"SB 2K13"

St. Patrick's Day -themed font!

Not that I actually get spring breaks anymore, this week I was able to attend my last round of training for work in Irvine, CA.  Situated just behind a curtain of small mountains, Irvine is almost on the coastline near LA.  Having never been to southern California (or the Pacific Ocean for that matter), I was pretty excited at the prospect of spending 5 days studying near the ocean.

This last round of training incorporated the final skills required for me to be a full "hybrid."  I learned techniques to use timing and voltages of the electrical signals in the heart to make a detailed map of the arrhythmia in the heart chamber of interest.  Here's a quick snapshot of one of the maps I made, if you're interested.  

Not only does this require a full understanding of the minutia within the anatomy, but also the electrical conduction system and its deviations in abnormal hearts.  Now that I've finished my last set of classes, I have about 60 days to become fully certified to do cardiac ablation mapping procedures on my own.  

Enough about work.  I flew into Orange County on Sunday evening, and my lovely friend Bonnie picked me up from the airport, birthday cupcake complete with a lit candle in hand.  We decided that since it was St. Patrick's Day, we should hit a few fun spots around town before checking into the hotel.  Needless to say, read yelp reviews carefully.

Bonnie and I stopped at an Irish pub and made up our own rules to darts-and ended up tying!

The first few days of class were pretty normal; we were at the office from 8-5 and had a few assignments and quizzes tossed in to review during the evenings.  I enjoyed seeing some classmates from previous courses as well as making new friends (there were only around 12 of us). 

On Wednesday, I had the fortunate pleasure of getting to see my favorite (girl) cousin, Amanda.  She moved to CA late last year and I hadn't seen her since she came to visit Darren and me last summer in St. Louis.  Amanda picked me up and took me to one of her most favorite places in the area, Huntington Beach.  We drove down the "PCH" (Pacific Coastal Highway) and I got my first glimpse at the ocean.  After catching up over a yummy Italian meal, we stopped at one of her favorite little souvenir shops for me to pick out a little gift for Darren (poor guy, being stuck with Lenny all week).  It was so lovely to get to see family, and especially Amanda since we both just celebrated birthdays.

As it was our last night in CA, a group of classmates and I decided to go to Laguna Beach at sunset and then eat in a restaurant with an ocean view.  I was very surprised by how chilly the beach was...being from Texas where the Gulf is rather warm, I guess I expected Southern CA to be the same.  Despite the cold, I rolled up my jeans and kicked off my sandals in order to feel my toes in the sand as the waves crashed over them.  I took a few moments to breathe in the salty air and even tried to call Darren so he could hear the ocean (I don't think it worked very well).  Here are a few pictures I took on the beach.  

Friday morning brought our final exam and practicals, which were no trouble at all.  A quick goodbye and trip to the airport and I was ready to be back in St. Louis...that is, until I read on my weather app that we're expecting 5-8 INCHES OF SNOW THIS WEEKEND. When is it going to end?! Be ready for more "I can't believe it's this white" pictures very soon....

To change subjects, thank you so much to all of you who wished me a happy birthday!  Physical distance doesn't feel so far when people like you take the time to make me feel special.  I got some very sweet cards in the mail, and I wanted to let you know they are very appreciated as each one felt like a nice little hug. 

Darren and I celebrated my birthday and St. Patrick's Day by baking some very green cake items. If you would like the recipes, I'd be happy to share. Both the cake balls and the cake itself were quite delicious (all stemming from a green velvet cake recipe).

I also wanted to include in here what one person in particular did to make my day special.  Way back when I started with St. Jude in STL, a lovely lady named Pam introduced herself to me as a fellow St. Jude employee in the cardiovascular division.  Very quickly, we become friends and bonded over our common faith.  It is Pam's church that Darren and I have been attending and really like, and Pam was instrumental in getting us involved there.  Well, on Sunday morning after class Pam gave me a "birthday in a bag," trying to help me have a wonderful birthday despite the fact that I am so far away from family.  How unbelievably kind.  I am truly blessed by those around me and I just wanted to share how wonderful she was to me. 

All in all, I've had a great week. I'm finally sitting on my couch, waiting for my wonderful husband to come home from work.  I was only gone 5 days, but there's something about being married that makes you want to stay with that special person you've grown so comfortable with... he's on his way home, and I can't wait to see him :)