And So It Begins...

I've wanted to be a travel nurse for longer than I can remember.  I have no idea when someone first suggested it to me or I heard about it or read about it somewhere. But it perfectly combines two of my main passions: helping others (via being a nurse) and traveling. HELLO! Yes please. Where can I sign up?! Well, I found out where you CAN sign up (RTG Medical is the particular travel company I went with) and I just did it. I signed up. Scary, huh? Often the greatest dreams are just that: scary. And hard. And emotional and lots of hard work. Preparing for travel nursing was just that for me and my AMAZING, sweet husband, Will. We had to tediously comb through everything we owned and make piles: sell, store, pack. That's it. This whole process has combined the self-discipline and honesty of sorting with the physical labor of packing with the emotional toll of endless goodbyes. We somehow packed everything we wanted to bring, slammed down our car until we were sweating/praying for the suspension all 1,840 long miles.

We stopped overnight at one of Will's favorite places in the whole world: Frisco, Colorado. It was a perfect halfway point on our trip and we got to stay with some of his selfless, kind, giving, family friends, the VanderKoois. It was gorgeous out there, in typical Colorado fashion, and we got a much-needed break from our car. Photo credits below go to my skilled hubby:

I learned what a Snowcat Groomer was. SO cool! I want to ride one!

Our second stop was Arches National Park, Utah. GAH! So gorgeous... we'll definitely be back.

Balanced Rock (really, that's the name)

Lastly, we stopped at the Hoover Dam. What a dam cool dam! ;)

Finally, on Thursday night we made it to sunny San Diego, California. And so far, it's been amazing! We live 500 feet from the ocean. We ride our bikes everywhere. The weather is perfect every single day. We are eating avocados faster than the state of California can grow them (very, very slight exaggeration) and we are just loving having an "extended honeymoon." We're still so fresh in our marriage; I'm excited to see how God will use this experience to shape and strengthen our relationship. Our first few days consisted of unpacking, organizing, reorganizing where we (I) wanted to put things in our 450-square-foot home, and exploring our new area.

Orchids at the garden in Balboa Park: only my most favorite flowers ever!

Hanging out in Balboa Park

Today was my first day as a travel nurse at Rady Children's Hospital! I'll be based out of their NICU but floating to their PICU, Peds Acute Care Unit, and a couple others. It really helps that I have PICU experience; I feel much more comfortable and prepared. I'm nervous but excited! And I already met a coworker/friend from Michigan who lives in our neighborhood! How cool?!
Lastly, a picture of our epic beach cruisers bought off of good ol' Craigslist. And by epic I mean mine has been awesome/adorable and Will's has been a pain in our butts. No really. It's given us 1 blown tire, 1 popped tube,  and 1 dilapidated seat. It was held together with twist-ties when we bought it (which should've been our warning sign...) We've (in 48 hours) bought all new supplies for it and it's STILL given us hell. We've named our sweet rides, too. Mine is Christie, named after my little sister's middle name, because it reminds me of her SO much. And Will's bike is Lucy a.k.a. Lucifer.  We thought it was fitting...