picture memories

My weekend in Federal Way with Emily goes as follows:

We made killer cake batter cookies. 1 package cake mix, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 eggs and you have perfection.

Return of the Sunday afternoon ritual. Beautiful. Emily randomly had a blue feather up her red dress. We were in the green grass on a plaid blanket. Go figure.

Frolicking in Seattle. Girls just wanna have fun, isn't that right Emily? haha.

Joining the gang of 10 BMWs that passed us on our way back from Mt. Rainier - going 70 on windy mountain roads around sharp corners.

Hiking to the Grove of Patriarchs.

There were lots of bees.

The trees were incredibly old - we are talking 1000s of years here.

...and also they were gigantic. They don't come like that in Utah.

Needless to say, I had a fantastic weekend getaway with my best friend. Thanks for everything Embed!

it's a good day

I woke up abruptly this morning at 7:42.

It was one of those mornings that your bladder wakes you up. Also, i was STARVING so that probably had something to do with it.

Let me tell you how very glad I am that I woke up with a start this morning.

There is a free clinic in South Salt Lake, Maliheh Free Clinic, that Cherie and I have been wanting to check out for a while now to see if they have any volunteer opportunities. Today happened to be the day that we decided to do just that.

Since it opens at 9:00 a.m., we decided to be there right around then. We went in expecting to fill out some paper work, maybe have an interview, and really just find out what kind of volunteer opportunities they had, if any at all.

This is what happened:

We were taken to the RN in charge of the operation for the day. She was THRILLED that two Med Techs had walked in her door ready to help. She quickly gave us a run down of the purpose of the clinic and a little bit about what happens there. Then she took our picture and gave us shirts and applications. About this time, everyone realized that the person who was supposed to be running the lab this morning had a funeral that he needed to attend - meaning they didn't have anyone to cover the lab.

Enter Tiffany and Cherie.

Basically they said here is the lab, anything you will need can be found here, and set us free to run the lab all by ourselves. We drew blood, did some basic testing, and learned how to work their 20 year old centrifuge.

Every single person - nurse, doctor, tech - was so happy that we were willing to help. I was thanked more times today than I normally am in a month. It was so good to feel like we were really making a difference and helping all those people out.

Working in health care can tend to be kind of stressful. Hospitals have all sorts of rules and regulations (out of necessity) and people generally aren't happy to be there. Even one mistake can seriously effect the life of a patient. I think that health care workers (myself included) sometimes forget that everyone involved is doing the best they can and only want to the best for the patient. Don't get me wrong, I love everything about my job and I don't have any complaints. It was really cool though to be able to see the mentality of the free clinic. Everyone that is there is there because they want to be. No one is getting paid, there aren't any special perks. Everyone is a volunteer and is there to help people. By choice. And everyone is so happy and helpful.

When we left, about 3 hours after we first arrived, one of the doctors escorted us out. The RN in charge gave us big hugs and profusely thanked us. We truly made a difference today.

What they have going on at the Maliheh clinic is truly amazing and I am glad that I got to be a part of that today. I look forward to the many days that I will be spending there in the future.

vertigo

Vertigo is a real condition and not just a CD by Vertical Horizon. I know this because I experienced it today for probably the first time in my life. I've been dizzy before, but nothing can quite compare to true vertigo.

I drive up and down Parley's Canyon every day. It is an altitude change, but nothing that I thought was a big deal. Apparently it messes with my ears and sense of balance. As a Medical Technologist I am pretty close with the microscope. Today for the first time in a couple months I sat down at a microscope. Let's just say that it didn't go over very well. After counting cells for about 2 minutes I was hit with a wave of nausea, then came the dizzy, light-headedness. Luckily, I was able to finish the slide I was looking at but not without a bit of strain. 

As soon as I was done I basically ran to the office so I could lie down and let the moment pass. Lucky for me, our pathologist was in the lab today. She proceeded to ask me what was wrong, get a blood glucose done on me, make a diagnosis, and tell me how to treat my symptoms. Every one took very good care of me - offering me water, mints, and helping me get my lunch. 

After about an hour the moment had passed and I was back to my chipper self. I got some sudaffed and gum that will hopefully clear out my fluid filled ears that are messing with my balance. I will find out tomorrow since I have to be on the microscope again. 

Wish me luck!

nirvana

nirvana: (according to Merriam Webster)

1 : the final beatitude that transcends suffering, karma, and samsara and is sought especially in Buddhism through the extinction of desire and individual consciousness
2 a : a place or state of oblivion to care, pain, or external reality; also : bliss, heaven b : a goal hoped for but apparently unattainable : dream

Today I found nirvana. 

Since I ran my half marathon almost a month ago now, I have been seriously slacking on my running. I didn't have the motivation I had previously and I didn't want it to feel like a chore when I went. I wanted to enjoy it. Today I went for my first good, challenging, long(ish) run since August 8th. 

It was amazing. 

I found the coolest little place called Memory Grove which leads into Memory Park. It is a pretty little mountain trail that winds in and out of the trees with a stream along side that ends at a quaint little park in downtown Salt Lake. I had no idea where it would take me when I decided to run down it, but I am glad that I wanted to explore.

The run back up was a little killer, but it made me remember truly how much I have come to love running-and also how much I have missed it this last month. Running up the hill back to 11th Avenue and B street all I could think about was how perfect it all was. The run, the scenery, the time of day, the sunset, everything. Coming up the final turn I had a picturesque view of the Capitol building with the whole valley in the background. It was truly breathtaking. 

I truly found nirvana today.