Thursday, May 7, 2015

The reflecting. Part 2.

After Christmas I returned to LA to dive head first into all that is the City of Angels. I had an apartment downtown and a job on Sunset Boulevard. Yep, THE Sunset Blvd. I drove it everyday and marveled at how lucky I was to be in Los Angeles and immerse myself in the ever-changing culture, art, food, and people. I watched football in West Hollywood, drank cucumber margaritas on Hollywood Blvd, played Heads Up! at Hookah Bars, ate breakfast on Sunset, gallivanted around Disneyland, danced at a music festival/snowboarding competition at the Rose Bowl, ate ramen at Grand Central Market, got winded at Runyon Canyon, drank wine on a rooftop in Koreatown, gawked at the Capitol Records building, sat within a 4 feet of Jesse Metcalfe at the Nice Guy, laughed at Dane Cook, Judd Apatow, Jeff Ross, Adam Devine, and Iliza Shlesinger at the Hollywood Improv, drove the short way to San Diego for a weekend trip, and was an extra in a movie at Dodger Stadium. And that was just the first half of the assignment.



Shaun White was here somewhere...
Dane Cook!



The hospital I worked at was LAMC, also known as Kaiser Sunset. It is a teaching hospital located near Children's Hospital, and is designated for high-risk deliveries. Just the place I needed to be. Honestly. I loved it. The people there were in the mindset to help with half the rooms but the same number of nurses as my previous assignment. Plus I was a day-walker this time which made all the difference for me. I learned so much more here.

My favorite thing at The Getty - The Vexed Man
When my mom and sister came to visit we made the "LA list" even longer, with a trip to The Getty Museum, dinner downtown, Wicked at Pantages Theatre, entertaining Uber rides, martinis in a revolving bar high atop the Westin, toes in the sand in Santa Monica, and hanging out with Jesse Tyler Ferguson. I finished off my assignment with a trip to Las Vegas to learn all things March Madness related.

I can't find the words to communicate how grateful I am to have family that is able and willing to come visit me as I explore the west coast, and concluded my SoCal experience with a visit from my Dad which began a Monterey-bound adventure up the coast on Highway 1.

The reflecting. Part 1.

I'm back. It's safe to say that my lack of blogging is directly related to all the fun I've been having, but I plan to make a valiant effort to regularly record the amazing experiences that go along with traveling the country and delivering babies. So to catch up, here is what I didn't document:

  • Angels vs Dodgers in the MLB play-offs
  • Craig's for dinner, first round of celebrity sightings (Craig Robinson, Mike O'Malley, Jeff Ross), and an impressive car accident
  • My sister came for a visit!!
  • Ferris Bueller's Day Off on the Santa Monica Pier
  • Exploring and astonishment of Beverly Hills
  • Watching football and teaching those around us what they need to know about college football before Julia left
  • Manhattan Beach Pier lighting for Christmas (they pretend they have seasons)
  • Thanksgiving in Venice Beach with Cousin Brooke's awesome family (how lucky am I that they came here?!?)
  • A really sweet, appreciative send-off from possibly the most challenging assignment I'll have
After finishing my first assignment, I was sure I could handle almost any situation given to me. I thought I was confident in my skills before this, but God knew how far to push me without causing me to doubt myself. There were times when I had 2 active laboring patients who both needed attention without the advantage of a supportive charge nurse while all of my fellow nurses were either in the OR or attending to their own patients but always able to lend a hand. The other nurses are 100% what upheld me during this experience and I am so thankful for them and their assistance and education. I also gained some great friends from this assignment! The end of this assignment brought me to Christmas and a much needed trip home.

I have some amazing friends and family who took time to catch up and hang out with me, and I'm so glad they did! I definitely wouldn't have the confidence to continue this adventure if it wasn't for the support and some serious encouragement from my family (friends included in that category). I also got to see my B'wood coworkers and it felt so good.