Family Traditions

When I was younger every year for my birthday we would make a Christmas ornament or some other Christmas craft. We've made penguins out of blown eggs, reindeer from clothes pins, felt Christmas trees containing kisses, and of course there was Oscar the Grouch.Well it's been a while since we've made ornaments, but this year the family tradition is up and rolling again. While we were in Elko Misty, my Mom, and I made bottle cap Christmas ornaments. I think they turned out so cute.In honor of my new Christmas ornaments I bought a small little tree. This is the 1st Christmas tree I have had since I left home 6 1/2 years ago. I always wanted a small Christmas tree when I was younger. I thought it would make it look like there were more presents under the tree.Unfortunately, I think Santa is planning on meeting us in Utah this year so I don't think this tree will get to see many presents. But even better than presents under the Christmas tree are all the friends and family we will get to see while we are in Utah!

Pete's Work Makes Press

Read about it if you would like:
http://www.lakeoswegoreview.com/news/story.php?story_id=125979712542758200

Skiing

Last weekend Pete and I went on a short skiing adventure to Mt. Hood. I'm usually not a very big fan of skiing with Pete cuz he goes too fast down too bumpy and too steep of hills with too much powder and I end up crashing and tumbling down behind him. He tells me that if you aren't crashing and tumbling you're not pushing yourself but I think it is much more fun to not crash or tumble.Any how we went to Timberline and we had a wonderful time together. Pete took it easy. (He Had to cuz there really wasn't anything steep or bumpy or deep in powder.) I really need to brush up on my skiing skills sometime because I love to hear about all the ski trips Pete went on with him family when he was a kid and I hope we can do the same for our kids (when we have 'em). I guess I probably have 8-10 years before I really need to worry about having kids that can ski.Ben, Pete, Libby, and Polly.

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving Pete and I went to Elko, Nevada where my sister and her family live. We had a wonderful time. I got to meet my little nephew Dock. He is so cute and cuddly.

I also got to play a bunch with Ford. We had such a great time. He is a RAD little guy.

Other than that we just hung out, did crafts, ate delicious food, and had a lot to be thankful for. Pete and I did manage to venture out to Lamoille Canyon. It was absolutely spectacular. It’s been dubbed the Yosemite of Nevada. The next time we visit Elko I am sure Pete will be packing all of his climbing gear.

Rotation 4, Women's Health

I've spent the last 5 weeks living in Boise, Idaho. I was there doing a rotation in Women's Health.
The highlights of this rotation:
1. I was able to assist in the delivery of 2 baby's. I got to catch them on the way out. It was an awesome experience.
2. I was able to help (although minimally) with a few c-sections too.
3. I saw endometriosis during a laparoscopic hysterectomy.
4. I helped with numerous vaginal hysterectomies.
5. I helped with a couple tubal ligations.
6. I got to do a ton of prenatal visits. It made me maybe just a little baby hungry. I thought it was so cool each time I found the babies little heart beat!
7. I worked with some amazing peopleThe lowlights of this rotation:
1. With every new rotation I realize how much I actually don't know...grrr.
2. I was stuck with a suturing needle during a surgery and had to go to the ER for blood tests which I didn't end up getting...long story...left the ER before the doc had a chance to see me so I did manage to avoid the huge ER bill.

4 rotations down...5 to go.

Hope You Had A Happy Halloween!

Baby Finlinson #2

Congratulations Misty and Wade and Ford!!!

Little Baby Finlinson #2 is finally here. His name is Dock Patrick Finlinson and he arrived on October 30th. I can't wait to meet the little man!

Leavenworth

So I haven't been blogging about many fun adventures lately, mostly because I haven't been on any...Too busy with school to get out much these days. Pete on the other hand still gets out every chance he gets. A few weeks ago Pete was able to go to Leavenworth WA. He really enjoyed the climbing there and is already planning our next trip back. At the top of one the climbs Pete was greeted by 2 curious mountain goats. I am sure they thought he was crazy :) Pete captured the above Kodak moment before even completing the climb. I think he is too funny. Omar and Scott went to Leavenworth with Pete. We are so lucky to have such good friends to go on all of our adventures with. I can't wait until I can start tagging along again.

Pediatrics

Time is flying by. I just finished my 5 week Pediatrics Rotation. I had such a great time and I was able to work with so many great people. I am really going to miss this rotation. But I will tell you what I wont miss...BEING SICK. I think I was pretty much sick with some sort of viral illness the whole time I was at this rotation. Little kids are viral reservoirs. High Lights of this rotation.
1. MRSA abscesses-I got to slice a couple of these open and watch the puss drain out (pretty painful)
2. Constipation in a 9 month old- I had to stick my finger up the anus and help the poop out. I felt so bad for this little kido. But hopefully now that all that poop is out and we've started him on some stool softeners he'll feel much better.
3. Perforated ear drums due to Otitis Media (ear infection)- I didn't realize how common this was. Nor did I realize that they generally heal up just fine on their own. YEAH!
4. Avulsion Fracture and Mallet Finger Deformity of the Pointer finger- is cheer leading really worth it?Here I am with Dr. Temple. Every year a few Doctors from this clinic spend some time in Africa providing much needed health care to the under served. Dr. Temple is headed over their in July 2010. That is during my last rotation which happens to be an elective. I really want to go but I don't know if my program will consider that an appropriate elective choice. They have said in the past that they want us to learn how to serve the people in our community and not abroad. But I think it would be an awesome experience and I think I would learn a lot. So if any of you have a good argument as to why I should get to go let me know so that when I approach my program I have a strong argument.

Goodbye Glasses

Ever since I was little I have had to wear glasses. I got my first pair of glasses in kindergarten. I have lots of fond memories of my glasses. Mostly of loosing/breaking them. I had one pair run over by a bus, my mom stepped on another, and then of course their was the pair that got lost in the grass only to be discovered a year later when someone finally mowed the lawn. The stories could go on and on. Over the last 5 or so years I haven't been wearing them much though because my last prescription didn't seem right and I have been too lazy to go back to the eye doc. Growing up I was always under the impression that my eyes were really bad and that I had a really strong prescription but I seem to do just fine w/o my glasses and then after marrying Pete I was amazed at how bad his vision seems to be w/o glasses. Anyhow, I finally made it to the eye doc and guess what! 20/20 vision in both eyes! I DON'T NEED GLASSES!?!?!? I must admit I am a little sad to see them go. I kind of liked having glasses.
At the eye doc's they took pictures of the back of our eyes. I thought this was super cool! Above is one of my eyes and below is one of Pete's. I think Pete's looks scary compared to mine but he thinks it looks just fine.

Rotation 2 Done

Well, I just wrapped up my second rotation. This one was in Community Medicine. It was exhausting! I don't know how I will ever be able to remember all the things I need to know! I am now pretty much scared to death.

Sadly, no Kodak moment :( from this rotation.

The Story Behind The Bugs

Sadly the story behind the bugs is not really all that interesting. It sounds much more intriguing if the details are left out but since some people have been wondering I guess I will fill in the blanks. The other night Pete asked me to put some rice on to cook for him, so I did and I remember thinking..."This rice looks kinda funny" but I didn't really dwell on it. Pete came home from work and ate a heaping pile of beans and rice. YUM! After finishing his dinner he went to put away the left overs and that was when he noticed all the bugs. There were hundreds of them. I don't know how we both missed them. YUCK!!! Luckily I had something else for dinner earlier.

I FED MY HUSBAND BUGS!

Literally.

Rotation 1 Done

Well, I am done with my first rotation and I had a blast. I got to see so many cool things and I met so many amazing people.

Here I am with Amy, Theresa, and Mae. I learned so much from these guys. They were great. I also got to work with a lot of other rad people. I am going to miss everyone.

Rotation 1, Dermatology

I am officially done with my first year of PA School. Now onto the second! The first year of PA school is pretty much classroom based and maybe a little boring. But the second year is all hands on! For the next year or so I will be moving all over the state of Oregon working with and learning from practicing PAs and MDs. I am currenlty working at a Dermatology Clinic in Salem Oregon. So far I am loving Derm! I could definitely see myself continuing in this field when I am done with school. I've seen all kinds of neat things like; impetigo, cellulitis, fungal infections, psoriasis, inverse psoriasis, clavi, lots of different dermatitis', lots of different types of sun damaged skin, and lots of other things. I am slowly but surely getting better at determining the appropriate treatment for these conditions too. I have had many happy patients. Like my good friend Breanne for example, I took care of a wart on her foot. Doesn't she look happy :) I must admit I was a little concerned at how dark black the skin turned around the area I had frozen. We were worried for a little bit that we might have to amputate her toe ;) but it is looking much better now.

Slacklining In The Park

This weekend Pete and I did a little slacklining in the park. We had a lot of fun. We even created a new game...FRISBY SLACKLINING!! (Nate is going to love it.)

Finlinson Family Visit

The Finlinson Family dropped in for a visit this weekend and we had such a great time hanging out with them. Saturday we woke up early (Thanks Ford!) and headed to the Farmer's market where we bought some delicious Rainier Cherries and Sweet Peas to snack on. Then we headed to Saturday's Market to check out all the crafts. There were so many cool things there but I think the boys thought it was kind of boring. After that we went to the Chinese Garden. Everybody loved it.The birds at the Chinese Garden are very territorial and I must have been standing the wrong way in their territory because one of them swooped down and knocked me in the head. It was pretty funny. Here's a picture of Me and Twister at the Chinese Garden.We also made a trip out to see Multnomah falls before Ford decided he was too tired to go on and we had to come home. Sunday we took it easy...Really, really easy. We woke up early (Thanks Ford!) Ate some delicious crepes and then most everyone took a long nap until we had to go to church. And then after church most everyone took another long nap. I think it was about 5:30pm before everyone was really up for the day ;) Then we headed to the Japanese Garden. I love the Japanese Garden here in Portland. It is so beautiful and serene. Then we went on a short walk through the Hoyt Arboretum which was also beautiful. And that was pretty much all we had time for. Today the Finlinson Family headed for home. I was sad to see them go. We had such a good time. I hope they visit again soon.
Here's Ford! He was such a good little guy. I can't wait to hug and kiss him again. Oh, I miss you guys already :(

More Summer Vacation Fun

This last weekend Pete and I headed to Smith Rock to get in just a little more fun before I had to head back to school. We left Friday night and made it Smith just in time to set up camp and go to sleep. We slept so good. Best camping experience ever. Our apartment has been so hot lately that it is hard to sleep through the night. But the temperature in Terrebonne was perfect! Saturday we had a fun filled day of climbing at Smith. We had a great time. Then on Sunday we did a little exploring in the Lower Gorge. Pete was so excited (can't you tell) He checked out all the climbs along the trail and probably picked out another project while I took a short nap on a rock :) Good Times. And then it was time for some real fun!!! THE DEMO DERBY! I love a good demo derby and this one sure was good. Although I must admit it did leave me a little misty eyed for Logan. The Derby was filled with excitement. In the first round they had to call in the ambulance...don't worry the guy turned out to be ok, he even returned to drive in the Grand Slam event. Then there were a few fires, cars driving on top of other cars, cars stuck on top of logs, and of course lots of cars hitting cars. Pete and I placed bets on who we thought would win in each round. We rarely picked a winning car but the car I did pick outlasted Pete's car every time so he owes me dessert :) YEAH!!! All in all we had a BLAST! We just wish we would have had some friends around to enjoy the fun with us ;) Maybe next time.

The Adventures of Pete & Sandy

Pete and I just got back from a vacation to Hawaii. We had so much fun. I wish we could have stayed longer, there is still so much I wanted to do! Here is a quick synopsis of our trip with lots of pictures of course.

Saturday-We arrived in Kauai on Saturday, checked into our condo and then went exploring. Our first adventure took us down a short trail to the rocky shore line below. Here, water from the ocean waves and walls of rock have created natural little swimming holes. It was beautiful. As the tide changes some of the little pools aren’t as protected from the waves as others. They are jostled by the power of perpetual waves making the swimming conditions unfavorable while at the same time making a site that is absolutely spectacular. The pools that were a little more protected from the waves made for great fun. When we finally found a pool that was appropriate for swimming Pete jumped right in.
I however was a little bit more hesitant. Pete, my Mom, and nearly everyone else I had talked to about Hawaii told me that the ocean was “bath water warm”…Well it’s not, at least not what I consider bath water warm. I’ve decided that instead a more appropriate statement would be something like “It’s not too cold” or “once your all the way in it doesn’t feel cold”. Anyway eventually I mustered up the guts to get all the way in and was surprised to find that once in it didn’t feel cold at all (½ in ½ out is cold though). We had a great time splashing around in Queen’s Bath and we even found some cool creatures. This is Pete holding a Sea Cucumber. We ran across a lot of sea cucumbers while in Kauai.
I don’t have any idea what these are but they were sitting on the rock next to the swimming hole. Do you know what they are?The whole coast line was really breathtaking. One of my favorite views was of this little inlet formed by the rocks that ended at a little waterfall. And then of course there were the waves crashing against the rocks. Queen's Bath was such a cool place!

Sunday-Sunday Morning we made a quick trip to the grocery store. While I was waiting for Pete to finish checking out I saw this girl that looked just like my best friend from kindergarten. At first I thought it couldn’t be Victoria but then I decided I had just better ask anyhow. So I walked up to her and said “You look really familiar,” Her response was “SANDY!!” Haha isn’t that crazy… So we chatted for a little bit and then parted ways. She had just gotten married and they were honeymooning. Anyhow, it was fun to see her and chat about old times. After that we headed to Waimea Canyon or as Mark Twain would say, The Grand Canyon of the Pacific. I know I probably sound like a broken record but I must say the view was spectacular. The red and brown rock mixed with green plants, against the bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds was beautiful. We drove to the very end of Waimea Canyon Road and then went for a hike. We started hiking on the Pihea Trail and then continued on the Alaka’i Swamp Trail. Most of the way we hiked on boards which made the hiking fast and easy. The scenery was pretty amazing and changed frequently. At first it was pretty barren with not much more then red rock hills, and then before I knew it we were surrounded by trees, bushes, and all sorts of plants. After a little more hiking we came across a cool stream. Here I am about to cool off a little. And then…the swamp. It turns out it has been a pretty dry year so it really wasn’t all that swampy. It looked more like a desert to me. There were a few spots of mud that got pretty deep. I stuck I long stick into one mud pot so I can verify that the mud goes at least 4 feet deep in some areas. I heard it goes much deeper though. I wouldn’t want to fall into that. Apparently in the 50’s they tried to build a road through the swamp but all their equipment sank so they had to abandon it there. Needless to say there is no road that goes all the way around the island. The Alaka’i Swamp Trail ends at the Kilohana Lookout and what a look out it was. As we walked up to the lookout we saw an amazing view of Ha’ena and green majestic mountains. And then suddenly we couldn’t see anything, just a wall of white as the clouds rolled in. Eventually it cleared enough so that we could see again. It was cool to watch the clouds come and go. It’s amazing how fast they go. Pete said we could practically see our condo from where we were standing but since there is no road across the north shore we would have to drive the 3 hours back around the island. The hike was hot but worth it. We nearly ran out of water which made it a little more painful than it needed to be but again it was worth it.

Monday-Monday was somewhat of a down day. We spent much of the morning trying to find me a new swimsuit. Have I ever mentioned that I HATE SHOPPING! Nevertheless, I did find 2 new swimsuits that I love so I have to say out shopping adventure was a success. After we shopped we went to visit my Aunt Linda and Cousin Bethany. When Pete and I planned our trip to Kauai I had no idea that I had family there. We had a nice little visit and they told us all the things that we couldn’t miss while we were there. Then we headed for Hideaway Beach. Hideaway Beach is my favorite beach. It is a small secluded little beach with very few people there and an amazing view. While we were there we did a little snorkeling. We saw so many cool fish. I love snorkeling. Who would have ever thought you could have so much fun while looking so silly. There I am...and of course there's Pete.After a fun day of snorkeling we decided to get to bed early cuz we had a full days adventure ahead.

Tuesday-We woke up bright and early ?:30 am and were out the door in a snap. We were headed to Kayak the Na Pali Coast. 17 miles of Kayaking fun :) The day started off great. Right after launching off we saw a baby seal swim by and then an eagle ray. I was a little nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to kayak the entire length but the ocean was pretty calm and the wind was at our backs most of the day. Plus the Na Pali Coast is beautiful. We kayaked past amazing walls of rock. I could tell Pete was just dying to get out and do a little deep sea climbing. But there wasn’t enough time :( We also passed some amazing beaches with golden sand and strikingly blue ocean. The mountains along the Na Pali Coast are rad! They are super steep and look knife sharp. Pretty much the coolest mountains I have ever seen. As we kayaked across the coast line we spotted many little caves that we would then explore. It was so rad! We got so deep into one of the caves that I couldn’t see anything at all, just jet black. To add to the utter success of the trip we got to see a whole school of dolphins. They swam right by us and they were having so much fun jumping, and flipping, and twirling. It was amazing…I mean really amazing. We also kayaked passed a few sea turtles. I have a new found love for sea turtles. This little adventure took up the whole day and left me with aching shoulders and Pete with severely burned shins (we ran out of sunscreen-I told him we would need more). But when all was said and done it turned out to be the highlight of the trip. What a RAD experience.

Wednesday- After Kayaking the Na Poli Coast both Pete and I were pretty exhausted so we decided to take it easy. So we took a driving tour of the island and visited all of the easy access waterfalls. We saw…Opaeka’a falls…Wailua Falls…and Kipu Falls. I loved Kipu falls. There is the perfect little swimming hole at the base of the falls. The hike to Kipu Falls brings you to the top of the falls and then to get into the swimming hole you have 3 options. 1. Cliff Jump 2. Rope Swing 3. Be a wuss and take the ladder. Pete had no fear. He jumped of the cliff and got on the rope swing without batting an eye. Here he is coming back from jumping of the Cliff. I however have turned into quite the scaredy pants since I got married. It took me a while but with the encouragement of Pete I managed to do it all too. It was soo much fun! Definitely a must do if you are in Kauai. Here's some poor footage of our Cliff Jumping/Rope Swinging.

After we finished our cliff jumping/rope swinging adventure we headed to see Spouting Horn. It was pretty cool. Every time a big wave would come the water would rush under the rocks and then shoot up through a hole in the rock. Then we headed to Dukes for dinner. Pete has been talking about Duke’s ever since I mentioned going to Hawaii. He just won’t stop talking about their Hula Pie. Dinner at Duke’s was great but a little $$$$ for me. The Hula Pie however was well worth the praise Pete gave it. YUM YUM YUM!

Thursday-Thursday morning we went in search of sea turtles. Have I mentioned that I love sea turtles. We had heard that if there is one place you are sure to find a turtle it is in turtle cave. So that is exactly where we went and sure enough there in the back of the cave were 2 sleeping turtles. We tried to get a picture of them but this is the best we were able to get because it was so dark. Here’s me and Pete in turtle cave.After hanging out with the turtles we decided we hadn’t had enough of the Na Poli Coast so we headed back that way for a little 8 mile hike. Once again the views were amazing. There were so many cool plants and an amazing view of the ocean. After the first 2 miles the trail dumps you out on this incredible beach. And then there’s another 2 miles of hiking back to a breathtaking waterfall. Again, Pete just jumped right into the pool at the base of the falls. I, of course, took a little prodding before I would get in. But eventually I did get in and Pete and I swam under the falls together. Very Romantic :) Friday- On Friday Pete and I took Surf lessons. This was all a surprise to me. I wasn’t planning on getting surfing lessons but I am glad I did cuz we had a great time. The guy who taught us how to surf reminded both of us of Pete’s old roommate Evan. We would swim out to where he was with out boards and then he would give us a push just in time to catch the waves. Pete kept surfing after our lessons and learned how to catch a wave on his own. I think I might always need someone to push me. Here I am watching Pete surf. I tried to get a picture of him surfing but he was too far away. When Pete finally wore himself out we headed back to Princeville (that is where our Condo is) picked up some Martinelli’s and headed to Hideaway Beach for a romantic evening of sunset watching and star gazing. When we got down to the beach there were only 2 other groups of people there and soon after the sun set they all left and we had the beach to ourselves. It was awesome. The sunset was beautiful. And after the sun went down we had a great time making up our own constellations.

Saturday-Saturday we left Kauai and went to Oahu. Most of Saturday we just drove around. We went and saw BYU-Hawaii and the Temple. We went to the USS Arizona Memorial. Yep…I cried. (we didn't take this picture but I think it really puts things into perspective.)Then we went in search of my parents old apartment building from when they lived in Oahu years ago. It took a while but I think we narrowed it down to the right building. After that Pete and I walked along the beach and watched all the people surfing at Waikiki. The waves where so big and there were soo many people out there attempting to surfing. There were literally hundreds of people in the water. I saw a number of people complain that they had gotten run over by another surfer. We also got to see some hula dancers. It was a lot of fun. The rest of the night we walked through the streets of Waikiki. It is such a crazy place. It reminds us of Vegas only without the casinos. There were so many street venders and people handing out fliers. Pete and I got a kick out of the guys trying to get people to shoot guns… “real guns.” After being unable to convince us to shoot “real guns” one of the guys asks “what’s wrong with guns?” Ok so you had to be there…but it was funny to us and now that it’s written down we can laugh about it forever. Pete bought me a coconut. It was a fun little treat but I still prefer the dried coconut that is covered in sugar :)

Sunday-Sunday morning Pete went surfing at Waikiki and I did a little sun bathing. Then we headed to Hanuma Bay. While we were at Hanuma Bay we went snorkeling. We saw a ton of cool fish but our goal was to find a sea turtle and we did. It was so cool to be so close to it. He was just chillen down by the reef eating lunch. We stalked him for awhile. It was great fun. After our adventures with the sea turtle we decided we needed some more HULA PIE so we went to Duke’s. It was packed! We had to wait forever to get find seats and we almost got in a fight with a drunk guy over a table. (long story) Eventually we did get a table though and dinner was delicious. And Pete loved his Hula Pie.

Monday- Monday was our last day in Hawaii. We woke up supper early so that Pete could catch a few more waves before we had to head home. I ended up falling asleep on the beach. Best nap ever.

We were very sad to leave :,(

PA School- THE FUN STUFF

PA school has been tough, but the last 2 weeks have been real laid back and relaxing. I feel like a real person again :) We have been learning how to do all kinds of procedures. We got to practice suturing pigs feet! -Looks like my pig's foot sustained some serious injuries! We also practiced things on each other. We learned how to start IVs, draw blood, and administer injections. I was surprised at how easy everything was but I still need a lot of practice. There is definitely technique to it all which I haven't developed yet. I convinced Pete to let me practice on him. (He's probably going to regret this!) Now I just need to get the supplies.
We also learned how to make casts and splints. This was my favorite part. I wanted to keep my cast on all day but they wouldn't let me. Jill made me a short arm cast and I put her in a short leg cast.
We also learned how to scrub in for a surgery. This week was a lot of fun but I must be honest...I AM NOT READY FOR THE REAL WORLD YET! I hope I get lots of practice on my rotations this coming year.