Rain....finally

Well, the rain has FINALLY arrived. I thankfully sit next to a large window at work and I think it has rained consistently since about 10am this morning. No arguments here, though, from the gal whose house nearly burned to the ground and has been praying for rain since the fires....I just heard though that the residents of Modjeska and Silverado canyons, areas hit significantly by the fires, were evacuated today, this time because of RAIN! Those poor people...can't catch a break at all living out there...

Much more importantly, though, I would like to ask you all to pray for a dear friend of mine whose 37 week old baby boy was delivered stillborn this past weekend. She was a classmate of mine in nursing school. The strength of her faith has continually inspired mine and helped me through the toughest times of becoming a nurse. There will be a memorial this weekend at their home that Landon and I will attend.

The first thing she said to me once she told me was that God just took him straight to heaven…there are no right words to say, but I trust God is comforting her and her family at this time.

aloha
-e.m.y

Happy Turkey Day

Happy Turkey Day, friends!
If you are traveling this holiday season, be safe out there!

Aloha!

-'da Yosh fam

TGIF!!!!

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is next Thursday. We are headed to Santa Barbara with our family, with a possible stop in Solvang, and I'm really looking forward to it. Nalu's coming along too. I hope the weather cooperates. The Kamei fam used to venture to Solvang quite often when I was a kid, but Landon's never been there.

This year we are sending pictures to our patients that we case manage. The first pic is my entire case management department and the second is the pediatric team. =0)

















Aloha
-miko

Finally...no more CCM studying...

So I finally, finally, sat for the CCM (Certified Case Manager) exam today. It's a national exam, the passing of which (so I hear) will soon be required for all nurses working in the case management field. It is only administered 2x/year, in April, and October, and I had originally applied to sit for it this past April. Somehow the eligibility paperwork was screwed up and I had to wait until now to take it. Actually, it was supposed to be on October 27 but it was postponed because of the fires. I applied for the April 2007 exam over a year ago so, technically, I've been studying for this test for a year. A YEAR.

It's a 6 hour test, split into 2 sessions, 1 in the a.m. and 1 in the p.m. And, despite my year of studying, somehow, I'm not that confident about how I did. I'll say this, the test was harder than I expected and much of what I was tested on was NOT covered in the books or the prep class. This is a purely problem-solving / critical thinking test, for which memorization will do one no good. I went back after the exam and checked a few of the nagging questions I had in my mind against the study materials and Google, and I know there are some I just got flat out wrong, but at least there are some that I think I got right. The test is old school = SCANTRON and #2 pencil. And the only way one finds out how they did, is by receipt of a certification of passing in the mail 2 MONTHS after the test! Yikes! I don't know how I am going to wait that long. When I took the boards, I found out 3 days later that I had passed because it was available on the internet. Oh well, I'm just going to have to not think about it and hope for the best.

I am zonked. My brain is fried and my body is tired from hunching over a scantron in a tiny desk at San Diego State for 6 hours. Off to sleep.

Aloha,
miko

The aftermath...

I took my first ride in Santiago Canyon today. It’s been approximately 18 days since the fires were set, but the smoke and ash have cleared, thus, I felt it safe enough for my respiratory system and I to venture into the aftermath.

Santiago Canyon Road is a favorite of Orange County cyclists. The road has a generously wide bike lane on both sides and from El Toro Road, where it becomes Santiago Canyon, to the 241 Toll Road, there are no traffic signals. It’s a good 10-12 miles of freedom from stop and go traffic. At various points along the road there are off-shoots to Modjeska and Silverado canyon which are challenging for even advanced riders. From where we live, I can ride into the canyon, and all the way to Corona Del Mar, and back, if so desired. A friend and I did that ride once, and it took almost 4 hours. Thus, the reason why that’s been the only time I’ve done that. =0)

I will say this: no news coverage did justice to the amount of destruction that area suffered. It nearly took my breath away to see how expansive the charred areas are. Literally, on both sides of the road, the ground is charred beyond recognition. What were once beautiful rows of trees, are literally now, ash-black skeletons, sadly reduced to half or less than half of their original size. But, and here’s the most amazing part: the homes lining the canyons are beautifully intact. Unbelieveable. Of course, some further into the canyon, in parts of Modjeska and Silverado, did lose their homes, but along Santiago Canyon Road, amidst all the charred land, the homes are there. As though the fires purposely burned around the homes. There is a beautiful community up the road, called Santiago Canyon Estates, and when I rode past, I saw a fabulous sign. Had to share it with you all here.

A fire captain shared in an interview recently that our community was built with firefighter input. They built the homes where they did, and the way they did, based on elements such as the wind patterns and the hill structure. When I surveyed the damage near our home, I thought about this interview. And, now I can see, he is right. Not only did the fire appear to burn around the homes in the canyon, but if you were to come and see the effects of the fire where I live, you’ll see that somehow the fire burned right up to our complex, then around and back behind all the homes above us, as though it was purposely avoiding them, and burning just the canyon brush behind the homes. Incredible.

I wrote a letter to the fire department this week and will send it out with some pictures. There are posters and signs everywhere in our community thanking the firefighters. We even celebrated them at Saddleback Church last weekend, where, trust me, there was no dry eye in the house. Words will never be enough to describe the gratitude we have for all the firefighters and other law enforcement personnel who saved our homes and our lives, but at least, at the conclusion of the service, I had the opportunity to give hugs and say a simple “thank you” to them in person.

We heart firefighters.

Aloha
‘da Yosh Fam

My hot doggie

My baby....decked out in his hot dog costume. Wish there was a hat that came with it.

He was so good...managed to keep it on for most of the night. We took him out around the neighborhood to see all the kids and families. If we stayed home, we'd just have to suffer through him barking like crazy with every doorbell ring. Plus, this way, we all got some exercise.

One of my favorite people = Jen. Who provided the funniest moment of my life in a long time, when she revealed she had dressed up as me for Halloween...

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!