Monthly Archives: April 2016

We have been counting down the days for a few weeks now to Grandma and Grandpa  Owens coming to visit us.  They got in Thursday evening meeting us at one of Uncle Richard’s favorite restaurants called The Mill in Temecula we didn’t tell the kids that they were getting  in early as they weren’t expecting   to see them until Friday.  I don’t think I could wait another minute anticipating there visit just as much as the kids.  We ate dinner then stopped in at Uncle Richards visiting for a while getting home late but happy.  The kids got tucked into their beds and us adults visited for a little bit longer.  In the morning Chad made boba tea for all of us and pancakes as the kids took grandma and grandpa to the abandoned lot where we like to pick fruit and they showed them where we have been going to church as it isn’t too far from the abandoned lot.  Grandpa Lawhead and Samantha visited for a little while before we headed towards Dan Diego.  We checked into our hotel and walked to the park. We decided on a plan to get the 7 day pass to all of the museums and zoo.  We visited three of the museums after finding some lunch at an outdoor cafe.  We started at the model train museum that I remember visiting as a kid with Babs (a friend of Grandma Lawhead) Grandma and Samantha.  Babs’ husband Geno had a model train that took up almost their whole basement and was really my first exposure to this fun hobby.  I loved that it was the favorite museum of the day.  Then we saw the MOPA (Museum Of Photographic Art) it was small but there was so intriguing pieces, then lastly we saw the San Diego Natiral History museum mostly enjoying the 3D whale movie.  
    
    
    
  This is a model of a real railroad can you imagine riding a heavy train over old wooden tresses this high up.  I would be holding my breath for sure.  
  Look at the shark in the swimming pool!  
  I think the load may be just a bit too heavy for this donkey.  
    Even Thomas is here!
    
 Such a beautiful butterfly garden we had to take the opportunity for a group photo.  We walked our way back to the hotel and took Chuck and Fonna out to Slater 50/50 for dinner.  It is fun to share a few of our favorite places with them.  

This has been high on the list of most expensive weeks ever in our lives as a travel nurse family.  It started out with a surprise  you have to take these classes before you can work again costing $150, $213, and $354 for a little over $700.  A facility background check that cost $75 to register $60 for fingerprinting, and $50 to overnight the ink fingerprints to Alaska, a day off from work, and we need to pre purchase our $600 ferry tickets to get to Kodiak and our next assignment. Not sure when my Alaska licensing check cleared the bank $275 +$50(temporary)  and the passport cards for the girls which were about $70 each we are feeling the cost of traveling right now.  This is why a big savings cushion is so important with travel nursing….😬.  

The day was starting out well, at work, when I was asked for a copy of my fetal monitoring certificate.  My intermediate fetal monitoring was in 2010 and the advanced was in 2013 (actually I think I took both in 2013 but those were the two documents I had saved in my scanner and my most recent was 2013).  There is no expiration on AWOHNN fetal monitoring class certificates and at Silverton I was required to take it only the one time in 2010 and I worked there from 2005-2014. I have worked at several hospitals since my two year since the class mark and it had not been an issue.  I had planned on taking it again this assignment just because I wanted to but all of the sudden the tables were turned.  I was told that I could work today but not again until I had the fetal monitoring class.  Ok then.  I looked up classes in the San Diego area and noted that next week they had AWOHNN Intermediate Fetal Monitoring two day class, AWOHNN Advanced Fetal Monitoring one day class and S.T.A.B.L.E. in a row I only had to trade one day of work with a coworker who happened to be working and willing to trade and I could get them all done at once.  I looked at the rest of the month and never again are they all offered in a row like that, so although I feel bad that it has become an issue and I will miss one day of work because of it, causing my manager some stress, I find it amazing how once again God has perfectly orchestrated the details in ways we could have never anticipated.  Of course the state decided to visit that very same day causing additional stress.  Needless to say before the end of the day I was fighting a pounding headache just wanting to be home in the arms of my very supportive husband.  Yes for sure it was providence and for sure I trust that God will take care of me but I was feeling the stress and pressure/heat today.    

Both of the families that we came to Sacramento to visit had work and school during business hours so we had decided to spend the day at Old Sacramento which continues to be one of our favorite things to do in the Sacramento Area.  We had the time and needed the activity so we had decided that we would walk from Williams house to Old Sacramento.  (The kids were up early and out jumping in the trampoline by 0645.  It was so nice out.)

 Chad and I have done it several times but not with the kids.  GPS suggested a different route than the along-the-river route that we had taken in the past along a newer walking trail called the Clarksburg Trail.  I still wanted to walk the river, it was the route I knew and it held fond memories that I was enjoying remembering.  We headed toward the river passing by another cousins house.  We knew he had to work and the kids were at school, but as we passed a car pulled up (the baby sitter).  I text him and asked if he was home when he answered “yes, but I’m getting ready to leave.” I replied that we we out in front.  We talked for a while as Gerrit gathered his things for work, then he proposed that we come check out the tiny house he as been working on as he builds them now as his new job since retiring from the police department.  We rode out with him to his work.  The house he is working on is near enough to completion that you can imagine how it will look and flow.  It was a layout that would work for our family of five which is amazing to me.  I guess it shouldn’t be as I see fulltime families traveling in RVs.  They were so cool, I enjoyed hearing all of the explanations of how it all worked.  There was another house that was in progress, not quite as far as the first.  It was harder to visualize the layout, but fun to see the recognizable differences and customization.  That detour took us an additional mile away from our goal of making it to Old Sacramento.  It was no problem though as we were not far from the Clarksburg Trail so we hopped on there, and it was quite enjoyable.  

    
 After the trail ended we continued to walk up the train tracks.  The kids found loads of rusty old railroad nails, washers and other treasures to fill their pockets and purses.  They had fun watching the ground for treasures and pretty rocks.  It reminded me of walking down the railroad in Greenleaf with my Grandma Sherman..more fond memories.  

   5ish miles later we made it to Old Sacramento just in time to hunt down some lunch.   
    
  Eve banging the two railroad nails that she had found together to the street music being played behind her, enjoying the beat.   

  

Socks for Grandma Sherman, and a giant mug for Michael.  Old Sac has changed some over the years, but it is just such a relaxing place to just be that it keeps calling us back.  

    
    
    
 The horses and carriages must not be out in the middle of the week as we saw maybe one.  The school kids out on field trips were in full force. We again bypassed the train museum.  I think we have gone once, but we need to go again now that the kids are old enough to remember it.   

  

  

  

  

  

 We walked around for a couple of hours before deciding to take the along-the-river route back. Another 4-5 miles.  The kids were troopers we estimate that they walked about 12 miles on this outing.   Hannah was getting a little tired of her shoes and so she walked with out them for a while. No one complained about all the walking. 

 We made it back to Will’s house in time to spend som time with Trinity before she ran off to basketball practice.  The kids although tired loosened up out on the trampoline.    When it was time to go to Gerrits for dinner we all decided to walk (it is only a couple blocks away) except for Chad as he had to run to the store really quick.  We visited while the kids played and watched Frozen, then we all kind of watched Beauty and the Beast.  It has been a long time since I have watched that movie.     At the end of of the movie we found Nena painting Eve’s fingernails Eve was beaming as Nena had taken the time to paint every fingernail a different color and have even mixed a few colors to make a new color of purple just for her as that is her favorite color.   It was late, we were able to visit with Terri a little after work, but alas again the goodbyes came too soon.  Thank you for letting us come hang with you and your family on such short notice.  We love you guys and are glad for the opportunity to be with you even if it is just a short visit.  
 

Flying by the seat of our pants is the way we live most days.  We plan ahead for a few big things but mostly plan as we go.  We have often been lucky and been able to participate in opportunities  that came up suddenly as we are not booked out months in advance.  We have wanted to take another trip this assignment to Sacramento.  It is a ways away from Fallbrook (8 hours) but as close as we will be getting to our Sacramento family we didn’t want the rest of this assignment to slip away with out taking time to visit with them.  The three day break this week was as good as any time to get away and as week looked at my she file yesterday it really was the last time this assignment we could go.  So it was now or never. We had another friend in the area also that is a L&D travel nurse.  She has four kids two older boys and two girls that are our girls’ ages.  We had been wanting to get the girls together for the last two years.  Since we don’t plan these trips ahead it had never yet worked out to get together. I sent Jen a message last night telling her we would be in the area, and to my suprise she was going to be off today. Yay! It was going to finally work to get together.  We met at a Sushi Cafe where the girls seemed to be instant friends then headed to the park where they could run and get some energy out.   

    
    
    
   
 

 We didn’t plan to stay out so late, it just happened.  The time passed so quickly.  Now to make plans for camping together some time in the near future.  Thank you Jen for the delightful evening! It was so fun to meet Matthew and the girls too! 

  

We have what we believe to be our last assignment away from home.  I am hoping to go back to school in the fall and Chad is needed at work.  So for those main reasons as well as the fact that we are only a few states shy of the full 50 state goal,  a few states that we plan on seeing sometime this year, we are planning to settle back down in Salem Oregon come fall.  Our next assignment contract is done we were offered the job 3/15/16 the housing hung us up for a little while, but it seems like the details are all worked out.  The contract is signed and as we enjoy the sun and warm temperatures here in Southern California and look at the forcasted temperatures for Kodiak Alaska we just pray that we acclimate quickly and enjoy this journey for what it is.  

We met Tiffany on assignment in Hilo Hawaii.  An L&D nurse, traveler, nature enthusiast, hiker, loves the ocean, loves the sun, and loves the son.  If you have haven’t read Ecclesiastes that means Jesus God’s son.  Besides having a lot of things in common she is amazing with the kids and they all adore her.  In Hawaii she lived on a peacock reserve for a short time and so when we told her that we were going to hang out with Tiffany today they were very excited. “You mean the peacock lady!!!” “Yay!!!” The weather was  perfect the sun was out and we were doing a hike that was along a gorgeous section of the beach.  The Ragnar relay was going on, and I think we must have just missed my cousin who ran in it as the team was just south of us waiting for their next runner at Torrey Pines High School. That as well as it being a weekend and a ton of cyclists were out it made it hard to find parking and a lot of people to contend with.  We found eachother pretty quickly and picked up where we left off in Hilo.  The kids were shy for about 30 seconds then we could hardly talk over them in their excitement.  Caleb who had been sick most of the week was dragging a bit but he did well and didn’t complain at all.  Tiffany and I have been making plans for a longer hike in the beginning of May so we were talking over plans for that as we walked, as well as other work related things.  

    
    
    
    
    

    
    
    
     
  The greenery was amazing.  

    
    
    
    
    
  

  
    
Hannah found a fun little ledge to sit on while we enjoyed the beach. 

   
    
    
    
 It was a fun and beautiful hike.  We enjoyed the Mexican food that followed at  Roberto’s Mexican Food!  Their carne asada tacos are the best. Thank you Tiffany for such a fun day.  

We ran into traffic on I-15 as a plane had crashed on the freeway.  We found the suggested alternate route vet scenic with a few for sale signs, that would be a fun area to live.  We visited with grandpa and Marisa for a few hours making it home in the dark, well past the kids bedtimes.