Six Flags

I have to make a confession. Chris and I bought season tickets to Six Flags! We have an unspoken agreement with our coworker Brandon that whenever we are off doing something fun we're to send him photos. Lets just say that he got quite a few "roller coaster selfies." In these selfies though, you will notice I look a little more like a hick than usual, one of the porcelain caps that I had on my teeth fell off. I figured might as well smile through and have fun anyway. We also tacked on a quick drive through San Fran at the end. I sure do enjoy our adventures together.

Pre emptive "still in work parking lot" selfie!

Highway of the Redwoods.

Saracina Vineyards

 Waking up in San Francisco!

 We were photo bombed!

Adventure to the Oregon Caves

Chris surprised me with a reservation at the Chateau at the Oregon Caves. We were stoked to be getting away for a couple days. This trip would turn out to be one unforgettable trip for both of us. As we were driving up HWY 199 Chris noticed that his car was handling funny so he pulled over to check it out when his tie rod snapped. We were stuck. Unfortunately we were on a portion of the 199 where our phones did not get service. Chris drives this road atleast twice a month and knew that we would get service at the next rest stop just before entering Collier Tunnel. We decided we would walk the mile or so to that point and call for a tow. I was wearing Durango cowboy boots and we were both dressed night for a date night and made for two travelers on the side of the road that no one would stop for or pick up. Short story long, we ended up having to walk and additional 3 or 4 miles to the Agriculture station that is not always open. We were fortunate enough to catch them just before they closed for the day. I had a blister the size of a silver dollar on my heel from my boots and we were more than happy to sit and wait for the tow truck to come get us and take us back to our car. We and the car made it back to Crescent City without too much trouble. Chris and I weren't about to let that put a stop to our date so we hopped into my car and transferred our bags over and set off up the 199 for the second time that day. I'm so glad that we are both laid back and are able to go with the flow and have fun no matter what the circumstance may be. We learned a lot about each other and how we handle the unpredictable situations that life may throw at you. Needless to say, we were able to make our dinner reservation and enjoy the rest of our trip. I'm looking forward to going back sometime. The Chateau was so cute and cozy and the caves were awesome. Here are some pictures from that trip.

This is the view from our room. 

The weather was overcast and raining when we arrived but cleared up over night and gave us sun for our hike.

I can't remember how many flights of stairs you climb throughout your tour of the cave but I do remember feeling like I had just completed leg day at the gym.

The receptionist at the front desk thought we looked great and offered to take our picture. We were the best looking couple at the lodge that night. We missed the memo that the fancy restaurant had more of an informal dress code. Oh well, I enjoyed every minute of it!

First of many adventures with Chris

This is one of the first dates Chris and I went on. It was almost 1 year ago exactly. We went to this really cute cafe in Port Orford, Oregon called Red Fin. Their patio overlooks a beautiful cove.

Its been over a year!!

I've been pretty terrible about posting in my blog while here in California. I do have to say it's been on hell of a year and I will do my best over the next few weeks to get a little more up to date.

Being a Paramedic has not been like I expected at all. Many long shifts with sleepless nights and countless hours and miles on the road to transfer patients to the care they really need. That being said I'm not going through all of these rough times alone. I have an EMS family here that I've gown to love and appreciate so much, and I can't tell you how great it is to bring the ER a patient that is laughing through those hospital doors. I would not trade this first year of working as a medic for anything. I'm so grateful for the good and bad times, the happy and the sad. I'm doing what I love and have the pleasure of sharing it with the one I love. For those of you who don't know, Last year when I moved out here, the crews all warned me about working with Vorhes. They kept telling me that he was tough on new people and a real "treat" to work with. Chris took me under his wing and taught me how to treat patients and apply our knowledge to evaluate and treat the patient as we saw fit. Those weeks we had the opportunity to work together were some of the best I've had on a rig. We had patients that were critically injured, rolling in laughter in the back of the ambulance. More often than not at our own expense but we didn't care, it's what we live for. I couldn't ask for a better friend and support. Since then, we have done everything together and I couldn't be happier. As I said before, I will do my best to update the blog with pictures and stories from all of our adventures.

Life is great!

Katie

Just shy of 2 months

I can't believe I've been here in Crescent City for almost 2 months. The last 55 days have flown by. I have seen and experienced more than I ever thought possible. I'm so glad that I jumped at this opportunity, it has been life changing. I've had the chance to work and become friends with some of the best in the business. When you work in the field of public service you have an extended family for life and no matter where you go, you will always have an awesome support system and group of friends. I look forward to going to work because I am getting paid to hang out with said friends and help people! What can I say, simple joys of life... I've also learned that laughter and smiles are the best medicine we have to offer. If I can get patients to forget the reason they called 911 even if just for a moment because I made them laugh or smile I feel like I have had success. Following the news of Robin Williams death, I felt physically sad. This was the first time a celebrity died where I honestly cared and was saddened because of it. One of my favorite movies of all time is Patch Adams. It reminds me of the kind of medical professional I want to be. Here are a few quotes that apply to what I'm referring to:

"You've got to know what you want. This is central to acting on your intentions. When you know what you want, you realize that all there is left then is time management. You'll manage your time to achieve your goals because you clearly know what you're trying to achieve in your life."     -Hunter Adams

As soon as I decided I wanted to become a Paramedic I realized that it was just a matter of managing my time and following through to achieve my goals. It has not been an easy journey by any means but I was and still am committed to this field of work. Falling more and more in love with the work you do every shift you work is an awesome feeling and I hope it never ends. 

"I'm great at a deathbed. I've never given tranquilizers or psychiatric medicine. I've given love and fun and creativity and passion and hope, and these things ease suffering."     
-Hunter Adams

I've been lucky enough to have been partnered with a fellow medic who I've had the chance to get to know well and in turn have become really close friends. No matter where we go, people both young and old have been drawn to us. It seems at times we have a sign taped to our backs saying "We're all ears." Whether we're working, or hanging out off duty. We've had the opportunity to meet people from all over. The banter between us even on scene has made our patients laugh and even sometimes join in. We have received more complements and hugs from patients and their families after interacting with them then I ever have before. It has been a very gratifying and an awesome experience. I hope I/we continue to have this effect on everyone around us.

“Remember laughing? Laughter enhances the blood flow to the body’s extremities and improves cardiovascular function. Laughter releases endorphins and other natural mood elevating and pain-killing chemicals, improves the transfer of oxygen and nutrients to internal organs. 

Laughter boosts the immune system and helps the body fight off disease, cancer cells as well as viral, bacterial and other infections. Being happy is the best cure of all diseases!” 

-Patch Adams

Time flies by when you're having fun. I challenge those reading this to share the love, laughter and smiles with all you meet. You will be rewarded in endless ways.

Until next time.
Paramedic 259

A relaxing day off.

After I got off my first 72hr shift, I had the opportunity to go to a local favorite spot, Stout Grove and Second Bridge Bluffs with a couple coworkers. It was a great day off. Here are some of the pictures from the day.

 These are the rocks we jumped off. The water was crystal clear and turquoise blue. It was gorgeous! I got to play and river and soak up the sun. Life doesn't get much better than this.

 This is a bridge that they put in during the summer months while the river is low. This was on our walk in Stout Grove.

I'm loving it here so far and can't wait to see more of this awesome place. My coworkers at Del Norte Ambulance have made me feel like I'm family. For that I have to thank them. It has made my transition in moving here much smoother and more enjoyable that I ever thought was possible. 

Some of the comforts of home

As I live here for a longer amount of time and start working on an ambulance, the direction of my blog will shift more towards my experiences and some stories. For now though I'm taking advantage of some free time and exploring the area I'm going to be living in for a while. So yes, pictures will outnumber my words for a while. 

A little bit of back story, I was hired on with another new recruit. He is a medic from Utah as well. He graduated from BYU and went to Mt. Nebos program. Its been fun talking to him about his journey out here and some of the places back home that we were both familiar with. We've both run into some disappointments with California and their gun laws. However we both have in our possession and with us, our 12 gauge shot guns. We decided we would go shooting. Our FTO informed us of a "range" where we could legally shoot our guns. The instructions to get there were typical small town instructions like. a little past the town of Hiouchi you will see two bridges turn right. You will pass over the first bridge. It's called slant bridge because believe it or not... it slants. The second bridge you will pass over is called Second bridge for obvious reasons. Second bridge is known for its rope swing. I will be returning there to participate in that once I have a chance and a local to show me how to do it without getting beat up or die on the rocks. It's a very high swing and looks super easy to screw up. The water in the river is crystal clear and the picture below is taken from the side of Second bridge looking up the canyon. Anyway... back to shooting. After second bridge the instructions were to turn on a gravel road just after that, the road will bend left and the hill on the right is where you're going to shoot. We had forgotten out list of instructions, only made one wrong turn and had a great time. 

 The shadow of second bridge over crystal clear water.

I love the names of some of the roads or destinations around here. Simply put, they call it as they see it.

After shooting I went out to the beach because it was clear and sunny. It was nice to be able to see the horizon line for once. I miss the direct sunlight and getting my tan on. I have a feeling I'm going to be much lighter the next time I see everyone back home. 

This place is soo picturesque, I hope I never get jaded to its beauty. I'm excited to get settled in and get all of this annoying paperwork and jumping through hoops done so I have some real time to sit down and watercolor some of these pictures.

This is the beach that my mom, Kam, Court, and I all had our fire on for their last night here in Crescent City. 

New beginnings

My first day on my own. A little daunting. This is the first time I have been away from home and on my own. My family and all I know and are familiar with are over 800 miles away. It hit me when I woke up that I am responsible for me and any trouble I get into. A quick call to dad to come bring me my spare key is not a very viable option any more. It feels good to be independent. I'm very happy with where I am and how I'm handling the different obstacles and bumps in the road that are unavoidable. Getting a California Paramedic Card and Drivers License have proven to be time consuming and a nuisance. But I should have both by the end of the next two weeks. 

I went for a run on the beach and let me tell you, these little guys are everywhere. They're the equivilant of ants on the beach. except they jump.... and they look injured and totally handicapped while doing so. The hops are never in a straight line and they never go the same direction twice. You feel them hit your feet and ankles as you walk.

A little hut on the beach. It was about a mile walk from where I parked but it was totally worth it.

It's been foggy every day I've been here. Especially on the beach. But, if you drive five miles inland, you run into weather that is at least 30' warmer and sunny.

I drove up to that grove of trees after this walk on the beach. Unfortunately the fog had settled in even more and I did not get to see much off of the overlook.

Pictures do not do the landscape justice.. atleast in this one the fisherman on the rock gives you something to compare sizes to.

This is that overlook that I had mentioned a few pictures ago.

This was about all I could see. I can't wait to go back on a clear day, I imagine the view would be awesome!

Oh and I locked my keys in my car for the second time while being here... which is a total of 3 days... GO ME! I decided to not take another huge hit to my pride and called someone other than my Shift coordinator to help me break in. Thank you AAA. :)