It's Official

I'm staying in California for the summer!

As I started out this current travel assignment, I told myself that I should really try to stay somewhere for 6 months just for my mental health, so I wouldn't have to pack up and move again, and so I could really get a feel for the place, etc. Well, here I am, just a week shy of my contract ending and while I will be packing up and moving, this time it's just to a different apartment. For the first time since leaving Raleigh I've found that sense of community that I've missed. I have great friends in the area (shout out to Jess 'n Jenn), and am enjoying attending church at Grace as well as the new friendships it's provided me with, and still have so much more to see and explore in this area that I just couldn't bring myself to leave yet!

It's crazy to think that last June I flew out here before starting my first travel assignment in DC purely because I had never been to CA and wanted to do something different, so I rented a car and drove from San Diego to Modesto (13hrs?) with a few stops in between at LA and SLO. Intentionally last year I spent my 25th birthday in CA, visiting the seals at LaJolla Beach then going out to a Father's day lunch with my friend's in-law (thanks again for hosting me Em!). Now I find myself making the conscious decision to choose to be here in June, as a resident of this state, and again celebrate my birthday far from family and old friends. Last year my parents and sister gave me a necklace from Tiffany's (quite the surprise!) and the note inside the box said "the Key to your Future". I wear that necklace almost every day, and it looks like it will be spending another birthday with me in California! Maybe California is the key to my future?

                                            

I'm now accepting reservations for guests from now until the first week of August. I'll be changing apartments next week and have requested a sleeper sofa. I also have a blow up air mattress :) No age limits, just a pet restriction. What better way to spend your tax refund than to come see me and have a personal tour guide?

Multicultural Day

Two Saturdays ago I went up to SF and met up with my friend Jess and her husband, Aaron. I'd not yet met her hubby and was quite excited to finally get a chance to spend some time with him after hearing all about him! The day started off with a late breakfast/lunch at a cafe just a few blocks from their house. The tentative plan was to visit Japantown for the Cherry Blossom festival, hang out, and grab dinner together.

There was a bit of a miscommunication as Jess and I waited at a bus stop for quite awhile, only to learn that her husband had already got on the bus and was halfway there! While waiting for the next one a few...dare I even be polite enough to call them gentlemen...came our way and launched into this diatribe of how they are collecting donations for "Reprobation Day" and to sum up their message, "Basically, you see, like a really long time ago your family was probably slave owners and they abused and raped my family members so I'm trying to make up for that now and you can help by donating your money now". Absolutely not! First, how ignorant are you to walk up to a complete stranger and ask for money AND in the same breath accuse their family of being mean-spirited slave owners? Second, how will my giving you money now attribute to what happened 200 years ago? Pretty sure this donation won't change your past. At a time like this I really wish I knew a foriegn language so I could have said, "Sorry, I'm Dutch and don't speak English" just so they'd leave us alone. Instead I was forced to be semi-polite by thanking them for their time and informing them that we are not interested and to move along. Jess and I have spent years in the South and saw our fair share of "this kind of person and attitude" while working at Duke. I'm sorry, but we don't owe you anything! And no, I'm not racist, I'm just educated.

Alas our bus came, we met up with her husband at the next stop, and we all made it to Japantown. My primary reason for wanting to go there was b/c of the Cherry Blossom they were hosting, and it sounded great from online reviews...but wasn't that impressive in person :( I know it couldn't rival DC's Cherry Blossom Festival, but I think I was unprepared for the lack of actual CB trees. The company I was with was my highlight for sure, but I did enjoy seeing all the Hello Kitty memorabilia and couldn't resist getting my picture taken with a giant one! We watched a really cute karate expo, walked through some street stands (there was this one with these awesome feather hair pieces...oh Raleigh girls you know how this excited me!), didn't find any Mochi and eventually made our way to the Marina district for some window shopping. Aaron was nice enough to give Jess and I some girl time so we visited a few boutiques, did a little hand pampering at a cute shop, and talked---what we do best! We found Aaron and made our way to Nector, a cute wine bar with some crazy sarcastic descriptions of their wines. After much more talking, we worked up an appetite and made our way to the Mission District to try out some Mayan cuisine (recommended by someone at the wine bar, it pays to talk to strangers!). I had really wanted to visit the Mission District because I'd heard it's the "up and coming" neighborhood and I toyed with the idea of moving into the city. Once I saw it for myself my decision was quickly made- I absolutely could not live there! We walked a few blocks in search of the restaurant and it was too dirty and not caucasian enough for my comfort. I'm sure there is a "nice" side, but I didn't see it. The food was well worth the trip tho and I'd go back for sure!

All in the span of one day I somehow managed to combine some South of the Mason Dixon line with across the Pacific ocean and then below the Equator elements and it was an oddly fascinating time :)

Hello Kitty fans!

Here are a few of the Cherry Blossoms

Bonsais

        

Feather hair adornments

Karate Kids

Pancakes

After working Friday night (night 2 of 4) there is nothing more appealing about going home and going to bed...except for free pancakes!

Each Saturday at 8:30am an occupant of the Bungalow gladly awakes and makes pancakes (from scratch) for any and all who come by. It sounds a little too good to be true, but it's not. Since I worked last night I was actually a little too early, so I tried to stall for an hour before heading over. Things were a little behind schedule when I arrived and they (Rob and Michelle) allowed me to help them out in the kitchen. It was great just spending time with this couple as we all did our various tasks, Rob being the lead role of host and master pancake maker. I really enjoyed this downtime with them and asked Rob what prompted this weekly event, and his answer was that he was looking for a community similar to what he had at home with friends and decided he needed to do something about it. I love that sort of attitude. He has built quite the community gathering each Saturday---I've yet to interview his roomates to see how they feel about all these people coming over so early (one joined us, the other didn't). "So early" is anytime before 9 am on Saturday (in my opinion) in case you were wondering :)

Theoretically, Saturday morning pancakes was my version of a "fun Saturday night" since I was working nights this wkd. I'm really glad I was able to spend time with this community of new friends since I was out of town the wkd before, and also since I'd miss Easter Sunday with them due to sleep/work. Again, another reason I'm thankful to be in Cali: friends!

p.s. aren't you proud of how short this post is?

Home is Where Mom is

I always have a hard time nailing down where I call home. Currently my parents are living amidst the Amish in the Heartland State (OH), but I've never lived there myself. Originally I had requested a specific wkd off with the plans to travel to Raleigh for a friend's wedding, but decided the time off and money spent on airfare would be better spent going to visit family that I hadn't seen in months (I did just spend 5 days in Raleigh back in Jan). It was the right decision, although difficult to make at the time. I'm so grateful that my friends (especially the bride) were so understanding of the situation! As sad as it was to miss out on Amanda and Blake's big day, as I've been a friend of theirs since the beginning of the relationship, I also know that *hopefully* all my NC friends will be blessed with many more years, while the reality of life is that my grandparents will not have as much time to visit with me.

 

Since I'm a Kraft and I can't travel w/o seeing as many people as possible I added my sister to the list and decided to complicate my travel plans by flying into KY to visit her and my friend Jenelle. After an altogether too fast visit and a yummy dinner shared over sushi at Mido, coffee at Cafe Classico, and then breakfast at Wild Eggs we bid Jenelle goodbye as I had recruited Em to drive me to Cincinnati to visit my friend and old-Duke coworker Janee, and then we later met mom and dad for lunch at Olive Garden, then switched my suitcases over to their van, and then I was finally homebound!

 

Visiting mom and dad is always insteresting. First, I've never lived there so I don't have any friends to catch up with while I'm in town. Second, I don't really have any memories of this house, but they do still have a bedroom for me outfitted with my childhood bed, an antique iron bed with coils instead of a box spring from Great Aunt Hassie. To my little cousins it's known as the "marshmellow bed" as I insist on having a down mattress pad and a down comforter to give it quite a fluffy effect! A great perk of being at home is that I don't have to make myself any meals! My mom is a fabulous cook and baker, and my dad makes a mean breakfast :) I thoroughly enjoyed some homecooked meals of Hamloaf and cheesy potatoes, and some homemade biscuits and gravy with a side of hashbrowns :)

 

A big reason for my going to OH was to check on my grandparents and visit with them. Travel nursing really is making me more aware of how precious certain experiences and moments in life are. Spending family is becoming increasingly important to me. Within the past 2 months my Granny has had surgery on her hip, then went to rehab, then a sudden onset of blindness due to her retina detaching, and has spent the last 2 weeks face down post eye surgery. To be sure, this is a lot to endure and I just needed to see her for myself and spend time with her when I had the chance. I'm so glad I did! Mom took off school so the three of us went down on Monday and did a little housecleaning, made lunch, I went with my Pa on his daily run to Mark's (a discounted food store) and he even let me drive their new car---uncharacteristic of him! One of my aunts stopped by with 2 of my youngest cousins, Caleb 2 and Elianah 2 months (their brother and sister were at school). I had uninterupted cuddle time with a healthy, happy baby and got lots of laughs over Caleb's antics and tractor obsession. I have to give my parents much credit for the fact that my cousins know who I am. Mom and Dad are so good about showing them pictures, talking about me, and even letting them talk on the phone with me. It's so nice to be there in person with them and they don't have inhibitions against playing with me or loving on me! Ben and Abby had asked to skip school to see me (which I highly encouraged!) but had mandatory testing and I guess they bugged their mom enough to bring them by Gran 'n Pa's for a few minutes right before we (mom, dad, and myself) were heading back home about 1.5 hours away. It was such a great day of family time! As great as it would have been to have everyone there (my sister, aunts and uncles, grown cousins, etc.) sometimes it's really nice to have the slower pace and quality visit that I was able to experience. I'm fortunate that I caought my Granny on a "good" day where she was in good spirits, not too worn out from the previous day, and not too stubborn ;)

 

On the way home I convinced mom and dad to stop at Gabe's. Over the years the quality and quantity of my goods from there has definitely declined, but I managed to walk away with these shoes for only $20! I looked them up online and they are currently selling for almost $70! They are Aerosoles so they will be quite comfy for all the running around San Fran I plan to do this summer.         

 

Survivor

I DID IT! I survived my first camping experience!!! I'm not gonna lie, I was definitely nervous about it but I went with the right person and to a great place which only enhanced the experience. So the details: A classmate of mine from nursing school is travel nursing out here to the Bay Area with her husband (who is some sort of engineer) and for the past few weeks we'd been trying to get together for an almost 4 year reunion! Turns out we both had several days off at the same time, and it was the week her husband had to travel for his job so we decided it was the perfect opportunity to take our own trip and explore this wonderful NorCal territory! I was originally just thinking a day trip...but Christine had everything we needed for camping and given my major lack of camping experiences I was hesitant at first, but my desire to try new things eventually won out. I've had lots of friends throughout the years go camping and they all come back alive, so why shouldn't I, right? Yes, this was my thought pattern.

On Tuesday morning Christine packed her up gear, headed down to Palo Alto, and then after loading my car we hit the road south for an easy drive just under two hours, bringing us to a beautiful little beach town called Monterey. We packed a picnic lunch and pulled over at the first real beach scene that we came across. It was a little chilly because of the wind, and there may have been a few grains of sand that worked their way into my PB&J, but it was so worth it!

After lunch we made our way into downtown Monterey where we hit up the Visitor's Center in search of maps, brochures to spark some sight seeing interests, and campsite suggestions. After plotting out our itinerary we went down to the coast, parked the car, and walked the main drag from the Aquarium to the Wharf...and there may have been a little wine tasting thrown in along the way!



We decided to set up our campsight while it was still light and made our way to the Veteran's Memorial Park, just a mile outside of town. We drove around, picked a spot, and before we knew it had the tent staked out and set up! I was shocked at how easy it was to assemble. Thanks to Christine and her husband we had quite a cozy love bird's tent with 2 sleeping mats and big warm sleeping bags. After depositing our money in what looked to be drain pipe we headed back downtown for some dinner.

There is nothing quite like eating fresh seafood, while in an open air restaurant that has waves crashing against the rocks and beams below :) Needless to say, we were some happy and very well fed ladies that night. I felt as if I were eating my last meal, not quite sure how camping in just a few hours would work out for me! Once back at the campsite I trekked up to the bathroom to wash my face, put on my pj's, etc. I don't know if I can quite describe the look I was given by another lady in the bathroom as I was pulling my Oil of Olay face wash and moisturizor out of my Vera Bradley weekender bag, but I'm pretty sure the translation was that of "these just don't belong in a campground"-myself inlcuded! We stayed up for a few hours sitting at our picnic table, with our small campfire attempting to keep us warm, playing cards and just catching up on life these past few years. While we attended the same nursing program neither of us could really pin down what classes we may have had together, or clinicals, and I think we both were surprised by how much we didn't know about each other! It was finally time to brave the elements and attempt to sleep. This may have been the part I was most worried about. You see, to me, sleep is very important, and I require certain levels of comfort (pillowtop mattresses, soft sheets, the right temp, a sound machine) and all of this was out of my control in the wilds of our very tame campground. I then let irrational fears creep in about how we couldn't even "lock our doors" from other campers or wild animals (and we had come across an interesting camper earlier that day). I told myself to just relax, that I could fall asleep w/o the sound machine, that mother nature was going to be my sound machine and just as we were settling in, an eery sound of bugles drifted across the air playing Taps. It was weird, but we were in the Veteran's Memorial park!

I woke up the next morning, assured myself that I was still alive, and that yes, I do still get cell reception so I checked for signs from the outside world that I was not in a dream. Christine, in all her natural beauty, was kind enough to pack up our gear while I headed for the bathroom to make myself presentable for sightseeing. A few things I have learned from this experience:
a. setting up and taking down a campsite are relatively fast processes
b. self inflating air mats are a lifesavor
c. Vera Bradley should probably stay at home
d. I do not have the complexion or hair for going au natural, so yes, next time I will pack my make up and straightner again!
e. I could do this again, but only a few times a year :)

After loading the car, we grabbed a healthy and delicious breakfast at Subway, then headed a little farther south to 17 Mile drive and Carmel. The weather was spectacular, the company superb, the sound track rockin' (thanks to Christine's California mix)...and the sights were just breathtaking! The first marker along 17 Mile Drive is Pebble Beach, which in reality these are no pebbles but rocks! We stumbled our way to the water's edge, amazed at the color and smoothness.

As we made our way along the coast we saw the most beautiful blue waters, rocky ledges, jutting cliffs, beautiful wildflowers, seals and/or sealions make their way down a big rock squawking and squealing at each other, and of course, we saw the lone Cypress tree! This drive is worth the $10.

Next we headed to Carmel by the Sea which is a quaint little downtown, tourist trap filled with boutiques and yummy restaurants. After dining at French restaurant that we were not exactly dressed appropriately for, we made our way to Chateau Julien in the Carmel Valley. It had a cute cottage meets castle Euro vibe and beautiful landscaping. Visiting here was really nice because they give you a tour of the property and take you into the cellars and you learn all about the process of making wine AND your guide carries bottles along with her :) It still amazes me just how much goes into the art of wine making, and it makes me sad that I can't appreciate it like I should. Christine recommended a movie based on the story of Napa, and I watched it this past wkd and also suggest you do too, it's called "Bottleshock".



































To top off our 2 day trip we grabbed dinner with yet another Liberty nursing alumni and her husband, who also are travel nursing in Palo Alto. It's crazy how 3 girls from a college in VA can all end up in Cali together!

Paranoia

Forgive me for my vanity, but I felt like I must come clean and share a paranoia that I've struggled with my whole life! Since we are friends, I feel like it's time to let you know that one of my biggest fears is my hair changing colors...as in...GETTING DARKER! Laugh all you want, but be assured, this is no laughing matter for me! I'm the only blonde in my family, and I don't think my dad meant to, but I blame him for the root of this paranoia. I can remember being a young teen and he would affectionately pat my head and say "It's still blond". You see, his hair turned from blonde to brown somewhere during his 10 yr run of buzz cuts, and by the time he was fashionable enough for the bowl cut he then discovered he was a brunette. I just want to throw out a little disclaimer, there is nothing wrong with brunettes! My whole family is filled with them. Brown is a very pretty shade, but I don't think it'd be a pretty shade on me.

 

The trials of having naturally blonde hair included some annoying jokes in middle school, forever being sunburnt because fair skin is often a side effect, a few bad perms and pool incidents where the chemicals tinted my hair green, and of course...trying to maintain a perfect, natural color. Since I'm a natural and had a pretty shade throughout the years my mom has never let me dye my hair. Even at the ripe old age of almost 26 I still have never dyed/high lighted/ low lighted/ etc. I do however rely on quality hair products and some natural UV exposure. Some of you know that I have a sunroof in my car (which I love) but did you know that I pretty much open it whenever I can so my hair gets touched and lightened by natural sun exposure? Ridiculous, I know. And when it comes to hair products I LOVE John Frieda's Sheer Blonde collection. Aside from the fact that "Blonde" is part of the title I do believe he makes a good product. I love the smell and feel of my hair after using his shampoo and conditioner. I will occassionally use the clear gloss product to increase shine and add a little texture. I swear by his hairspray! It has changed my life...I mean, my hair! This hairspray has just the right amount of hold and flexibility AND shine!

 

 

                             

 

And as if dear John did not already know I was a sucker for his products he has now launched this new one: Spray On Highlights. (as seen here: http://www.refinery29.com/spray-on-highlights-are-back-for-all-the-diy-ombre-you-can-handle )

This is where I come to my moral dilemma, am I cheating myself out of being able to say "I've never colored my hair" if I use this product?