Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap....Deep in the Heart of Texas

My dad and Ashley joined me on the road trip to Houston. I know what you are thinking....if I didn't have room for my stuff coming to MN how did I have room for Ashley.  My parents got me a car top carrier for christmas so we had room for her.  We packed up my car on the coldest night MN had seen that year.  Lucky for me my mom is a master car packer.  Don't listen to what she says....WE HAD PLENTY OF ROOM! 

My dad is not much of a rider so he drove....the whole time!  I wasn't complaining because I have certainly had my fill of driving.  Dillon would not have liked out choice of hotels but we had some beer and good company...do you need anything else?

Our first hotel...taped in batteries and a clock that didn't work. 

It's hard to believe we only had to make one turn from MN to TX.  We got to know I-35 well.  We drove by Toby Keith's hometown and kicked ourselves for not stopping to see the the football field....you know the one where he wrote her number on the 50yrd line.  We did not make that mistake when we got to Dallas....we stopped to see where JFK was shot and we saw found Elvis too!  We got my aunt Cheryl (lover of all things Kennedy) some souvenirs since she couldn't be there will us. We even took a picture from the window for her.


Ash didn't think Elvis smelled very good but by the looks of us he might have felt the same way.



Ash is standing on the X where JFK was first shot.  Notice the cars coming her direction.  They don't take kindly to tourist.

We got down to Houston and the move in was very smooth.  Me and Ash went to get our nails done and my dad took a nap on the couch that he was happy he didn't have to move in.  New years eve we went to see the Rockets play at the Toyota Center.  It was a great time.  I have gone to a few games since and I love to watch them play. We started the night out strong but by midnight we were back home asleep on the couch!


Happy New Year!



WHERE IN THE WORLD IS KATIE!!!!

First off I need to appologize for my lack of writing.  I know I say that a lot but I just got busy living my life.  Now I will stop to sum up the last few months.  The last time I wrote I was still in Boston so many miles have happened since then.  I had so much fun in Beantown but the snow was on its way in so I was on my way out.  I got lucky and  had 3 weeks between assignments....at Christmas time to boot.  Did I plan that well or what?  I packed up my car once a again.  I didn't have room for all my stuff.  How can one person gather so much extra stuff in such a short time?  After I sent some boxes back to MN I was on my way there myself.  I made it all the way to Niagra falls NY.  I decided that it was on my way so I might as well stop there to see what all the fuss was about...I am not sure what the honeymoon draw is but it was definately a cool thing to see. 



I didn't take this picture but none of mine turned out very well but this is what I saw

 I got there late so I only saw the falls with all the night lights on it.  I met a lot of Canadians that came to NY to go christmas shopping since things are so much more expensive there.  The next morning I got up early to get a head start so I wouldn't end up in chicago in the middle of the night.  After talking to some of the Canadians they convinced me I should drive through Canada.  It seemed like a good idea so I decided to give it a go.  I probably should have topped of my tank before going to Canada but I didn't.  Don't worry....I did not run out of gas.  However, I did forget that the speed limits were in kilometers not miles.  Good thing my car odometer gave me some help.  My Gps didn't really work that well in Canada either so I just have to trust that what my new friends told me.  Always an adventure.  I made it without having to stop...good thing because gas was SO EXPENSIVE.  My warning light went on shortly before I reentered the US.  Next stop...Chicago.  Jamie's place was so cute.  I was a little jealous of her rooftop.  We got some quality sister time.  Massages, Lush, Potbelly's and her crazy friends :)  A few short days there then I made my way to the Twin cities.  I hung out on Ashley's couch for a few weeks and had a great time.  We all went back to Hibbing for christmas....it was one for the books! 

This post is getting a little long, 'til next time.  

Cape Cod and Nantucket

I decided to write a seperate blog about the cape, simply because it deserves it.  Buffy Charlotte and myself decided that we needed to go spend some time on the cape before we all went our own ways.  We picked the perfect time since it was still nice out minus the masses of people.  We drove down to the cape and spent the night in Hyannis then the next day we got up and took the ferry to Nantucket.  We found a beach at the end of the cape and it turned out to be a fantastic day.  We drank some beer on the beach and watched the sea lions hanging out near shore.

Once we got over to Nantucket the first thing we noticed was CARRIBOU COFFEE!  They don't have that on the east coast so me and charlotte were stoked....Buffy didn't quite get our excitement but she played along.  



We decided to rent bikes and tour the island a little.  We went to the beach and it was a little windy but still very beautiful.  Then we took our bikes and rode to Cisco Brewery and Nantucket Vineyards and Vodka distillery.  We did a wine tasting and stayed away from the vodka....we still had to ride our bikes back.  I would have liked to stay longer.  We had such a good time just going with the flow and enjoying each others company.  I really hope that someday our travel paths will cross again. 

The ferry ride over to Nantucket

each little house had a different tasting...wine, beer or vodka

Boston

Ok I realize I haven't written in awhile.  I have been having such a good time in Boston it sort of slipped my mind.   I figured I better get some pictures of this leg posted before I am on my way out of town.  There are a lot of travel nurses here so it makes for a little bit more fun.  One of the nurses I worked with in Phoenix showed up here a few weeks after me and as it ends up she lives in the building right next to mine.  It has been nice having a familar face on this assignment.  We met another traveler from Woodbury, MN....small world she knew my college roommates brother. Boston has so much to offer a travel nurse.  I am pretty sure I will come back here for another contract...this time without my car.  It cost way to much to park it here and since I never drive it...I don't need it.  I live right across the street from the Boston TB Garden.  I was hoping to be able to see a Celtics game before I left but the NBA doesn't seem to care about my plans.  The Bruins also play there so I guess that will have to be good enough.  My friends Jeremy and Emily (my guest blogger from the beggining of the year)  came for a visit and we got caught in some tourist traps but we had a great time as per usual.  Here are some pictures from their visit.


Em and Jerm with Boston in the background.



Whale watching...we had to take pictures because I don't think Jeremy saw a single whale due to sea sickness

Of course we had to do this :)



Not everyone knew our name...in fact nobody did :(

 Here are some random pictures:

Fenway Park

Mickey at Fenway

Sunrise from my balcony



Me and Charlotte (from MN) at Sam Adams Brewery after nearly missing our tour



Charles River

Sometimes You Gotta Go Off Course.....

I work up this morning at 5am with a strong urge to sit down and write.  Those of you that know me know that I usually do not wake up at 5am I go to bed then.  So I figured it must be important.  For the past 9 months I have been traveling around the country as a NICU nurse....most of you know this.  I love what I do, but when I woke up this morning I couldn't help but think there is something more.  I think I know what that something is....Operation Smile.

These are some pictures of me 30 years ago.....

and this is a picture of a little girl named Brittany from Honduras..

Whats the difference between me and her?  I was born in America! 

Those of you that know me well know that my driving force has always been my heart.  I make most of my decisions based on how it makes me feel.  Some would call this foolish but it has taken me places I could have never dreamed of otherwise.  I want to say once again that I love what I do and that I am very happy doing it, but I used to have this fire that propelled me forward and frankly....I want it back. 

Most of you are probably thinking "what brought this on?"  Well I have been reading the book by Katie Couric  The Best Advice I Ever Got.  It got me thinking.   Am I doing my best?  Most people would look at my life and say she is pretty lucky....I am.  It's because I live a good life that makes me want it to mean something.   I have a job that I can take time off in between jobs to put my knowledge and skills to work and help put a smile on the face of a kid like me....why am I not doing that?   That is the question I woke up with this morning and I just thought I would share it.

Any thoughts?

Stay Tuned...

I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything.  Here is a quick summary about whats happened over the past few weeks.  I was starting to get a little nervous when I has still in New Hampshire with no job lined up so I extened my contract for a few weeks to see if anyting came up that didn't require me to make the drive across the country AGAIN!  It was getting down to the wire and Baltimore came through for me.  I know what you are thinking....Balitmore? DANGEROUS CITY!  Just to make it clear...I don't live downtown.  I live in a nice community about 20 min out of the city towards washington dc.  I really like the hospital so far....they even offered me an extension on the contract after the first week.  I must be doing something right.  Here are a few pictures of the harbor area. 

I will post more again soon!  Promise!  Jeaneeen and Ivoriee are going to be here for a visit in a little over a week.  I will surely have lots to talk about after that!  Until next time....

ALL ABOUT MAINE!!

Charla and I are going to depart on another adventure this weekend to the lovely state of Maine.  As I was doing some research I found some wonderful facts about the great state.  I thought I would share them with you.  I have been beginning to look at possible places for me to go to next....Portland ME is on that short list.  I hope I like it!

DID YOU KNOW...

State Capital:  Augusta

State Cat:  Maine Coon Cat

State Nickname:  Pine Tree State

State Fish:  Landlocked Salmon

State Motto:Dirigo ("I lead")

State Insect:  Honeybee

State Bird:  Chickadee

State Tree:  White Pine

State Floral Emblem: White pine cone and tassel

State Animal: Moose

State Fossil:  Pertica quadrifaria

State Gemstone: Tourmaline

State Berry:Wild Blueberry

Maine...

…has 5,500 miles of coastline, and about 2000 islands off the coast.

 

…has the largest wild blueberry crop in the nation, raising 99 percent of all wild blueberries in the United States and is the single largest producer of any blueberries (wild or cultivated) in the US. (Grandma Foster and Evie would get a kick out of this)

 

…is the only state in the continental U.S. to be bordered by only one other state (New Hampshire).

 

…contains 32,000 miles of rivers and streams equal to more than the combined length of the Mississippi, Amazon, Yangtze and Nile rivers.

 

…has over 60 lighthouses.

 

…produces 90% of the country’s toothpick supply.

 

…is where Chester Greenwood invented the earmuffs in 1873.

 

I sure hope you learned something that might help you win the next game of trivia that you play! 

Zip a dee do da

Here are some pictures from out latest adventure.  ZIP LINING!!!  yes you might ask "what are we thinking doing this in the winter?"  Here is what we are thinking.....we are only here for a little while so why not?  That has pretty much been our motto for this assignment. 



if only you could see how high we actually are



Do Re Me....

So much has happened since the last time I posted. It is just now that I have time to sit and write.  Can I just say I love living in a hotel?  There are many things to love about it but nothing tops the laundry!  The dreaded task of doing laundry is so much nicer when you have 4 machines to use at one time!   It no longer takes me all day to do the laundry or force me to go shopping for new clothes!  Anyway back to the fun stuff I have been up to.  We have been pretty busy the past few weeks!  A week or so ago we took a road trip to Conneticut.  We stopped in Hartford, New Haven and then headed up the coast.  The area is pretty but the people proved to be a little snobby!  (with all their private beaches and private roads and all)  We set out to find lighthouses but that task was not all that easy.  Since they don't have addresses per say the GPS can't find them very well...who would have thought.  We did the best we could.  We stopped at the USS Nautilus on the way back home. Here are some pictures from that leg of the adventure. 

Climbing through the hatch in the submarine

CT state house

I got a kick out of this head stone

Sunset in CT on the private beach...shhh don't tell!

Look we found a lighthouse!





We also went up to Stowe VT and saw the Trapp Family Lodge....you know from the Sound of Music.  We went to the tour and ACTUALLY MET MARIA'S YOUNGEST SON!!  Then we went snowshoeing around the property.  It was really cold that day but well worth it.  The chapel that one of the brothers built took him 7 years to build because he had to haul all the rocks up there himself.  Crazy I know!

Trapp Family Lodge

This is the chapel that took 7 years to build



Snowshoeing in Stowe VT