I am very sad to report that I have lost my camera! Thus ends (temporarily) my success at accomplishing my goal of taking a picture a day. I figure I'll buy a new camera soon, but until then, it's plagarizing for me. I've downloaded a few pictures off the internet just to add a little color and variety to my weekly blog.

Monday: Sardines outside in the dark and Mexican train. Lots of fun!






Tuesday: shopping! Needed a new purse cuz my strap broke and a baby gift for a shower tomorrow.




Wednesday: Baby shower for Steph, a nurse on my unit.
Has anybody else ever had cumcumber water before? I've been told it's "all the rage" but I have never heard of it until we had it at this shower. It was very tasty - great for a refreshing day! I would highly recommend it! Just slice a cucumber and let it soak in a pitcher of cold water. I think some people add lime, but I thought it was good just on its own, too.
It was probably good for our staff to get together to have a little fun. We've had more than half our nursing staff quit in the past month, and our last staff satisfaction survey were absolutely horrible. Hopefully management will be able to turn things around soon! That reminds me, I love faulty interpretations! (hang in there, you'll get the connection soon). We had a going away party for our clinic interpreter on Friday as well, who also quit. Somebody hung up large banners saying "we will miss you in English" and, since her native language is Spanish, attempted to translate it into Spanish. However, the signs stated "you will be lost" instead, with brought quite a few laughs. Much funnier, we also recently posted flyers for SIBS day, which is an event we are hosting in a couple of weeks to support siblings of patients with chronic illness and/or disabilities. Our flyer, which we send all over the community, describes the purpose and activities of the day. However, in the Spanish translation, somehow the word "ninos" (meaning children) was replaced with "burros" (donkeys for all you non-spanish speaking people) in a large portion of the flyer - therefore, stating that we would, through games and activities, support their donkeys in learning new coping methods, encourage their donkeys to express their thoughts and feelings, and provide an opportunity for donkeys in similar situations to interact together. Fortunately, we caught the error just before sending it to the press. Last year, we spent a whole year with an advertisment in my clinic for a "colors of courage" program in which patients recieve beads for every hospital experience they have - a type of visual journal and a way for people to see their accomplishments and record their process. The spanish translation was written by our interpreter, who is from Columbia. She used the correct word for Courage in South and central America, which is "coraje". However, it turns out that in parts of Mexico, that word does not mean courage at all, but instead "temper tantrums". Finally, one of our patients' parents expressed her confusion as to why we were giving out beads to children for having temper tantrums. The signs were changed promptly. Does anybody else have any good translation stories to share?
Thursday: stopped by my garden to weed and pick up a half ton of tomatoes, and then the coffee shop. My menu for the week includes tomato sandwiches, tuna and tomato, BLT's, tacos with tomatoes, salads with tomatoes, chicken and tomato pizza, and maybe homemade salsa if I get around to it. Cherry tomatoes on the side with every dish. I was pleased to see that my popcorn has fertilized, which means I should get a good popcorn crop, if all continues to go well. I am excited!
Friday: movie - 500 days of summer. Rating: B. Kind of clever layout, got several chuckles out of me, unusual ending, not your average romantic comedy.



Saturday and Sunday: annual church campout. They've been doing this for almost 30 years, and almost our entire church comes out. I like it because you can really see the family dynamic of our church. We have 3 women in our congregation expecting right now, and it's interesting to hear the stories from the items they collect. Many of the items have a 18 year history circulating through all of the kids in our church. When I first stared going to Mountain Springs, it took me months to figure out which kids went to which family, since they all seem to relate to each other like aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Here's a picture of a good portion of our congregation, gathering together for our Sunday service.
I learned something new this campout as well: When toasting marshmallows/smores, but the piece of chocolate inside the marshmallow after it is toasted for a extra yummy, gooey treat!
Monday: Another pool party! This makes the 3rd weekend in a row that I've spent all day in my swimsuit! Yay for last minutes summer parties!