Ready or not, here I go...

So…as it typically goes, time kind of got away from me and obviously I haven’t updated in quite a while. I am now just halfway through my drive across the country. It has been quite an experience so far. And somehow I’ve been lucky enough to manage narrowly escaping some nasty wintry weather. Timing can make such a huge difference sometimes.

I wanted to back up a little bit and make an attempt at covering the last month. The last few shifts at work were difficult. It was obviously hard to say goodbye to an outstanding group of people, yet I endured some challenging patient cases as well. Losing a patient that I have become close with is still something I struggle with to this day. Professionally, you have to find a happy medium of being warm and compassionate but also a little disconnected. I may never find that perfect medium, but I’ll keep trying.

The process of leaving Charleston also ended up being harder than I thought it would be. I got together with many of the people I really got to connect with during my 18-month stay, while trying to organize things for the big move, tie up loose ends, etc. I managed to do more of the former, and ended up getting pretty stressed out towards the end due to my procrastination (typical Allison form). Mix stress with fatigue and add a dash of unexpected sadness and you’ve got yourself one hot mess. But thanks to my amazing parents and wonderful friends, I managed to pull myself together and get everything ready. Phew.

I will always hold Charleston close to my heart. It is such a charming city, and I can’t think of any other place on earth like it. I’ll miss struggling to walk the cobblestone streets off of Bay in heels… spending a day on Folly Beach with beer and bocce… walking to the Terrace for a film… enjoying an incredible beer selection at Gene’s… grabbing breakfast at Hominy Grill after a night of work (sometimes with a cocktail)… running the Ravenel Bridge and enjoying the view… meeting up with friends at Rooftop… indulging in a ridiculous cupcake from Cupcake on King Street (red velvet with cream cheese frosting was my fave)… kicking back at a Riverdogs game… “VIP” parties at Mad River haha… driving out to the Citadel Mall in West Ashley to get my Target fix… oyster roasts… cornhole at AJ’s… wings at Kickin’ Chicken… tapas at Chai’s… the boysenberry mojito and Bone Crushers at Coast… catching a show at Pour House or Music Farm… the plantations… staring in awe at the Angel Oak… taking a walk down by the Battery and dreaming about living in one of the houses one day… getting stuck behind a horse-drawn carriage downtown… taking visitors to the Market… and of course those sunsets. Le sigh.

I wrapped up my last days in Charleston with some unbelievable dinners, one final show at Music Farm (Michael Franti & Spearhead), and a roommate Guitar Hero session (we’ll get together some other time for a reunion tour). I filled my car up to the absolute brim (I knew all those hours of Tetris would pay off one day), plugged in Tyrone (my iPod) and Daniel (my GPS), and headed north for a few days of family time. First, I stopped in Myrtle Beach and then made it up to Wilmington. The next day, I went up to Hertford, NC with my Mom to visit my grandparents. It was a very nice visit, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see them before I headed out west. The next couple of days were dedicated to making sure ALL the I’s were dotted and ALL the T’s were crossed. THANK GOD for my parents for keeping me sane and grounded throughout this entire process. I love, love, love them…and they know that.

Before I knew it, Thursday, Feb. 20th had come. Talk about time flying: I was absolutely stunned. And dizzy. I re-packed my car (I am my father’s daughter after all), had travel snacks handy, and had newly downloaded audiobooks added to Tyrone (my iPod, in case you forgot). And I was off.

It has been quite an adventure so far. I have been from Wilmington, North Carolina to Rome, Georgia to Little Rock, Arkansas to Dallas, Texas to Roswell, New Mexico. It has been 1800 miles of sunshine, rain, and decreasing temperatures. I’ve encountered major highway closings and backups because of car accidents, the joy of Atlanta at rush hour, the Groundhog Day-like sensation of road food, the internal struggle of stopping to pee or push it just a little longer, and of course the wrath of the 18-wheelers (I swear they are all out to get me). I’ve seen the glory that is South of the Border (along with my personal favorite billboard, “You never SAUSAGE a place”), the statue given to the city of Rome, GA by Mussolini himself, the plethora of bars and clubs that populate Beale Street in downtown Memphis, the Mississippi River, the Presidential Library in downtown Little Rock (which looks exactly like a double-wide), the pleasant Uptown area of Dallas, countless fields dotted with cows, horses, and wind turbines, very large balls of tumbleweed (one of which attacked my car quite violently), and a bunch of alien crap that pretty much makes up the entire city of Roswell. I’ve taken some pictures than I plan to compile in the near future, but will never live up to what my adventure has been to date.

Here in creepy Roswell is the only leg in my trip where I am staying in a hotel and not with a friend (hence taking advantage of the free WiFi). I’ll be getting up in the morning to head to Phoenix, Arizona. Thanks to all for the amazing love, support, texts, phone calls, and facebook messages. I’ve got a little less than 1500 miles to go, and remain as excited to continue this journey as I was the day I started. And on that note, I’m going to relax in this King-sized bed. Sweet.

Keep on keepin on...

It's crazy how invincible I think I am sometimes. Usually I deny this, but the honest-to-God truth is...I always assume I'll be fine, everything will work out, and nothing bad will ever happen to me. Let's just say I had a healthy dose of reality handed to me this past week, and I needed it. It never hurts to be reminded that life can be challenging. All is well, but I really had to stop and think about the curve balls, bumps in the road...all that stuff. This also applies to some close friends of mine who are going through tough times. I wish them nothing but the best, and am touched they called on me in a time of need. You know who you are.

The countdown has really started now - in a month I'll be on another coast. My humble abode (ie, one room in a 3.5 bedroom house) is slowly starting to come apart. I sold a lot of my furniture upon moving here from Denver, but certainly have more than one should travel around with. In an effort to become "travel-sized," I somehow managed to convince my parents to allow me to keep a lot of my stuff in their house for an undetermined amount of time. The trade-off was going through and parting with a lot of my crap in their attic. Those who know me well could tell anyone how much of a pack rat I am, and that this "payment" was probably painful (it was). Around Christmas, I spent a whole weekend going through middle school and high school notes, cards, stuffed animals, and every single corsage and bouquet of roses I ever received. About 97% of that stuff was finally tossed...may it rest in peace. Good times.

Anyway, I headed back up to Wilmington this weekend to deliver yet another load to Casa de Richardson. It's always sooo nice to be home. This is mostly because I become a sloth on the couch and eat a ridiculous amount of comfort food. I also started the tricky process of becoming a North Carolina resident, as I will be claiming my parents' house as my permanent address for traveling purposes. This whole process turned out to be kind of a pain. But I can now (FINALLY) say that I am "from" NC. Why not? I've never been able to give a straight answer to this question before. I'm just going to stick to it this time.

Yesterday was Superbowl Sunday. Usually I am off drinking and eating a lot at some party, celebrating a great American tradition while at the same time feeling blue about the end of another football season. Yet due to certain circumstances this year, I cooked up a pot of chili, and chilled up in the FROG with Pete and Jan with a few Buds to watch the game. I think it's the first time all three of us have watched an entire football game together - and what a game it was! Dave was right: "Turns out not where, but who you're with that really matters."

I have six shifts at work left. All "exit" paperwork has been completed. It's all happening a lot faster than I realized. There are so many people I want to spend one-on-one time with, so many delicious Charleston restaurants I still want to try...and more packing, sorting, and planning to do. Guess that's the way it goes. In the blink of an eye, it all starts coming to an end.

Or is it a beginning?

Top Ten of the Week (1/26-2/2)

1. Got PIVs into two scrawny little babies on the first try - this is huge, you might not understand.

2. Managed to check off a TON of things on my To-Do list.

3. Spent some time in Myrtle with Barry, Ann, Pat, Paul, Nicole, and Caroline.

4. Got an NC driver's license! HA! 

5. Watched Dark Night. On Sami. It was awesome.

6. Made asparagus risotto with scallops. It was amazing.

7. Downloaded and enjoyed the "Smart People" soundtrack.

8. Caught up with LilBill on the phone - she always puts a smile on my face.

9. Laughed and got goofy with Mom and Dad.

10. Finally saw Slumdog Millionaire. Highly recommend it.

"If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do."

The title quote of this, my first blog entry, by Warren Miller, reminds me of how important it is to set out to do the things you want to try before you look back and realize the moment has passed you by. I've always thought of keeping a blog but honestly just couldn't be bothered. However I'm about to make a big change in my life and thought this would be a good way to share my journey with others.



In about 45 days, I'll officially be entering the wide world of travel nursing. This is something I've really wanted to do for a long, long time...and finally I'm taking hold of that desire. Growing up, my Dad was in the Coast Guard which meant moving around a decent amount. I'm pretty used to starting over, and I'm realizing that it's really the only life I know. At this point, when things start feeling comfortable and routine, then I know it's time to go somewhere new. I'm sure deep down on a psychological level, that's got to mean something. But I'm young, free as a bird, and lucky enough to be in a profession that allows me to just pick a place and go. Can't argue with that.



So what is travel nursing, exactly? To break it down, it exists because of the fluctuating nursing shortage around the country. Hundreds of travel agencies connect nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and other healthcare modalities to facilities around the world that have gaps in their staffing. Think of it as a temp job covering for people on maternity leave or an unexpected loss of staff. Generally, travel assignments are contracted for 13 weeks, and sometimes those assignments can be extended upon completion if the need remains. To get things going, you choose an agency (there are many) and a recruiter, who is like your agent. The recruiter acts as a middle man who takes care of all the job searching, paper work, etc. Once you create a profile and your recruiter submits it to hiring hospitals, you cross your fingers and hope for a good gig. After signing a contract, you are hooked up with free private housing (or a stipend), and lots of other reimbursements that make the whole thing totally worth it.



Initially I was getting nervous about the jump-off because now is not one of the greatest times to be a travel nurse. Because of the economic crisis that our country continues to struggle with, hospitals have had to make a lot of cutbacks in their budget, and this includes travelers. This made the whole job hunting thing a little trickier than I thought. Yet with a whole lotta luck, and some awesome persistence by my kickass recruiter, I was able to land a position in one of my top choices: San Francisco.



What were my other top choices? Based on places I want to "get to know better," cities I want to conquer that I've never spent time in, and to beef up my resume by working at a particular hospital, the list, in no particular order, is: Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, and Austin. We'll see what happens.



So here I am...contract signed, the near future open ahead of me and waiting. I'm now counting down the workdays until I leave MUSC (8 as of 0730 today), and that I leave Charleston (tentatively 28). I'm planning on making a somewhat extended southern-route coast-to-coast road trip. Be warned if you have a couch. I plan on sharing stories, culinary and adult beverage establishment reviews, the music and films that get me by, photos, and I'm sure the occasional random thought/opinion or two on this blog. So if you're still with me...I hope you enjoy.

Top 10 of the Week (1/18-1/24)
1. First time at Surf Bar in Folly Beach. Dangermuffin played.
2. Watching the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.
3. Last time being in charge at work.
4. Trivia at Recovery Room with cans of PBR and a lot of laughs.
5. Finally faxed alllllllll paperwork to travel agency.
6. Played a RockBand song on "Expert" on the drums and got 90%.
7. Lunch w/ Karen @ Mustard Seed on James Island. Yum.
8. Keller Williams at Music Farm. In the front.
9. Good times w/ good people at Taco Boy.
10. A fun night in w/ coworkers at the house.