This and That

In my efforts to be better at updating and journaling and documenting, I have decided to try and keep a list on my phone of things that happen during the week that might be blog-worthy.  Even though I would normally let a week like this pass without thinking anything exciting has happened, with my new-found note taking skills, I realize there are a few things that have gone on that might be worth remembering :)  There's no rhyme or reason to it, but I think that's okay.  It's just our lives...

I guess I'll start off with some stuff from work.  I definitely need to be better at remembering the excitement that constantly happens there. It just seems that I am getting much more accustomed to the chaos!  They hired a new doctor a few months ago.  Dr. Martin lives in Washington but will be coming out once a month for about a week and a half to do shifts.  He is board certified in Emergency Medicine and is a great teacher and will be great for our little struggling ER.  He always brings about 20 boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts when he comes and each shift he works he'll show up with  2.  It's basically amazing.  Or not - because the constant smell of donuts all day every day isn't helping my attempt at sugar restriction.  We've had a lot more uniformity in the docs that come.  We're weeding out the one's I don't like very much and seeing a lot more of the ones I do.  It's nice.  Last week we had a guy brought in that was found passed out in a ditch.  They think he had maybe been there for about 5 hours.  Luckily it wasn't one of the -40 wind chill days.  He got shipped to Minot pretty fast though.  He was extremely intoxicated (hence the passing out in 10 degree weather) and very hypothermic.  Also, his left hand was COMPLETELY frozen.  I've never seen anything like it.  It was kind of creepy.  The bad thing about our hospital and us shipping every bad case that comes in, is that we never hear how things ended up.  I am very curious to know how significant the damage was once things started thawing and if he would lose his hand or at least some fingers.

Speaking of weather though...it's been darn cold here the last couple of days.  Last night when I left work it was -16 and felt like -41.  This morning when Tanner left it was -24 and felt like -46.  Wowsers.  I always figured if things got that cold, you just automatically died.  I'm surprised to find out that that is not the case.  But hot dang is it cold.  Boogers freeze instantly and I feel like my eyeball juice freezes in seconds too.  It's weird.  In a really miserable kind of way.  And then, all of a sudden, it's supposed to be 30 above tomorrow.  That's a serious heat wave.

Anyway - a couple other things about work.  I just recently got connected with the North Dakota Prescription Drug Monitoring program.  It's awesome.  Just something that let's you look up a patient and see what kind of narcotics he has been prescribed anywhere else in the state.  I think I'm becoming pretty good at recognizing drug seekers.  Some might also say I'm getting a little jaded and cynical and losing sympathy.  I don't think I can be blamed though.  You'd be shocked to see the kinds of people we get looking for pain meds and the stories and acting and drama and meltdowns that occur surrounding this quest of theirs.  It's entertaining.  And pathetic.

Someone that really did need pain medicine though was this guy that came in last night.  Drunk driving, rolled his car 20 miles out of town, self-extricated himself from his vehicle, and then layed on the road waiting who knows how long for the ambulance to arrive.  These are the x-rays of his leg.

No bueno.  He had serious vessel injury and his foot was blue and that is one serious break.  He'll be lucky to keep his leg.  Really...I wonder when people are going to learn.  Don't drink.  And definitely don't drink and drive.

Ok - enough about work.  Another thing that has been occupying some of our time is our new (ish) church callings.  I am the visiting teaching coordinator and Tanner is the secretary in the Elder's Quorum.  We have so many people on our ward lists and so many people moving in and out, that all the calling's are difficult, especially one's involving home and visiting teaching!  It's hard to keep track of people and keep lists current because they change dramatically on a weekly basis.  It's been good for us though because we are getting to know a lot more people.  Sure don't envy the bishop or relief society president!

So, before the weather was horrible - there was a couple days of rather lovely weather.  My friend Emily and I took advantage of it for a little bit and took a walk along a bike/jogging path on the edge of town.  The dogs loved being able to be off leash and run around and explore and munch on droppings from other animals.  Yep - gross - but true. Her kids loved the first half but then got a bit chilled on the return.

Rozzi wouldn't look at the camera because she was eating something.  Probably something disgusting. 

I accidentally didn't even help him up because I was too busy trying to get a picture.  Sorry Edison!

Such a cute family! Alex wasn't too sure about the dogs...

Wanna know something funny that Rozzi does?  I will share.  Any time I put on music, and show ANY inclination towards dancing - she comes running from the other side of the room or from wherever she is...and will jump up on me so we can have a dance party.  It's hilarious.  She'll do it EVERY time.  Without fail.  Next time you're around the both of us - I'll prove it to you.  She's awesome.  Samson gets excited too but unfortunately can't quite dance like a regular 4-legged animal.

Well shoot - I guess it wasn't too bad of a week after all :)  Now I will continue to enjoy my two days off in a row.  Perhaps I'll even get dressed!

Happy New Year

Mostly this post won't be about New Year's.  Maybe more random catch up events in the last couple months.  I read other people's blogs and always think that everyone else seems to be having much more exciting lives and that I really have nothing to write about.  Christmas break happened in Utah and that was AWESOME...but most of the people that read this already know all about it.  We did get sealed in the Bountiful Temple and that was definitely the highlight.  So cool.  And I got a new camera for Christmas.  Hopefully these are the last of the crappy old camera/phone pics.

I guess something rather significant is happening this month. 

Farewell, 017 UNA.  I have loved you and will miss you.  I've had this license plate for the last 6 years and if you will notice - the registration ends in January.  That's this month.

This is Tanner at the DMV this morning.  (He'll love that I put this up here). We are getting North Dakota plates.  I don't know why this seems like such a big deal to me, but it is.  I'm from Utah.  I've always been from Utah, and no matter where I've lived - I've always had Utah plates.  This will be weird.  Not that there's anything wrong with having ND plates or living here or like whether or not we have them, it will change the fact that we DO live here...it just feels like maybe my Utah plates helped keep me closer to home somehow.  Like a part of me is dying with the loss of those plates.  Hahaha.  Just kidding.  I really don't feel like that at all but it sounded like a nice dramatic thing to say right there.  I do feel a strange sadness about it though.  New plates should arrive in the mail in a few weeks.  And then the next step is new driver's licenses.  And then BAM.  Just like that.  We are official North Dakota residents.  Don't worry mom - this doesn't mean permanency.

So yeah - besides that and the new addition to our family named wii - January has been a fairly uneventful month.  The wii has brought some new excitement though for sure!  Zumba, Mario Kart and Just Dance have sure spiced up our cold, lifeless evenings at home.  Ok - Tanner doesn't do Zumba but it sure is helping my dance moves.  He also got the Tiger Wood's Master's golf game and a new golf club attachment for the controller and he's pretty much in winter heaven.  Neither of us have ever been big nintendo people, but I do have to admit - the wii is pretty fun!

We are both back to the grind at work.  Took us both a couple of days to get readjusted and back in the groove of real life and schedules, but we're all good now.  Just trying to plan our next vaca :)  In December I was able to go to Bismarck for an ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) course.  It's designed for doctors and mid-levels and is a pretty rigorous and intensive class.  They have a bunch of hands-on dummies where you can practice chest tubes and airways and pericardiocentesis and other cool stuff like that.  I'm basically a pro now - anyone need a needle in their heart?  I had all manner of anxiety for months before this.  I'd just heard how extremely difficult the course and test were, and they don't just pass you like they do for other more basic certification courses like CPR, etc.  But the instructors were cool and it was a LITTLE more relaxed than I was expecting.  Still hard and they expected a lot, but it was really quite fun.  They had live people dressed up with all sorts of wounds for our final practical.  Those situations seriously give me anxiety but by some miracle I passed.  I learned a TON and feel way more comfortable handling trauma's.  Bring it on Williston :) 

Cool sunset pic possibly captured on the drive down

I really liked my hotel room.  Tanner really likes it when I take pictures of hotel rooms :)

And blessed Bismarck had so many restaurant options.  The one on the left was at a place called Pirogue Grill.  That salad was probably the best salad I've ever had.  Warm goat cheese filled dates with mixed greens & clementine vinaigrette.  Hello.  Amazing.  The other was the HuHot Mongolian Grill.  You filled up a bowl with choices of meat and noodles and veggies and like 20 different sauces and you took it to the huge circle grill and they cooked it up for you.  All you can eat too :)  Probably no one cares as much as I do about this.  I so miss ethnic food.  I'm hungry.

This guy slipped on the ice yesterday in the ER.  Who can tell what's wrong with this picture?  I sure love the ER.  It's been quite busy lately and I just continue to feel overwhelmed with all the knowledge I want and still don't have.  Always learning though and I love that!

Pups are doing great.  So grateful for that!  SOOO incredibly happy to have gone from this:

To this:

Rozzi is back to her normal self.  Had a crazy, awful scare when she got hit by a car on Christmas Day.  We still have her shaved middle to remind us that we almost lost her.  Amazing how that helps us find almost limitless patience we never knew we had :)

Hope everyone's 2013 is off to a great start!  Happy New Year!