San Francisco Treat

Well I wanted to send some last pictures when I was officially in San Fran, but my computer died. So I am sending them now- sorry I can only include the ones that uploaded before technology was not at it's finest! I am in STL!!!! I can not even begin to describe in words how wonderful it is to be home and back in the midwest. Please don't get me wrong, I think SF is amazing, but so is being with your awesome family at Christmas time. So the count down to STL: 0 days; Coulmbia: 2 days; Nashville: 7days; MAUI: 10 days!!! Enjoy some pics. My most favorite place in San Francisco.. I took this from the bridge
From the redwood forest.....

Cloud covered skyline. Vantage point: The Twin Peaks

The sign on the Golden Gate Bridge. I am so glad they offer help!

I already miss all of the Asians. They are beautiful and everywhere!

Once more- the seals at Pier 39. They are hillarious.

A Frisco December

Here you see it; pine and palm. Just what Christmas should be like here in California. This is the big tree in Union Square downtown. It's funny to see Christmas Decor in 60-70 degree weather. I know that so many of you are in STL where it's still frozen, but the weather here is gorgeous. Don't worry, I'll soak it up for you. I have adopted the 'An avacado a day keeps the doctor away' for my last week here. They are so amazingly delicious, and I figure I work off the fat in my race training. I am so ready to get home, though, despite the crazy weather! UCSF continues to slip on my list of favorite hospitals...'2' more shifts there! I have so much to look forward too, and it all starts this Saturday around 2 when I land in the Lou! Hey, if you are looking for a new fabulous Christmas song, you can download 'For the Beauty of the Earth' by the Barlow Girls or 'Labor of Love' by Jill Phillips and Andrew Peterson. They are my new faves, and they are beautiful.

World AIDS Day

Happy December! Today, 12-1, is world AIDS day, holy moly global crisis. I care a lot about this issue for so many reasons and as a Christian, a hematology nurse, and a healthy American, I think it's imperative that we each do our little part. Enter blog as platform. Here's a refresher on the 2006 stats courtesy of the WHO:

39.5 million people in the world are living with HIV/AIDS, of those 17.7 mill are women and 2.3 mill are children. 4.3 million were newly diagnosed this year, and 2.9 million passed away from it. Africa currently has 12 million AIDS orphans, and these numbers are increasing daily. Just as a reference 24.7 million of those cases are in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to 1.4 million in North America.

Want to help? Well there are tons of ways. You can pray! You can adopt a little one from Africa via World Vision. It's only $35 a month. My little guy is 4 and he's in Tanzania. www.worldvision.org. Here's a sample of their Christmas card this year!

http://www.worldvision.org/about_us.nsf/child/gift_catalog_holiday_ecard?Open&campaign=1146078&cmp=EMC-1146078&ppi=30315274

Also... if you are in the Lou, you can resource the AIDS foundation. I am SO proud of my hometown that they have an AIDS foundation! www.aidstl.org. If you need a visual tear-jerker, there will be an Ashley Judd special on TLC at 8:00 tonight. We are all so blessed. Thanks for taking the time to read this. God Bless!