19 days left (but, who's counting?)

Hitting the halfway mark of my assignment has been accented with a touch of homesickness.

Not that I'm not having fun.

Not that I haven't met some great people.

Not that I'm not getting to do a lot of cool things.

But, at the end of the day, I miss my family. My Dallas family and my actual family.

The good news is that Joseph comes in 10 days for a 4 day visit and then Amy comes in 19 days to drive me HOME. Yea!

Despite the mild homesickness and 52 hours of work this week, I have managed to have some fun...

Yesterday I went with my new friend Stacy (who has been a very timely blessing from above this week) to Catalina Island. It was great! The weather was beautiful. The company was wonderful. And, the Island was breathtaking. Catalina Island is like a Wish You Were Here postcard.

Then, last night I went to the famed Viper Room to see my friend's husband play with his band The Royal Fever. They put on a rockin' set, and it was fun to experience Sunset Blvd and a bit of LA nightlife.





Now, I must relax and prepare myself for a long stretch of work. I've got 19 more days to power through...

(but, who's counting?)

From San Fran to San Diego

So, I haven't been so great about keeping this site updated, have I? Well, much has happened since we last "spoke". I will try and hit the highlights...

Sunny Cal has a lot to offer. The more I explore, the more I "get it". I think I may be falling in serious like (if not love) with this west coast state. I hate to drone on about all the great little quirks of my newest crush, but, for real...this place is golden.

(cue opening scenes from Full House)

"Whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy...and evening TV?"

Last week I had the opportunity to visit San Francisco for a couple days. Joseph has been traveling to Cal for business this month, and I happened to have a couple days off during the week. So, I hopped a big jet liner and traveled north. What a great city San Francisco is! There is so much to do, the weather is remarkable and the people are incredibly friendly (to which Joseph pointed out...they live in a great city, what could they possibly be mad about?).

My visit to the bay area was of the "whirlwind" nature (as have all my excursions been lately...). I arrived in Oakland on a Wednesday evening, where Joseph met me for the train ride to San Francisco. We spent the evening walkin' and gawkin' and enjoyin' a city that was new to us both. We ate fish on the Wharf and watched the Sea Lions (or otters? or seals? I still don't know the difference...) lounge on the docks. What an odd animal!

The next day I was on my own. Both my mother and Joseph gave me detailed instructions on trains to take and places to visit and...yadda, yadda, yadda...I still got lost.

I ended up in the Haight-Ashbury district, though, and was quite pleased. The people watching was phenomenal. I grabbed the Haight-Ashbury Beat and read it in a coffee shop over a warm cup of tea (tea unites a multitude of sub-cultures, I've found). In "The Beat", I learned all about medicinal cannabis and police brutality and homeless sweeps. Oh my!


Later that afternoon, Joseph joined me and we spent the evening riding the trolley, eating chocolate, exploring Chinatown and having a blast.
We both agreed that San Francisco is a great city, indeed.







Yesterday, I arrived home from a two day trip to San Diego. I went with a coworker (Kathy, from Louisiana) and we had a great time. San Diego is another gem of a city. It's a tropical paradise with much to do. We went to the world-famous San Diego Zoo AND SeaWorld. I was giddy as a child at both.




Oh, California, thanks for having such great cities for me to explore!

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Ah. Newport Beach. Where the rich frolic and sunbathe and tote around their yappy, little dogs in monogram bags.

I simply adore it.

My new friend, Lily, and I had a great time today. We brunched in Balboa Island amid a sea of old yachters and their botoxed brides. We wore our sunglasses the whole time and refused to give autographs. Though, for the most part, everyone was oblivious to our fame.

Newport Beach (especially Balboa Island) is heaven. People walk a little slower and a little less intentioned. I like to think it's because they're basking in the glorious sunshine...but they're probably just weighed down from the gobs of money in their pockets. I mean, fo' real, y'all.

After a delightful brunch and a slow stroll, we went to the deliciously anticipated Fashion Island. We were a little disappointed when we found Fashion Island to be just an ordinary ol' mall. When we spotted Gap, we knew we hadn't quite landed in the paradise we'd hoped for.

And, so we continued south.

Laguna Beach! We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping, strolling and trying to spot Stephen. We were successful at two of three. Hey, you can't have it all. Which, incidentally, is not the motto of Laguna Beach. In case you were wondering.

So, another beautifully sunny day in California has ended.

Perhaps tomorrow will bring me a few more of those champagne wishes and caviar dreams...

I'm, like, having a totally awesome time in Cali, dudes.

It turns out, California agrees with me. Currently, I am chillin' out max and relaxin' all cool. Just like Fresh Prince.

So, my first week in sunny Cal was a bit rocky, but this week has been good to me, for sure. I am in total vacation mode which seems a bit odd given the 52 hours I've worked this week. But, after catching my stride, I've found this assignment to be easy, breezy and beautiful...like a covergirl.

Let me point out a few of the easy , breezy and beautiful highlights for you:

1. I am required to take an hour break towards the last half of my shift. During this break, I am encouraged to sleep. This break is separate from the lunch break I take earlier in the shift. So, from 3 to 4 am, everyday, I sleep. At work. Because they told me to. Yep. You heard me right.

2. I have met so many travelers at this hospital. I am learning so much great insider info about agencies, facilities and great travel assignments all over the country. Every day I feel more and more jazzed about taking another assignment after the holidays.

3. California has amazing skies. I get to see the sun setting as I head to work, and rising as I end my
shift. What a treat!

4. The people here are great. Cool. Chill. Laaaaaid back. I love the whole vibe.

5. Everday I meet someone new. Everyday I get to hear their stories. I find that to be endlessly fascinating.

6. Did I mention that this feels like a vacation?!

Anyway, I should head to bed. Tomorrow I am spending the day in OC with Lily. Lily is a Pediatric nurse from....Dallas, Texas. What fun!

"All I wanna do is have some fun...

...until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard"


I spent the day in beautiful Santa Monica, California today. Santa Monica is about a 15 minute drive from me, but I decided to take the scenic route (purposely, in case you're wondering!), making it a 45 minute drive. The scenic route-- along Pacific Coast Highway-- turned out to be a great choice.

I'll be honest, Carson and Long Beach are not the best representations of LA county. At all. But, driving along PCH (not "The PCH", as I am erroneously wont to call it), provided me with a much deeper appreciation of the area. The drive was gorgeous.

Amy discovered, in her research for our roadtrip here, that travelers commonly take 3 to 4 days to travel down PCH from San Fran to LA. Now, I understand why. The view just about begs for a casual, windows-down, music up, meander.

Once in Santa Monica, I headed for an area known as the Third Street Promenade-- which is several blocks of boutiques, bookstores, shops and restaurants. I had a most wonderful time window shopping and people watching. And, I was very surprised at the amount of activity happening on a Monday. Don't people in California work?!

The day was, in a word, fantastic. I had a long and leisurely lunch alfresco (is there any other way to dine in Cali?). I walked along the beach. And, as the afternoon drew to an end, I took in a film at a small, art house theatre called laemmle (sorta, kinda, almost like La Emily...).

As I left town, the sun was setting picturesquely over the Pacific.

A perfect Santa Monica day, indeed...

On a side note...

I am bruised! And, (this time) I mean LITERALLY.

After I got completely ready today, I decided that I wanted to wear a skirt. And, wearing a skirt meant that I needed to shave. So, fully dressed and ready to go, I sat on the edge of my bathtub and shaved.

When I reached up to turn the water off, I accidentally turn the shower ON. I realized immediately what I had done and quickly jumped up and out of the shower before I was drenched.

Big mistake.

My foot hit the wet floor and I landed face first (as Joseph called "old lady style") on the bathroom tile.

As I lay on the cold, hard bathroom floor of the Extended Stay America, I thought...

so this is what it's like to die alone.

It turns out, I lived. But my legs, and my pride, were seriously bruised in the ordeal.

See for yourself...



serious ouchy!

You are confident, creative and capable. Prove it.

So, I promised I would keep this blog updated, didn't I?

Well, tonight marks my first night off since Wednesday. And, I am.....exhausted.

whew.

I didn't fully prepare myself for the challenging clinical aspect of this trip. I acknowledged that it would be difficult to leave my family and my social circle. I understood that I woud miss a few parties and social events. I assumed that it would not be easy to find my way around a new city. I never expected this trip to be a breeze. However, it never occurred to me that the most challenging task in this adventure would be my job. I mean, I came here to work as a NICU nurse. I do that every week, after all. How hard could that be?

WHEW.

The answer? Pretty dang hard.

I feel like this week has stretched me as a nurse. I feel like this week has attempted to kick my cocky, nurse butt. I feel like this week has owned me. Hardcore.

I was told that I would be following a nurse for three, 12-hour shifts. You know...so I could orient to the unit, paperwork, computer systems, equipment, policies, procedures, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

I came in my second night and was told that I would be working independently.

Yikes.

I spent the next 12 hours trying not to drown.

Suddenly, everyday tasks seemed monumentally more challenging. I felt like a very inquisitive preschooler: Where do you keep the feeding tubes? What's the password to the PYXIS? How often do you chart pain assessments? What is a Nutra A? Am I really supposed to discard all residuals? Why is this pump telling me to back prime? Why do people keep asking me if I need help from a TL? What is a TL?

And, on it continued for 12 hours.

I left feeling overwhelmed and under-oriented.

The next shift, I felt ready to tackle the beast once more. However, much to my dismay, I was told that I had been floated to a Pediatric floor. After 4 hours of "orientation" (seriously, these people need to find a new word for what they call "orientation"), 4 Peds patients, ranging in ages from 2 mos to 16 years, were under my sole care.

5 hours into my shift, I was administering an enema to a 3 year old boy (who clutched my hand and said "Em-a-wee, I'm scared"), and seriously thinking that I had made a huge mistake.

After that third night, I felt sure that I was ready to return to the comfort and routine of my Dallas hospital. But, then, suddenly-- about six hours into my fourth shift, I started to hit what appeared to be the beginnings of my stride. Could it be I was catching on?!

"You are confident, creative and capable". Maybe, I will prove it, after all.

What a week!