NICU.....oOoOoOo pick me! pick me!

My desire is to be a nurse in the NICU. I still remember the day I spent observing in the NICU at Women and Infants hospital in Providence. I was amazed and the talent, intelligence and strength displayed by the nurses there. I have 7 months and one week of med-surge experience and in my opinion that is 7 months and 6 days too many. O.K. so that's exaggerating but I am ready to take this experiance and USE it for what I really want to do. Adults SO IS NOT for me.

There are (that I know of) three large level III NICUs in San Diego i.e. 20 min commute or less. Three of them are at capacity for staffing. That means that there is no job for me right now.....

My goal is to be in a NICU by my birthday (September). Next month I am going to get my Neonatal Resuscitation Provider certification. A first step in the door so to speak. I spoke with one of the Nursing recruiters at SHARP Mary Birch Hospital for Women and they will hire in the NICU in the fall..possibly earlier...

let's see what happens.....

2 Months

I cannot believe that it has been 2 months since my wedding day. It seems like it was only yesterday that I was on the alter of my childhood Church surrounded by my family and friends, telling the man I love that I will continue to love him for the rest of my life. Now I have played wife for two months and I think I am getting used to the role, as a matter of fact, I might like it!

People have asked about how married life is treating us, and I think we are adapting quite well.
Sometimes when I get home from work and Kyle is already asleep I lie in bed and look at his left hand with his wedding ring on it. I can feel my heart swell up with love when he hugs me. Our relationship was filled with love before, but the dynamic has completely changed. It is almost as if the sense of commitment that our relationship is now founded on has made us even more in love.

Our day to day life hasn't really changed all that much, since we were living together before the wedding. He still goes to work, then later that day I go to work. He is still asleep on the couch when I get home from work at 12am. The only major change I can say is the combining of the finances, and obtaining "Navy Wife status." Now my car has decals on it so I can get on the Navy base myself (schwing!)

The best decision I have ever made was that day 11 months ago when I woke up and walked to the beach in my PJs, and found my dream had come true....
..the man of my dreams on one knee with a ring...and I said yes....

Disneyland last day - Second run!

Sunday was spent going on rides we missed and going on our favorite rides a second time.

-Check out how many rides we did before we left the park at 5:00

(* means it was the second time around)

*Space Mountain

Finding Nemo Submarine Adventure (great ride!)

*Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

Indiania Jones

Jungle Cruise

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road

*Splash Mountain

*Haunted Mansion

*Pirates of the Carribean

Innoventions

Mr. Toads wild ride

*California Screamin'

*Toy Story Midway Mania

*Soarin' over California

-pretty good for 8 hours huh?

What an AMAZING weekend!

Disneyland Saturday - Disney's California Adventure!

Disney's California Adventure opened at 10am and so we got there at 9:30am and we were let into the main entrance of the park. The attendant told us that "Soarin" over California was actually already open so we walked right on that ride first thing! It was amazing! They put you into a row of chairs that they lift up off the ground 40ish feet and infront of a HUGE screen (kinda like an IMAX screen but a big circle) and they move the row to make it tilt and move as if you are hang-gilding.

Stock Photo, cool huh?

California adventure was a really fun park. There was a lot there that they don't have at Disney World (or didn't have last time I was there in 2002) They had lands dedicated to Hollywood, Condor flats, an old carnival pier, and a bug's life. The pier (named paradise pier had a really fun rollercoaster and one of the coolest rides I have ever been on Toy Story midway mania (more on that later...

Kyle and I in front of a movie backdrop

Wall-e!!!

Grizzly Bear Peak

One of the cooler things we found pretty much on accident was the Blue Sky cellar, which was a feature room that showcased all of the cool things that the imagineers are doing to improve the park. Over the next couple of years they are going to add a new land based on the movie Cars, a new ride based on the Little Mermaid and a new water show Called "Color of Wonder." They also had a lot of little exhibits showing how they made Toy Story Midway mania.

Above is the rendering of the Potato Head that entertains you while you are waiting in line. Below is the real thing!

Toy Story Midway mania is a 3-D ride where you are on a car (two to a car) each with a pull string gun that you use for shotting targets in 5 "Midway Style" games hosted by the different toy story characters (Ham Pig has an egg toss game and Bo-Peep has a balloon pop game etc) when you shoot with you gun it appears on the screen (videogame esk) and when you hit certain things they fly at you 3-D style or you get shot with air, water etc. You play against you car-mate for the higest score which Woody and Jessie tally at the end of the ride. Kyle and I went on twice. The first time I won, the second time he did.

Our vote for best ride of the weekend!

Kyle and I sporting our 3-D shades!

Weekend at Disneyland! - Friday at Disneyland

So friday morning we woke up around 5:45 (Both of our alarms went off around 5:15 but miracously no one got out of bed until almost 6:00) We got going around 6:15 and made it up to Anaheim around 7:45. The hotel we stayed at was about 7 minutes away from the front door of the park. We dropped our car and stuff at the hotel and arrived to the entrance of Disneyland right when the park opened at 8am. We walked directly to tomorrowland and walked on Space Mountain, a great way to start off the day! We were at the park from the beginning of the day until the fireworks show at 9pm.

Walking into the park

Astro-orbiter at Tomorrowland

Kyle at the entrance to Toontown!

I wanted to get my picture taken with Mickey Mouse so once we went into Toontown we went to Mickey's house. We got to walk through the whole thing and see pluto's bed and Mickey's chair next to his fireplace! So cute. Then they filed us into the backyard and into Mickey's "movie barn" where we can watch cartoons while we wait to get out picture taken. I was the only person there over the age of 6 who wanted to see Mickey but I didn't care!

Toontown fountain

Teacups!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle! (not as cool as cinderella's but still VERY cool) Inside was a neat walk through exhibit about the Sleeping Beauty story

California Adventure tomorrow!

I <3 my clarinet

So for those of you that don't know I started playing the clarinet when I was in 5th grade. I kept up with it all the way though high school, I took private lessons and auditioned for all-state. (never got in, my junior year I missed by one seat!) In the beginning of high school I even though about becoming a music major...then I made the decision that I wanted music to be my hobby..not my entire life and subconsciously I put my clarinet on the back burner, and there it stayed for two years..

My sophomore year of college I joined concert band to play my clarinet. Freshmen year I was in marching band and concert band, but I played percussion because they needed extra people. In the spring I even took lessons with the clarinet professor for URI (a great teacher and player!) But Nursing school was just all consuming, and I couldn't dedicate enough time for practice.

Well now I am a college graduate, and I want to start playing again. So last Friday I pulled my old Selmer Wooden Clarinet out of retirement and started practicing again. Once I have a couple of months to "iron out the kinks" of my playing I am going to look into joining a community band/getting lessons.

I am keeping track of my practicing on my iphone, YAY! My metronome is coming in the mail in a few days! (I'm such a dork and I love it!)

Playing the clarinet is something I have always done just for me...and I feel so good about it!

*I play clarinet, so I am the shit*

It's time to remember the magic.....

Ok let's get one thing out in the open right now....

I LOVE DISNEY WORLD

I know everyone says that, but I am really not kidding. The first time I ever went to Disney World when I was 13, the ENTIRE YEAR before while my parents were saving $$ I was planning the trip. I mean I planned where we would eat, which park we would go which day, which ride had the shortest line at which time, the shortest path to the best viewpoint for the fireworks display. I knew the entire layout of all 4 parks before I even stepped off the plane in Orlando. I had read and re-read the unofficial guide to Walt Disney World so many times the spine of the book broke...I am really not kidding!

I was also lucky enough to go again a year later, with my high school marching band

Now next week Kyle will be on his pre-deployment leave. and I just so happen to have three days off of work right in a row....so where do you think I want to go???

"Hey Kyle....Disneyland is only two hours away......."

Now I have never been to the smaller Disney Park, but since I live in California...I can't NOT go!

We leave next Friday morning......

Formals!!!!

Cedar Chapel; Sara & Kyle

After the ceremony I put my fur wrap on and braved the cold for some outdoor pictures. I really wanted to take pictures in the Cedar Chapel behind our Sanctuary. If you look at the pictures behind the altar of the church all of those windows face out to all of these cedar trees. We got some amazing pictures out here, it doesn't even look like we are frezzing our butts off!!!

Right here the wind kicked up and blew my veil in Kyle's face

Ready

Happy Couple

First Kiss!!!!

After we said our vows and exchanged rings, my grandfather pronounced us husband and wife! I love this picture of my grandpa with his hand on our hands. It is a memory that I will cherish forever

"What God has joined together let no one separate!"

You may now kiss the Bride.....

And we're married!!!!!!





After the ceremony we immediately went into my Church's fellowship hall for the Receiving Line. Here are a couple of good shots from Farnum Hall

New Bride and Groom

Me hugging Brian, the best man.

He introduced me and Kyle when we were all 13 years old.

(I was dating Brian at the time ::cough cough::)

My Grandpa Hugging Kyle.....

Me Hugging my good friend from Nursing School, Elise. She moved to NY after Graduation and I moved to CA so needless to say, we don't see each other that often, but we try to talk on the phone every couple of weeks (although I wish it was more) I really miss her a lot, can you tell I am happy to see her?

Me and Mommy!

BIRDSEED!!!!

Originally I didn't think this would even happen considering we did get married in January and it was about 26 degrees outside, but everyone that wanted to pelt us with seeds got to as we ran to the limo, later that night I found birdseed....everywhere....haha

Thanks to my MOH and her Man for stuffing little tool balls of birdseed even the night before,

I LOVE YOU GUYS!