A little rewind...

Back to October. I forgot to mention that an Army Nurse friend of mine and her boyfriend (Brandy and Dan) ventured out to San Francisco to see the 49ers/Bucs game on the 9th. They went off to see the sights of San Francisco for a few days, and then the four of us had a great time catching up, eating and hanging out over the weekend. Here are Michael and I at Candlestick enjoying the beautiful weather and a great win by the 49ers! I felt bad for Brandy, a die-hard Bucs fan, but she was a good sport and didn't sulk too long. ;)

Alright, now we can move onto November... The weather was absolutely gorgeous and prime for some great running all month. Michael and I also hosted our first Thanksgiving for my family and a few mutual friends... 14 people in all! It was a huge success and all of the food turned out amazing! The turkey kudos goes to Michael, as I don't think it would have turned out so well if I had cooked it. Here we are, just about to carve our inaugural turkey! Thank you Whole Foods Market, it was juicy and delicious. :) My mom was also instrumental in making the day a success. She bought and arranged some wonderful fall flowers, brought the giant table, some chairs and the good china. She did such a fantastic job setting the table and making it look beautiful! Here is a shot of some of the family getting ready to eat. It was so wonderful to have the family up to San Francisco to see our place and share in our last Thanksgiving here in California for the forseeable future. I am not sure where we are headed once I graduate, but I should find out near the beginning of the year... I can't believe it almost that time again. It feels as if we just got here and neither of us really wants to leave.

So, it's December now and the holiday parties are starting!! Michael and I got all gussied up last night for Limelight's holiday party at a great restaurant downtown. It was a cozy atmosphere with amazing food and pretty decent hosted wine and beer. Our downstairs neighbor caught us right as we were leaving and she insisted that we grab a picture before we left. I have to admit, we are a pretty handsome couple! :)

December also means that fall quarter has ended and I am getting ready to take a well-deserved mental break. The last half of the quarter was truly non-stop brutality in all of my classes and my teaching preceptorship. BUT it is over, I survived and did well, so that is really all that counts! I am headed up to Seattle next weekend to see Leah, which will be awesome! I haven't seen her since the ceremony last year, so we have a lot to catch up on and a lot of fun to have... Get ready Seattle, the girls will be on the loose and we know how to have a good time! :)

You are now caught up (for those that still stop by). Happy Holidays and I will be back in the New Year!

66HM5 out...

It is hard to believe...

That school is once again back in full swing! It is already five weeks into the quarter and we are coming up on midterms. Where is the time going?!

September was the best month! Michael and I had a great time in London and the Canary Islands. :) In London, Michael treated us to a two-day hired car tour of the city. We were so lucky to be able to see so much of the city, and experience parts of London that most tourists don't normally go to. For example, we went to St. Katharine Docks and incidentally met some of the local residents who invited us into the private slips to watch a barge race on the Thames while we were sipping coffee and tea! I also found my boat at the docks. :) We rode the London Eye, took a river tour of the Thames to see some of the bridges of London, visited Kensington Gardens, Westminster Abbey, and Windsor Castle. Here we are at St. George's Chapel out at Windsor Castle... What an amazing piece of history and architecture! We should have skipped the London Dungeon, and there were a few things we didn't get to do, but that just leaves us things to do for our next trip to London! :)

From London we flew to Gran Canaria, an island in the Canaries. It was SO amazing! Warm, but not hot and wonderfully relaxing. We packed a lot of activities into our week... Deep-sea dolphin watching (we had to go out 21 km on the ocean before we FINALLY saw them), a driving tour of the island with an awesomely funny tour guide, parasailing, and scuba diving! Here we are at Taurito Beach on our last day. We definitely did not want to leave and have decided that we will return to Gran Canaria again some day!

But, all good things must come to an end and we had to come home. School started again a few days after we came home and my birthday came and went pretty uneventfully.

I started the month of October out with a bang by running the San Jose Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon on the 2nd, achieving a PR of 1:45.44! I was pretty stoked considering I had only run 11 miles while on vacation, with no long runs in almost a month. Here I am celebrating the first race of my thirty-fourth year... I am now contemplating which 1/2 marathons I am going to run in 2012. I plan on two a year, but this coming year I may try for three! We'll see how it all works out. :) Other than that, I have been hitting the grind with school and just waiting to find out where I will be headed next... It is hard to believe that in 7 months we will be on the move again. :(

We'll see you again soon!

66HM5 out...

My crazy summer...

Is winding down. I started with a preceptorship in the ED at San Francisco General Hospital at the end of June with a fellow CNS that graduated from UCSF in 2008. I had a great experience learning about how a Level I Trauma Center works, as well as how trauma data is collected and used. After the end of my preceptorship at SFGH, I had three weeks off to take care of all the little nagging things I needed to clear up. I got a lot done, but still have a few things to do... I also started my teaching preceptorship at Dominican University in late August with a UCSF PhD candidate that teaches undergraduate nursing pharmacology. It has been fun so far and I even lectured on the first day of class!

Michael and I headed down to San Diego on the 19th of August, so I could run my first 1/2 marathon in almost three years! I ran the America's Finest City 1/2, which was my very first 1/2 marathon in 2005. Despite forgetting that A Street and Sixth Street is a killer one-mile stretch of uphill after already running for 11-and-a-half miles, it was a great run and I hit a PR of 1:48.11. :) Here I am post-race with my "number two" hand gesture. Michael and I also had a great time at Legoland in Carlsbad and at the San Diego Zoo. Here we are in front of the mini San Francisco constructed entirely out of Legos... It was really, really cool! They also had mini versions of Washington DC, Las Vegas, New Orleans and a few other cities too.

I left for Whistler BC the week after the 1/2 marathon to hang out with two of my cousins that I haven't seen in roughly 17 years! It was so wonderful to see Ryan and Julie, along with meeting their significant others and children. Here we are (minus my cousin Ryan) on the Peak to Peak Gondola. One of Ryan and Amy's triplets, Lucy, is now my new best friend, as you can see here. :) I had the best time watching my little cousins play and have fun, as well as reconnecting with family in such a beautiful place... I just wish Michael could have been there to experience it with me. We ended our trip with the most amazing Raclette dinner at a French-Canadian creperie in the Whistler Village. We left the restaurant totally stuffed with potatoes, bacon, ham, salami, raclette cheese, cornichons, pearl onions and salad. It was the best (and most fun) meals I have had in a long time! As you can see it is quite the production and a bit of work to cook and eat at the same time...

So, I am now back in San Francisco for a few days before meeting Michael in London to start our long-awaited, much-needed honeymoon!

I'll see you all in a few weeks!

66HM5 out...

Random thoughts about Facebook and life...

I have been thinking a lot about some of the people that have "friend requested" me over the past few months. They are people that I went to middle and high school with, and a few of them were pretty mean to me back in the day. Now I know everyone grows up and changes, but how is it that the old scars (that should be distant and trivial memories) never seem to completely fade away. How is it that we can't simply let some things go? How is it that some people never seem to leave our memories, and others vanish so easily?

I was given the answer the other day... "That's just the way it is," and it instantly reminded me of The Rembrandts hit song "Just The Way It Is, Baby"

Do you remember once upon a time, when you were mine?
The stars above were bright and new
I pulled them down for you, just when I fell in love again
You said that all good things must end

Baby, that's just the way it is baby
Baby, that's just the way it is baby

I've never had a hand for solitaire, it's so unfair
That I should have my chance and lose
I feel like I've been used to help you through another night
You spelled it out in black and white

Baby, that's just the way it is baby
Baby, that's just the way it is baby

The tides that once had carried you away
That bring you back today
The time has washed away my pain
You'll find that things have changed and disappeared without a trace
You can't get back what you've erased
And I say

Baby, that's just the way it is baby - that's just the way it is
Baby, that's just the way it is baby - oh that's just the way it is
Baby, that's just the way it is baby
Baby, that's just the way it is baby - just the way it is
Baby, that's just the way it is baby
Baby, that's just the way it is baby, baby
Baby, that's just the way it is baby
Baby, that's just the way it is baby
Baby, baby, that's just the way it is baby

I guess it will always stay just the way it is...

66HM5 out...

Six years and counting...

That I have been in the Army now. SIX YEARS! How does that happen?! I swear that I just graduated and commissioned like last week. I am now at my third duty station, back in school, married, a veteran, and six years older. Time flies when the Army keeps you on the move!

As for what has been going on for the last two months... School flew right along and now I have finished my first year of grad school. I start my preceptorship at San Francisco General Hospital in a week and I am so excited to get back to the ED! Hopefully I will get to see some good trauma and get a solid idea of what being a CNS is all about.

Other than that, Michael and I have been hanging out in a great city and being grateful that we are living in the same place for once!

66HM5 out...

Rest in peace my sweet Jinx...

I post this entry with a very heavy heart... On April 12, 2011 at 9:35 am, Michael and I had to bid Jinx adieu. She was suffering from a severe, progressive respiratory disease and had taken a sharp turn for the worse over the last few weeks. We couldn't bear to see her suffer any longer, and the prednisone we were giving her just wasn't relieving her symptoms anymore. Dr. Moran at Presidio Way Veterinary Hospital was the kindest, most compassionate person we could have asked for in sending Jinx to kitty heaven.

My mom agreed to let Michael and I bury her up at her property near Jackson, CA and my dad was kind enough to make her a little box and sent it from Portland. I am incredibly appreciative that he put so much love and thought into her box. Here it is to the left. I teared up when I saw that he cut out her name in wood letters and glued it to the lid. Michael and I bought her a little stone marker that had her name, the year she was born, the date she died and the inscription "forever loved and deeply missed". We buried her on the 16th under a little plum tree near the well pump house on my mom's property. We had a nice service for her and I am finally feeling a sense of peace and closure, but I still miss her like crazy and keep expecting to see her when I walk into the flat. To the right is me next to her little grave. The next time Michael and I go up to the property, I am going to bring a bag of bulb flowers and plant them around her stone marker. She was such a great travel companion, friend, cuddler and embodied the true definition of unconditional love. Everyone that met her ended up loving her.

Things have been a little somber around the flat this week, and even Buttercup is having a hard time with Jinx being gone... He looks for her on occasion and has been extra cuddly lately. I think he really misses her too, even though she wasn't very playful the past three months she was here. He still would sleep by her and try to play with her a couple of times a day. But he is adjusting and things are slowly getting back to normal around here.

My little Jinx... Here's to a decade of companionship, cuddles, purrs, over 5,000 miles of travel, three duty stations, many late nights of studying, and a lifetime of rememberance. I love you my sweet girl and I miss you every day.

66HM5 out...

Updates please!!

So... I just realized that it has been SIX months since I have updated this thing! Needless to say A LOT has happened in the last six months, so I guess I will start at the beginning. I started school at UCSF in late September, not really knowing what to expect. I forgot how quickly the quarter system moves and how much work gets packed into ten weeks! I had a great birthday with my mom and my Auntie B here in the city at Tadich Grill. Great food, great service, and great conversation... The only thing that was missing was Michael.

Leah passed through San Francisco in October on her way to the Periop course in El Paso, so I called Rosie and we all met for dinner at Tadich Grill for some more great good and famous service. Here we are at the bar waiting for our table. It was so great to see my girls and talk wedding ceremony business... I had a bridesmaid to replace and Rosie was the obvious choice! ;) We had so much fun and it was just like old times at Ft. Benning!

I also took a trip out to Chandler to see Michael, since he was STILL waiting on his transfer to the SF office. Of course, I had to say that I went to the Buca in Chandler while I still had the chance, so here I am cheesing it with the sign. I have to say that Planet Hollywood's aquisition of Buca really ruined the place... Crappy new menus, ugly tomato ties, name tags, and the dishes that remained on the menu just don't taste the same. :(

November was just nuts, trying to get through finals and finish up all the last-minute wedding prep done. Michael flew out to SF for Thanksgiving up at my mom's property and we had a nice time relaxing without the hustle and bustle of school or work. I got to see my Monte boy too, which is always nice. He is such a sweet boy and a little cuddle-bug when he wants to be... I love and miss his little face!! Here we are chilling on the bed, with him looking annoyed that I have taken like 20 pictures of him. Ha-ha.

December was glorious!! I finished my first quarter of Grad school with all A's, and the countdown to the wedding was ON! I spent almost all of December in Arizona getting all of the last-minute things together and trying to relax and enjoy my break. Michael and I headed to Yuma for Christmas again and had a great time hanging out with his parents. My in-laws are just the best people, it is ridiculous! Here we are in front of what MUST be Santa's house... I swore he lived at the North Pole, but maybe he and Mrs. Clause wised up and moved to the desert. :)

My bridesmaids came out on the 27th and threw me an awesome bachelorette party, complete with all of the accoutrements! We had a great time dining, bar-hopping, drinking and dancing. I finally got to meet Michael's old roommate Brandy, and she was such a blast... She had us going from place to place and incited fun wherever we went! Here are Brandy, Ashlee and I all decked out. :) My mom came out a week before the wedding to help me get everything done and was amazing! My dad and Carolyn came out before the wedding too and were instrumental in feeding and watering the troops on the day of the wedding. :)

Before we knew it the day of the ceremony was upon us!! It was truly the most amazing day of my life... It was everything I thought it was going to be and more. Well, I would have changed the fact that it was 40 degrees outside, considering that it was an outdoor wedding... BUT, it was still amazing to share it with 75 of our closest friends and families. The whole day seems like a dream now, but I will remember it forever. :) Here is a great view of the venue... It was incredibly beautiful, even in December! I have to say that we had possibly the best photographers in Phoenix. Jennifer Radack of O'Grace Photography managed to capture the best images and we have almost 1,000 photos to look back at and remember our special day. To the left is the "You may kiss the bride... Again" shot. I love the way it captures our kiss, the back of my dress and more of Boojum Tree. :) This is another one of my favorites... All my girls trying to get my French bustle tied up. It was definitely a challenge... Seven ties on the bottom layer of tulle, three ties on the middle layer of tulle, and three ties connecting the dress to the top layer of tulle! I am SO happy with the way everything turned out... My dress, my veil, my hair and my make-up were just perfect! Kudos to Diane Aiello at Glam Lounge for my make-up and Jessica Lawson of Salon Surreal for my hair. These ladies are amazing and made me look more beautiful than I could have ever imagined!

Unfortunately, it was back to the real world right after the ceremony... School started back up for me, and Michael had the move from Chandler to San Francisco to contend with. I flew back out to Chandler to help with the pack and move of the condo after the first week of school. The morning after the movers boxed up the condo, Michael and I headed back to San Francisco with two cars and two sedated, but still unhappy cats in tow. January turned out to be quite hectic with twice as much stuff in the flat and not a lot of time to find a place for everything. Michael hit the ground running in the offices here and now has some pretty high-profile clients to manage, but of course, is doing quite well and making a name for himself.

February and March found us dealing with a sick Jinx... And to our chagrin she is not getting any better. We are thinking it will only be a few more months until we have to bid adieu to her. She has been the best little cat I could have ever asked for and I will really miss her when she is gone. This is my favorite picture of Jinx and I... It was taken back at Ft. Benning about 5 years ago. I remember that she was looking up at the camera, but marked my face at the last minute and made me laugh right as I took the picture.

Well, to those that are still following my journey... You have been fully updated. :)

66HM5 (and Michael) out...