Carly

This picture was taken a few months ago of my dog Carly. She is going to be 12 years old in March. I have a bed for her next to mine and every night she comes upstairs and sleeps next to me. She started bringing her little yellow ducky with her and curls up with it in her bed. The ducky was supposed to be for a baby shower I had a year ago, but somehow Carly thought it was hers and took it. She has always liked toys that make squeaking noises.

For those of you that know me, understand that Carly means a lot to me. When we travel I need to make sure she is comfortable. There have been a couple of times that we stayed in a hotel while travelling. They wouldn't allow pets, so Gary suggested I just leave them in the car and they would be fine (Allie too). Well, Gary ended up sleeping alone in the hotel and I slept in the car with the dogs! I needed to make sure they stayed safe and warm.

A year ago I saw the movie Marley & Me. It was over the holidays and I thought it would be great to see a good movie, it was advertised as fun for the family. About 1/4 of the way through the movie I realized where the movie was going and I almost got up and left. I cried so hard through the end of the movie. We are approaching some of the same tough decisions with Carly.

In December she started getting sores and she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder called Pemphigus Foliaceus. I had never heard of it before but I know a lot about it now. Her body suddenly thinks her skin is foreign and is attacking it. Last Tuesday I got an appointment 100 miles away in Edmond to see a pet Dermatologist at 7:00 am. We have a plan of action for her now but I have to be realistic. We have her on steroids, antibiotics and another medicine to decrease her immune system. We are walking a fine line here because she is older and we don't want to damage her liver.

Coupons & Rebates & Checks, OH MY!!

While Michelle was here she was great and took over sending in my rebates. While she was here we sent in over $300 worth of rebates. The checks are now starting to come in. This week I cashed $100 worth of checks.

I started couponing in September and since then I am addicted. Gary describes it as a "game", I think he is correct. I check websites & blogs daily to see where the best deals are. I am to the point where nearly everything I get (not including food) is nearly free after coupons/rebates.

The exception to this is the recent diaper deals I have been doing. It is almost impossible to get diapers free, so we get them as cheap as we can. I got Pampers diapers at Target for $3.33! I also got 10 containers of wipes at Walgreen's for free, I just had to pay the sales tax! I am buying them in Newborn and size 1 and saving them up for Jenny. She will be well stocked when the baby is born.

I have been lucky to have some fabulous cashiers at the Walgreen's in Chehalis: Becki, Robyn, Bobbi & Jonathan. I am there at least 3-4 times a week! The only place I have had a problem is at Wal-Mart, which doesn't surprise me! I was buying chocolate chips the other night for my cookie project for Laura and I went to the Nestle's website and printed 2 50 cent coupons. It wasn't a great deal but I was in a bind. the cashier at Wal-Mart said very loud " I can't take this coupon, it's illegal!" I was shocked and even after I explained to her that i printed off a legal website she said it out loud again. It was humiliating in front of everyone.

So I will stick to Walgreen's, Target and Rite Aid from now on for my purchases. I should keep track of how much I spend and how much I redeem in coupons. The hard part is spending $2.50 a paper on Sundays.

Cookies - Cookies- Everywhere!

As many of you know, Laura is going to school to be a pastry chef. She will graduate this year. In the meantime she has enjoyed taking small jobs catering.

This weekend she has a big job, she is making 5,000 cookies for an event. She has a small kitchen so I offered to help. She sent me the recipe and yesterday and today I have been busy baking. ( I can't give you her recipe but each batch uses 32 oz chocolate chips, 16 oz melted and added to the batter and the remaining as chips in the dough).

I am running out of containers to put the cookies in! I am now using a Rubbermaid cereal cannister to put them in. I am pleased to say that I have only eaten 3... okay 5!!! cookies.

I have to say the house smells great as soon as you walk in.

An Absolute Miracle!

As many of you know, a terrible earthquake hit the island of Haiti on Tuesday January 12, 2010. As each day passes, the likelihood of finding survivors lessens. Over the weekend several people were found alive in a supermarket where they were able to survive on peanut butter and jelly.

Without water an average person can survive 3 days without water. This can vary according to your age, condition, temperature and other factors.

The United States sent incredible teams down to help Haiti. One of them is The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF). This is a search team that includes dogs that can smell human life. These dogs are able to distinguish between the smell of someone alive or someone that has just died. It is amazing to watch these teams working together to find survivors amidst all the rubble.


Yesterday, day 8, a rescue team from Mexico found a 69 year old woman, Ena Zizi buried in the Haitian National Cathedral. The woman was heard singing and praying. She was dehydrated, had a dislocated hip and a broken leg but was otherwise doing well. They were able to take her to a hospital for medical aid. She said she was "all right, sort of." She also said her faith as a Roman Catholic helped her through the ordeal, and added: "I talked only to my boss - God. And I didn't need any more humans."

Some of these teams have incredible listening devices that they can use that can even pick up the sound of someone breathing. They are able to use this equipment to listen in areas where they believe there are still survivors.

I am just amazed at the technology we have that can help the island of Haiti. I am grateful we have these men, women and dogs that have been working for days to bring hope to so many. Not all the stories have had a happy ending, in fact most don't. But stories like this 69 year old woman keep us all hoping and praying.

USNS Comfort Gets Ready to Sail

I have had many people calling me asking if I am planning on heading to Haiti. I guess my friends know me too well. The most exciting news is that the USNS Comfort is leaving Baltimore on Saturday morning. She will reach Haiti on January 21. News Article New Article 1/16

The Comfort is a Navy ship, and when not actively deployed, is kept in a state of reduced operations in Baltimore Harbor. Every two years she goes on a medical mission to Central & South America. She is also available for disaster relief, she helped in New York after 9/11 and was in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. She has been used many times over the years and has been ready to ship out of Baltimore with 5 days' notice.

It takes a lot to ready a ship of this size and magnitude. They need medical supplies, food and a crew. These are things that can't be left on the ship in case it is needed. The ship can handle up to 1,000 patients. A 250-bed hospital is currently being set up on the ship, which will be equipped with four operating rooms, eight to 15 ICUs, as well as CAT scanners and other state-of-the-art equipment.

The ship will be anchored off Haiti's shore and patients will have to be flown in by helicopter. The Comfort can also make drinking water from sea water. The ship can pump out 300,000 gallons of water per day thanks to its four distilling plants.

As many of you know, I was on the Comfort last summer for 2 months on a medical mission. the first country the Comfort helped in was Haiti. I did not arrive until they were departing the Dominican Republic so I did not help in Haiti.

At this time, I am waiting to hear if my help will be needed on the ship. Over 600 doctors and nurses have already been called to serve on the ship. These men and women will drop everything and get ready to serve on the ship.

My heart just aches for the people of Haiti. I have been watching the news as it unfolds on CNN. Every minute, every hour and every day makes a difference to someone. My prayers are with the people of Haiti, and with all the rescue workers, doctors and nurses that are either there now or on the way.

Should I be concerned???

Every Saturday Gary goes to a tennis lesson at Thorbeckes from 9:00 am until noon. Someone would have to be dying for him to even consider missing practice. It is a Skills & Drills class taught by TJ Underwood, the Tennis director.

Last Saturday morning, I was getting ready to go visit my brother Grover in Woodland, WA for his family Christmas. Gary had a match later in the day and realized he wouldn't be able to take the lesson and go to a family function with me. He was getting ready to climb in the shower and this was our conversation:

Kirsten: "What are you doing?"

Gary: "Taking a shower."

Kirsten: "Don't you have tennis practice this morning?"

Gary: "Yes."

Kirsten: "And you are taking a shower before practice?"

Gary: "Yes."

Kirsten: "Why didn't you take one before you went to bed last night?"

Gary: No response

I think I just might have to pop into Thorbeckes next Saturday to see what happens at lessons!!

When I was on the ship...

I know that just seeing the title of this blog has made my family cringe! Ever since I have been home I am frequently heard saying that exact phrase, or "When I was on my mission...". In August I attended a luncheon in Salt Lake City at the Church Office, and many of the other men women I worked with have had the same reaction from their families. Well, I was on that ship for 2 months and it became my life while I was there. I am constantly remembering something that happened, something I saw or did. I realized that I never gave a closing post to my blog on my mission so I thought I would try and put it in words.

I have had a difficult time writing about my mission and I am not sure why. Every time I sit down and try to put words to what I experienced I hit a block. Unfortunately I did not keep a journal while I was there and that was a big lesson for next time. Right now I can still see and feel it all but I know that will eventually fade.

The first two weeks after I left I dreamt about the USNS Comfort every night. I dreamt about the ship, the patients, the people I worked with, the military, everything. So many people asked me about it and my response started with "It was an emotional roller coaster". I found myself talking about the sad cases, the people we couldn't help. So it seemed to me that no one wanted to talk about it when I so desperately needed to. Why would anyone want to talk with me about sadness, sick children and frustration.

Well, for the record, Continuing Promise 09 saw over 100,000 patients and did over 1600 surgeries on the ship. We helped so many people that would otherwise not been taken care of. We changed so many lives and brought comfort and hope to nearly everyone we saw. To many of the patients and their families it was a miracle. I would frequently hear someone crying and it was a cry of relief and joy. Patients could see again, or their bodies were repaired. So many were grateful for what we gave them, but they will never know what they gave to me.

I learned more about faith, hope, love, kindness and compassion in those short two months than I will ever learn in my life. Very few complained of pain or anything else, they were so grateful to have the help and care that we provided. (Many did complain of nausea but that comes from being on a ship several miles off the coast).

The children, no matter what was wrong, were all so happy. They all smiled and had such a great time coming to the clinics. The moms kept their children comfortable and busy for the wait, at times several hours. Sometimes I realized how quickly I was moving to get patients in and out of the clinic, trying to keep order, and I realized that I needed to take a few moments and just spend a little time with the children and their families.

I was fortunate that nearly every country I was able to be in pediatrics. I loved being with the children, they bring so much happiness and joy with them. I wish I could take every one of them home with me.

The people in the countries we visited are all grateful for what they have. They aren't worried about what designer jeans to get or what restaurant to eat at. They live with extended families, and family is important to them. Many children had disfiguring conditions but they were the ones that had the biggest smiles.

I recently purchased a Spanish computer program and my goal is to be more fluent in Spanish. The USNS Comfort will go back to Central & South America in 2011 and I plan on being there for another 2 months. The USNS Mercy will be in the Pacific in 2010. I have a grand baby due in June so I am not sure if I will make it or not.

Things I Miss the Most:

The announcements throughout the day: revelie, sweepers, taps and others. (I can't believe I am actually saying that!)

Working as a nurse alongside some incredible nurses and corpsmen.

The Evening meetings letting us know what happened during the day and what to expect in the next day or two.

Waking up every morning knowing I have a purpose, a job to do.

Being disciplined.

Seeing all the men and women in uniform.

Being able to survive with very little. I was amazed at how much I could do without and how little I really needed.

I miss Ashley, Mindy, CJ & Rachel. These were the 4 younger non medical volunteers with our group that served the entire 4 months. I was so impressed with them, how quickly they made friends, how friendly they were and how easy going they were in every situation. They made the trip a lot of fun for the rest of us.

The rocking of the boat. It is very comforting and soothing.

Wearing my Missionary name tag.


This Mission was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, and it was also the most rewarding. I will always have a piece of the USNS Comfort and its crew in my heart. I have so much love, respect and admiration for our Military and their families. I finally got around to putting together a short video. Most of it is pictures of the kids, many are in previous posts.

If you ever get an opportunity to do something like this, take the chance. The more it puts you out of your comfort zone, the more you will get out of it.