home sweet home

We finally moved into our home on January 26!  It's been so exciting to finally have our own space.  Lots of things have happened since the move -- I started my job as a critical care nurse at St. Anthony Hospital (or "Holy Tony's", as we call it) and Uncle Teng's family moved to Japan.  The picture to the left is of me and my baby cousin Eliana (seven weeks).  She was so snuggly and warm and adorable, as most babies are.

All the large appliances have finally been delivered to our home as well.  Up until last Friday we were using the mini-fridge from my college days.  It had no freezer and had the capacity to hold about two cartons of milk and one box of take-out.  The first thing Michael did after we got our fridge was buy a couple pints of Ben and Jerry's and a box of coconut popsicles.

At Holy Tony's I've been working 8-430 pm Monday through Friday, attending various classes with all the other staff members as we prepare to open up the hospital.  The first day we accept patients will be March 17th and we'll start our 12 hour shift work on March 1st.  Holy Tony's is doing a lot of innovative things with the culture of the hospital that differs from the other Franciscan hospitals I've worked in, including making the nurses wear specific color scrubs.  Goodbye, fun Hawaiian print tops.  Hello, navy blue.

Last Saturday was Valentine's Day and Michael's birthday, which we celebrated by going to Bellevue early in the morning so I could take a PCCN certification exam for work, which I promptly flunked by four measly points.  Admittedly, I didn't study very much and now know that I suck at the endocrine system.  I'll take it again in a couple of months, maybe I'll pass the second time around.  :)  After the test we went to Crate and Barrel single-handedly stimulated the economy, buying a couch, two stools, a duvet cover, and kitchen paraphernalia.  I can't wait until the craft room and guest room are finished!  Later on in the evening, Michael's family came over.  Kae brought a homemade red velvet cake, Michael's traditional birthday cake.  It was oishii!  Mikki and the kids came over too, with Matthew hobbling in on crutches.  It was good to see everyone enjoying each others' company.