Memorial Day Weekend

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Sergeant Aaron J Blasjo, 25, of Riverside, CA, was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, NC. SGT Blasjo died in the Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Also killed were Capt. Joseph W. Schultz and Staff Sgt. Martin R. Apolinar.

Dave's Office

My cousin Dave is an Edward Jones guy. He understands all that dollars and cents stuff that I have no idea how to decipher. His office is directly across the parking lot from the grocery store that he worked at during high school. I can remember coming to Alaska for the first time and going to the grocery store to see Dave since he had to work the day my family arrived. I love that everyone on both sides of my family are gifted in such different ways and that we can share our gifts with each other.

The Butte

A perfect way to end a perfect week!!! After saying bye to Ben, Anita and I drove to a hill called the Butte which offers a 360* view of the valley that she calls home. The skies had been clear and sunny all week and today was no different. Absolutely amazing views!!!


My cousin Dave who lives in the same valley told me that the weather is always like this in Alaska and that I should move up here immediately... I am doubtful on the weather part, but moving to Alaska...hmmm.....

Float Plane

For a birthday surprise my Alaska family found a local pilot to take me up flying over the gorgeous landscape. Ben had to work so Anita and jumped on board Mike's float plane on Big Lake and headed off to Denali (Mt McKinley). An absolutely beautiful view.

Before taking off Mike told me that this flight would be very similar to that of a "combat helicopter" flight...so not true. This was the bounciest flight I have ever been on. Let's just say that we didn't make it to our destination as my stomach simply could not handle it (sad, I know).

Other than the 15 minutes of me being sick, this was by far had one of the best views I have ever seen. I wish I had take more pictures to share with you.

Full Circle

That's right Burdine Family!!! The shirt has come full circle!!!
I wonder what adventure I can bring this shirt on next?

Bear Hunting

I got to spend almost my whole day today with my cousin Ben! One of the many things he likes to do is hunt and up in Alaska there are plenty of opportunities for doing just that!!!


We went out on Ben's 3-wheeler, that's right, 3-wheeler (I didn't know any where still running!) to go check on his bear baits. He has two sites set up with bear stands in the trees just over piles of dog food that he has carted out there. One hadn't been touched yet but the other had been cleared out!!! Super exciting!!!

We didn't have any luck getting a bear at either of his stands so we went to another location to use his dying duck call to see if we could attract any. We didn't have any luck today with getting a bear but I sure had a blast getting to hang out just me and Ben. Guess I will just have to make a special trip up to do some hunting...

Holly Spangler

Another wonderful benefit of coming to Alaska for some vacation is getting to see Holly. She and I were deployed together with the 47th Combat Support Hospital in Tikrit, Iraq a year and a half ago. After deployment she returned to Germany and I returned to the States. Last November she left Germany and was assigned to Fort Richardson just outside of Anchorage. I can most definitely say that Holly's quick wit and contagious smile were a saving grace while deployed!

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Staff Serfeant Kristofferson B. Lorenzo, 33, of Chula Vista, CA, was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, HI. SSG Lorenzo died in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Also killed were PFC William S. Blevins, PVT Andrew M. Krippner and PVT Thomas C. Allers.

Iditarod Museum

Did you know that I was staying very near to the Iditarod's official restart location?!? I didn't either, okay, maybe I did...

Today Anita and I went to go see Husky puppies while learning more about the Iditarod race itself. I am a sucker for puppies so I loved it!!! After playing with the puppies for a while Anita and I went for a quick sled ride (quick being the main point).

Big Lake, AK

This afternoon after church at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake, AK we went to Kevin and Janet Goard's lake home for lunch. Ribs, salad, broccoli, garlic bread, and amazing company. It was the kind of Sunday afternoon I picture having someday whenever my life slows down and I am out of the big cities. After lunch Kevin and Janet took Anita and I on a boat tour of the lake to look at all the different homes. Some looked like summer or weekend cabins, others looked like mansions. One even had a helipad on the roof!!! Amazing!!! On our walk home from the boat ride Anita and I were reviewing which homes we were coveting...(I know, we are breaking the 10th commandment...)

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Private First Class Ramon Mora Jr., 19, of Ontario, CA, was assigned to 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, KS. PFC Mora died in Baghdad of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Also killed was Sgt. 1st Class Clifford E. Beattie.

This evening while Ben went to the church's evening service Anita and I took to the mountains (sort of...)! We drove up to Hatcher Pass to go for an evening hike surrounded by snow covered peaks every direction we looked. We drove up the road until... well, just watch the video...

Our hike turned into a focused quick walk to a little bridge then a quick turn around as it was a little on the chilly side. Holy Heck this place is gorgeous!!!

Surprise Early Birthday Party

Before deployment preparations got too consuming I really wanted to get to Alaska to visit with my family living in the Anchorage area. In the past year I have had the opportunity to visit with my family living in California, Ohio, and in North Carolina but had not yet visited with my family in Alaska. So this trip became a priority. (Lesson learned: don't book your flight too closely after you get off work as you might end up cutting it a little too close...)

This morning was a lazy morning sleeping in and then hanging out with my some of my cousins in their new home. One of my favorite things to do when visiting with my cousins is simply hanging out and swapping stories. I love it! I love the honesty and humor of our failures and I love celebrating in each other's successes.

Just before dinner Anita and I drove to one of her best friend's homes nearby so I could say hi. Carrie Lambing was a bride's maid in Ben and Anita's wedding two years ago. Let's just say my extended family has pretty much adopted her as an honorary G3 (you too Kari Smith!). Carrie is a photographer and world traveller. Once a week I am checking out her blog Carrie Lambing Photography to see her recent pictures.

For dinner we went to Aunt Lynda and Uncle Jim's home for some homemade beef stroganoff and Anita's homemade french apple pie. Yum, do I love homemade meals! The icing on the cake was that this dinner was also a surprise 30th birthday party for me! How awesome is my family?!? Huge birthday balloons, colorful plates, amazing food, and wonderful family to share it with...could it get any better? Yes, it can! My family living in in OH and in NC had sent birthday gifts as well.

I truly have the greatest family in the world! I have the pleasure of having family close by in CA whenever I get to go home and family all over the country that I get to visit. Through all the growing and moving that my generation of cousins is doing, not a one of us is ever left out of each other's lives. We love checking in with each other and seeing what crazy next adventures are in store.

To my family,

The words 'thank you' are all too often not enough. I am truly blessed to have been placed in to the loving and supportive family that I have. No matter what lies ahead of me I know I can get through it with the support of Team Hultgren/Singh/Langdale and Team Burdine/Eller/Mosier.

Whitewater Rafting

While the rest of the world had to go to work today, I went rafting. I am in Colorado for a class that finished on Saturday and now am in the Denver area to visit Norm Mininger. We met while deployed with the 47th CSH and have been joking on Facebook that in the midst of all our travels we never seem to travel anywhere near each other.My class was about 4 hours away from where he is currently stationed so we finally got to hang out.
He had to go to work on Monday so I decided to go rafting. The rivers aren't very high yet so the "whitewater" wasn't very white, but it was still a lot of fun. I got to sit in the front of the boat with Jeff and his son Sam. They are in town from Connecticut for a conference. We all had a great time!

Colorado National Monument

Class is done and I am free from studying (for at least 2 days). I am only a few hours drive away from Denver where Staff Sergeant Norman Mininger lives. He and I were deployed together in Tikrit, Iraq with the 47th Combat Support Hospital. So I added 2 days on to my trip so we could hang out and catch up. Plus it has been a lot of fun to see friends from deployment outside of our Army lives. Before driving over the Great Continental Divide I wanted to take advantage of the sights here in Grand Junction. The Colorado National Monument is just a few miles away from where I have been in class so I took time this morning to check it out.

Transport Nurse Advanced Truma Course

My upcoming deployment to Afghanistan will have me spending a lot of my time working with a MEDEVAC company as I am being deployed as an ECCN or an Enroute Critical Care Nurse. So before actually reporting in mid-June I am wanting to gain as much training as I can to better prepare me to care for the Wounded Warriors that will be in the Blackhawk with me.

One of the courses I had been thinking about taking for a year or so now was the Transport Nurse Advanced Trauma Course (TNATC). I wan't sure if it would relate to combat flight nursing but I knew it couldn't hurt. I took some vacation time and headed off to Grand Junction, Colorado for a three-day class. With all the military medicine and combat medicine training I have already received this course wasn't as much a I had hoped but if it helps make a difference with just one patient then it is all worth it.

Some of the skill sets we practiced included multiple methods of intubation to include surgical cricothyrotomy, central line placement, rapid intraosseous line placement, pericardiocentesis, chest tube insertion. Most of these skills I am not authorized to perform stateside, but am intrigued as to what I will be allowed to do while deployed...

The following video should only be watched if you have a strong stomach. We were practicing our surgical airways and then trying to ventilate the sheep's lungs.

Honoring the California Fallen

Marine Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin J. Palmer, 43, of Modesto, CA, was assigned to Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Cherry Point, NC. LTC Palmer in Helmand province, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Also killed was Sgt. Kevin Balduf.

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Sergeant Ken K. Hermogino, 30, of Edwards Air Force Base, CA, was assigned to 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO. SGT Hermogino died in Herat province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat vehicle accident.

Classmate at NTI

Just before the start of one of the classes yesterday I turned to Laura, my travel buddy, and told her I thought I saw someone from my classmates of Azusa Pacific University's School of Nursing. I laughed it off thinking the world couldn't be that small.

Later that day I got a message on my facebook page from Megan Yantiss stating that she too was at NTI. I couldn't believe it! I was super excited!

This morning in between sessions Megan and I got a few minutes to say hello. She, her husband, and their 15-month-old are doing well over on the East Coast. We have both been intermittently stalking eachother on facebook following eachother's adventures. While our time to catch up was short, it was really nice to see how happy she is.

Looking forward to see where life takes the Yantiss family!

Early Morning Session

One aspect of NTI that I really like is listening to everyone's stories and learning from the. Many of the presentations I have been to have involved a story of a patient that has had an impact on someone's nursing practice. These patients have gone to teach us at unit level in-services, journal articles, and this week, at NTI.

Today I had the privilege of listening to MAJ Brian Weisgram present on Army Flight Nursing in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. MAJ Weisgram was my Clinical Nurse Officer-In-Charge (my boss) while deployed with the 47th Combat Support Hospital in Tikirt, Iraq. His presentation included the training of the flight nurses both here in the US and while in-country, case studies of some of the patients we cared for and then transported, and then the lessons learned that are shared with the Military Medical community.

It was really fun to see MAJ Weisgram presentation, something that I got to be a part of.

While at the early morning session I had the privilege of meeting Kathy White the author of Fast Facts for Critical Care. It was very humbling to get to thank her in person for her donation of books to the nurses of the 47th Combat Support Hospital.

NTI Exhibit Hall

Today at NTI the huge exhibit hall opened up. It was ridiculous how quickly the place filled as everyone went from exhibit to exhibit collecting pens and little trinkets. There were some great products there from some very well known companies and some great little inventions by nurses to help each other out. I think my favorite booth was Kathy White's Fast Facts for Critical-Care Resource Book. I will admit that I used my Fast Facts book quite often before moving to my new hospital but that is not why this booth was my favorite.

While I was deployed with the 47th Combat Support Hospital I had my book with me as I didn't know what kind of resources I would have access to. It was amazing how quickly my little book got passed around from nurse to nurse for use during our shifts. Just after the halfway mark of my deployment a care package arrived from the States. Kathy White had sent a box full of her resource books for our staff. A very humbling gift to receive.

While at NTI I had the privilege of meeting Kathy White and getting to thank her directly for her amazing gift. What had started as a neuro resource for the staff of her unit has turned into resource used around the world. Thank you Kathy White and team! It was an honor to meet you!

AACN NTI

This week I am attending the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses' National Teaching Institute in Chicago, IL. It is an annual conference held in a different location every year where thousands of Critical-Care Nurses get together to attend classes (presented by fellow Critical-Care Nurses), walk through a huge hall filled with exhibits from major manufacturers, and of course party like rockstars...I mean act like the responsible professionals that we are...

The attendance estimate is 7,500 RNs. What I could not believe was that this was about half of what it was just two years ago before the change in the economy.

I spent this weekend attending a two-day preconference class of Pediatric CCRN review. Before taking the class I didn't really have any plans to actually take the test but I was amazed at how much I actually knew. Working in Walter Reed AMC's Pediatric ICU has given me a great wealth of knowledge. I might just have to study for a few weeks and attempt that one...

I am looking forward to seeing friends and colleagues from work and possibly school.