Good News

I just got great news from the nurse manager at St. Joseph's. She is not only going to extend my contract but she asked me to come on board as permanent staff. I am so happy to stay here another three months. And I was totally sweating this one out because I've had the feeling they were going to let me go. I talked to her on Tuesday and she said she would have to speak to her boss and I felt she was leaning towards no. But then she came to me today to tell me this and man, it is a big load off my mind. So now I will be here until July (unless I decide to move up here for good)(it's a nice thought but I couldn't be so far away from my friends and family). Anyway, people - come here to visit me - it's beautiful and I'm getting tired of having it all to myself.

Mount St. Helen's

Today I went to Mt. St Helen's. Kind of a spontaneous trip, I guess.

Mt. Rainier

Mt. Rainier - an active volcano that last erupted 150 years ago. It is 14410 feet above sea level and the tallest of the peaks in the Cascades. It is beautiful but the photo doesn't do it justice. You've got to see it to believe it. And seeing it is harder than you would think because it is often hidden in the clouds and fog. When it isn't hidden people around here say "oh, the mountain is out today".

Road Trip

I did a lot of driving today! After my drive from Texas to Washington I haven't been in much of a hurry to explore. But the sun was shining and it was a perfect day for a road trip. I forgot how relaxing a long drive in beautiful scenery can be.

I took Hwy 101 North in a big loop from Tacoma to the Washington coast and back down again. I put back the sunroof - listened to some music on my ipod and coasted. I had packed a lunch and when I got the beach I ate on the rocks. My first view of the Pacific Ocean. I don't think you can get a good view of the drift wood on the beaches but big stacks of it run as far as your eye can see. It apparently falls down from excessive rain and glacier slides - travels along the rivers that feed into the ocean and then the surf washes it back to the beach. To get down to the water you have to climb over the mushy slippery logs - it's really awkward - I saw one older lady just crawling on her belly to get over them. Unfortunately my manners kept me from taking that picture and posting it here.

What I wish I could convey most and can't through words or pictures are the smells of the day. In the morning it was mist and wood smoke from Saturday morning fires. Through the forests it was of earth and soil and green. Closer to the ocean it was of fresh and cool air. It was my favorite part of the day.

My drive took me through so many different scenes. Mountains, beaches and forests. Past a surprise lake in the Olympic National Forest. I got the chance to hike and saw a huge cedar tree. There were other people out enjoying the views but not too many to make it crowded - mostly just enough to make me feel safe.

You just never know

This morning I walked into the dressing room and a lady I work with said "you are working with Dr. X this morning - he's terrible just be prepared to be yelled at". Now, who wants to start the day with that message? We had a morning meeting and I sat and began to dread the rest of the day. I hate to pass instruments on a case if I've never even seen the dr. do a single surgery. And, with the way things went yesterday I'm sure you can imagine all the horrible thoughts going through my head.
But, to the contrary the day went fine. The dr. was very nice and at the end of the day told me thank you and that'd I'd done a great job. It just goes to show you, you never know how a dr. will take to you and listening to the other techs usually just gets you in trouble!
And, the sun is out! I'm off to yoga at Cedarwood Yoga Studio.