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update: blog being moved
to www.kristineatienza.com

have a great day!

Hiatus

So i've been on a mini hiatus lately. Lots have been going on and I've been extremely overwhelmed trying to keep up with professionally and personal obligations. Thankfully, this reflection came just in time earlier this week during a nurse executive meeting at my practicum site...


Keep Building

If it were quick and easy you would have already done it. The fact that it is difficult and time-consuming means you're doing something truly worthwhile.

The value of any achievement is built with the time and effort you put into it. Keep going, keep building, keep at it and you'll truly have something of great value.

It is often difficult to stay positively focused. And it always worth the trouble.

Sure, it would be much easier to do nothing. Yet by doing nothing, you create nothing.

Instead, step forward and do the difficult work that must be done. With each effort, you are adding more value and substance to achievement.

Feel the satisfaction as you continue the difficult and rewarding work of building that achievement. Know that the value has already started coming to life.

-- Ralph Martson

Meet Kalia !

On Wednesday April 1st, my dear friend Alysce delivered her first baby, Kalia Ann Lagbao. I've known Alysce since she first started as a NICU RN. She's such a sweetheart and I have no doubt in my mind what an awesome mom she'll be! Anyways today was a special treat for me because Alysce and Martin honored me with the pleasure of shooting lil miss Kalia Ann. Initially I had told Alysce and Martin that I'd probably get these up by Wednesday, but as soon as I started editing away today, I just couldn't stop! So here are a few of my favorites from today...

Alysce and Martin, thank you for being such great sports today! May you both enjoy every minute with your new bundle of joy! Oh and you'll definitely be getting a picture disk in the mail sometime this week!

Alright so without further ado, Kalia at 12 days old.

one of Kalia's protectors, definitely a gentle giant...

the main protector of them all.. dad!

check out that beautiful head of hair!

kalia having a moment here.. hehe

Initially Kalia was grumpy with all changes and maneuvers. Martin said it best when he asked Kalia if she thought she was being underpaid for today's work. Does this expression say it all?!

too cute for words! pink lips and pink soles are just not meant to be in black and white!

soon enough, she tired out...

Make Homes Affordable

As many of you may know, Ron and I are both attending graduate programs and expect to graduate next summer of 2010. What many of you may not know, is that when we started our programs, it was highly recommended that Ron quit his job since he'd be immersed in school and anesthesia five long days out of the week! So, we weighed the options.... It was a toss up, should I return to school at the same time? Or wait another year so I could work full time and support us financially. Surprisingly enough, I had utmost support from not only my husband, but from my co-workers and friends at Kaiser Permanente. "Your dreams don't come with a price tag, work will always be there," and with that I started my first quarter last fall. We prepared accordingly, clearing out $30,000 in credit card debt, saving what we could, and altering our travel-go-lucky lifestyle. I qualified for a stipend from work and many of my coworkers picked up my shifts during the week days. In addition, my parents started to help out alot. We'd come home for food or grocery shopping, school supply shopping etc, and we'd even do our laundry there every other week!

To offset our lack of income, we pulled out more school loans than necessary. You know, in case of a rainy day. And in Southern California, it has seriously rained more this year than it has in a loooong time! Times have been extremely hard for many people out there and alot of them have resorted to sheer desperation. Did you know that someone stole my LICENSE PLATE a few days ago?! I'm sure it was all because my Tags were brand spankin' NEW. But instead of taking solely the tags, they took my ENTIRE LICENSE PLATE and left the frame! I didn't know whether to consider that an insult or a descent gesture that atleast they left me something (and my car in one piece)!

With the economy taking a plunge and the foreclosure rate on the rise, I started to wonder if the government would ever step in and help its people from losing their homes. I even began to question that maybe it was a bad idea for me to go back to school again. I also thought that maybe it was a bad idea to have invested in this home back in 2006. But that notion quickly faded when this year, our tax preparer praised us for owning because otherwise we would have been owing the government nearly $4000 in taxes. I didn't know what my other options were, but I knew it didn't matter because just like any other federally funded program such as Medicaid, most government programs were designed for the poor, or those who became poor after paying for all their bills. And technically I wasn't poor, its just that the money I had in the bank wasn't mine. Maybe about 98% of it belonged to Uncle Sam, an IOU if you will, since payment coupons would start rolling in the minute my hot little hands got a hold of my graduation diploma next summer. Sure I still worked but again, we were living off one income, and a part time income at that. And my mortgage payment was in my opinion, SO UNFAIR compared to the deals people were getting nowadays! Many have told us that the monthly mortgage for our condo is what alot of people pay for their 2 story homes! Why couldn't there be something to reward those who never missed a mortgage payment and paid so loyally ????

Fortunately, I don't foresee ourselves plunging in our current situation. Like I said, we planned accordingly. I had health benefits through my employer and I had the "borrowed money" to diligently pay my mortgage. I knew that once school was over and done with, Ron and I would be set financially because just like my co-workers promised, works would always be there. It's advantage that comes with being in healthcare,and the career paths we chose to take.... I just wish that we qualified for some kind of break as well.

On that note:

Thank you President Obama for kicking off the "Make Homes Affordable Program" this morning! I'm super excited that there's HOPE out there!

As a senior Treasury Department official told reporters, "It's not intended to prevent every foreclosure or to help every homeowner. It's really targeted at responsible homeowners."

To find out more info:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090304/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_housing

or watch this news clip
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=12323073&src=news

Baby Boomers

::] song: Priscilla Ahn: Dream (from Bride Wars) [::


Yesterday I finished a final paper for my health policy elective class. The hot topic I selected for my paper's discussion was based on relationship between caregiving, longterm care, and the inevitable aging population of baby boomers. Many research articles I've read have claimed that there has been a decline in baby making. Well, I beg to differ!

Today I attended my 4th baby shower of the year. Yes, the year ... and it's barely March! My dear friend Alysce is expecting her first girl, Kalia, this April. Alongside her these lovely ladies are expecting their first borns as well.

Angela Czaplicki just delivered her first baby girl, Emilyn, a few days ago
Christy Trunnell is expecting baby girl Caitlyn anytime now! (March)
Ate Ervy is expecting twin boys in late March/April
Ate Liza is expecting baby girl Vanessa in May
Julie (Anderlik) Guiterrez is expecting baby girl Kailey in May
Jessica Novicio is expecting baby girl Cali this June
Minerva is expecting a baby boy this June/July
Jen Hosana is expecting her first baby boy this summer (July?)
Melissa Castle is expecting her first baby (sex not yet known) this August

And a few days ago, my Ate Beverly just announced that she's pregnant with her second baby!

I don't know what's in the water these days, but one thing's for sure: It's Baby Fever! (And it's alot of girls, so far, hehe)

And don't be asking me about any baby fever! I'm in school remember :)

Anyways, here are some pictures from Alysce's baby shower

from Kim's (one of the RN's) bakeshop in Orange County. Her cakes are to diiiie for!

i love this "diaper cake"

When your coworkers throw you a baby shower and they're all NICU RNs, then YOU KNOW that your breastfeeding and lactation issues are all covered!

angie, alysce and me
angie was 1 of the 4 in my new grad group (July 05).
She moved to UCLA's NICU later on. It was sooooo great to see her!!

And since we're on the topic of babies and I'm really late on these.. Here's some of my niece Khayla from her 1st birthday!! She's the 1st baby I've witnessed to actually ENJOY an astrojump!

Bucket List

Sometimes I think that I possess some mild and alternative form of ADHD. I'm never satisfied with settling, and I'm constantly finding new hobbies and endeavors to feed my need for new experiences. My bucket list is constantly being readjusted each time I foresee myself coming within reach of checking off all of the empty boxes. Fortunately for me, I have a husband who claims to whole heartedly support all my wild goose chases! *wink*

Oh well, live life to it's fullest right?

Here's my updated bucket list for 2009. Some are materialistic from my childhood dreams and some are just encounters I have yet to experience!

- Have a career I’m passionate about and be independent by the age of 21 (accomplished July 2005)

- Obtain a BSN (accomplished May 2007)

- Obtain a Masters Degree (currently pending)

- Own a home (accomplished May 2006)

- Own a 6 bedroom house like my parents

- Own my first car as a brand new BMW (accomplished Jan 2008, Twin Turbo 335i baby!)

- Get back to, and maintain “high school” weight when I was fit and trim from being on the basketball team

- Learn how to belly dance (accomplished October 2004)

- Learn ballroom dancing with my husband

- Become a mom (for those always wondering *ahem*, definitely after school)

- See a musical on Broadway in NY! (accomplished Dec 2007 “Little Mermaid”)

- Be on National TV (accomplished Feb 2008 Rachael Ray daytime talk show)

- Learn to knit

- Learn to sew/tailor clothes

- Learn to play guitar and/or piano

- Learn to speak Spanish to my patients

- Run a marathon

- Swim with dolphins (accomplished June 2007)

- Ride an elephant

- Scuba Dive (accomplished June 2008)

- Go parasailing

- Visit Great Britain (accomplished June 2004)

- Visit more of Europe, especially Italy, Spain and France

- Try an authentic deep dish pizza in Chicago

- Visit Alaska

- Climb a pyramid

- Visit New York City in the winter and eat one of their hot dogs (accomplished Dec 2007)

- Scrapbook (accomplished Sept 2007)

- Go to the Olympics

- Go on a cruise line

- Learn how to cook entrees with tight ass presentations

- Learn how to make fruit art!

- Learn how to bake cakes/cupcakes with cool presentations

- Throw a perfect dinner party after learning how to make all that food!

- Ride a hot air balloon (accomplished Sept 2006)

- Go white water rafting

- Hike a mountain

- Route 66 Road trip

- Have a full spa day (done one too many times)

- Visit Bourbon Street in New Orleans

- Visit a waterfall (I guess climbing a water fall counts too! Oct 2007)

- Witness whales in the ocean

- Ride a helicopter

- Take a girls only trip to Vegas (accomplished June 2006 and my Bachelorette Party Aug 2007)

- Live credit card debt free (accomplished July 2008)

- Buy a dslr camera and learn to use it (always learning..)

- Have my fantasy fairytale BIG WEDDING – (accomplished Oct 2007)

- Experienced the power of prayer - (accomplished)

- Go Zip Lining (accomplished in Jamaica Oct 2007)

- Learn how to surf (accomplished in Hawaii Feb 2007)

- Learn to Snowboard and CARVE (accomplished Winter 2003)

- Become innovative and start my own small business

David After the Dentist

If ever you need a good laugh. Watch this! I know dental anesthesia might be a little different than the the cocktail of gases my husband mixes, but these side effects are hilarious!

Our little visitor

This weekend at my parents' house in Corona, we discovered a little visitor! She actually made her way into the house and into ejay's room! After she was caught by Kuya Jhon and set outside, we noticed that she wasn't flying away. It was later discovered that she had built a nest on top of one of my mom's plants (which let me tell you according to my mom was a cheap $1 plant that grew into a huge one!) which happened to be right next to the front door. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the hummingbird cause she always flew off whenever we opened the door, but I did grab some neat shots of her nest. Also, my mom realized she had a hummingbird feeder, so Ron and I assembled the thing, placed some honey and water, and hung it by her nest. I hope the little jellybean eggs survive on that plant! It can get pretty windy and the plant doesn't seem all that sturdy against the wind!

By the way, I've decided that any of my still life images will have an imprint of my name on it. It was brought to my attention that my Kona, Hawaii photographs were being used. I don't mind anyone using my pictures, but atleast ask or don't take credit. Thanks!

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

This was a commencement speech given by Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple and Pixar Animation) at the 2005 Stanford University Commencement ceremony.

The speech is 15 minutes long but listen carefully... It isn't about "going to college" or the "importance of a college education," but about three personal stories that paved a path for where he is today. (sorry you'll have to turn off/disable my playlist for this one)

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition; they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

I've always entrusted that everything in life happens for a reason... that the chips stack (or don't stack) the way they do, and that they fall right into place when they're suppose to. Alot of the decisions in my life have been instinctual, a strong pull from within urging me to turn left, even though my conscious thought was telling me wisely to turn right (I was extremely fortunate enough that my parents didn't make me do anything that I didnt want to do). A couple examples would be enrolling at La Sierra High School last minute vs. Centennial High School, dropping out of UCR after one quarter to enroll at RCC in hopes of becoming a Registered Nurse (which led to a rapid turn of events in itself I'd have to add), starting at UCI Medical Center vs. starting at Kaiser right away, etc, etc... I'm not saying that every decision was necessarily the right, smartest or easiest decision.. but I am saying that turn of events inevitably did lead me to where I am today.... twenty-five, alive, happily married, accomplished, financially established (with the exception of school loans), and ready for the next step!

"Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards, so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever--because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference."

And so the next step.... currently I'm loving everything about UCLA and I feel bad saying this but since my tuition is a fixed dollar amount every quarter, I'm milking the institution for every single educational opportunity and experience that presents itself to me (whether it's learning medical spanish, attending football/basketball games, or simply utilizing their gym). I know I sound like an overly excited child on her first day of kindergarten, but if you knew me back in high school... then you'd know that I was a self conscious girl who drowned in pessimistic negativity, and never ever dreamed of being good enough for anything.... So over the years I've managed to surprise myself, and just like Asher Roth proclaims, "Man I love college!" Instead of taking the minimum requirement of 8 units this quarter, I'm taking 16 units. It's insane, I know... but I like to think of it as balancing between the tight ropes of insanity and dedication. One of the nice things about my graduate program is that when it comes to the 16 units of required electives, there's no restriction whatsoever. You can take whatever you want. One of the classes I've enrolled into is in Anderson's Management school with it's primary focus being placed on networking and relationship building. In just three classes I've already learned alot about myself... hmm that again, I think I want something more... I've danced and two stepped around the idea of obtaining a concurrent MBA degree, especially since one of my good classmates has entertained the idea as well. Maybe we'll cross paths again in the future? As of right now, I've decided to hold off for a little bit, but to continue taking MBA courses to see whether or not I could get a feel for this new shoe that I'm wanting to step in to.

Alot of people have asked me about my plans after school, and quite honestly, I don't know anymore. Ideally, I'd love to remain on a part time work status so that I could 1) start having babies and 2) continue exploring and doing everything that I've been wanting to do in life. Some of you may have noticed my interest in photography and again, my intuition has been tugging me towards that direction... a sideline business just like my Dad's DJ business. Then again, I also want to open up a coffee shop, learn how to sew/knit/crochet, cook exotic dishes and desserts, get scuba certified, take up ballroom dancing, continue traveling, become a teacher at a Nursing school, become a positive nursing leader, maybe design clothes with my brother, etc, etc my bucket list goes on and on (and you can see the importance of some MBA courses here, hehe) .. Yep, lots of "foolish" aspirations some might say.

I know I'm still young with the advantage of "time" on my hands... but I hope I never lose this feeling... of being hungry and foolish.

"You've got to find what you love, and that is as true for work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it, and like any great relationship it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don't settle."

Man's (and Woman's) Best Friend...

I've been a little late blogging about my new years adventures thus far, but one thing has been certain.... Ron and I have been spending a great deal of time watching MOVIES (thanks largely in part to my dad). Movies I highly recommend viewing are: Seven Pounds (powerful story), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (interesting plot), Slumdog Millionare (another powerful and facisnating story), and of course... Marley & Me.

Although all of these movies are highly recommended, I'd have to say that Marley & Me hit right close to home. I think I cried throughout most parts of this movie because of my own personal experiences with my past dogs, Cookie and Stitch. Cookie, reminded me so much of Marley! And I know alot of my old friends and family that knew her could definitely relate (especially Robert & Carlo, I'm remembering a time when we were playing basketball and Cookie decided to play, haha... or the other times when Cookie would literally dance with us).

I miss that dog and Stitch so much and I'll never forget them or the life lessons they taught me while growing up. I wouldn't expect anyone to understand the bond between a dog and his/her owner unless you were a true "dog love" yourself. But I will say this: The fondest memories of Cookie and Stitch have been the moments when I'd shut the world out and bury myself underneath the bed covers. Although they possesed only animal instincts, they knew how to find their way through the sheets, and plop their warm bodies right next to mine as if to comfort me. Whether I turned my back on the world or the world turned it's back on me, I never felt like I was ever alone... With that being said, I'll leave you with this... a quote from the movie, Marley & Me...

“A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbols mean nothing to him…

A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside.


A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull.


Give him your heart and he will give you his.


It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not."

these last two "goodbye photos" are the last pictures of me and Cookie. They were taken the morning that we put her down... it's amazing not only how much stronger she looked that morning, but also how she managed to assure me that everything was going to be okay... *sigh

Goodbye 2008!

2008 has been extremely good to us. Ron and I have been truly blessed with a gracious handful of serendipitous circumstances. Our journey started off in New York City when the Rachael Ray daytime talk show flew us out to their studio to perform our wedding first dance on national TV. While there, we also got to appear on the Filipino channel's Balitang America (you can view the videos from the menu on the right side of this homepage). While there, we also got to shoot a trash the dress session.



At the beginning of the year I also purchased my FIRST CAR under my name (took awhile, but hey i invested in a home first). My old black beamer, Phoebe, was reaching ends meet, so my dad decided to take over. Despite constant pressure to "buy a new car," I kept Phoebe for a few years after becoming an RN because she was soo good to me! A little before New Years, I brought home "Sasha," a 2008 white 335i. Gotta love twin turbo...

"Stings like a beamer!" (from the movie CARS)

Early on in the year Ron and I also discovered that we had been accepted to the Master's program of our choices: Ron at Cal State Fullerton pursuing Nurse Anesthesia and me at UCLA pursuing Nursing Administration.


We did alot of traveling before grad school started in the Fall. Some of the places included Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, the Big Island of Hawaii, and San Francisco to break in Shark-bait's engine (Ron's Honda Fit). We also scuba dived in the ocean for the first time and swim with manta rays, which was a real treat in itself!

under the sea in Kona!

our in and out of San Francisco spontaneous road trip!

This past August I celebrated my *Quarter Century* by having a Throwback 80's Party!

the tightest birthday cake ever! before mario started melting off!

pacman dessert table!

bringing the 80s back!

At the end of the summer, Ron and I both left UCI Medical Center before starting grad school. He's currently unemployed and a full time student attending classes 5 days a week (it's a job in itself). I'm still working part time at Kaiser Permanente with a per diem job at Children's Hospital in Orange County.

We've been fortunate enough during the nation's financial meltdown since our line of work wasn't directly affected. I guess that's the perks of being in the healthcare field: people are always going to get sick. May God help and Bless Barack Obama when he takes office in a few weeks. He's got his work cut out for him with the mess he has to clean up.

Lastly, 2008 brought an end to our "newlywed" title. So far, "married life" has been such an adventure! We had paid off our wedding debt within 6 months following our big day, so for those that have always wondered or asked: YES IT CAN BE DONE!

We hope 2009 will be just as grand as 2008! My new year's resolution is pretty typical. HIT THE GYM once again, take care of myself more, and do well in school!

See everyone NEXT YEAR!
HAPPY 2009!!!

Another First...

I've never been one to read *books*, unless of course they were required for some reason. It was a joke for me to join my unit's *Book Club* back at UCIMC because I knew honestly well, that I wouldn't participate. Fortunately for me, the girls didnt mind since Book Club meetings ended up being a perfect excuse to hang out. That was until I watched the movie Twilight and became facisnated with the story's plot. Yes, I jumped the Twilight bandwagon pretty late, but I don't care. It took me a little over a week and a half to complete the entire series. I'm sure I could have had it done sooner but I was in the midst of finals week, finishing up preceptorship at CHOC and celebrating Grace's pinning and Pacquaio's win. It was insane!! I could not put the books down! It was the last thing I read before I fell asleep and the first thing I reached for upon waking up! I'm so surprised and proud of myself for reading & completing ONE book, let alone an entire series!

I'd have to say that my favorite book of series would have to be the first and the last one, Twilight & Breaking Dawn. I enjoyed Twilight because of compelling story line. I loved the *newness* of it all and the compelling story line as it unfolded. How could you not fall in love with Edward Cullen and his family? Breaking Dawn was the conclusion of all the craziness. And it was definitely, CRAZY. Some parts we're a little hard to imagine, but I did appreciate the happy ending. I also have to admit that I did enjoy Jacob's part and sarcasm in book 4. Full Moon was too depressing for me because it reminded me of some past scars (plus it was geared toward Jacob fans), and Eclipse was alright, but irritating at some points (It got better for me towards the end however).

I'm actually quite sad that I finished the series, but I am happy to have my life back!!! Who would have thought that *reading* could be so addicting and time consuming???? I'm so glad I didn't start reading this saga until the last week of school! (It did interfere with my finals, but only a little bit)

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

RECAP on yesterday's GAME DAY

So let's start with the bad news...
THE BAD NEWS: UCLA lost (althought it was expected being that USC does have a better football team)

THE GOOD NEWS: Ron and I had the time of our lives!!!



My biggest highlight from yesterday's game was right after halftime. The stadium started blaring "the song that they always play at soccer matches" according to Ron. At first some of the USC players started dancing on their sideline. Then the the whole team slowly started shifting towards the middle of the field. Next thing you knew, the entire UCLA team proceeded to meet them half way. With the intensity of the crowd, and the music that seemed all too befitting, it seemed as if I were watching a commerical!! The spectacle of it all (plus sitting in Row 3!) and the whole HYPE AND ENERGY that comes with RIVAL GAMES WAS AWESOME! Like I said, felt stuff you'd see in a commercial!

i wished i had my camera on video mode. this scene was too tight for words!

ANYWAYS
as for the UGLY NEWS...

THE UGLY NEWS: I'd have to say would refer to Oscar De La Hoya's face after 8 lopsided rounds in the ring with Manny Pacquaio! Damn De La Hoya's height ain't got nothing on the PacMan! Oscar came entered the ring with his game face on compared to Pacquaio walking in with all smiles! He said this fight was "personal" but he sure failed to show it!