San Antonio Temple

Two weeks gone by since the last post and we have been in Corpus Christi almost a month!  I have done 12 shifts at the hospital to date.  Nine weeks left in the contract.  Not sure at this point what the next move is.  We will keep you posted.

Meanwhile, here's an adventure update...

Last Thursday we traveled the 21/2 hour trip to San Antonio to attend the San Antonio LDS Temple. On the way, we had to stop in Peggy, Texas!!  Guess what's there?  NOTHING!!  Even the Post Office has closed.  So sad.  But at least there is a sign on the freeway!

You can see what is left of the Post Office waaaaaay in the background

Oh, and there were a zillion oil derricks in the area.  We couldn't resist... Derrick and Peggy... Get it? (I know - it's a really bad joke...)

Moving ON!  We got to he the beautiful San Antonio Temple later that morning.  After attending, we took pictures outside.  I have never seen so many gorgeous stained glass windows in a  temple - EVER!  Lots of temples have stained glass, but not many have pictorial ones.  There are four huge ones in the Celestial Room - one on each side  - that each depict beautiful trees.  They are an explosion of color that is stunning.  It's very hard to describe.  We were able to take some pictures from the outside, however.  My favorite one, though is in a sealing room.  From the outside, the chandelier makes the golden tree sparkle.  So, so pretty.  Looking forward to going back.  Here are some pics for you.

Tree of Life Sealing Room Window

Celestial Room Window

Fountain that...

...cascades down in front of the temple.

Sunday afternoon, Derrick left Corpus Christi to go back to Utah for a few days.  Domo (the company he works for) had a big meeting, so he flew back for that.  The trip also gave him the chance to see kids and grandkids.   He got to have dinner with Dale and Kara and their family and with Tim and Jen and their family.  Fun for all (except Gramma that had to stay here and work...)

Before leaving, Derrick grabbed the chance to see the Ogden Temple in its final night of the Open House.  I was sad to miss that, too.  But, he took pictures and texted me while he was in the (very long) line.  I am glad he got the chance to see it.

Next blog:  The USS Lexington

First week in my remote office

Derrick here; usually my wife, Peggy writes the blog, but today you get me. This is my first week in the remote office. As you can see from the picture, I definitely dress more casually; shorts, tee shirt, bare feet or socks; no shoes. The commute is about 12 seconds from the bedroom to the desk chair. And yes, it's very nice.

One of my big concerns was getting internet access and making sure the VPN (virtual private network) works AND is fast so I can do my work efficiently. I am using a wireless hotspot and frankly, it is so good that most of the time I forget that I am connected wirelessly and through a VPN.  I do notice some speed difference when working with large amounts of data, but it's occasional and not as noticeable as I expected. Thumbs up on the wireless hotspot from Verizon MiFi.

The biggest change is my interaction with my coworkers at the office. When I was at there, I frequently stood up and walked to someone's desk or walked around until I found them if they were not there. Now I use the phone, IM, or email (I have not been a big user of IM, but I think that will be changing). I'm finding there are some definite advantages to Instant Messaging over walking around. For example, if the person I am looking for is in a meeting, they may see the IM and answer before the meeting is out.  (I may actually end up being more efficient working remotely!)

A couple of other thing of note.  I have some furry "office help".  My buddy cat, Boudreaux,  (our 13 year old flame point Siamese) is always close by.  You can see from the pictures, he really likes The Chicken!

Back at the home office, they bring in lunch every day. In the office, I never thought about what am I going to have for lunch. About 12:20 (after the noon rush) I would wander over and get whatever they were serving for lunch.  Now, perish the thought, I have to actually make a decision about what to eat for lunch. So, I'm eating a lot more sandwiches ;-)

But THIS makes it all worthwhile:

All in all, I think this is going to work out well.

Week 1 - Getting Here and Getting Settled

We are finally settled and have started working, living and playing here in Corpus Christi.  Thanks to Derrick and Andrew, the motorhome, Jeep, cats and contents arrived safely at Hatch RV Park on Wednesday, August 6th.

Lot 302 - nice corner spot in the back of the park

They got in early enough that we were able to get the MH situated and head back up to San Antonio so Andy could catch a flight back to Ketchikan.  Before dropping him off at the hotel, though, we stopped to see the Alamo and got dinner at a Cajun place - Pappadeaux Seafood. Andrew was in heaven eating crawfish etoufee - a culinary reminder of his time on his mission in Louisiana. I had steak...

Andrew at the Alamo

Crawfish Etoufee

Once back in Corpus Christi, we finished getting the motorhome set up.  We are very pleased with the park.  Hatch RV Park is family owned and is only 6 minutes from the hospital.  It is quiet and is used by many working people.  There are some vacationers, and a few families with kids. It's a perfect location for us.

On Friday we went Padre Island National Seashore.  Wow!  It was amazing.  I had never played on a boogie board before.  I saw people with them and knew we could rent them.  Had to try it.  It was so much fun!  The water here is incredible.  The waves were not so huge as to be intimidating and the temperature is pretty much bath water.  We had a great time!

Padre Island National Seashore

Boogie board fun

I started work that night and worked through the weekend.  Spohn Memorial is a little "tired", but it's a good place.  The staff is great! They have been so welcoming.  I work on the Med Surg floor where they have 28 beds - fewer than my job at St. Mark's where there were 34, but more than Lone Peak (20 beds).  The word is that the hospital is being torn down in 3-5 years as they are combining Memorial and Shoreline hospitals.  Truth be told, retrofitting Memorial would probably be really hard.  Hopefully, they will get it all worked out for the benefit of the people of Corpus Christi.

Derrick got his remote office all set and started back on Monday.  He even held a video conference with his team at Domo.  Happily, I didn't hear a thing.  The air conditioners are the perfect white noise and I slept while he worked.  True to his decision, he works when I work (or sleep).  We are both really happy with the arrangement.

Kitty cats have settled in, as well.  Gryffindor seems to "own" the bedroom in the back (even going so far as to think a drawer was a good napping spot!).  Boudreaux owns the front - resuming his perch on the back of the couch.

They provided major entertainment on the way here - terrified as they were. Andrew's monologue on how they reacted during the trip is provided at the end of this entry for your listening pleasure :-)

That's about all for now.  I work Wednesday and Thursday this week, but am happy to report I have block schedule of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday for most of the assignment.  That means Derrick will work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and we will get to play Thursday-Saturday.  There is lots to do and see in Corpus Christi.  We will keep you in the loop!