Where is that stethoscope?

All week I have been looking for my stethoscope. I looked in our compact storage, no where to be found. I looked in his toy box, getting advice from one of the nurses I work with. Nope not there. I looked in all my drawers and even checked my car 4x. A little OCD but I just could not come to the idea how it was not in my car. All week, I borrowed others stethoscope asking and calling around to see if it was anywhere. Called the lost and found at the gym, lost and found at Goodwill thinking I may have donated it, called lost and found on the floor of the hospital wing I work with. Left notes for people and told them if they found a 'brown stethoscope' to please call! I told my preceptor, and still no signs of it showed up. She told me maybe it's a good thing and you can get a graduation present out of it. The thing is this is Chris's old stethoscope in which he spent A LOT of money on. It made me sick to my stomach. I told our nanny, please let me know if it shows up at home. Checking on her several times to see if it just popped up out of no where. 

The week went by with that stress in the pit of my stomach. I went and got a TB test. Those dang TB tests are every year for healthcare workers. They are so easy to do and read, but no we have to get them done somewhere and it has to be exactly 48 hours to 72 hours when it is read. I got mine done on Wednesday at 4:56. Literally showed up at 4:15 on Friday and they made me wait 45 minutes to get it read. I told them like it would make a difference. They replied well it's protocol. How sometimes protocol just makes it inconvenient in our lives. It was negative. 

We went to our favorite Taco Tuesday joint- Cafe Rio and also saw the rest of the ward and missionaries there. Must be a Mormon thing. It makes for cheap and good food though and Bowen is more than happy getting a quesadilla with oranges and some little mints which of course are his favorite.

Chris and I have pretty much settled in to the house. There are a few things in the garage that need organized but other than that we are ready for visitors:) 

We went to on a Scheels date/ 5 Guys on Friday with our cute little family. I guess everyone here throws the peanut shells on the ground. I never have seen that anywhere. Not in Utah, St. Louis, Omaha, Austin. As I am looking around peanut shells everywhere under the tables. Well must be a Billings thing. We walked over to Scheels since it is just across the street. Bowen especially loves the Ferris wheel although not quite tall enough to ride. Meanwhile, I tried on the most warm coats from a lady who was helping me. I wanted to see what the warmest jacket they had was. I tried on the "Lamborghini" of coats which was almost $1,000 Canadian Goose. Although, I have to admit I think the Columbia jacket may have been my favorite.. which was a lot cheaper. 

Saturday while Chris was studying for oral boards (he is going to SF next week) and has been studying for basically 20 years now or more. He is very ready to be done, to say it the least. Bowen and I got out of his hair and went to the farmers market downtown. Chris to his reply said, of course you found a farmers market. Yes, indeed I have. It was a cute little one downtown people playing music and lots of vendors. The most popular tents I found are the "Judarite" clans in which they have several out here in Billings. Got to look them up, but they are a most interesting and peculiar people. So are Mormons though. They had this amazing looking loaf of bread that was ginormous and also the most splendid looking pies. I immediately thought I would surprise Chris thinking that I had made this pie. No way could I get around that. It looked too good to be true and Chris already knows my lack of baking skills. Unless its pre-made brownies or cookies. I didn't get away with it.

So night of Saturday, I am still distressed. It has been a week since my dear stethoscope and I had parted from each other. I loved that stethoscope and nothing would replace it. I looked online longingly for a top notch Littman brand. Knowing the power of prayer and knowing that I had once lost my wedding ring in a distress time and finding it in the dryer in a obscure place that I would have never thought to looked. I turned to prayer.

To my amazement I go in my closet and have a realization, look in your backpack. I have literally checked my backpack 15 times!!! I brush the thought away thinking, I must be going crazy. And really I am. I have lost so many things this move that I just don't want anything anymore. Get rid of it, Chris and my mantra is probably now. So I finally listen to this thought that has occurred. I look in my backpack. Take EVERYTHING out. See!!! I said to myself NOTHING! I have a thought, did I check that bottom zipper, the zipper at the very base of my backpack where it hides and almost looks like there is nothing there. No...no I did not. I open it slowly, and THERE IT IS!!! MY STETHOSCOPE. Oh how I missed that stethoscope. My heart was full. I really was so certain that the conclusion was someone stole it because how could I lose it and check everywhere.. Once again power or prayer is real... 

Love you all, don't think less of me because I have mommy/moving brain!!!

Cam

Happiest Boy on Earth

Billings is finally feeling like home. We have our house "mostly" altogether, although organizing Bowen's room took the longest because of trying to fit everything in before and after nap time. We had to reorganize the storage room we are renting because some of it was supposed to be in the house and vice versa. Lets just say it took a whole lot longer than we thought. We have been to the ward a few times and getting Bowen ready for nursery is always a treat. Unfortunately, sacrament is during his regular poop times so usually one of us has to duck out after the first or second speaker.

We had our new nanny come in this week. I am working almost 30 hours. Start at 730 and go until 5-530 three days a week right now. Who knew having a nanny could be so expensive. Hopefully this will pay off in the end. We discovered some fun places this week. One place that Bowen especially likes is called 'Art of Play' he gets on the train and is able to go without pushing. He ends up running into the kitchen each time. Also, I have figured this is a great way to meet people. We already met a little friend Bowen's age.

Everyone is extremely nice here. I was worried we wouldn't meet anyone in our ward 'our age'. Most of the people are older. (We live right next to a retirement center). But after church last Sunday I saw a couple with a younger kid. I was driving and basically panting- Look Chris young people! I stopped the car near them and told him to say hi because we had not met any ANY young people in our ward. They were very nice and had a three year old. He is a dentist here and later that week he invited us to dinner. We had a lot of fun and call them our parking lot friends now.

For family night this week we went on a bike ride. We found a cute little pond area with a bike/running trail. It is so cute. We biked and fed the ducks bread and got some tasty Jimmy Johns. We are settling down just perfectly as Chris recalls 'riding off into the sunset' The sunsets are magnificent here I just can't get over it.

This Friday we took Bowen to the 'Grandpa's Corn Maze' it was about 6:15 and hardly anyone was there. Both Chris and I were thinking...this is amazing in Utah this would be swarmed with people. We met another couple with a 20 month old. Seems to be the right age to meet people and are doing something with them this next week.  Bowen had the time of his life. He played with corn kernels and a truck yelling "DUMP"! Then he took us over to the slide and said mommy mommy mommy. Suggesting I go down the slide first. After I went down he would say.. daddy daddy daddy. This went on for about 30 mins. We then found the ultimate slide. Bowen was the happiest boy on earth. Neither Chris or I have ever seen him this happy. He was ecstatic to go on this really wide and high slide. He would jump at the top and not stop jumping. As he came down the slide you could see his face get scared and then relieved it was over. Then, he would want to do it all over again grabbing my hand. One moment I recall was when he was at the very top and he was looking through the fence at a van stopped right in front. Chris was up there with him. Bowen's face smashed on the fence kept repeating Hi hi hi hi getting substantially louder and waving his hands. He did not stop until that van rolled down the window and said hi back. I have never laughed harder in my life than in that moment a little boy begging someone to say hi to him.

Saturday we went to Red Lodge. A famous resort here by the Bear Tooth Mountains and Yellowstone. It was a gorgeous day and we admired the leaves changing the beautiful yellows and oranges. We had our bear spray on us and both Chris and I read the instructions carefully. Luckily we had Maggie and we both agreed Maggie would hopefully scare the bears off. We did not see any bears, but my eyes were peeled at anything that moved or made a sound.

Clinicals have been going great. Friday I had a lady down the hall have either a seizure or passed out. Not really sure until I heard a tech say hurry someone come here! I ran down the hall to look like a person dead on the chair. It seemed like maybe a bp problem but luckily she was okay. Reminded me of my last clinicals first day where I had someone code right outside the building.

Tonight we are playing games and treats to some neighbors down the road. We are having a great time exploring and finding our way through Billings MT!

Have a great week!

Cameryn

Chris and I drove 9 hours to Billings, 10 hours counting the lunch stop in Bozeman. I have to admit it was a long drive, and we didn't even have Bowen in the car. Not sure if I will be doing that drive unless it is a two days top kind of thing. I have been pleasantly surprised by Billings. My first impressions numbered 1-10 are as follows:
1. Gone Hunting
2. Trump All The Way
3. Levi's and Country
4. Small Big City
5. Nice People
6. 15 minuets anywhere and everywhere...
7. Construction
8. Purple Sunsets
9. Tribal County
10. Heffer

Yes, that pretty much sums up Billings. I started work with my preceptor Tish Guldborg now Parker since she just got married, seems to be the confusion and topic of interest around the office. Tells me the first day, I just got married in July. He is half Hispanic. But you would never guess he is the biggest racist of anyone I know. He says if our girls bring home a black man you betta get ready cause he is not making it in my front door. I responded. Oh I just moved from Saint Louis.
We then finish up our day me learning epic and shadowing her most of the day, because it's only fair how to see how the other providers care. Later, she talks about the whole Nike scandal putting out the advertisement TV of Kapernick. My preceptor says to be you bet we layed all our nike clothes and shoes lined up and then I told my girls what should we do with all our Nike things? They said throw it away. Then I said good girls that's right. So they dumped thousands worth of Nike in a dumpster.
She also has been teaching me hunting lingo and cow lingo apparently. I guess I had no idea what in the world was a Heffer… it is a cow that has not had a baby. Supposedly her cousins raise Heffers and they go for $10,000 she said- that's more than a car! Yes, that is more than most cars...
Trump came to Billings this week. Trump attire was being worn galore. Trump stickers, trump wigs, trump banners. Trumps name was everywhere TRUMP. I thought it would be kind of fun to see the president- how many people can actually say that. When the time came to go to the convention center. My body just did not want to move- there was supposed to be 12,000 downtown. And in a city like this there is no way I was getting out at a decent time. So I decided I would do better things and watch Netflix.
The sunsets are gorgeous here. I think I read because Montana is further away from the equator it makes the sky look like it is more oval than flat, hard to explain but that is why it is called Big Sky State. Everything is sky and when the sunset hits its the whole sky illuminating. Gorgeous.
Construction has taken a good chunk of this city. Although it takes mostly 15 minutes to get anywhere there are still one way roads. And if one road is closed down- oh prepare for it.
I have been interviewing Nannys and it is so hard for me to part from Emily or Emmy as Bowen calls her. She is great with him and I just cant imagine someone better except me of course. But I will have to make a decision soon since Bowen is coming up this week.
Chris left just in time as I came to Billings to leave me on a guys trip. Don't get me wrong he has planned this for a while, but bad timing. We thought our movers would be here by now, and they have not. I have had to shop/return later things like business casual a hair dryer straightener etc because I do not have anything. At least it has given me sometime to check the city out.
I went on a little hike with Maggie called Four Dances. It was actually really pretty, you could see the Yellowstone river just below and the rim rock and pine trees. It really was serene. Close by was the Pictographs the Native Americans made so I went up and explored ancient drawings of men with "weeping eyes" symbolizing the most powerful animal they knew a bear.
Church today, was interesting. It is so different than in Alpine where there are families galore. Very small ward to say the least.
That is my schpeel for the week, I miss my boy Bowen soooo much. I just feel bad for that kid first Africa then mommy and daddy move to Montana. He has no idea what is going on, and most likely will never remember this.
Have a great week!
Cameryn