It took two and a half days to drive from NM to WA. Fortunately my mom was able to come with me so I didn't have to bear it alone. The drive wasn't too bad actually. We saw a lot of pretty country along the way....Utah, Idaho, Oregon. Once we arrived my apartment was ready with all my furniture already here. That gave us time to explore the area for a few days before mom caught a flight home. We were able to see the Everett Marina, close to where my hospital is located, we visited a light house, the Space Needle and even had brunch in the rotating restaurant! We also got to visit Pike Place Market...that was fun. It was nice to have family here for my first few days and to have a buddy to sight see with. Last weekend I took my first ever ferry ride to a little island called Whidbey. It was beautiful!! I drove the whole island and took in as much as I could. The weather has been really nice this past week especially.
Before I left NM I had googled some churches in this area and found one that seemed really good. Mom and I visited that church the first Sunday we got in and really liked it. I've been one other week since then and even got signed up for a life group. Everybody is really nice, but it's hard to make new friends. I'm praying this group will be a good connection for me. So please be praying for that.
Work......well lots to say about work. My hospital is amazingly nice. It's a very large hospital and has recently (in the last 2 years) added a new tower in which my department is currently located. That means lots of nice updated technology!! There are 12 levels, 10 above ground. The view is amazing....to the West you look over the marina and ocean, to the North you see Mount Baker/Canadian border, to the East the Cascade mountains and just farther South Mount Rainier. You don't get those views everyday depending on the clouds but this week I saw them all!
Here is the Marina view
This is the front of my hospital...the new tower
The staff in the hospital is very nice. They have been very helpful and kind to me so far. My first day I did half day orientation and half day hanging out in the department. Things are different here. The computer/medical chart system they use is new and I've never been on it before. I'm still learning all it does but now I can do what I really need to without issue. The first couple days my passwords didn't work to get into the system, that was a bit difficult since I had to have others help track my patients and such. My first actual day working was a bit of a tough one. I had been scheduled with another sonographer to just follow but someone called in sick and that meant it was time for me to sink or swim....alone. I think because everyone felt sorry for me and I just rolled up my sleeves and dove in I set a good first impression. Since then everyone has really gone out of their way to make sure I know what's going on. The radiologists that read our exams are a bit particular. I'm so thankful that my first day we had the "nicer" doc who doesn't ask as many questions. Every facility is a little different in how their protocols work so there was a learning curve for me to get up to speed. Since I had this nice doctor first he really helped me to know what they want....and he made an effort to get to know me and ask all about where I came from. That helped my day for sure, and I realized it was a God timed thing. The other doctor is more particular in what he wants and seems to question many things. I'm trying hard not to take this personally, and he is very nice about all the questions.....but sometimes I feel he is picking just to pick. But I am learning some new things and that is part of what this is all about. Everyday I'm getting less questions though, so I am learning!!
The other sonographers are helpful. There's alot of people in the department because the patient load is so big. But it's fun, they make me laugh. Most are curious to know what it's like 'where I come from.' Haha
Through a series of random questions one day I was asked about my faith. One of the girls there got excited to learn I was also a Christian. Seems like there's not many in the environment, so she and I have talked a few times about things. We talked about visiting Mark Driscoll's church together sometime, that will be fun. One thing that was huge to me though was that in this hospital they do a lot of interventional procedures, like fluid drains. I did all those things before in El Paso, but it has been a while. I voiced my concern about not knowing how it was done here and my new friend took me into the procedure room and went through the whole process with me, she then showed me all the supplies that were needed and wrote them down on a post it note. That was a big deal for me, not only was that nice but it was way beyond. God is faithful to plant those people where He knows you will need them.
All in all my 2 weeks here have been great. I love the green, I love the cloudy weather, I love being close to a big city but far enough away that I can quickly run to the store. I know over the next few months things will change, but I would be happy to be here permanently!! Maybe some day, huh!
Thank you for all your prayers and support! I can feel them and this transition has been pretty smooth!!!
