Tijuana and Street Festival Posted on Monday, September 28, 2009 | 0 comments

No, not the Tijuana you might be thinking about with rampant clubs, bars, and tequila. Instead, Amy and I went down there with a much greater purpose. The church we have been going to has a housebuilding ministry in conjunction with a mission down there, so after some well deserved celebrating on Friday night commemorating my RN license, we woke up at the crack of Saturday's dawn to drive down to TJ. Greeting by a few other brave and smiling souls in a Vons parking lot in Chula Vista, we made carpools and crossed the Mexican border around 630 am. My first time in Mexico was definitely going to be memorable. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I will explain my adventures with the numerous photos from the day, enjoy.

the view from the house site. crazy haze plus endless sky.

the convenience store next door. mexican coke > american coke.

authentic carne asada and hand ground corn tortillas--our lunch.
the only son of the family, Alex, helped us build the entire house.

walls up; the house is 12' x 16'

balancing on the wall, getting ready to pull the roof over the house.
think a balance beam, but 12 feet off the ground, held only upright by nails.
again, this time i am taller than amy (might be one of the few times that happens)
painting. reminds me of visitation service projects.
alex helping me out painting. and flashing his killer smile.

amygirl. master of the hammer and nail.

final touches to the roof.

have you ever seen a more genuine face of appreciation and gratitude?

the girls, all excited for their house; again, such great smiles.

the whole family together for a group shot.

all of us plus the fam.

on the way home, TJ gave us some epic sunsets.
i need to start an album of these


i really wanted to photograph the border crossing back into the states, but i realize it might have jeopardized safe passage back. I realize now that most people's first time to mexico is for a vacation or a celebration, but to experience I had there was truly memorable, and i wouldn't have had it any other way. Now I know to pass on the truth about Mexico, how it's not riddled with gangs, drugs, and chaos. These are people who need shelter, food, family, faith, just like us. What an amazing weekend. And even better sunday occured at the Adams Ave Street Fair. Adams Ave is in the Normal Heights neighborhood of San Diego, with an eclectic array of shops, music, and people. Amy and I got very lost on the way there, but definitely made up for it.

Never have I ever...paid money to break plates.
Amy lets her aggression out quite well.

mmmm...food from East Africa

classic Spanish mission style Catholic Church

In addition to the photographic evidence, every vendor there was super inexpensive. Great funky jewelry and cheap CDs (hello, Clueless soundtrack plus the Verve, U2's B-sides, and a couple others for the grand total of $22--heck, you can barely buy a cd for $20 now...so yeah, total steal). Back to the daily grind of new grad RN classes with my first day of work as a legit nurse looming next week. stay tuned.

Good News and a Good Day Posted on Sunday, September 27, 2009 | 0 comments

For those of you who don't know, I am now officially a registered nurse-woo RN! I just received the news this past Friday, so I apologize for the lack of blogging, therefore this post is chock full of information about my life. I haven't gotten the card in the mail but through the Board of Nursing's verification system, my name appears and it's super incredible. Thanks to everyone's prayers and well wishes; they were well received and absolutely helped me pass. I do not think I can adequately put into words how relieved I am that 1. I actually passed and 2. I can really throw myself into New Grad RN classes and not feel like I am "pretending" to be a nurse. So thanks again, seriously.

Anyways, getting used to my morning commute has been a lot easier than expected. I was explaining this to my parents the other day. My entire life has been a series of tiny commutes: the closest bus stop to Taylor Elementary, 10 minutes over Chain Bridge to Visitation, walking distance to the hospital and nursing school at UVA. So now, I feel like it's my turn to be a part of the "greater than 20 minutes to work" group of working professionals. It almost cements my place in the "real world" for now. The major upside? Driving home from La Mesa back to the beach has blessed me with some seriously cool sunsets, wide open skies, and few cars on the freeway (reverse commutes are so much more tolerable, especially in SoCal). Some shots to share:


I do think I need to work on a steadier hand when I take photos from my car, ahem, while driving my car (probably not the safest idea). So, to celebrate my accomplishment, Amy and I popped a bottle of champagne (naturally, this song comes to mind:.)

Interestingly enough, I did an absolutely horrid job of opening the bottle, and half of it ended up on the floor; mental note to learn how to do this properly in the future. I'm off to church now, but I will put more up later about my service trip yesterday in Tijuana!

Joining the real world...at last! Posted on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 | 0 comments

Woo! Orientation for my job was on monday. A very long introduction to the hospital's ideas, policies, procedures, achievements, and of course the best cookies ever...mmm. Ha, you know my priorities in life. Yes, it was a long 8 hours of learning what Sharp is all about, but I was getting paid to listen and learn and finally meet other new grads scared and as nervous as me. I think I read business casual a little more formally then others at orientation (see pic and no, Mom I didn't wear the flip flops during the day... heels kill the feet, hello!)

So, the following day, I actually had my first working day on the unit. Getting the lay of the land and getting my skills back was at first frustrating, but now I can say that I can not feel like a bumbling idiot when I work again on Friday. On a side note, I'm not working as an RN yet, my boards are next tuesday (eek!), so I am shadowing staff on my unit, then starting new grad classes next week.

Here's me on my first day: clearly have not had coffee yet and wearing my glasses so I can actually see to drive. Oh, life. But on an optimistic note, at the end of my 25 minute commute, I had finished my large coffee, rocked out to some mashups, and was sufficiently ready to start the day.

So, because boards are next tuesday....6 days away; I am a study machine. The only perk? Studying here:

Yup, La Jolla Cove. I'll part with some artsy shots from my lovely haven of knowledge today. This week is super boring, so when I have some cool pics, I will post them. Adios.

Working for the Weekend Posted on Sunday, September 13, 2009 | 0 comments

Orientation tomorrow! I am officially starting work, thank goodness. Now I realize that I actually need to read up my hospital/policies/procedures/etiquette, etc for tomorrow. My first shift is then on Tuesday, 7-7 (but my guess is it will feel a lot longer). So this weekend has been mass studying intermixed with numerous and adventurous study breaks. The beach has been temporarily been placed on hold until I adjust and really get my stuff in order.

Study Break #1: Driving around Downtown San Diego

I haven't been back here since my first night when Dad, Amy and I went out to dinner in the Harbor for a fabulous seafood meal. Actually, I lied; I haven't been here since Street Scene (held near Petco Park). However, I wanted to check it out; I realize now people are slightly hesitant about downtown: parking is super difficult on the weekend unless you are in posession of numerous quarters (not me thanks to laundry this week) or copious amounts of cash (i live and die by my debit card these days). So a brief photo tour of downtown or what I like to call pictures I can take safely while stopped in traffic or park for 5 minutes without being chased away from parking enforcement.

like i said...in traffic

there are multiple parks right along the harbor...so of course i had to photograph coronado across the way

and the big navy ships.

Gaslamp Quarter sign. had to take it.

Petco Park... still need to get to a Padre's game

Study break #2: Balboa Park

After several frustrating failed attempts at parking, I found my way through Balboa Park to find a nice bench, some shade (?), and some study time. Studying outside is either super productive or not at all for me. I managed to get a lot done and rewarded myself with a leisurely stroll back to the car with some detours at some museums along the way. First, the Timken Museum of Art: it's always free, has some neat American painters and I was done in 15 minutes. Probably not going to complain about "there's not enough time to be cultural" ever again. A favorite from the Timken:

The Cranberry Harvest, Island of Nantucket (1874)-Eastman Johnson

Every time I have visited the Park, I see something new. For instance, tucked away in the courtyards are these crazy old and classical sculptures. I miss art history, apparently.

And, even a wedding... I'm living the life of a papparazzo?

Study Break #3: La Jolla Cove; Open Water Swimming Race

My studying continues today (sunday) with cooler temperatures, church, and navigating Coast Blvd to find the elusive oceanside parking spot in La Jolla. I had read in a local mag about this annual race. Every year, over 3000 people turn out from all ages to swim races from 250 yards, 1 mile and 3.2 miles in the Pacific Ocean. It's funny because every other day of the week, the cove is quiet and sprinkled with a few tourists. However today, in addition to the race participants, in the "Children's Cove" a little south of the race, were additional visitors:

Seals-all lined up in a row. Fascinating.

Ya know, just hanging out, getting some rays.

probably 50 seals give or take.

Back to the race. So I have seen a couple open water races before, but never so many spectators. If you ever have the opportunity to watch something like this (like a triathalon swim) it's simply amazing. Like salmon swim upstream or whatever, everyone fighting for placement, feet flying, trying to swim in one directions. What's even crazier--there was an intermittent swell during all of the races. So not only are the participants battling the cold water, flailing body parts, and mental challenges, but also there are 3-4 foot waves every 6 minutes or so. Basically places were changed merely by riding a wave into the finish. Enjoy the pictures of the ant-sized swimmers. Now I really want a fancy shmancy camera--there are just too many photo ops that are only adequately captured by my digital cam. More about orientation tomorrow!

The race at the cove

ready...

mass chaos-peep the incoming wave

lifeguards with surfboards.

paddle it up bro.

Futzing around Walmart Posted on Friday, September 11, 2009 | 0 comments

First, I have added the "what I am listening to now...so you should too" box above. Enjoy! Now back to the blog....

Yup, wally-world bound we were. Personally, I love to frame pictures because it makes everything look nicer, older, and heck, wiser. And naturally, I don't like to spend a fortune on the frames-so ergo the visit to Walmart. Plus, don't you remember going to Walmart for fun in high school (actually my friends and I frequented Target more often, but I digress).

Yup, cool kicks from under $20

messages in soda boxes? nice

yup, california for ya.

And what would cap off a better day than a visit to La Jolla for the beach?

I live here?! well, ok like 2 miles south of here; a girl can dream...and for breakfast the next day, I ventured down to San Diego Coffee and Tea (a mere three blocks away) for a scrumptious feast of coffee and an açai bowl. If you don't know what açai is, think of purple yogurt that is a little more runny in consistency, or read about it here.