We're not in Kansas anymore...

So.....once again I am slacking on updating! Things have just been busy, busy, busy in these parts since Christmas. My dad drove up on the Tuesday before Christmas after braving all the snow and closed roads on the way. Fortunately he is used to driving in lots and lots of snow so he made it here in one piece, just extra extra slow! Of course I worked on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so we celebrated Christmas on Friday. My dad has been driving me to and picking me up from work because Kim's car got broken into on Christmas Eve morning and pretty much everything she owned was stolen. So, needless to say, I am a little paranoid and have been requiring my own personal chauffeur. Fortunately my dad was here to fill that role! Anyway....my dad picked me up from work on Christmas morning and when we got back to my apartment, my dad had put up a little tree and some Christmas lights. It was so awesome! I was kind of sad because I didn't have a tree or decorations or anything. So I was pretty happy. We went to breakfast on Friday and opened gifts. My mom got me a Wii. YAH! I also got some DVD's, games for the wii, new MAC, and cash which is always good. My dad and I decided to head up to Victoria, BC on Saturday. We took the ferry over and stayed at a hotel in town. We went to the Butchart Gardens on Saturday night. It was all decorated up for Christmas and it looked AWESOME! My dad has a great camera and took lots of pictures. But, seeing as I'm at work, I won't be uploading any to this post. But I will definitely post some pictures later. We came back on Sunday, and I am rounding out 2008 by working! yah! Unfortunately, I just got some bad news this morning. My agency called and told me that the Oregon State Board of Nursing has been closed for two weeks because of this storm we had. So....I don't have a license in Oregon and I can't work there. I was planning on leaving on Friday for Salem, but I guess that's on hold for now. My agency is looking at some short term options in other states where I have a license or states that will honor a license I already have. Apparently there are some available in Texas, Colorado and Kansas. Like I want to go to any of those places!! But whatever, I've got bills to pay and I guess I'm going to have to go where the work is. I just hope this doesn't screw up my cruise or anything else I've got planned. So, I am unemployed as of 0700 on January 1st. Who knows what is going to happen. Everyone please keep your fingers crossed!! I will keep you updated. And....HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Oregon Trail

Well, I know you have all been waiting with bated breath to find out where my next assignment will be! Drumroll please.........I will be going to the fantastic and luxurious Salem, Oregon! Okay, so I have no idea if Salem is either fantastic or luxurious because I have never been there! But it is a job and it's on the west coast! And only about 2.5 hours from here so hopefully it won't be the move from hell like moving up here was! My last day here is on December 31st (what a way to ring in the new year! yah!) and I start there on January 6th. I will be in a "recovery unit" which apparently means they do procedure prep (like say, lung biopsies, laparascopic procedures, cardiac cath etc.) and the recovery for a few hours to overnight after the procedure. They do some inpatient overflow from the telemetry unit as well. For now, they are not open on Sundays but I guess they are going to start taking more inpatients so they will probably start opening 7 days a week. Anywho...it pays three dollars an hour more than here, so that's nice! And the manager didn't have a heart attack about me needing time off for my cruise and to go to New York in February (I hope!) so I think it will be a good thing. The manager also seemed pretty laid back unlike the butthole manager here, so we shall see! All in all, this has been a great experience and I have met some awesome people here! But I am definitely ready to move on...

So, I did make it to Salt Lake last week. I didn't realize how much I missed it there! I almost shed a tear or two when I stopped by my storage unit. I really miss a lot of my "comforts of home" as Kim calls them. Especially my amazing bed and my washer and dryer. I went to lunch with a lot of my IHC peeps on Thursday. So much fun! I miss everyone so much!! here's a picture of most of us.

Patty, Sara, Me, Tessa, Elsha, Heidi, Sadie, Normandy, Erica and Hunter

Patty, Sara, Elsha, me and Tessa.

I took a trip to the MAC counter in the blizzard on Saturday with Erin and we stopped at PF Chang's for some lemon pepper shrimp while we were there. Yum! I made the mistake of eating some leftover Mountain of Meat pizza from the Pie on Saturday afternoon. Let's just say it did NOT agree with me! I ended up meeting up with some friends that night and of course it was fun, I just wish I wouldn't have felt so crappy. I guess we will just have to do it again next time I am there and I will try to avoid any food with "mountain" in the name. I was happy that it snowed while I was there, but I was even happier that I got to come back home and not have to drive in the snow. Oh, how wrong I was! I came back to....snow! Apparently Seattle/Tacoma does get snow occasionally, but they are calling this one the Blizzard of '08. Don't get me wrong, if we were in Utah or somewhere equally as prepared for the inclement weather, this would really be nothing. But these people don't have plows and they don't spread salt on the road. Not to mention they DO NOT know how to drive in the snow. I thought they were bad drivers when the roads were dry! HA! I was thisclose to getting stuck in my parking lot on Thursday thanks to a bonehead move by a lady driving in front of me. Fortunately I was able to get myself out of the situation after screaming a few choice words! People just don't think sometimes! In any case, it snowed off and on all day today and I was happy to stay in and finish cleaning my apartment!

I had another adventure on Friday. I took a fun day trip up to Forks with Kim and another traveler I work with, Trish. What a trip! I have to admit, Forks really wasn't anything all that exciting but I am very happy to be able to say that I have been there!

This is on the way to Forks...it was pretty awesome scenery most of the way there!

Yes, you are reading that sign right, there was a road called kitchen-dick. And if you'll notice, the sign down in the corner is for weaner pigs. I couldn't make this up if I wanted to! We saw several interestingly named roads, but this one was definitely the best! We laughed about it for the entire trip!

Crescent Lake on the way to Forks. So quaint!

Finally made it to Forks! I wanted to pose with the famous sign, but it was kind of up on a hill and as you can see it was snowy and pretty darn cold, so I didn't want to climb up the hill.

This was a hotel with a clever sign!

We also found Forks High School.

Me and Kim, apparently Forks is the logging capital of the world? I mean, that's great and everything but really the most important thing is Twilight! Right?

We stopped at the ocean on the way home and did a little self photography. It was freezing, but totally breathtaking! I just love the ocean. The sound and watching it....I could sit there for days if only it was a little warmer. It was a fun trip with some fun friends and I'm glad we got to do it!

Saturday night I went out on the town for one last time with Kim and Emile. The town was pretty dead since the "blizzard of '08" was in full force. But we found a karaoke joint yet again and again, Kim talked me into singing a few songs with her. It was fun, as always! I'm definitely going to have to go to Boston and sing some more karaoke and have Kim show me around!

I can't remember what Kim and Emile were singing but they were really feelin' it!

This picture doesn't really do justice, but this is the gigantic hill on the way to our house. We have pretty much been avoiding it since it snowed, but I thought it would be fun if we drove down it. Kim agreed and down we went! It was fun, sliding all around on the non plowed roads. It was late enough there were not very many people out, so Kim could drive as crazily as she wanted. This is what all the roads in town looked like as well. Good times!

My dad is coming up tomorrow to hang with me for Christmas! I'm so excited! And we are going to head up to Canada on Friday or Saturday. Yay! I just wish I wasn't working on Christmas Eve and Christmas day....but I will live and I will be making time and a half. I hope everyone has the merriest Christmas ever! Thanks to everyone for being such great friends! I am truly blessed to know all of you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

SHOES!

So, I got cancelled from work tonight. Random. I didn't think that they could cancel travelers. Whatever! It worked out nicely since I am leaving for Salt Lake tomorrow and I haven't even started to pack yet. Plus, it's always nice to get some sleep before I travel. Anyway, I was perusing my blog today and I realized that there is something vital missing!! There is not even the slightest reference to shoes anywhere on my blog! I'm pretty disappointed in myself! Anyone who even sort of knows me knows how much I love shoes! I was pretty devastated to have to leave most of my shoes behind in a storage unit in Salt Lake. Maybe that's why I'm so excited to go back...I get to visit all my shoes!! I'm probably going to buy a new outfit for a Christmas party I'm going to and I know I won't have to worry about shoes to go with it. That's if I can get to where they are in the storage unit. Anyway...I also purchased a new pair of shoes the other day! It has been far too long since I have fed my addiction. And the best part is...they were free! In fact, I got 8 cents back. That's right, just call me bargain shopper! I knew you would all want to see them, so I had a little photo shoot...
I mean, really, how cute are these shoes! I'm going to be honest. I have like three other pairs that are very similar to this one, but I just couldn't resist. And like I said, they were free! (I had $10 Kohl's cash and a $25 gift card!). So, now that I look crazy since I posted an entire blog related to shoes, perhaps I will go pack my bags. I only hope I can find an outfit that will do these shoes justice!

The End of an Era...

I know it's going to probably be a while before I post again, so I figured that I better do one now while I have a second. Thanksgiving was awesome!! Of course, it was way too short and there wasn't nearly enough time to spend with the family, but the time we did have was fun! We had a huge dinner on Thursday and then my mom and I got up to go shopping at Wal Mart on Friday morning. Yes, we are crazy! And we got some great deals!! I spent $150 on...myself. Kinda dumb, but some deals you just can't pass up! And my mom got my Christmas present. Since I'm not going to be surprised by it, you will be! I'm not telling what it is, but I'm so excited! Amaria and I made a gingerbread tree on Friday. It turned out so cute! And it was so much easier than those flipping gingerbread houses! Unfortunately, even though my mom saved our gingerbread house from last year and was beyond careful with it, it didn't make it through the year very well. I salvaged it as best I could, but it looks like we will have to make a new one next year. Boo!! If Amaria didn't love doing it so much, I would not even bother with it. Oh well.

Robert carving one of the turkeys. YUM!!

Me and Amaria and our finished gingerbread tree! So cute!

My mom and I also went shopping on Saturday. It was fun to spend some time with her and get a little shopping done so I don't have to ship everything back to Las Vegas! I got to see Ralph and Gladhes, but only for about two seconds. There's never enough time to see everyone!!

So, after I got back, I got a text from my cousin Linda. I haven't seen her in probably 5 or 6 years. She lives in Portland, but she joined the Marines and has been in boot camp until a couple of weeks ago. We had talked about getting together, and Linda told me that she was going to come up and see me! I was so excited! I had Thursday, Friday and Saturday off and some friends from work were planning on going out on Thursday, so she decided to come up Thursday afternoon. We went to dinner and then out to a karaoke joint. We played some pool (I observed!) and sang a little karaoke...Kim even talked me into joining her for a song!! I have really come out of my shell, haven't I? So, here are a few pictures from our FUN night out!

I work with Amie, Kim, Emile and Trish and that's Linda on the right. Emile thinks he's pretty cool!

Me and Linda.

Me and Kim jammin out to Journey's Don't Stop Believing. It was so fun!

So, I had a blast with Kim (and everyone else), as always. But it made me realize how much I am going to miss her! We hung out last night, too and I am so sad that it could possibly have been our last chance to hang out outside of work. She has become such a great friend and we have so much fun together! We were going to try and get an assignment together, maybe in California, but some things have come up for her and she needs to be close to home for her next assignment. I am thinking about maybe heading back east for my next assignment so that we can get another assignment together, but I don't know if I want to be that far away from my family and friends. Also, we all know the economy sucks right now. People are still getting sick, but hospitals are cutting their budgets just like everyone else is and travelers are pretty much the most expensive employees there are. So, it looks like a lot of hospitals are cutting traveling positions as much as they can. I probably will be able to find an assignment, but it might not be exactly where I want to go. So, everyone keep your fingers crossed....so far I've only been submitted to a hospital in Glendale, California which is near Hollywood. Definitely not my first choice for places to live, but California usually has a good pay scale and I would only be about a 5 hour drive away from my mom. So....who knows what is to come for me! I am headed to Salt Lake on Wednesday! I'm so excited to see everyone. And to get my hair done! It's a scary mess right now. I might be going to Las Vegas to see my mom again before Christmas the next week, but I'm not sure. Of course, I have to work on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. CRAPPY!!! New Year's Eve is my last scheduled day at this assignment. My dad is supposed to be coming up here for Christmas, and at least I'll be getting time and a half, on the holidays right?? I knew I would have to work holidays when I went into nursing school, but it still sucks.

I guess that's about all the excitement in my life for now...please keep your fingers crossed that I don't end up somewhere like Bismarck, North Dakota for my next assignment!

Making up for lost time!

Wow!! Two posts in one day! I stole this from Amera! Ah, memories...

1. Did you date someone from your school?
The question here should really probably be did you date anyone? period. And the answer is really no. Yes, I know, sad story.
2. What kind of car did you drive?
I had a freakin sweet Honda Prelude for part of my junior year and then I had a not so freakin sweet Mazda truck. But it was decent, I really can't complain.
3. Did you pass your driver's license test your first try?
Sha! Of course I did! Coach Cowan loved me!
4. Were you a party animal?
Hahahahaha! No. My mom never set a curfew for me...because she didn't have to. I was pretty lame.
5. Were you considered a flirt?
No, I don't think so. I was waaaay too shy for that. I also was everyone's friend (I think?)
6. Were you in band, orchestra or choir?
Not in high school. But I played the Clarinet in middle school!
7. Were you a nerd?
Considering that I lettered in academics, I'm going to have to say YES.
8. Were you on any varsity teams?
No, but I thouroughly enjoyed watching them!
9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled?
No, I was a nerd, remember?
10. Can you still sing the fight song?
I don't think I ever knew the fight song.
11. Who were your favorite teachers?
Hmmm....Mr. Nordfelt my drafting teacher, and you can't help but love Coach Gross! hahaha
12. Where did you sit for lunch?
I can't remember? Wherever probably, if I was there for lunch.
13. What is your school's full name?
Copper Hills High School
14. What is your school's mascot and colors?
GO GRIZZLIES!! green, blue, and silver
15. Did you go to Homecoming and with who?
Maybe you need to refer back to #1. NO! Thanks for the reminder.
16. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
No, probably not. But like Amera, I LOVED high school! I had some of the greatest friends and were were all so united! It was awesome!
17. What do you remember most about graduation?
Um, I was crying and then we all went and looked that the Grizzly statue that was the gift from our senior class. And I know there were pictures taken, but I never saw any???
18. Where did you go Senior Skip Day?
I had senior skip day pretty much every week and Erin and I would go to my house and sleep.
19. Were you in any clubs?
NHS and VICA I think
20. Have you gained some weight since then?
yes! And I thought I was so fat in high school!
21. Who was your prom date?
Really? See #1 AGAIN. Not everyone went to this stuff people!
22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion?
I already did. That's right, I've been out of school for over 10 years! I can hardly believe it!
23. Did you have a job in high school?
I worked at Bruegger's Bagels, then Bugle Boy, then Great Expectations.
24. Were you an Honor Student?
Of course! My gpa was like .00001 away from graduating with tassles. However, I did get to wear my NHS collar.
25. Did you take seminary? If so who was your favorite teacher?
You bet! I loved Brother Barringer and Brother Reading. However, I slept a lot in Brother Reading's class. I feel horrible about that, but I couldn't help it. I was a sleep deprived teenager!
26. What would you consider your most fun times in High school?
Probably going to all the basketball and football games! Such fun times!!
27. Were you considered shy or outgoing?
Shy in groups of people or around people I didn't know. But quite outgoing around my friends.
28. Any last memories you'd like to share?
I also loved that school was safe back then. And junior year was the very first year of CHHS...poor Jed Nielson was stuck having a locker in between me and Erin! But it was an experience that I'm so glad to be a part of! Everyone who was at Copper Hills wanted to be there. We had an awesome student body! And I had the greates friends EVER! I'm feeling so nostalgic right now!

Now, I want everyone else to complete this! :)

Portland! (And other things)

I am still relatively new to the world of blogging, and already I am slacking in my posting! What can I say, I am a busy girl....not. I really haven't done too much lately, just work and....work it seems like. I did go to Portland a couple of weeks ago. It was fun to see some old friends! Here are a few pictures.

Caroline apparently has a green fetish. She claims that she didn't plan to pack everything green yet somehow she did.

We like to call this one "Where's Caroline?" Between the green wall, Caroline's green ensemble and the greenery at the bottom...well, you get the idea.

We went on a hike in this really cool foresty area and did a little self photography while we were at it!

There was on old building along the trail. Here, I am trying to demonstrate my lack of proper attire as it was kind of rainy and very muddy and slippery. Yes, I am wearing short pants and thongs (or slippers or sandals or whatever the crap you are supposed to call them these days). But, I must say that I hiked Diamondhead in Honolulu in these same shoes! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Diamondhead, it is supposedly a 0.8 mile hike. WRONG! Well, maybe it is 0.8 mile, but it was pretty much straight uphill. Let me post a picture of the fabulous view...

You get the idea, I'm sure. Needless to say, never underestimate the power of my spice girls shoes! They are apparently equivalent to some decent hiking boots. Ah, in posting that picture I am longing for Hawaii more than ever!! I am planning on returning for my 30th birthday (it's next year!!! Yikes!) Anyway, the rest of my visit to Portland was great. Me, Caroline and Anne went to a class on herbal remedies and then ate at this awesome old school that had been redone by some company that apparently buys old schools and churches and things and restores them. My rambling is probably making no sense, but this school (Kennedy School) was awesome! I was just fascinated by all the history. There was a great restaurant, meeting rooms, a soaking pool and even hotel rooms. I was quite impressed. That's really all that I've done lately besides spending too much money at the MAC counter and watching a lot of old ER! I am planning to go to a fabulous Mexican restaurant tomorrow and then.....going to see Twilight! I am quite excited! I can't believe I am kind of acting like all those screaming annoying little girls. But what can I say? They were good books!

I'm sure I won't post again before Thanksgiving, so I hope everyone has a good one. I am headed to Las Vegas to be with my mom, brother, step dad, sister in law (practically) and most importantly my niece!! I can't wait!! It kinda sucks being this far away from family. My assignment is more than half over already and I can't believe it! I don't know where I'm off to next. Somewhere without snow!

Everyone have a happy Turkey Day!

Mt. "Rainy"-er

I broke down and bought another camera. I just couldn't be without a camera for any longer! It would be one thing if I were just hanging in Salt Lake or whatever, but I'm traveling the world here! Come on! So, it's nothing fancy, just something to get me by until I get my camera back. And who knows when that will be!

So....Kim and I attempted to see some tourist attractions yesterday. I don't think we could have picked a worse day! Don't get me wrong, it rains here quite a bit, but it's usually what we like to call a "Washington Drizzle" and it's just that, a drizzle. Well, not yesterday. It rained in sheets pretty much all day and all night. So, in our attempt to see Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier (hence my clever play on words in the title!!) we pretty much saw....clouds and trees. I did get a few pictures, but the day was kind of a disappointment. We tried to go up the east side of Mt. St. Helens and I'm kind of surprised we didn't ge stuck in the snow. It was a little scary for a minute! Once we got through that, the biggest emergency was the lack of bathrooms! Luckily tragedy was averted on that one, but it was a long way back to Tacoma (after a detour in Olympia looking for a restaurant...apparently they don't have any there??) and some food! We devoured what felt like a seven course meal at Outback. I don't think I've ever eaten a better steak! We made it home in one piece and I wrapped the night up by watching the new episode of ER. So, the whole day wasn't bad, I was just really bummed that we didn't get to see really anything that we had set out to see. I've looked Mt. St. Helens up on the internet and it looks like going up the west side is the way to go since there is a visitor's center and observatory over there. So, we will have to try to go back on a day that has a little bit better weather! Here are a few pictures....

I'm pretty sure that's not Mt. Rainier but it's really the only mountain that we were able to see that wasn't covered with clouds!

This is a waterfall we encountered somewhere along the way...

And the snow that better stay in the mountains! I do not want to drive in this crap again anytime soon!

Proof that we were actually near Mt. St. Helens. It was too cloudy and foggy for pictures of anything else.

I am headed to Portland tomorrow to see some old friends from middle school. Yes, that was like 20 years ago, save the rude comments! So I'm sure I'll have some crazy pictures from that. Stay tuned...

Happy Halloween!!

Okay, so this post really has nothing to do with Halloween. And my camera is officially broken! I had to send it into Sony for service so I am without a camera for who knows how long! I did take my memory cards into Wal Mart and got my pictures put on a CD so here are a few! But who knows when I will be able to take more pictures :( . These are some pictures from the very first Starbucks in Seattle!

And I'm sure no visit to Seattle is complete without a picture of the Space Needle!

This last weekend was my good friend Ralph's 21st birthday in Las Vegas. They had a "little" house party. Wow. Those people know how to throw a party!! There was a DJ, tons and tons of food, and of course what seemed like thousands of people! So here are a few pictures from that...

The party was tons of fun!! But a few of us stayed up all night. I am getting too old for that! It took me two days to recover. But like I said, it was lots of fun!

So...I would just like to rant for a moment about the drivers here in Washington. Nobody here is in a hurry. EVER. And I think the highest speed limit I've seen is 35. The speed limit on most roads is 30! Come on! Who drives 30?! Old people maybe. And everyone in Washington. I was coming home from Costco today and I had to go 20 almost the whole way home! Maybe it's all the time I spent driving with all the crazy freaks in Las Vegas, but these people drive unreasonably slow. That is one thing I will not miss on my next assignment!

On a happier note, I found a Jimmy John's here! For those of you unlucky enough to have never experienced Jimmy John's, it is a fabulous sandwich place! People in Salt Lake, there is a Jimmy John's on the northeast corner of 72nd South and 9th East. And for those of you in Las Vegas, there is one on Charleston and Rancho. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that I frequented. I love the Tom Turkey and a pickle. Mmmmmm! You all need to try it.

I hope everyone has a great Halloween! I will be working, of course. So everyone keep your fingers crossed that all the freaks stay in instead of coming out and ending up at the hospital!

Oh Snap!

So...I did get some pretty sweet pictures in Seattle this last weekend but I went to turn my camera on to download them....and it won't turn on! Tragic, isn't it? Needless to say, my camera is only 10 months old so it better be covered by warranty!! I'm kinda ticked because I'm going to Las Vegas this weekend for Ralph's bday and I'm sure I'll want to take some pictures. AND I had a blazing fire going (with real wood and everything) in my fireplace tonight. I wanted to take a picture of it but nooooooo. Stupid camera isn't working!

I had a great time in Seattle! We visited the original Starbucks in Pike Place Market and the Space Needle but we got there kind of late and apparently Seattle rolls up the carpets relatively early. So, we found a seafood restaurant right on the water and ordered up some crab. I was so excited! Crab, right on the ocean! I figured there really couldn't be anything better. Wrong! WORST crab ever!!! And I mean horrible. I ended up complaining to the manager so our meal got comped but still. What a disappointment! And then it was raining when we left the restaurant (imagine it raining in Seattle! Weird!) We decided to stop at a place called the Nite Lite to hang and people watch and listen to some tunes. Kind of an interesting crowd, but we made a few friends and ended up closing the place down. So all in all a good night! If only I had pictures to post! Ah well, hopefully I will get my camera up and running and I'm sure Gladhes will take care of the picture taking for this weekend. In the meantime, enjoy this boring pictureless post. I promise I will post some pictures as soon as I can. Everyone keep in touch!!

Nothing New...

Nothing new is really going on around here, but I know everyone is DYING for an update! haha. My traveling friend, Kim, and I are planning on going to Seattle tomorrow, so hopefully I will have pictures to post soon! I'm pretty excited. I love being a tourist! And I was just watching some lame show on VH1 and apparently Bill Gates and Matt Stone (Southpark guy) both have houses/condos in the Seattle area so perhaps I'll be a stalker. I also went and applied for my passport today! I'm really excited for some reason. I'm going to Mexico in January, but I don't technically need my passport since it will be on a cruise, but you never know when you might want to leave the contry at the last minute, right?

Work is going okay. The bullcrap of hospitals is the same everywhere! But the beauty of this one is that I'm only attached for 3 months! Nothing bad has happened and the people here are really nice. But it's just frustrating to not be able to do more for patients no matter where you go. And Kim and I were given a pretty big guilt trip for trying to take our HUGE 30 minute lunch break somewhere besides on the floor last night. That's right. We don't work hard enough, they seem to think we should sit at the nurse's station and eat our food while listening to all the annoying beeping hospital noises. So, I'm sure I'm not the favorite of that charge nurse but whatever. I work my butt off and I'm taking my damn 30 minutes! I don't really think it's too much to ask. So anyway....enough of my complaining. Really, work is not going too bad, just that one lame incident. Even the "go live" of the new computer system that everyone was freaking out about went pretty well. It helps that Kim and I are practically super users since we are so darn smart! However, my strategy of keeping my mouth shut and sitting in the corner has been quite effective and nobody has really asked me any questions about anything. So...enough of my rambling! I guess it's obvious that I only slept 3 hours today and I'm off to bed! Hopefully I will have some awesome pictures to post after tomorrow!

PS I really really really love the song Crush by David Archuleta! I have never watched American Idol, but I should have watched and voted for him last season! What was I thinking??

Pictures!!

It seems that I have figured out how to post pictures, so here are a few from the trip up here...some lovely self photography of me and my mom in front of Horsetail Falls in Oregon, me in front of the same falls and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge which is mere moments from my house. I really really really wanted to go across the bridge...so I did only to find out that there is a $4.00 toll to get back to the other side!! Cheap jerks! But it was definitely cool going over. I did the last of my BORING computer orientation at the hospital today. So I actually get to spend the rest of my time here being a nurse. What a novel idea. My first day on my own on the floor is Monday, so wish me luck! I am going to Las Vegas/LA this weekend for an allergy treatment class (because apparently I haven't spent enough time in classrooms lately) but I will at least get to see my mom and my niece. My new friend, Kim and I have plans to go sightseeing next weekend (if it doesn't rain ha!) so hopefully I will have more cool pictures to post soon. I'm still so happy I did the traveling RN thing!! Loving it!

Here Goes Nothing

Well, I promised several people that if I ended up doing the traveling nurse thing I would start a blog, so here I am!

I made it to Tacoma, Washington a little over a week ago for my first traveling assignment. So far, so good! Contrary to what everyone says, it does not rain here every single day. I love the rain, so even if it did, I would be okay! My apartment is about 2 minutes from Puget Sound, so I'm sure I will be doing a lot of things outdoors. I've met another traveler who works on the same floor as I do and lives in my apartment complex, so it's nice to have someone to hang out with who knows exactly what I'm going through! We have many grand plans to visit Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Seattle, etc...maybe I'll even go up to Forks! haha. Anyway, this has definitely been a learning experience, but overall things have gone pretty smoothly. I have mostly been in hospital/computer orientation so far here. I've been on the floor only two nights and things seemed pretty calm even though there was a rapid response called the first night I was there. It is nothing like the 8 or 9 patients (excuse me, couplets!) that I'm used to! I just hope I can keep myself busy. So, I guess that's it for my first blog ever! I have some pictures but I have yet to upload them, so hopefully I will do that soon.

Come back and visit!!