Our First Washington Weekend

A little late, I know. 

Last weekend was definitely one for the books. Since it was our first weekend in Washington, we decided we had to get a good view of Seattle! That took us to Alki Beach Trail, across the harbor from Seattle. Alki Beach is where the first settlers came ashore to settle the area. Now it's a fun spot with lots of grills, volleyball nets, places to rent kayaks and paddle boards, and of course beautiful views.  The trail was about 5 miles out and back, and I'm proud to say that little Mace Mace made it the whole way! She did get a little nervous when there were lots of bikes around but other than that did great! 

Seattle

Seattle beaches are more pebbles than sand, but are still beautiful. The water was really cold! I c an't wait to try paddle boarding one weekend.

Seattle Selfie!

If you look closely, you can just see the Olympic Mountains in the distance

Macie and me! She was terrified I was going to put her in the water

A marker where the first settlers came ashore

Seattle skyline

Macie was exhausted after the long walk!

After the long hike we stopped by one of my favorite childhood restaurants, Azteca! Their Arroz Copollo is so yummy, and both Braden and I had plenty of leftovers for dinner as well!

On Sunday we decided to visit a church in Olympia. It's a pretty well known church called Mars Hill. We really enjoyed the service and met some really nice folks. Braden really enjoyed getting to talk beer and soccer, especially with the World Cup starting this week. We ended up going over to the house of one of the families we met, and then were able to meet some of my coworkers for drinks after that. It was a great weekend! 

Beautiful Sunset

Week two of work was busy, but I feel like I'm getting the hang of the new system and getting to know my patients better. My mom had her voice surgery this week, and is recovering. My parents are flying back to Houston from LA, where my mom had her surgery,  tomorrow morning. Hopefully it was a success! Thanks for your prayers! 

Who knows what we have in store for us this weekend! 

Week One is Done!

Well, the first week of work in Washington is done, and I made it. The first week is always the hardest because of the adjustment to new documentation, productivity, company requirements,and trying  to get to know all your new patients and coworkers so I always feel slightly like I'm just trying to stay afloat. I am still in skilled nursing, so the therapy is the same which is nice. The facility I'm at is a huge facility with over 130 beds and the gym is very nice- at least twice as big as any gyms I have ever worked in, and probably at least four times as big as the average. I even have my own office! While at the beginning of the week I felt like I was in a big learning curve, by the end I felt like I was getting the hang of it. My coworkers are pretty nice too and have been a big help. I think the biggest change for me is the people. In the south we have lots of good ole southern hospitality. Up here, that doesn't really exist- that's probably the biggest difference we've noticed: in general people here are quite a bit ruder ( or gloomier might be a better word) than they were in Texas. That and there are a lot of homeless people. But I digress. Anyway, Washington is absolutely beautiful! Everything is so green. My drive to work is only about 25 minutes and on clear days I can see the mountains. We finally got our first glimpse of Mt Rainier the other day and it just takes your breath away. On a clear day when the mountains are out there isn't a prettier place in the world! 

We joined a gym this week and have enjoyed going and working out. Both of us are lifting weights again so as you can imagine our muscles are a little sore!

This weekend we have some hiking on the agenda. We can't wait to explore our new city!

Here's to new adventures!

Travelers

I can't believe we are in Washington! This past week has been pretty crazy. We logged almost 3,000 miles in our cars and traveled through 9 different states- TX, AR, OK, KS, CO, WY, MT, ID, and WA. Some were pretty boring (KS) and some were breathtakingly beautiful (MT). We were able to see lots of friends and family on our trip, and are very thankful to everyone who put us up and let us stay with them! It's hard to believe that the 23rd was my last day at my job in Huntsville! My coworkers took me out to lunch at a local place called Farmhouse, which has amazing home cooked food. I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken friend steak with macaroni and cheese and fried okra, as well as their homemade melt-in-your-mouth roles. Delicious. As a going away gift, they got me 6 (!!!!) pounds of my absolute favorite things, Twizzlers, and a giant bag of chocolates, as well as a signed card by all my patients that just about made my heart melt. It's always hard saying goodbye, but I am glad for my time in Huntsville!

Lunch at Farmhouse

After work on Friday, I went back to our apartment to finish packing. My parents came to help me pack up the car and clean the apartment, and then I was up at em early the next morning to drive up to Northwest Arkansas through Little Rock. Braden had already left Texas to head up there on Thursday to spend some time with his college friends before a wedding on Saturday. It's a good thing that I had decided to route through Little Rock because Braden had forgot his dress pants. In Little Rock I was able to see Braden and some of his college friends and also go out to lunch with his sister, also named Melissa (confusing, I know!). After hanging out I headed up the rest of the way to Rogers, Arkansas to spend some time with my favorite former coworkers from when we lived there. I stayed with my friend Amanda and her husband Ross, and finally got to meet their sweet baby boy, Knox! On Sunday I was able to visit our old church FBC Rogers and see some of our old friends. After church, Amanda hosted a BBQ for all my former coworkers to come and hang out! We had fun eating, catching up, and of course shooting!

Macie on squirrel patrol. She was literally shaking like a life from excitement!

It wouldn't be a get together in Arkansas if there wasn't guns!

Arkansas

Me and baby Knox!

Amanda, me, Teena, and Bev

On Monday we drove to Wichita, KS. But before we left, we went down to Fayetteville where the university is and were able to find my name on senior walk at U of A! It was a big sense of accomplishment to finally see my name engraved on the sidewalk and I'm really glad that we made the time to see it.

On Monday afternoon after driving through some pretty bad rain, we made it safely to Wichita where my brother lives. It was great seeing their new house and of course our cute nephew. Can't wait for number 2 to arrive in August!
On Tuesday we drove from Wichita to Denver, CO, about 7 hours.  Most of the drive through Kansas and eastern Colorado was pretty boring until we got to the Denver area.

Kansas windmills

After checking into our awesome hotel and resting a little bit, we got to meet my AMAZING recruiter Amy for dinner! We have been working together for about a year and a half and this was the first time we had been able to meet in person. Thankfully, Amy and I get along even better in person, and it was like hanging out with an old friend. We had a great time! We went to the first restaurant in Denver, Buckhorn Exchange. It was super yummy and a really cool atmosphere! We tried fried rattlesnake (slimy, yet satisfying!) elk, and buffalo steaks.

Beautiful Rockies

On Thursday, I was able to go to my company, Advanced Medical's, office and meet the recruiters and other staff, as well as do a question and answer session. It was great getting to be apart of the company at the office and see how everything is done! After the Q&A session we had a free afternoon so we were able to get lunch at a great restaurant called Amato's which overlooks downtown Denver. They had really good food and good local brews! After lunch we headed down to Colorado Springs to visit my great aunt and uncle, as well as my mom's cousin. We had a great time catching up with them!

Lunch at Amato's overlooking downtown Denver!

Colorado sunset

We were having so much fun in Denver, we decided to stay an extra night! As we are packing up to go to our reserved hotel for the extra night, I am trying to call our hotel in WA to switch our check in day from Friday to Saturday. They basically told me I wasn't allowed to without losing my entire reservation or paying a higher price for the entire 3 months, even though I had been told when I booked the room I can switch the check in date until 6 pm on check in day. So at 11:30 am we hit the road to try to get as close to St Regis, MT, our next stop about 14 hours from Denver, as we could. It was a weird day for sure. Macie barfed all over my car which she's never done. Somewhere in Montana I get pulled over for following the car in front of me "too closely"- after I explained to the cop that it's my husband and we are traveling from Texas to Montana, he just gave me a warning. The funny thing was while I'm pulled over, I get a call from Braden asking where I was- he had no clue I had been pulled over! A few hours later we were getting pretty tired and decided to try to get a hotel in Butte, MT. The hotel clerk informed us that the hotel was full and so was every other room in town because it was the state track meet. So we had to drive another 2 hours to Missoula, only about 45 minutes from St Regis, and got there around 12:30 at night. The next morning we finished out the drive to St Regis where I was able to meet up with my best friend Sarah. Braden continued on to Washington and I stayed in St Regis for the night. It was fun getting to see where my best friend lives, and that night we stayed at her friends house and had dinner and game night. We played a fun game called Ticket to Ride and had so much fun!

Big Sky Country

Playing Ticket to Ride

Saturday I woke up bright and early and headed the rest of the way to Washington. The drive is beautiful and I really enjoyed it. 

Welcome to Washington

Columbia River Gorge- absolutely stunning!

Wild Horse Monument

After I arrived we started unpacking and trying to get stuff organized. Macie seems thoroughly relieved to be back "home" in a hotel and is very relaxed. We went out to dinner at Outback to celebrate our first night in Washington. Braden ended up biting into a big piece of plastic and we got our entire meal free! We are very excited to be in Washington and can't wait to get started exploring!

I start my new job tomorrow in Shelton, I am praying it will go smoothly! Here's to all our new adventures in Washington!

Happy Anniversary!

Today I am celebrating not one but two anniversaries!

Today Braden and I are celebrating 3 years of marriage! We have had an amazing three years, and lived in three (going on four) different states! Time is flying by.  It's definitely fun remembering all the fun we had with family and friends! Here are some of my favorite pictures from our wedding:

He put frosting on my nose

Today is also the one year anniversary of traveling. Exactly one year ago today, we began this marvelous adventure and I officially had my first day at my first travel assignment in Kerrville, TX. This past year hasn't been without difficulties, but has been AMAZING. Traveling is definitely one of the best decisions we have ever made, and we have gotten to meet so many amazing people and seen some beautiful parts of the country.  So Happy Anniversary Advanced Medical, I'm glad I don't have to eat year old cake. Gross. I have learned a lot in my year of traveling, so here are the top 10 things I've learned:

10. You need a lot less than you think:
I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff I thought I couldn't live without. The truth is it's just a pain to pack and carry around all the time. The hardest for me is cosmetic/hair product samples! I am a hoarder of those things. But seriously, if you haven't used it in a few months, you probably won't ever.

9. Make time for exercise:
It's a pain finding a new place to work out every few months, but it's worth it. If working out at a gym isn't your thing, find an at home work out program to do (I did Insanity for awhile). I feel so much better when I am exercising! Eating well (whatever that means to you) is also a biggie for me. It's easy when you're traveling to eat terribly- don't let it be an excuse!

8. Take opportunities when you have them:
Go explore wherever you are! You never know if your assignment will end unexpectedly (like one of mine did) and you won't get to do everything you wanted to do because 'there's always another time'. One of my biggest regrets this year was not driving through the Grand Canyon on our way to California. It would've been a few extra hours out of the way and we decided not to go because we were tired of driving. Turns out we never did get to go back.

7. Challenge yourself:
Stretch yourself professionally. You'll develop more skills and be a better clinician. With my background in geriatrics, I was terrified taking a job with pediatric autism. It was difficult but I grew so much as a professional and became a better SLP.

6. Get involved at your company:
I love Advanced Medical! I have really enjoyed getting involved with them more than just working for them as a therapist. I serve as a New Grad Mentor, help with marketing,  write guest blogs, and anything else I can do. It has made my already wonderful travel experience even more spectacular.

5. Make a difference:
As a traveling therapist, your circle of influence is increased dramatically. Strive to make a difference wherever you go!

4. Make friends:
When you travel, you might think it would be easier not to make friends since you aren't in anyplace too long. But I disagree. We have met some of our best friends on our travels! It's hard saying goodbye, but it just gives you another reason to go back!

3. Get involved where you work:

Don't be afraid to get down in the trenches. Participate in events. Help plan things. Go above and beyond. Really care for your patients. Investing in where you work seems counter-intuitive since you are only there a short time, so what's the point? But really and truly, I get back so much more than I give and it makes my work much more rewarding.

2. Be nice to the staff:
As a therapist, you work with lots of different professionals such as nurses, house keepers, CNA's, administrators, and doctors. Be nice to them! Get to know them by name, say hello, and tell them you appreciate their work.


1. BE THE STANDARD:
This picture was posted by my alma mater, Baylor University, during spring football training under the caption "Another perfect day to get better"

I believe as a clinician you should always try to be better and strive to Be The Standard wherever you are. Being the standard means being the best. This is my professional motto: wherever I go I want to set (and be) the standard. As my favorite football coach Art Briles said, "You can find opportunity anywhere. It's hard to find places where you can accomplish something." As traveling therapists we have lots of opportunities. Let's try to leave accomplishments.

Quarter Century

In case you missed it, last week was my 25th birthday! It was a pretty fun day. My coworkers threw me an awesome party with all my favorite things: pizza and twizzlers! They were so sweet and thoughtful, and of course my patients were super sweet as well. That night Braden took me out to a nice dinner at the Cheesecake Factory! It was so yummy but I was so full I couldn't even get cheesecake for dessert. Our nice waitress did bring me a little birthday sundae though! 

Braden and me!

Ice cream and Blueberry Mojitos

We had already celebrated my birthday (and my mom's) with family last weekend at an amazing restaurant in Houston called Tony Mandola's which is so so good and we had so much fun with the whole family.
This past weekend we were in Houston, again, and were able to go to one of our favorite places- the outlet mall! We were able to get a few good deals- I am obsessed with J Crew shorts right now, the Columbia rain jacket I wanted was on sale (a must for Washington!), and I was able to find 2 large Vera Bradley duffels for traveling for only $25! I love a good deal. I also got to go out to the barn on Sunday which was great. I am not ready to not be riding again. I've REALLY enjoyed getting back into riding consistently!
I can't believe we are down to less than 2 weeks left in Texas! Now we have to get down to the packing, the sorting, and the leaving. It's crazy that our time here is almost to a close- I feel like we just got here! Goodbyes are always hard, but that's one of the things I love about travel: my circle of influence is so much bigger than if we stayed in one place. I can really make a difference anywhere we go.
Cheers to making these last few weeks count before heading to WASHINGTON!

Mom, You Were Right!

Growing up, there's a lot of things that our moms tell us that are met with rolling eyes, folding of the arms, pouting, and maybe a good stomp out of the room. (Or was that just me?) But as we grow older, we realize our mothers are actually pretty wise individuals and if we had listened to them in the first place we might have saved ourselves from some heartbreak and trouble. So Mom, remember all those times growing up when you told me I would understand someday? Well, you were right. Here are some of the things you were right about:

1. Will it still matter in 10 years?

Whenever I would get mad, my mom would always ask me if it would still matter in 10 years. I always hated hearing it, and I usually would answer yes just to be stubborn, but guess what. All those things she asked me about? They don't matter today.

2. Don't let anything steal your joy!

Another little phrase that has a lot of truth. Your attitude is a choice. Don't let the little things get you down.

3. The "Red Apple Treatment"

Be kind to those who are mean to or mistreat you. You know, the whole "love your enemies" and "kill them with kindness" thing. 

4. Don't worry too much about the opinions of people. Chances are you won't keep in touch with them anyway.

At the time, middle and high school seem like such a big deal and the place where you meet all your life long friends. While this might be true for some people, it definitely was not true for me. I have a couple friends that I still keep in touch with from that time, but I wish I would not have worried so much about what other people thought of me.

5. You need to make priorities

I was the kid involved with everything. Horseback riding? Check. Volleyball? Check. Track? Check. Basketball? Check. Band? Check. But when I wanted  to do something new like dance or cheerleading, my mom would say "of course you can do that, but you would need to quit something else". I hated making the decision at the time, this really taught me about making priorities and about what I really enjoyed doing.

6. "I'm checking on you because I love you, not because I don't trust you"

I always hated when my mom insisted on calling to make sure where I was going really was where I said I was going. I dreamed of a mother who would trust me enough to never check up on me. I wanted her to be a "cool" mom. Now, I'm thankful that my mom loved me enough to care where I was. And let's  be honest. Once you get older you realize that the "cool" moms were really just "bad" moms. 

7. Don't pierce your belly button

Even though all the "cool" girls did it, mom wouldn't let me get mine done. I wonder why. I'm so glad she didn't! 

8. "You can cry out the door, but once you leave you're only allowed to look forward to the next adventure"

This little nugget is especially applicable to traveling. Whenever you leave somewhere, it's difficult. You are allowed to be sad until you leave, then you are only allowed to be happy about where you're going. Then you won't be busy comparing you past and present situations. This is one of my traveling mottos!

9. Always go to church

Growing up, no matter what we did on Saturday nights, we always had to get up for church on Sunday. I hated it (mom picking me up early from a birthday party because I had church? So embarrassing!) but it really established the habit. Now that we are traveling, we actively seek to find a good church everywhere we go, not just because we want to "go to church" but because we want to be connected to others and continue to develop our relationship with Christ. 

10. No short shorts!

Whenever I would go shopping and buy something, my mom would make me try it on for her before I was allowed to keep it. If it was to short/tight/revealing it went back to the store. At the time I thought my mom was determined to make me the biggest loser- but everyone shows their stomach, Mom! But now as an adult I'm really glad she wanted to protect me and teach me good clothing habits. 

 

11. Be a best friend

Mom has always taught me, from a young age, that people are more important than things. There's nothing more valuable that you can do with your time than invest it in people. This means being willing to show up, loving people in spite of themselves, and being willing to be the pursuer. My mom taught me how to be a best friend. 

12. Marriage is the union of two forgivers

As Mom likes to say, "Divorce is never an option- murder, yes, but divorce, never!" My parents have been married for 36 years, and while no one is perfect, growing up watching my parents has taught me so much. Marriage really is about forgiving. 

13. "Garbage in, garbage out!"

Ok this technically wasn't her phrase originally, but she said it all the time! Mom was very careful about what she let us watch on TV, movies, and listen to in music. It was so embarrassing when I wasn't allowed to see a popular movie or listen to the cool music, but Mom realized the truth of this little phrase: if the information you're consuming is bad (ie lots of cussing, nudity, etc) then in turn you will be affected with the things you say and do. 

14. Nothing good happens after midnight!

I always had to be home early because "nothing good happens after midnight". It's true, nothing good does happen after midnight. 

15. Someday, you'll want to be a mean mom too

"Mom, you're soo mean!!" Mom always told me that someday I would understand why she was so "mean" and that someday I would want to be a Mean Mom too. Well guess what? Someday if we have kids I do want to be a Mean Mom. And I hope that I'm half as good of a Mean Mom as my mom was because that would mean I would still be an amazing mom. 

My mom wasn't right about everything though, she did promise me that since I inherited her terrible teeth I would get her good eyes as well (she didn't need glasses until she was in her 50's). Well that promise was shattered in the fifth grade when I started complaining that I couldn't see the blackboard at school and I've worn glasses or contacts ever since. I'm not bitter at all! But hey, nobody's perfect. 

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world! 

Drum Roll Please....

We officially have our next assignment!
After a few frustrating weeks of waiting for news and looking at different options in several different states, licensure headaches, and interviews, we are going to.....

WASHINGTON! 

The job is in a nursing home in Shelton, WA, outside of the capital of Olympia. I had submitted for the job last week, and unexpectedly got a call for an interview on Wednesday. I was extended the offer late last week, but my company needed to negotiate some things about the contract. We heard back today that my new placement accepted all our requests so I signed the contract! I start June 2nd and we will be there until the end of August.

My last day at my Huntsville job is May 23rd, and we will leave that next week to head up to Washington. It's a long drive, so I will welcome any music or audiobook suggestions! We are getting to make a stop in Denver for a few days in route to Washington, where Advanced Medical has an office. I am so excited to get to see the office and especially excited that I will get to meet my recruiter, Amy, for the first time in person! We have been working together for a year and a half and are finally getting to meet!

I am so excited to be back in Washington. I grew up near Seattle, and it will be so great to get to see old friends and best friends! We are also excited for all the outdoors activities that we can do in Washington! The summer is the best time to be in Washington.

We are very excited about our new adventure!