And the Road Trip Begins!

After Labor Day I had to fly back to California to get my car and begin the drive back East (over 3,700 miles!). My dear friend Anne picked me up from the airport and we had dinner with her family at a Mongolian BBQ and then she and I went to see Sense and Sensibility at a local playhouse. It was such a wonderful evening. I was also able to catch up with the girls at the Villa before packing up the car and hitting the road! September always seems to be a month of transition, and especially so at the Villa. Kari, one of the first friends I made at Grace is about to be married and will move to Houston, new girls have moved into the house, and my friend Jana is going to Tanzania where she will use her law degree working to help widows maintain ownership of their land, check out her website Inherit Your Rights and consider buying a chicken or sewing machine to help out.

Thursday
After fueling up (on gas and coffee) I hit the road and took the 5 down to LA where I met up with my friend Brandi. She was previously working at the Painted Turtle Camp where I had volunteered last fall, and we hung out several times during my LA days, and she even came to visit in July! It was so fun to see her new apartment and it is truly the perfect LA-single girl pad. She was so gracious to let me stay with her after just having settled into both a new home and job. I'm so proud of her and excited as she begins her career teaching at a private school in Beverly Hills! You should hear her stories just about the celebs she sees in the carpool lane! We spent a fun evening together dining Vegan at Native Foods (it was so delicious, I swear it tasted just like meat!) and then catching a late movie together.

Friday
I attempted to avoid the inevitable LA traffic and drove south down to San Diego just in time for lunch to meet my nursing recruiter. I've been talking to Christina for over a year and while we know so much about each other and she is in charge of important details about my life (job, housing, money, etc.) I had no clue what she looked like! I'm so glad she was able to grab lunch and as we dined on fish tacos it was confirmed that she was exactly who I thought she was over the phone, and we're not just business partners but friends. I highly recommend her to anyone looking to get into travel nursing. She was so patient with me when I started the process, and so personal too. I love that it feels like talking to a friend each time I call, which to me is very comforting since there are so many unknowns in the travel world!

My recruiter took me back to her office
and showed me what she looks like when
we're talking on the phone!

After lunch I met my friend Julie, whom I'd met on assignment in Palo Alto, in La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya) for pedicures. She found this great place called Dan's Nails and it has a beautiful view overlooking the palm trees and ocean. After grabbing a snack we walked down to the ocean so I could see the seals. I'd come here over a year ago with a friend on my birthday and there were NO seals :( Fortunately they were out this time enjoying some sunbathing. We headed back to her house to freshen up, then rode the trolley down to Little Italy. We ate at Zia's and it was SO good...and so was the bottle of Chardonnay that we shared! I realize that I have become THAT girl, the one who now has to look at the wine menu even when I don't want to drink just to see if I've been to one of their wineries to relive my Napa days! After a great night out on the town we headed back to her place to just veg infront of the tv. I know this will sound so immature but I haven't had cable in over a year and the idea of watching mind numbing shows like those on E! and Bravo just sounded heavenly. The next morning we grabbed some Starbucks, made plans for our next visit together (hopefully in NYC!) and then I hit the road.

Stay tuned!