Seattle Space Needle

Since we were planning on leaving Washington forever we took one of our last chances to head to Seattle to see the Space Needle and check out the Museum of Science Fiction!

 

 

This is a view of the Water from the Space Needle. When we got to the top we were able to check out the history of the Space Needle as well as a comparison of just how tall it was. The builders/designers of the Space Needle overcame many odds as they attempted to get it finished in time for the World Fair. They even found it challenging to get loans as most lenders did not believe it was worth investing in. Before the World Fair was finished the loan was paid off!

 

This second view is the Seattle skyline from the Needle. They have added on a Sky line area in recent years that is rented out for special occasions.

 

This is Corey as he is getting ready to leave the parking lot of the Seattle Center and head to the needle. The "Seattle Center" is literally in the center of Seattle where the World Fair was and consists of a few museums, the Space Needle and even a little amusement park for kids. I am sure it is more fun in warm weather (things were kind of shut down when we were there.)

The Museum of Science Fiction is connected to the Experience the Music Project. Unfortunately we ran out of time before we could thoroughly check out the second museum... but the first one rocked! We learned quite a bit about Sci-Fi... which includes ET, War of the Worlds, Star Trek, 1984 and of course Star Wars! It had many books and artifacts from TV/Movies. It explained about Sci-Fi... that it is about asking the question of "What if?"... and goes from there. The Science Fiction Museum is designed around the Light Rail, so from the right angle the museum has a very modern looking train going through the middle of it. That angle also has the Space Needle in the background. Needless to say I was impressed!

Seatlle... All Saint's Day

We went to Seattle for a short trip after Mass. It was a challenge trying to find our way around Seattle, and to get out in time as to not get stuck in traffic (3pm!) After getting lost we finally found our way to the piers and to some parking.

 

This pic was taken at one of the piers, it is of Ivar the fisherman feeding the Sea Gulls (which are all over the place.) It is in front of Ivar's Acres of Clam on Pier 54 and has been there since 1938... we ate there for lunch and it was great.

 

This is a Fire Department boat, we are assuming it was making sure that it was in opperating condition. I showed this pic to my co-workers and some of them laughed since I have never seen anything like it. Even with 10,000 lakes in Minnesota we have no need for a Fire Boat! (Unless you count the ones that are used my the Sherrif's department... but that doesn't put out fires.)

 

At one of the corners of Pike's Market one can find the piggy bank which allows people to put change in to support the Market. Behind me is one of the vendor's at the market. It was interesting, but we weren't that impressed. Perhaps it is because we are used to things like Arts in the Park...

 

These vehicles are lined up to take a ferry to an island. We watched as several vehicles got off the boat (it seemed unending), and then more boarded. The top of the ferry can hold several walk on passengers.

Tacoma Museum of Glass

I finally have two days off in a row... so we planned on going to Seattle today, but since we didn't get up early enough (surprise!) we went to Tacoma to check out the Glass Museum. It was pretty impressive as we not only got to see different pieces of glass, we also watched a few movies on the history of glass making and watched an artist and team blow a glass creation.

 

The large silver cone is the "Hot spot" workshop, where they have visiting artist creating glass pieces for visitors to observe. Some blow glass while others create sculptures. It depends on who is the artist for the day/week. The Bridge of Glass connects the glass museum to the Washington Museum of History.

 

The first section has a wall with different works of blown glass on display. I can't imagine what the cost of the display must be... one of the pieces of that size and character in the Museum Gift Shop was priced at over $1,000.

 

In the middle were these two "Crystal Towers". I think they are suppose to resemble lights (although the bridge is not lit up or even open past dusk. The Big squares of glass were rather large and impressive. It was so big that Corey could walk underneath the towers with room to spare.

 

The last part of the bridge had different pieces of glass in the ceiling. It appears that they are set in to the ceiling and layered for a very interesting look. The pictures turned out pretty good, but they were much more impressive in person.

Tomorrow we head to Pike's Market Place in Seattle... I'll let you know how that goes!

Mt. Rainier

So today I got a day off... and the weather was perfect! (The best so far... warm, no rain and clear!) So we headed to Mt. Rainier National Park for the day. It is about 45 miles from our apartment, and even though the Mountain can be seen for miles, often the clouds prevent a good view of it. We were able to get quite a few very cool pictures, but due to space I cannot post all of them. I talked to Martha tonight and she informed me that I needed to do a better job keeping up with this blog site... so I will try!

 

We got to go hiking and see a few of the old growth trees. Many were destroyed in a mudslide (or Lahar) in 1945... so a new forest has grown up around them and the old one is rotting away. The mud covered up the roots so deep that the trees could not survive. We went climbing down in what appeared to be where the glaciers and spring time thaw runs through the mountain. At this time of year we only saw a little trickle and many trees and rocks to try and climb over. In the background is the top of Mt Rainier at over 14,000 ft.

 

After we met someone from Pierz Minnesota (his grandparents happen to be friends and neighbors with mine... what a small world!) we headed to Narada Falls. It was a little tricky getting there since it has already snowed. However, the warm temperature melted some of it, so the falls was raging and we carefully made it down to a great viewing spot. The rainbow comes from the angle (I had to subject our camera to the mist... and after two pictures the lens was so wet I could not take anymore.) Corey didn't think the rainbow would turn out, but I think it looks pretty good!

 

When we were standing by the railing the wind from the water fall and the mist made us feel like we were at that ride at Valley Fair. You know the one where you stand on the bridge and wait for the water to come. It was a weird sensation, we felt like we were going to fall... but we didn't. The trip back up was a little treacherous, but the view was worth it.

 

We were not able to get all up to the highest point that is accessible by road since snow has already closed down some roads. We did make it up to the last visitor's center open where we found a bunch of people taking in the view (and feeding the birds.) One lady found this fox hiding in the trees, a bunch of us were trying to get his picture... with out much luck. Finally, he decided to come out of hiding and got up fairly close to the people... that is what happens when people don't read signs and decide to feed the wildlife (pretty soon the wildlife is not afraid of the people).

Letting Go...

We are back in Washington after a refreshing weekend in Minnesota. We came home for my cousin Nick's wedding... and had the chance to catch up with some people (mostly family and a few old friends.) I also finally got the chance to clean up the house a little. We have had a few challenging weeks trying to adjust out here in Washington. The paperwork and other things that come with moving and starting a new job hasn't been much fun. But at last things are turning around and we are getting settled. Traveling nursing is a lifestyle, and consequently takes a little adjusting! I also realized that since I never left home to go to college (I have only moved once... and that was to my own house), a lot of my challenges with adjusting come from "leaving home" and trying to let go. Living in an apartment takes a little getting used to (hearing other people flush their toilets, wash their clothes and needing to have volume control!)

 

Coming home we got the chance to see family, which is always a pleasure. Marina is growing up so fast. Mom and Martha brought her outside to the large Maple tree in the back yard and taught her how to run into the pile! It was really fun to see her go. She is quite the character with her laughter and contagious smile. She is going to be a great big sister. (Only a few more months left to go.)

 

With a face like that (and a matching personality) what's not to love about her! It is wonderful to us that she recognizes family and is very flexible when being passed around from one to another. She knows my mom and Martha very well... which can be a challenge in church when they are ushering or being Eucharistic Ministers... Marina spots them up front and wants to join them! It is kind of funny, unless you are the one holding her and trying to keep her quiet. She also loves phones and purses... she seems to have an internal radar that can detect open purses or cell phones left around... she disappears and in a few moments can be found wondering around the house with her new treasures! Of course we laugh at her, and then she laughs back. She is such an adorable little person.

 

I found my notes from our Honeymoon and our Pope pictures at home... I will go back and add in the missing dates in case any one wants to see more from our honeymoon. I am not sure how many days that will take, but it is on my agenda.

Oktoberfest

We didn't make it to the Puyallup fair... but we did go to the Oktoberfest that is held at the fairgrounds. Funny how we went to Berlin and couldn't find any German food... guess we had to go all the way to Washington to get some! We spent a few hours hanging out, eating Weinersnitzel and listening to German polka music before I headed off to work.

 

This lady was in a swing that was hanging from the ceiling. They used a lift to get her on the swing and then she is belted in. It was interesting... I am not sure that I would want that job!

 

This was a family of singers/musicians. The dad played the Accordion, the mom on the keyboard... and their three daughters also played different instruments (the clarinet, violin and the bells). They had terrific harmony. The drummer, trumpet and guitar players were friends of the family. We really enjoyed listening to them.

 

During one of the songs these dancers got up and starting waltzing. It was great to watch them in their traditional costumes. The room was decorated with the German flag and banners of Red, Gold and Black. Another building had a Scandinavian festival going on. That one was mostly crafts, a smaller stage for music and some food. We saw two different Beer Gardens, but being that I had to work... we passed on the beer!

One week down...

We arrived in Puyallap (Pew-all-up) one week ago... and it has been an interesting week! I am now starting to feel as if we are settled in. (It is much easier to clean this apartment than to clean up the house.) We found a church a few miles away (and have managed to locate it twice now!) We have also located a grocery store with reasonable prices, and I have put in a few shifts at work! Corey has gotten the internet, cable and a land line up and running (which is a life saver with all of our phone calls since our cell phones don't work in the apartment very well.) The only problem is that I am struggling with my HGTV addiction... I might be able to get the outside of the house and yard designed by the time we get back home again!

I have only worked two shifts at the hospital. I am doing 8 hour evenings (which is what I am used to), but I am working 5 days a week (instead of the original 12 hr shifts 3 days a week)... which is going to cut into our travel time. I am working on a surgical unit and I can already tell that I will be gaining quite a bit of experience with new things. The staff is very friendly and helpful... and my anxiety level is starting to taper off! I will post more pics and info on what we are up to later. Take care!

Mt Rushmore

We made it to Mount Rushmore. It is a very beautiful and large monument! Gutzon Borglum started carving it when he was 60 (along with help from many unskilled local men.) He died before it was completed and his son Lincoln worked a meare six more months before deaming it done (even though his father intended it to be bigger). It was started in the 1920's and completed 14 years later in 1941 (with the start of the war funding could not be found). We went to the visitor center/museum before we headed to Mt Rushmore where we learned quite a bit about the Borglum story. It was quite fascinating.

 

The union of these four presidents carved on the face of the everlasting hills of South Dakota will consitute a distinctly national monument. It will be decidedly American in its conception, in its magnitude, in its meaning and altogether worthy of our country. From dedication address by President Calivin Coolidge - 1927

 

A monument's dimensions should be determined by the importance to civilization of the events commemorated....let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can....our leaders, their faces, to show posterity what manner of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and the rain alone shall wear them away. Gutzon Borglum -1930

 

 

Rapid City, SD

We have made it over 700 miles today, and are resting our heads in Rapid City, South Dakota! Today's adventures included a trip to Owatonna to visit Corey's grandparents... and a long trek across South Dakota. Tomorrow we will head down to Mt. Rushmore and then over thru Wyoming and spending the night in Montana (even though Corey is not so found of that state...) After spending way too much time trying to get this internet up and running (we finally had to get another room)... I am ready to hit the sack... We are hoping to be in our apartment by Saturday night, as I report to work Monday morning. The good news is that we gain a few hours on our trek west. The not so fun news is remembering on our long car ride today all of things that we forgot! Thankfully many of them can be picked up at Target when we get there... the rest we will have to either get in October on our weekend visit home, or do without!

Papal Pics

Here are a few pics from our day with the Holy Father... we have the pics of us with him (but atlas I do not have a scanner with me... so they will have to be posted later.) I will be adding more later also. Hope you enjoy a few photos of our trip. We are able to use our laptop at this point, but the server is coming up in German... so it is still a challenge! Oh, the joys of going over seas.

Papal Blessing...

Today we got up extra early (5:30 to be exact), to get dressed for our audience with the Holy Father. When we went to get the tickets yesterday we were told that he does not greet each couple individualy as JPII did, and the time has been extended to one year instead of two months. So we got a taxi this morning and arrived at St. Peters at 7:15... the gates were to open at 8, with the audience starting at 10. It was cool and windy this morning and my veil went flying through the crowd... someone caught it and Corey had to go running after it to get it back. I paid a little more attention to it after that. Getting in was a mad rush (like it usually is when going to see the Pope... everyone wants to be close.) We were seated in a special section on the stage for the newly weds. I think there were about 40 couples. We were in the third row (so I figured there was no chance that we would get close enough to Pope Benedict). Thankfully Corey is tall enough to get some good pictures... and he is getting very good at using our camera also! The weekly catechesis was from the Gospel of Matthew talking about loving our enemies. Of course the Gospel reading and Catechesis took over an hour as it was done in about 6 different languages. (And we had some German bands playing short songs for the Pope.) Afterwards he did the Papal Blessing... extending it to those family members not present (especially the sick and children.) He then started to go through a row of important people before he headed to the newly wed section. We were trying to get close (but for those who have been there before, you will remember all of the guards that are watching your every move... so I was not having much success, plus I did not want to be close if Corey was not there with me.) We got some great pictures being in the next row back (we managed to get a little closer...) Then the guard moved so we could get against the side barricade. I was going to take a picture since I thought Pope Benedict was leaving once he got to the end of the row, but the guard signalled me to get the camera down... and there he was. In front of us. I think we are still both shaking a little. We had maybe 30 seconds each, to look at him, and kiss his Papal Ring... and then he moved on. It was awesome! And really too much to put into words. Definately the highlight of our trip. We were the seventh couple... he met three more, and then was gone again. Tomorrow we are going to look at the professional pictures that were taken and order some of them. From there we took the bus back to the hotel to take a nap for awhile (this getting up early stuff is hard on us!) Then it was off to Mc Donalds again... and the internet. I think I have had more fast food, pizza and pop on this trip then I have had in the last year!

My internet time will be much more sparse the rest of the trip... it at all. I will add the pictures and the missing days when we return. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as you are in ours. God Bless, and take care.

St. Mary Major

Sunday... a day of rest. After getting up for breakfast, we took the Metro to St. Mary Majors for Mass. We went at noon so we could check out the church afterwards. It is very beautiful (lots of Gold)! We spent some time at St. Peters square where a bird pooped on Coreys school notes and the computer bag. I got some postcards written for our grandparents and parents.... but I will have to wait until tomorrow to send them. Many things are closed here on Sunday (which is good that they observe the Sabath... but gets annoying as an American who is used to everything being open.) We did get some Gelati for lunch (more concerned about the school work than eating right now.) I am starting to realize how many things at home I take for granted.... AC, internet, car, cell phone, food, things being open, 24 hour service. These blog entries may start to slow down now that Corey is done with school for a few weeks (this last week has been more than a pain in the neck... but at least he has been able to get the next two weeks off.)

The Time Elevator...

Todays goal was to check out the internet place (get Coreys school work done) and then go to the Time Elevator. After breakfast we took the bus to St. Peters and sat in the shade of the arms surrounding the square for while. The lines were very long (making us grateful that we are here long enough to wait out the weekend crowds. When we got to the internet place we realized how nice it would be to be able to read the signs (to know when they would be open). A police officer told us 1500, so we decided to head to the time machine. Walking by the Vatican musuem we saw even longer lines (it was about 10am), & for those who have been to Rome the line for the museum was almost to the entrance point of Vatican city (where the Swiss guards in blue guard the gate). I was shocked, and very grateful that we are going next week when people are working. We did a little window shopping on the way, got a few postcards and made mental notes of what we might want later. We are getting better at this metro thing and managed to find our way back to the Trevi Fountain (I did have to chuckle when I realized that the skeleton church and Hard Rock are pretty close to the Metro!) We did find the North American College and US Bishops Office (which of course was closed). However, now we know where to pick up our tickets to see the Pope next week. When we got close to the Time Elevator I realized how close we were to Victor Emmanual II monument (seems the map makes things look farther away then they really are...) The Time Elevator presentation was really cool and gave us a little more history about Rome. It started with Romulas and Remas, then went to Julius Cesar, Emperor Nero burning down Rome to build more monuments, the Coliseum, Christianity coming to Rome and a few more interesting things. It lasted about 45 minutes and was on one of those rides where you sit in the chairs, and it moves you around (reminded me of Walt Disney World.) We were so close to the Pantheon that we kept on going. It is now a beautiful Basilica. From there we stoped at San Maria in Minerva where much to my surprise was the body of St. Catherine is kept (her head is on display in Sienna). She was responsible for bringing the Pope back to Rome from Avigna, France... and is also the patron Saint of Nurses. While her body is incorupt... it is not on display (as they have split her relic in peices... part in Rome and part in Sienna. From there we walk back to Metro and back to the internet place only to discover that it was not open (even though the sign said so), we waited for an hour and decided to take the bus back... So Corey got on the internet by Mc Donalds, while I attempted to find a flash drive (unfortunately mine are all in my other computer bag on a chair in the dining room at home). I did not have any luck finding a flash drive, but I did find the Grocery Store! With all of that excitement we went back to hotel to admire the empty pool (too bad it does not have water in it!) One thing is for sure, we are definately getting a work out on this trip with all of the walking! Corey made the comment a few days ago that while camp made it difficult to prepare in terms of packing (and we are paying for that now...) it did prepare us in terms of walking. Although we are still very tired when we get back to the hotel at night. Corey thought we could try another way back to the internet place and restaurants tonight... turned out to be longer (but we found another internet site if we need one!) For supper we went to the Pizzaria down the street from the internet, the food was great... but they did not speak English, and that made Corey pretty frustrated.

Shutting off the AC!?!?!?!

Sleeping in... well almost. We had to get up at 8 to eat breakfast (with the cost of food we can not afford to miss our continental breakfast!) The fan helped the AC out immensely and since we were so tired from walking and going to bed later, we thought we would sleep some more. We woke up at 1 to discover the AC was not working anymore, so we decided to get out of the room and find out the problem. The guy at the front desk informed us the AC is shut off from 10-3 everyday since no one is in the hotel room (as he pointed at all of the keys behind them.) We have to turn in our key everytime we leave the hotel. I guess that is another incentive to get up early.... So we headed to our bus stop (we are getting better at getting around.) We were on the bus and waiting for our stop, just after the door closed at this one stop Corey said that we should get off on that stop sometime... I decided to look closer and realized that was our stop! So we got off at the next one. For lunch we ate outside a little cafe on the street in front of St. Peters... I had pizza and Corey had lasagna (umm... it was good.) And as a side note, they only take Visa. This credit card stuff can get to be annoying (it is nice to get the best exchange rate and know they are being honest... but most places do not take Discover.) Being that close we headed to St. Peters for the rest of the afternoon. It seemed that the lines in front of the Basilica were pretty short... until we got closer and realized that now everyone has to go through a metal detector to get in. (Guess the "War of Terrorism" has streched all the way to the Vatican!) The metal detector was kind of funny though. People were beeping and the guy on the other end with the wand kept talking on his cell phone (seems that is a favorite passtime of the police around here!) The bag check guy was also looking up several times as the bags wizzed through the machine. Inside we checked out the church; new things have been added since I have been there last. Corey got to see his first Incorruptible... we also went to the Basilica museum (I do not think I have ever seen so much gold and diamonds in one place!) After that we took the bus back to the internet place to do some homework (for Corey). We saw some people riding bicycles that managed to stay ahead of the bus (granted we were making stops and stuck in traffic sometimes... but it was kind of funny.) For dinner we found a little restaurant across the street. We shared Bruschettà and I had a ham & cheese Calzone. Corey ordered "what those people are eating". He found out afterwards that it was Swordfish... I think the side was eggplant and tomatoes. He thought it was very good (I tried the Swordfish and tomatoes... but not the eggplant!)

Hard Rock, Roman Forum & Dinner Cruise

Today was a much wiser day for us (we did learn a few things...) We had a two day pass for a "Hop-on" "Hop-off" Tour. Yesterday we went around once, and today we did the tourist thing of getting off. So far we have managed to eat at Mc Donalds and the Hard Rock! It helped us feel better (we needed a few comfort foods while we were adjusting!) For a few hours today we felt like we were back in America as we listen to music videos at the Hard Rock and got to see an English Menu! The waiters even spoke to us in English... wow, it felt great. We have not been in many churches yet as we went to the stops on our tour that were not easily accessible via the Metro (we are trying to keep things as easy as possible in the future so as to not get lost again.) This included the "Skeleton" Church (or I think more properly referred to as the Capuchian church). We also spent time at the Trevi Fountain and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (it is a huge monument... sometimes refered to as the Typewritter monument or better know as Victor Emanuel II.) We checked out the museum and saw some pretty awesome sites. From there we went to the Roman Forum (which is much bigger than it was 7 years ago... they have exavated quite a large area). We saw the place were Peter and Paul were in chains (and then escaped.) Next we went by the Coliseum, and then got back on the bus to head to find the Internet place from yesterday (we have been to three different ones to try and decide which one will work best.) This is the only one with PowerPoint... but it is in Italian! We shall see how much Corey and I can remember from using our English version (thank goodness I have also done my share of those!) It is better than nothing. We also picked up a small fan... this AC just does not cut it. The temp is 35 degrees C... not sure what that is in F, except it was 26C in Los Angelas today. It sprinkled off and on, and the breeze helped it out a little. The dinner cruise was also interesting. We sat by a couple from Mexico who were also on their Honeymoon (and also thought Rome to be very confusing. Imagine that!) It was a four course meal, which was fine (but nothing we would make again at home... or order at a restaurant). We saw homeless people on the banks of the River sleeping in tents under the bridges, and grafiti all over the walls of the embankment. There was also some carnival going on so we saw some tents and people playing games. It was ok, but not exactly what we were envisioning. Corey even thought the boat was scraping the bottom of the river a few times, but we did not get stuck. Getting home was another great adventure. We were a little braver, and did make it. However, we were a little off on our bus stop, and then managed to get on a bus that parked for 20 minutes. That was interesting since we did not have a clue where we were! We got back about 12:30 am... and decided that tomorrow would be a day to take it easy, and sleep in!

Eternal City...

We made it! After way too many hours of traveling (and missing night in the time zone change), we slept the rest of Tuesday to wake to an interesting city. We are both feeling out of place as we try to maneuver a foreign city with a definate language barrier! We have now become those annoying people who do not know the language. We have found the roads to be quite challenging, and even getting back to the hotel the first time very difficult (despite having two maps... which were both a little confusing!) I think tomorrow will be a better day! Even trying to post this is a challenge as we are in an internet place, all the words on the screen are in Italian... and the keys are a little different then what I am used to (I am glad that I check my email and blog site enough at home that I know my way around the sites!) Once we figure out the rules and a few norms of this place we will be fine. A little more sleep might be nice also. What does not kill us will make a stronger, right? We are scheduled for an audience with Pope Benedict on September 5th... so please continue to keep us in your prayers that all will go well. Due to many technical difficulties I am not sure I will be able to post very often or to post any pictures until we get home.

OmniPod

One of the things I love about Camp is the chance to hang out with Endocrinologists, Fellows, Residents, Med Students, Diabetes Educators and Reps from different Pump Companies. It gives me a chance to get the inside scoop on what is going on in the world of diabetes (as well as their opinions... all of which are different!) This week I got to try out an OmniPod (www.omnipod.com) for a few days. It is a "cordless" insulin pump. There are some really cool things about it (like not being attached to a device, & always being connected.) Some downs sides is that it is easy to forget the programming part of the pump & the pod is larger than than the insertion site of a regular pump. The OmniPod also holds only 200 units of insulin when a few other pumps hold over 300. The insertion part was really nice (it didn't hurt at all!) The pod is programmed to give a set amount of insulin all the time (even without the handheld device in range... & then when you want to change that program or take more insulin one just needs to have the device within a foot of the Pod.) The Pod deactivates after 72 hours (with an extra 8 hour window) for safety... so people can't wear their sites longer than recommended. The large size of the adhesive is suppose to keep it from coming off... however I had to remove mine after two days because the adhesive pulled off enough that the tubing kinked. I could probably fix that problem with placing a tegaderm under the site for more stability (that is what I did with my first pump.) The OmniPod has been out for two years on the East Coast & is just now spreading across the US, they are still a small companies (& most employees have diabetes). Comparred to MiniMed which is huge & has the largest market share of pump wearers.

How did I like it? I thought it was a cool idea. It was nice to not have my pump around my waist or deal with tubing (while changing, going to the bathroom, showering, etc.) On the flip side the Pod could be a challenge to hide under some clothing, & should an individual need more than 200 units in 3 days, it could get expensive. The OmniPod is about $1,000 up front with the sensors costing about $340 a month... compared to a traditional pump being over $6,000 with monthly supplies in $100's. Over a period of four years (which the warranty for all pumps) the expensive is suppose to even out... with the costs being more spread out throughout the life of the pump instead of all up front. The Pod is water proof, but the handheld device is not. My Deltec insulin pump right now is waterproof (www.cozmore.com) ... but none of the others on the market are. OmniPod is hoping in the future to have the cannula on one end dispensing insulin and a sensor on the other monitoring interstitial fluid for a continuous blood sugar feedback. Both would be controlled with the cordless monitor. Sounds kind of cool to me. However, in diabetes language it could be right around the corner... or forever away. As Dr. Mike would say "five years" means they don't have a clue and it could be many years! With so many companies competing to come out on top and have the next best thing... the technology used to treat diabetes is exploding (which is great for us with diabetes!)

The other cool thing around camp is the sensor that goes with the MiniMed pump. A few of the docs are wearing it... some who love it, & some who have tried it & think it will take more time to get perfected. Almost all of the pump companies are working on having sensors to go with their pumps (some are in FDA approval & some have not gotten that far yet.) In a few years I am sure that the selection of products will be much more sophisticated than now. The other issue is that most insurance companies are not willing to pay for the sensors at this time (those that are paying... their customers are wearing the sensors, and really liking them.) The two companies that have sensors are MiniMed (www.minimed.com) and DexCom (www.dexcom.com) . Two nights ago it was kind of funny as Molly's sensor kept going off (she was low), but know one really knew who's pump or sensor it was (since a few of us were trying out different pumps that we were used to, & Molly just got her sensor!) By the time my warrenty runs out on this pump (a year from October) there should be a much better selection. I would think that a few more companies will be on board with the sensors and the ones that are out will be more perfected.

Dr. Mike has been a Peds Endocrinologist at the IDC for years (I think this might be his 30th year at camp), as he is getting closer to retirement it is very interesting to get his perspective on things. He made the comment that the more we find out about Chronic Illnesses (like Diabetes) the more we realize just how complex they are. That perhaps our idea of two types of diabetes will very soon be replaced with the concept that each individual has a much different disease (we can no longer do one regimen fits all...) This is already happening at the forefront of diabetes. Unfortunately we still have many doctors who are living in the dark ages...

Session 2 Needlepoint...

I had the trailblazers girls again this week. We got to go on our overnight on Tuesday this week instead of Thursday!

I met Morgan Rohr last week in the health office when she was a CIT (and I couldn't resist asking if she might be related to the Rohrs in Brainerd.) I was surprised when she said Steph was her aunt! It is such a small world. Well, the world got smaller when I was assigned to her Trailblazers this week. She is an awesome kid... & I have enjoyed hanging out with her & her cabin group. She texted her mom to let her know she ran into me... and it turns out her brother is staying at the Heinze's this week (Steph and her husband). It is all kind of funny to me. Morgan thought I looked familiar... turns out she remembers me from taking pics at Steph & Loren's wedding!

So our granola melted & looked pretty nasty! Morgan thought it looked like a turd, but it tasted pretty good. The girls were a little reluctant to try it, but that just meant more for us.

This was our little village in the woods. We had 10 tents out by the horses. It was kind of neat because they weren't visible from outside the woods... you had to walk in a ways to see them. Everything was still wet from the rain that we have been getting, so the trail staff brought out dry logs and fire starters (which were great!) It started to rain after two of three cabins had their food done. Luckily it didn't rain for long (we were able to finish the food for the last group.)

The rainbow afterwards was pretty cool though!

Washington State...

Here are a few pictures from trail last night. I was the nurse for the trailblazer girls and we spent the night on the beach. Two of the counselors and I slept out under the stars. It was beautiful... but I was unable to get any good night pics without my tripod. First week of Camp will be finished tomorrow, and Corey will be going home. I however, have one more week of camp left before we head to Europe.

It appears that we will be headed to Washington State for our first assignment (starting September 24th). We have to finish up on the details, and the contract isn't signed yet... however, it will be shortly. The city is Puyallup, Washington. The city Website is: http://www.cityofpuyallup.org/ Their population is 33,011 people. It is located at the foot of Mount Rainier in Pudget Sound, about 10 miles East of Tacoma, 20 miles North of Olympia & 35 miles South of Seattle. I will be working at Good Samaritan Hospital 12 hour evening shifts (11-11:30). The hospital is a not-for-profit, 225 bed JCAHO certified facility with over 300 physicians. If you are curious their website is : http://www.goodsamhealth.org/

We will keep you updated! Take care.

Camp Needlepoint

Here we are at my beloved Camp Needlepoint! It is the first of two weeks, & we are celebrating 50 years of camping with diabetes. I think that is awesome... we have a couple hundred campers each week, most of which are on insulin pumps. The kids range in age from 8-17, & do a variety of activities. (Swimming, sailing, cannoeing trips, kayaking, horseback riding, rock climbing... & the list goes on.) I am here for two weeks as part of the medical staff, & Corey is here the first week. He is a counselor for the trailblazers! He is in charge of ten (10 & 11 yr old) boys, along with his two co-counselors Shampoo & Levi! I think they have their work cut out for them. For those who have heard of the treacherous "Beach Path"... Corey having fully experienced it, now believes that I wasn't just being a complainer when I said it was tough to go up! It is definatly one of those things that one must experience first hand to understand.

Opening campfire found Corey somehow the center of the Trailblazer counselors' skit (he said they told him to do as he was told, as he they were a little challenged at getting organized). I missed half of it as the medical staff was a little slow at getting to campfire (we couldn't decide what to do either.) He was working on his spitting for the skit (I think he was just pretending!) That is about all I can figure out (I don't remember the whole skit though... since most of the time they seem to recycle the same ones every year.)

They were however more prepared then us... on the way to the front, a little surprised (& unprepared Medical Staff) decided on Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer... since we never get to sing Christmas songs at camp! It went over pretty good. Not sure if the kids really liked Rudolph... or if we got away with it because of who we were.

Here they are getting ready for a rowdy all camp game of Capture the Flag. Corey's cabin was on the blue team (as you can tell by the face paint). The real chaos didn't start until later when the Major Thunderstorms and Straight Line winds came through camp. I had the "privilege" of being the one to spend the night in the Medical Center... & hence greet everyone in the basement of the dining hall when the Sirens went off. A few male counselors got chosen to entertain the campers in the large room that felt like a sauna (my glasses fogged up when I walked in!) Finally a little after midnight the campers went back to their cabin...