We're Practically Locals, Y'all

This past weekend was so much fun! We were able to do some very "Seattle" things. We were going to go to the Space Needle, but in true Seattle fashion it was overcast on Saturday so we decided to delay until another day. We did go to Pike Place Market! It was really cool and the vendors there sell some amazing produce, seafood, flowers, and other items! 

It was pretty crowded

Pike Place Market

The flowers there are gorgeous and really inexpensive! The bouquet Braden bought me was only $10. They still look beautiful on our counter!

View from the market

The first Starbucks is at Pike Place Market! Of course we had to stand in line and get drinks. I felt slightly sacrilegious not getting coffee.

Outside the market

After the market, we went to a German bar called Die Bierstube to watch the World Cup. The food and the beer was really good! Braden was a little disappointed because he didn't get to drink out of the glass boot, but it still was really good, and Braden ended up with his own stein. We will definitely go back again!

Das Boot!

After Die Bierstube, we drove back through Renton where I used to live and saw my old house where I grew up. It looks quite a bit different, but it was fun seeing it! A lot of the area is still pretty close to how I remember it! Then we headed to Kent to see my parents close friends/my other set of parents. It was so great catching up with them! What was supposed to be a quick stop in turned into 4 hours! Sunday was just a relaxing day with church.

Close up of my flowers!

Can't get enough of Washington sunsets! They are beautiful

This week has still been pretty busy at work. I have almost 20 patients on caseload right now so I'm running around all day! This week we are trying small groups from our church and are still on the work out grind. I've been really enjoying working out again! I also signed up to run my first half marathon with my best friend Sarah! It's in August and I started training this week. I haven't run for training in years, but it has felt pretty good. I seem to be picking it back up pretty easily so I'm excited about it, but still a little nervous!
This weekend we might be going up and exploring the peninsula!
Here's to finishing out the week!

Staying Healthy on the Road

Since we are on the road, it's hard to be healthy. It's something we have been trying to figure out since we started traveling, and it's still a work in progress. Here are some of the things I (we) have done to help us live better:

6) Get a gym membership (and actually use it!)
We have had memberships at several different gyms. Find one that fits with what you're wanting to do, and join. Usually even the more premium gyms (such as Lifetime or LA Fitness) will have short term memberships that they can set up for you. A gym that has weight equipment and cardio equipment is what we want, so we have found that basic gyms like Snap Fitness and Anytime Fitness fit our needs really well. It's really awesome being married to a personal trainer so Braden plans all my workouts for me. Even at smaller gyms they have programs that can get you started with a trainer if you don't know where to start. Even if I don't feel like going, I always feel better after I work out!

5) Chia Seeds
My favorite comment that I've gotten about my chia seeds is "are you drinking salad dressing?" A nurse I worked with got me started on them about a year ago, and I've been addicted ever since. They have all sorts of great stuff in them like antioxidants, omega 3's, protein, fiber, etc. You can put them in drinks, smoothies, yogurt, and salads, and they are a great healthy snack! When put in liquid, they form a gel and taste like what you put them in. I usually put them in a bottle of Vitamin Water, let soak for at least 30 minutes, then enjoy!

4) Take care of your skin
I am obsessive with my three step system twice a day.  I love my Clinique! It has made a huge difference in my skin and I have used it for years. I am also obsessed with my Clarisonic. Don't forget to moisturize your neck!

3) Hydrate!
Drinking lots of water during the day has helped my body function better. I have never been a big fan of water- it's boring! But as I have been forcing myself to drink more, I find myself liking it more and more. I have also been playing with infused waters- the night before I will cut up different combinations of fruits and put them in my Nalgene, in the morning I have naturally flavored water that tastes really good, plus has the added benefit of the nutrients from the fruit. I've also been trying to cut out all artificial sweeteners, so that means less soda. I have found a natural soda that is made with stevia that satisfies the soda craving.

2) Eat Well
I think this means something different to everyone. There are so many different diets out there- Paleo, gluten free, Atkins, South Beach, I could keep going! When we started traveling, we were eating a lot of box and frozen meals because they are easy and convenient. Also with living in a hotel, we don't have a lot of storage space, cooking utensils, and may or may not have an oven. When we were in Houston, we discovered a company called My Fit Foods. They prepare fresh, proportioned meals that are made in store that you can keep in your fridge for up to a week. Pop in the microwave for two minutes and you have a yummy meal! The first meal I had I thought "really, this is it?!" But learned quickly that that amount was all I really needed. Having healthy easy meals to go gave us an idea to continue with the My Fit Foods idea of small healthy meals, and now we are making our own pre made meals. Usually we have a serving of meat and some fresh vegetables. Braden cooks the meat early in the week and then we slowly eat it through the week. We don't follow a "diet" per say, but have been trying to eat less processed and more fresh foods. It has really made a difference! Find what works for you!

1) THRIVE
THRIVE has been a game changer for me. For months I was struggling with exhaustion and always feeling tired, and I've had insomnia issues for years. In May, I met another SLP who told me about THRIVE and how it helped her sleep and have more energy. I was pretty skeptical, but at that point I was willing to try anything. I had tried just about everything to help my energy and sleeping issues trying to avoid prescription medications and was just about at the end of my rope. I was back to drinking caffeinated sodas again to make it through the days. Ever since I started taking THRIVE, I have had energy! After drinking sodas consistently just to make it, I don't feel like I need to drink them to get through the day, now I just have a soda if I feel like it. I don't have a "2 o'clock feeling" anymore, and I don't feel like I am dragging through my day (even when I was working for 10+ hours!). When I get home I'm ready to go to the gym instead of being too tired to work out. After about a week of taking THRIVE, I started sleeping through the night. I had gotten to the point where if I wanted a decent nights sleep I had to take Tylenol PM. Now, I am not waking up in the middle of the night anymore and waking up more refreshed in the mornings. I've been taking THRIVE for about a month now, and can't believe the difference that it's made for me!


Like I said, being healthy is a work in progress! We definitely aren't perfect and enjoy eating out on the weekends. I am really proud of how far we've come since we started traveling, and feel so much better! I never thought I would say this, but I guess you could say we are health nuts now.



(If THRIVE sounds like something you might want to try, click here for more info, or ask me!)

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!