Because it's just beautiful...

So because I just posted pictures of the new lobby at Children's and realized how much I absolutely love the mosaic artwork Sonia King does for our hospital, I decided to visit her website. I may just have to find a place in my house for her to make something for me. I love this stuff. Everything she makes is beautiful. So, for your viewing pleasure, I'm posting more pictures!

This is actually a mosaic glass window she made for a conference room on the 11th floor ICU at work.

The balloon wall on my floor!

My favorite of the walls on the units:

I also found some pictures of the gorgeous mosaic in the new lobby. The pictures I took were from my iPhone, so weren't that great - here they are from her website in better quality.

Its Open!

After over a year of construction, they have finally opened part of the new tower at work! Ashley, Sheradon and I took a break and went over to check it out yesterday, and it was so amazing that I couldn't help but take some pictures with my iPhone. I would have taken more of some of the other areas, but I was being teased. :) They really went all out with this new tower. There are tons of fun, textured decorations all over the place that are kid friendly and just invite you to touch them. If I were a kid I'd completely forget I was actually at a hospital.

This is an overall shot of the new lobby when you first walk into it from the "old" tower. I love how the columns are silver so the twinkle stars make really cool reflections on them. The butterflies are really pretty too.

More pretty butterflies.

From the second floor looking down into the lobby. I love the poufy lights!

A close up of part of the huge glass/tile mosaic on the wall. I LOVE this.

I can't wait to see the rest of the new tower as they open it. If you want to come visit me at work and see all the cool new stuff just let me know! Its way more impressive in person. We could even get lunch at the new La Madeline they're opening there! Yummm...

This made me giggle...

That's right - the sign says "Fanous Creations". I was driving by it and couldn't help but giggle. Why didn't the people they ordered the letters from tell them they were spelling it wrong? Why didn't the people who put the letters on the building tell them? Who knows? All I know is its funny.

My Lasik Experience

Its been a little over two weeks now since I had Lasik. At first, I would have said hands down it wasn't really worth it. I was having a lot of trouble with blurry vision (which the doctor said was related to dry eyes), not to mention remembering how traumatic the actual procedure was. (More on that later.) But now, I'd have to say I HIGHLY recommend it. I'm not really having the blurry vision in my left eye anymore, and according to Dr. Whitman, I'm seeing at least 20/20, if not better! That's WAAAAY better than my pre-surgical 20/800.

And now, what you've all been waiting for: pictures of the surgery! :) Logan sat outside the surgery room and took pictures of the TV where they had live video showing my giant eyeball during the surgery. The pictures were taken on my iPhone, so the quality isn't fantastic, but it may still be more than you ever wanted to see... You can also see Logan sitting there calm and collected in the reflection of the glass, and if you look closely you can see my hands squeezing the hell out of those "stress" balls they gave me.

This first picture is my left eye centered and ready to go. They tried to start with my right eye, but I had a lot of trouble allowing the "torture devices" to do their job, and my eye kept reflexively popping them off. The white part of my right eye started to get really swolen and irritated, so they gave it a break and switched to my left eye. The torture devices are two things: first, they apply a paper clip looking thing that holds your eye open. This is what I thought I'd have the biggest problem with, but that was a piece of cake. It was the next part that killed me. They use some sort of suction cup device to suck down on your eye to hold it perfectly still while the laser cuts the corneal flap open. What they failed to mention was that when they press it down onto your eye, your vision goes completely black. I have no idea why, but its really, really scary! One second you can see, and the next he's pressing so hard on your eye that you think you've gone blind. That's the part my eye kept squeezing reflexively and popping the suction cup off, giving my right eye an "eye hickey", as Dr. Whitman called it. Its also the reason my right eye has been so red until just recently. Anyway, back to the pictures. This is my left eye all ready to begin.

Next is a picture of the corneal flap being created. Apparently the laser makes a bazillion tiny bubbles under the cornea to detach it, and then they flap it open. Logan says it looks like a fish bowl slowly being filled up with water. This part only takes 20 seconds.

Next is my eye with the corneal flap open, and ready to be shot with lasers. :) This part only takes 15 seconds. They tell you to stare at a red light. Being the nervous nelly that I am, I asked what would happen if you accidentally moved your eye. They said that the laser has a tracking device on it so it follows your eye movement. Sweet!

They're all done with my left eye, so now he's painting the corneal flap closed. See that paper clip torture device still holding my eye open?!?

After they painted the corneal flap closed, they put something over my eye to help seal it. I have no idea what it is, or what it does, but I do enjoy the fact that it reminds me of a giant monocle, like the guy from Monopoly wears.

Now my left eye is all done!

So because of all the swelling and irritation to my right eye (because I was a baby and couldn't tolerate the suction cup torture device) they had to send me out to a waiting area to keep ice on my right eye to help the swelling go down. I was out there for at least 30 minutes, while about 4 other people were able to start and finish their entire Lasik process. Geez. I'm such a pansy.

After coming to the conclusion that I was being a huge whimp, I was more determined than ever to buck up and let this doctor make me go blind for the 20 seconds it took to cut that stupid corneal flap!

Now the flap is open. You can see how red and irritated the white part of my eye is in these pictures. Its nasty.

A picture during one of the laser flashes.

Finishing up the right eye. This one is pretty gross.

And now, the best part of the whole experience: enjoying the Valium when it FINALLY kicked in - 30 minutes AFTER we were done.