Making the big move

Hello my wonderful family!

I am almost out the door taking my last load of ish down to Portland. Yep, the rumor is true, I am indeed moving there...today! I decided in July that moving to Portland is probably the [most reasonable] next step in Miguel and my relationship. He reminded me a couple months ago that we haven't lived in the same city in almost THREE years. geesh, I had never really put it together like that before. (time flies when you're having fun in San Diego, and then at home with the 'rents, and then at the Sammamish summer vacation spot!) Dispite the fact that it is not exactly the circumstances in which I imagined moving there, I am very excited! I am living right on NW 23rd with my best college friend and roommate for 3 years, Sara. It should be awesome. If any of you need a place to crash in Portland for a night or two, this is seriously the place to stay! I will be working with my same company I work for now ( per diem at various hospitals around the city), it just will be through the portland office. Hopefully I will pick up a travel assignment soon and make as much as Colleen does! haha. :) I am excited also to be closer to my favorite sister and to 5 of my 7 closest college friends. Plus, I think the best part about all of this moving thing, which I surprisingly often forget, is that I am only, only, only just three hours from Seattle and Pasco! WOO!

(WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURES) On another note, many of you are wondering what has happened to my eyeball. Last week I was having strange symptoms in my left eyeball, as if I had a crumb or something stuck in my contact. My eye got redder and redder, and more painful each day. By Thursday I was doubled over in the worst photosensitivity eye pain/headache ever. (picture attached of what my eyeball looked like) I finally went to the optomitrist at that point. (I know, I should have gone in earlier, I have already been lectured like 67 times). Turns out I had/have one huge bacterial ulcer (ulcer means hole) on my cornea from not cleaning my contacts well enough. (SUUUPER embarrassing since I am a RN myself, they must think I am the worst nurse ever if I can't even clean my stupid contacts correctly!) I started a regimen of antibiotic eyedrops every 30 minutes for the whole weekend. I went back and saw the Opthomologist on Friday. She added two more eyedrops and basically scared the crap out of me saying that I would end up blind in the L eyeball if I don't keep up with my meds. I still have a visible white mass on my cornea, but it is getting smaller each day. Anyways, I am now only having to put eyedrops in every 2 hours, and I think it's going to be okay without any visible damage. I am telling you all this story because I want you to understand how important it is to clean your contacts every day, change the solution every day, etc. They doctors also stressed the importance of going to the eye doctor if you are in eye pain for 24 hours, and going immediately if you have photosensitivity. Oopies.

I really gotta go pack up, but love you all, and hopefully see you soon!

~Cait