LOA - 3 of my favorite letters

Welcome back to me, after a long stretch of not updating my own blog. Tsk, tsk, I know. (And thanks to Maureen and others for the persistent nudges of guilt.)

I called work last night and requested an "LOA" - Leave of Absence. Not a permanent one like many of you are familiar with, but just one for the day. Bascially, I was asking for the day off. Because they don't do staffing in the hospital until about 5am prior to your 7am start, you don't find out if they grant your request until then. So, when 5:30am rolled around and my phone didn't ring, I shrugged off the warmth of my snuggly blanket and headed to splash some water on my face to the thought that I'd have to try again another day. I thought my ears were faking me out when my phone rang halfway through brushing my teeth at 5:36am. Of course, I ran to my phone - toothpaste foam in mouth and all - and heard the wonderful voice of the charge nurse at work.

Charge nurse: "Kristine, I'm giving you a 12-hour LOA."

Kristine: (shocked but giddy) "So... I don't have to come into work the WHOLE day?!"

Charge nurse: "That's right."

THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE GIFT OF TIME!

Usually, they grant you a 4-hour LOA, where you have to call later that morning to see if they still need you. So, I was definitely willing to take the LOA. And now, I figured, I had some time to blog and catch you all up.

Moving on.

Since I last blogged all the way back in May, much has happened, but I will limit to major events and illustrate with photos. :)

1. Survived an unusually painful summer of my adult internal medicine clinical rotation. Enough said.

2. Enjoyed watching Grace & Zane get married!

Our awesome life group!

3. Went on vacation to Hawaii for a week with my family.

At Black Sand Beach on the southern side of the Big Island.

Went to Kaulua Ranch to ride ATVs through the beautiful mountainsides where they film movies like Jurassic Park and shows like Lost.

Loco Moco! Mmmmmm..................!!!!!!!

5. Went to the OC fair, enjoyed some sinfully sweet treats, watched Junior gawk and oogle over a mop and savored every second of it.

I think Malena and I were too busy eating that we didn't get much more than this one photo.

7. Cut off almost 12-inches of my long locks and donated it!

Thanks to Paula Chisam for my haircut! I love it!

8. Got to hang out with my APU buddies and meet the newest member of our "extended" family, baby Peter. Congrats to Thu and Mathieu!

I can't wait until he fits into that sweater!

9. Got engaged! (I'll blog about the engagement story later!) Went to a bridal shop looking for a bridesmaid dress for Kathy's wedding. When Kathy saw a veil on the counter, she popped it in my hair and got this photo. Priceless.

Kat's idea for a photo - flippin' the engaged finger. Haha.

Not quite an engagement photo, but you get the idea.

10. Celebrated my 10-year high school reunion!