Hello to all. Man, these posts get more and more boring as the weeks go on. Sorry about that. Since I last wrote not much has gone on. We had off from Thursday until today but Abby came down with a little illness all weekend. She is better now, but it really knocked her out all day Saturday and Sunday. Poor Abby. We don't know what it is out here, but we constantly get a little bug that knocks us out for a day or two. Who knows what is causing it.. We have another long weekend coming up, so we'll see if either one of us gets sick.
Before Abby became ill, we went shopping. Surprise Surprise Surprise.. haha.. we have money now, so what do we do? that's right, we shop! Banana Republic was having their big sale, so we dropped a couple of hundred there. Then we headed over to Cole Hahn and dropped a little bit there. I laugh at us really. If you could have seen our car when we were driving across the country you would have laughed. Slam packed!!! But yet we shop! haha.. Oh to top it off, I bought a new TV on Sunday. A 32" Samsung. We were going to wait until we travelled to our next assignment, as we don't really need one here, but it was a deal I couldn't pass up. We have serious problems I tell ya. So other than shopping, we really haven't done much. I am working tonight (an overtime shift. to support our shopping habits) then we both work Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Friday we are going to the surprise for Abby. It will be awesome, then we hope to pick up a couple of more overtime shifts before we head to Vegas on the 6th of July. We work on the 4th, but why not... Great pay...
Restaurant of the week: The Fish market. We ate there Sunday night and it was delicious. they had the freshest Mahi Mahi. So tender you could cut it with a fork.
Movie of the week: "Get Smart" A very funny movie. We had our doubts, but we laughed a lot.
Weather forecast: Sunny and Hot. I think we are going on our 14th straight day of Temps over 110. Good times!
Well, I hope to bring you more fun and adventures someday. I guess once we stop shopping we might have money to take a fun trip. Seriously, after Vegas we hope to take a few trips through July and august. We are going to head to San Diego, the Grand Canyons, Sedona, and Flagstaff. We truly aren't taking advantage of our location, and that is unfortunate. Will keep you posted. Hope you are all doing great. We love and miss you all. Till the next time...
Love to you all,
In His peace,
Michael and Abby...
p.s. I have lost 14 pounds since moving out here. Climbing that mountain I tell ya. Tough work!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Competition breeds results...
Hello to all... Do hope this post finds everyone doing well. Abby and I are back to work. This week we work monday, tuesday and wednesday (nights). Then we have off until next monday night. I am picking up an overtime shift monday night, then Abby and I work tuesday, wednesday and thursday! On Friday I have a very special treat for Abby. She does not know what it is, but I assure you she will love it! I'll keep you posted...
This weekend was a pretty fun and relaxing weekend. We worked last tuesday, wednesday, and thursday, and we were suppose to work saturday. We ended up getting called off, so we had the entire weekend off. I was thrilled because that meant that I could sit on the couch all weekend and watch the US Open! Congrats Tiger... Although I was pulling for rocco near the end. Tiger has been there done that! He is amazing though. Sunday we went to climb Squaw Peak. It constantly takes me close to 40 minutes to climb the mountain. Abby and I broke 40 minutes a couple of times, but nothing to brag about. On sunday I offered up a friendly bet to Abby. I was on my high horse about how competition brings out the best in people. Hence the title of this post. I told her that she should get a head start and have me try to catch her so that it may push us to climb harder and faster. At first she was asking for a 10 minute head start. Now mind you that the hike only takes about 40 minutes, so I wasn't to keen on that idea. We worked it down to a 5 minute head start. She began to climb the mountain quickly disappearing out of my sight. I started my hike 5 minutes later. It took me a while to actually spot her climbing the mountain, but I did about 1/4 of the way up. I kicked it into gear and just kept climbing. I only stopped a couple of times until I was getting close to the top. I was pushing myself so hard, that I stopped a few times to catch my breath and hold off from throwing up! Okay, so I'm trying to make this a long story. I will get right to it. I did not catch Abby, although I was close. She ended up climbing the mountain in 34 minutes, a personal best. I finished in 30:15, also a personal best. We both destroyed that mountain. We were very pleased, but very very tired! We were able to take some awesome pictures of the sunset while on top of the mountain. I hope to put those pictures up along with the others that I've promised. Sorry about that! So now we have a new personal best to beat. I'm pretty sure that will not happen for sometime. The heat is getting out of control. When we first arrived in Phoenix we had highs in the 90's - low 100's. In that heat, you can tell that there is low humidity and actually function throughout the day. Well let me tell you. the 110's are no joke! I don't' care what the humidity is, it is HOT!! When we climbed the mountain, we got back into our car around 8:30pm and the temperature gage was saying 110. The temperature today was 115 and that trend is suppose to continue throughout the week. I hope to make it back to Squaw Peak when we get off work to try and escape the heat, but listen to this. We were on our way home from work yesterday around 8am. The news was already saying it was 93. 93 at 8am. What is that? Anyhow, we will survive near and in the pool all week. For those keeping up with the "biggest loser" between Brother Bear and I, I am happy to report that I'm down from 238 lbs to 228 lbs. Guess the heat has some advantages! haha.. In phoenix I feel like a wrestler, with his sweat suit on, sitting in the sauna! Good times!
The Abby and Hinchy movie review: "The Happening" Worst movie ever! If you pay money to see this we will laugh. Marky Mark's acting is worse than when he was making his music video for "good vibrations." haha.. I make myself laugh. I usually like him as an actor. Who can forget Planet of the Apes and Fear. Classics.. haha.. In all seriousness, a terrible movie. Sorry to disappoint, but trust us on this one!
Restaurant of the week: 5 & Diner... This place is a nice little diner open 24/7. It is a old 50's style joint that has delicious breakfast food. Chocolate Chip Waffles! A fat kids dream.
Weather forecast... To quote Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam: "I just want to begin by saying to Roosevelt E. Roosevelt, what it is, what it shall be, what it was. The weather out there today is hot and shitty with continued hot and shitty in the afternoon. Tomorrow a chance of continued crappy with a pissy weather front coming down from the north. Basically, it's hotter than a snake's ass in a wagon rut." How true!
Abby was just over here ready my post and she was going to interrupt with some words of her own. I told her that she needs to write a post so you can all experience this adventure through her eyes. I know it is usually one sided, but it's probably the best side! haha.. j/k.. I hope Abby doesn't read that. Let me hurry up and finish and post this... Okay where was I.
We came
We saw
we did this
we did that
We enjoyed
thanks
love ya
goodbye!
This weekend was a pretty fun and relaxing weekend. We worked last tuesday, wednesday, and thursday, and we were suppose to work saturday. We ended up getting called off, so we had the entire weekend off. I was thrilled because that meant that I could sit on the couch all weekend and watch the US Open! Congrats Tiger... Although I was pulling for rocco near the end. Tiger has been there done that! He is amazing though. Sunday we went to climb Squaw Peak. It constantly takes me close to 40 minutes to climb the mountain. Abby and I broke 40 minutes a couple of times, but nothing to brag about. On sunday I offered up a friendly bet to Abby. I was on my high horse about how competition brings out the best in people. Hence the title of this post. I told her that she should get a head start and have me try to catch her so that it may push us to climb harder and faster. At first she was asking for a 10 minute head start. Now mind you that the hike only takes about 40 minutes, so I wasn't to keen on that idea. We worked it down to a 5 minute head start. She began to climb the mountain quickly disappearing out of my sight. I started my hike 5 minutes later. It took me a while to actually spot her climbing the mountain, but I did about 1/4 of the way up. I kicked it into gear and just kept climbing. I only stopped a couple of times until I was getting close to the top. I was pushing myself so hard, that I stopped a few times to catch my breath and hold off from throwing up! Okay, so I'm trying to make this a long story. I will get right to it. I did not catch Abby, although I was close. She ended up climbing the mountain in 34 minutes, a personal best. I finished in 30:15, also a personal best. We both destroyed that mountain. We were very pleased, but very very tired! We were able to take some awesome pictures of the sunset while on top of the mountain. I hope to put those pictures up along with the others that I've promised. Sorry about that! So now we have a new personal best to beat. I'm pretty sure that will not happen for sometime. The heat is getting out of control. When we first arrived in Phoenix we had highs in the 90's - low 100's. In that heat, you can tell that there is low humidity and actually function throughout the day. Well let me tell you. the 110's are no joke! I don't' care what the humidity is, it is HOT!! When we climbed the mountain, we got back into our car around 8:30pm and the temperature gage was saying 110. The temperature today was 115 and that trend is suppose to continue throughout the week. I hope to make it back to Squaw Peak when we get off work to try and escape the heat, but listen to this. We were on our way home from work yesterday around 8am. The news was already saying it was 93. 93 at 8am. What is that? Anyhow, we will survive near and in the pool all week. For those keeping up with the "biggest loser" between Brother Bear and I, I am happy to report that I'm down from 238 lbs to 228 lbs. Guess the heat has some advantages! haha.. In phoenix I feel like a wrestler, with his sweat suit on, sitting in the sauna! Good times!
The Abby and Hinchy movie review: "The Happening" Worst movie ever! If you pay money to see this we will laugh. Marky Mark's acting is worse than when he was making his music video for "good vibrations." haha.. I make myself laugh. I usually like him as an actor. Who can forget Planet of the Apes and Fear. Classics.. haha.. In all seriousness, a terrible movie. Sorry to disappoint, but trust us on this one!
Restaurant of the week: 5 & Diner... This place is a nice little diner open 24/7. It is a old 50's style joint that has delicious breakfast food. Chocolate Chip Waffles! A fat kids dream.
Weather forecast... To quote Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam: "I just want to begin by saying to Roosevelt E. Roosevelt, what it is, what it shall be, what it was. The weather out there today is hot and shitty with continued hot and shitty in the afternoon. Tomorrow a chance of continued crappy with a pissy weather front coming down from the north. Basically, it's hotter than a snake's ass in a wagon rut." How true!
Abby was just over here ready my post and she was going to interrupt with some words of her own. I told her that she needs to write a post so you can all experience this adventure through her eyes. I know it is usually one sided, but it's probably the best side! haha.. j/k.. I hope Abby doesn't read that. Let me hurry up and finish and post this... Okay where was I.
We came
We saw
we did this
we did that
We enjoyed
thanks
love ya
goodbye!
Friday, June 13, 2008
"All Hail the New York Giants!!!"
So my birthday is officially over... Sad! I had a great day and I thank everyone for the phone calls, facebook posts, cards, and text messages. I slept all day so I tried to call everyone back. I apologize if I didn't get back to you, but I promise I will. The day before my birthday Abby and I went car shopping. Why you ask... well just to tease ourselves I guess. We will one day need to buy a new car, so we thought we would get a head start. After car shopping we decided to head to Tempe, AZ, the Home of Arizona State University. There we ate a late lunch at PF Changs and went shopping along their main strip. We then headed home because Abby needed to go shopping for my birthday. Unbeknownst to me I was getting sick. I tried to catch a quick nap before Abby came home, but i was quickly woken to a screeching call "MIKE, MIKE, GET DOWN HERE NOW!" I head downstairs to a frantic Abby telling me that there was a scorpion in the hallway. I head down the hall and sure enough, there was this scorpion just chillen in the hallway. One second it was alive, then it was dead.. I had to bring the thunder of my flip flop to it's head... Abby then had me check out the other rooms because she was using these rooms to create a scavenger hunt for me to find my birthday presents. She's a very creative gal. After killing the scorpion I proceeding back upstairs to finish my nap as Abby finished putting together my birthday surprise.
A few minutes after I fell back to sleep Abby is calling for me again. This time it is to start my birthday celebration! I know it is only June 11Th, but we are now working on my birthday, so we decided to celebrate early. I went downstairs and received my first clue. "Go to where we spent our first night." (the first night we arrived in phoenix we had to sleep in a different bedroom because John was getting our master suite set up) I found my clue. "Go to where we enjoy many nights watching movies." there was another clue. "go to where I like to primp." (upstairs near her bathroom sink) There I found my first gift. It was a bottle of Polo cologne! The next clue led me to outside near the pool. There she left me a clue stating "I left you a little something on the car, I hope to add onto these one day." I head to the car and there were 2 stickers to place on the car to symbolize her and I. We always crack on people when we see those stickers on the back of cars showing how many people are in their families. This present was a joke of course. The next clue led me to her sitting in the hallway with balloons and more note cards. She handed me the first card, it read "now go to 101 36" the next card read "East Rutherford" the next card read "new Jersey." At that time I lost it. I have to admit I broke down and teared up. Abby bought me 2 tickets to see a NY Giants football game on October 5th. For those of you who know me well, the NY Giants are my most favorite sports team ever! I have never had the opportunity to make it to a Giants game. Abby just made one of my dreams come true! She rocks. On top of all this she bought me a sweet NY Giants Superbowl Champions t-shirt.
So you see, my birthday was a blast until the clock struck midnight (then it was officially my birthday). I became very sick and my stomach was upset. I had to "pull the trigger" to help alleviate the nausea. After that I felt a little better, but still not feeling right. We played a little Mario cart (a present from the Jones family) on Wii, then called it a night. I woke up around 530 still hurting. I went downstairs to watch TV. After a few hours on the couch I figured I should try to head to bed because we had to work tonight. I fell asleep around 10am and slept till a little after 5pm. Then it was off to work. Hooray!
We work tonight, then we are off till Saturday night, then we work monday, tuesday, and wednesday nights. We should have the rest of the week off. We are not sure what we are going to do since we are trying to save up for Las Vegas. We might head to a baseball game, or try to do some 4 wheeling in the desert. Will let you know.
Abby is doing great. She is tired of the scorpion population, but hopefully she will get through the summer here. We are not sure where we will be for our next assignment, but we hope to know by the end of this month. We talked with our recruiter and applied at a hospital in San Diego. If we get this job then we will extend in Arizona through september then start in San Diego September 29th through January 4th. Will keep you posted. Well, time to sign off for now. Thanks again for all the wonderful birthday wishes. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Watch out for wild fires, humidity, and scorpions! With love to you all...
In His Peace,
Abby and Michael
p.s. GO GIANTS!!!!
A few minutes after I fell back to sleep Abby is calling for me again. This time it is to start my birthday celebration! I know it is only June 11Th, but we are now working on my birthday, so we decided to celebrate early. I went downstairs and received my first clue. "Go to where we spent our first night." (the first night we arrived in phoenix we had to sleep in a different bedroom because John was getting our master suite set up) I found my clue. "Go to where we enjoy many nights watching movies." there was another clue. "go to where I like to primp." (upstairs near her bathroom sink) There I found my first gift. It was a bottle of Polo cologne! The next clue led me to outside near the pool. There she left me a clue stating "I left you a little something on the car, I hope to add onto these one day." I head to the car and there were 2 stickers to place on the car to symbolize her and I. We always crack on people when we see those stickers on the back of cars showing how many people are in their families. This present was a joke of course. The next clue led me to her sitting in the hallway with balloons and more note cards. She handed me the first card, it read "now go to 101 36" the next card read "East Rutherford" the next card read "new Jersey." At that time I lost it. I have to admit I broke down and teared up. Abby bought me 2 tickets to see a NY Giants football game on October 5th. For those of you who know me well, the NY Giants are my most favorite sports team ever! I have never had the opportunity to make it to a Giants game. Abby just made one of my dreams come true! She rocks. On top of all this she bought me a sweet NY Giants Superbowl Champions t-shirt.
So you see, my birthday was a blast until the clock struck midnight (then it was officially my birthday). I became very sick and my stomach was upset. I had to "pull the trigger" to help alleviate the nausea. After that I felt a little better, but still not feeling right. We played a little Mario cart (a present from the Jones family) on Wii, then called it a night. I woke up around 530 still hurting. I went downstairs to watch TV. After a few hours on the couch I figured I should try to head to bed because we had to work tonight. I fell asleep around 10am and slept till a little after 5pm. Then it was off to work. Hooray!
We work tonight, then we are off till Saturday night, then we work monday, tuesday, and wednesday nights. We should have the rest of the week off. We are not sure what we are going to do since we are trying to save up for Las Vegas. We might head to a baseball game, or try to do some 4 wheeling in the desert. Will let you know.
Abby is doing great. She is tired of the scorpion population, but hopefully she will get through the summer here. We are not sure where we will be for our next assignment, but we hope to know by the end of this month. We talked with our recruiter and applied at a hospital in San Diego. If we get this job then we will extend in Arizona through september then start in San Diego September 29th through January 4th. Will keep you posted. Well, time to sign off for now. Thanks again for all the wonderful birthday wishes. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Watch out for wild fires, humidity, and scorpions! With love to you all...
In His Peace,
Abby and Michael
p.s. GO GIANTS!!!!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
"It's getting Hot Hot Hot!"
Back at work and back on the computer. This no internet at home business is getting old. Need to crack down on John to get it working again. I promise new pictures are coming just as soon as we can get online! Hi to all. Do hope this post finds everyone doing great. I hear the weather in North Carolina has been insane! 100+ with that carolina humidity!!! No thanks! Abby and I are enjoying our 100+ days, but no humidity is a life saver!
Last week we picked up an overtime shift. Well, I should say that we both signed up for an overtime shift, but Abby was lucky enough to get called off. They did not need her that night, so she stayed home watching TV and I came to work. She was actually miserable. It is not fun to sleep all day anticipating work that night, then getting called off. Guess what? Yep, you guessed it, she was up all night. She actually was able to stay up and call her mom in charlotte right when her mom woke up to wish her a happy birthday! Happy Birthday Mrs. Jones. Her age is a secret. You know how those women are about their age! Speaking of birthdays!!! Are you ready for this? My birthday is June 12th! Happy Birthday to me. I will be a very young 32 on thursday. Not really sure what we will be doing to celebrate, but Abby has something special up her sleeve. I constantly ask for clues. Here are the clues she has given me (your help is needed to figure them out). 1. There are 3 gifts. 2. One gift relates to another, but is different. 3. One gift will be life changing. 4. One gift is electronic. 5. I have recently talked about said gifts. Any ideas? I have no clue, but I'm very excited. Instead of going out to dinner to celebrate, the jock in me has decided to head to a Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. The games are very relaxing and a lot of fun. Should be a great time. The unfortunate thing is that we work on my birthday, so festivities will be taking place either before or after the 12th.
Since our last post, we really haven't done a lot. We have been working and sleeping a lot. Our weekend was cut short due to this heart class, we took for work, on saturday. The only real interesting and fun thing we did this weekend was going out to dinner at Rock Bottom, then we headed over to Dave and Busters. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Dave and Busters, let's just say it is an adult Chuckie cheese! We had a blast. After there we headed to Casino Arizona! We were going to try our luck at blackjack and roulette, but it was really really crowded. We waited around for a while to get a table, but just nothing opened up. We are going to try again this week. I am really hoping to sit abby down at a table to get her feet wet before Vegas. We are heading to Vegas July 6th with Abby's parents. Wish us luck!
We are still climbing Squaw Peak. However, we really try to time our climbs to when it isn't 100+ out side. I think i'm going to head that way after we get off work. The morning time is probably the best time to go. I know we haven't really made full use of Phoenix yet, but we hope to venture out sooner than later.
Good Bye for now! Loving and missing everyone...
In His peace,
Love
Michael and Abby Lee
Last week we picked up an overtime shift. Well, I should say that we both signed up for an overtime shift, but Abby was lucky enough to get called off. They did not need her that night, so she stayed home watching TV and I came to work. She was actually miserable. It is not fun to sleep all day anticipating work that night, then getting called off. Guess what? Yep, you guessed it, she was up all night. She actually was able to stay up and call her mom in charlotte right when her mom woke up to wish her a happy birthday! Happy Birthday Mrs. Jones. Her age is a secret. You know how those women are about their age! Speaking of birthdays!!! Are you ready for this? My birthday is June 12th! Happy Birthday to me. I will be a very young 32 on thursday. Not really sure what we will be doing to celebrate, but Abby has something special up her sleeve. I constantly ask for clues. Here are the clues she has given me (your help is needed to figure them out). 1. There are 3 gifts. 2. One gift relates to another, but is different. 3. One gift will be life changing. 4. One gift is electronic. 5. I have recently talked about said gifts. Any ideas? I have no clue, but I'm very excited. Instead of going out to dinner to celebrate, the jock in me has decided to head to a Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. The games are very relaxing and a lot of fun. Should be a great time. The unfortunate thing is that we work on my birthday, so festivities will be taking place either before or after the 12th.
Since our last post, we really haven't done a lot. We have been working and sleeping a lot. Our weekend was cut short due to this heart class, we took for work, on saturday. The only real interesting and fun thing we did this weekend was going out to dinner at Rock Bottom, then we headed over to Dave and Busters. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Dave and Busters, let's just say it is an adult Chuckie cheese! We had a blast. After there we headed to Casino Arizona! We were going to try our luck at blackjack and roulette, but it was really really crowded. We waited around for a while to get a table, but just nothing opened up. We are going to try again this week. I am really hoping to sit abby down at a table to get her feet wet before Vegas. We are heading to Vegas July 6th with Abby's parents. Wish us luck!
We are still climbing Squaw Peak. However, we really try to time our climbs to when it isn't 100+ out side. I think i'm going to head that way after we get off work. The morning time is probably the best time to go. I know we haven't really made full use of Phoenix yet, but we hope to venture out sooner than later.
Good Bye for now! Loving and missing everyone...
In His peace,
Love
Michael and Abby Lee
Sunday, June 1, 2008
"Bees, Ants, and Scorpions... Oh My"
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
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
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
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