School and Puppy Surgeries

So, Hannah & Maggie were spayed yesterday; came through with flying colors. Most of the evening they were still groggy and sleepy - about Midnight, that wore off and they were ready to play!!!!!!!!! ARGH! So about every 1.5 hrs we were up trying to keep them from scratching the door, or wrestling with each other. We finally put them in bed with us, usually that helps but then we kept waking up to keep them from jumping off the bed. The next 7-10 days will be hell - they can't play, jump, run, wrestle or climb stairs during that time.

I feel like I've been on a 3-day drunk!!

At five and a half months old - that isn't sinking in. They are like "wooo-hhooooo, let's PARTY!!" Bryan had to go in for job skills testing after I got home from school today and he looked a bit frazzled, being the good "Mom" I am, I promptly got out the benadryl, halved one and stuffed it down their cute little throats. They are now sleeping peacefully at my feet. I don't know why vets don't prescibed a sedative along with the pain killers if they want them to be sedentary during recovery. Especially for puppies. Good Lord! When she said they had to be 'quiet' for 7 days I looked at her like she grew 2 more heads. She just laughed and said everyone looked at her that way... I'm thinking, "well then, that should tell you to give us TRANQUILIZERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


Anyway... school... It's going OK. The boring, mechanic parts right now - a math refresher (that I desperately needed), microbiology; next week we finish math & MB and start two new classes - Study Skills and Computer Technology... which I tried to get pre-empted from but couldn't... HELLLOOOO, both of my degrees were done at night so I think I know how to study and I've worked with a computer for how many years now?!?!? Oh well, I'd like to say it will be an easy "A" but I don't want to jinx anything. We also will be starting Anatomy in the next week or so.

The schedules are all hokey but I guess that gets them all squeezed in. So between now and August 14 (end of this semester) I will be taking computer technology, study skills, anatomy/physiology, respiratory science (basically chemistry & physics), pulmonary anatomy/physiology, cardiac anatomy/physiology and patient assessment. Whew!

Then after a week break we start up again. In January (my third semester) I will start clinical rotations and will only have classes 3 days a week and clinicals for 2 days (12-hour shifts).

In order to start your clinicals you have to prove you are up to date on all of your immunizations. I have had two titers (blood tests) done for MMR (Mumps, Measles, Rubella) and Varicella (Chickenpox), updated my tetnus/diptheria (Man, I forget just how bad those hurt) and started my Hepatitis B vaccines - its a three shot series and then at the end we have to have a titer showing we are indeed immune. I haven't been stuck this many times in... well, probably forever!!! Oh, and I have to get a TB (tuberculosis) test every 6 months. This one looks clear!! HAHA

Also for clinicals you have to do a background and drug test... my background check came back A-OK and we won't do the drug test until just before clinicals - but I'm not worried about it either. I remember when I was having to do a screening for my JLL application and people were like "its OK, its only one time... then its OK" and I'm like - I don't do drugs anyway, so really, I'm not worried about it. But they acted like I should be all concerned... struck me as funny.

April 9 Jerome, AZ and Tuzigoot National Monument

Before heading to Sedona, we took a quick trip up the mountain to Jerome and Tuzigoot National Monument. Both are located just outside of Cottonwood.

Jerome (http://www.azjerome.com/) is located on Cleopatra Hill between Flagstaff & Prescott. Jerome was a copper mining town, founded in 1876 it grew from tents & shanties to a large, active mining community. Surviving four large fires, the "City of Jerome" was incorporated in 1889. The copper mine closed in 1953 and in 1967 the town was designated as a National Historic District. Today the town in home to about 450 people and is a thriving tourist & artist community.

Most of the buildings you see today were built after the fires of 1894 and 1899; many have been restored and many more are planned for renovation.

View from Jerome, AZ

Street scene in Jerome

Sullivan Apartments, Jerome, AZ

Hotel Connor, Jerome, AZ

Grand Hotel, Jerome, AZ

Tuzigoot National Monument is located between Cottonwood & Jerome. About 1000 AD a tribe of southern tribe Sinagua (sin-AH-wah) Indians built their homes on a ridge in the Verde Valley. They left suddenly in the early 1400's for still unknown reasons. Tuzigoot grew slowly over 4oo years - the ruins you see now at Tuzigoot were probably built in the late 1300s during the final expansion of Tuzigoot. During its heyday, Tuzigoot probalby had about 225 people living there. Few adults lived beyond the age of 40 and when they passed, they were buried in the hillsides with few personal possessions.

Most of the rooms sheltered single families and used for sleeping & eating; a few rooms were used for food storage and prep, but most cooking was done on outside firepits.

Tuzigoot is a fantastic place to visit. While most of it is reconstructed, it is still spectacular to view the ruins, imagine how the people of that time lived and the views from the ridge are spectacular.

April 23-27 Mom & Dad's Visit

Mom & Dad arrived Thursday afternoon, just in time for Mom to accompany me to the doctor's office to start my round of required immunizations for the respiratory therapy program I've entered. I have to prove I have had immunizations for MMR (mumps, measles, rubella), Varicella (chicken pox), update my tetanus & diphtheria shot and start the three rounds of Hepatitis B vaccines. I guess I had an MMR booster in 1998 but decided to just go ahead and get a titer to prove that I was immune; same thing with the chicken pox - other than photos from Mom, I can't prove I actually had them so I had to have a titer (blood draw/test) to prove I am immune. The HepB shot is administered in 3 shots - now, one in a month and the other is either in 3 mos or 6 mos I missed that part. And the Td is every 7 years, although I guess some hospitals are requiring it every year now... Oh yeah, and I have to be tested for TB every 6 mos... OK, more than you wanted to know, back to Mom & Dad's visit.

They left their 5th wheel at home and just stayed with us at the house. On Friday, after my classes, we went to the 26th annual "Gathering of Nations" Powwow. One of the largest powwows in the country with over 500 tribes represented from across the US & Cananda. This year, the newspaper reported that there were over 3000 dancers participating in the Grand Entries. There were also over 800 vendors set up as well.

We all really enjoyed it (OK, Bryan not so much) but I think we would have liked it better if we had known more about the dances - like what did the represent (if anything), some of the rules, like when the music (drums/chants) stop so must the dancers, etc. But really, it was a moving experience to see that many dancers in their costumes. Most were very elaborate, some were just down right gaudy and doubtful to me that they dressed in those particular colors (blaze orange, flourescent yellow, green and pink) "way back when". I was reading on city-data.com that some people went for the "spirituallness" of the event - I can't say that I was moved spiritually - too many people, too big of a venue - but it was a spectacular site to witness. Again, I would like to know about the culture behind it all...

Bryan thought that each tribe should have had a booth or something, telling a bit of history about themselves, etc.

I sat with Mom in the handicapped section and we met the most interesting (& talkative man). He was a Mescalero Apache - but not registered! (his words and emphasis). He was a hoot but we did miss alot listening to him instead of the dance announcers. Below are some photos from the event. I didn't use flash so some are a bit blurry and I don't know what all the dances/dancers are so the descriptions are vague. And remember to click on the photo to enlarge!!

Here's some of the more 'colorful' costume's.
I think they were called the "men's fancy dress"

Women's Bell Dress dance
All the dresses had hundreds of bells sewn on them

Women's Bell Dress Dance

Dancing men - in more traditional colored costumes

Drums being set up for the Grand Entry on Friday night

Celebrating the four directions
Bald Eagle came out prior to the Grand Entry

Headdress of someone sitting in front of me

Start of the Grand Entry

Arena floor filling up

My last photo before my battery died
The floor is still filling up; there were so many still
coming into the arena that several had to leave
& go back into the stands to make room!

Mom was pretty sick (exhaustion coupled with a huge Indian fry bread and cotton candy on Friday) on Saturday so I studied and did housework while she slept. Bryan & Dad built a slick dolly-cart for my Jeep's hardtop.

Then on Sunday we took Dad to breakfast at Weck's for his 67th birthday - very tasty and lots & lots of food. Dad tried but just couldn't finish his. None of us could. Then Bryan & Dad headed back to finish the cart and start a platform that will fit inside the back of the Jeep to raise the pups up so they can see out (& hopefully help keep Hannah from getting carsick) and Mom & I went shopping then came home and hemmed my uniform pants while I studied.

Dad's Birthday Cinnamon Roll from Wecks

Maggie lounging on the patio

Jake (parent's dog) & Hannah

Bad, bad puppies!!! This is what I woke up
to this morning!!!

Dad, me & Mom before they headed home.