Finally back to work...

Hello to everyone. It is around 5:40 pm pacific standard time. Abby and I are waiting till closer to sundown to go for a quick 2 mile run. Well, lets be honest... the word "quick" might be exaggerating some. The high for today was 97 degrees! Tomorrow it's suppose to be in the 80's, then suppose to break 100 by the end of the week. Now for you easterners, you are thinking, dang that is hot! You are right, it is Hot. However, there is actually a 20 degree difference between being in the sun and being in the shade. There is no humidity out here, so you don't walk out the door and begin to sweat immediately! It is really weird I tell ya!

This weekend was really relaxing. John (the owner of the house) worked diligently to get this house ready for us to live in. While he worked, we swam in the pool. Kind of messed up I guess, but we have been on vacation since April 1st, so working just hasn't made it back into our vocabulary! That all changed today, as I will elaborate on later. John introduced us to desert mountain hiking this weekend. He took Abby and I up to Squaw peak (photo enclosed). Abby tried the ascent, but unfortunately she has this nasty cough which restricted her from completing the hike. John and I continued to climb the mountain. Let's just say it is not fat kid friendly. I was getting passed by ladies, children and really old men with sticks! I'm okay with that, because according to the Jones' family, I rock a 46 waist... What can I say, they are all (except for Craig) my idols! The mountain was amazing. It is 1.2 miles straight up! The locals say climbing this 1.2 miles is equivalent to running 4-5 miles. Not sure if I quite believe that, but for my psyche's sake, it's like running 4-5 miles. The funny thing about that is, that at times I feel like I'm going to throw-up, my heart is beating a mile a minute, but yet my clothes are dry! You really don't sweat all that much because it is so hot, the water just evaporates immediately! Once you step foot in the shade or sit in your car, the flood gates open! The first time I climbed the mountain, john told me to carry a water bottle. I refused, quickly regretting my decision. I went up to Squaw peak the next morning to climb by myself and decided it was best to carry water as I wasn't to fond of the cotton mouth or the feeling of "seeing the light at the end of the tunnel." Now, you know I'm being fairly dramatic, especially about having a 46 waist (it is actually a 38) but Arizona is a completely different way of living (in terms of outdoor activity). (after climbing twice, Abby and I went to REI to purchase camelbacks because the need for water is great). The owner of this house is a really cool guy. Besides hiking with me, he cooked Abby and I dinner one night. Another night we ordered pizza, and really just enjoyed our last few days of being "on vacation." In the middle of all of the eating and swimming, Abby decided to unpack. No wait, she still hasn't unpacked. -Yes I have.- As you can see we are quickly adjusting to our new surroundings and really enjoying all that it has to offer. John left yesterday afternoon, so now it is Abby and I. To be honest, we are not sure how that feels. Ever since our honeymoon, we have either lived with someone/somebody, or we've been on the road. Now we hope to settle into married life and get back to the grind of working.

Today we had our first day of orientation. For all those who have never been to a hospital orientation I'll give you a brief synopsis... 8am "Hello everyone, I'm so and so from Phoenix Children's hospital, today we are going to talk about blah blah blah. Blah Blah Blah, HIPAA, blah blah blah blah. HIPAA blah blah blah. Blah Blah HIPAA blah. Blah Blah Blah Blah HIPAA blah HIPAA blah HIPAA blah blah blah. I hope you enjoyed your time today learning about phoenix children's hospital. See you tomorrow for more of the same." 4:30pm. If you are unfamiliar with HIPAA keep it that way (and I apologize for the attempt at hospital humor). You will save minutes of your life. Let's just say it was a very long boring day. We have orientation 8-5 for the rest of the week, then this weekend we have that PALS class on Saturday and Sunday, then we will finally make it to the floor. We are both very excited, but nervous because we have to learn a completely new way of operating to adapt to the our hospital surroundings. Hopefully next time I write, I can give you some cool stories of Abby freaking out when she sees a scorpion, me falling down the mountain side, or some cool stories about the amazing children we get to interact with.

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers as we begin our amazing journey. We have received countless emails from many of you and let's just say we both look forward to getting home to check our email. We both truly miss everyone and we hope to continue hearing from you often. I have posted a few pictures of the house and Abby with her first cactus. Abby told me that she has never seen a cactus (like these) up close. She is very excited (as you can tell). I hope to carry the camera up to the top of Squaw peak to get some amazing pictures of Phoenix and the surrounding desert. Till our next update......

Much Love to all....
The hinchy's