly.

Now for the ridiculous part. This is all over a DUI!!! Retarded! I don't understand why it is such a big deal?

I got here Monday, and get to leave on Sunday. I hope I get to see some of the island before I have to leave...

Here we go again....

2009-10-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

High of the sense of accomplishment that installing the ceiling fan incited in me, I dashed back to Lowe's and bought a new stainless steel sink and faucet for the kitchen. Joe was hesitant about his ability to install such a flashy new item, so I made him watch a video on Youtube, which made the job look ridiculously simple. He agreed it wouldn't be so bad...plus Lowe's charges 450 dollars for installation of a sink and faucet...

Our sink wasn't in bad shape, it was just so shallow that one plate made it look filled to the brim. That combined with the fact that the faucet was so low, made washing anything incredibly annoying. So for the new sink I picked one that was super deep...but this created problems.

Today while on my way home from work, I called Joe to tell him to get ready to install the sink...I was on my way and we would tackle the project. Turns out he was already working. He had called my mom over to watch Jordan while he worked. Well he tried to do it without someone watching Jordan, but realized when Jordan kept stealing tools and pipes and running away laughing something had to be done.

Joe ran into many problems along the way, but fortunately after several trips to Lowe's, he got them worked out. Because the new sink was so much deeper we had to cut pipes, reroute them, and it wasn't easy. Finally around 11pm we were finished. We stood back to admire our work...then saw that damn leak!!

I went upstairs and went straight to bed. I was too tired and too frustrated to deal with all that! Joe pushed on and fixed the damn thing. Thank god for his persistance- I would have called a plumber!

Joe says this is by far the worst thing I have ever made him do...he isn't jumping up and down to do anymore home improvement projects. I may have to give him a rest for a while...

We did it!

2009-10-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

The ceiling fan was a success! After about 4 hours we finally got it all on the wall- sure it was supposed to take less than an hour according to the box....but we were beginners!

Now I feel like we can tackle the world. I am thinking about replacing our kitchen sink. The one the house came with is about 2 inches deep! Well not that bad, but just about!

Crazy....

2009-10-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Life is so crazy since I have been home. We are busy all the time! The house still isn't completely unpacked. We have projects going everywhere; painting, installing ceiling fans, planting stuff in the yard, curtains, mini blinds.... I don't think we will ever be finished!

Today we trimmed some trees in the yard. Later I am going to try to take out one of the dead ones in the front yard. We'll see how that goes....

Now that Jordy is down for a nap we are going to put a ceiling fan in our bedroom- neither of us has ever installed one before....hopefully we don't electricute ourselves.

It is Official!!

2009-09-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

Today we got our Florida driver licenses! We are now legal residents of Florida!

Unfortunately the trip did not go without incident. On the way there we stopped at Lowe's to run a quick errand. On the way back to the car Joe said he felt like his head was getting sunburned. So once in the car he commenced spraying sunscreen all over his head, arms, and legs. Mind you this was with both the windows closed! I started gagging so I rolled down the window as not to asphyxiate! As I rolled down the windows, I was making a sharp U-turn.

We drove for about five minutes when Joe realized he couldn't find his glasses. He was took them off and put them on the dashboard to spray his face and head with the sunscreen. We think they went out the window!

No big deal, I thought. He needs new glasses anyways and it is time for him to have an eye exam. Once we checked in at the DMV we made an eye exam appt. Then Joe got called up to switch his license to Florida, and had to do the eye exam!!

He couldn't read anything! The lady said he would have to come back unless he could read the lines! Joe rushed over to me and grabbed my glasses! As this was our third time back to the DMV, he wasn't too thrilled to go back for a fourth trip!

Fortunately with my glasses we were both able to pass the exam!

Hooray!

I'm Home!!

2009-09-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

I got back home almost two weeks ago! Things have been nonstop since I got here- we have been moving into the new house and unpacking everyday. It has been pretty exhausting. So far I am almost done with the boxes from Omaha that were in storage. Tomorrow more boxes from Korea get here and I get to start on those. I can't believe how much crap we own!

After not seeing Jordy for a few weeks I was really worried that he wouldn't know who I was. Thankfully, he remembered me right away and gave me a big hug and kiss. It was just the perfect homecoming!

My son the make out artist!

2009-08-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

This is my beautiful boy hitting on this innocent little girl. Apparently mid make-out the tables turn, and she becomes aggressive and Jordy doesn't like clingy women! He makes a run for it!

Less than 2 weeks!

2009-08-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Less than two weeks left in Korea! Another one of the ER docs leaves in the morning...I am starting to feel abandoned here...only Travis is left!

Joe is getting everything all ready in our in the new house! He picked out new kitchen appliances today, and they will all be installed when we get there. Whoever designed the house picked out the ugliest appliances! Who would build a gorgeous house and then put ugly stuff in it??? Anyways, Joe has been running around picking out stuff.

I am so excited about the new house! It is 4 bedroom, 2.5 bth, 2 story, 2 car garage, 3000sq feet. Joe said that he thought it was too big for us, I explained that I want to fill the rooms with babies! He was a little afraid....

21 Days!!!

2009-08-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am down to 21 days till I get to leave Korea! I am so excited!

Although I will be sad to leave all the really cool people I have met here, I can not wait to be back with my Joe and my Jordy!

Damn you Hulu!!

2009-08-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

In case you don't know, Hulu.com is a wonderful website where you can watch tons of television shows online, commercial free! There are many call nights that I survived extreme boredom by watching hulu...

Once we moved to Korea and had limited television choices, I knew we would be covered by Hulu...but then my hopes and dreams were slashed when I tried to watch from here and I got a nasty message saying because my ISP was out of the US, I wasn't authorized to watch!

Step in my knight in shining armor, Joe. He figured out how to get a proxy server to allow me to once again watch my shows with wreckless abandon....

Then Hulu got smart. Damn those wiley bastards!

When I tried to bypass by using the proxy server, I now get a new error message- this one actually says "It seems you are using a proxy server..." Those bastards!

Step in my newest hero... Justin.tv This has all kinds of shows too. I love this site....check it out and see how I am surviving....

I love clean sheets

2009-08-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

I love the feeling of getting into bed with a clean set of sheets! I did laundry today, and just now when I got into bed- perfection! The sheets are crisp and smell wonderful, plus they are a bit warm on my toes. Enjoy the simple things in life- at least that is what I am trying to focus on while I am missing Joe and Jordy so much!

Almost...

2009-08-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

I have almost recovered from the plague- well actually just a cold, but it felt pretty awful.

This was the first time I have been sick since Joe went back to the states. It is hard to be sick and alone. Joe takes such good care of me when I am sick, and it was hard to do it all myself! I hate to admit it, but I ordered in a lot of food...

Joe is doing good in Florida- he found us a house and should be able to move into it in 30 days- after closing. The house is gorgeous! It is really big though, and I imagine that it will look like a big warehouse for a while until we can afford to fill it with furniture!

I miss my Jordykins! Joe sends me lots of videos of him. This is one of my favorites of Jordan playing with Joe's little brother, Josiah.

Seoul Tower

2009-07-21T02:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had a fun day of shopping in Seoul and went to the Seoul tower.

Goodbye Pictures!

2009-07-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

Last night we had our going away party at work. All my friends from residency will be leaving... Trent is off to Italy, Eric back to Omaha, Travis going all the way upstairs to primary care, Sarlay back to Ohio....

Here is our group pictures with our plaques:

This is the before picture...

and this is after a lot of photoshopping.

Goodbye...

2009-07-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Four years ago, I arrived in Omaha Nebraska to start my residency. On day one I met my fellow interns, and if first impressions were correct, it would have been a long three years.

Eric Grajkowski seemed quiet and shy...but I could tell he was smart.

Travis Stephensen seemed a little OCD, taking notes on everything anyone said, asking million of questions. Honestly I nearly killed him due to excessive question asking.

After day one of residency I thought everyone was pretty tolerable...then the next day Trent Elliott arrived. He was loud, cocky, arrogant, and quite honestly I wanted to avoid him as much as possible.

Thank God first impressions aren't always right. Dr. Grajkowski has the greatest sense of humor, with a razor sharp wit. There has been many times when his humorous take on things have kept me from losing my mind. We had a great month working our asses off delivering babies. Then at the end of that month I had the greatest honor being in the OR when his son Elijah was delivered. It was an incredible thing to be at his 3rd birthday party last May.

Dr. Stephensen's OCD nature has inspired me to do my homework and be a more detail oriented person. He has one the greatest minds- always wanting to learn more... I love our philosophical talks about life.

Then there is Dr. Elliott. He annoyed me to no end, but has turned out to be one hell of a guy. He is so kind. Anytime I have needed a favor, a friend to listen to me, anything he is there... Plus has been there for my family. Watching over us and making sure we made it though some tough times. I can never thank him enough for all he has done.

Speaking of families, it has been incredible getting to know Eric's, Travis's, and Trent's families. It was always so funny to hear the wive's take on you guy's!

I didn't have brothers growing up, but now I have three. Moving to Korea was a lot less scary because I knew I would have three smiling faces to meet me there. Now that we are all parting ways, it kills me.

The four of us have travelled an incredible road together; from insecure interns, to full fledged staff doctors. We have comforted each other through the hard times, stuck our brains together for the tough cases, encouraged each other when we just couldn't do it one more day, and appreciated each others effort- no matter how ill guided it may have been.

Every great era must come to an end, and so this is our end. The Offia must part ways.

I just want each of you to know how much you are appreciated in my life, how much I will miss each one of you.

New Blog

2009-07-14T03:25:00.000-07:00

http://katsyear.blogspot.com/

This is the blog where I will post all my daily pics...Enjoy (or not....)

PT test

2009-07-14T03:23:00.001-07:00

After finishing my PT test:
-Sit ups: 48
-Push ups: 25
-1.5 mile run: 13:30

What a night...

2009-07-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Last night was a crazy night...

It figures on the nights that I bring all kinds of fun stuff to do, all the drunks of Korea decide to go out in masses...

As soon as I finished working out, and had showered (thank goodness), we got a 911 call that there was a drunk guy who tried to jump out a second story window. The security forces were able to tackle him to the ground and stop him...otherwise my work would have been much more involved.

Once the medics arrived on scene to get the jumper, there was another patient having a difficulty breathing. They took her back instead. So while I was trying to figure out suffocating girl, jumper showed up...

Once they were all stabilized and I finally sat down to my DVDs of Grey's Anatomy (thanks for the loner Katie), we got another call. The next patient was a female who was out with her husband. Apparently there was a fight, long story short, he punched her in the face. She was hysterical as you can imagine. She had a blood alcohol 3x the legal limit. Once she was sobered up a bit, she admitted to me that he does this regularly. But since she loves him and all that B.S. she won't say a thing...

It is easy to judge a woman like that, but it wasn't that long ago I was in that same situation...okay so it was a long time ago- over 14 years. I thought that he was the one, but really he was just an idiot. After every time things got out of hand, he swore it was the last time- and stupidly I believed it.

So publicly I would like to thank that idiot from High School- you taught me more than anyone else about life. People will lie to your face, take advantage of you, and take what they want. Nobody will stand up for you. You have to do it yourself. That retard showed me that you have to teach people how to treat you. If you allow it to happen, it will.

The other night at work, one of the techs was looking at a picture of my residency class. She told me that I was a success story. My reply was to down play my success. I said I was just "lucky".

Her response floored me... "Well you didn't just trip and fall and wind up a doctor. You had to work at it."

She is right. I did a lot of work. If I had believed idiot from High School, God knows where I would be.

I just hope that girl in the ER realizes she deserves more.

101 in 1001...

2009-07-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have been slacking on this... but since Joe and Jordy are gone, I really have nothing else to do...

I am going to start on my 365 project. This is taking a picture of myself every day for the next year! So I am not clear on all the rules, but to make things interesting (and since it is my own goal- I will make them up as I go).

everyday I will take a picture of myself.
I will post it. although I imagine there may be times when I do a bunch at a time....
Other people can be in the photo to keep it interesting...

Here is photo #1

This is a group of people I work with out at a club.

Only two more months...

2009-07-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

My life is punctuated in count downs.... I am forever counting down to something.

But this is the most painful countdown ever....

I have two more months until I get to cuddle my little Jordy again. Two more months until I can snuggle with Joe and watch the Simpsons in bed and laugh at the same jokes we have heard a million times.

I used to be a fully self sufficient adult female human, now I am so lost without my family. I actually went into work tonight b/c I had nothing else to do. I voluntarily saw a patient to pass the time.

Then b/c it is the fourth of July, I watched a few fireworks, ate a slice of apple pie...felt incredibly lonely and then went back to my dorm room. Then I watched Sex and the City.

All alone...

2009-06-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Joe and Jordy went back to California to visit family three days ago...I am so bored!

I don't know what on earth I did before I chased Jordy around all the time! My entire adult life I have always lived with Joe! Some surprising things have occurred in the last few days of being alone- turns out I am not as clean as I thought I was. Joe isn't the source of all messiness in my life! It is nice being able to sleep in though without Jordy to wake me up- although I would give anything to wake up to his babblings right now!

Actually I am not really too bored b/c there is too much stuff to do. I moved back onto base. The movers are coming the 2nd of July to pack up the apartment. I have to move all the stuff around- stuff I want to keep with me, stuff to go to Florida. Plus I have to get the car ready to ship back to the states. My PT test is in two weeks- I have to run 1.5miles, do as many push-ups and sit ups in one minute. I wasn't worried about the test until I did something to my back and now am hobbling around. We'll see how it goes...

I am working nights for the rest of June and all of July- right now I am trying to stay awake. My dorm room does have some advantages; air conditioning 24/7, access to a real washer and dryer, close to work (about 100 feet), close to friends. But all that goodness pales in comparison to the biggest negative- no Joe and Jordy.

Korean Folk Village

2009-06-17T15:08:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went with some friends of ours to the Korean Folk Village.

It was one of those places that I kept wanting to go to, but never got around to it. So yesterday when Trent asked if we wanted to join his family- I jumped at the chance.

We got to dress up in traditional Korean clothes and took some pictures. Joe wasn't to thrilled, and you can see from the beginning pictures that Jordy wasn't thrilled either. Thanks to the comedy stylings of Tammy and Trent, Jordy did smile pretty for the camera!

The entire place was really interesting and I had a great time. They had all kinds of traditional Korean homes- a mansion, a farmer, peasant, etc. They had pottery displays, horse show, acrobats- what a fun place!
Some things get lost in translation!

Here is a picture of Trent's Family! Jordy is going to miss the boys so much!

DMZ

2009-06-14T01:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. In the above picture, the land just on the other side of the river is North Korea.

It was a long day! We left at 7 AM and didn't get back until almost 7PM. It was a really interesting trip. We learned about the Korean war, all about life in North Korea, and got to go into the conference room and stand on the North Korean side! So technically Joe and I have now been to North Korea!

We saw a North Korean soldier on their side of the line. He is the guy in the picture with the dark green uniform.
In the above picture, the door immediately behind us goes into North Korea. We have heard stories of the North Korean soldiers pulling people through the door...fortunately they didn't want Joe or me!

The most interesting part of the tour was the story about Operation Paul Bunyan. Apparently several people were killed while trying to cut down a tree that blocked the view from one of the guard towers. It is a story that really emphasizes how retarded the North Koreans are. The UN officials went to go cut down the tree, the N. Koreans rushed out trying to stop them. They killed 2 UN men with an axe. Eventually to cut down the damned tree they had to have the entire Korean peninsula on red alert, tons of military special forces went in to take care of the tree. This is the site of the tree.
Here's a picture of me on the UN side. The blue building to the left in the picture is the conference room. The two soldiers there are South Korean. Between the two buildings is a gravel strip that leads to the line between the two countries. The big building in the back is North Korean. If you enlarge the picture you can see the North Korean soldier on the top of the stairs.

China Pictures

2009-06-09T03:11:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

China...

2009-06-08T04:21:00.000-07:00

Joe, Jordy, and I just got back from Beijing. We were there for four days total. Because we were short on time we decided to do a private tour. The tour because we were nervous about being in China and not speaking Chinese (most Koreans speak English around the base in S. Korea). The private tour because we didn't want to make other people suffer through our wonderful child's temper tantrums- something he has become quite good at these days.

When we got off the plane in Beijing, we were met with our tour guide who took us to a waiting van and we were off...we had hoped to the hotel to freshen up and rest a bit- but instead we launched into a full of touring right off the bat. This was bad news considering we had been up since 4AM and had already endured at least four of Jordy's temper tantrums. I was sweating buckets and couldn't find my deoderant- yummy!

We drove by the Olympic stadium- the bird's nest and the water cube. It was raining and we really didn't feel like touring, much less like stomping around in pouring rain to look at buildings.

Then we got out and went to Tieneman Square. Our tour guide told us all about the history, it was pretty amazing! We also went to the forbidden city on that day. Poor Joe and I were ready to drop dead by the end of day one. Of course when we got back to the room and tried to sleep, Jordan suddenly got a 15th wind and was ready to go! After Joe finally got him settled down, I tried to get on the internet.

Come to find out that none of our American or Korean plugs would work. My good friend Pat will be amazed to learn, that there is another type of outlet! I called down to the front desk to ask for a power converter. In ten minutes a beef burger was delivered to our door. So much for the English speaking staff!

The next day we went to the Great Wall. I expected to have great awe and admiration for this huge feat of human engineering. The wall at one time was a continuous structure. Really it was somewhat disappointing. We went to the Badaling section of the wall, and decided to go to the less crowded side- b/c it was also less steep.

I can't even imagine what the steep side was like, because our side was just awful. The steps were so steep that Jordy couldn't even attempt to climb them! Joe and I had a spat over him trying to climb. After I assured him that Jordan could at least go up with some assistance, Jordan fell and scraped his chin. Luckily I was there to keep Joe from seeing the blood on his chin. Surely if Joe saw the blood, the climb of the wall would be over!

Miraculously we made it up to the first guard tower. I had to carry Jordy the entire way. My legs are still sore 5 days later! Joe was terrified we were going to miss a step and plummet to our deaths. I kept seeing decrepit old women go up and down the steps and thought we could manage.

By the time we made it to the top, I was drenched in sweat. Joe was pissed that I was putting us in such peril. Jordan was mad I wouldn't let him walk on his own, also still bleeding from his chin.

At the guard tower we made it to, the view was incredible.

I am glad we went to the wall, but would recommend making sure you are wearing good shoes (I wore silly little black flats), and leave little ones at home!

The rest of the trip went well. My favorite part was the shopping at the markets. They are like giant swap meets. We got some good stuff for pretty cheap. Also I got a cheap watch, that stopped working 4 minutes after I set it! Oh well!

We're Not dead yet...

2009-05-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-29T04:31:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-20T04:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-05-16T06:04:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-05-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

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

What's in the bag?

2009-05-11T05:24:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-05-09T03:48:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-05-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

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!

Only one more night...

2009-04-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

I am at the end of a 7 night stretch of working. Last night was night #6, and it did not disappoint. One alcohol poisoning requiring intubation and transfer. One sexual assault. One broken clavicle...

Now I am off to bed. I can't wait till this time tomorrow- then I can finally have my chance to be drunk and disorderly!

Life...

2009-04-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

We had a patient come in the other night who was found down in a bathroom. I got to go along on the transport to the civilian hospital. On the way his heart stopped and we had to start chest compressions. I don't think he is going to make it.

It really made me realize how fragile life is. One minute you go to the bathroom, the next you are being worked on in a ambulance, and then you die.

Whatever you are putting off till tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year...DON'T! Tomorrow may not come.

Tell your family how much you love them, make sure that plans are in place should something happen to you (wills, insurance..), and think about your life goals!

One of my goals in 101 in 1001 was to make a bucket list. Now seems like the perfect time:

See the Great Wall
Take a romantic trip to Italy with Joe.
Have a huge family holiday, sit down to a dinner with all my loved ones.
Take my kids (Jordan + more) camping.
Dance with Jordan at his wedding and tell him how happy I was when I had him.

That is all I can think of now, but I will add as more come up.

101 in 1001...

2009-04-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to update everyone on the process of this list. Just a warning to everyone that I have taken half a tablet of Ambien and drank a Mike's Cranberry prior to this. But still can't fall asleep...

One of the goals was to give up paper towels. I did this for the one month time period I challenged myself too, and have to say the month was really hard. People who can do this dont' have children. Kids require so much clean up and maintenance. Stuff that I don't ever want to see again- not even to through that poopy mess in the washer! Maybe in a time of grown up children I can try this one again, but right now, NO!

Also I wondered what people who don't buy paper towels do when they fry something. What do they put it on to help soak up all that grease?

One of my goals was to play video games with Joe as a way to be interested in what he does. WE actually found a game that I was really excited about. Katie- get ready to laugh- It is LOST!! They have a game! It is really cool so far! We have a blast playing it together.

Another goal was to find 15 new ways in which I tell Joe I love him. One of those was accomplished tonight as I sat through another awful movie. We watched Watchmen- while it was not a awful movie, the movie was made awful by the theatre cuttng out about 45 minutes of it! Suddenly the movie ended abruptly and we were all confused as to what had happened! Joe went home and got on the internet and discovered we had missed a huge section!

So that is number 1- sitting through a plottless man movie.

I am happy to report that I am still a non-smoker and have no desire to ever light up again! Although that changes from day to day! Encourage your smoking friends to give it up, and if they fail, try not to judge them too harshly and encourage them to give it another shot!

Here is my full list:

1. Become a member of AAFP and complete the monthly CME quiz. (1/32)
2. Read the ER book by the time we leave here.
3. Every month while I am in the ER, draw blood and start an IV so I don't lose my skills.(3/9)
4. Go to at least 3 social events with work people before we leave here. (1/3)
5. Renew ACLS
6. Take on a new task at work.- Radiology Wet Reads while Eric was gone.
7. Once a month date night where Jordy has a sitter. (2/32)
8. Take Jordy to play group at least 10 times before we leave here. (5/10)
9. Find a wonderful daycare for Jordy once we get to Florida, one that is bilingual.
10. Work with Jordy, when he is ready, to learn spanish.
11. Take a family trip to Everland.
12. Take a family trip to Mt. Sorak.
13. Start going to church here, go at least 10 times (hey I am being realistic!) (0/10)
14. Find a church once we get to Florida.
15. Have professional pictures of us done.
16. Have a big family Thanksgiving where I do the cooking.
17. Take Joe on a romantic weekend alone.
18. Take Jordy on a camping trip.
19. Go on a cruise with family.
20. Make a letterbox and place it.
21. Make 8 weekly menu plans to alternate. (2/8)
22. Learn 5 vegetarian recipes. (0/5)
23. Learn to Eat Clean and Incorparte some of these recipes into the regular
24. Go an entire two months without buying anything for myself. (2/2)
25. Go without tv for one week.
26. Get one of my scrapbook pages published in a magazine on a website
27. Close accounts that I am not using.
28. Master Quicken.
29. Make and keep a monthly budget. (3/32)
30. Save "enough" for a down payment for a house in Florida.
31. Start saving for Jordy's College.
32. Get Joe a car when we get to Florida that isn't too outrageously expensive.
33. Get an annual credit report for both Joe and I. (1/3)
34. Start a garden to grow vegetables.
35. Start composting.
36. Have a big yard with a doggie door for Pezzy.
37. Make a cleaning schedule and stick to it. (3/32)
38. Buy Joe the tv of his dreams.
39. Have people over for a home cooked meal and a movie.
40. Get pictures from my dad, sister, and a few others to have enlarged and displayed in my home.
41. Send 5 thank you cards to people for how they have impacted my life. (0/5)
42. Test drive an extravagantly expensive sports car.
43. Get Botox.
44. Play golf for the first time, and not miniature golf.
45. Read 15 books from the library (0/15)
46. Stop swearing! This one isn't measurable, but I really need to stop being such a potty mouth.
47. Knit a sweater.
48. Participate and complete the 365 Portrait Challenge
49. Take a Class at the Community Center on making paper crafts.
50. Lasik
51. Recycle aluminum Cans Regularly.
52. Once I am doing the cans, move on to plastics.
53. Stop buying individual yogurt cups, buy the big one and put in my own reusable container.
54. Have one day per week where I don't drive and use public transportation.
55. Buy/Find enough cloth bags to use for grocery shopping. (3/10)
56. Consistently use the cloth bags when grocery shopping for one year. (0/24)
57. Donate old clothes and other things rather than throwing them away. (0/4)
58. Start using natural cleaners in my home such as Vinegar and Baking Soda and lemon.
59. Buy an Air purifier to clean out the YelloW Dust
60. Stop buying paper towels and napkins for a month. (1/1)
61. Take the clothes Jordan has outgrown to the Consigment Shop on Base.
62. Eat Sushi 10 times (1/10)
63. Go to the Seafood Festival in Florida
64. Play video games with Joe at least 5 times. (1/5)
65. Go to 10 movies with Joe, or watch pirated ones here in Korea, that Joe picks. (0/10)
66. Find 15 new ways to tell Joe that I love him. (0/15)
67. Have a spa weekend with Jennifer, my treat.
68. Visit Heidi in Kentucky and meet her family.
69. Try 10 new resteraunts. (2/10)
70. Make 100 scrapbook layouts. (5/100)
71. Go on a picnic 4 times. (0/4)
72. Draw Jordan's Family Tree
73. Make a photo book of all of Jordy's pictures.
74. Go to Disney World
75. Go to Disney Wild Animal Park
76. Get an account on Facebook
77. Watch a Marky Mark movie with Jennifer while we drink strawberry daiquiris
78. Visit the Park's in Alaska.
79. See 5 plays/musicals/concerts. (0/5)
80. Find a Charity I am passionate about and help them raise money.
81. Participate in Gimme your Stuff
82. Send PostCarts in Post Crossing (5/5)
83. Exercise for health, not to maintain some unrealistic goal for myself.
84. learn to love myself, my body, and mind, even though there are countless flaws.
85. Know that having a few jiggles here and there doesn't make me unlovable.
86. Exercise regularly 3x per week. (0/
87. Run a 5K
88. Get a perfect score on my next fitness test.
89. Laser Hair Removal
90. Do pictures for at least 5 groups of people. They can be family, wedding, kids. (0/5)
91. Stop buying bottled water. Get a filter for work so I can use a cup instead.
92. Continue to be a nonsmoker and encourage my patients to quit.
93. Have Joe and I both make "bucket lists"
94. Make a list of 100 things I love.
95. Go Hiking at least 10 times. (0/10)
96. Go to the DMZ.
97. Make Joe a new quilt.
98. Wear heels at least once per month starting in March 2009
99. Go to the Florida Keys
100. Write in my blog once per week.
101. Organize this list!

Jordy's Drive-In

2009-04-10T03:01:00.000-07:00

Jordy went for a ride in his car outside and once we came back in he didn't want to get out. He then watched the entire movie of Cars sitting in his car! What a cutie!

Some new pictures!

2009-04-04T16:49:00.001-07:00

Jordy's First Movie

Jordy gets a basketball hoop!

Jordy goes for the basket!

A good night at work!

2009-04-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

The other night I had a great night at work. I actually got to do some procedures and actually did some good! After an incredibly drunken night, I got to intubate an active duty person who was puking all over the place and in danger of aspirating. To make matters worse they were combative and fighting us. I was on the fence about intubating, but since we had anesthesia right there and respirations were steadily going down, I figured we might as well. Then we wouldn't have to fight to keep them cooperative, breathing, and aspirating. Plus we got to suck all the food out of the stomach- there was puke everywhere!

Surprisingly, after not intubating anyone since the 3rd year of medical school- I got it on the first try! I was so proud! The people I work with at the ER are so nice- everyone was cheering me on, I was a celebrity for the rest of the evening!

It was a good night! I came home on top of the world and stayed up most of the day- too amped up to sleep!

You can't fight your DNA!

2009-03-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

You can't fight your DNA, but you can try.

Every year for the military we do a PHA- periodic health assessment. This year I had to get my blood drawn (actually every year we do) for HIV and a cholesterol screening. I can't even begin to imagine all the money the government wastes every year getting HIV screenings on people like me- married, monogamous, and no new sexual partners in over a decade! I am sure you are all pleased that your tax dollars are going to good use!

Anyways, my cholesterol came back high. Total cholesterol of 207! Under 200 is "normal". I knew for a while that my cholesterol was creeping up, but thought I was doing a good job of keeping it low. Guess I was wrong.

My Triglycerides were also really high.

I am going to have to start limiting my red meat consumption, exercising more, eating fish! I love a good steak and hate fish.

I know that a large part of this is probably genetic, my mom's side of the family all had raging high cholesterol. Although I attributed their high cholesterol to their eating habits. My mom said grandma used to use bacon grease to butter her bread!

So what can be done to lower cholesterol, there are a lot- but here is what I am going to do:

Exercise More
Less Red Meat
Fish Oil supplements
Oatmeal

We'll see what happens...I will get it checked again in six months.

I did it!

2009-03-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I was able to stay up to 3AM! Then I woke up at noon. I plan to stay up to 4AM tonight, then hopefully sleep until 1PM. By Wednesday night I will be turned around to a night schedule (I hope!).

I watched a few videos by a blogger that I love. She is a fitness and nutrition guru. There are several videos she posted on youtube about food prep. Really it is such a simple idea, I don't know why I don't do it.

She plans her meals for the entire week, grocery shops and buys those things, then does most of the food prep on Sunday for the entire week. That way there is no temptation to go to Burger King (my personal weakness) when there is no time to make dinner.

A few weeks back I was trying to come up with a similar menu planning scenario. I don't know what happened that I got derailed. Perhaps I will start again with renewed gusto!

Check out the videos and her site at Phit-n-Phat.

Must stay awake..awake..awake..

2009-03-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am switching to nights on Wednesday. Unfortunately I am still on a day schedule. I had the last week off in which I was supposed to get turned around, but kept having stupid meetings to go to during the day. So alas, two days before nights begin and I am dying to stay awake!

Today I tried to make a delicious dinner, but ended up over cooking the chicken. It came out like cardboard! Seriously my jaw got tired chewing it! Poor Joe really tried to eat it, but just couldn't do it.

Oh well, I will try again tomorrow!

1st day back after vacation...

2009-03-25T04:05:00.000-07:00

Today sucked. Just plain sucked.

I was really tired from not being used to getting up at 430 AM. I was starving and was looking forward to getting to work to have my morning coffee and oatmeal (since I get up so early I eat breakfast there), only I didn't get to eat until 9AM.

As soon as I walked in the door there was a Code Blue in progress. I walked in just as the tube went down the patients mouth. Since everyone else was doing stuff, I got stuck with the fun job of talking to the husband. Not a fun job.

Then it was pretty much nonstop all day. My morning cup of coffee which I had been really looking forward too was ruined by lack of coffee creamer. I did buy some last week at the Bx, but the only flavor they had was GingerBread- which was disgusting!

About 10AM one of the higher ups shows up and makes us all do push-ups for not having our ID badges on. So then my wrist hurts for several hours.

We had a patient with a miscarriage, a baby with a fever, insomnia, 2 chest pains, UTI, and at the end of the day I got into a fight with one of the nurses.

What a day. Thank God I have the next 7 off!

Guam pics

2009-03-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Open Letter to All Travelers...

2009-03-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Annoying Traveler,

I know that we are all in rush, but standing so close to me that I can feel your breath on my back does not make the line move any faster. In fact it makes the line move slower because in my own vengeful way, I move slower the harder you push me. Not only does crowding me make me entirely pissed off, it enrages my husband. When my husband is enraged there are consequences. Don't dismiss those evil death looks as benign, if ignored they will escalate. Let's not forget the Splash Mountain Incident where at least 10 unsuspecting crowders were bowled to the ground after Joe violently lurched backwards instead of forward when the line moved.

Like all Americans my body does not end where my skin does. I have at least 18 inches of air space surrounding me. Please respect my allotted airspace.

Now onto the next matter- airline seating. Under no circumstances are you to evacuate your purchased seat, relocate into a vacant seat infront of me holding my sleeping toddler and then have the nerve to invade the three inch cube of personal space the airline has allotted me by reclining your seat. As the paying passenger in the proper seat assigned to me, I feel that I have the right to not have your head lying on my child's head, lying on my lap!

Likewise, when you usurp the seat behind me by the same means do not call the flight attendant to complain that I have my seat reclined and you are cramped. When the flight attendant tells me, very loudly, to move my seat up for the courtesy of the other passenger- while the other idiot is laying in my lap- it really pisses me off.

All of this seating drama causes my husband undue stress. He goes into protection mode trying to preserve our "real estate". He is shoving at reclined seats, yelling at people (in English so I hope no one understands) to move back, muttering angry curse words...I expect him to stand up and start pissing on the borders of our row. By the end of the flight we are all exhausted and want to get off the plane...

But even exiting the plane is a debacle. First an almost entirely comatose cabin springs into action as soon as they hear that "ding". People are everywhere- standing in the aisles, rummaging in the overhead bins, standing in the aisles in an obvious attempt at securing a place in line to get out. Heaven forbid that they would let a family with a small child out...mind you that child is now screaming and really pissed! (By the way, the irritated looks at us while the child is screaming does not help. Don't you think if we could get him to calm down we would? We do not enjoy him making a scene anymore than you enjoy listening to it!) Would it be too much to ask that you let us out? Will the 30 seconds it takes for us to exit the row really delay your entire travel itinerary? I think not.

In conclusion you annoying travelers out there- knock that shit off and have some consideration for other people.

What is that magical contraption??

2009-03-19T04:42:00.000-07:00

On the flight to Guam we had an entire row to ourselves- 5 entire seats! With all that kind of room we decided to take the car seat on the plane and once Jordan was asleep we could tuck him in for a nice sleep...boy were we wrong!

As soon as we got on the plane we buckled in the car seat to one of the aisle seats. Joe, Jordan, and I occupied the three seats on teh other aisle. Flight Attendant #1 (FA1) comes over to ask us if we need the seat this moment or if she could put it in the overhead bin. (Mind you that this is in very broken English and very difficult to understand). Joe and I agree we don't need it right this instant but explain it is buckled to the seat and it won't move. FA1 doesn't buy the safety of the seat and begins to pull at it violently. The seat does not budge. "Excuse a me" she pleads and scurries away. Joe and I stupidly think that will be the end of it.

FA1 returns with FA2 and FA3. They all study the seat and take turns pushing and pulling at it. FA2 musters up the bravery to ask if it is bucked to the airline seat. Yes we reply, it is infact attached and will not move unless we unbuckle it.

FA4 joins in. They talk rapidly in Korean. The four of them sound like a fight might break out between them. FA2 and 3 take turns yelling and jerking at the seat showing how it doesn't budge. They inspect the buckles that would hold Jordy. They run their fingers along the fabric. I expected one of them to climb into the carseat when finally the FA3 declares it is safe, and away they all go.

Finally the matter was settled...

Until 1 hour prior to landing...

It seemed like an entirely new crew of Flight Attendants had arrived. I don't know where the ones that we started with went? Perhaps they parachuted out of the plane, or had as suicide pact if the car seat made it off the ground...I don't know... but what I do know is that we had an entirely new crew of Flight Attendants investigating the chair again.

The only thing different about this inspection period is that I had Jordy screaming mercilessly while the FA1 demanded that the chair that the car seat was bolted too be in the full and upright position. Mind you that also at this time Joe is having a panic attack and feels he may pass out (he's not a good flier). So I yell at the FA1 to hold her horses! One of the nice things about being in a foreign country is you can say whatever you want- nobody understands if you speak quickly. Joe springs into action and unbuckles the seat entirely, but moves the airline seat to the full upright and locked position.

Now a small army of flight attendants investigate. They all agree that the chair is in the proper position. None of them notice that the car seat is not bolted down and it may jettison into the air at any time, not important...

Meanwhile, while all flight attendants are having a near coronary over the car seat reclined seat fiasco, there is a woman leaning over her seat back trying to console her baby who is sitting in her husbands lap direction behind her. She is bobbing along with all the turbulence, once even striking her head on the ceiling...not too worry though- our seat is in the full and upright locked position!!

Miraculously we landed without anyone dying d/t our car seat.

I really don't understand what the big deal was- have they never seen a car seat? Then I remember that in South Korea I once saw a woman riding a moped holding an infant in her lap! No these people don't use car seats regularly, so maybe they had never seen one!

Next time we are checking the damned thing!

Only two more days...

2009-03-15T03:49:00.000-07:00

Only two more days and we are off to Guam! We are going for vacation. I can't wait!

I plan to sit on my butt and get a tan (although hopefully not skin cancer). There are a few things I want to see there, but mostly I am excited for American stores and resteraunts! Guam is a US territory and has tons of great stuff. Although it does not have a Best Buy, much to Joe's dismay, they do have a Kmart.

An Entirely New Outlook

2009-03-13T04:12:00.000-07:00

So after hitting rock bottom in the self esteem department, I have decided to change my outlook.

I read a blog called Phit-n-Phat that I just love. In this particular post, Corinne talks about liking yourself. She talks about how women always focus on what we don't like about ourselves, and seem to forget that we have some really good qualities.

So I am accepting her challenge and will list some things I like about my self:

I like my teeth. I love how straight they are and how years and years of grinding my teeth has made them perfectly filed down. People often compliment me on my smile and it makes me want to flash them a huge mega watt smile!

I like my nose. This may be cheating a bit b/c I did have a nose job. But after the work was done, my nose really makes me happy.

I like that I am fairly tall. In a crowd of people I don't feel like I am a giant, but not too short.

I like my laugh. Although when I hear it recorded it sounds like an annoying cackle, but it feels so good that I love to laugh. I love to laugh so hard that I start crying and my abs hurt.

I used to love my flat tummy, but since Jordy it isn't all that flat anymore. The other day Joe pinched at my flab and teased me about it. My response- I reminded him that this body made an entire person! Yeah I may have some left over flab, but dang it- I made a human being! I love that I was able to have Jordy and recover without any problems.

Overall my body will never be on the cover of Victoria Secret, but it serves me well. It hasn't failed me yet- no broken bones, no chronic pain issues, no GI problems, nothing...I will stop wishing I were a supermodel, and realize how blessed I truly am!

Cheap Entertainment

2009-03-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

Living in Korea has changed the way we entertain ourselves entirely! Since there are no shopping malls with stuff that interests us, no Best Buy, no scrapbooking stores, etc...we are not shopping like we used to. This is a pretty good thing as far as money goes, but the internet has thousands of places that are willing to ship to us...

Since our options for going out are so severely limited, we have found a few things to entertain ourselves. By far my favorite is Lost! We borrowed the DVDs from some friends and have been hooked! Every night when I get home from work we have dinner, then Jordy gets a bath, then straight to Lost! For several weeks I have been fairly sleep deprived b/c I end up staying up way too late!

Instead of buying 4 seasons of Lost on DVD, we borrowed them from a friend and saved at least 100 dollars. We have spent every evening for the past few weeks watching it! This great trade has made me wonder what else my friends have hiding in their DVD collections! What a great way to save money rather than buy something and only watch it once.

Usually Joe doesn't like people to borrow our DVDs (he is super paranoid about people touching his stuff!), but he will make people copies for them to take. That way I don't feel like we borrow and then never loan stuff out.

Another thing we have been doing a lot of is Jordy playgroups. At the food court on base they recently added an indoor play area. It is pretty nice and has a magazine rack filled with women's magazines like Allure and InStyle. I like to sit and read a magazine and watch Jordy play. This activity would be entirely free, except Joe likes to buy food from the food court everytime we go.. It is so much fun watching all the kids playing. They don't know not to push or hit yet, no idea what sharing is, but they all know how to cry when something doesn't go their way. It is very entertaining. Somehow everytime we go, the kids flock to Joe and I. We are the only parents who actually play with them! All the mothers just sit with the other moms and talk.

When the weather gets a bit warmer, I am looking forward to hiking in the hills behind our apartments. It is really beautiful back there, and Jordan seems to really enjoy running along the trail.

Before Jordan came along, Joe and I used to really like to go to the gym together. It was so much fun spotting for him. He makes the funniest faces while working out. Out here we can't go to the gym together since we don't have anyone to watch Jordan, but we still go. I have started going after work. It is easier for me to make it part of my work day, rather than try to make it back another time. Joe usually goes on my days off. I do look forward to getting back to the states and going to 24 hour fitness where they have a day care.

I really enjoy cooking, and trying out a new recipe is a fun way to spend the afternoon. I found a website called spark.com that has all kinds of healthy & low fat recipes. Some of them turn out pretty good. I like the crock pot ones so I can turn it on when I leave for work, and then come home to a delicious meal. Joe also gets on board for cooking sometimes. Last week he helped me make Chicken and Shrip Paella! Yummy!

Of course I love to scrapbook, so that takes up a ton of time. My only drawback here is the lack of storage space. I don't want to buy a lot of stuff to store things in here. The scrapbook room is a disaster with papers all over the place! Joe still gets his video games regularly. Right now he is waiting for the Bx to get Resident Evil. Everyday he goes to the Bx really early to check and see if it is out yet. What dedication!

Before we moved here I was working a DVD slide show of all of Jordy's first year. I didn't finish it though, perhaps I should.

After doing taxes with Katie, I am vowing to keep better records this year. I just put in a receipt to the 2009 tax file that she made for me. It was for 6.65 for uniform alterations. The old me would have thought that 6 bucks wasn't enough to matter, but we'll see what it adds up to!

I found a website called Postcrossing. It is a postcard club. I send a postcard to some random place in the world, and get some back too! Just yesterday I got one from South Africa. I have gotten about 10 postcards; from China, Thailand, US, Finland... It is free to join, and fun to do!

My point of doing this post was to remind myself, and you too!, that there are a lot of activities in the world that don't require spending money. I am just so used to shopping being my main past time, it is hard to get out of that mindset.

Any other ideas to add?