My Dad

Happy Birthday Dad!! Well I think I am going to adopt the Happy Birthday to my loved ones on my blog thing...since now I am even farther away.

Today is my Dads big 54th birthday. What a great day to celebrate...

Things I love about my dad.

#1 The picture above is classic. We are a beach family and our vacations usually consist of beach. And my dad is found out in the sun with a variety of books he is reading, interrupted with some good salsa and chips, virgin margaritas and dips in the ocean :) I can't wait for Cancun in December! I love the example you have set for me on how to vacation!

#2 The LOVE to read! This rubbed off on to me at a very young age and still to this day I crave to read a good book. When I go home I love to see the great things he is reading and learning from his stacks of books.

#3 Great words of WISDOM. My dad seems to always know what to say at the moment I need it. (my mom too :) He has this positive attitude that is hard not to catch and it seems after a talk with him you can conquer the world. I have needed many of these words these past couple of weeks.

#4 One of my new found favorites to do with my dad is ROAD BIKING. A couple of times I have taken my road bike up with me and we go together. We push each other and have good times together. I love riding with my dad :)

#5 HOT TAMALES and POPCORN. Every since I can remember Friday or Saturday we would gather downstairs with some popcorn and hot tamales and big glass of ice water and enjoy a movie. Now we go out to the movies....but still have the same treats. I have many great memories spending time downstairs with some good snacks and a community cup of water :)

Dad,
I am so glad you are my dad. Thanks for being so great. You example and love mean so much to me and I can't wait to see you this weekend. Have a great birthday :) Here is to MANY more memories and good times!

Survival

SICU = Surgical ICU

My first two weeks have been eventful, exciting, tiring and sad! I am the officially the queen of worry....anyone that knows me just a bit knows that. My first week consisted of orientation that more than anything put me to sleep, but there were a few points that I stayed awake for like, benefits and such :).

Second week, I worked on the floor of the Surgical ICU!! Also known as "SICK - U" Funny, HUH! It rocked! I was really nervous and had worked my self into a mega nervous stomach!! My first day my "real" preceptor was called off so I followed around a different nurse and learned a lot from her. My second day was class all day in front of computer doing modules...lame! Third day I was with my preceptor and she is not what I was expecting but a great teacher and funny person. She is in her late 50's, smoker, rough around the edges and swears ALOT. She is a great nurse, and I am just getting thrown right into this Vegas culture :)

I am learning quickly what kind of nurse I want to become and definitely what I don't want to become. I have had an all in all good experience. Some patients situations and what their families want to put them through is the sad part. It will always be though. I just make sure for my 12 hours I treat them the way I would want my Mom or kid treated.

We are getting use to Vegas life. Our ward is fun and a well mixed ward. We have adventured to the temple twice. It is amazing! But it is a half a day process with how far and traffic and the session and such but it is fun. We have tried some fun, new restaurants and have made a few friends in our new ward. Hoping for some new sites to see in the next week or two.

Curt is learning a lot about his job and enjoying diving in. He wished he could know it all now and not have to go at a slower pace but he is learning and hoping to have a couple hands in the fire with a few different things going on....more to come when things are more figured out :)

We love having visitors, we have two spare rooms and want all our friends and family to come(cheap flights to Vegas...hint hint). Our nephews and Tawnya, Jake and Heather, Jerri and Mark (our friends) and Linda and Patrick have all visited at different times and it has been so much fun. It seems when people come to visit you have more time together than when you live in the same town.

More adventures from the new nurse in Sin City :)