Heavy sigh....

I am sad to report that I am indeed back from Mexico. What a fabulous trip!! The girls I was with are amazing, and contrary to what I thought before going, it was so fun to have such a large group of singles on the boat. We were meeting new people every time we turned around! The weather was as perfect as it gets! We had sea days on Monday and Tuesday so we pretty much just laid out by the pool until it was time to get ready for dinner. I even got a little bit of a tan! Too bad I probably won't see the sun again for 4 months so I'm sure I will lose it all. I have to say that I was quite disappointed in the food. However, we had the AWESOMEST people at our table for dinner and it more than made up for the food! And of course there was the 24 hour soft serve ice cream...you can't really go wrong with that! On Wednesday we were in Puerto Vallarta. Perhaps I mentioned that we decided to go zip lining....and I am terrified of heights. So, we were on our way and I was a little bit nervous, but I thought I would be okay. Once we got there and started going up the windy (windey, whatever, I don't know how that's spelled) rickety metal staircase to the first line, it pretty much took everything I had to not start crying. I was so scared! My friends were awesome, encouraging me. I pretty much felt like a little kid. Once I got up and got the first few lines under my belt, I really wasn't too scared any more. I even ended up going backwards with the camera guy filming me. What a rush! It was so much fun!! I totally recommend it to anyone, and I'm sure I'll be doing it again! I was going to post some pictures, but I just realized that I don't have any because my camera broke yet AGAIN!!! I was so very mad! Luckily Sara had her camera and we hauled that around everywhere and took tons of pictures. She will be sending me a CD of all the photos but I don't have it yet. I think I got like 75 pictures on my camera before the stupid thing broke on Tuesday. How annoying! Anyway, we were in Mazatlan on Thursday. First we went to a really nasty market. They had the usual souvenirs and crap in it, but there were also several different meat markets and such as well. It stunk so bad, I thought I might puke! There were pig's heads and whole fish and all sorts of nasty stuff. Not to mention there were flies and bees on everything! We pretty much hightailed it out of there quickly. As usual, we ran into some people from the cruise who informed us that everyone was going over the the resort El Cid. So we hopped in a taxi and hung out at the beach over there. Sara and Normandy even talked me into parasailing! It was an absolute blast! I thought I might be a little afraid of the initial takeoff, but I had no problems at all. It was absolutely breathtaking! I definitely want to do that again, too. We went over to Senor Frog's for some lunch and had a ton of fun there, as well. I think we took about ten million pictures and Patty got fondled by the waiters! And it was all captured on film! We took an open air taxi back to the boat and yelled and waved at people the whole way there. Friday we were in Cabo. Erica and Patty went whale watching and over to lover's beach and Sara and Normandy and I went shopping and found a nice little Mexican joint and had some lunch. I think it was a great day for everyone and a nice end to the trip. Saturday we were at sea again and the weather had been perfect up to that point, but it was a little chilly. We had planned on hanging out by the pool again but it was only in the 70's and windy, so we kind of just hung out around the boat and got things ready to go. Sara decided to get a massage and talked me into getting one, too (she really had to twist my arm). What a fab way to finish off the cruise! It was kind of sad to have to say goodbye to all the friends that we'd met during the week. It's amazing how close you can get with people in just one week. Hopefully we can all get together when I am back in good old Salt Lake!

Me and Sara at the lifeboat drill. Who knew orange life preservers could look so HOT!

Patty, Normandy, Sara, me and Patty's birthday cake on Sunday. What a great start to a fabulous week!

Patty, me and Sara on our first formal night.

Me + towel dog.

And...that was pretty much the end of my lame camera. Looks like I will be sending it in for repairs again. Perhaps when I get Sara's pictures I will post a few more.

In less important news, I did finally get the GRE out of my hair. What a lame test! Seriously! I don't know that I did that well on it but I'm not even sure that it's that big of a deal. I am almost done jumping through all the hoops for my application for grad school. I got fingerprinted for the ten millionth time in three months today for yet another background check. I took my drug test, got my recommendation letters, paid their fees...etc etc etc. Now I just need to finish up my statement of professional goals (another lame waste of time!) and get my resume put together and I will be good to go! Everyone please please please keep your fingers crossed, pray, call your friends with connections at Westminster, whatever! I want this so badly and I'll be pretty upset if I don't get in. Not to mention I'm missing all my Salt Lake peeps and I'm looking forward to heading back for another long, hard winter. Okay, so I'm not looking forward to the winter part, but I do miss everyone there.

I also made it to my grandparent's 60th anniversary party on the 17th. It was a really quick trip but it was nice to see everyone, if only for five seconds.

AND....I finally finally got my Oregon license!! Of course I got it on Wednesday, the day I left Oregon for Las Vegas. Whatever. I feel so blessed that those morons in Oregon decided to grant me the oppportunity to practically give up my first born child so that I can practice nursing in their state. What a joke that whole process was! And speaking of jokes, I learned the hard way that there is a $500 fine for pumping your own gas in this state! Seriously? No, I didn't get a fine, but the gas station attendant made sure to point out that I was basically the biggest moron he'd ever come across in his life. So, if you ever happen to be coming up to visit me (hint, hint) whatever you do, DO NOT pump your own gas! You are far too stupid to be able to figure it out on your own and the gas police will hunt you down! There's my rant for the moment. As for the job, I started on Monday and worked last night as well. I was supposed to orient on both days but they "cut my orientation short" (translation: no orientation at all) so it was kind of interesting trying to do my job when I don't even know where the thermometers are or how to work their med machine (it's an omni cell here. why can't they just be the same everywhere?) But everyone that I have worked with so far has been awesome! Apparently there are a bunch of new travelers who will be working the night shift. When I asked who would be charging if all of us were new, I was told it would be me!!! Or another newbie (or rent-a-nurse as a fellow colleague called me this morning). So let's hope we don't get sued for malpractice.

Whew! That is probably the longest most rambling post EVER! It might explain a bit to say that I worked last night and haven't slept today yet, so I'm terribly sorry if I don't make any sense. Anyway...it has been an eventful and fabulous couple of weeks! It kind of makes it hard to come back to reality. Actually, it doesn't kind of make it hard, it REALLY makes it hard. But I suppose we have to work hard to play hard, right? Next step.........admission to grad school!! Wish me luck!!

Viva Mexico!!

Well, it has been a long and crazy week!! I woke up last Monday morning knowing that I had to move that day but not knowing exactly where I was going to be moving to! Luckily, I got a call from my agency around 9:00 before things got into full swing. Turns out that I was able to come to Salem and do all my classroom orientation (three days! ugh!!). I still don't have a license, but we're hoping it will be active by the end of this week...just in time for me to leave for Mexico! Whatever, I had pretty much decided that I was going to be totally out of work for three weeks anyway, so I was glad to get some hours in and I also got the boring orientation out of my hair. I was fortunate enough (please note the sarcasm here) to live in a Super 8 motel until my housing was ready on Wednesday. What an experience! I have to say, I am so very thankful that my dad was here. Not only did he help me keep things in perspective and prevent an inevitable meltdown, but when my computer died in the middle of all this (great timing!!) I was able to use his to keep in touch with the real world and keep in contact with my agency. Once I got settled into the plush and fabulous Super 8, he helped me pick out and purchase a brand new laptop. Not to mention all the grilling and cleaning and everything he did while I was at work and to help me get ready to move. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done without him! I know he will probably never read this, but I don't think I can ever repay him and I am beyond grateful to him! Not to mention the rest of my fabulous family and friends!! Everyone was very supportive and I had many offers of places to stay if I ended up homeless. So thanks to everyone! :)

So...here I am in Salem! I have almost got all of my crap put away. I even signed up for my GRE finally! I am taking it on Thursday in Las Vegas. I haven't studied AT ALL for it, so everyone please wish me luck. I am planning on doing some studying once I get my place all clean. I can't stand a mess! I'm leaving for Portland on Tuesday to hang out with my cousin and then going to Vegas on Wednesday. GRE Thursday, then heading to my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary in Southern Utah Friday night, then back to Vegas Saturday night so I can catch a flight to LA for the cruise first thing Sunday morning! It's sure to be a busy week! I downloaded pictures from my dad's camera from our trip to Canada...onto my other computer! Fortunately it is just the screen that went out so I will probably be able to retrieve all the stuff off my hard drive and get it transferred onto the new computer....someday! Needless to say, I don't have many good pictures, but I do have a few from my camera.

This is the cute Christmas tree that my dad got and put up in my apartment! I loved it!

This is the Empress Hotel...quite a landmark in Victoria, apparently.

We went to the Seattle Aquarium and the Seattle Underground (look it up on google, it's a really cool story!) tour on the Saturday before I left Tacoma. I took this picture of Seattle from the aquarium. Pretty cool, huh?

Can I just say that I just uploaded those pictures and it was about 10,000 times faster than on my other computer! Awesome! Anyway, I hope everyone is having a fantastic January! When it seems like things can't get any worse.....they do! But for me, everything has fallen very nicely into place and I couldn't be happier! It has been a stressful couple of weeks and I am definitely ready for a vacation! Can't wait for Mexico! I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures to share!

We're not in Kansas anymore...

So.....once again I am slacking on updating! Things have just been busy, busy, busy in these parts since Christmas. My dad drove up on the Tuesday before Christmas after braving all the snow and closed roads on the way. Fortunately he is used to driving in lots and lots of snow so he made it here in one piece, just extra extra slow! Of course I worked on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so we celebrated Christmas on Friday. My dad has been driving me to and picking me up from work because Kim's car got broken into on Christmas Eve morning and pretty much everything she owned was stolen. So, needless to say, I am a little paranoid and have been requiring my own personal chauffeur. Fortunately my dad was here to fill that role! Anyway....my dad picked me up from work on Christmas morning and when we got back to my apartment, my dad had put up a little tree and some Christmas lights. It was so awesome! I was kind of sad because I didn't have a tree or decorations or anything. So I was pretty happy. We went to breakfast on Friday and opened gifts. My mom got me a Wii. YAH! I also got some DVD's, games for the wii, new MAC, and cash which is always good. My dad and I decided to head up to Victoria, BC on Saturday. We took the ferry over and stayed at a hotel in town. We went to the Butchart Gardens on Saturday night. It was all decorated up for Christmas and it looked AWESOME! My dad has a great camera and took lots of pictures. But, seeing as I'm at work, I won't be uploading any to this post. But I will definitely post some pictures later. We came back on Sunday, and I am rounding out 2008 by working! yah! Unfortunately, I just got some bad news this morning. My agency called and told me that the Oregon State Board of Nursing has been closed for two weeks because of this storm we had. So....I don't have a license in Oregon and I can't work there. I was planning on leaving on Friday for Salem, but I guess that's on hold for now. My agency is looking at some short term options in other states where I have a license or states that will honor a license I already have. Apparently there are some available in Texas, Colorado and Kansas. Like I want to go to any of those places!! But whatever, I've got bills to pay and I guess I'm going to have to go where the work is. I just hope this doesn't screw up my cruise or anything else I've got planned. So, I am unemployed as of 0700 on January 1st. Who knows what is going to happen. Everyone please keep your fingers crossed!! I will keep you updated. And....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Oregon Trail

Well, I know you have all been waiting with bated breath to find out where my next assignment will be! Drumroll please.........I will be going to the fantastic and luxurious Salem, Oregon! Okay, so I have no idea if Salem is either fantastic or luxurious because I have never been there! But it is a job and it's on the west coast! And only about 2.5 hours from here so hopefully it won't be the move from hell like moving up here was! My last day here is on December 31st (what a way to ring in the new year! yah!) and I start there on January 6th. I will be in a "recovery unit" which apparently means they do procedure prep (like say, lung biopsies, laparascopic procedures, cardiac cath etc.) and the recovery for a few hours to overnight after the procedure. They do some inpatient overflow from the telemetry unit as well. For now, they are not open on Sundays but I guess they are going to start taking more inpatients so they will probably start opening 7 days a week. Anywho...it pays three dollars an hour more than here, so that's nice! And the manager didn't have a heart attack about me needing time off for my cruise and to go to New York in February (I hope!) so I think it will be a good thing. The manager also seemed pretty laid back unlike the butthole manager here, so we shall see! All in all, this has been a great experience and I have met some awesome people here! But I am definitely ready to move on...

So, I did make it to Salt Lake last week. I didn't realize how much I missed it there! I almost shed a tear or two when I stopped by my storage unit. I really miss a lot of my "comforts of home" as Kim calls them. Especially my amazing bed and my washer and dryer. I went to lunch with a lot of my IHC peeps on Thursday. So much fun! I miss everyone so much!! here's a picture of most of us.

Patty, Sara, Me, Tessa, Elsha, Heidi, Sadie, Normandy, Erica and Hunter

Patty, Sara, Elsha, me and Tessa.

I took a trip to the MAC counter in the blizzard on Saturday with Erin and we stopped at PF Chang's for some lemon pepper shrimp while we were there. Yum! I made the mistake of eating some leftover Mountain of Meat pizza from the Pie on Saturday afternoon. Let's just say it did NOT agree with me! I ended up meeting up with some friends that night and of course it was fun, I just wish I wouldn't have felt so crappy. I guess we will just have to do it again next time I am there and I will try to avoid any food with "mountain" in the name. I was happy that it snowed while I was there, but I was even happier that I got to come back home and not have to drive in the snow. Oh, how wrong I was! I came back to....snow! Apparently Seattle/Tacoma does get snow occasionally, but they are calling this one the Blizzard of '08. Don't get me wrong, if we were in Utah or somewhere equally as prepared for the inclement weather, this would really be nothing. But these people don't have plows and they don't spread salt on the road. Not to mention they DO NOT know how to drive in the snow. I thought they were bad drivers when the roads were dry! HA! I was thisclose to getting stuck in my parking lot on Thursday thanks to a bonehead move by a lady driving in front of me. Fortunately I was able to get myself out of the situation after screaming a few choice words! People just don't think sometimes! In any case, it snowed off and on all day today and I was happy to stay in and finish cleaning my apartment!

I had another adventure on Friday. I took a fun day trip up to Forks with Kim and another traveler I work with, Trish. What a trip! I have to admit, Forks really wasn't anything all that exciting but I am very happy to be able to say that I have been there!

This is on the way to Forks...it was pretty awesome scenery most of the way there!

Yes, you are reading that sign right, there was a road called kitchen-dick. And if you'll notice, the sign down in the corner is for weaner pigs. I couldn't make this up if I wanted to! We saw several interestingly named roads, but this one was definitely the best! We laughed about it for the entire trip!

Crescent Lake on the way to Forks. So quaint!

Finally made it to Forks! I wanted to pose with the famous sign, but it was kind of up on a hill and as you can see it was snowy and pretty darn cold, so I didn't want to climb up the hill.

This was a hotel with a clever sign!

We also found Forks High School.

Me and Kim, apparently Forks is the logging capital of the world? I mean, that's great and everything but really the most important thing is Twilight! Right?

We stopped at the ocean on the way home and did a little self photography. It was freezing, but totally breathtaking! I just love the ocean. The sound and watching it....I could sit there for days if only it was a little warmer. It was a fun trip with some fun friends and I'm glad we got to do it!

Saturday night I went out on the town for one last time with Kim and Emile. The town was pretty dead since the "blizzard of '08" was in full force. But we found a karaoke joint yet again and again, Kim talked me into singing a few songs with her. It was fun, as always! I'm definitely going to have to go to Boston and sing some more karaoke and have Kim show me around!

I can't remember what Kim and Emile were singing but they were really feelin' it!

This picture doesn't really do justice, but this is the gigantic hill on the way to our house. We have pretty much been avoiding it since it snowed, but I thought it would be fun if we drove down it. Kim agreed and down we went! It was fun, sliding all around on the non plowed roads. It was late enough there were not very many people out, so Kim could drive as crazily as she wanted. This is what all the roads in town looked like as well. Good times!

My dad is coming up tomorrow to hang with me for Christmas! I'm so excited! And we are going to head up to Canada on Friday or Saturday. Yay! I just wish I wasn't working on Christmas Eve and Christmas day....but I will live and I will be making time and a half. I hope everyone has the merriest Christmas ever! Thanks to everyone for being such great friends! I am truly blessed to know all of you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

SHOES!

So, I got cancelled from work tonight. Random. I didn't think that they could cancel travelers. Whatever! It worked out nicely since I am leaving for Salt Lake tomorrow and I haven't even started to pack yet. Plus, it's always nice to get some sleep before I travel. Anyway, I was perusing my blog today and I realized that there is something vital missing!! There is not even the slightest reference to shoes anywhere on my blog! I'm pretty disappointed in myself! Anyone who even sort of knows me knows how much I love shoes! I was pretty devastated to have to leave most of my shoes behind in a storage unit in Salt Lake. Maybe that's why I'm so excited to go back...I get to visit all my shoes!! I'm probably going to buy a new outfit for a Christmas party I'm going to and I know I won't have to worry about shoes to go with it. That's if I can get to where they are in the storage unit. Anyway...I also purchased a new pair of shoes the other day! It has been far too long since I have fed my addiction. And the best part is...they were free! In fact, I got 8 cents back. That's right, just call me bargain shopper! I knew you would all want to see them, so I had a little photo shoot...
I mean, really, how cute are these shoes! I'm going to be honest. I have like three other pairs that are very similar to this one, but I just couldn't resist. And like I said, they were free! (I had $10 Kohl's cash and a $25 gift card!). So, now that I look crazy since I posted an entire blog related to shoes, perhaps I will go pack my bags. I only hope I can find an outfit that will do these shoes justice!

The End of an Era...

I know it's going to probably be a while before I post again, so I figured that I better do one now while I have a second. Thanksgiving was awesome!! Of course, it was way too short and there wasn't nearly enough time to spend with the family, but the time we did have was fun! We had a huge dinner on Thursday and then my mom and I got up to go shopping at Wal Mart on Friday morning. Yes, we are crazy! And we got some great deals!! I spent $150 on...myself. Kinda dumb, but some deals you just can't pass up! And my mom got my Christmas present. Since I'm not going to be surprised by it, you will be! I'm not telling what it is, but I'm so excited! Amaria and I made a gingerbread tree on Friday. It turned out so cute! And it was so much easier than those flipping gingerbread houses! Unfortunately, even though my mom saved our gingerbread house from last year and was beyond careful with it, it didn't make it through the year very well. I salvaged it as best I could, but it looks like we will have to make a new one next year. Boo!! If Amaria didn't love doing it so much, I would not even bother with it. Oh well.

Robert carving one of the turkeys. YUM!!

Me and Amaria and our finished gingerbread tree! So cute!

My mom and I also went shopping on Saturday. It was fun to spend some time with her and get a little shopping done so I don't have to ship everything back to Las Vegas! I got to see Ralph and Gladhes, but only for about two seconds. There's never enough time to see everyone!!

So, after I got back, I got a text from my cousin Linda. I haven't seen her in probably 5 or 6 years. She lives in Portland, but she joined the Marines and has been in boot camp until a couple of weeks ago. We had talked about getting together, and Linda told me that she was going to come up and see me! I was so excited! I had Thursday, Friday and Saturday off and some friends from work were planning on going out on Thursday, so she decided to come up Thursday afternoon. We went to dinner and then out to a karaoke joint. We played some pool (I observed!) and sang a little karaoke...Kim even talked me into joining her for a song!! I have really come out of my shell, haven't I? So, here are a few pictures from our FUN night out!

I work with Amie, Kim, Emile and Trish and that's Linda on the right. Emile thinks he's pretty cool!

Me and Linda.

Me and Kim jammin out to Journey's Don't Stop Believing. It was so fun!

So, I had a blast with Kim (and everyone else), as always. But it made me realize how much I am going to miss her! We hung out last night, too and I am so sad that it could possibly have been our last chance to hang out outside of work. She has become such a great friend and we have so much fun together! We were going to try and get an assignment together, maybe in California, but some things have come up for her and she needs to be close to home for her next assignment. I am thinking about maybe heading back east for my next assignment so that we can get another assignment together, but I don't know if I want to be that far away from my family and friends. Also, we all know the economy sucks right now. People are still getting sick, but hospitals are cutting their budgets just like everyone else is and travelers are pretty much the most expensive employees there are. So, it looks like a lot of hospitals are cutting traveling positions as much as they can. I probably will be able to find an assignment, but it might not be exactly where I want to go. So, everyone keep your fingers crossed....so far I've only been submitted to a hospital in Glendale, California which is near Hollywood. Definitely not my first choice for places to live, but California usually has a good pay scale and I would only be about a 5 hour drive away from my mom. So....who knows what is to come for me! I am headed to Salt Lake on Wednesday! I'm so excited to see everyone. And to get my hair done! It's a scary mess right now. I might be going to Las Vegas to see my mom again before Christmas the next week, but I'm not sure. Of course, I have to work on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. CRAPPY!!! New Year's Eve is my last scheduled day at this assignment. My dad is supposed to be coming up here for Christmas, and at least I'll be getting time and a half, on the holidays right?? I knew I would have to work holidays when I went into nursing school, but it still sucks.

I guess that's about all the excitement in my life for now...please keep your fingers crossed that I don't end up somewhere like Bismarck, North Dakota for my next assignment!

Making up for lost time!

Wow!! Two posts in one day! I stole this from Amera! Ah, memories...

1. Did you date someone from your school?
The question here should really probably be did you date anyone? period. And the answer is really no. Yes, I know, sad story.
2. What kind of car did you drive?
I had a freakin sweet Honda Prelude for part of my junior year and then I had a not so freakin sweet Mazda truck. But it was decent, I really can't complain.
3. Did you pass your driver's license test your first try?
Sha! Of course I did! Coach Cowan loved me!
4. Were you a party animal?
Hahahahaha! No. My mom never set a curfew for me...because she didn't have to. I was pretty lame.
5. Were you considered a flirt?
No, I don't think so. I was waaaay too shy for that. I also was everyone's friend (I think?)
6. Were you in band, orchestra or choir?
Not in high school. But I played the Clarinet in middle school!
7. Were you a nerd?
Considering that I lettered in academics, I'm going to have to say YES.
8. Were you on any varsity teams?
No, but I thouroughly enjoyed watching them!
9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled?
No, I was a nerd, remember?
10. Can you still sing the fight song?
I don't think I ever knew the fight song.
11. Who were your favorite teachers?
Hmmm....Mr. Nordfelt my drafting teacher, and you can't help but love Coach Gross! hahaha
12. Where did you sit for lunch?
I can't remember? Wherever probably, if I was there for lunch.
13. What is your school's full name?
Copper Hills High School
14. What is your school's mascot and colors?
GO GRIZZLIES!! green, blue, and silver
15. Did you go to Homecoming and with who?
Maybe you need to refer back to #1. NO! Thanks for the reminder.
16. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
No, probably not. But like Amera, I LOVED high school! I had some of the greatest friends and were were all so united! It was awesome!
17. What do you remember most about graduation?
Um, I was crying and then we all went and looked that the Grizzly statue that was the gift from our senior class. And I know there were pictures taken, but I never saw any???
18. Where did you go Senior Skip Day?
I had senior skip day pretty much every week and Erin and I would go to my house and sleep.
19. Were you in any clubs?
NHS and VICA I think
20. Have you gained some weight since then?
yes! And I thought I was so fat in high school!
21. Who was your prom date?
Really? See #1 AGAIN. Not everyone went to this stuff people!
22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion?
I already did. That's right, I've been out of school for over 10 years! I can hardly believe it!
23. Did you have a job in high school?
I worked at Bruegger's Bagels, then Bugle Boy, then Great Expectations.
24. Were you an Honor Student?
Of course! My gpa was like .00001 away from graduating with tassles. However, I did get to wear my NHS collar.
25. Did you take seminary? If so who was your favorite teacher?
You bet! I loved Brother Barringer and Brother Reading. However, I slept a lot in Brother Reading's class. I feel horrible about that, but I couldn't help it. I was a sleep deprived teenager!
26. What would you consider your most fun times in High school?
Probably going to all the basketball and football games! Such fun times!!
27. Were you considered shy or outgoing?
Shy in groups of people or around people I didn't know. But quite outgoing around my friends.
28. Any last memories you'd like to share?
I also loved that school was safe back then. And junior year was the very first year of CHHS...poor Jed Nielson was stuck having a locker in between me and Erin! But it was an experience that I'm so glad to be a part of! Everyone who was at Copper Hills wanted to be there. We had an awesome student body! And I had the greates friends EVER! I'm feeling so nostalgic right now!

Now, I want everyone else to complete this! :)