Penticton Regional Hospital

So...believe it or not...the powers that be have allowed me to irradiate living, breathing, human beings. I am currently on site at my first of three clinicals. I happen to be learning how to XRAY!!!! people at Penticton Regional Hospital. I am here for 5 months (against my wishes...I had hoped to stay closer to home).

My best friend from high school, Naryn, has graciously allowed me to live with her and her excellent family (Dave...the hubby, Taslyn...the super kid, and Stephen...the live-wire) in Summerland. I only hope we are still friends after these 5 months!!!

I have already completed two full days on the Radiography Department and despite what the other techs are saying....I have not broken any machines! I swear!!! Actually, the unspoken rule at the hospital is: its always the students' fault. They've even let me take some xrays on my own...well sort of...the techs were there to make sure I didn't screw anything up too horribly. So far...I don't think there have been any malpractice lawsuits threatened. So good start to the clinical.

With me in Penticton...that means that Frank is at home with the kids...again...for 5 months....while I get to play "new x-ray tech" here in Penticton. Can I just say that my husband is long-suffering, extremely understanding, completely supportive, and a great man for letting me do this again? I feel incredibly guilty about the entire thing. I hope I can make it up to him somehow.

I miss my kids too. We see each other and talk to each other via Skype each night. In fact, I think I have better conversations with Aislinn this way than face-to-face! But, it just isn't the same. I miss tucking them into bed each night. My only consolation is that my Clinical Instructor scheduled me for 4 day weekends almost every other weekend and it only takes me 4 hours to drive home. So, we all have something to look forward to.

I'll probably do some more blogging now that I have a little time. Stay in touch.

Love Tanya

...don't ask.

...Ace Boogie...through the years.

...no time to post...its midterms...dontcha know?

okay...quick tidbit...gotta get back to studying...but I wanted to share.

Mackendra, staring as "The Dead Bride: The Halloween Dance"

Me...staring as "The Zombie Tech":

I don't know why Frank never wants to make out with me on Halloween...and yes, I went to school like this.

and Mackendra as "The Dead Bride: Part 2 Halloween Night"

I have a great series of pictures and a heartwarming tale about the perils of baking that stars Aislinn, but I don't have time to go into right now. But I promise....I will tell the tale.

...about homework.

So, I'm almost halfway through my first semester of my new career.

I'm feeling...

...tired

...overwhelmed

...like it never stops

...like it will go on forever

...sick of studying

...amazed at all the stuff I've already learned

...amazed at all the stuff I still have to learn

...nauseous thinking about the midterms coming up very quickly

...excited that I'm almost halfway there

...depressed that I'm only about halfway there

...did I mention, tired?

Its been a tough go. At least my set-mates are awesome, and the family has been supportive.

Can't wait until its over.

Love Tanya

...again with the turkey...and basketball...

So, yet another Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had a quiet one this year. Mackendra caught a ride up to PG with Uncle Darren and Auntie Auria. So it was only Frank, me, and the older brat. We were supposed to have 3 guests for dinner, but they all bailed that day. I had planned to make a big ole turkey dinner, enough for our guests to bring some home, but it was not to be...I mean...I totally still cooked a huge meal...enough for 6+ people, we just had 3 people to eat all of it. Scary!

The turkey was amazing...totally moist and utterly delicious! The stuffing was perhaps even better. But check out the rest of the gluttonous meal.

Okay, now look at when we finished....

Not much difference, huh? We had soooooo much food left over. We hardly made a dent.

It was great though, and the turkey sandwiches and soup and left over meals for the next 3 days were just as good as well.

But! Before we embarked on our savoury adventure, we were down in Auburn, WA, again, for more basketball with Aislinn.

This time Frank came along and we took Aislinn to the North West All-Stars Elite Showcase for unsigned high school players. It was an invite-only affair, and Frank made some calls and was able to get Aislinn and another of our players an invite. Aislinn was the youngest player attending, at 13 years old. And she looked it. I forget, because she looks so tall compared to (me) her teammates, but compared to those kids from the States, she looked small. Even our 5'11" player was only average size down there. I don't know what they feed those kids (perhaps their turkey have excessive growth hormones added to them?) but some of those kids were HUGE!

It was a long day. There were 80 girls attending, some of the best in the North West.

They ranged in ages from 13 (Aislinn) to 17 year olds. It was quite an experience. And Aislinn? She represented!!!! Honestly, I think she was a top 10-15 guard there. No lie! She was of course a little outclassed in terms of strength, and perhaps sheer aggressiveness, but she was one of the better skilled players. There were college recruiters there from some of the biggest colleges in the West and Mid-West. Apparently, at least 10 players signed with colleges after thatweekend. Aislinn was too young and the recruiters were not allowed to talk to her, but I think she made some of their radars. So cool! And when she goes back next year and the years to come, she will have a distinct advantage in that she's already been there before.

It was a great weekend. We watched basketball, ate our faces off and then chilled for the rest of the weekend on the couch. I've been so busy with school that it was such a pleasure just to sit still for an extended amount of time. And!!! I only had to cook once in those 3 days. Bonus!

As for this weekend....let's see...I went and had my hair cut...BANGS people. I'll try to get a picture soon. Haven't had bangs for years and years. And Mackendra and I went for a long bike ride through New Westminster. My ass hurts!!!! But we had a great time and the weather was amazing. Mackendra did so well on the roads. She loves her bike. Since she got it for her birthday, we have never had to remind her to put her bike away in the garage. Never!!!! She takes such great care of it. Love that kid.

Anyways, tomorrow won't be so fun. Its a homework day.

Until later.

Basketball in Oregon...

I took Aislinn to a Basketball camp in Oregon City, Oregon this past weekend. We left on Friday after school, dealt with the horrific traffic through most of Seattle and got to our hotel by 11pm. We both crashed and were up by 6:45am the next morning.

There were about 100 girls at this camp and its head coach was a "kid" by the name of Drew Hanlen. He's a senior at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Because of his age, I call him a "kid", but his confidence, presence, and skill is like someone much older. Apparently, he trains several NBA players and he is hired to do camps for the best college and high school players in the USA. Honestly, I think this camp was the best camp I have ever witnessed. He has his own company called Pure Sweat Basketball, but due to NCAA regulations, he can't advertise with his name. He is graduating in May and I think this "kid" is going to explode onto the basketball scene in a big way. He was teaching the girls things that I have never seen before and he was breaking down basketball moves and explaining them in such a way that totally made sense. It was really a very cool experience. I was allowed to wander around the gym with my video camera and film. I spent the entire 7 hours taking videos! Check it out. Here is a short example. Most of the video clips are over 2 minutes, so I only uploaded a short one.

Aislinn was a total stud! She impressed everyone. I had coaches coming up asking about her; being totally surprised at her young age; and several of them said that she was the best player at the camp. The camp was from gr. 6-12, so I was quite proud of her. What was even better, Aislinn was being very engaging and talking with everyone and the coaches really appreciated that.

We had a great time and Aislinn took a picture with Drew.

After the camp we came straight home, arriving at 10:45pm. It was a gruelling trip and I am still tired today.

Can't wait for the next Drew Hanlen camp!