California Lovin:)

   So i have been in Los Angeles for a month now. I can't believe it. I am getting all settled in my new place. I live in the Bentley Monica apartments. Cool huh? My roomate seems super nice but I hardly see her. Its kinda like living by myself again which I don't mind one bit! Good news!!! No more code blues at work:) But as a result of me previously passing out at work, everyone knows who I am! Great way to get to know people and make an impression. I would not recommend it however, too risky to your poor noggin. Don't want anyone breaking their head just to make a good impression.
   Moving on... there is just so much to do and see here. My good friend Helen and her boyfriend Wesley were in town a couple weeks ago. It was fun we went to downtown Hollywood did the star walk and went to a wax museum. I personally have never wanted to go to one but it ended up being so much fun:) Seriously you would look to the other side of the room and really think there was a celebrity there! Here some pics of the good times!

Strikin a pose and wanting a cowboy. Seriously I don't know what it is with me and cowboys lately but I want one so bad. Which reminds me I need a good excuse to wear my boots. I miss them. I love them. Need to find me some coutry dancing in this city:) Which reminds me Cowboys and Aliens was actually a pretty good movie. I had my doubts. Also... left me again wanting a cowboy:) 



  I've been touristy here:) Hiked up behind the Hollywood sign with a friend. It was cool driving up in the Hollywood hills. There are a lot of cool houses up there. The view from the top was awesome too:)

In other news..... went on a ward campout with the Santa Monica ward. We went to Malibu. Who knew there was camping in Malibu??  It was fun we BBQ'd, campfired, played beach volleyball and soaked up a whole lot of sun! Playing beach volleyball in the morning. I try to go to the beach alot, whether its laying out, walking the pier or finding a cool park that overlooks it. I know I feel pretty spoiled right now.

So one thing I have noticed in Southern California is that there is literally a donut shop on every corner. I am still trying to decide if this is a good thing or not. To be honest I have tried a few. They were ok but I have had much better. So now I have this obnoxious and unhealthy desire to find the best one. This could be a problem.

SO COULD THIS!! Fried chicken and waffles?? Who does that? Roscoe's.. thats who. And it was pretty dang good! So thats whats new in my life. Anyone visiting LA anytime soon? We can go get waffles!!

First Impressions

So tonight was my first day of work on my own. For those of you who don't know as a travel nurse I go to new facilities every 13 weeks or so to work. I went through the hospital orientation, 2 days with a preceptor and then I was ready to get to work. So tonight, like I said, was my first night alone. I got report. Sounded like it was gonna be a pretty chill, uneventful shift. So there I was talking to my patients mom. I had assessed my patient, given her some medications, and made a plan for the night. I was standing in the doorway listening to her mom tell me a bit about the patients history. We were talking for quite awhile. I started getting kinda hot...ignored it kept listening... started feeling a little dizzy but didn't want to be rude and interupt, maybe my vision started getting a little blurry. I decided it was time to step away, get some water sit down. So I interrupted and said I needed to step out for a minute. Ummmm that was the last thing I remember before hitting the ground. Yep thats right. So apparently as I turned to leave I ended up passing out. I went down to my knees. I think the mom caught me so I didn't hit my head. So I was laying there and could hear the mom running out to the nurses station saying something about nurse and down. Suddenly there were more people in the room and I was coming to. I tried to get up with the help of another nurse. Guess I wasn't ready as I felt myself going down again I heard people calling Code blue... code blue... ( that is what they call in a hospital when someone goes into cardiac or respiratory arrest. Basically it calls overhead for the whole hospital to hear and gets all the big important people in the room STAT) I remember trying to say no... no... no code blue I'm fine. Well I must not have been because the next thing I knew I was in the bed with a ridiculous amount of people in the room hovering over me. What a way to meet all the new residents and such:) Anyways they kept asking if I was ok. I think I was mostly just embarrassed. What a way to show your competency at a new job:) The PICU doctor insisted I go to the ER even though I looked ok. So I got to take a little tour down to the Emergency Department. I felt so silly bein wheeled off the unit. All the nurses and staff were there looking at me all sympathetically. I thought well I haven't met most of you yet but I will be known as the traveler that passed out from here on out. Got checked out in the ER. Ran some tests, everything was fine. Guess I just wanted to check out the brand new facility and play with the awesome tv/movie/internet/game system they have for patients. It got me a even longer weekend! No work til Monday:) So that was the excitment of the night. Made my poor roomate come out and get me because they wouldn't let me drive home. My poor patient looked a little freaked out. They had to take her out of the room. Guess its not normal to have your nurse become the patient in your bed:) So there you have it. I knew LA Childrens was gonna be exciting and challenging. Just didn't realize I was gonna be the one causing all the excitement!!

Next Chapter:)

So its been awhile since I've posted. Too long really. So much has happened in the last few weeks. I had a great break in between assignments:) First was driving from Denver to Salt Lake. My awesome friend Maren flew to Denver just to drive with me. We had many adventures including suicidal bugs and being stuck in traffic and almost resorting to cooking ramen noodles on the hood of my car in fear we might starve before traffic got moving again. I understand that was a run on sentence:)
            Salt Lake City was a blast. I have so many good friends there. I had a spa day with some good friends, lunch poolside with my work buddies, country dancing with my sister and friends, not to mention time with these cuties:)



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I think its safe to say these girls missed me almost as much as I missed them. Little Elizabeth who said my name for the first time... ok she called me CA my last day before I left for Denver....started calling me Onca as soon as she saw me. She called me Onca all week and was always trying to show me something. It made my week!!

After Salt Lake Jessica joined me in the long drive to Mesa. It was 118 as we were driving in. Miss AZ, not sure if I miss the heat. I got to spend the week with my family. We had a BBQ on the 4th. I got to help one of my best friends paint her and her husbands new home. Love being around friends and family. My next adventure was awaiting. 

    So unfortunately I had to make the drive to California by myself. Anyone who knows me was a little concerned about that. I tend to get tired at the wheel pretty quickly. No worries though:) I made it safe and sound. Learned a few lessons on the way. Never leave the gas pump unattended. Yep thats right. I have never done that before.... and what happens the time I do?? The gas pump decides to overfill my tank by 6 gallons. So that meant gas pouring out of my tank surrounding my car and spreading. Not only did it cost me an extra $20 but also the embarrassment of everyone behind me in line at the gas station whispering "Theres a sign up saying don't leave your car unattended, Doesn't she know you aren't supposed to do that? tsk tsk." I also learned to trust your instinct and stop to go to the restroom when you need to. You never know when you will get stuck in another traffic jam and have to hold it for another hour cuz there isn't a tall enough bush in sight. 

   Anyways I made it. My new home. At least until November 19th. I drove here and met my new roomate. A girl I met on the LDS housing website who offered up her living room until I found a place to stay. I was a little nervous about that. Its worked out awesome. She put up a airmattress in her living room and said I could stay as long as I'de like. We get along great and have been experiencing LA together. I think I found a place to move into the 1st of August. It will probably be an hour commute (even though the hospital is only 10 miles away). LA traffic is a real treat. I have learned to deal with it. My Bishops wife advised to to accept it as a new part of my life and not let it get to me. I think the beautiful sunny weather, beach nearby, and fun things to do are gonna make up for it!! My new place is right by the temple and the ward building so I think thats a good trade off!! So far the ward seems like its gonna be a lot of fun. Lots of people here for summer internships. So I was supwe nervous about moving to LA. I have a very creative imaginiation. I pictured driving to work with gang bangers on either side, homeless people lining the streets. I pictured myself living in shady neighborhoods with drug deals and dangers on every corner. I pictured myself getting lost with my stupid GPS and getting into rough neighborhoods fearing being hijacked or worse. As far as the hospital I pictured any horrible scene that I have ever watched on ER or Greys Anatomy being daily occurances. I don't know what I was thinking. Seriously I have issues. Work is awesome:) Haven't seen any drivebys or felt threatened in any way. My imaginaton makes me laugh:) So that is life lately. The adventures as of late. You will have to read my next blog on first impressions. Hopefully it will make you laugh:)





Just Some Random Thoughts

1. I hate goodbyes....I would rather just sneak out....or holler see ya later as I'm walking away:)
2. Colorado summer is beautiful, I'm gonna miss it
3. I am officially homeless as of tomorrow, staying with a stranger for a bit in LA until I can find a place.
4. I have too much stuff and my car is too small.
5. Who thought it would be fun to move every few months? I mean come on packing? Goodbyes? Cancel the cable, transfer insurance, cleaning, driving (A LOT)...
6. How cool that I get to start over every few months?! New goals, new friends, new adventures, lots to learn:)
7. Excited for the beach, sand volleyball, Disneyland, California sunshine, surfing!!!! If anyone is anywhere near LA this summer you  better hit me up:)
8. My sleep schedule is SOOOO messed up. Love working nights....not a fan of what it does for my schedule, or my social life for that reason.
9. I hope there are cute boys in my new ward who don't have commitment issues, are dating machines, and goal is to marry me but not stay in So Cal (does that exist? might just be a fairtale)
10. This next week and a half is going to be AWESOME!!! Salt Lake to visit friends, hiking, swimming, Zupas, Studio 600 COUNTRY SWING!!!, AZ, 4th of July, FAMILY, new job and returning to my California roots (kind of). I remember when I was a little girl asking my mom "Mom  is a California girl blonde hair and blue eyes(mine have since changed to green)?" She thought about it and said yeah I guess that is the stereotype. I remember pumping my fists and saying "YES!!!!"
Just thought I would share....My California bucket list is yet to come.....Could still use some ideas. Thanks:) I would love to do a coastal drive up to Oregon. Whos down???

California Bucket List!!!

So I ran into this girls blog and I thought it was an awesome idea. Basically she got this idea from her Aunt and its similar to what on of my good friends Helen does. So there are alot of advantages and disadvantages of being single. Some of the advantages being the ability to travel more, spend your free time however you want, financially have less obligations ect. So basically she made a Bucket list of things to do while she was still single. I want to make a bucket list for each assignment I take. They don't necessarily have to be big things but it will be a good way to see and do as much as possible. They can be as simple as a bike ride or jog on the beach, getting a guys number at the gym, to going to Disneyland and things like that. I have a list started which I will post at a later time but I wanted to get ideas from everybody! I will also blog about my adventures. Hopefully it will be a good way to get out there and meet people too!! I am gonna need that for sure because the closer I get to leaving the sadder I am about leaving the amazing poeple I have met here in Colorado:)

I am a SpAzMaTaZz

So recently I realized something about myself.... I tend to freak out when it comes to making decisions. I freak out the most when it is something good and right. I get all worked up and crazy. I realized this when I was making the decision for my next travel assignment. I have been wanting to go to southern California for the summer. Laying around the beach on my days off just sounds amazing. I was looking for San Diego when a job offer in LA fell into my lap. Its a childrens hospital (which I miss), stepdown PICU (which is great place to learn and experience a ton), started when I wanted it to, and is at an awesome childrens hospital which happens to be moving into a brand new facility. Anyways I interviewed thinking I don't want to live in LA. Traffic, smog, gangs, ghettos, traffic, need I go on? After talking to the manager however I found myself wanting the job. They offered it to me despite me not having the travel experience they were looking for. I told my recruiter I needed to think about it. I spent the next weekend weighing out the pros and cons. Depeneding on who I was talking to I was either excited or scared out of my mind. When the day came to tell my recruiter I told her I would accept. That night I talked to a lady at work who lived in LA for years. She spoke super positive things about the facility but then talked about the smog, commute and dangers. AAAAHHHHH. I freaked... told my recruiter I didn't want to go there anymore. She was awesome and said she supported me whatever I wanted to do. Then she talked about all the travelers that were there and how much they love the facility and all the fun things there are to do in that area. So I reconsidered. I ended up finding a lot of people to talk to who have lived there or are currently living there. Suddenly it didn't seen so bad. The funny part is my sister and 2 of my best friends laughed at me and told me they knew I would go all along and it was right. GRRRRRR.... why do they get to know its right and I freak out??? I started thinking about it and basically I have done it with any big decision.... the decision of when to go back to nursing school, moving to Utah, moving to Colorado, breaking up with boys... with all of these things even though in hindsite they were without a doubt the right thing to do I fought it, freaked out, overanalyzed and doubted. Dang fear and its power:) I am so grateful for supportive friends and family who smile and nod and let me come to the conclusion myself! So basically I leave here in 2 weeks, drive to Salt Lake and visit there for a bit, home for the 4th of July, then off to LA on the 6th til the end of Novemer:)
So I am enjoying my last 2 weeks in Colorado. Its gonna be hard to leave. I really like my job right now. I have been spending alot of time in the NICU lately. Gotten kind of attatched to some of the sweet babies and their sweet parents. I love my ward. I have met some awesome people here. Gonna miss playing volleyball til midnight twice a week. Gonna miss the mountains. Spring has been beautiful here. Colorado has certainly been good to me. Great place for my first travel assignment. I feel like I was in a rut that last little while in Utah. I loved Utah and miss my friends there but a fresh start in a new place was just what I needed. I'm a little nervous about California. Gotta find a sane roomate, gotta commute to work, gotta find a safe neighborhood, gotta try to be trendy. Excited for new friends and new learning experiences in nursing. Anyone is welcome to visit. I hear its nice there in the summer!!!

So I have been hiking a few times here in Denver. Every time we drive at least an hour away and everytime we get snowed on. Hmmmm that kinda thing wouldn't happen in AZ. This hike was on Memorial day. I think it was actually high 70's back in Denver but we decided to drive into the mountains and freeze. Hiking in the snow can be fun and the mountains are beautiful. This is my friend Jason that I went hiking with:)

Family visit and more of Colorado:)

I have the best family!!! My siblings decided to come and visit me in Denver. We had so much fun. The weather threatened not to cooperate with my outdoor plans but everything worked out in the end. The first day we visted Golden Colorado. It is just a cute town. We ate pizza, walked around main street looking at the shops and took pictures.

The next day we went to 6 Flags. As kids we always had season passed to Great America in California. Love roller coasters!

Sunday we got to go to a place which I have heard alot of people talk about in Denver. Its called Red Rocks. Its an big ampitheatre where they have outdoor concerts and movie nights in the summer. It was so pretty there. There are also trails to hike around there. These pictures will show you one of the reasons I love Colorado.

 

The last night here Jeff wanted to get some night shots of the city. We had fun taking cool pictures. The following pictures show Jeff's AMAZING photography skills.... and some of the Buchanan's great modeling skills!

Love Denver at night!!! So basically we had an awesome weekend. I am so lucky to have some of my best friends be my siblings. Poor Jeff must have been tired of all the girl talk by the end of the weekend but he was a good sport about it!!!