Still Alive....

....and kicking!!!

After my rough Friday night and Saturday morning at work... I was able to come home for a few and sleep before we headed out to Todd and Anns place. We played from nearly 6pm to almost 2am!!!! Die hard RB players!!! It was such a fun time.. I love hanging out with Todd, Ann and the rest of the gang.. Everyone is sooo much fun!!!!!!! Here are a few pics from the night.

We headed home and found ourselves in a huge fog bank.. There were times where we could barely see in front of the car... But once we got onto the 91, it cleared up a lot so I felt comfy enough to fall asleep... When we got home, I CRASHED!!!! I hadn't even hit my head to the pillow and was already snoozing!!!

I didn't wake up until nearly noon when Mark made me breakfast in bed.. (He's so awesome!!!!) I relaxed in my jammies most of the day.... Didn't even think twice about going wine tasting... Just wanted to relax and chill all day... So I did... I worked on a crochet project I've been meaning to do... Watched a little football with my hubby...Caught up on Housewives of ATL and Top Chef...... Finally watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Mark (which was too cute...I loved it) and had dinner with my boys... What more could a girl ask for????? Just another good nights sleep... and I got that too!!!

I was kind of nervous and hesitant to go to work today because I was requested to be in the OR of a coworker of mine... She was having surgery and asked if I would be her scrub tech.... That is like the Godfather... It's an offer you can't refuse.... It's an honor to have someone pick you as the person they want to help their surgeon... Yet, on the other hand, it's a lot of pressure...... Well, I took a deep breath as I walked into work today and pep talked myself through it.... This is the second time this month I've scrubbed a case for a coworker of mine... Both have been my bosses.... Scary.... Both surgeries went well, and the ladies look great!!!! I hope I did them proud!

The rest of this week should be very mellow... Tomorrow is a easy day.... Wednesday we are only working half day.... Thursday is one of my favorite days of the year. THANKSGIVING!!! It's so meaningful!!!! I love the fact that I get to get together with my family without having to worry about who is buying what gift and all that stuff... Gifts are not the reason for the season... The more I hear what people want, I get so disturbed. So commercial and so lost is the meaning of Christmas, so I love to focus on Thanksgiving... Thursday we will be spending with Marks side of the family, and on Sunday we will revisit Thanksgiving with my mom and sisters....

Friday morning, I'm guessing we will be decorating for Christmas... and in the evening we are heading out to the Mission Inn where they will be holding their annual lights on ceremony at sunset. They decorate it so beautiful there, I love it!!!! Then after Thanksgiving dinner with my mom, we will head out to the annual Christmas train at the Metro link station where Santa arrives on the train to visit with the kids....

And finally our good news!!!! We will be moving to a house next month!!!! We are going to rent it but the great news is, it is seriously across the street from my older sis, and just a few minutes away from my mom!!!!! I'm so excited to have this opportunity!!!! Our landlord is really cool, and since they will have moved out of the house by this weekend, they are going to let us slowly move stuff in all through December and we will officially start renting it Jan 1, 2009!!! It's going to be great!!!!

Well, its time for me to go watch PrisonBreak... So have a great night everyone!!!!!

Good Morning to all....

It's 507am as I begin this blog and guess what??? I am already at work!!!! I've been working since 11pm last night... I just clocked out and in an hour and 40 minutes I will clock back in for another 8 hours of work here at the old regional med center..... Funny thing is I am so wide awake... I can't sleep right now, so I figured I'd blog for a little while, see if I unwind.....

It has been a hectic day from the get go..... I forgot to stop by my wonderful Winco last night to pick up some pizza dough for my friend, so I went this morning on my way to the surgery center... When I got to work, I found out our orderly/materials manager didn't come in to work today!!! Grrr... That makes us angry because yesterday he didn't stock our OR's and that made life even more difficult for us.... Then we had equipment issues... We thought we had everything, then our doc changed his mind, then it was all OK again... Back and forth, back and forth.... Well, we made it through the day and I left there around 540pm... I headed out and picked up Noah from sparring class.... Went home and made a few pineapple upside down cakes for various people... Hopped in the shower, had a little dinner, played a set list on RB with Mark, and decided it was time to try to sleep.... About 15 minutes after I laid my head on that pillow, I was called in to work...

Crazy day..... So as of now, I have been awake for 24 hours, worked 15 of those and by the end of today will have worked 8 more.... Oh my....
Today, other than work, Mark and I will be headed over to Todd and Ann's place to have some dinner and play some RB and GHWT... It's been a while since we've gotten together, so we are due for a jam session!!!

And hopefully Sunday, we will be able to go wine tasting in Temecula with a group of friends... Maybe some sushi after that and maybe (big maybe) have everyone over for movie night to watch Tropic Thunder. Mark and I saw it in theaters and loved it immediately so we bought it right away.... Can't wait to see it again.
OK...It's now 545am... Starbucks is open, right??? I think I'm gonna take a trip over there and get me something warm and yummy to start off my new day....

Hope you had a great nights sleep and hope you have a great rest of the weekend!!!!

While checking emails.... Multitask!

While opening emails... I figured I would multitask and post some of the stuff I've received...

1. Five names you go by:
1. Kathy
2. Momma
3. Kat
4. Kath
5. Madre


2. Three things you are wearing right now:
1. Red Shirt
2. Blue Jeans
3. Underwear


3. Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. A seed to the money tree (amen sister...thats a keeper)
2. Time and money to go to school


4. 2 People who will probably fill this out.
1. Melissa
2. Kimmy


5. Two things you did last night:
1. Made almond joy bars
2. Watched animation domination with my hubby


6. Two things you ate today:
1. Salad
2. Almond Joy bar


7. Two people you last talked to on the phone:
1. Hubby
2. Mom


8. Two things you are going to do tomorrow:
1. Work
2 . Be on call.... so possible more work!


9. Two longest car rides.
1. Here to Vegas????
2. Here to Sacramento.....


10. Two of your favorite beverages:
1. Diet Coke.... lotsa lemon...
2. A good ol' lemon drop martini

The One Flaw In Women

My older sis emailed this to me the other day and I couldn't believe how truly inspirational it is. Read on my sisters!!!! And realize your flaw!


By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said,'Why are you spending so much time on this one?'
And the Lord answered, 'Have you seen my spec sheet on her?
She has to be completely washable, but not plastic,have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart -and she will do everything with only two hands.'
The angel was astounded at the requirements.
'Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish.'
'But I won't, ' the Lord protested. 'I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days.'
The angel moved closer and touched the woman. 'But you have made her so soft, Lord.'
'She is soft,' the Lord agreed, 'but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.'
'Will she be able to think?', asked the angel.
The Lord replied, 'Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate.'
The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek.
'Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one.'
'That's not a leak, 'the Lord corrected, 'that's a tear!'
'What's the tear for?' the angel asked.
The Lord said, 'The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride.'
The angel was impressed. 'You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing.'
And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice. They don't take 'no' for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards. They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding. Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss o f a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give.
HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE TINY FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Awesome, right??? We are that strong and amazing!!!! Everyday of our lives.

My little brother.

I'm really so sad that tonight was the last time I'll see my brother for at least a few months. In the short time that I've known Teddy, I gotta say my heart really adopted him as family. He is going home for a while and I definitely think it will be a great experience for him, but selfishly, I will miss hearing the stories from Mark about him, and hearing his awesome laugh when we get together.... Oh I will especially miss hearing his excuses on why he can't come out to the IE to visit.... Priceless!!!

Sad as it may be, I'm glad I was able to go out one last time and toast a Heine with my bro....

Love ya and will definitely miss you. Be careful out there... I hear they like to kidnap young people and make them prostitute.... Heeeheeheee....

Non-Motivational

...so often we look at a calendar of days as merely a symbol of the passage of time. We forget why we are on this earth. We forget that there is a reason for all of the pain and all of the struggle. We forget that we were put on earth to learn something. If everything were perfect in this life, we would never learn anything new. We would not be able to elevate our spirits through the events that happen to us.
Author: Lynn V. Andrews

I believe... I believe in continuous learning, healing, loving, growing... All these attributes make life so amazing.

At work, learning a new surgical technique motivates me and puts a huge smile on my face. You can ask my hubby... When we do something new at work, I can't seem to shut up about it for a long time. Poor guy... He has to hear the stories over and over.

At home, learning, healing and growing together with Mark and Noah is such a great feeling. As teenagers and young adults so many of us become so selfish and adopt the "know it all" attitude... Just to learn a few years later that we didn't know much at all. Then you get into a relationship and begin a family and you realize everyday is a new day and you will learn new things everyday for the rest of your life. Be it patience with your spouse or kiddo.... or just dealing with the undeniable differences between men and women..... My favorite example is how a man can sit and watch football for hours and women can sit and watch project runway for hours....

If as a human you are not constantly learning, than you are stagnant. Not growing....

My goal that I am setting for myself is to make time and take the extra effort to start my prerequisites at the com-coll even if it is online to begin with. I REALLY need to find the time and the money to get this going. If I don't start now, I will just keep beating myself up about it and never actually do it. So I am setting a deadline and making an appointment by the end of November to see a counselor and sit down with them to make a plan of attack for these pre-req classes. I want to take as many as I can online so I can do them in those late hours that I can't sleep.


You can't expect to prevent negative feelings altogether. And you can't expect to experience positive feelings all the time...The Law of Emotional Choice directs us to acknowledge our feelings but also to refuse to get stuck in the negative ones.
Author: Greg Anderson


My new philosophy.... I refuse to get stuck in the negative feelings that I am surrounded with lately.

Mark and I were talking last night about me... lol.. I know. We talked about how I really try to be there and help my friends so much that I totally get emotionally involved with them. Their issues and their drama affects me. I get emotional about it. I fixate on something until it resolves or dissolves. So Mark and I chatted and I've decided that I have to take a step back and not get stuck in it anymore.

I refuse to let my emotions get the best of me. I am emotional. Especially lately since I've been working so many hours, the holiday season quickly approaching, and other things in the works.... I have to remember that I can't help anyone if I am a wreck myself. I love myself and I love the person I have become. I am definitely unique. I definitely have more to accomplish in my life, and since I acknowledge this, I must move forward and take the first and hardest step to begin that journey.

Motivational??? Nahhh.... This certainly wasn't meant to motivate anyone. But now that I've written (typed) it, I have set my goal in black and white. I can't look back.

Never look back... Just move on, move forward, and make it happen.

Catching up and Keeping Busy....

I never posted an update on my call story so here is the gran finale! Dr. Chin finally showed up around 330am and we did our appendectomy without any complications... I didn't finish until nearly 5am because after our cases are done we still have to clean our room and wash our instruments!!!! So I layed down in my bronch room suite (Lol... not a suite at all!!!Remember, the dead people room?)for about 45 minutes then got up, got dressed, brushed my teeth, did my makeup and off I went to my day at the surgery center. We did a facelift, endoscopic brow lift and fat injections on one patient... Then we did a buttock lift on the next... Good times!!! My doc and anesthesiologist kept me laughing all day so I didn't really feel super tired until we were done for the day.... Thats when it hit me and I couldn't wait to go home.... Even though I was tired, I wanted to again review all my notes and techniques for the hip arthroscopy that we were going to do on Wednesday. So I had something to eat, reviewed, played a little GH with Mark, and went to bed.

Wednesday was the big day. I was so super excited to do this hip scope that I've been waiting months for.... We got the patient (who was a big boy-nearly 300 pounds) on the regular OR table, but when we went to set up the table modifier that dislocates the hip, the table started to tip!!!! Oh my!!!! We got a little scared, but figured that we just needed to weigh down the base of the table. We grabbed every sand bag and weight available in the building and placed them on the base of the table. We propped up the other leg holder with a stand, and off we went to prep and start the surgery. I think we took almost three hours in the surgery. Not bad for our first time here. We did a labral resection which should help the guy with some joint pain. We almost removed some loose bodies he had floating in his joint which could definitely cause some pain. All in all, it was a great learning experience, and I'm one of a very few people that can say they've done a hip scope! Woohoo!!! Can't wait for the next one....

The rest of the week has been pretty uneventful. It is getting dark so early now that it feels so late when I get home to walk the dog, but we are still going... Just to be safe though we are doing laps around our apartment complex.. We do about 4 laps in one hour... Not too shabby... I love it when Noah and I get to walk the dog together because it's our special time to just chat and reflect on whats going on. Mommy son time... Love it!

I want to send a Happy Birthday out to my great friend Christi... She turned the big quarter century!!! LOL.... She is inVegas right now celebrating her 25th!!! Wish I was there sister, but I know you will party enough for all of us that aren't with ya!

"To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart" -Pearl S. Buck

This quote was one of my daily emails I receive... It sparked a smile on my face... True true true.... I definitely think that your actions should be your own, and never done expecting reciprocation or any kind of return from others. If you expect those kind of things, you will often be let down. It is so very important to me that the actions I do be for no other reason than because I want to do them... Be it a gesture of friendship, love, helpfulness... I do them because I want to do them.... I feel like too many times people act selfishly and try to make their actions seem unselfish and giving, like there is no other motive even though there is. Its sad. This is why people have trust issues. It's so hard to tell sometimes who is being genuine and who is not.

On that note, I better get going... We just booked another OR case, and I have to get ready for it.... Have a great weekend... More pics and some really great news comin next time....

Sleep is for the birds!!!

Well, I guess I'm only saying that because it's 215am and I'm at work waiting for my surgeon to show up so we can do an appendectomy.... They called me from the hospital at 120 and said he was on his way.... Liars... He lives closer than I do and here I am waiting after driving for 25 minutes, clocking in, and pulling all of my supplies and opening them all on my table.... Guess that's the way it goes.....

Hopefully everyone had a great weekend.... and a great Halloween.... I did!!!!

On Friday, Noah had a minimum day, so I left work after half day and picked him up.... What a nice treat!!!! I never get to pick him up from school and certainly don't ever get to go out to lunch with him.... We went to one of our favorite places, Portillo's.... We got our usual cheeseburgers and cheese fries... Noah got his chocolate shake and we sat on the open balcony and enjoyed!!!! It was so much fun... He told me all about his Halloween party that he had at school, and was expressing his excitement about going trick or treating that night.... After lunch, we went home and relaxed till it was time to go to my moms... It's our little tradition to head over to my moms for pizza and dessert and then go out trick or treating in her neighborhood..... Terri and another couple have been coming with us for years now!!!! Noah and Brayden looked so cute.... Noah was the joker and Brayden was Scooby-Doo.... After we trick-or-treated there, we were off to a party at our friends Frankie and Wills house. We ate, drank and were merry!!!!! Noah was the first one to pass out!!! He was so tired from such a busy day that he pooped out right on Frankie's couch! We hung out there till 2am or so... and then headed home.... It was time for bed!

Saturday, we slept in and then did some cleaning and relaaaaaxed most of the day... I went to Costco with my sis and found 2 new cookie magazines!!!! So I tried a recipe from one of them for apple pie bars..... AWESOME!!!!! I made 3 pans of them, and they were amazing!!!!! After my baking spree, we three headed over to my moms for a little surprise 19th birthday party for my younger sister Mellyza..... We had a great time just hanging out and cracking jokes like we always do..... It was a really fun time..

Sunday, we did absolutely nothing!!!!! How awesome is that???? Pretty cool I would say! I caught up on loading my pics onto my ex. drive, played a little GHWT, and even watched a little football with Mark.... The only bad thing about the day is the fact that I broke a tooth!!!! AARRGGHHH!!!! This tooth has been nothing but trouble.... It started years ago as an emergency root canal that unfortunately was botched when the dentist drilled all the way into my sinus.... Ouchie!!!! So after that guy screwed it up, I switched to another dentist, who had to re-drill... That was bad news because the tooth became very thin around the edges. The new dentist told me that there was a chance the tooth could break because the re-drilling made it so thin, but they would do what they could to save it. Well, after all their effort, the tooth broke anyway.... BOO!!!! So Monday after wearing a mask ALL DAY at work, I went to my dentist and they did a temporary patch and made it look decent until I can get the porcelain crown. Should be next month. Oh well....

In other news, I am so excited that this Wednesday we will be doing our first hip arthroscopy at the surgery center!!!! YAY!!!! I've been re-reading all my guides, information, surgical techniques and even just my basic anatomy on the hip so that I can be as knowledgeable as possible when we do our case. I will have two docs during the case, Dr. G and his partner Dr. D.... I'm really excited.

Well, here we are 245 and still no doc.... I am going to lay down on a gurney and get some sleep while we wait for my dear Dr. Chin. My sunshine! Till next time, have a great Election Day. Get out there and do your duty!!!!!!