This is the face of a cold-hearted killer

Giselle, our cat, has been busy murdering small animals this summer. She kills with no remorse, and I think she even likes it when the mice fight back a little bit before she deals the death blow. Apparently all of the bloodshed has led to some gastric upset for our kitty, as the other day she puked on our couch. Under the pretense of having to rush to work, I made Tim clean it up (but really, Tim, I had to get to work) and as he was doing so, he says, "You're not going to believe this, but there's part of an earthworm in here, and it's still moving." Which reminded me of the bird that swallowed the spider that wriggled and tickled inside her...perhaps my cat will die.

The other day as we were apologizing to our next door neighbor for the headless rat he found in his yard, he said, "It's ok, we don't have mice!" And Tim said, "Or birds!"

What a little killer.

Climbing Mt. Everest

This summer Tim and I decided to take on Everest.


Ok, just kidding, we did hike Half Dome in Yosemite though. And it was like my own personal Everest.



Not because it was an 18 mile hike. Not because it took 10 1/2 hours, and my toes hurt the whole way down. And not because I got ridiculously sweaty, like in the picture below.


It was because I had to conquer these horrible things. These are the cables that take you up to the top of Half Dome. Let me give you a description of the cables from our book, "One Best Hike - Yosemite's Half Dome": "The cables are multi-stranded steel, about 1 inch in diameter... They are attached to 3-foot stanchion poles and resemble a banister. The poles rest in holes drilled into the rock. Note that I said "rest". They will come out if you pull up on them... At the base of every pole pair is a long two-inch-by-four-inch piece of wood placed perpendicular to the path. This allows you to stand every 10 feet and take a rest." Oh PS you are hiking up and down at a 45-degree angle. Here's another favorite quote from the book, "Be advised that although it has seldom happened, people have fallen to their deaths by slipping from the cables. A 2000-foot drop looms not far from the cables." Well friends, I have a small but intense fear of heights, and as I was coming down these cables, I slipped, and for a moment was on the outside of the cables. On sheer granite. With a looming 2000-foot drop. Needless to say I fully embarassed myself by saying, "Help me!", at which point a kindly Brit grabbed me, and then I proceeded to cry hysterically for what seemed like a long time.


Look at these great pictures we got at the top though!





Totally worth a near death experience. Almost.

Won't you be my neighbor?

In this post I would like to discuss a favorite idea of mine, and that is the idea of...The Commune. Collective groan from some people who have heard this idea, I know, but still...c'mon guys we could all be neighbors, it would be great!

We have met so many wonderful people since we've married and done some moving around, and I'm sick of having to say goodbye to them. Hence, The Commune. Not a weird commune. Not a cul-de-sac-like commune. More like we all live in the same neighborhood. And maybe we share stuff, like horses and boats, I dunno. I think this commune idea is because my parents are divorced and live on opposite ends of California, and I just want everyone to be in one place so I am not always missing people. Of course the commune will be in California, because that's closest to me and Tim's families. And unfortunately the location will rule out Tim Hassell, because he's refused to live in California...but we'll fly Anna in for tons of visits on The Commune's private jet. Because OF COURSE we know Tim's friend, Brandon, who is a pilot now, and he can live in The Commune also, because he has a needed skill.

Ok it is starting to sound a little bit like I'm back in high school, when I kind of was a Communist, but who better to be a dictator than a social worker?

Not only would our commune have TONS of doctors and dentists, but if you need an amazing handmade purse or baby blanket, or need a good book, just talk to Shalet, she lives down the road. Need a Hmong interpreter and a filling? No problem, it's a one-stop shop 'cause her husband Dr. Greg is fluent. If your kid's got a lisp that isn't so cute now that he's in kindergarten, luckily we've got Karisa, our resident speech pathologist, she'll clear that right up. Or perhaps you need a little recreational therapy, or your abs are needing a killer Pilates class, just talk to Catherine. Like I said before, we'll have to fly Anna in for our event planning needs. And Tim H. would represent The Commune in any legal scuffles, even if he refuses to live in The Commune. English will be taught at The Commune school by Katie, and my high school friend Carla can teach biology and make sure we're running a GREEN commune, because that's so hot right now. My other friend from high school, Erin, would run creative writing workshops, and do wedding planning. See? There's jobs for everyone! Jess and Jon would run The Commune Hospice and bike shop (not a combination...two separate places), Erin L. would handle The Commune's financial affairs, as well as teaching horseback riding lessons, and it would be just the greatest! A whole town full of my favorite people.

Sign up now, spaces are filling up fast.

Too hot for Milwaukee...

I want to preface this by saying that I'm not conceited. I have just never ever been hit on more in my entire life than I have in the past 2 years in Milwaukee.

Today, walking out of the VA, there were two vets sitting outside in wheelchairs (there are about 50 vets in wheelchairs, smoking in all kinds of weather, in front of the VA at any given moment, I swear) and one of them said, "You sure are wearing those clothes, ma'am." At least give me something to work with! What do I say to that? "Well yes, yes I am wearing these clothes." I know, I guess I should take compliments where I can get them and just be glad that "I've still got it", but these types of compliments just make me REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE. You would think my tough husband would jump to the rescue, but he loves it. His verbatim response: "Aw, honey, just let the old guys perv out a little, it's not like they have anything better to do."

Here's the creepiest/funniest "hit on" story. I was stopping for gas before work and standing outside of my car by the pump. An older man pulls up in his car on the other side of the pump and says, "Well, I think it's rude to talk about people behind their backs." I have no idea where he is going with this, but I'm a social worker, I have the nod and smile down pat. I do so. He continues, "But I work with some A-rabs (that's how he pronounced it) and I know some Arabic and that guy in the covenience store thinks you're very pretty." I glance in the mini mart and see a man in a turban staring out the window. The fight or flight response kicks in and I very much want my gas to be done pumping. I graciously laugh and say, "Oh well thank you" and jump back in my car and peel off to work.

Here's another one: The day before Valentine's Day, I am pushing my cart back to my car after shopping at Walmart, and the guy pushing his cart in front of me turns around and says, "I just want to be the very first one to wish you a happy Valentine's Day." I told him I would let my husband know that he beat him to the punch. That one was kind of cute and funny (not the guy, the pick up) but still...I was glad to get back in my car where my fierce-looking (but really not scary at all) dog was waiting.

Probably the most useful pick up I ever received was when I was attempting to put air in my tires at the gas station. Note, before this happened, that Tim and I had the following conversation on the phone:
Me: My tire's flat and I need to put some air in it to get home but I don't know how. What do I do?
Tim: You just undo the thing on your tire and stick the air thing on it and fill it up. Then you check the pressure with the pressure gauge.
Me: I dunno how to work the pressure gauge. What if I do it wrong?
Tim: Just be a girl and go into the mini mart and act all blonde and whatever guy is working there will help you do it. Don't worry. They'll totally do it.

Well I have just a little more pride than that so I was trying to do it myself and this guy pulls up in his car (I must look especially vulnerable and desperate for love around cars) and says, "I don't usually do this, but could I take you out to dinner somewhere?" I said, "I'm flattered, but I'm married, so I don't think so. You could help me put air in my tires though." He apologized awkwardly, but then helped me put air in my tires, then asked me if I had any friends he could go out with. Which I didn't, so that was kind of a lose-lose situation for him, but it worked out ok for me.

Has anyone else found Milwaukee to be a place of frequent pickups? It must be my perfume...

Hoo-rah

We got to do a lot of cool things this summer, so I'll be throwing in a few retrospective posts here. One REALLY cool thing was getting to watch my 21-year-old brother, Chris, graduate from Marine Corps boot camp. Here are some sweet pictures of the guy we now know as Private Gallo. Can you tell which one he is?


Chris lost about 20 lbs during boot camp, so he looked like a totally different person.

Chris, me, our cousin Olivia, and little sister Jamie.

Chris's fan club.

Awww.


Joining the Marines was a huge change for Chris and we have all been really impressed with his new dedication and discipline. Unfortunately the night before Chris's graduation I came down with the stomach flu while on the flight to San Diego and puked all over the floor of the plane as I was waiting to get into the bathroom. I felt pretty miserable for the rest of the weekend but it was nice to spend some quality time with my dad and brother. It was really sunny on the base, so my dad and Uncle Peter made their own hats.


My stepdad Ralph flew down to San Diego too, and it was great to spend some time with him. I hadn't seen my cousin Olivia since she was about 8, and now she is a beautiful 16-year-old! Thank you Ralph, for my new "Proud Sister of a Marine" sweatshirt, I wear it all the time!


This is Jamie with the mascot bulldog. I want this to be Chris's job in the Marines: taking care of the bulldog. No guns needed.


Even though it was cloudy, it was nice to hang out on the beach by the Hotel del Coronado.



Part of my orientation at the VA was watching these heartwrenching videos about veterans, and as you can imagine, the parts about the returning OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) and OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) vets made me tear up every time. As much as I would hate to see my little brother ever in harm's way, I am so proud of the new life he is leading and the service he is providing to our country. We love you and miss you Chris! You are in our prayers and thoughts!

That's right people, I'm a Federal Employee

As some of you might know, I started a new job on August 18th at the Milwaukee Veteran's Hospital, also known as "The VA". Back in January I applied for a fellowship on the Palliative Care Unit. What's a fellowship, you might ask? A fellowship is like a post-graduate paid internship (unfortunately this one does not pay very much). Why would you do a fellowship? Because it gave me the opportunity to do something completely different from what I've always done in the field of social work: work with kids. Which leads to the next question that I've anticipated: What is palliative care? Palliative care is similar to hospice care in than that it focuses on helping those with chronic illness die comfortably and with dignity. It's different from hospice in that you can still receive palliative care while aggressively treating your illness, such as receiving chemotherapy. It's also different in that you don't necessarily have to be terminally ill (prognosis of six months to live or less) to receive palliative care.

So on the Palliative Care Unit we have veterans that come there for end of life care as well as veterans that come for radiation, or chemotherapy, or general rehab and strengthening. In a lot of ways this job has been very different from working with kids, but not as different as I thought. I definitely feel like I'm using the same skill set with the veterans as with kids, you know, those important social work skills like listening and empathy. One bummer about this job is that I can't joke around as much as I would like. The patients actually appreciate a sense of humor every now and then, but their families are often so worried and upset about their loved ones' health (understandably) that it's not really a time for joking. I have to be somber, which can be a little difficult for me. I never realized I was so darn bubbly!

I really appreciate having a Gospel perspective with this job and having the comfort of knowing that these guys are leaving this world for a better place. It is very different having only male patients (female patients on our unit are very rare) and I assure you I have gotten quite a few crusty comments ("Do you mind if I take a minute of your time and ask you a couple of questions, Mr. So-and-so?" "Sure, I still like to look at pretty girls."), but nothing disrespectful. The best is the guys that are very hard of hearing. You'll be walking down the hall and hear the nurse practicioner hollering, "HOW ARE YOUR BOWELS?"

One bummer about working at the VA are the smells. All kinds of not good smells. Especially on the elevators, which get pretty crowded. Especially when you have the heavy smokers on the elevator, and then there's the heavy smokers that probably don't bathe quite often enough. Then there are places in the VA that have their own weird smell that has unknown origins. Like one hallway that smells like stale Vietnamese food. Not sure why. Our unit tends to smell like pureed food and...urine? and bleach? Really hard to place. Luckily you get used to it.

The GREAT thing about the VA is that everyone is extremely nice to me and really helpful as I am learning about working with a completely different population. It's also nice working under my supervisor and not having a caseload that's all my own right now, because I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing half the time. Tim says that this is the least stressed out he's ever seen me, so that's good. I've been able to listen to/read the news again, which was not an option before (I hear about enough horrible things happening to people at work, why listen to more?). So I guess all in all the change has been a good thing. I will keep you all updated on my progress, as I'll be in this position for a year.

Hello Elroy

Look how pumped Anna was for her first half-marathon.

This was the morning of the race. I don't think my eyes were open in this picture, and Anna is going to kill me for posting the above picture, but I think it's cute. When the alarm went off in our nice little hotel room I said, "Let's not do the race and just go home." But we really ran it.

Elroy and the surrounding towns? villages? are gorgeous. The morning of the race was absolutely beautiful, and you can kind of see in the pictures that there was mist all over the fields.

















Deserted corn fields with mist are a lot nicer in the daylight than they are at night, as Anna and I found out when our mapquest directions got us lost the night before. City girls that we are, we were envisioning overall-clad hicks with pitchforks and axes coming after us and loudly screaming in the car as I said in my best trucker voice, "Candycane" (anyone see that amazing/creepy movie Joyride??).
















































We met up with Team McAllister, who were all gussied up in their matching Under Armour gear (they must protect their house!). I have to say that Team McAllister really kept me going for the first four miles or so, when I was hitting a wall and before I had hit my caffeine-loaded shot blocks (weird gummy energy carb things). They kept a nice one-sided conversation going, as I lost my ability to speak and breathe at the same time after mile 1. And believe it or not they pushed their baby Benson in the jogging stroller for 13.1 miles. They were the race celebrities and everyone wanted to take their picture. Way to go team McAllister!


















Here's the group before the race. This was a fairly small race, with about 65 runners, but no one told us that we would be the only non-elite runners NOT using this race as a training day for the Chicago Marathon. I'm pretty sure everyone was faster than us, except for the speed walkers. They came in about 20 minutes after we were done. Oh and a 70-something woman passed me around mile 10 or 11 (hard to tell, caffeine- and pain- induced delirium at that point), which was incredibly demoralizing. But really this was my favorite half-marathon that I've done, because it was beautiful, I only had to go to the bathroom once, and I didn't have to walk too often. I'll definitely do this race again, and highly recommend it to anyone who feels like going to the middle of nowhere Wisconsin.


















This was us after the race, and before Anna got really sick. You never really know how Gu will affect your tummy until you run 13.1 miles on it. She did so awesome, though!


















Best part of the race was eating this apple dumpling afterwards. I then proceeded to the "chicken dinner" that was offered. Mmmm...

















Thanks to Anna and the McAllister's for such a fun time. Also thanks to Anna and Karisa for getting my butt out of bed so many Saturday mornings for our long runs.

I'm nervous...

Welcome to our first attempt at a blog. I have resisted for a long time because I was pretty sure that no one would be interested in our day to day lives before we had a kid, but I'm hoping that our adventures will be somewhat entertaining and that this will be a way for us to keep our family and friends updated. This first post is just a test to see if I can do this...