an illustrated life

sometimes i just want a view like this.

before and after

what a difference a day makes...

this was the sunset sunday night on our way back from big bear to green valley lake. the storm was rolling in, but we had no idea we would wake up to two feet of snow, hurray!

pogo loves cleaver

memories of camp yallani...my best friend CLEAVER is still my most favorite person in the whole world. we shared summer after summer of dishwashing, cooking in the kitchen and finally, camp counselors...growing up at camp yallani. this was hands down the most memorable time of my teen life. it kept me out of big time trouble and i made the most lasting friendship of my life...can't tell her enough how special she is. now if i can just find those camp pictures!!! stay tuned for more.

some pictures found! :)

owls on top of owls

these little banks are so cute, not sure of their age or where they are from. they are a bit fragile and some of the paint is coming off. as soon as i move to a new account, there won't be so many thrift stores to shop for during my lunch break, i guess i will have to eat lunch or read like normal people. i think i am getting a bit (more) kooky, but thrifting is FUN!

new etsy shop

well my etsy shop is up, but still working on getting a sidebar link....check it out if you are interested!

ok, maybe i will be a teeny bit honest

now that i have been "out there" for awhile, i can let you in on the ultrasound world just a bit. i did a blog about all the things that irked an ultrasound tech, then deleted it the next morning because i didnt want to sound like the big fat burnout that i am, ha ha!

but now i guess i can tell you, scanning babies all day can be really difficult. the problem is that the pregnant patient is not told by the doctor (and may just not be aware in general) the HUGE responsibility we have as ultrasound techs to get tons of information for the radiologist (and radiologists aren't known for being the nicest people on the planet, at least in my experience). babies are teeny weeny and mobile, pregnant moms come in different sized packages. not the best mix for ultrasound. it is easy as pie to scan a skinny pregnant patient with a baby over 18 weeks gestation, but that is pretty rare. anyways, i know people complain about u/s techs being mean or quiet, but i can tell you it is HARD to scan these little guys and even with a ton of experience, it is always important to concentrate and focus on every detail so something isn't missed(i get super quiet as i would when i am drawing or painting, usually i am pretty chatty). sometimes i do hit it off with a patient and i talk so much i realize i don't even know what pictures i have taken! it makes for a fun visit, but i can get behind in my schedule and waiting patients get grumpy with full bladders. yikes!

so i leave you with this lovely upper lip shot, a picture we take to rule out a cleft lip and say....be nice to your ultrasound tech, we DO love babies but we look at them with a medical eye to ensure every little bit is working properly.

:)

i think i'm in love!

i am probably the only person who goes into the childrens section at the book store, and although i love children's books, i just dont like about 90 percent of what i see. i especially dont like the stories, so many are just not clever. for example, i love the artwork on the book chowder, but the story is so wierd. it has a dog sitting on the toilet and farm animals at the supermarket, um...not sure about that (although the kids LOVE the dog on the toilet picture.)

now, when i find these treasures at the thrift store, not only are the illustrations amazing and exciting, the stories are usually better, at least to me. they make sense, they are simple and creative. i took a course in childrens writing and have dozens of books on the subject, so i know how hard it is to be unique and fresh, but the new books out there today just bore me.

this is an amazing book that really makes me happy, i could frame this and put it on the wall as art.