C 'Est Si Bon...Simone Simone!

I've been told by many that I'm am wonderful with children. I always blush, but heck kids do love me. I havn't seen my neice Harriet since I left Pittsburgh. I just met my nephew, Charles Daniel Schkrohowsky. He is a cutie.

I leave tomorrow to Africa. Fulfilling a dream, one a have more control over than my other dreams. I'll post pictures when I get back.

Another chapter closed. Actually it is several chapters closed and one of which unexpectedly holds an infinite amount of pages behind it. I have remorsefully closed, as the pain of something you can see in the future but can’t grasp. Will the chapter be reopened? Nothing is ever certain.
My last few weeks have been spontaneous. Very much unlike me, I don’t like making decisions without some thought and calculate the decision. When I have made spontaneous decisions usually having to do with purchases I’ve had buyers remorse. So, one day I was going to stay in Pittsburgh for the rest of the month working frequently and that very day I packed up my belongings hurriedly and very disorganized left for Boise, Idaho. I stopped for the night twice. Once outside of Chicago, and the other in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I drove in wind storms of 50 mph and rain/snow, and slick roads which I thought I might have to turn around. I clung to the steering wheel and prayed my car would stay on the road. Also, I drove an hour out of the way to visit with a few dear friends before turning around, back north, to Boise. That mind you is 34 hours of driving. The next days consisted of paperwork, tests, and ‘Spring cleaning.’ I cleared out my room which I had for 20 years and had kept my lifetime of belongings. I threw it away. The nostalgia of these belongings brought some pain of the happy memories, and ease of childhood. My mom was brought to tears. I was throwing ‘my life’ away. She kept a few things for her own memories.

I made a list for myself of things I which made me laugh that I’d kept for so long:
Old birthday cards for my past birthdays
Ticket stubs (one grouped from a past relationship)
Old letters of recommendation
Snake puppet (a hanger with a painted foam snake at the end)
Garbage bags full of old clothes: some made by my mom. All of them tied to specific periods, and memories in my life.
Cd’s, & cassette tapes (which I come to find my dad kept because he likes the music)
Key chains (from middle school when it was cool to have 50 key chains hanging from your bag even if you had no keys to hang at the end)
A chain made from ‘notes’ a friend and I wrote to see how long of a chain we could make before the semester ended
Fishing licenses
Chopsticks from when I was in China, and some old souveniors.
Old wedding announcements
My folder full of wedding magazine clippings, and a notebook of weddings ideas for the day when I would get married.
Mandarin lessons notes
Old talks for church, or lessons
Gratitude journal
Hist of Civ notes which I opened talked about Greece. Funny that I find that right after I went there.
R rated movies on tape that Ben hid from mom from high school. (Full Metal Jacket, Enemy at the Gates, Taxi Driver, We Were Soldiers, Snatch)
Notebooks with lists of songs when I converted my cassette tapes to CD’s
All now gone….recycled, good will, or in the trash. Done. The most important stuff I still have filed away in that same room. Much more organized. When I get home there are a few boxes in the garage that I will go through. These are the ones that may bring me to tears.

I also managed to spend some time with my best friend. We laugh together and seperately as we share our memories shared, and stories of my follies from traveling. For some reason I always manage to get myself into mischief, pickle, or some obstacle and she enjoys sharing those stories with her friends. I've always have been able to count on her.

Not even a week after leaving Pittsburgh, I spent 15 hours driving down to Southern California, stopping once for dinner in Las Vegas so I could visit my beautiful, pregnant sister-in-law and brother. I now stay night after night alone in an Extended Stay Hotel. I mostly work, read, and sleep. Oh wait, I can't forget eat. Yes, I do too much of that. There are a few other things between which I will mention afterward.

I love her voice, it has so much feelings.

I love my dad! I am Daddy's little girl. And my little namesake! She's a doll. Harriet Eloise, my neice. I hope her temperment and personality are just as sweet as she is beautiful.

Eloquence and the nonexistence.
I have decided it was long time that I show and demonstrate that I care. I also decided which party I would lean towards.
I believe that people should be allowed to govern themselves. Less is more. I believe in Capitalism at its finest. Let those that excel radiate their excellance and draw people to them, so we can all be greater. Don't take away the motivation for excellance.

Anyhow maybe later. But my love of my country really began when I was 17. I visited Washington DC for a second time. I went with my mom and Danny. My other visit here didn't illicit the same response because of maturity and destinations we went too. This time we went to Gettysburg, Monticello, as well as Mt. Vernon and the institutions in the District. I developed a great love for the miracle of the foundation of my country and the fathers of it. Those willing to risk there lives for freedom to pursue excellence and allow others the same freedom. It was inspired of God. As I read the Book of Mormon I see the blessings and abundance given to this country for the greater good of the world. Power and corruption being a root of evil as we see by many world leaders today; it seems that most leaders can't handle power. That is why our Founding Father developed a system of checks and balances, and houses of government. I love my country. Also, my American Heritage class freshman year enlightened me. I understood the foundation of our country better and developed gratitude for the early american's sacrifices for the pleasures I now enjoy. Would I give my life for this cause? Those that have the greatest to lose have the hardest time letting go. What would my answer be then?

Love of God and Love of Country.
Maybe I will join the Airforce reserves like I had thought about for quite a while. Spring/summer next year. I can not do everything, but I can do something. I deserve nothing but must work for everything.

All that being said....I finally registered to VOTE!

Fatigue is setting in. Driving 32 hrs, a 3 day reprieve at home but threw away 28 years of my life, and 15 more hrs of driving. My train of thought isn't as coherent as the epiphanies from my drive.

Driving myself forward
onward
upward
crazy
insane
...almost drove away with the gasoline hose. Crazy? Maybe.

To reflect
gaze
look upon
study
evaluate
question
consider
ponder
analyze
probe
scrutinize
criticize
comparmentalize
dissect
undermine and
then finally destroy.
logic and reason

The mind can destroy the best of things, if you want to find something good or bad it will present itself. Synonyms that will lead you to down different paths of discovery. But contradictions don't exist.

Lesson 1: Modern day medicine has provided us the means of extending our lives and helping fixing problems so our lives aren't cut short. But...Just because we can keep someone alive my artificial means doesn't mean we should. I think to myself and hopefully you will one day, 'What quality of life would they life?' Then make up your mind.

Lesson 2: Just because you hear something doesn't mean you should automatically believe not matter the source. I have found recently that with all the differing benefactors, information may be hidden or changed to best fit their profit. Also, in the gospel in order to have a solid foundation, we need our own testimonies of what we are being taught. So, take time to do your own research, get your own confirmation, and then encourage others to do the same.

Another brilliant lesson of the day, but I can't remember now because I didn't write it down. If it comes back to me then....

I took a casual position at the hospital thinking I would work weekend nights, so I could be home and help my sister-in-law out with the kids Monday through Friday. Ideally that schedule sounded fabulous but there are a few things I've considered and adjusted my schedule accordingly since the orginal plan. I don't have the patience for children 24/5 (I have heard that it is different when it is your own), I need a break. My employer, UPMC Worksource, will schedule me per my request where ever the need. I have discovered I don't have very far to go. I live within 5 miles of Passavant Hospital, which is frequently under staffed below what I consider safe. No details...I would like to keep my job. What I can say is there is no reason units should not be fully staffed (I am not specifying or focusing my opinion on any particular hospital but read and imply as you wish). There are staffing agencies, and travel agencies that would gladly come in and fill their needs. There is no price for patient safety and satisfaction. I have found the cost/benefit ratio for the hospital is esteemed over the cost/benefit of the nurses. People will quit, and transfer under such undesirable working conditions. An ICU should never have a 4:1 ratio; even 3:1 is highly frowned upon. That being said I could work every day of the week because the need is there, but since I am helping Cindy I have chosen to work full time instead of casual. This week I am working 50 hrs. (I will be traveling a bit in coming months so I am buying quality items to travel with, and am picking up extra hours to afford such).

Things I've noted and inventions I appreciate more because they make my job easier, and less of a risk for infection. Hospital gowns. Okay so you may not like the open back revealing your derriere, but have you considered the ease of access. If you are immobile and must be pulled up in bed you would be strangled by the fabric as you move up and it stays in place. Taking into consideration that my time is spent in an ICU my patients are hooked up to many monitors and many IV's making the snap system forming the sleeves a brilliant idea, so I don't have to unhook everything and risk contamination. The other noteworthy invention is the lur-lock needleless IV system. Instead of having access ports on the IV tubing that requires a needle to puncture for medication, etc. lur-lock has a port on the IV tubing which the syringe screws in to access IV. I can't even imagine the decline of needle stick injuries reported from this invention. Those were my thoughts the last couple nights of work.

I finally found a great website for teaching children about the body. In case you ever have an opportunity to teach kids, your own, be a nanny or anything: kidshealth.org is a fabulous addition. I was trying to find something creative besides me just talking to them about it, and in a way that would entertain children. As discussed in a previous blog I have taught them about the circulatory and digestive system, we have a long way to go. Endocrine will my next attempt.
My car is officially broken in by children. I thought spilling jello on the floor of my car years ago was devastating but nothing compares to the events of yesterday. My main job living helping out my sister-in-law is taking the kids to violin, ballet, and classes they have several times a week at the various museums. Yesterday was Science class, and then Thomasin had a class at the Natural History Museum about Native Americans. (I love that they have all kinds of classes for families who have chosen t o home school. I would have found this such a better experience for myself when I was a kid). I had Marta for the 2 hrs while Thomasin was in class. I was debating on what to do. Options stay and pay to park or take her somewhere briefly for a bit and then come back and walk around to see the dinosaurs. I opted for the later. I took her to get hot chocolate. She had wanted me to buy her hot chocolate for weeks, and actually had a fit when I bought ice cream and not hot chocolate. It wasn’t available, what was I suppose to do?. Here was an opportunity to redeem myself. Anyhow, we parked the car and first thing vomit spewed from her mouth. It was just the orange and carrot we had for lunch luckily. I got her to her blow nose, wash her mouth out and flushed the sidewalk off with water to run the contents of her stomach into the gutter nearby. Then I gave her hand sanitizer. I kept asking her if she was okay, she didn’t have a fever, and insisted she was fine. Hah! I learned my lesson. I proceeded to buy hot chocolate. Which she thought was delicious. She drank it and it fine for about 45 minutes. But she was complaining of being tired, and wasn’t her usual active self. To wrap this up, once we started home Marta all of a sudden vomited, what looked like a chocolate fountain/falls all over in my car. It was everywhere on the seat, back of the chair, ground…she was covered in vomit. I mean, come on, don’t you realize your stomach is sick?! I had nothing to clean it up with but napkins to wipe her face. When we got home, I let her unbuckle herself and then went to work cleaning up my car. I’ve cleaned up vomit before, many times and all kinds of things that you could never imagine but not having gloves and being in my car made my slightly flustered. The lack of cleaning supplies, chemicals are bad in this house, I had little to scrub with. I took oxi-clean laundry stain remover spray, and vinegar. That’s it folks. Apparently vinegar kills the bugs. I won’t get into this topic right now of natural home cleaning products. Let’s just say I like my chemicals, when it comes to heavy duty jobs like this.



On to other things. The Super bowl didn’t end quite like I thought. The commercials were mediocre. The halftime show by Black Eyed Peas was subpar, and the Steelers made a lot of preventable errors. Let’s just say, I didn’t stay til the end. My favorite part might have been the introduction video narrated by Michael Douglas. I have such a love for America and the development of it, the Industry and what not this video touched me.


I might add that I had the best Valentine’s yet. No details. Who doesn’t love getting flowers, and spoiled by hand selected music. It is a special treat for special occasions. Lilies are tender, delicate, and elegant...they smell delicious. Maybe roses would have been better, but I am nontraditional. It was perfect for me. I think the gesture meant means more to me because my Valentine is not near but far away and couldn’t physically be with me. It is letting someone know you are thinking of them, fondly perhaps. I ended the night with a piece of Chocolate coconut cream cheese cake from Cheesecake Factory. My absolute favorite.

I love driving around town and seeing huge banners, jerseys, flags on cars and advertisements for parties about the big game. In case you don't know what I am refering to it will be Superbowl XLV tomorrow. I am now a Steelers fan, especially since I live here.

Although the song is 'black and yellow,' I've been corrected in speaking that the color is more gold than yellow. But watching this video, there is no other way to interpret it but lovin some Pittsburgh.



Nice try by Lil' Wayne. It is great that he can take Wiz's song and change it to Packers. Musta written that one when he was still locked up. Haha.


After the game I look forward to visiting the Carnegie Art Museum to see, 'Boating on the Yerres' by Gustave Caillebotte on display temporarily from the Milwaukee Art Museum. I think that this is Impressionism if I am not mistaken. Correct me if I am wrong. Probably my favorite period in Art History.

Pittsburgh:
No job yet...soon. I keep saying that hopefully one day it will be a reality. SOON. In the meantime:

My days consist of preparing meals, and coercing children to get ready for the day amongst that is brushing the teeth, to be obedient or nice to each other. A shorter version of my explanation as to why they should brush their teeth went something like this:
Thomasin:'I don't want to brush my teeth. I don't like tooth paste.'

Simone: 'Well you need to brush your teeth'

Thomasin: 'Why?'

Simone:'Well after you eat food if you don't brush your teeth bugs build up on your teeth and make your teeth rot.'

Thomasin: 'What is rot?'

Simone: 'You know the compost in the backyard with all the vegetable peelings that are breaking down and decomposing after sitting there for a long time? Well that is rotting.'

Thomasin: 'Oh.'

Simone: 'Your teeth will get eaten by the bugs, and rot. Your teeth and mouth will began to hurt and all your pretty teeth will fall out.'

Since then I just need to remind them of the bugs in their teeth and Thomasin isn't as reluctant to brush her teeth.




Sticky hands, dirty faces, Peanut butter sandwiches, craft activities, glue, crayons, picture books, story time, go fish, dress up, store, house, leaking poopy diapers, crying children, and a frequently harassed immune system.




Josh remarked bitter sweetly after a chaotic evening with the children, "It is kinda like 'Ground hog's Day.' You wake up the next day and do the same thing over again.

How did I get so lucky to go on a cruise at almost no cost? Well, it is all about who you know even when it comes to traveling. One of my best friends from college has worked for the Royal Caribbean land tour, basically driving a tour bus in Alaska for several summers. She gets an awesome deal at the end of her season for a cruise, if there are cabins available. Six months ago we planned going on a cruise together. It was my lifesaver from March through the summer. Badda bing! Badda bang! Fast forward to November and we start with our Southern Road trip which ends in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.




Come experience my cruise with me.

After sorting out our lack of paperwork we were welcomed aboard. We head to our room in Deck 3111 (I believe) to get settled. Our luggage did not turn up for quite a while; rather someone else’s luggage was put by our room. We found a Cruise Compass on our beds, which was the schedule of all the activities for the day. Every evening afterward from Day 1 to Day 10 it was a special treat to come back to our rooms after dinner and plan the following day with our new Cruise Compass before heading to the disco. I carried that thing with me everywhere with the exception of port days. After having a snack we had a bon voyage and emergency evacuation drill. We wandered around the boat for a bit. Found the Rock Climbing wall, and other areas that would be significant for the rest of the cruise.

Every night we went to the Performances in the Coral Theatre. Welcome Aboard Show, “A Tribute to the King” starring Travis Ledoyt, Las Vegas Illusionist starring Kyle Knight & Mistie, Production Showtime: City of Dreams, Ventriloquist Michael Ziegfeld, Comedy and Music show by John Bressier, Production Showtime: Tango Buenos Aires, Juggling and other stuff by Jeff Taveggia.

We went to movies, music trivia, Volleyball tournaments, live music at various bars, nightly disco with DJ Diggy, dance classes, and of course Rock Climbing at least once during the day if not twice. The wall was a regular and there was just something or maybe someone special there. ;)






We had scheduled seating for our dinner. Our table after the first night became vacant besides SD and I, and Sheryl. Occasionally a newlywed couple from Mexico would join us and a cruise friend, Jeff.





The cruise schedule went a little something like this:
Day 1 All Aboard

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 Labidee, Haiti
We walked around the island. Talked with some of the locals. Rested, read in some hammocks. Went on a Kayaking tour, played some volleyball and swam.





Day 4 At Sea

Day 5 Cartagena, Columbia
Piss pouring pain. Buckets. Cats & Dogs. Sheets. What other term could I use to describe how much it rained that day. And no, I didn’t have an umbrella. We wandered Old Town, the wall, and Fort San Felipe. Fort San Felipe had a bunch of tunnels leading down underground to all sorts of places. But with the rain much of the lower tunnels were flooded and it was a bit slippery.





Day 6 Colon, Panama
Sarah-Dawn, Sheryl and I rented a cab drove through a National Reserve to the Panama Canal. The Miraflores Lockes to be exact. We watched the process of several boats going through this set of locks. It was really amazing. Panama now has control over canal, and they are actually building a larger canal for bigger ships to pass through. It costs exuberant amounts of money for a boat to pass through. I’m couldn’t believe it when I heard how much it was.






Day 7 Porta Limon, Costa Rica
Day at the beach. Literally from 9am to 4:30pm SD and I were sitting on the beach or in the water. I spent a lot of time floating on my back in the water. I did get a sun burn. Upper thigh, back, and a little on the chest. More on one side than the other too. We didn’t have an umbrella and there were no trees so I was actually surprised I wasn’t worse off.






Day 8 At Sea

Day 9 Grand Cayman
Scuba diving. I am having a hard time with the equalizing of my ears. I LOVE diving and being underwater but it takes me so long for my ears to adjust. Anything beyond about 65 feet isn’t really pleasurable for my sinuses either. I wasn’t sick and I didn’t have any health issues at the time, so I don’t really know what my problem is. Ok so the dive itself I didn’t see Turtles like we thought. I saw an eel on my reef dive and then we had a wreck dive.




Day 10 At Sea

Day 11 Back again to Ft. Lauderdale






I had escargot & caviar in one evening the day the Captain came to meet his guests. 'You're fancy huh?!'

Did you enjoy your cruise with me?

A new decade. Really? I can’t believe it. Nor can I believe that I am 28. Today I feel my age. Why is it at the new year that I feel my age because I didn’t get a year older, the earth did. Another year is gone. Does that mean that the earth is a year older, when does Mother Earth have a birthday…Earth Day? I admit this may be a dumb question and I may realize that when someone gives me the answer but right now it is a good question. Anyhow, most days I can say that I feel 18. My experiences/stresses the past couple years have aged me though...that cortisone running rampid through my blood hasn’t done much for me. Ben has come out here to visit DC, more or less to get out of the house (Josh’s house) with all the kids. Everyone asks which one of us it older. I mean he is only 2.5 years older than me and I do know that men age better than women because a wonderful thing called estrogen or the lack thereof but I am not menopausal nor have I had the effects of childbearing on my record yet. I guess this is kinda a sensitive subject for me.

I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions because you make a goal at the new year and it lasts maybe a month or two and then it is forgotten. This new year I had a little New Year’s evaluation of my progress in one of my recent sleepless nights.

After my evaluation I have concluded:
I need an increased awareness of:
Foods I ingest. Where is comes from, how it is processed and the long term effects of what I consume. My body is the greatest physical gift I have ever received and will ever recieve. Only those that have known me for a long time understand when I say I have treated it like an old piece of luggage. Have you heard of Glycation? If not it may be something you want to look into among other health considerations.

Gratitude. Take more time to be self –aware. I have so many great things in my life. I think I disregard them on too many occasions. I want to be more grateful for my bounteous blessing.

Develop my passions. Which I won’t expand upon.

Solidify my foundation. Am I the foolish man that built his house upon the sand or wise man that built his house on the rock? Huh?. I think that I have moved a few times and right now I have blue prints of an amazing house, but haven’t started the digging. It is about time though.

Right well there a few other things but I’ll save it for another day.
I have 363 days of the year left. If this is going to be MY year and I need to make it count…every day.

I ended the year well. I passed both my Esthetics tests. I am doing good things, but I realize that not everything will come easy but has a price. i have to be strong.

Today I left DC for good, at least for the time. How do I feel now that today it is official? I was fine until the end of testimony meeting for some reason it hit me. Even if I come back and visit my friends, which I will, things won’t be the same. I hate goodbyes. I left the meeting early so I wouldn’t have to say anymore goodbyes, but Mike chased me out to the parking lot (after I thought I was clear to shed a few tears) to say good bye. Thank you to all my wonderful friends. I love you. I hate change, although I thrive on it as well.
Til we meet again!