Dallas - the last 4 weeks

Many of you have been asking for updates so here goes.  I arrived in Dallas, TX 4 weeks ago and have been settling in well.  I have a nice apartment just across the street from the Walmart.  I've been to said Walmart more times in the last 4 weeks than I had in the last year combined.  I started working for the inpatient Pulmonary Medicine service at Children's Medical Center (CMC) - Dallas  Campus June 25.  I am still on orientation and waiting for all my credentialing to come through.  The nurses, therapists, secretaries, and techs on the floor are great and the PA's and PNP's I work with are fabulous.  I am currently doing a lot of learning and reading so that I can best take care of these patients.

Mom thinks I should start a comedy routine about some of my experiences here.  One of the two stories I am going to share was so frustrating I couldn't help but laugh or cry.  I'm choosing to laugh.
To become a true Texan I had to register my car and get a TX drivers license.  Easy right?  Well, if you live in Cumming, GA then yeah its a cake walk, but here . . .
. . . . . the story begins early on Thursday morning.  The drivers license office opens at 0800 so being the early bird I am I decided I would be there at 0730 so that I could be one of the first in line.  I had been on-line the night before and filled out the paperwork and printed it as well as gathered all the necessary documentation I would need.  I arrived promptly at 0732 and put money in the parking meeter.  (Side bar - they let you pay the meeter with credit cards here!  GA take notes).  So I walk inside and politely ask the police officer who happens to be in the lobby for directions.  He is very helpful and I walk to the office where I discover that I am not the only one who thought it would be a great idea to be early.  There are about 75 other people already in line.  I wait about an hour before it is my turn to step up to the desk and get my number.  I get there and the lady tells me "I'm sorry, but you must have your registration completed before you are able to get your drivers license".  Okay, no big deal right?  Being type A that I am I had googled directions from the drivers license office to the tag office so I get in my car and drive down to the tag office.  Once there I discover that my insurance is GA insurance so it doesn't match TX standards.  A call to Geico fixes that and off I go to pay the fee and be given my tag.  Total time about 1.5 hours.  Not bad at all.  I then hop in my car, pay the $10 to exit the parking area and drive back to the drivers license office.  Once there I again pay the meeter and walk inside.  10 minutes later I get up the the desk to get my number and she says "didn't I tell you that you can't get your drivers license here?  We only do renewals" REALLY?!?!?  Umm, NO you didn't tell me that!  Okay, so now I am praying for patience and calling mom to tell her how inefficient I find TX DMV.
I drive the 30 minutes to this other drivers license place (by the way it is in a shopping center back away from the road and not visible from said road and generally just hard to find).  I wait in that line just to be told that I need an original social security card or an official statement from the Social security office that I do indeed have a social security number.  So, I google on my phone all the offices and try to determine which is closest to my current location (which by the way, I wasn't even sure where I was to begin with so that was a chore).  I found one about 20 minutes away and took off there where I waited in yet another line for a number and then waited my turn all just to get a piece of paper with a stamp on it that shows my name and SS#.  I totally could have created that on my own.  : )  So, back to the drivers license office with my prized paper via the sonic drive thru to stand in yet another line where I find out the current wait time is approximately 4 hours.  Yeah, so not happening.  I decided to go home and come back in the morning when I'm not quite so tired and grouchy.  The next morning I get there about 7:15 and the line extends from the door around 3 sides of the building.  All things considered it wasn't a horrible wait and I got my paper drivers license in about 2 hours.

When I got these directions I just looked at them and burst out laughing:  (They actually make a lot of sense once you've seen the place)
Directions on getting from my car to our office.  I really hope you aren't color blind.

Park in the purple parking deck which is a pretty shade of purple.  (really?? I never would have guessed).  Ride the elevator that faces the railroad tracks up to the 8th floor.  (Note:  You can't see the railroad track until you are actually on the elevator)  If you end up in the wrong elevator that's okay too.  There is a sky walk on the 8th floor that will take you to the other bank of elevators.  Get off the elevator and turn right taking the purple sky bridge across to the green building.  You will be on the 6th floor now.  Take the green elevator down to the 2nd floor and walk across the green sky bridge to the hospital lobby.  Follow the corridor around from the D tower to the C tower elevators.  Take the elevator to the 7th floor.  This is C7.  Make the first three right turns and you will be at the door to the office.
Alternate route:  Get off the purple elevator on 8 and take the purple sky bridge to the blue sky bridge.  You are now in-front of starbucks and on the 4th story of the bright building.  Take the corridor down to the elevator and go down to the first floor.  Turn left and walk a short distance and you will see another sky bridge on your right.  Take it across to the B building.  Pass the ER on your left and take the corridor to the right.  Walk down the hall and you should be in the C tower.  Take the C tower 1 elevators (this is the second set of elevators on your left).  Go to the 7th floor and take the first three rights and you will be at the office door.  

On another note:

Last week I started boot camp called Camp Gladiator.  It is really good and very hard.  My goal right now is to show up and finish the class.  It will be nice when I can get up the next morning without having to roll out of bed because I am so sore.

I have been visiting several churches looking for a home church.  There are so many great churches in Dallas!  I have been attending a singles group Sunday nights called AEffect.  I've actually really enjoyed it.  They start with worship, followed by a message and then round table discussion and food.

I've met some pretty great people and have started building relationships here in Dallas.  I've met several MK's from different areas of the world.  A couple of them are from Bolivia and Peru and they are as excited as I am to know that there are Peruvian restaurants in Dallas.  I don't know yet how God is going to use me here in Dallas but I believe he put me here for a reason and I can't wait to continue to be used by Him.

I'm switching from e-mail to a blog.  I want to use this blog to share what God is doing in my life as well as praises and prayer requests.  Feel free to send me your praises and prayer requests too.

Praises:
I have been able to hang out with some singles from church and am starting to make some friends.

Saturday at a singles event I met a really awesome lady.  Not only does she understand how sore I am from working out then trying to ski since she is the same boat (although she skied better than I did) but she invited me to sit with her at church Sunday and then to go to lunch with them.  Best of all, I got my first real hug in weeks!  (This is a huge answer to prayer cause I prayed that morning for God to bring me a hug)

Prayer Requests:
That I continue to make friends here in Dallas and settle in.
That God will use me for His glory.
That I am able to find a small group and church home.
That I will be able to let Jesus shine through me at work so that others might know Him.