Probably the CRAZIEST thing that happened while traveling is not documented in pictures, only in my memory...where it will stay for a LONG time!! A guy fell out of a third floor window and landed on my ground floor patio while I was living in San Diego the first time. YES, this is a true story. No, I will NOT go into details...I don't want to gross out anyone with a weak stomach. Yes, from what I found out, the guy did live....although he had many injuries. I should have learned my lesson and never lived on the ground floor again...however fast forward to Phoenix. I live on the ground floor here....something I was thankful for when I was moving in at the end of August! However, a few days after moving in, a 20oz soda was dropped from the third floor and hit me on the head! Now I think I've learned my lesson about the ground floor and maybe I should read Chicken Little again...he may be right...the sky is falling.
San Diego holds more memories than the one I just shared. It was the first place I went by myself. I knew no one and meeting people seemed like the impossible task. But, God answered my prayers and blessed me with a church and an amazing group of friends! He also blessed me with the opportunity to serve Him in Jamaica with MilesAhead Ministries (see previous posts). I have so many memories of San Diego. Going to Tijuana for tacos at 2 in the morning, walking on the beach, Sunset Cliffs, salsa dancing, children's ministry, 7pm church service, game nights, Bible studies, going away parties (I had 3 total), hiking Torrey Pines, Disneyland, feeding dolphins at SeaWorld, and the list could go on forever. The following 3 pictures are from San Diego.
Above, (L to R), Jenn, Serena, me, Allison at motorcross racing in Qualcomm Stadium. Allison and I picked who would win the race based on what color the rider was wearing....we're not girly at all!
Above: me, Don, Nick in Tijuana at 2 in the morning eating tacos. Macrina was with us...she took the pictures. My friends felt no Kansas girl could leave San Diego without visiting Tijuana for tacos.
Above: Jenn, Pastor Miles, Serena, me after the big crusade in Kingston, Jamaica. God changed lives in Jamaica during our 10 days there. Living in Boston was a dream for someone who likes to play tourist...and that is what I did for 6 months. Ashley joined me in Beantown and we had a great time seeing the sites. My time there included spending a few days on Cape Cod with my mom and her friends, going to Martha's Vineyard, going to NYC twice, visiting Newport, Rhode Island, cheering on the Red Sox, and much more! I became a savvy big city girl...walking or taking the subway everywhere. Below is a picture of the sunset from Cape Cod. This was only a few blocks from the house we stayed in!!
I couldn't talk about this amazing journey without mentioning my mom. Until she had to care for my grandma full time, she traveled with me. She would fly to the city I was in and then drive home with me. Then we would set out for the next city. By the time we went back to San Diego for the 2nd time, we had unpacking my apartment down to a science. She always started in the kitchen and I started in my closet. Then for about a week after she left I would have to go through every cupboard and drawer in the kitchen looking for the things I needed! My mom isn't the best navigator, she's great fun to have on the road. We had some adventures....Mom driving through NYC and me navigating as we made our way to Boston. I was driving as we left Boston....I missed the on ramp for the highway and we had to turn around and drive almost all the way back to Boston to fix the mistake. I was the one chasing the directions around a gas station parking lot in the middle of New Mexico when they all blew out of the car. We both had panic attacks when Savannah (my cat) wedged herself in between 2 of my containers and we couldn't find her. We were in the middle of the Rocky Mountains at a gas station in May practically unpacking the car (in the snow) looking for her. But what I enjoyed most was having my mom's company. I loved that she was able to share so many experiences with me. She not only visited Boston, but Washington DC (with my dad), San Diego, and Denver.
The last picture is Ashley and I in DC. It was our first day to go see the sites. We went to the National Archives that day as well....where Ashley managed to get in trouble from security for using her flash...a big no no when you're surrounded by very old, important documents! We had fun touring DC, visiting Baltimore, Mount Vernon and much more!
The picture below is my sister and I in Cancun. My friend Ashley got us tickets to the Ellen show and it happened to be her 12th day of Christmas giveaways. We each received 2 round trip tickets to Cancun and a week stay in a brand new hotel. The best part of this was surprising my sister with my second ticket. Ashley took one of her sisters and we had a great time. It was really hard to keep the ticket a secret from my sister. I had her convinced if she saved her money she could definitely come with me.
I could write all day about the blessings and adventures of being a travel nurse. I will be forever grateful to God for leading me down this path. I've learned so much about myself, my relationship with Him, and trusting in Him. I do plan to use my blog once I'm settled back in KC. I have a lot of friends who don't live in KC and want to keep them updated on life. Plus I enjoy sharing what God is doing in my life. One thing I didn't mention in this blog was work. Yes, I did work during this time....I worked at some of the top children's hospitals in the US. I've definitely grown as a nurse. I could write all day about my experiences with patients....but really isn't it more fun to read about anything besides a hospital. I will update once I'm back in Kansas. Until then, I'm counting my days and packing my stuff for the last time!
