I never want to sit in a car again...

Longest. Day. Ever.

From the beginning, today was already supposed to be a long day – coming in at thirteen and a half hours. That was, of course, before I made a MAJOR error in driving directions near Washington DC. Instead of skirting the city, my GPS rerouted me RIGHT through DC. Traffic wasn’t ideal (it wasn’t rush hour, thankfully) but I ended up driving straight down Constitution Ave. As annoying as it was to add 45 minutes onto an already long day, it was kind of nice to drive through the nation’s capitol. I have always loved DC, and today was no different.

I ended up driving through Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and finally made it to Alabama. There was a huge traffic jam on the interstate in Tennessee (an RV caught fire). Sarah was about an hour ahead of me and was stuck in that mess. My GPS must have known the traffic was bad because it had me get off the interstate just before the jam. I was then traveling on a side road, which, come to find out, ALSO had a traffic jam. The reports from people on waze were over an hour old and said that traffic was at a standstill and many cars had all turned around. I spoke to a local who said it had been held up for almost three hours. After waiting for almost 20 minutes, and speaking to another lady (who had more teeth than the other guy), I decided I needed to find another route. Thankfully Google maps found me a way around BOTH traffic jams and back onto the interstate… 45 minutes later.  So what should have been 13.5 hours of driving turned into 15.

All I wanted to do was get to the hotel and sleep. That is, until I actually got to the hotel. Now… I have stayed in some terrible places before. But this one takes the cake. It was a Motel 6 in a “not-so-desirable” part of town. The door handle to the room didn’t work, the police paid the hotel a visit while we were in the parking lot, and the real clincher was the review on TripAdvisor from 2011 about a patron who was held up at gunpoint in his room. Needless to say, we promptly asked for a refund, and went on our merry way to a nicer hotel down the street. I didn’t even bother taking my bags out of my truck. I feel safe, clean, and comfortable in our new hotel…. Even if it is three times the price.

Time for bed. Nine and a half hours of driving tomorrow.

Day one on the books

On the Road Again…

After one full day on the road towards Texas, I am feeling better about this whole move. I left Bethel just after 8am today, filled up my tank, and made my way south. The rain was heavy for most of the morning but let up just north of New York City. Traffic was manageable all day, and I only dealt with one small delay. I made it to Delaware in time for Janet to give me a tour of the town as well as the hospital. Lewes is such a cute town, and the beach was absolutely stunning. I have already started thinking about a travel assignment here next summer… as long as I get in my hours at FAHC.

I spent:

$125 in gas

$20 in tolls

$15 in food.

Tomorrow holds 13.5hrs of driving, and close to 900miles. This should put both Sarah and I in Webster in the evening on Saturday.

And I'm off...

I can’t believe today is the day that I am leaving Vermont, my home of 26 years, to start the drive towards Texas. So many emotions are taking over.

First of all, I am nervous. Aside from living in Australia for a semester, I haven’t been outside of Vermont for this long. I am nervous to leave my love-filled nest of a comfort zone. I am nervous to leave my family and friends for an extended period of time. I also am INCREDIBLY nervous to be moving to a new community, moving to a “red” state, and also starting a job at a new hospital. I am also nervous about the recent Ebola fiasco. I know that it is a possibility that Ebola is going to end up all over the US, but it is already in Texas… the state I am moving to. Time for everyone to practice their best hand washing!

As well as nervous, I am excited. Travel nursing is something I have wanted to do since I met a travel nurse, Helen, in Australia. It has always seemed like the best and easiest way to travel, while working at the same time. For the same reasons that I am nervous, I am also excited. I am excited to learn a new area, to reach outside of my comfort zone, and to learn and grow professionally in a new setting.

To top it all off, I am humbled. The outpouring of love that I have received from my friends and family over the last few weeks has been nothing short of amazing. The hugs, laughter, smiles, stories, and gifts have made this transition so perfect and challenging. Every one of you has played an incredibly important role in my life, and I can’t imagine going day to day without seeing you all. Your love, support, and compassion have far exceeded what I ever could have asked for. I am so glad that I was able to say goodbye to (almost) everyone in the past few weeks. I think what makes it easiest for me is that I know it is only “see you later,” and not “Goodbye.”

And so today, it begins. The 30hr, two thousand mile drive, starts this morning. As the rain is settling on the valleys, the trees have provided their last bit of beautiful fall foliage as a send off. I can’t think of a better way to leave Vermont.