Virginia is for Lovers

Last wkd I took a trip from NY down to Lynchburg, VA where I went to college (going on 5 years ago...EEK!) to attend a wedding of a dear college friend. I'd been anticipating this wkd in the 'burg for months! I was so excited to see the bride and he family, and our friend Faith (whom Jess, the bride, and I had roadtripped up to Long Island a few years previous for Faithy's wedding), visit my friend Rachel at her new house, shop at the J.Crew clearance outlet, meet baby Sophie, eat at Chic-Fil-A (I can never get enough!), go grocery shopping (yes, you read that right), and eat at Cracker Barrel (don't judge, I'd been craving it for months). It was a fabulous wkd, even if the journey took a little longer than planned!

 

I left NY via bus (now you mom's out there don't freak out) headed down to DC. It was a BOLT bus (a.k.a. commuter) and it was very clean & comfy. There wasn't anyone sketchy and it even offered wi-fi and electrical outlets for charging! Once I reached Union Station in DC, I took the metro to Pentagon City/Mall where I waited for over an hour for my courtesy rental car pick up. There could definitely be worse places to wait than a mall, but it wasn't very convenient as I was toting a bookbag and large suitcase. In fact, I felt like I'd be targeted as a shoplifter so I stuck to the Food Court. Once Brett (a.k.a. Enterprise Rental Car Man) finally picked me up we hit some evening traffic (further delay) and had to stop to pick up yet another car renter (even further delay). By the time we got to the office it was almost 6 and about 20 people were inside waiting to return/rent. I'm now 2 hours behind schedule :( It's finally my turn, and thanks to some harmless flirting between me and Brett (he started it) I skipped an extra 30 min wait for a compact car to be cleaned since he upgraded me to a ready-to-go SUV for free! (Downside, bad gas mileage). It is now 7pm and I am just leaving DC to brave the end of rush hour traffic with a large Caribou Coffee x2 shots in hand. Sadly I had to cancel plans with the Riddicks and head straight to Rachel's, arriving close to 11. I am BEAT at this point because I forgot to mention something really exciting...how did that happen?!?

 

I'd been up since 4 am that morning b/c I went to see Coldplay's live concert for the Today show!!! I'm so glad I've got Jenn here in NYC with me, and that she's crazy enough to put up with my ideas! Fortunately this one paid off as we got an awesome spot right beside the stage where we were literally FEET from the band and their belongings. We even made it on national TV!!! It was well worth the 3+hour wait in the cold temps and lack of sleep! I love making memories with that girl :) 

i'm pretty sure those are his kids in the left corner

OK, back to VA. After a bit of catching up Rach and I went to bed b/c we had a busy Saturday morning in our future filled with some J.Crew adventures! She was so gracious to drive me around to both locations (J.Crew is headquartered in VA and has 2 clearance stores, way better than the factory outlets!) and give opinions on my purchases! I'll post some pics soon.

me 'n Rach at her cute new home

While at Chic-Fil-A we reminisced on how we've been friends for 9 years now!!! That's just crazy! I have my parents to blame, I mean, thank for her friendship. Rach lived in the dorm room next to me my freshman year and while moving in that first day she made quite an impression on my parents and in their parting words, they encouraged me to be friends with her. In my ever so tactful way, I ran into her in the bathroom and said "So we have to be friends b/c my parents said so" and we have been ever since! After lunch I ran home to get ready for the wedding (thinking that I had plenty of time) but thank God for Rach and her last minute ironing skills. I'd lost track of time and was literally out the door and rushing to beat the bride to her own altar!

 

Jessica and Jeremy's wedding was perfect. It was just so "them". The decorations were simple, yet elegant. The ceremony a mere 11 minutes yet filled with touching moments like a Scripture reading and harp medley by her sisters. I never felt like anything was left out and quickly enough we were ushered to the banquet hall at Thomas Road and were free to pick our own tables/friends to sit with. I landed a fun table and was so thankful for the time to catch up with Faith and her husband Josh (who I played matchmaker for a few years ago). I also was glad for the relaxed and cozy atmosphere at their reception so I could enjoy time with the family and of course the bride! 

 

  

Afterwards I made a quick run over to Kelly's, a friend from when I lived in MD, to meet her sweet little girl. Miss Sophie was adorable and had such a great little personality. I'm so thankful that Kelly was so flexible as she's a busy wife-mom-lawyer, and didn't mind my late night visit. It was hard to leave this sweet little girl!

Sunday Rach and I went to went to Blue Ridge Community Church and then brunched at Cracker Barrel! I'd been craving Cracker Barrel for months now. I. LOVE. BREAKFAST. FOOD. yum. We ran back to her house and I grabbed my grocery list...yes, I intentionally brought a large suitcase so I could go grocery shopping b/c the city prices are killing me! $6 for a box of Kellogg's Special K...ugh! After loading up on a car full of "staples" I hit the road for Baltimore to visit my friend Alicia and her family. It's always fun to see her, especially since her twins are getting so big and interactive! It was sweet to have some snuggle time with little Addison and some kisses from mister Aadyn...and the Friends marathon with some dessert from Cheesecake Factory was also a plus!

Monday morning I drove back to DC, and since I had a little free time before returning my car and catching my bus I decided to play tourist. The weather was so nice, and the scenery was just gorgeous as the leaves were red/orange/yellow. I walked from the Jefferson Memorial over to FDR (one of my favorites!) and then ventured a little further to the new MLK Jr. Memorial. It was so relaxing and reminded me just how much I really love DC. I wouldn't be surprised if I live there again one day :)

FDR's dog

FRD memorial

One week down, 12 more to go

This past week was spent in classroom and unit orientation. So exciting right? There were 7 of us in my orientation and I'm the only one in the PICU. Several were going to an adult cardiac unit, one to the PACU and another to the NICU. Sadly I can't say that I really "hit it off" with any of them like I did with the Palo Alto orientation girls (shout out to you girls!), but it's ok because I do have 2 other travel nurse friends working at NYU with me and living closeby (Jenn and Michaela, remember them from last week's post? I'll start calling them J&M b/c I'm lazy.)

On Wednesday I had an orientation shift on the PICU and it was...well...it definitely is probably the most backward and unorganized unit I've been in yet. The facility is pretty old and run down, the equipment is fairly old, it's predominantly paper charting except for online meds...oh and there's not always a designated charge nurse! That just blew my mind. Staffing is really tight there due to their recent expansion of their cardiac unit. I did really enjoy the personalities of the nurses that I met there, and especially the nurse I oriented with. I'm hoping she and I can manage to form a friendship in spite of working opposite shifts.

Thursday I oriented to the Cardiac unit which is 6 floors above the PICU and housed in the adult Cardiac ICU. Things are nicer and newer, and again the nurses were very nice. I was bounced around to several nurses that day and ended up with my own patient assignment midway through. I hope I get to float up there often so I can work with J&M.

The hospital is a flat, easy walk, about 10-15 minutes from my place. Dunkin' Donuts is conveniently located along the way and I'm making up for my 9 months withdrawal (No D&D in Cali). You have to arrive about 20 minutes early just for the elevator ride alone! There are 4 elevators for everyone and they are ancient and small. You'd be amazed at how many people can squeeze into one...and at how long you can wait for one. The cafeteria is pretty small and again, rundown. They do hour long lunch breaks but with the short staffing they really have not been able to. Unlike California, there is no "buffer" nurse to watch your patient while you're gone. I might have to forget to pack a few lunches so I can take advantage of the food carts parked outside.

Friday night I met up with my friend Chi for a shopping excursion. Chi and I go way back to college days and sadly, I haven't seen him since our graduation. He was excited to take me to Century 21 for some "cheap" shopping. It's like a TJ Maxx on steriods and with big name designers but also the cheaper stuff. I walked away empty handed, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Since I was meeting my cousin for dinner I had to take a rain check on us venturing into Brooklyn for some authentic Nigerian food. He said it's the best in the city, and he'd be a qualified judge since he's from Nigeria! I'm looking forward to trying it!

A short train & bus ride took me to Chelsea Piers where I met up with my cousin Rach, her husband John, and their friends. I actually just saw her 2 wks ago in WV and it was surreal that we were both here in the Big Apple together! We made our way to Hell's Kitchen and walked up and down Restaurant Row until settling on the Hourglass Tavern for a late dinner. The food was yummy, and the company equally as satisfying. I'm so glad we got to spend some time together.

Afterwards I walked home, about 1.5 miles. After a mostly rainy day the evening turned out to be pretty comfortable and it was an enjoyable walk. As much as I love SF, and the graphic detail of her up and down neighborhoods, I do prefer the flatness of Manhattan. I took my time strolling through Times Square and thought back to the last time I was there so late in the night, my high school Sr. trip! (shout out to my CCA '03 alums) My next thought was the realization that I will be HERE for NYE...possibly even downtown and not at the hospital! Crazy!

Saturday I was so lazy! I slept in and woke to the sunshine. I finally put clothes on then walked a mile to go grocery shopping at Trader Joes in the Gramercy neighborhood. It was amazing to find that their prices are just as affordable here as they normally are! I picked up a few fav's like their frozen mac'n cheese & pumpkin ice cream and for fun some tofu. After waiting in the most ridiculous line that wraps throughout the entire store (no joke!) I made my way to the bus. I was dropped off just a few blocks south of my place and walked by a street produce vendor and picked up a few more items from him. I will def have to learn to rely on him as his produce was even cheaper than Trader Joes!

The afternoon was spent on the couch, with my heating pad (sorry for the TMI) and a slew of great movies on Lifetime: P.S. I Love You, New in Town, and The Holiday. I finally motivated myself to make some dinner and conquered TOFU for the first time. I made a really yummy stir fry and will def do so again. I'm also excited to have enough for my lunch the next two days.

This next week I'm on day shift, will hopefully get to try Nigerian food, am hoping to walk the Highline, camping out at Rockafeller Plaza for the Today show Coldplay concert, and then I'll be heading to Lynchburg for the wkd!

My first Weekend in the Big Apple Part 2

Sunday morning Jenn and I hailed a cab (yes, I just said "hailed a cab", I'm pretty excited about this being part of my new lingo) to the Upper East side to visit Redeemer Church, pastored by Tim Keller. It was a very traditional, conservative service with beautiful violin and cello accompaniment. If I had to describe TK as a speaker I'd say he's like that great college professor that makes you actually want to go to class and do your homework, so in this case I do want to come every week to Hunter College Auditorium (or whichever campus depending on the time) and read my Bible in between classes. Afterwards Jenn and I were walking back home and caught a glimpse of a Columbus Day parade. I'm holding out for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. We had to hurry to meet up with Michaela and her friend from DC for our Brooklyn adventure but it was definitely worth the rush! We took the train down to BB (Brooklyn Bridge) stop and began our mile long trek across. We were sweating in this 80 degree weather, but when else would be have such a great day to walk the bridge? Check out these pics!

Me & Jenn

 

Financial District

Looking towards Brooklyn

Can you spot the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building?

Lady Liberty

We grabbed a bite to eat, discussed what Sex & the City characters we are (Charlotte, obvi) took in some much needed air conditioning, refilled our water bottles, and headed towards Flatbush for some perusing. After walking past tons of cute stores we stumbled upon Hank's, it has to be the best Dive bar in Brooklyn and it made Michaela's dreams come true! 

Meredith, Micheala, & Jenn

I think all the walking (prob 10 miles by this point) on Sat and Sun +the heat+ not eating well had caught up with me and I was just drained of all my energy, my shins were killing me, and more blisters were forming so I called it a night and headed home. It took about 40 mins but I made it home in time to shower, get things together for my first day of orientation, and watch the E! special of Kim Kardashian's wedding. Shut up, it's a guilty pleasure.

My first Weekend in the Big Apple Part 1

Saturday I woke up to Jenn calling to ask if I'd like bagels in bed (she is really just TOO good to me!) We spent the next few hours catching up on her night at work, what we want to do in the city, and what's been going on since we left CA. I left the house around noon and just started walking north. I didn't have a very defined plan for my day but I wanted to just take my time exploring 5th Ave, Central Park, and Guggenheim Museum. To give you some perspective on how much I wandered, Central Park starts at 59th, about 20 blocks above me and it's 60 blocks tall. I walked all throughout the park, stumbling upon softball fields, great skyline views, ponds, Belvedere Castle, the Carousel, etc. The people watching is fantastic everywhere in this city!

Grand Central Station

Saint Pat's Cathedral

view from lower edge of Central Park

Inside CP

I love skylines

I really want to take a boat out in CP!

part of the castle in CP

After perusing the park I headed over to the Guggenheim Museum where it's free every Saturday night between 5:45-7:45. Sadly, most of the museum is under renovation and less than 25% of their collection was on display. One of the workers was kind enough to tell me that the reno should be done in early November so I will plan to go again. You aren't supposed to take pictures, but you know me ;)

This was an exhibit of $100,000 layered as wallpaper. Probably the only time I'll ever be close to that much $$$!

After the exhibit I strolled back down towards Murray Hill and met up with Jenn and Michaela post their college football funzies. We then headed south to meet up with some of their friends at an Irish pub...what they forgot to tell me is that we were meeting REAL Irish people there! The music was great, the accents were authentic, the Magner's Cider delish, the new friends were fun...Can't wait for some more good times there!

Start Spreading the News...I Live in NY!

 Thursday afternoon I arrived at La Gaurdia, picked up all my luggage (3 checked bags, 2 carry ons) and took my first cab to my new home! This assignment is a little different at NYU and they (instead of my company) set up their own housing for us, so I'm staying in a studio hotel room at a Marriott Execustay, and it looks like this:

 
And this is the same view from one of my windows in the day and night time:

 

And here is another window's view:

I'm actually living in the same building as my travel nurse friend Jenn so we grabbed a late lunch together. It was so great to catch up and get the scoop on what to expect from living in the city and what my new job will be like.

Friday I reported to Nurse Recruitment, which was pretty annoying and unorganized. I say this b/c they treat you like a "new hire" and I had to fill out tons of paperwork, go get a physical, take some tests, etc. It was a little stressful as they required things like my college diploma! Who asks for that? Obviously if I was approved for my NY nursing license then I graduated from college so why do I need to bring that in? Oh well... Thanks to a tip from Jenn I saved a few dollars and energy by ordering my groceries online from FreshDirect. I've heard that everything is more expensive in NY but $6 for cereal? Really??? I spent Friday night unpacking and blogging (yes, I backdated those last few posts). I know that doesn't sound very exciting, but I've got 3 months of excitement ahead of me so taking it easy sounded really good!

West Virginia, Wild & Wonderful

Since my last few posts have had state's names as the titles I thought WV deserved one as well! After leaving Raleigh Monday afternoon I decided to cut my 8 hour drive in half and spend the night with my Aunt & Uncle. Yes, I had just seen them a month before for Labor Day, but with so many people around it wasn't much quality time. I'm so thankful for my Aunt Lori and the positive and encouraging voice she is in my life. Aside from my mom, she's the most generous hostess and best cook I know.

Tuesday morning I drove up to Beckley to meet up with my cousin Rach. I was so excited to see her house, which she and the hubs have completely renovated on their own! It looks great, I feel like she's such a grown up! I also met her crazy, but very loving dogs. We braved the foggy, cold, drizzly morning and grabbed some coffee and warm treats at Bake. These last few years life has just been so busy and it's been so nice to be able to spend some quality time together and make some memories in our adult years.

As I was making my way back to OH I stopped for lunch in Huntington to visit a college friend. It's always good to see Joe, and I'm gonna need his country influence in my life so I don't get lost in the city life. I was really blessed this weekend by my conversation with him, and also with Matt coming home from camping, just talking about how to live life as a single, Christian adult and the unknowns of our careers and future relationships. I have some great girlfriends, but every once in awhile it's nice to hear a guy's perspective and encourage one another. I'm at this weird place in life where I am wanting to be in a relationship but don't know how to go about starting one or fitting one into my traveling lifestyle. It's just weird, and I probably shouldn't publicly be sharing this but you know me, I'm pretty much an open book and am guilty of over-sharing, so let's move on...

I was home in OH by dinner time and feasted on grilled steak and veggies, cheesy potatoes, biscuits with homemade peach jam....it was so good. My parents really do spoil me when I come home! I spent Wednesday putting the final touches on my packing, went to bed, and woke up all too early at 4 am Thursday for the big move to NYC!

Stay posted for the beginning of NY living!

Carolina on my mind

I can't believe it's been 9 months since I'd last visited Raleigh! Seriously, where did the time go? Not only did I want to go visit Raleigh, but my car tags had expired so I HAD to go and get my annual car inspection. On Thursday I left OH and drove to Burlington to have dinner with the Williams family. Mike and Amy were such influential people in my life while I lived in Raleigh and I'm so thankful for Mike's Biblical nurturing through our Sunday School class and for Amy's accountability and comfortable friendship. The fact that they have one of the smartest and most adorable little boys that I've ever met just tops off how much I like them. They were so kind to let me join them for dinner and fill me in on their new life post Raleigh and pre-baby #2. It was so great to hear how Mike's new church is growing, and to listen to Amy's excitement about their little girl as Luke played UPS man and delivered multiple packages for the baby. It was a great evening together. I left shortly before Luke's bedtime and made a surprise visit to Duke. Fortunately there were several people that I still know who were working and it was fun to take them some of the chocolate and pumpkin whoopie pies I had made. After saying my goodbyes, and feeling so confirmed about leaving there when I did, I made my way to my friend's house and crashed on their couch for the next few nights.

Friday started off with breakfast with Lara and BK before they left for the mountains, then a car inspection (which didn't take very long at all), a quick run home to renew my tags online, then out to lunch with Amy to get my chicken salad fix at Edward's Mill Bar & Grill. Just when I couldn't think about any more food my friend Annie called me back so I met her for some Caribou coffee. It was really great to see her and hear about her engagement and plans post CRNA school. After getting caught in a thunderstorm I ran back to my friend's house and then we headed out to dinner then back to the house for a low key night of the Office, Parks & Rec, and random Youtube videos about "Batmanning" as seen here:

and then an ultimate, make at home, adventure for a hot sunny day...

Saturday morning came and that meant CAMPING! If you'll recall a previous post from my Cali days I am not a camper, so agreeing to camping on the beach (another first) was a big step for me. It also means that I have some great friends and will go wherever and do whatever I need to in order to spend time with them. It really was a great time with some great people. After a fun ride in the "single girl car" to the beach we grabbed some Cookout (thanks ya'll for fulfilling my craving) before picking out our campsite.

At Cookout, there are about a million milkshake combos, and
in case your meat entree wasn't enough protein for you
then you can also order corndogs, chix quesadilla, or
a bacon or chix wrap instead of the hushpuppies,
fries or onion rings. The options are endless.

Setting up the campsite was lots of fun, and while I've only set up a tent once I think I did pretty well with it the second time around. A few of us went for a long walk on the beach, dodging fishing lines, gathering seashells, and rescuing starfish. After everyone from our group had arrived, we made our way into town to grab some local seafood at Fish Bites. There were about 12 of us and we were a little overwhelming for this small joint, but it didn't matter to us as the food was good and conversation was lively. All too soon it was time to go back to Carolina Beach and really begin the camping experience! Like any good camping trip, we had a bonfire and made s'mores. I tried my best to stay a safe distance from the smoke as my eyes are really sensitive and I was trying to avoid puffy eyes the next morning to accompany my bed head and salty skin. I know, I can paint a really lovely picture. Around 11 we made our last trek to the port-a-potties and headed to bed. I'm a pillow top, warm and snuggly kind of sleeper so the rock hard sand combined with non-windproof tent in 40 degree weather wasn't exactly ideal sleeping weather for me. I maybe clocked 3-4 hours tops. Sunday morning finally came and with it the rude awakening from the park ranger that we had about 30 minutes to get off the beach or we'll be ticketed. While Mel and Meg threw together some scrambled eggs and bacon the rest of us tore down the tents and loaded up our gear. It was fun, we all were fed, and even got off the beach before getting ticketed! 

We made a few pit stops and I especially appreciated the one at Port City Java, the caffeine made me feel human again. Next stop was the aquarium in Fort Fisher and I have to say, I was pretty impressed. It's been years since I've been to one and it was bigger than I expected. Check out these pics:

Total tourists!  

Thanks ya'll for such a great camping experience!

After a picnic lunch we packed up, and divided up for our ride back to Raleigh. After spending 60+ hours alone in my car I really enjoyed the company of Meg, Mel, & Jonlynne on the way to the beach and then riding home with Matt. Conversation was great for both, but Matt's car ride had the added bonus of a sing-a-long! Our playlist included Foster the People, Steve Green (not kidding), and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors. 

After showering (is that why people camp? because showering feels 10x's better afterward?) I met up with Val for a late night tea. It was so great to see her new digs downtown. It had such charm and kitch decor and made me crave a home like that. After some much needed girl talk, I headed home, had a lil' heart to heart with Mel, and then slept so well after my sleep deprived camping experience! 

Monday morning I packed up, ran a few errands, had coffee with Cassie, then lunch with Lori at Nofo (I'd always wanted to go there) where we dined on spinach burgers (yes, a patty of perfectly seasoned spinach) topped off with goat cheese. It was so good to see both of these ladies. Cass is always such a sweet and sensitive spiritual encouragement, while Lori is outrageous and scarily synced to what I think and feel. Lori had just had the most surreal NYC experience and hearing about it made me 10x's more excited to be there!