New highs!

Today Charlie reached a new high....











Can you believe it?!


I feel like it was just the other day that we celebrated this...

You know what I think about this?

I think its time to move closer to work!

Yes... I did it and survived!

For those 5 of you who actually read this blog...you may recall that I have had a few firsts this year. #1 was that I actually ordered fish at a restaurant! And #2 I gave blood (without passing out I might add).

Today I did something else...and it was something that I NEVER EVER thought I would do.

3 factors came together to make this happen today.

1- I covered for a lady at work that had to leave early and couldn't facilitated the OB tour one day. It was no problem and I didn't think anything of it. Then I got a letter in the mail from her, with a free movie pass in it! Sweet! That was a fun surprise! Anytime she needs me to cover- I'm game!

2- A few years ago, in a conversation with a friend, she mentioned that she had gone to a movie all by herself. I was shocked that people actually did that. I expressed my shockness to her (Not a word, but I sure like it!). And was quickly corrected by her that every person should do it at least once in their life. I vowed that I would not. However, since this conversation, many a person that I have talked to, have agreed with her on this point.

3- You see this movie

I've wanted to see it from the moment I heard that they were making it! I loved the first one and saw it many times in the theater. The problem is that I don't get out to movies too much so the weeks were passing by and I was feeling "sad" that I probably wouldn't get a chance to see it in the theater.

Today being my day off, I decided that I wanted to go see it. I'm sure I could have found someone to go with me, but then I put all three of the above mentioned things together and thought to myself - "Self, maybe we should go together, just you and I". So that we did!

I went all by myself to the theater, stuck my free ticket under the glass, and asked for 1 ticket. I walked in with confidence that I was okay with being alone, smiled at the other 2 people in there and just plopped down.

I really liked the movie and I think that I shall do it again sometime. (Surprisingly!)

Now, I am sure that each one of you has a deep desire to go and see a movie by yourself after reading this riveting tale. But let me lend you some expert advice (I consider myself an expert now you see, since I have seen it one whole time!) Maybe a comedy isn't the best choice! Its hard to really laugh as much as you want to when there is no one that you know right next to you to join in. In theory, you could turn around to the people behind you and laugh with them, but that may be a little awkward.

I just kinda chuckled to myself throughout the movie.

And now come to think of it, a scary movie wouldn't be such a good idea either. I can only imagine how hard that would be- screaming and then accidentally grabbing the person next to you- that you dont know. Awkward. I think that may be frowned upon.

I'm kinda thinking that either a chick flick or a good crying movie (which possibly could be the same thing) would be best! It easier to cry than to laugh or scream alone!

Just food for thought! And let me know if and when you do it! It is kinda of liberating! :)

Was this in the job description?

Child Life- According to the Child Life Council- "Child life specialists are experts in child development, who promote effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities. They provide emotional support for families, and encourage optimum development of children facing a broad range of challenging experiences, particularly those related to health care and hospitalization. Understanding that a child’s well being depends on the support of the family, child life specialists provide information, support and guidance to parents, siblings, and other family members. They also play a vital role in educating caregivers, administrators, and the general public about the needs of children under stress."


Now from this,you can see that Child life is a very complex field that has many different levels. Each day is different. Each child is different. And each procedure is different. This I knew when I finished my internship. However, even though I knew it would be different every day, I still expected to basically be only doing the things mentioned above.

That was until I started working at a place where there are only 3 people in my program and there is a lot more needed to be done. And who knew that I would be the one called upon to do very random non-child life related things! (These things often leave me wondering if they were actually in the small print in my contract!) Not only am I the first "go to girl" when something technological breaks or stops working, (Which I always wonder about!) But there have been 3 things of late which have made me pause and wonder, and then laugh!

#1 A few months ago I was approached by my boss about something new we were going to help with. OB Tours! Yep! That's right. I would be giving tours to expecting mothers and fathers about what to expect on the day they go into labor. Really?! I work on Pediatrics. Not OB. I am single and have never had a baby myself. And to add on top of that- I have never seen an actual birth- ever. The only thing that I had going for me was that I had seen pregnant woman before and knew where the OB floor was located. Other than that- clueless.
I was told it was easy breezy. No problem. (Told to me by a nurse that had been working for 30+ years.) I went on about 3 tours that other people facilitated in order to learn and then it was my turn.
I asked her to only put a few people in my first group- just to help ease me in slowly. Sure enough 8 couples showed up that Saturday. 8 couples = 16 people. I decided that I needed to chat with her about what exactly "a few people" meant. But i guess that's the best way to start- jump in with both feet.
I have to say- that in the past few months I have learned a plethora of information about what happens on that day of labor! For the most part, the people have been great and haven't asked too many weird questions. Except for the "and when do we do the paternity test?" one. Other than that- its been smooth sailing!


#2 Our hospital (as do most hospitals) has seminars and classes that people can participate in. Therefore, there are speakers for each of them and these speakers need introducing. Out of the blue I started getting calls to be the one to introduce them! Really?! Me? I could see if I had been the one to schedule them, or if it was related to my field of work- but they never are. I just have to stand and read a paragraph that includes a bio for the speaker- All the while the coordinator is sitting in the back. Apparently she hates talking in front of a group. (I don't know where she got her info, but I'm not really one that is known for loving to stand in front of 30+ people and talking to them!) Then to top it all off, after I finish reading it, I feel awkward as I walk out the doors and go back to work as the speaker begins. I would stay- but usually I get called to do the seminars on infertility or lap band surgery. Fun stuff- I think I'd rather got fix the Wii that broke for the 15th time!

#3 Then to today. The hospital had just re dune the brochure for Pediatrics and they used my boss for the child life pictures. I was super fine with that! Then Tuesday I got a phone call. They are now redoing the brochure for the woman's center. It was going to feature not only the rooms and services we provide but also the classes. They have a really cute class where siblings of expectant moms can come in and watch a movie and learn all about new babies. The voice on the other end of the phone call said "we want you to be the 'teacher' for the sibling class - in our photos". So nothing (again) to do with my job, I headed down there for my next new role!

They had brought in a few kiddos that would be my "pupils" then they dressed up like doctors. ( I guess they do that in the class. I wouldn't know. Again- never been to a class and really have no idea what they do there!) I simply had a hold a baby doll and point to it like I was teaching them. But there was a trick to it! One of the boys was 3 and wouldn't just sit there and pose like he was interested in what I was saying. I actually had to teach him so that he would stay interested! "And why is he wearing a hat?" "And where is his belly button?" "And what color is it?" I had to get really creative because it took a long time to get all 3 to look in the same place at the same time. Oh and did I mention that there were about 10 people in there watching as well! It was quite the experience!

Then one final picture before I was released and could be a child life specialist again- They wanted me to hold hands with the kids and walk down the hall. Yep- Bum shot. Super thrilled about that one! Lets hope that gets vetoed in the final stage!

All I have to say is- it keeps me on my toes, keeps the job exciting and hey- it's job security right?!

Maybe next time

There is one thing that I heard about that I HAD to do when I moved to Arizona and that was to tube down the Salt River. Therefore, when one of my bestest friends came into town this weekend, I figured that this would be such the opportunity to do so! I was even able to get a Saturday off! ( I know. I was pretty shocked myself!)

So Saturday morning came and we got all lathered up in our Suntan lotion (3 hrs floating down a river= budding cancer cells right?!) Granted we did sleep in a bit and kinda took our time- but we had all the time in the world right?! We stopped by Subway to get some lunch and headed on down the road.


You see, the place where you start floating is pretty far away from most places, but since I live super far in the boondocks as well, turns out that its right down the road from us! After about 10 minutes of driving, we saw the building where you rent tubes and made our way into the left turn lane. However, we saw some activity up ahead. Park Ranger activity that is. They were putting up orange cones and wouldn't allow us to turn left. I pulled over and sent one of my friends whom was shall call "my personal runner" over to ask the kind man in the orange vest, what was going on. (She would have also received 20 dollars had she gotten a date out of it as well!)

The news was bleak. Not only did she not get a date, the parking lot was full. But he said that if we could find another spot down the road we could walk back and get our tubes, get on the bus that takes us up the river and then be on our way. So we drove past all the "no parking anytime" signs, along the winding roads (where Jeff and I went off roading) until we decided that there was no way we were going to park 10 miles away. I flipped around and we decided that we would try the other direction. We drove past the nice man in the orange vest again, and about 1/2 mile the other way, the "No Parking' signs stopped. "SWEET!" We were in the clear and not far away either. There was a little bit of a hesitation in the back of my mind since I was wondering why we were the only ones parking there. Had no one else seen this stretch of road? But I figured it was their problem because I was ready to TUBE!



We got all of our stuff out of the car and started on our way, when sure enough a trooper pulled up with his lights flashing. He roles down the window and to my "Hello" and said, "If you park here to go tubing, I with tow your car in a minute!" Wo Buddy! Was the harsh language needed? A simple "You cant park here" would have sufficed. Now, I could see if we were hoodlums and giving attitude- but come on... do we look like hoodlums?





(I opted to post a picture in these clothes vs in our swimming suits! You can thank me later!)




So I said, "I'm sorry. I thought we could since there are no "No Parking" signs here" and to that he had the silliest response ever- "Even though there are no 'No Parking' signs here, you still cant park here." Really?! Isnt that the purpose of having a "No Parking" Sign? Maybe they should invest in more signs. Because that just seems wrong. His tone of voice did soften a bit as he told us to come back in 20 min and it would re-open. So we took a little drive and came back after about 19 minutes. (We didnt want to be late you see.) However, only 1 thing had changed. There were more cars waiting around to get in. The Sold out sign seemed to mock us each time we passed it. After about 40 minutes of waiting, we gave up and just went swimming at our pool. (Even though, we were going to have a pool party that night! We were prepared to have wrinkled fingers and green hair!)



So...Here I am- 2 yrs + in Arizona and still no Salt River Tubing experience yet. Oh well- One day! We still had a grand ole time together though- and really- thats all that matters! Right?!


If any of you are looking for charities to give to- I think the Usuary Park would be a great place to donate- they need money for more signs!

Northwest Adventures

Wo! It has been A LONG time since I have blogged! So..I guess I should make this a good long one! :)

Seattle is known for gloomy days and a lot of rain... to some people. But to me it is all clear skies and happiness. Why is that?! Look at these faces and tell me that you wouldnt feel the same!

What do you get when you take these 3 girls, 3 adults, and 3 days off?!--- a whole lotta fun! (Besides the fact that my Phoenix body was freezing! It was a great change!)

Not only were we able to see such beautiful country...

There were also crabs to hunt! (I love doing this when I go up there- except I get a tad paranoid walking around! I feel like I am killing crab villages with each step! )

I fell in love with my new found friend. He truly was the biggest crab I had seen on the Seattle shores... (Usually they are just itty bitty. But not this guy! He must have been a good eater!)

And apparently he liked me too- because he tried to hide IN my jacket. I mean- wo man! I knew we were close, but not THAT close! Luckily my hand stopped him from going further!

One thing that I loved was getting to know the personalities of each girl!

Things that I learned from JuJu:

You can text when you are 6! (Sorry Guys for teaching her this!) She is getting so smart!

This is how you eat your chicken nuggets in Seattle! I came into the room and saw this! JuJu was was ready to go outside and I guess didnt want to take off all her layers to eat lunch!

Lucille showed me that...

She is great at taking pictures of herself with my camera! (How can you not smile when you see this?)

She Looks AWESOME in the glasses from the eye doctor!

Evy....

Loves to cruise and check out new things! We were on our way to the snow in this picture!

She would -usually- pose with me when everyone else was a little too cranky! (In case you're wondering/or dont know... that is Mt. Saint Helens in the background).

Basically I learned that my nieces are beautiful--inside and out!!

You know...I loved Mt St Helens... the troll under the bridge...hanging out around the house... but I was particularly found of the temple grounds.... why?! I found someone special!

He was just sitting around...almost like he was just waiting for me! Who knew?!

Granted, It was a little spooky because I kept feeling like someone was looking over my shoulder!

He was a little stiff though... so I let her have him back!

A couple funny last minute points...

We went on the train 2 times. The first time Lucille was with me and we were right behind the conductor. He talked to us the whole time telling stories etc... When we got off he let Lucille blow the horn on the train.

We went again and this time I was with JuJu. I went for the back because I was ready to just sit back and enjoy the ride. However, JuJu wanted to sit right in front like Lucille did! I felt a little bit of dread because I thought... I "get" to listen to more train stories all over again! However... it all turned out okay because JuJu got to push the button as well. So anyone need train stories... come to me! :)

When we took this picture John said- You can use this picture to scare off boys. Just say "This is my x-husband and daughter!" It made me laugh!

When we went up to take this picture... I noticed behind the troll all sort of blankets and pillows up under the underpass. Apparently the homeless like to sleep up there. Maybe they feel like the troll will protect them?! Lets just say that we took the picture and got down fast! :)

(This picture doesn't really go anywhere...but because I love ya Laura Lu I had to put it in here! :) ) Thanks for such a great vacation!

Its all about Disney

Isn't it great when you live only 6 hours away from the happiest place on earth? No, I'm not talking about where cold stone was created! I'm talking about Disneyland!

I was so excited when my brother informed me that they were heading there over spring break and low and behold--- they invited me! And it was fabulous!

I'd say we could sum this wonderful weekend up with a few words...

Rides!!!

This last one was with Buzz Lightyear --where you actually take those laser guns and shoot at targets as you go! F-U-N!!! I can not get enough of the rides! Thank goodness for fast passes though... because the wait in lines could possibly kill you! Especially if you're under 12! The boys were good sports though- as long as they had some treats to snack on! :)

Characters!!!

And my all time favorite... whom I fell in love with (oddly enough!)

Stitch!

Who knew a character that didn't talk could be so funny! After being with him- it really made me want to watch the movie again! He was so funny with the boys! He almost made J-Dog choke on his bacon! :) LOVE HIM!

Food!!!

I really wish I had a picture of the churros because mmm- they were yummy! :)

Crazy fun!!!

This is one of my favorite pictures!

TOWER OF TERROR! This ride scared the bijeebers out of me! (I dont know how to spell that word- but it is the only word that could possibly capture how I felt!) I learned what I will sound like if I'm ever falling to my death. I had never heard myself scream like that before. It is very possible that my heart stopped for a few moments! I was surprised that I was still alive when it was over! I could go on it over and over-so fun! I told the boys to make scared faces- I'm not exactly sure what they thought I said- but their faces sure make me laugh!

That was an awesome weekend! Thanks guys for thinking of me! I can't wait for next time! (Oh and a special thanks to Allie's work for paying for so many things that we were able to enjoy!)