Browse Author: beakatude

Saying Goodbye

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It’s my last day at CHO and I tried to be as present as I could in order to appreciate the place I called my second home for the past 10 years.

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The week started on Tuesday after the Labor Day weekend and Teresa was there for her one day of work there. We got to do one final co-treat together in the morning and it was like old times.

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I’ve been taking home one bag of stuff home each day for the past two weeks but somehow my desk still looked intact that day.

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On Wednesday, I had my last All-Staff Meeting and got everyone together for a group photo. I’m missing some key people in the photo but loved having whoever I could all at once. My manager also took me out for lunch as part of my exit interview.

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On Thursday, I had one last bowl of the trusty steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins from the cafeteria. We also went out for our usual Thursday lunch and Mai joined us with Cece.

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We ate at the cheese shop and then went across the street for Pete’s as usual.

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Ranee also worked that day and we had our last official work day together.

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Waaaaah! I also said goodbyes to some key people who would not be working on Friday so it was the start of the end for me.

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On Friday, I snapped a few photos of what I saw everyday. This is the red light that I would often have to wait at before going into the parking structure.

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This is the stairwell that I climbed day in and day out. I had gotten pretty good at climbing up at least 2-3 flights at a time over and over again.

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I arrived pretty early and got a photo of the entrance to our gym/office. It’s a pretty nice place to work.

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This is what a typical morning also looks like. We were all crammed into his one long staff office working side by side. It was crazy at times but so nice to have everyone together in one place.

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I was lucky enough to get assigned a corner desk with a view of the courtyard and 100-year-old magnolia tree outside. This is what my desk looked like 10 years ago back when we didn’t have our own computers and still wrote notes by hand. By Friday, my desk was cleared out and all I had left to take home was an orchid and a binder that I had left so I could finish some paperwork.

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I brought in donuts one last time and made sure I brought enough for everyone. My caseload was pretty light that day and I had enough time to pack up some last minute things, deliver thank you cards.

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I also went to say goodbye to the Clinical Nutrition department at lunch. I worked so closely with them on so many feeding cases and made some good friends along the way.

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By the end of the week, I received and gave numerous hugs and words of encouragement.

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The last person I said “see you later” to was Nicole. She is the last remaining friend that has been with me full-time for the past 10 years. I handed over our pet beaver for safe keeping and we got one last photo at work together.

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I turned in my badge and keys at the end of the day and walked out with a huge weight lifted off of me. Here’s to a new adventure in the big big world of Kaiser!

Looooong Weekend

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Peanut’s school was closed on Thursday and Friday, which was butted up against Labor Day weekend so we decided to have a 5-day weekend in Cerritos. Unfortunately, California is going through a crazy heat wave (hotter in SF than Cerritos!) so we didn’t get to do as much as we usually do. Instead, we spent a lot of time indoors at the Magical House and had a couple fancy dinners.

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On Thursday, we had big dinner at Souplantation with almost the whole family on both sides. It was chaotic but we  had a good time.

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On Friday afternoon, we went to Happy Hour with Johnny and Joy for some $1 oysters and some time without the kids. For a change, I didn’t have to share my oysters with KK.

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I also took a short trip to Walmart with just my mom and brother. I had forgotten how easy it is to pick up diapers when you don’t have to carry around a 2-year-old and diaper bag.

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That same night, Jes and I went out for a late 10:00 pm dinner at Osteria Mozza. It was not only later than my bedtime but it was also in LA (on Melrose and Highland to be exact). Fortunately, Jes took a nap and I got some rest before our little outing.

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We ordered smoked mozzarella with prosciutto, grilled octopus, squid ink pasta with crab and uni, and a grilled fish. These are some terrible photos of the dishes but good enough for me to remember.

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On Saturday night, we had a family dinner at one of our favorite places, Lawry’s!! It was fun to have all 4 cousins together with the grandparents. The last time I had dined there was November 2014 (just the two of us for our anniversary). The last time the family dined there together was when KK was September 2013 for my birthday. Crazy.

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This time, we celebrated Jesse’s birthday. KK also got her very own slice of prime rib with the fixings.

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On Sunday, we spent the majority of the day with Jes’ family.

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We had dim sum for lunch, spent the afternoon playing at their house, and then another birthday dinner for Jes.

We left Cerritos yesterday at 7:00 am, made two stops, went outlet shopping for a couple hours, and got home by 5:00 pm. That left us plenty of time to do a load of laundry and play outside with neighbors. What a fun (but very hot) weekend!!

Time for More Change

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I’ve been working at Children’s Hospital Oakland for the past 10 years and it has been a wonderful learning experience.

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I also made some very good friends along the way and they have become family to me.

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Over the last 5 years, my life has become more complicated with the addition of not only one but two little kids. I’ve been doing my best to continue working full time but sometimes I’ve felt like I’ve had to make compromises either as a therapist or as a mom. Regardless, I haven’t felt like I’ve done well in either lately.

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To make matters more stressful, we went through some staffing changes that have impacted my work life.

  • The caseload /schedule that was given to me this past year has also become more of a grind. I was no longer given opportunities to learn or work toward my professional goals.
  • Close friends, Teresa and Stephanie, left this past year for different reasons and the office had become increasingly lonely.

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Thankfully, Ranee consistently works on Mondays and Thursdays and she has been my source of sanity at work. We’ve also grown up together and are enjoying seeing our kids grow up together as well.

With KK starting Kindergarten this fall, I’ve had to think long and hard about what my priorities are and what changes we need to make this coming year. Last year, we started looking for a house outside of SF, which started my re-evaluation process.  Once we moved to Alameda, I made the decision to start looking elsewhere. After a few months at Kaiser, Teresa gave me the scoop on how her life was now with her new work schedule. She was clearly happier and felt that the decision to leave CHO was worth it.

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I had some conversations with the director at Kaiser and other people on her staff and learned that maybe there was a position that would be more agreeable to my family’s  need.  After a long period of consideration and negotiations, I decided to make the leap and resign in order to take a 32-hour position at Kaiser.

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My last day at CHO will be on September 8th and my start day at Kaiser will be on September 25th. I took this photo with my OT team last week after my last staff meeting with them.

The new position will give me some flexibility with my schedule, one day off per week, a slight salary rate increase, and a promotion to Clinical Specialist.  Although the decision is bittersweet, I know that this change will be an opportunity for our family and for me to have a reset. I also know that the friendships I’ve made were built to last. To make the deal just a little sweeter, Teresa was told the other day that she will be sharing her cubicle with me at Kaiser.  It’ll be nice to have a familiar face at such as new place.

This coming week will be my last at CHO and it will be a busy and emotional one.  I hope that it will go smoothly and I’ll be able to say goodbye graciously.

Kindergarten!!

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Today was the first day of school for KK at Amelia Earhart School. She turned 5 in April and now she’s a Kindergartener!! I had to hold back tears when we walked her into the class but she did great with the transition.

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In June, KK had her Whale Class graduation, which was well done by her teachers.

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She enjoyed her last summer in SF at her Whale class and said goodbye to the ferry crew last week.

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She was very excited to meet her new teacher and had a fun day. We are hopeful she will love her new school for years to come.

Day in Napa

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Today we celebrated Ranee’s 40th in Napa.

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She made all the plans but her husband Jamie surprised her with a party bus to Napa with her friends. We all met at Pleasant Hill BART station and surprised her.

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The first stop was Hagafen Cellars where we shared bubbles and a bunch of picnic items that Ranee had packed for us.

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The next stop was Domaine Carneros, which looked like a French chateau.

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We had a private tasty and tour.

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We had a little time left on the bus so we stopped at Hog Island Oyster Co. for birthday oysters, rose ice cream, and more wine.

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The party bus was still hoppin’ on the drive back to the BART station. What a fun day without the kids!!

Happy 40th, Ranee!!!

Baby Boy is TWO

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Our little Peanut turned TWO today.

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Time certainly has flown by with this guy.

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This spirited little boy has quite a sense of humor and certainly makes his emotions known. He has no volume control but thankfully holds a tune when he sings. He loves his sister and wants to do everything she does. He also has a mind of his own and tends to say “NO!” to everything first and then says “I want it!” He has learned so much in daycare these past few months and knows his colors, animals, and tons of songs. He can wash his hands and clean up after himself after meals like a big boy too.  He’s a much better sleeper than he used to be and naps like a champ. He frustrates me to no end most mornings but makes it up in big hugs, smooches, and charm.

Happy 2nd, Baby Boy! Love you!