It's been a while since my last blog. Nothing really going on in our neck of the woods. We did get a membership to our neighborhood rec center and have been going there 5-6 days a week. It's only been 1 and 1/2 weeks since we signed up but it seems to be something Jake and I both enjoy so far. I am happy to be getting back on the eliptical and working out in the weight room. The only had part about getting there is the energy. I feel like I have no energy after work. Im going to have to go online to see if there's anything I can take before working out to give me a boost. I also feel so hungry I could eat a horse. I kindof wonder if thats all in my head since when I had gall stones and lost 20 lbs from not being able to eat anything until after the surgery.
We ended up calling our bird Moody Blues since she seemed to be moody all the time. We had no idea what gender the bird was so we just called it a "he". I didn't care what it was but Jake eventually gave in when we went to get her beak and nails trimmed and we sent in a card with a splotch of blood the bird guy obtained to a lab to test for the gender. I got more curious and couldn't wait for the email. We eventually got the email saying that our bird is female. It's been kinda a challenge to go from calling a "he" to a "she".
I have found that our bird and Jake have a lot in common:
-They like to snuggle
-They like singing soprano
-They have a tendancy to be in bad moods when they wake up
-They like having all the attention they can get
-Jake loves his back scratched/bird loves her neck rubbed
-They bite often
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Our new pet
So we happened to come across a stray bird flying around outside our apartment complex, a green bird. Jake loves birds and goes to the Exotic Bird Center near our apartment to hold the parrots and other exotic birds. I'm afraid of them so I went once and I was good for the rest of my life. I kinda have a fear of one of them biting my finger off or something. So I went out and bought a temporary cage, food and toys for this bird. Animal control was not open on the weekends. I called on Monday and they said they'd call me and never did. Jake loves the bird and wants to keep it.
He loves to eat apples.
We still have to name him/her. Not sure what to name him.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Vacation Part 2: Silverton, Co
Jake and I went on an excursion to Silverton, Co and some ghost mining towns in the area. We booked two seats through a tour company called Mild to Wild rafting and jeep tours. We started out at the train station and they took us up to Silverton (about 50 miles away) via the "Million Dollar Highway". They named it that because of all the gold and silver mined equalled over a million dollars. Once we got to Silverton we got into these funky Austrian military vehicles that seats 8 people in the back. The other one had 6 wheels. Ours only had 4.
It was a pretty amazing drive. Great off road adventure. Jake kept making fun of me for taking so many pictures when we were bouncing so much from the rugged terrain.
I tried to do a panoramic view of the peak we stopped at.
There were tons of old mines along the mountain sides as we treked through the mountain roads.
Here is a ghost town we stopped at.
This was by far the biggest mine on the trip. I guess they are called a mill press or a mine mill. They have big steal balls that crush the stones that come up from the mine and the crushed stone bits go down a conveyor that separates them by weight. By the time it gets to the bottom you get gold, silver, or ore. A train can come up right next to it at the bottom to be loaded. The tour guide said it must have been heavily guarded.
We headed out back to town. Here is a couple of pictures of Silverton.
We ate at the Bent Elbow for lunch-the last betrothal in Silverton, now a restaurant.
Picture to come.
We didn't have time to roam around the city after we ate (dang it, I wanted to go to the Shady Lady bar/restaurant), so we headed to the train station and took a 3 1/2 hour ride back to Durango. It was a very nice ride. Jake and I rode in a gondola car and we both fell asleep to the swaying car, nice breeze and the noise of the engine.
We both got back to the motel with black specks of soot on our faces. At some points in the ride you had a rock wall to look at and you kept your faces and limbs inside the car lol!
We also got mooned a few times by groups of kids tubing down the river. :O
It was a pretty amazing drive. Great off road adventure. Jake kept making fun of me for taking so many pictures when we were bouncing so much from the rugged terrain.
I tried to do a panoramic view of the peak we stopped at.
There were tons of old mines along the mountain sides as we treked through the mountain roads.
Here is a ghost town we stopped at.
This was by far the biggest mine on the trip. I guess they are called a mill press or a mine mill. They have big steal balls that crush the stones that come up from the mine and the crushed stone bits go down a conveyor that separates them by weight. By the time it gets to the bottom you get gold, silver, or ore. A train can come up right next to it at the bottom to be loaded. The tour guide said it must have been heavily guarded.
We headed out back to town. Here is a couple of pictures of Silverton.
We ate at the Bent Elbow for lunch-the last betrothal in Silverton, now a restaurant.
Picture to come.
We didn't have time to roam around the city after we ate (dang it, I wanted to go to the Shady Lady bar/restaurant), so we headed to the train station and took a 3 1/2 hour ride back to Durango. It was a very nice ride. Jake and I rode in a gondola car and we both fell asleep to the swaying car, nice breeze and the noise of the engine.
We both got back to the motel with black specks of soot on our faces. At some points in the ride you had a rock wall to look at and you kept your faces and limbs inside the car lol!
We also got mooned a few times by groups of kids tubing down the river. :O
Vacation Part 1: Mesa Verde National Park
So Jake and I have been wanting to go to Mesa Verde National Park since we were first married...not too long ago, so we went and had a blast!
Cliff dwellings came about around 1200 AD-1300 AD and were inhabited by the ancient Puebloan people/Anasazi.Here is Cliff Palace its the biggest cliff dwelling in the park. There are about 400 cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde.
Here is a before excavation picture from when the discoverers, the Wetherill
brothers, first found Cliff Palace in 1881-Complements of Wikipedia.com
Jake and I got to hike down to the dwelling-not much of a hike. Its pretty massive. Water was not plentiful. The mesa tops are made of sandstone and below that is shale. Shale is dense, sandstone is not. When water comes down from the mesa top through sandstone it hits shale and cant go anywhere but out the cliff walls. Each cliff dwelling has this natural spring. Pictured below is at Long House. The Puebloan people carved holes in the floor so when the water came out of the wall the water would fill the holes. They made ladles to scoop the water out. They farmed on top of the mesas so they carved hand and foot holds into the stone.
Here is a picture of a kiva. Its basically their room for spiritual ceremonies. There would be a cover on top made of wood and mud with a hole in the top for access into and out of the kiva via ladder. There is a hole in the bottom for a fire pit and another hole much smaller then that called a sipapu. They believe that they came from 3 other worlds under this one but they were destroyed, so I guess the hole in the floor is a symbolic reminder of where they came from. *There are two unusual things in the picture below. There is a doorway into the kiva from a house right behind it and there is a tunnel leading into the other kiva next to it.
The rock coming out of the floor by the fire pit is to disperse the air flow. There is an air shaft that comes down into the kiva and the rock is set up right in front of where the air would be coming in. I'll have to see if Jake has a better picture of the inside of the kiva with a sipapu.
Here is a picture of another cliff dwelling right across the canyon from Cliff Palace
We also visited Balcony House. We had to climb a 30ft ladder to get to it.
(Pictures to come)
We visited some of the pre-cliff dwelling houses on top of the mesas.
(Pictures to come) Before they built the cliff dwellings, around 600 AD they lived on the mesa tops in pit-houses. They dug into the ground for the foundation and then built roof of wood and clay with an opening on top to get in and out of via ladder. This picture is from Wikipedia.com and is a reconstruction of a pit house: (Jake has the pictures of the pit-houses). All that remains of a pit house is just the foundation, sipapu, post holes, fire pit and that's about it.
They had towers built within line of site on the mesas. They were thought to signal each other with them. A kiva is also next to a tower so I wonder if someone lived there permanently with their family. Jake thought it might be like on Lord of the Rings. (Jake has the picture of the tower)
Here is Long house:
Here are some petroglyphs, they look kind of orange and there are 2 symbols:
To be continued.... Jake took most of the pictures in Mesa Verde so I'll have to steal some from him.
Cliff dwellings came about around 1200 AD-1300 AD and were inhabited by the ancient Puebloan people/Anasazi.Here is Cliff Palace its the biggest cliff dwelling in the park. There are about 400 cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde.
Here is a before excavation picture from when the discoverers, the Wetherill
brothers, first found Cliff Palace in 1881-Complements of Wikipedia.com
Jake and I got to hike down to the dwelling-not much of a hike. Its pretty massive. Water was not plentiful. The mesa tops are made of sandstone and below that is shale. Shale is dense, sandstone is not. When water comes down from the mesa top through sandstone it hits shale and cant go anywhere but out the cliff walls. Each cliff dwelling has this natural spring. Pictured below is at Long House. The Puebloan people carved holes in the floor so when the water came out of the wall the water would fill the holes. They made ladles to scoop the water out. They farmed on top of the mesas so they carved hand and foot holds into the stone.
Here is a picture of a kiva. Its basically their room for spiritual ceremonies. There would be a cover on top made of wood and mud with a hole in the top for access into and out of the kiva via ladder. There is a hole in the bottom for a fire pit and another hole much smaller then that called a sipapu. They believe that they came from 3 other worlds under this one but they were destroyed, so I guess the hole in the floor is a symbolic reminder of where they came from. *There are two unusual things in the picture below. There is a doorway into the kiva from a house right behind it and there is a tunnel leading into the other kiva next to it.
The rock coming out of the floor by the fire pit is to disperse the air flow. There is an air shaft that comes down into the kiva and the rock is set up right in front of where the air would be coming in. I'll have to see if Jake has a better picture of the inside of the kiva with a sipapu.
Here is a picture of another cliff dwelling right across the canyon from Cliff Palace
We also visited Balcony House. We had to climb a 30ft ladder to get to it.
(Pictures to come)
We visited some of the pre-cliff dwelling houses on top of the mesas.
(Pictures to come) Before they built the cliff dwellings, around 600 AD they lived on the mesa tops in pit-houses. They dug into the ground for the foundation and then built roof of wood and clay with an opening on top to get in and out of via ladder. This picture is from Wikipedia.com and is a reconstruction of a pit house: (Jake has the pictures of the pit-houses). All that remains of a pit house is just the foundation, sipapu, post holes, fire pit and that's about it.
They had towers built within line of site on the mesas. They were thought to signal each other with them. A kiva is also next to a tower so I wonder if someone lived there permanently with their family. Jake thought it might be like on Lord of the Rings. (Jake has the picture of the tower)
Here is Long house:
Here are some petroglyphs, they look kind of orange and there are 2 symbols:
To be continued.... Jake took most of the pictures in Mesa Verde so I'll have to steal some from him.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Gallbladder, you're fired!!!
A couple weeks ago, Jake and I got to house sit for a family that goes to our ward (church). It was awesome! Huge house, home theater, hot tub that also converts into a current pool, 3 horses, chickens-we would have to get the eggs daily, a dog and a cat. Mudge, their dog was is a large shaggy dog that likes to be in your business all the time. The cat (name unknown so we just called him kitty) loved curling up in the sink and always wanted the water running so he could play with it. He was always super interested in me watering the plants. His bed was an empty computer tower with some blankets in it. We had to make sure he didnt get out of the house so he wouldnt get eaten by foxes. He did manage to get out once when Jake wasnt paying attention. We named two of the three horses because we couldnt remember their names. Red was the red horse we named. He was kinda ornrey and didnt like the brush so I didnt have a chance to brush him. He nipped at Jakes arm once so I figured it was best for me to stay on the other side of the fence. Big Eyes the other one we named kept Cookie subdued. It made me sad that Cookie was being bullied. He seemed like such a nice horse. They sure loved their oats at night. It was nice being closer to work. Didnt have to wake up at 3:30am. I got to get up at 3:45...woohoo!
The first week wasnt so nice with my gallbladder. We started on Sunday night and I had to call into work sick Monday morning because I was in pain. Tuesday I went to work at the pharmacy and felt fine. Tuesday night was the worst pain of my life. I was moaning in pain. I went to work the next day but could only work 4 hours. I was doubled over in pain walking out to my car to go home. I decided to go to the dr the next day and called in sick. I was told to get an ultrasound and some blood work done. The dr called me back later that day and told me I had a gall stone and possibly an infection. He referred me to a surgeon and told me to get it removed sooner then later and if the pain got worse to go to the emergency room. I went to the emergency room friday morning at 3am. I was miserable but not in as much pain as Tuesday night. They gave me Dilaudid-which gave me a rush that freaked me out. It's a pain med. It took the edge off but I still wasnt that comfortable. They also started me on an antibiotic and gave me some potassium. Im not surprised that my potassium was low...I couldnt eat anything for a few months and I lost 16 lbs. I had to go to the bathroom a lot due to the IV lol. I hated running to the bathroom with a hospital gown on all the time. The Dr came in with an ultrasound machine and showed me the large stone in my gallbladder and called the surgeon. I was scheduled for surgury and was up in preop 45 mins later. The dilauded gave me a very bad stomach cramp so I was glad to be out of the ER. I was given Fentanyl instead and it made me sleepy. The anasthesiologist and surgeon came up and talked to me about what to expect. I wasnt nervous at all, I just wanted that thing out! I was walked to the bathroom before being wheeled into the OR. Once I was on the OR table I heard the anasthesiologist behind me and told me I would get sleepy and fall asleep. I asked her if I could count backwards. She said I could but the thing was was I never started counting. I couldnt think of where to start counting down from and then I was asleep! :)
The first week wasnt so nice with my gallbladder. We started on Sunday night and I had to call into work sick Monday morning because I was in pain. Tuesday I went to work at the pharmacy and felt fine. Tuesday night was the worst pain of my life. I was moaning in pain. I went to work the next day but could only work 4 hours. I was doubled over in pain walking out to my car to go home. I decided to go to the dr the next day and called in sick. I was told to get an ultrasound and some blood work done. The dr called me back later that day and told me I had a gall stone and possibly an infection. He referred me to a surgeon and told me to get it removed sooner then later and if the pain got worse to go to the emergency room. I went to the emergency room friday morning at 3am. I was miserable but not in as much pain as Tuesday night. They gave me Dilaudid-which gave me a rush that freaked me out. It's a pain med. It took the edge off but I still wasnt that comfortable. They also started me on an antibiotic and gave me some potassium. Im not surprised that my potassium was low...I couldnt eat anything for a few months and I lost 16 lbs. I had to go to the bathroom a lot due to the IV lol. I hated running to the bathroom with a hospital gown on all the time. The Dr came in with an ultrasound machine and showed me the large stone in my gallbladder and called the surgeon. I was scheduled for surgury and was up in preop 45 mins later. The dilauded gave me a very bad stomach cramp so I was glad to be out of the ER. I was given Fentanyl instead and it made me sleepy. The anasthesiologist and surgeon came up and talked to me about what to expect. I wasnt nervous at all, I just wanted that thing out! I was walked to the bathroom before being wheeled into the OR. Once I was on the OR table I heard the anasthesiologist behind me and told me I would get sleepy and fall asleep. I asked her if I could count backwards. She said I could but the thing was was I never started counting. I couldnt think of where to start counting down from and then I was asleep! :)
It was uncomfortable waking up, my chest hurt but my abdomen didnt. All I used was a ice pack. As soon as I was pretty awake I pressed on the spot that my gallbladder was and felt no pain. My gallbladder had been fired at last! Buh bye! My chest discomfort was from the gas they pumped into my stomach cavity during the surgery. Some of the CO2 got stuck under my diaphragm and irriated some nerves that make my shoulders feel pain. Some of the gas got under my skin on my chest and neck. Jake and my mom thought it was nasty to feel it crackle under the pressure of their fingers on my skin. The dr said that it would be absorbed over time like the bubble under my diaphragm. They took a chest xray to make sure I didnt have pneumothorax (air in the sack that surrounds the lungs). Im glad I didnt-I didnt want to have a tube shoved in my back. I felt pretty good besides the shoulder pain. They admitted me over night because the gas in my skin got all the way up to my jaw-which doesnt typically happen.
Once in my room I felt bad for calling the nurse aid to help me to the bathroom every hour... I hated having to pee so often. Every time I got up the bubble would make my shoulder hurt really bad. I was happy as soon as I layed back down it would feel better. I was given a medicine that made me tingle in my hands and feet. I didnt realize it was the medicine doing it until the second dose 6 hours later. I was REALLY tingley after that lol. I was glad it wasnt a bad feeling, I'd rather be tingley then in pain. I had to walk a lap around the unit by myself-the nurse said I was doing very well and didnt need any assistance. Kinda funny how I had to try really hard to remember my room number. I didnt want to go into the wrong room. I wanted to have my IV shut off because I had to pee so much. The night nurse said "I have to check your output and we'll see if it can be turned off...wow you sure have a lot of output I think that we can shut it off tonight". I had to shut my door because the supply room was across the hall from me and the door kept slamming shut. The patient next to me had a lot going on in their room too. Kept banging on the wall and moving chairs around. I was pretty annoyed by 11pm but after the door was closed I slept pretty soundly between them taking my vitals at 12 and 4am. The nurse came in and checked on me in the night but I was out and didnt wake up to her coming in. I was amazed at how warm the blankets were. They dont seem very thick. The bed was fun, I liked being in control of what position I was in. I got to eat breakfast the next morning but I didnt eat much. I didnt eat much before that anyways.
I was released that morning and got to go back to the "vacation home". I was sore the rest of the stay there but each day I felt better and better and was back at work 4 days later. I am soooo glad it's gone. I have eaten everything since then. Probably gained the 16 lbs back already but Im ok with that. All I'm left with are 5 small scars on my stomach. I can eat anything. I have had no problems with digesting fatty or spicy foods. I'm soooo happy about that-some people cant with their gallbladder removed. I'm so glad I wont have to call in sick to work because of the gallbladder anymore. At least it's taken care of now. Finally!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Vampiring
So I totally forgot about blogging all about how school was going and how my job search was going LOL. I wish I could go back and document everything that was going on in my life but I was so busy and tired from everything going on.
I did my internships at Parker Adventist Hospital and Quest Diagnostics. It was 3 weeks long and was very fun. All of my trainers were awesome and easy to work with, (except one who took a little while to warm up to the idea of students being around). I think once she saw how helpful someone can be when she'd normally be alone she was ok with the extra person. I did really well at Parker Hospital and my trainer immediately gave a good word to the supervisor. As there was a position available she told me to apply if I was interested in the position, so I did.
Next, I did 2 weeks at Quest Diagnostics Parker PSC (in the same building as Parker Hospital). Very different then inpatient services. It seems like everyone comes in at the same time. I heard that one lady was working by herself on a weekend and there were so many people waiting for labs that they got angry and even threw things at her :( people can be horrible! It was fun working with people who were mostly healthy and awake. One thing I didnt like was when toddlers came in. After you poked them they would wiggle, kick and scream. That is to be expected but not what I dont like. I dont like how they look at you like you're evil. They calm down with mom's cooing but once they look at you and your white lab coat they'd give you the "you were trying to kill me" look and start screaming again. I didnt do the poking though...I'd do the restraining. Those kids are so strong! Even an 18 month old can muster a strength I wouldnt think they'd have! My trainer called me a true vampire!
I interviewed with Parker Hospital and was offered a PRN (as needed) position and I have to work every other weekend. So far I've survived. I dont like being in a hurry. I love to chat with the patients and get the blood but there is a lot more to the job then getting the blood-you work in the lab too. You do send outs, which is when we dont have the equipment to do a test so we have to send it to a lab that does have the equipment. You answer phones, receive specimens the ER sends down and you do your draws. You have to respond to trauma alerts and code blues and go to the Emergency Room STAT. I drew my first code blue on Thanksgiving. Code blue is where someone has no pulse. Its a very emotional feeling and it's hard to keep it together when someone's life might be ending right in front of you. My mom said that night that doctors dont get much credit for what they do. I agree. They save lives every day.
I'm getting a lot of great feedback from the Lab Techs, from other phlebotomists and from my supervisor. Lets try to keep it that way! The only downside to working on the weekends is that you pretty much are by yourself. When you're new you have a lot of questions and takes a while to figure out what you're doing and how to do stuff... I hope I become faster on the floors drawing blood and more efficient at the work I do in the Lab.
School is done and I have my foot in the door. Boy am I greatful for the Lord sending me these opportunities.
Jake and I were recently called into the Wolves in Cub Scouts! :D Week before last we made tool boxs from home depot. It was great to hear that they hit up their dads for tools to put in them when they got home :)
I did my internships at Parker Adventist Hospital and Quest Diagnostics. It was 3 weeks long and was very fun. All of my trainers were awesome and easy to work with, (except one who took a little while to warm up to the idea of students being around). I think once she saw how helpful someone can be when she'd normally be alone she was ok with the extra person. I did really well at Parker Hospital and my trainer immediately gave a good word to the supervisor. As there was a position available she told me to apply if I was interested in the position, so I did.
Next, I did 2 weeks at Quest Diagnostics Parker PSC (in the same building as Parker Hospital). Very different then inpatient services. It seems like everyone comes in at the same time. I heard that one lady was working by herself on a weekend and there were so many people waiting for labs that they got angry and even threw things at her :( people can be horrible! It was fun working with people who were mostly healthy and awake. One thing I didnt like was when toddlers came in. After you poked them they would wiggle, kick and scream. That is to be expected but not what I dont like. I dont like how they look at you like you're evil. They calm down with mom's cooing but once they look at you and your white lab coat they'd give you the "you were trying to kill me" look and start screaming again. I didnt do the poking though...I'd do the restraining. Those kids are so strong! Even an 18 month old can muster a strength I wouldnt think they'd have! My trainer called me a true vampire!
I interviewed with Parker Hospital and was offered a PRN (as needed) position and I have to work every other weekend. So far I've survived. I dont like being in a hurry. I love to chat with the patients and get the blood but there is a lot more to the job then getting the blood-you work in the lab too. You do send outs, which is when we dont have the equipment to do a test so we have to send it to a lab that does have the equipment. You answer phones, receive specimens the ER sends down and you do your draws. You have to respond to trauma alerts and code blues and go to the Emergency Room STAT. I drew my first code blue on Thanksgiving. Code blue is where someone has no pulse. Its a very emotional feeling and it's hard to keep it together when someone's life might be ending right in front of you. My mom said that night that doctors dont get much credit for what they do. I agree. They save lives every day.
I'm getting a lot of great feedback from the Lab Techs, from other phlebotomists and from my supervisor. Lets try to keep it that way! The only downside to working on the weekends is that you pretty much are by yourself. When you're new you have a lot of questions and takes a while to figure out what you're doing and how to do stuff... I hope I become faster on the floors drawing blood and more efficient at the work I do in the Lab.
School is done and I have my foot in the door. Boy am I greatful for the Lord sending me these opportunities.
Jake and I were recently called into the Wolves in Cub Scouts! :D Week before last we made tool boxs from home depot. It was great to hear that they hit up their dads for tools to put in them when they got home :)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
First Blood
I've been in school for 2 weeks now. My teacher is awesome. She works at Skyridge Hospital and seems like a great teacher.
We've been going over infection control, basic hospital safety stuff, order of the draw (which color tube to draw in which order) and blood borne pathogens. Today we went over some basic testing like basic metabolic panel, lipid panel, liver panel. Its great reveiw!
We got to draw on each other today. I was the very first person to draw....Of course I was the one who shook the most...I was the laughing stock of the class because Im the already-certified phlebotomist right? :) LOL I did hit the vein so Im happy.
There are some classmates that make me nervous though.... We have a little fake arm that we practice drawing on and some people just dont have a good needle stick yet. Some make the needle bow so much that I'm afraid that the needle will break...yeesh! We have to draw on each other and after the first day we started practicing, I've already picked out who to NOT let draw on me. LOL I know we all have to learn some time but I'd rather have them practice more before they start drawing on people.
I am really greatful for people who let students draw on them!!
We've been going over infection control, basic hospital safety stuff, order of the draw (which color tube to draw in which order) and blood borne pathogens. Today we went over some basic testing like basic metabolic panel, lipid panel, liver panel. Its great reveiw!
We got to draw on each other today. I was the very first person to draw....Of course I was the one who shook the most...I was the laughing stock of the class because Im the already-certified phlebotomist right? :) LOL I did hit the vein so Im happy.
There are some classmates that make me nervous though.... We have a little fake arm that we practice drawing on and some people just dont have a good needle stick yet. Some make the needle bow so much that I'm afraid that the needle will break...yeesh! We have to draw on each other and after the first day we started practicing, I've already picked out who to NOT let draw on me. LOL I know we all have to learn some time but I'd rather have them practice more before they start drawing on people.
I am really greatful for people who let students draw on them!!
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