Another UM job interview on Monday

Market Title: Admin Asst Inter Healthcare
Department Name: Pathology
FLSA: (exempt or non-exempt) non-exempt
Salary Range: (optional)
Pay Grade: (If applicable)
Hours: 40 Shift/Days: Mon-Fri, 8-5 pm

Provide administrative support to the Director of Autopsy and Forensic Pathology Services and two additional faculty members. Coordinate, schedule and maintain calendar, serve as coordinator of the Forensic schedule and other administrative tasks associated with this service. Coordinate travel reservations and itineraries for Director and visiting faculty; assist the Director in the preparation of the annual report, manuscripts, presentations, etc. as required. Candidate must be proficient in Microscof Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills. Reasonable knowledge of medical terminology. Ability to establish priorities.

Rosie's Star Student of the Week!

One of the fun things about being a parent is having your child be Star Student of the Week! We had to write a letter to send to school about what we think is special about Rosie. Here it is...

Our Daughter Rosie,
We have always been happy to have Rosie be our daughter. She has always been a joyful child, with a smile on her face and willing to be a friend. She is so diverse, taking after her mother. She loves art, music, and foreign food. How many children say they love sushi, Thai, Indian, Mexican, and Mediterranean food? She even eats all her fruits and vegetables!

Rosie is resilient. She has had an exceptionally hard life to deal with the past two months; packing up and leaving all her friends, family, and classmates; driving cross-country 2,200 miles to Michigan; and having her Grandpa in Utah be in a serious car accident a week after we arrived in Canton. She made sure that Grandpa had plenty of cards and pictures to take to the hospital and rehab center. She has become a world-class traveler. She knows all the things she needs to pack, and what she has to take out for security. She loves having her daddy be a pilot!

I am a lucky mom to have Rosie be my child. Not only is she a wonderful daughther, she is my good friend too.

Love ,
Mom

Monday's Job Interview at UM

Market Title: Admin Assistant Intermediate -Thoracic Surgery FLSA: non-exempt Hours: 40 Hrs Shift/Days:Days/M-F Provide administrative support for surgeons in the Section of Thoracic Surgery. Maintain and reconcile faculty research and CME accounts. Maintain faculty calendar and update faculty curriculum vitae. Organize travel. Collect, enter and extract clinical data into a database. Knowledge of patient operating room scheduling system desirable. Requirements: High school diploma. Two to three years of previous office experience. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Strong customer focus and ability to interact with a wide variety of individuals. Proficient in microsoft word and excel. Desire powerpoint and access experience. Excellent organizational skills, ability to multi-task and remain flexible during changing daily activities. Strong ability to work as a team member and independently.

Class of 1998 Reunion Group

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10389876151

I just started a Class of 1998 Murray High School Reunion group on Facebook. Whether you are on Facebook or not, this is the place to get info and details on the reunion whose planning is in it's infancy. If you want to give you opinion on what you want to do...hop onto the site and leave a comment. Can you believe it's been 10 years?

Historical Blogging

My ldsmingle.com profile pic that Taylor fell in love with...

At the request of a few of my LONGTIME blog readers (as in, those who read my original citrusfruit blog and livejournals) I will be going through my archives and updating this site with my whole bloggin' history. You'll see the history of my courtship with Taylor, and all the steamy details of men that I dated before him. You'll read the drama of my spiritual struggles post-divorce, and the scriptures, talks, and quotes that helped me through. You'll read about a whole new side of me that many of you really don't know about in detail. You will see how I've grown. And there are a lot of song lyrics too.

I might even copy over some of my blogs from when I was married to Steve? Anyone interested in that dish?

Historical blogs will be found in chronological order in 2004.

I hereby declare...

...that I am sick of airplane travel! I've flown nearly 20,000 miles in two months...all on standby. You know it's bad when you know every drink they serve, what foods are in each color snack box, the FAA regulations, the TSA regulations, and how to navigate at least 5 airport terminals like the back of your hand. I just got home from California, and I had another awful Minneapolis layover. It included two aircraft downgrades, two bumped flights, and two gate changes. MSP is a fairly large airport, that requires more walking that most. In the 3 hours I was in Minny, I walked at least 75 minutes, lugging my heavy carry-on suitcase with my week's-worth of trip junk.

I do NOT want to fly again until I go to Boston for St. Patricks Day!!!

Here's the quick overview of my days in Cali:

Wednesday:
Disneyland with Grant, Hollie, Joshua, and Adam
Dinner with Lizzie

Thursday:
Dentist appointment
Lunch and visiting with my coworkers at CVMC and MHMC
Laser Hair Removal Appointment
Religion Symposium at the Claremont Colleges by Truman Madsen
Picked up Clint at LAX at Midnight
Drove the "scenic" route back through the more interesting freeway parts of LA, then stayed up till 3 am watching "Muriel's Wedding"

Friday:
Disneyland and California Adventure with Clint
Dinner with Lizzie and Clint at the Paseo in Pasadena

Saturday:
Breakfast with Lissy and Tyler
Drive through Hollywood, Westwood, and Beverly Hills
Drive up Pacific Coast Highway to Ventura
7 hours of fun with Nathan McEuen in Ventura and Ojai
Drive to Sherman Oaks to pick up Lizzie, to accompany me to drop off Clint at LAX

Sunday:
Church in the Heritage Ward
A Loooooong Nap
Gourmet pizza-cooking lesson with Lizzie and NaToya
Head-shaving, blog-creating, cupcake-baking fun-fest at Brett's
Sorting through hundreds of old pictures for the best stuff from HS for the reunion

Monday:
Left for LAX at 3am. Arrived in Detroit at 7 pm. MSP sucks.

My California Vacation

At the Disneyland Parking structure

Adam is 1!

With the Birthday Boy on the Paddleboat

Fun with Uncle Grant in Toon Town

This boy does NOT like to be picked up!

O, How I love thee...California

Main Street at Disneyland with Clink

The Abominable Snowman bites my ear off in line for the Matterhorn

Roasted Turkey Legs are the best!

California Adventure

Clint is the next Disney Princess

Out on the town in Pasadena with Clint and Lizzie

At Breakfast with Lissy and Tyler

Gotta love California...palm trees and snow in the same shot!

Hollywood was a little blocked off for the Oscars, but we did catch a glimpse of the Red Carpet

Taking a meditation break at the LA Temple

Rodeo Drive

Hanging out with Nastia, Nacho, and Clink in Ventura

Silliness on the way to Ojai

Fighting in Nathan's recording studio

I've got the best friends! This has been one of the funnest weeks of my life! I'm so sad that Taylor and Rosie couldn't come.

Post-op Update

David's surgery on Friday gave a few answers on his long term right leg nerve health. There was some definite trauma to the nerves, but despite the stretching and blood residue, the nerves are intact. The surgeon anticipates that within the next month, nerve impulses will return and he'll have better control and feeling in his leg.

His TOSH experience was not very positive. He got to the hospital for surgery on Thursday, and then found out he'd have to wait until Friday at 10 am. He'd only brought his MP3 player to keep him occupied, and he had almost 20 hours at TOSH. He said that the equipment and comfort level of TOSH was about four years back. After being in a world-class hospital, and a new rehab center, TOSH seemed somewhat antiquated. Also, his nurse put his IV right in his wrist. Anytime he used his hand or wrist, the IV would dig in and cause pain. So this meant he couldn't use his hands for lifting himself in bed or for wheelchair transfers.

Tomorrow he meets with Dr. Goodman for a checkup on his stump. The staples will likely be removed, and he'll meet with a prosthetist on his C-Leg.

Surgery Postponed until Friday

I spoke with David tonight. He was supposed to have his surgery this afternoon, but when his blood levels were taken, the blood was too thin to operate. They transferred him to TOSH to stay overnight. They will be giving him some frozen plasma to bulk up his blood, and hopefully he'll be set for surgery around 10 am.

In the surgery, the extent of his nerve damage will be discovered. Either the nerves are intact, and just need more time to heal...or the nerve injury was so severe that it is irreparable and he will have to walk with a spring-loaded brace to position his foot. He's sad that this additional surgery will add time to his stay in Aspen Ridge, but hopefully they will be able to fix any damage, and he'll have a better outcome for his right leg.

Today: David under the knife: part #6

Today David will be going in for another surgery at TOSH. He has been doing well with physical therapy, but continues to have difficulty with his right foot. Today the surgeons will enter the leg through one of the scars from the last surgery. They will do some nerve testing to see the extent of the nerve damage from the accident. The surgery will likely be an outpatient procedure, and he'll return to Aspen Ridge this evening. Please keep him in your prayers...David NEEDS his right leg intact to be able to walk with a normal gait once he's fitted with the prosthetic on the left.

Ah, how quickly things change...

I did a little more searching, and found a weekly rate on a rental for $120, tax included. This is much better than $140 for 4 days. Taylor and Rosie will again plan to visit on Friday, and I'll take the evening flight to LAX tomorrow. If my leg hurts at Disneyland or the airport....FREE WHEELCHAIRS!

I sent a strongly worded, descriptive email to Circuit City. Maybe I'll get a bit of an apology...and some freebies :D

Circuit City Crud, The California Conundrum, and the Sh'injury

Taylor's new car (which we haven't yet named, but Taylor is leaning toward the Green Goblin, and I'm leaning toward Romulus) was purchased with a very, very lame stereo. We knew that we'd need to replace it soon, because the 2002 stock stereo was literally on it's last shorted out wire. We decided to take advantage of the President's Day sales to buy a replacement stereo and an alarm. We price shopped online, and decided on an Ipod-ready Pioneer CD player at Circuit City. We weren't sure about what time they opened, so after a quick breakfast at Leo's, we arrived at CC at 10:00.

We went straight back to the auto accessories area, and found what we liked within 2 minutes. We had to go around to several departments to ask for help...and finally 15 minutes later we had a rep from the TVs department. She politely looked up what we wanted on the computer and wrote it down, but said the auto rep wouldn't be in until 11:00. So Taylor and I decided that since the weather was bad, and we didn't have other plans...we'd just look around for 45 minutes. At 11, a rep from home electronics came over and said the auto guy wouldn't be in until noon, but he would look up what dash kit and harnesses we needed. He reassured us that the installation was included with both the alarm and stereo...no extra charge. The adjustment was made for the stereo okay...but then the installation came up at $80 for a $69 alarm. We were planning on around $220 for all the parts and labor, but that install fee...plus a few more parts added another $140. I had a coupon, and we also haggled down the stereo to the circuitcity.com price, and swiped the card for $312.

Unfortunately, this guy said that one part was not in stock, so we'd have to drive up to Novi (13 miles away) to pick it up, and drive it back. He gave us some shoddy directions (like incorrect freeway names and wrong exit number) and said it would be there waiting for us. We already had movie tickets (and originally hoped to have the car done after the movie), so we didn't get to Novi until about 2:00. The customer service rep at the Novi store kinda laughed us off...saying that there were 30 parts in stock at the Westland store...and said there was no reason we needed to drive to Novi. But they called Westland to double check twice, and sent us back with a very generic, universal part that we could have picked up at Radio Shack next door.

We got back to Westland CC at 3:00, had a nasty slip on the ice, and talked with the auto audio install guy. I explained what we'd been through in the morning, how we'd driven to Novi for naught, and how the guy that actually rung us up for the transaction PROMISED the installation to be done by 7:30 PM, which is when Taylor needed to leave for the airport for his high-speed. We looked over the items we'd been rung up for...and said there was still another $20 part we needed. He let us buy it for cost, $7. We double-checked that the car would be done on time, and he said it would be no problem because we were the only install on the list for the day.

So Taylor and I went home, spent time with Rosie, iced and elevated my swollen leg, got some dinner, and arrived back at CC at 7:30. The auto guy half-heartedly apologized, saying he was the only one working, and it was his day off, and he'd been swamped. He said he was 99% sure he'd have the car done by closing time at 9:30!!! Taylor left for the airport, and Rosie and I camped out on the floor of Circuit City for the next hour and a half. We saw auto-guy talking on his cell-phone, taking several smoke breaks, leaving the install area, and generally NOT focusing on our car. I fell asleep on the floor of the store, and he shook me awake at 9:05 PM, just over 11 hours after originally arriving at the store.

So through this strenuous ordeal, we still had to pay over $100 more than the cost that it appeared to be on the website. We were shown poor customer service with 5 of the 6 employees we'd worked with in 11 hours at 2 stores. But the good news is...Taylor's car now has a nice stereo and alarm system.

So now I'm laying on my bed, blogging about my President's Day, with my leg elevated with an ice pack. I can walk, but it really hurts. I've been planning a trip to California this week, to see a Nathan McEuen show, go to Disneyland with Grant and Hollie, spend time with Lizzie and my in-laws, and enjoy the sunshine. But after trying to list on 6 oversold flights, the only flight I'm sure I can get is the one that arrives at LAX at 10 pm tomorrow. I'll miss Nathan's show, and it puts me into a weird, really expensive rental car time slot. Is it worth the hassle for paying $150 for 4 days of rental car, part of a day at Disneyland, and for babysitters each night I'm gone?

And that is my Circuit City crud, the California Conundrum, and the Sh'injury. Thoughts?

Farewell to my stylin' Friend

Yesterday, the beauty item of my affection passed away on my bathroom counter. This flat iron is the most wonderful one I've ever owned, the Ping Magic Ionic Digital Iron. I bought it from Ulta last year for an amazing price...normally $180, on clearance for $35!!! Add in the 20% off coupon I brought with me, and it was only $28. I've been amazed with how beautiful my hair has become as a result of Ping...it's like my Johnny Lingo for my Mahanna hair. A little TLC has tamed the wild, coarse and curly soul out of my long, brunette locks, and made it so beautiful that everyone on the island (i.e. America) comments on it. It makes me feel like a Ten-cow wife.

I've emailed the company to see if I can do a free exchange for a replacement iron. The cheapest I've found it was $80 on eBay, and the retail for it elsewhere online has been $120 pretty consistently. So as I make my funeral arrangements for Ping, does anyone have any suggestions for stellar flat irons less than $80? I've toyed with the idea of a Chi, Coriolis, Wigo, and one of those really great ones that they sell at county fairs and mall kiosks. It must meet this criteria:

- Must have a width of less than 1.25 inches
- Must be a shape that allows straightening, flipping, and curling
- Must heat to at least 300 degrees
- Preferably full ceramic with tourmaline
- Preferably sold in a store that I can use a coupon

I've been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Celeste for another lovely Meme. Here goes!

1) What I was doing 10 years ago: Loving the last semester at Murray High. I just finished working at Utah Vision Care, and was just starting at US Vision Care. I was in A'Cappella, Bell Choir, National Honor Society, Key Club, seminary class president, and preparing for the Academic Decathalon. I got accepted into Ricks College with a half-tuition scholarship, which helped me choose Ricks over Utah State.

2) 5 Things on my To Do list today: Church, helping with dinner for Mike and Erin, homework, paying bills, a long Sunday nap.

3) I enjoy: Any time I spend with Taylor, Rosie, my family and friends....live music and theater...very delicious gooey desserts....traveling...I'm easily pleased!

4) If I were suddenly made a billionaire: I would buy a house in Murray, a beach house in Ventura, a flat in London, and a log cabin/chalet in Park City. I would pay off all Taylor's student loans, buy him a BMW 325 and a Cirrus plane. For Rosie, I'd fill up her college savings account with enough money to pay for college and grad school at any Ivy League or private university she could ever imagine (Oxford? La Sorbonne? USC? University of Michigan? BYU-Idaho?) I'd pay off my parents' house and finish their basement. I'd take all my friends and family on a really cool exotic trip. I'd donate hundreds of thousands to the Church Humanitarian Fund and to the Arts.

5) Jobs I have had: LDS Church Missionary Department Secretary, Legacy tickets reservations, Theater Usher, Optician, Salt Lake Olympics Volunteer, Patient Advocate, Medical Secretary in Pathology, Medical Staff Assistant. Plus wife and mother.

6) 5 Things people don't know about me:
I've always wanted to be on a game show
I've always wanted to be a radio DJ
I love being in the spotlight, and don't mind public speaking, teaching, being on tv, and when people tell the waiters it's my birthday at restaurants.
I'm an ENFP, Yellow/Blue personality
I still really, really, like NKOTB

WHO TO TAG NEXT? Hmmm.... let's see...Penny, Lizzie, Emily, Cola, Hollie, and Mary S.

Dad's One-Hour Trip Home

Friday, right before Rosie and had to leave for the airport, David was done with an ortho appointment at TOSH. The driver from Aspen Ridge said that David could come to the house for a few minutes. He was overcome with joy, as he hasn't been to the house since a week before the accident. The wheelchair transfer was a little tricky, and required three of us to get him up the front steps and into the house.

Barbara was all smiles to have him home for a few minutes!

Mystic was more than happy to take an immediate perch on dad's leg. She's the only family member that hasn't seen him in 6 weeks, and was slunking around his leg and the wheelchair for the whole visit.


I'm so glad that I got to be there for David's first trip home. It's still going to be a long time (3-5 weeks before he can come home for good), but hopefully his drivers for future appointments will be gracious enough to let him visit the house occasionally.

The Van of Doom

This is the van that nearly ate David alive.

I finally got hold of some of the accident pictures. They are incredibly scary, and it's a miracle that all three men in the car survived. Pics courtesy of Ken Wooton.

I am so grateful to all those who stopped at the accident site to help David, Nathan, and Bruce out of the wreckage. It's a true blessing that their lives were spared.

Requiem for the Silver Bullet...a.k.a. Taylor's Lament

Last week, we decided to take Taylor's '97 Accord, the Silver Bullet, into the shop for a tune-up. It has been running rough for a few months, and was starting to be super noisy on the freeway. On Wednesday, Taylor got the word from the repair shop, saying that it would be approximately $7000 to fix all the problems. The engine was fouled up from a bad piston, and would need to be replaced. There were other issues with the electrical, exhaust, and spark plugs. With a diagnosis like that on an 11 year old car...we made the decision to let it gracefully "bite the dust."

Taylor loves the Silver Bullet. It has been his road mistress for the last year. It's driven from the Pacific Coast Highway in California, to the A1A in Florida. He passed within miles of the Mexico border, and up close to the Canada border. He got pulled over by a trooper in Texas for breaking the state speed limit. He upgraded the stereo this year, and had fixed the radiator and other systems recently. But even with all the hassle, it was worth it for the Silver Bullet.

This morning, Taylor and I IM'd back and forth with links to car websites for cars we liked. I found a 2002 Civic LX with low miles, within the price range we were looking. He went to the dealership, test drove it, loved it, and the dealer offered $1000 for the trade (on the pretty defunct car). He drove home with it today and it's his big "gift" for Valentines Day!

Here's our new car!

Crazy Impromptu Utah Blizzards!

When I told people I was moving to Michigan in the winter, everyone said "Oh, it's going to be so cold?" or "Do you know how to drive in snow?" I told them that I've lived in Utah and Idaho, so I was used to it. But after two years in California, I had become rusty on my winter driving skills. This has been a particularly snowy winter in Utah, and on the way back from a friend's house I got caught up in a blizzard. It was white out conditions, with about 7 inches of accumulation in 2 hours.


There was so much snow that I needed Shawn and Rosie to help me shovel the driveway in order to get the car up the driveway. 20 minutes of hard labor later...the car made it into the garage.

For those of you who ski and snowboard, you should definitely try to plan a trip out to the Greatest Snow on Earth. It's the greatest year to take advantage to it.

Scenes from Rehab

At the request of many of my blog readers, here are some updated pictures of my dad's recovery. You can read specifically about his progress at davidewatson.blogspot.com

Thanks to Grandma Joyce, here are a bunch of pictures from the past two weeks, both at IMC and Aspen Ridge rehab. Yesterday, he met with the prosthetist to start some of the initial fittings for his C-Leg. He has physical and occupational therapy everyday. He is able to eat just about anything, but his stomach shrunk so much from the feeding tube that he barely has an appetite. He has been working on an assisted slide transfer into the wheelchair, instead of the 6-step transfer that wore him out. He typically has his appointments in the morning, takes a nap after lunch, and then most of the visitors come in the evening.

With Grandma, Mary, and Jacob.

On the way to PT.

David and some of his coworkers from the A/V Department

With sister Laurie from Portland and Barbara

David's mom has been an amazing caregiver!

Rosie and I are so happy to visit David in such great shape!