A few weeks of firsts!!

Abigael has exploded onto the big girls scene with two new feats of grown-uped-ness. First she has put away the run bike and moved over full time to a pedal bike!! She took to it right off the bat. She still has a bit of trouble mounting, starting off, stopping, and dismounting but once she gets going there is nothing stopping her.


I know she should be wearing her helmet... She usually does and will in the future...

Secondly she has started to be able to write her first name on her own, legibly, with only the G giving her any grief. Her G's look like skinny Q's, but even Abigael recognizes that she needs to work on her G's.


I just love Abigael's little people that she draws. They have such personality. Each person she draws is unique and they all have differences. Some have noses, some hair, some have hands where Abigael has traced her own hand in place of the drawing's hand, and they all have arms and legs sprouting from the drawings head!!

School starts sooner than I thought!!

I received a phone call from Clover Park Technical College on Thursday offering me the chance to move my school start date from Fall 09 up to the Spring of 2009! This was such an unexpected surprise that it took me a few days to call CPTC say Yes! So now I have to scramble to find funding for not only tuition and books, but also childcare as the LPN program is full-time 5 days a week! Because I already have a B.S. degree I don't qualify for federal financial aid. If anyone would like to sponsor a 35 year old stay-at-home dad through the Licensed Practical Nurse program for one year, four full quarters, for about $10,000 I will bend over backwards for that sponsor! I have even gone so far as to inquire about PLU's ROTC nursing (BSN) program! What am I thinking I am probably to old anyways...

(Late edit: Just got an email stating that I am too old to qualify for the ROTC scholarship so there is not any reason for me to look any further into that option.)

Saturday early Sick Puke 2008

Start Time Oct 11, 2008 7:12:28 AM Finish Time Oct 11, 2008 6:43:27 PM Total Time (h:m:s) 11:30:59 Distance 47.49 miles Elevation Gain 8,550 ft Motion Based GPS data

SICK PUKE 2008 WEBSITE

So we started off kinda pokin' our way through the woods with a few wrong turns and a chilly wade across a frigid stream! After a couple thousand feet of elevation gain we, the two Brandon's, were warmed up despite abundant frost still on the ground as we rode down the trail. Brandon Corneliusen's feet got VERY cold so I gave him my neoprene shoe covers which warmed up his feet immediately. We took frequent food/rest breaks and kept a steady pace. We bumped into a few riders at Fall Creek and above on Greenline 6. We took our worst wrong turn when we rode/walked UP Greenline 6 at the trail 50 junction! Plus side was that we got to ride DOWN Greenline 6 as a reward for our fruitless efforts! We both started to loose steam while riding up Mt Molly loop to the old Jeep trail. And curses to the Sick Puke and Jim for including the brutal Jeep trail hike-a-bike in the route!! At the top of Capitol Peak we sat down and ate lunch and meet a few motorcyclists, Bob that used to work for Klein and his friend, that were former mountain bikers turned to the dark/easy side of the four stoke Honda. From there I found that the Creastline trail is much easyer to ride in the reverse direction and I was very motivated to get to Wedekin to replenish our water supplies. At Wedekin we hit the water cashe that Mike Scholl left for us earlier in the week. I must say Mike out did himself for us prior to and on Saturday! The trip to the washout on Mima Porter 8 was a blast and is one of my favorite trails in Capitol Forest, even if it is over grown, but thanks to Courtland the downhill sections were clear and FAST!! The wash out on Mima Porter 8 and C-Line road was a challenge! We eventually realized that walking down the actual washed out dirt section is much easyier than the clear cut bramble mess on the sides of the wash out. We linked up to the lower trail and forded the creek onto Greenline 6 again only getting one foot wet out of four between the two of us (my left foot soaked!)!! From there it was clear sailing out of the forest with no mechanicals or crashes!! I did however get a puncture leaving Porter Creek Campground in my BRAND NEW rear tire!! But thanks to trusty Stans and a CO2 it eventually sealed back up and I was able to ride it out!! We met Mike Scholl at the Porter Creek road junction, as he was our ride back to Jim's and he was getting anxious waiting on us. We were about an hour and a half late but he headed back to the Porter General Store to order us up so grub and we rode the road to finish off the ride hating the last few little rises in the road and rejoicing pulling into the General Store as darkness fell. The helmet that I always have my light system attached to was left at home and I borrowed a helmet from Jim so we didn't have any lights if we had been caught out after dark, I know I won't do that again!! At Porter General Store we stuffed our faces with fat bacon cheese burgers and drank a cold beer, thanks again to Mike, and then piled into Mike's car for a chauffeured ride back to the start where warm home baked cookies awaited, thanks Jen!!!!! All in all it was an awesome day on the trail with a good riding partner talking bike geek speak and suffering together. The weather was some of the best I have ever ridden in in Capitol Forest and the view from the Peak was breath taking!! Thanks to Jim, Mike, Brandon C. and all of FOCF for another awesome tough as nails Sick Puke!! Below is a link to the map on Google Maps. I didn't get any pictures because, to be honest with you, I was to tired to pull my camera out of my pack every time we stopped.

Photo: Jim Graham

Google Map of the Route

Nursing school bound...

This is the licensed practical nursing (LPN) program that I have been admitted to at Clover Park Technical College. I have been accepted to the start of the Fall 2009 class!!

The Practical Nursing Program begins each fall and spring quarter. The program takes 4 quarters to complete. Classroom hours are 8 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Monday through Friday for the first 2 quarters, with a 5-week clinical experience during the second quarter. During the 3rd and 4th quarters, the student is at a clinical site Tuesday through Friday and in the classroom on Monday. Clinical experiences may be scheduled during day, evening, or weekend hours and may begin as early as 5:45 A.M. or end as late as 11:00 P.M.

Upon completion of the LPN course I can sit for my LPN board exam and find a job working as an LPN at one of the local hospitals. Upon reaching a total of 1500 working hours as an LPN I will be eligible to apply to the LPN to RN bridge program at Clover Park Tech.

The RN Option (LPN to RN bridge) Nursing Program begins each (January) winter quarter. The program takes 3 Quarters to complete. Classroom hours are every week Tuesdays and Wednesdays 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. with clinical assignments every other weekend. The hours of the clinical assignments during the weekend may vary. In the 3rd quarter Capstone Clinical experience students are matched with an RN Preceptor and will be required to work the RN Preceptor’s schedule to fulfill the Capstone Clinical hours required. The Clinical Capstone experience may include 8hr or 12hr shifts and is scheduled during Friday and Saturdays on the evening shift.

Upon completion I will be able to sit for the RN licensing board exam. I hope to be able to obtain my RN license within three years from the start of the program in the fall of 2009. With the objective of eventually working in the Emergency Department at either Tacoma General or Harborview hospital. After gaining enough trauma and emergency experience I have a goal to apply to work as a flight nurse possibly with Airlift Northwest.