Scrapbooking

I'm sorry I haven't written in here for a while but work and my trainee was keeping me busy. I had never finalized anyone before and wanted to make sure that all my "i's" were dotted and "t's" crossed off. When you teach someone and train them to do a job then have to finalize them and let them go. Well I felt like a mom sending off their kid to be "on their own" and was so nervous. My trainee wasn't even going to be on the same shift as me but on a different shift. But the job is done and she has been on her own for a week now.

This weekend was the first time in over two months where I had all three nights off. Being the way I am I had to find a way to occupy my time. So I printed all of my trip pictures and started on my scrapbook. I finished the Bangkok portion of my trip in one scrapbook last night. Here are some images from that book.

New Officers

Last night I attended the Sacramento County Sheriff's Academy graduation. One of my former co-worker was part of the graduating class, so a few of us from work went. I like going because there is this "game" we play when the guys get pinned for their badges, but that is besides the point and I will not digress. Once the guys are pinned and right at the end they get sworn in and take the Law Enforcement Oath.

Law Enforcement Oath of Honor

On my honor,
I will never betray my badge,
my integrity, my character,
or the public trust.

I will always have the courage
to hold myself and others
accountable for our actions.
I will always uphold the
Constitution,
the community and
the agency I serve,
so help me God.


Developed by the
International Association of Chiefs of Police
Committee on Police Ethics

Here are some pictures:

Aisha and me waiting for the event to start.


Ivan, the guy in front, used to work with us.


Sheriff John McGinness gives the badge that Ivan's significant other will pin on his uniform.


Swearing in the new Peace Officers


Sheriff's class 07-SRBA 3


Ivan the graduate with me, Heather and Aisha (his former co-workers)

New year, new plans

I love the thought of a whole new year. The days stretched out before you with possibilities and pages in the book of your life still unwritten. Each year in our family it is a tradition to pick a verse to claim for the new year. We also write up goals that we want to accomplish in the upcoming year instead of New Year's resolutions. So this year one of my goals was to get another stamp on my passport from a country I have never visited before. OF course that began the craziness of picking where I want to go. Isn't it wonderful that the world is so small all you need is to jump on a plane and you'll soon be in another country? It isn't like back in the days of yore when you would have to take practically everything you own on a journey just across the States. Now all it takes is 5 hours on a plane and you can go from the West Coast to the East Coast.

So which country have I chosen for my next adventure you make ask? I actually chose two countries this time. I plan to go to Lisbon, Portugal and then head off to Barcelona and Valencia, Spain sometime this Fall/Winter. Who will go with me you may ask next? Well it will be me, myself and I. Oh! And Sebastien, my ever faithful traveling companion that can easily squish into a suitcase or backpack. =) IF any of my other friends would like to join me they can. Why there? Perhaps that is your next question. After seeing "Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown" and her eating this wonderful custard pastry dish. I knew Portugal was one of the places I must visit! Then on another travel channel show they were showing Europe's Largest Aquarium and how the aquarium go the fishes from all over the world. They had these two white beluga whales that they transported across the Atlantic Ocean and I knew that I wanted to visit this place. Europe's Largest Aquarium is located in Valencia, Spain. I did a little bit more research and found out that the Spanish dish "paella" originated in the same region. So how could I resist the lure of food and fish all in the same place? I could not! And as for Barcelona...well what is there not to want to go there? The city is lively, full of art, architecture, food and history. Between the Gaudi work's of art and a great tapas scene, there is so much to be discovered in this Spanish Metropolis.

So now that I have chosen the next destination for my world travels, it is time to get down to work. Going on a trip for me means plenty of paper footwork, research and learning. Not only do I have to study the history and culture of the place, but I want to learn the language. At least enough of the language to get by on my own and manage to keep safe, so I must get some books and CD's on how to speak Portuguese and Spanish.

Bonding with my brother

My brother will be going back to college next week. So for his Christmas gift I got him front row seats to the Sharks vs Flames. We were right there on ice level, so close that you could see and smell the sweat of the players right thee. It was awesome! Here are pictures of the game.

Update

I'm sorry for not writing on this for a while. The holidays were crazy for me! I ended up working 11 days straight thanks to the events that preceded Christmas. So instead of spending time with my immediate family, I ended up spending this Holiday season with my second family-my coworkers. For as much time as we spend together it is like your second family. We fuss, argue and protect each other and we definitely spend plenty of time together. I ended up frying lumpia's twice both for the potluck on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Christmas Eve and Christmas day was pretty quiet. After working I went home and the family opened up gifts. Being an adult isn't as much fun as being a kid on Christmas morning, it does make a difference if there is a small child in the house. But my family is composed of adults and no small children in the house, so Christmas morning was a quiet affair.

The holidays just seem different when you're an adult. It is like the "magic awe" of the season gets lost with the realities you deal with. At least for me it does, but I think part of it is due to my job. I get to deal with "real life" every time I go to work and during the holidays it is worse. This is the time when the suicide rates and family fightings increase. So trying to find the "Christmas spirit" is rather difficult at times. But that is not to say that I did not have a good Christmas or New Year's, because I did. It was just very quiet, I didn't get to hear from some of my non-work friends. But then everyone just seems so busy these days, that lack of time is often the excuse (and a very valid one at that!) that is given for the oversight of contacting far away friends. That is one of the reasons why I still keep up the tradition of writing Christmas cards and sending them through the US Postal services. To me it brings back a bit of the nostalgia of days gone by when people wrote letters to each other. Though the ease of writing off a quick text message or e-mail is nice, but it lacks that personal touch. Okay, now I'm just going off on a tangent so I shall stop.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!