another ski for women....

 the peacocks should have won, imho.  but some tree things won the group contest.  i got there right after the parade but in enough time to enjoy the sites and costumes of ski for women.  people in alaska love to dress up.

 seemed like a great turn out to me.  the party wave, with the costumes, is always the most popular.  it's only like 5k i think...which is great cause some of those costumes would be hard to ski in.  i remember when i skied it as a Mr potato head i was so hot!!  you forget about that when planning the costumes.  the people who did the peacocks come up with amazing, elaborate and seemingly heavy and awkward costumes every year.  pretty amazing really.

 some are way more imaginative than i.  loved the snowflakes.  often groups will meet up near the end so they can finish together as a group.  the snowflakes were scattered about so we called them scattered snowstorm.

 took the dogs and nearly forgot their costumes so i had to run back inside and quickly dig through the dog costume box.  i guess that should be embarrassing that i have a few containers of dog costumes. less for rio...they don't make much for huge pups like her!  don't they think big dogs like to dress up too?

 tetra's?  above.  i think that is what it is.  valentine hearts below...two groups that gathered before the finish line to make a big finish.  loved how tetra's lined up!!  great effort.

 the money raised goes to help women who are abused or at risk.

 my pups weren't the only dogs out there, but they were the only dogs in costume.  this little guy had to say hello.  blossom and rio got tons of attention, pets, loves and photo's taken of them.  always good to show support however i can.  i hadn't expected to be able to go so i was pretty happy to just get out and get a look at the costumes.

 the adult unit was short the next night so last night i ended up being floated down there from picu.  just a few more weeks of going back and forth between the two units.  i'm actually feeling more and more ready for the change and also feeling a bit in limbo as i'm not sure what is going on.   did the manager get my email about possible schedule, are we waiting for the acm to get back from vacation, do i need to get a new badge...it will all be nice once i am actually feeling a part of the resource pool.  i'm strange in that i like having a little locker or mail box.  so even though i'll be floating where ever, i will still have a home in the resource pool break room.  we are all creatures of habits and like to feel like we have a place and belong i suppose.
above is the grateful dead or dead heads, not sure which.

 thought these were both imaginative.  raining cats and dogs above and space aliens.  loved all the kids out at the event.  they all seemed to be having a blast.

 was impressed that this lady in the middle skied with that big box on her kids sled.  a few people were helping push from behind.  that is a work out though.

 work was pretty sweet last night i must admit.  don't get easy nights in the adult icu very often so i basked in it.

 liked the grapes too.  simple but fun!

 a few more peacock pictures.

 just a lot of effort.

 saw 3 dog sled teams out there.  this was only one with kids.  not easy to ski roped together.  people may again stop right before the finish and rope up for the effect at the finish line.

 popcorn and peanuts...i didn't get a picture of it, but the fandango thing was out there...wonder if that one was really part of this group.

 rio getting love from people coming off the trail.  heard tons of oohs and aahs for the dogs.

 this group was a rack of billiard balls.  the white ball out front was skiing backwards.  the others were "racked up" with a rope.  at the finish line the white ball ski'd into them all the break up the rack.  hehe!!

 more peacocks.  not sure if the  blue peacocks were a subset of the others or if it was coincidence.

 another, larger dog sled team.

 the peacocks passing by.

 ran into joy, who used to work peds icu with us.  fun to see her and catch up a bit.  loved her mad hatter get up!!

 after the festivities had slowed a bit i took the dogs over to the dunes.  blossom mostly just wanted to run the dunes chasing her tennis ball.  got the energy out of her.  it would have been smarter to get up earlier and do this first...but i'm more lazy than smart some days.

 we didn't go far.  funny to see the dunes call coated with snow, they were almost clear of it awhile back when i was here.

 these are just divider blocks to the motorcross area on the other side of the trail.  always like the cool pictures on them.

 simple but fun.

 these are clearly mixed in in no specific order.  clearly a reflection of the zombie like state i've been in since i woke for the monday walk today. 3 hours sleep before walking is not easy.  indy's spastic ways can make me a bit crazy when i've had so little sleep.  i just have to remember that he's sweet, just hyper.  he settled down once we'd been out for  a bit. blossom was no angel either.  since indy kept getting her tennis ball she retaliates by humping poor rio.  i must have had to pull her off rio 10 times.  lack of sleep always makes for a poor training session.  they are both sweet pups and when i take a deep breath and look at those sweet puppy eyes...all is forgiven.

 hardly noticed this pair through the trees and rio didn't pick up the scent til we were nearly passed them. we did do the big loop today.  it killed me, but i did it.  hehe.  i whine, but it really is good to get that day off started early rather than sleep all day.  not that i accomplished anything, but it does get me turned around. i'll drop off soon and be back on a more normal schedule, which i think is good.

 it was just lena, tanya and i on the walk, but katie and amy and little lucy joined us at kaladi's.  it was katies first time getting to meet lucy and she was smitten!!  i really love the monday walks and the opportunity it's been to get to know some great people more.  it was my hope when i first posted the flyers and i'm not sure what i'll do next year.  where will i post flyers, will i or will it just be word of mouth with all the regulars and new additions.

 i think acc is most happy that i am going resource pool...they know they will probably get me the most.  since i have gone back and forth between the two units for so long, many people have probably just assumed i was in the resource pool anyway.  excited for the challenges of peat and er being added to my experience.

 lucy had loads of smiles for us today.  who doesn't love a happy baby!!  she's adorable!!

 a few with the macro of lena and tanya.  i didn't take many photo's today.  zombies aren't good with camera's i find.

 did like this one of tanya and lena though.  good people are easy to find on this earth.  the papers and news focus on the bad of the world, but all the pictures today show how the good people really are winning.  i have been so blessed to have met so many wonderful people over my lifetime.  i am excited for all the new people i'll meet floating around to more parts of the hospital.  perhaps i will improve my social skills in this new position.
i always feel like life takes you where your journey is supposed to go.  decisions have always seemed easy to me...the transition is stressful but the actual decision is easy.  you listen and your heart will always lead you through the doors that are opened before you.  your heart will also lead you to the good people of this earth. your heart will warn you off those who have dark hearts, but you do have to listen.

 everyone in this crowd is no doubt filled with goodness.  who else would dress up silly just to show support for other women and laugh at each other and ourselves.  people with dark hearts surely would not be out on a trail in costume skiing.

 the superbowl was happening, but i really have no idea who was playing or who won.  did get to see a few of the cute budweiser commercials on facebook.  always fun!

 more of the line up.

 this is the team that got best group.  eh...oh well.  they were having fun and that same team really can't win every year i guess...though i think they seem to do the work to deserve it.  everyone gets a ribbon...haha...that is the world we live in.  pretending life is fair in an unfair world. sometimes you just get lucky and the unfairness benefits you...seems like i am on the good end of the unfairness pretty often...or maybe that means i just feel grateful.

 aww..butterfly!

 a group from the peds unit were dressed up like the lorax.  everyone passed by so quickly that i was just trying to snap photo's of cool costumes...when i pulled this up on the computer at home i realilzed it was my co-workers. haha!

 there was a group of these sharks, at least i think the are sharks, they were cool though.

 i'm pretty sure these sock monkeys had heads last year...probably too hot and cumbersome to ski in.  this is everyone heading off on the trail!

 s'mores...graham cracker, chocolate and two toasted marshmallows.

i'm sure there is some news out there that i have an opinion about,but i think i'll just stick to the happy theme of ski for women and the monday walk...good night.

everything will be alright in the end....

 ...and if it isn't, it's not yet the end! from, "the best exotic marigold hotel".  i am on call so it's risky to attempt to write my blog.  one never knows what happens at the hospital while i sit innocently at home.  i'm on call for the adult icu. i guess soon if i ever get on call again, it will be for a larger chunk of the hospital.  so i shall enjoy whatever call time i have now.  not sure how it all works out.  this was a good movie for me to watch. there are some movies that just remind you to not go into things with expectations and to just let life take you where it will.

 that is the attitude that will bring you the most happiness.  still i am one to stress a bit during the transition period when things are up in the air.  so it's good to keep that thought in my head...everything will be alright in the end...and if it isn't, it's not yet the end.

 today i slept, no walk.  did toss the toy for blossom a bit and picked up dog poop.  so exciting is my life. i slept hardly at all yesterday.  i was really tired.  since i couldn't sleep yesterday i took the dogs to the bog and made chicken noodle soup.  this first pictures are from the walk i took with the dogs out gasline to powerline to tank trail.  it was a foggy day so we came in and out of the fog.  rio makes her way across the little creek on the powerline part of the trail.

 was wondering if the cairn artist was out there..but just the one cairn.  probably someone else.

 could use a night off, it's been awhile.  kept busy the last few nights.  got a patient in the middle of the night the other night that kept me busy.  she looked like a corpse really, but then she woke up.  amazing really, when that happens.  you think it's over for someone, but when it's not your time it's not your time.  we had another guy several weeks back.  his heart had stopped a few times i think, in another place they had called it over and left him.  guess he began to breath again and someone noticed. the plan was to withdraw and remove his tubes...again for me i noted that he was opening his eyes and then soon was following me around the room with his eyes.   saw his family in the hospital the other day, they didn't recognize me, but that is a sure sign that the guy is still on the earth.  one has to wonder how many lights or visions a guy like that saw in all that time not being alive.  strange.

 love a foggy sun.

 after that phone call the other night i really imagined it was all over the place that i was changing over to the float pool.  hardly anyone said anything or seemed to know when i got to work.  some people just talk with such authority you find yourself believing everything they say.  normally, i would have blown the words off, but i suck them in more as i'm stressed a bit in the transition stage.  not sure how the road is laid out before me.

 watched a thing on tv about jones town and the mass murder/suicide.  mostly, i'd say murder though.  so sad.  over 900 people gone.  cults.  it's always amazing how people can be made to believe things that it seems any rational person wouldn't believe...but many of them are rational people.  they just want and need to hear a certain thing at a certain time i guess.  we need to believe, to think we know.  i think even often we need to feel superior and a cult usually fills those needs, to be right and therefore superior somehow.  it's not often we are right or superior in this world.  mostly we feel wrong and inferior.

 we make choices, we live with the results of those choices.  i think as long as you live true to yourself, take responsibility for your choices and try not to choose from a place of fear you will be fine.  i'm probably pretty good at this in all areas except relationships.  i suspect i have too much fear in that area of my life.  fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough, accepted.  fear of failure.  we are mostly our own worst enemies.  we are the only thing that holds us back.

 dogs have no such concerns.  i try to emulate the dogs.  the only thing blossom seems to fear is the vet.

 rio goes through the world blind and she still blunders forth, trusting.

 the fog dropped down more as i left the trail.

 i was having a great time trying to get pictures of the droplets with the macro.

 seems like there is always something fascinating in the world, you just have to be open to it...see another thing i should take from this world and put into action in my life as a whole.

 i could see the world in these little droplets.  hard to hold still enough and i'm always too lazy to carry around a tripod so it's a practice in patience for me.

 rio likes that i stop often. blossom is tolerant of my need to take pictures. it's all she knows i guess.

 if i don't get called in i will have to attempt to check out the costumes at the ski for women tomorrow.  then maybe walk the dogs out to the dunes again.

 not holding my breath though.

 the yukon quest is starting.  it's a less known about long sled dog race.  hugh neff won last year which i was happy about.  this one runs from whitehorse in the yukon territory on up to fairbanks for the finish.  not sure even if they left today saturday or if they leave next saturday.  a few will run both races.  mackey is the first and only to win both this and the iditarod in the same year.  he's running this year again as well.  neff is defending though.

 you can see the trail in the drop above.

 can't believe how tired i am tonight.  would need to grab some sort of caffiene if i got called in.  i'm still consuming very minimal amounts of any soda...and chips.  not sure i see any weight loss, but i'd be happy with a lower cholesterol level for my efforts.

 just some close ups from the trail.

 lichen and fungi.

 and peeling bark.

 this is from the bog yesterday. you can see all the magpies in the trees.  that usually means there is something dead around.  never saw anything, did note what looked like a hawk that flew over while i was out there. i wasn't quick enough with my camera.

 trees and mountains...today was a pretty day as well.  just too sleepy.

 had a patient with ptsd ( post traumatic).  i felt badly cause the bed he had would make these noises that when i thought about it sounded like gun fire in the distance...probably very comforting when you are trying to sleep and have ptsd from war service.

 these are for quinton...i got my socks!!!  my friend quinton knitted these lovely socks for me.  i wore them to work last night and they were so comfy!!  my first ever pair of home knit socks...THANKS!!  if you like any for your blog just right click them quinton!!  i have never tried to take photo's of socks before, i know i don't do them justice!  very cool though, right!!

 my scrub pants were a little different colour green, but i'm a fan of green no matter what shade it is.

 quinton also made me this incredible scarf. i love the colours.  again....the scarf colours are awesome and the wearer doesn't do the scarf justice.  just wanted to share these fabulous gifts with everyone...who doesn't love homemade gifts!!  not to knock gift cards, cause they have their place, but you can't ever improve upon a gift that someone used time and thought to put together.

 was just trying to show off the scarf more...but also see what i would have looked like had i been raised in a country where women were required to wear a head covering.  i think i will stick to wearing my scarves around my neck in public.

 a girl always loves a silly photo session though.

 here i am in a more silly shot.  there is that nose!!  anyway...the scarf and socks are great...thanks quinton!!

will attempt to get a little rest.  hope i can sleep and hope i will wake if the phone rings..which is generally why i have a hard time sleeping when i'm on call...fear that i will miss the call to come in.