Happy in Huntsville

This past month has actually been pretty great. Last month we moved into our little apartment- it's an apartment that used to be a garage on a property about 4 miles outside of Huntsville, but still within 10 minutes of my work. It is really cute and it has been fun living in a little house instead of one room. There are lots of animals that live on the property, a donkey, miniature horse, and goat all serve as the lawnmowers. Macie loves growling at all the animals! It really does feel like home, even though our only furniture is two chairs, a small table, and an air mattress. It's the little things that make it feel like home- for me, it's my pictures and the magnets and pictures on the fridge. Putting them up is one of the first things I do whenever we get to a new place.

Macie has adjusted to life in the country. She loves running around and just generally being cute.

...Except when I come downstairs at my parent's house to find her on the kitchen table. There wasn't any food or dishes, or anything, she was just chilling. I guess she wanted to know what it's like to be tall!

On the weekends we have still been going down to Sugar Land and staying with my parents. It's been great getting to hang out with family, as well as getting to go ride at my barn. I have been getting to help bring back my instructor's mare Charisma who has been on a maternity leave of sorts for 7 years. It has been so much fun getting to ride again! I have been getting to ride on Wednesday's and again on the weekends. I didn't realize how much I missed getting to ride consistently. It's something I definitely hope to continue even after we move again.
This past weekend we were able to go up to Dallas to spend Easter with my family. My brother and his family were there as well which is always fun. I was able to work Sunday-Thursday last week so getting the three day weekend was awesome. On Friday we went to Top Golf. It was pretty fun I guess, but seeing as I have never played golf in my life, it was kinda more frustrating than fun.

I was so excited to get to meet my friend and former roommate Charissa at In-N-Out! I hadn't had In-N-Out since we had left California, so that was obviously yummy, and it was even better getting to catch up with a dear friend. We talked for like 4 hours! It was great getting to catch up before we both leave Texas.

On Saturday, we were able to go to an outlet mall, which is one of our favorite things. We just so happened to hit J Crew on a 50% off the whole store day, so I was able to get a few cute things for work/play. For lunch we went to a DELICIOUS German restaurant in downtown Plano called Jorg's and it was so so yummy. I love schnitzel.  I was also able to meet up with my friend Hannah, who I hadn't seen in almost a year! It was so much fun catching up.

Sunday was obviously Easter, so we went to church and then had an Easter egg "hunt" for JT. He was pretty into it for the first twenty or so eggs, but then the adults had to pick up the remaining 40!

It was great getting to see everyone! Work has been crazy busy, but it's so nice to be busy instead of not busy. It's a good thing I love my job so much! Speaking of work, we are starting the process of finding our next placement! Hopefully we will find out this week..!! We joined a gym for the last month we are here, and it was nice to be able to work out again, although I'm sure I will be sore tomorrow! There are no signs of life slowing down for this Jones family!

Update From The Lone Star State

It's hard to believe that we have been in Texas for a month.
Time goes by so fast when you're a traveler! We are already 3 weeks into a 13 weeks assignment, but it still feels like we haven't moved. Our housing situation has been a little bit tumulus, but I'm happy to say that this week we will be moving into our "forever" home- a small apartment attached to a house. The price is right, and it's a really nice apartment! In the meantime, at first we had rotated between family members, and for the last 2 weeks have been staying at a local hotel in Huntsville. The main problem is it doesn't have a kitchenette and only a mini fridge and microwave so we have been getting meals from a health food store called My Fit Foods which you refrigerate and then microwave. It's been nice having good meals that are healthy too- minimal clean up as well! Huntsville isn't exactly a "happening" place so we are usually in Sugar Land on the weekends where my parents live. It's been nice getting to spend time in a house and get to do our laundry for free! It's the little things when you're a traveler. We've enjoyed spending time with family, my parents, aunt/uncle/cousins, and grandparents live here, and Braden has an aunt/uncle and cousins who live near us as well. I am really enjoying my job at a nursing home in Huntsville. It's nice to be back in geriatric care, as it is comfortable for me. I have a full caseload so it keeps me busy! I adore my patients and my coworkers are really nice and helpful as well. I'm very glad to not have to worry about not getting 40 hours anymore!

Hopefully this week once we get settled we will be able to get back into our workout routine. It's something that I've really missed! I am also excited to have our mini dachshund, Macie, back living with us again, as our current hotel doesn't allow pets. She has been living with my parents and we have only been getting  to see her on weekends. 

This week is looking like it will be a busy week, but we are glad to be moving into something more permanent, or as permanent as things ever get in travel!

We are also hoping to get to go to the Houston Rodeo this week. It is always a lot of fun!

Los Angeles Top 10

Ok, I know that we left LA almost a month ago, which is hard to believe, but it's never too late to post about my favorite things! Here are my favorite things we experienced in LA (or the area)

 

 

1. Las Vegas- I know this isn't technically LA, but since we went when we were on assignment there it counts. Vegas was SO MUCH FUN. We went with some friends from church, and stayed at the Luxor, which is the big pyramid. One of these days I'll get around to posting a full post about Vegas...

 

2. Disneyland- Do I even need to explain this one? Disney is the best.

 

3. Hollywood hike/Griffith Observatory- Absolutely beautiful views when there isn't tons of smog!

 

4. La Jolla beach- This is just a short drive down the 5! Beautiful cove and lots of cute little shops

 

5. Santa Monica Third St Promenade and Pier- I love Santa Monica, it's my favorite part of LA. Going down to the pier is fun, and I love shopping at the promenade. My Favorite restaurant, Barney's Beanery, is located there.

 

6. Lakers game- sporting events are always fun! Especially when there's a chance you might rub shoulders with a celebrity..

 

7. Snowboarding- This would be higher on the list, only they didn't have a lot of snow this year so we only got to go once before we left. It's awesome to be so close to the beach and the mountains!

 

8. Restaurants- There are so many great restaurants in LA that haven't made it to the main stream US yet. Like Pieology (it's like Chipotle, but for PIZZA. How has this not made it nationwide yet?!) and Bruxie (a gourmet waffle sandwich place). In-N-Out is also really awesome.

 

9. Hollywood- Hollywood is kinda gross, and sketchy to be honest, but I feel like you have to go see it. At the very least you need to take your picture with the Hollywood sign and with your favorite movie star's hand and foot prints!

 

10. The People- we loved our church and our small group when we were in LA. In fact, they are what we miss the most.

 

 

NOT Top 5

Here are the things we don't miss about LA:

 

1. Everyone freaking out when wet stuff (AKA rain) falls from the sky and a massive freak out ensues:

 



 

I wish this was an exaggeration, but it is completely true. Earthquakes? Not a problem. Fire? Whatever. But rain? No freaking way.

2. Being able to see the air you're breathing. The issue is real. Smog is no joke.

3. The traffic. Every time I hear somebody complain about traffic here in Texas, I feel the need to say, "I just moved from LA, believe me, this is nothing."

4. CRV- I love not having to pay an extra 5 cents on every bottle and can I buy

5. Prices- gasoline is routinely around 50 cents a gallon cheaper, and pretty much everything else is too.


We loved our time in California, and definitely will be back to visit! Some of the things we never got to do but really wanted to were to go to a taping of a TV show and go wine tasting. It just gives us something to do whenever we go back! Update from Texas coming soon!

Meeting Me In The Mess

Ever feel like things just won't go your way, that nothing can go right?

That's where I've been lately. 

We have to leave my position in LA unexpectedly, and there weren't any positions available in our preferred locations. We have to make the 24 hour drive back to Texas. Finding housing has been a disaster-we have had very good experiences with Extended Stay America hotels, however, when we went to our room at the one we booked closest to my job, it was tiny (like the size of a small bedroom) didn't have a full kitchen, and smelled terribly of smoke. Needless to say to we left, and went back to my parents house which unfortunately left me with a 100 mile commute one way. We called every hotel, looked everywhere, and couldn't find anything within our price range that would have been livable. Both of our windshields got chips in them-mine turned into a crack which meant it had to be replaced. A seemingly perfect job opportunity in Seattle fell through. Our bottle of bleach leaked and bleached several spots in my parents new carpet. 

I am not making this up. 

Can I please catch a break?

When life gets messy, it's easy to question where God is in all of it. I mean, I felt that God wanted us in Huntsville. So why wasn't the transition easy? Why weren't we able to find housing? Why did our windshields crack? Why did an amazing job opportunity fall through? Since starting my traveling journey with Advanced over a year ago, I felt that being a traveling therapist was my calling, but when bad thing after bad thing started happening, I began to question if this was truly my calling. Maybe this whole traveling thing was a mistake. But what I realized is that when I am so focused on the why's, I don't see the wow's. 

Like wow, we are so thankful for the amazing lifelong friends we made and experiences we had when we were in California. 

Like wow, on my last day in California I didn't have a job. By lunchtime I had accepted a job offer. 

Like wow, I hadn't even submitted my résumé to the Huntsville job, but another job in Houston with the same company, and the Huntsville job wanted me even though there were other people submitted to the job.

Like wow, of all the places to have difficulty with housing, thankfully it was in a place where we have lots of family, and family that is willing to put us up!

Like wow, my job in Huntsville is amazing. I've never had so many patients be truly appreciative and thankful for the work I do to help them. The staff is really fun and the nursing home is gorgeous. 

Like wow, we finally found a really nice apartment for an extremely reasonable rate through a connection from a friend. It will allow us to pay down down debt and save money. In the meantime we are staying in a locally owned hotel that is also very reasonable and about 2 miles from work. A lot better than 100 miles!

Life is messy, and life will continue to be messy. My calling won't always be easy. But God meets me in the mess, in the frustration, in the midst of my why's, and reminds me that whatever I had planned, whatever I thought would be good, wherever i thought my story would lead, is infinitely less. I don't know why, but when I asked God why, I felt certain that the answer was 

You Just Wait. 

And I will. 

(Special thanks to Amy who told me I needed to write this post, and for always reminding me to look for the silver linings! #bestrecruiterever)

A Bump in the Road

Things are always exciting when you're a traveling therapist.

We were supposed to be in SoCal through the beginning of April, but will be leaving this week instead. I got a call on Thursday from my recruiter explaining that due to an an unexpected and unforeseen  complication (that I had absolutely no control over) my last day at my current contract would be the next day (Friday). To say that I was shocked is an understatement! In travel you're semi-ready to move quickly, but I was really unprepared for a days notice. Emotionally, I wasn't prepared to say my goodbyes yet. It was a stressful afternoon on Thursday as Amy and I discussed job options. Our first choice for a new assignment would have been San Francisco or Alaska, with our intention to do Washington state after that (I am waiting for my Washington license to become active). However, there were no options in our preferred areas, and only a few where we are currently in LA. We were hoping that I would be able to get a short term option here so that we could get everything ready to go slowly and then in that time hopefully something would have opened up in our preferred locations. However, all the jobs in the LA area were filled overnight, and I was interviewed for a position in Huntsville, TX at a nursing home Friday morning. By Late Friday morning they had extended a very generous offer, and we decided to accept. While going back to Texas wasn't our first choice or in our own plans, it seems like it is in God's plan for us. When we signed up for traveling we knew we would get an adventure and not everything would always go according to our own plans. We are thankful that our God knows the end of the story, and we are trusting in the fact that He is going before us and preparing the way, just as he has shown us before time and time again during our travels. I didn't sleep much Thursday night and Friday was one of the most emotionally draining days I've had in a long time. It was incredibly difficult to tell all my wonderful coworkers that it would be my last day with them. When I pulled the administrator into her office to let her know first, we both started crying which set the tone for my entire day. The wonderful teachers, aides, and techs at ABC have taught me so much about working with autistic kiddos and really helped me grow so much as a speech pathologist and develop a whole new appreciation for the autistic population. I loved being a part of their team! When I went to each class to say my final goodbyes, one teacher had all her kids tell me bye, and hearing the chorus of their little voices saying "bye Miss Melissa" (sounding more like "Miss Mewissa") just about did my heart in. Then one little boy came up and gave me a hug and said "I hope you have a fabulous day" which he never does on his own and made us all cry. It was hardest to say goodbye to my friend Jen. She and I were always bantering back and forth, teasing each other, and if I was ever having trouble with a kid she would always save me. Basically we kept each other in line. She had made me a poster from her class that had a tree on it with all the kids finger prints on it in green (for leaves) and the staff's finger prints in red (for apples) with all the kids pictures on it. It was so sweet and definitely something I will treasure for a long time. Needless to say both of us were crying as we said our final goodbyes! 

Jen and me. This was taken right after both of us were crying our eyes out

I felt so loved and appreciated on my last day. Again, I feel so lucky to see some of the harvest from all the seeds I had been working so hard to plant. 

I am very thankful for the time here in California and all the experience I have recieved. I am thankful to work for an amazing company that is committed to taking care of me and looking out for my best interests. I am thankful for all the people we have met and friends we have made. I am thankful for all the new places we have seen. 

As we say our final goodbyes this weekend to our California friends and head back to Texas to start my new job on Thursday, we are overwhelmed. But in our hearts we know, and trust, and believe, that there are far better things ahead than any we leave behind. 

Life Lately

Well, I feel like we are officially honorary Californians. Within a span of a week we experienced an earthquake (it woke me up in the middle of the night but Braden slept right through it. Strangely enough I woke up to everything shaking and thought "oh it's an earthquake" and fell right back asleep) and a wildfire. The wildfire started about 15 miles from where we live. When I went out to my car, I saw this huge cloud of smoke and found out when I got to work that there was a huge fire. I actually had to drive out to the city where the fire had started later that day for work and was watching all the helicopters fly over. It's weird that when it rains everyone in California freaks out and acts like the sky is falling but when there's a fire or an earthquake everyone is really calm and going about their business like nothing is happening. A few weeks ago, I posted about hiking a trail with some friends and that trail actually was in the fire. Here is what the place looked like after everything burned:

The past few weeks have been busy, and then again not. After the break we were recovering from all the traveling and also me getting over a really bad cold. I have also been really busy at work due to one of the other employees leaving which resulted in me inheriting her caseload. It's been busy but really fun- not to mention being fully booked makes the time go by faster! Two weeks ago we were able to drive down to the San Diego area to visit La Jolla (pronounces "Hoya") beach. A coworker recommended it because of it being pretty and having sea lions. It certainly was gorgeous and we enjoyed going with our good friends Jenn and Phil. A relaxing trip to the beach was just what I needed!  Although we didn't get in the water (it's too cold!) and just hung out and watched the sunset while listening to the waves. 

Us with the cove and seals in the background

Photo credit to the lovely Jenn :)

Sunset and waves-the surf was crazy!

This past weekend we had a small group party with our small group from church. It was fun hanging out with everyone and just relaxing and getting caught up. On Saturday we were so excited to get to go snowboarding! Braden's parents had gotten us gift cards to a resort that's about 45 minutes away. We had been waiting for some snow to fall of the mountains and early on in the week some did, however, by the time we were there it was mainly man made snow! It was definitely strange to leave our hotel and have it be 65 degrees and then getting out on the mountain and having it be 25 degrees. Going at night was definitely fun and nice because they had the snow machines going. It was still pretty icy though and still hurt to fall. Seeing as this was only the 4th time I had been snowboarding, carving was a little intimidating knowing if I wiped out it would be painful! Braden was brave and tried some jumps. It was so much fun and my new snowboard was awesome!

No, our helmets aren't white...thats just the ice!

We were very cold and definitely ready for the nice heat in the car. We were head to toe covered in ice. Even my hair had chunks of ice in it! We were both a little sore the next day. On Sunday we were able to watch the Super Bowl at a friend's apartment with people from our small group. I was disappointed in the Broncos but I am happy for my other hometown.

In other news, Braden is officially a licensed physical trainer! I am so proud of all his hard work. Next step is hopefully finding a job in our next location! We also found out that my brother and sister in law are expecting baby number two. We can't wait our little niece or nephew in August! 

This weekend we are heading to Las Vegas! We are going with our friends Jenn and Phil and Matt and Kalani. I have my change ready for the penny slots! We have an all inclusive package so we will be doing several things while we are there. I can't wait for a mini vacation! Viva Las Vegas!

It's hard to believe that we have less than 2 months left in LA! We should be finding out within the next month or so where we will be going next! Time to start eliminating out LA bucket list!

Hopeful Wanderers

As a traveling therapist, so many things are transient- where you live, the people you know, the place you work. Very little is constant or stays the same. This type of lifestyle definitely isn't for everyone. As humans our hearts desire consistency, they desire a place to call home. When you are a traveler, you don't have a home, everything you have fits in your vehicle. It was explained to me once as living the 'turtle' lifestyle- living with your home on your back. There's something beautiful about the simplicity of it, really. When Braden and I started traveling we had no idea where we were going or where we might end up. We know our Promised Land is somewhere, but we don't know where. In my pensive moments, I think about the children of Israel and how they felt. They knew God was leading them on this journey to a land of milk and honey-the Promised Land. They didn't know where it would be, or how many stops there would be along the way, not lingering anyplace too long. Wherever they were, they knew it wasn't permanent, they knew it wasn't home. I think about how much they longed for that land promised to them-the place to call their own so they could stop wandering. There is a restlessness that goes with traveling- we are happy to be in a place, but all the time ready to keep moving forward. We love the people we have met and places we have visited during our travels, but long to continue forward towards home. We don't know where home will be, or when we will reach it, but someday we will. We hope for that day, but until then, we are a couple of hopeful wanderers on this adventure, trusting God that He is leading us on to much greater things.