Hello to all. Abby and I are back at work after a nice few days off. We work tonight (Sunday), Monday night, Wednesday night and Thursday night. Wednesday is an overtime shift, so hopefully we will have a nice easy week as picking up just 1 extra shift is hard work. Tonight has started off on the slow side. No complaints here, although come 3 or 4 in the morning we are going to be looking for stuff to keep us awake. Neither Abby nor I slept well today. I think we were up around 11:30 with no afternoon nap. Abby tried to sleep, but she couldn't. I was wide awake, so I played in the pool and watched golf. Congrats Kenny Perry! We went for a quick run before work. I think the high was 105 today, so our run was short and sweet. We are both really trying to get back in shape. I was hit with a harsh realization a few days ago! I was looking into going to the grand canyon and riding the donkeys. Well, let's just say I exceed the weight limit! So no go on the donkey exertion. I also have been looking to use up Abby's Gift certificate for skydiving in the near future. The weight limit for that is 240! Not quite there, but was heading that way fast... Just want to report that I'm down from 238 to 230 and feeling good. I have a goal of 220 by the Jone's Beach trip in August. Trying to cut down the LB's but also cut down on the fat kid jokes by the "slim" Andy "Bear" Jones! Wish me luck!
Abby and I had a great few days off. We went to our first Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. We witnessed Randy Johnson tie Roger Clemens for second all-time on the strike out list. Abby ate a hot dog, I ate 2. We shared peanuts and a couple cold beverages. Chase field is beautiful. They have a retractable roof which was open during this game. Absolutely beautiful night to watch a baseball game. We hope to frequent that park and catch many games during the next couple of months. Downtown Phoenix is really nice. We hear from the locals that it is a nice place to go for dinner, but after dark you want to get out. Supposedly they are revamping downtown. The stadium, which is in downtown, is only about 15 minutes from us. A really easy and quick drive. We took a few pictures and will get those up as soon as we get our Internet working. Hopefully soon.
We both climbed Squaw Peak a couple of times. John "the owner of the house" keeps asking us if we have climbed it in under 40 minutes. Supposedly it is really hard to make it in under 40 minutes. The first time I went by myself I made it in 44 minutes (pre camelback and hiking shoes). I am happy to report that Abby and I made it in 36 minutes (post camelback and hiking shoes). Not bad not bad! "I wanna be like Mike!" We hope to continue clocking ourselves as it's another way to push our limits. We were hoping to climb this other mountain, (camelback) but were unable to get there. We hear that mountain is a lot harder of a climb. We are up for the challenge!
Last night we got all dressed up and went out for a nice dinner. We ate at this restaurant called Phoenix City Grille. I ate the most amazing Mahi Mahi. Abby ate Salmon. Delicious! At night we watch movies. Since we are on the night shift schedule we find ourselves staying up till 3 or 4 in the morning. Movies are a good way to pass the time. Recommendations from the Hinchy's. Charlie Wilsons War, Ironman, Lions for Lambs and National Treasure 2. My friends tell me that my taste in movies is pretty weak, but I would have to admit that even though these movies are no "Drumline," they still are a joy to watch!
Okay Okay Okay, now to the good part of this update. As you were probably wondering, the title of this post is a nice little homage to the wildlife surrounding us daily. Near the pool we have lots of pretty flowers which lots of bees like to frequent. We have a stream of ants that travel back and forth along the pool edge, and most importantly, we had our first scorpion sighting! Wow, was it ever a sighting! We were leaving late one night to head to blockbuster. The way it works is, we are able to park in the garage but it is a tight fit. I usually drop Abby off right before I pull in the garage and I usually back out of the garage then Abby gets in. The reason for this is because there is really only room to get out of the car when I pull all the way to one side (no fat kid jokes). So, now to the good stuff. We were getting ready to leave to head to blockbuster, I pull out of the garage and here comes Abby walking up to the car. Just past the garage door she SCREAMS SCREAMS SCREAMS, JUMPS IN THE CAR, SLAMS THE DOOR, SCREAMS SCREAMS SCREAMS, her legs moving up and down a mile a minute, then she begins to Cry. All along she is yelling "SCORPION, I ALMOST STEP ON IT. KILL IT MIKE, KILL IT." At first I couldn't see what she was talking about, but after careful surveying of the ground I see it. It was a little guy, but that's the bad news. It was a Arizona Bark Scorpion. Please read attached website. http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/insects/az1223/ I ran over it with the car and that was the end of that scorpion. It truly scared the mess out of Abby. Needless to say, she was messed up for the rest of the night. Hopefully she will not see another one! Those jokers are pretty scary looking! Please little scorpion, leave us alone! The next day Abby was just fine. It unnerved her a bit, but after a good night sleep she was better in the morning. Hang in there Abby, the "desert environment" has "got nothing but love for ya baby." Hopefully that will be our last scorpion encounter while we are here. Wish us luck with those little ugly jokers!
Well that just about wraps up our last few days. The pool is getting warmer by the day (easy to do when it is constantly in the 100's), the sun gets hotter by the minute, and we miss our friends and family more and more by the second. Thanks for keeping up with us through here and the phone calls and emails. Keep it up people! We love you all and we hope to hear from you soon. Till then....
Signing off for now...
In His peace,
Michael and Abby
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
"Show me the Money"
Hello everyone! Abby and I are at work. It is currently 4:30am, so i'm assuming most of you are just about to wake up to start your day. So, here's to you! Have a wonderful day at work, or in Jim Jones world, have a fun day being retired! We are finishing up our last of 3 days of work. We have off until sunday night so we plan on actually playing this weekend. The reason for the fun weekend is because we get paid on friday. Abby and I just reviewed our first travel nurse pay stubs and guess what?!!?!?!?! Abby made more in 1 paycheck then she did in 1 month at UNC. I made about the same in one paycheck then i was making in 1 month at UNC. Isn't that crazy! For all those still slaving away for pennies at UNC, GET OUT NOW!!!
Tonight we plan on heading to a Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. We purchased tickets last night to be on the 3rd baseline. I think Abby is more excited about the food then the game, but it should be a blast. We will definitely take pictures and hopefully post them along with the pictures of Squaw Peak. I apologize for not posting more pictures, but our internet is currently not working at our house. Friday night Abby is heading to see "Sex and the City" with a couple of friends from work. I think they plan on going out to dinner beforehand. Not sure what I will be doing that night, but a whole lot of nothing sounds pretty good. Saturday night I have a fun night planned for Abby and I. It is a surprise for her, so i'm sorry I can't tell you right now. I will be sure to tell ya'll next week. I hope she likes it! Then, sunday we are back to work.
Next week we are picking up an overtime shift. We work sunday and monday nights, then wednesday and thursday nights. The money will be great, but i'm sure we will be worn out. The following week we also picked up an overtime shift. Shoot me now! Just kidding. We both really enjoy the floor we are on. We have our pros and cons of the floor, but for the most part we don't mind coming to work.
Well, i'm signing off for now. Sorry there wasn't much to write about this time. I promise there will be more next time. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Much Love to all....
In His peace,
Michael and Abby
Tonight we plan on heading to a Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. We purchased tickets last night to be on the 3rd baseline. I think Abby is more excited about the food then the game, but it should be a blast. We will definitely take pictures and hopefully post them along with the pictures of Squaw Peak. I apologize for not posting more pictures, but our internet is currently not working at our house. Friday night Abby is heading to see "Sex and the City" with a couple of friends from work. I think they plan on going out to dinner beforehand. Not sure what I will be doing that night, but a whole lot of nothing sounds pretty good. Saturday night I have a fun night planned for Abby and I. It is a surprise for her, so i'm sorry I can't tell you right now. I will be sure to tell ya'll next week. I hope she likes it! Then, sunday we are back to work.
Next week we are picking up an overtime shift. We work sunday and monday nights, then wednesday and thursday nights. The money will be great, but i'm sure we will be worn out. The following week we also picked up an overtime shift. Shoot me now! Just kidding. We both really enjoy the floor we are on. We have our pros and cons of the floor, but for the most part we don't mind coming to work.
Well, i'm signing off for now. Sorry there wasn't much to write about this time. I promise there will be more next time. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Much Love to all....
In His peace,
Michael and Abby
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Working hard...
Greetings to all. I come to you from the wonderful Phoenix Children's Hospital. Abby and I are currently working. Working hard as you can see! It is 3:20 in the morning; only 4 more hours. This is our last of 3 night shifts in a row. We are both catching on quickly. Lots to learn. We are both very confident in our nursing skills, but learning the different charting, pumps, protocols of a new hospital takes time. Our first 2 nights we were with a preceptor, and tonight is our first night on our own. The people we are working with are a lot of fun. We work with a lot of other travel nurses. One may think that this is a disadvantage, but actually it is a great help because other travelers are very quick to help each other. A nice bonus when we are so new to the routine's of the hospital. When we walk out the door at 730 this morning we will be off until next Monday night. We really don't have big plans this week due to our lack of money in the bank. We still haven't received a paycheck since the beginning of April, so we are hesitant to travel anywhere. Hopefully we will find some fun things to do that doesn't require spending to much money.
Last week was a very relaxing week. Since I wrote last....... well, not much new happened. We were actually in class everyday last week (Monday - Sunday). Abby is slowly shaking off this cough that she has had for 3 weeks now. She went to the urgent care for antibiotics, a chest xray, and a bill of $300 dollars. Dang she is good at spending money! :) Hopefully this cough will be gone soon so that we can get back to being active. I find that climbing squaw peak by myself is getting less and less enjoyable. I was able to take pictures of the hike, but I will have to wait until I get home to post the pictures. As you all know, pictures don't always portray what is really being seen, so realize that the views from the hike are amazing. I saw my first lizard on the path, but still no rattlesnakes or scorpions. There are countless signs stating "please stay on path." I wonder if those signs are more for the animal population, or more for the danger of falling off the cliff. Needless to say, I stay on the path. I must say that I'm officially a mountain hiker with my camelback and hiking boots. Yes that's right, Abby and I went out and bought hiking boots. They actually make a huge difference with traction and comfort when walking on rough terrain. Abby's are still in the shoe box! Good news though, she said she is going to hike with me today after we wake up! That remains to be seen. I give her a hard time, but she has actually been amazing with this cough thing. I couldn't imagine having a cough for over 3 weeks. Her back has been hurting due to the constant cough and somehow her feet are hurting also. Well, maybe not, but for some reason her feet and back are what I constantly rub to help make her feel better. I think the word sucker needs to be thrown in there somewhere. Hoping she shakes this soon. There is so much to been seen in the phoenix area, and so much that we want to explore. Once we finally get paid, I think we will venture out a lot more.
The house is still incredible. As of right now, the house is still ours, but John has been allowing a couple of interested parties to come see what they could rent. We'll see what ends up happening. The latest guy who came over last night is a travel nurse also (another gaylord fauker). I woke up early today (for no apparent reason) so decided to visit the pool. It was extremely windy with wind gusts of up to 40mph. I found one of our towels at the bottom of the pool, lots of debris, and a couple of Budweiser cans floating around in the pool. I decided not to go swim, but hopefully I'll get the pool cleaned out tomorrow, then lots of pool time this week. The weather is crazy down here. Monday and Tuesday were record highs of 106-108. Today it's suppose to be in the low 80's for a high, then on Friday it's suppose to be in the low 70's for the high, then back to the high 90's for the weekend. What? Should be an interesting few days of weather.
Well not much going on as you can see. I'm sorry for the boring read, but I'm just not the most animated or thoughtful at 3:45 in the morning. I'll write more when I get the pictures up of Squaw Peak. Oh a few more things that I remembered. Abby experienced her first round at In and Out Burger; (For those who aren't familiar with In and Out Burger.... well lets just say you have to experience it for yourself. Amazing burgers!) We are both Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certified; We were given 10 packages of 15 1.5L bottles of water for free; Life is good. Continued thanks to all those who keep in touch with us and for all those who constantly think and pray for us. We love being out here, but definitely miss all of you. Please please please keep in touch through any form of communication you like. Phone call, written letter, electronic mail, text messaging, and/or pony express are all acceptable forms of communication! We love you all. Time to check on my patients. Get to work people.......
Much Love,
In His peace,
Michael and Abby Lee
Last week was a very relaxing week. Since I wrote last....... well, not much new happened. We were actually in class everyday last week (Monday - Sunday). Abby is slowly shaking off this cough that she has had for 3 weeks now. She went to the urgent care for antibiotics, a chest xray, and a bill of $300 dollars. Dang she is good at spending money! :) Hopefully this cough will be gone soon so that we can get back to being active. I find that climbing squaw peak by myself is getting less and less enjoyable. I was able to take pictures of the hike, but I will have to wait until I get home to post the pictures. As you all know, pictures don't always portray what is really being seen, so realize that the views from the hike are amazing. I saw my first lizard on the path, but still no rattlesnakes or scorpions. There are countless signs stating "please stay on path." I wonder if those signs are more for the animal population, or more for the danger of falling off the cliff. Needless to say, I stay on the path. I must say that I'm officially a mountain hiker with my camelback and hiking boots. Yes that's right, Abby and I went out and bought hiking boots. They actually make a huge difference with traction and comfort when walking on rough terrain. Abby's are still in the shoe box! Good news though, she said she is going to hike with me today after we wake up! That remains to be seen. I give her a hard time, but she has actually been amazing with this cough thing. I couldn't imagine having a cough for over 3 weeks. Her back has been hurting due to the constant cough and somehow her feet are hurting also. Well, maybe not, but for some reason her feet and back are what I constantly rub to help make her feel better. I think the word sucker needs to be thrown in there somewhere. Hoping she shakes this soon. There is so much to been seen in the phoenix area, and so much that we want to explore. Once we finally get paid, I think we will venture out a lot more.
The house is still incredible. As of right now, the house is still ours, but John has been allowing a couple of interested parties to come see what they could rent. We'll see what ends up happening. The latest guy who came over last night is a travel nurse also (another gaylord fauker). I woke up early today (for no apparent reason) so decided to visit the pool. It was extremely windy with wind gusts of up to 40mph. I found one of our towels at the bottom of the pool, lots of debris, and a couple of Budweiser cans floating around in the pool. I decided not to go swim, but hopefully I'll get the pool cleaned out tomorrow, then lots of pool time this week. The weather is crazy down here. Monday and Tuesday were record highs of 106-108. Today it's suppose to be in the low 80's for a high, then on Friday it's suppose to be in the low 70's for the high, then back to the high 90's for the weekend. What? Should be an interesting few days of weather.
Well not much going on as you can see. I'm sorry for the boring read, but I'm just not the most animated or thoughtful at 3:45 in the morning. I'll write more when I get the pictures up of Squaw Peak. Oh a few more things that I remembered. Abby experienced her first round at In and Out Burger; (For those who aren't familiar with In and Out Burger.... well lets just say you have to experience it for yourself. Amazing burgers!) We are both Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certified; We were given 10 packages of 15 1.5L bottles of water for free; Life is good. Continued thanks to all those who keep in touch with us and for all those who constantly think and pray for us. We love being out here, but definitely miss all of you. Please please please keep in touch through any form of communication you like. Phone call, written letter, electronic mail, text messaging, and/or pony express are all acceptable forms of communication! We love you all. Time to check on my patients. Get to work people.......
Much Love,
In His peace,
Michael and Abby Lee
Monday, May 12, 2008
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
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
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