Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Here I am...


Ok..so Here I am in Phoenix Arizona. How did I get here you ask? Well....a very long car ride got me here. I started out from the Outter Banks in NC (it was great there and I already miss the beach), and headed West on I40. I was able to stop along the way and see a friend of mine in Little Rock Arkansas...but other than that, the trip was basically L O N G.....

I'm here for work. That was an event in itself! I applied for and accepted two prior positions before they both fell through for various reasons and finally got a position with the same company that I had been working with in NC.

North Carolina....let me fill you in a little bit about Atlantic Beach. It's an awesome beach with some wonderful kind locals. I frequented the local coffee shop and became somewhat of a 'local' myself. Please realize that these 'locals' are all over 60 and retired, but it was still fun to talk with them and they really gave me a feeling of community, almost like family. The beach was a lot of fun for the summer, lots of people and activity on the beach. Then I moved onto the beach Labor Day weekend....and everything got quiet... No, not because I moved there but just because it was the end of the summer season. After Labor Day, the beach became more of a ghost town....even my local coffee shop changed their hours to close at NOON!! You know me...lucky if I get out of bed before NOON on most days. So, you can imagine...how lonley and bored I was. I will miss the beach but the lifestyle is not for me. I need a little more activity in my life.

Phoenix....WOW! What a huge difference!! I drove into Phoenix from Flagstaff...which is totally different than I ever expected. Flagstaff is actually mountainous and green and reminded me more of Colorado than I would have thought of Arizona. I decended the mountain into Phoenix and it became a lot more flat, but still remained quite greener than I imagined. There are palms, and grass (greener on lawns that are watered) and the weather has been beautiful... I have been here for three days and already feel like I'm 'home'. I haven't met any of my neighbors as of yet but I have met more people in the community here so far than I met during my entire time at Atlantic Beach.

My first night here, I ventured over to the local Irish Pub (right across the street), Rosie McCafferty's. Here I met Mike, Marc and Gina...some really nice 'locals'. We talked and visited and they gave me their favorites in the area. They offered me a shot of Tequilla (I declined...ewwww). The bartender is Jay and he's a little slow on the refills but pretty nice to talk to and even nicer to look at!! ha ha My second night, I stayed at home and rested. Man, was I tired from the driving and unpacking (did I mention that I am on the third floor with NO elevator?) I could have used some help with packing all my stuff upstairs, but am really glad that I decided to change my packing from the large totes to the small 10gallon ones!! Much easier to haul upstairs!! Just a few more trips to take is all.... So, I have everything moved in (except for two cases that hold my scrapbooking stuff) and it feels like I've been here for months...except NO dust!! ha ha

On Thursday, I am going to meet with a local 'singles' group to go to a coffee shop and listen to some poetry. I think it will be interesting and something different for me. And at least I'll get to meet some more new people. On Friday, I am meeting a couple of other travel nurses for lunch. I've talked to them via email several times and it will be nice to meet them in person and share travel stories. One of them, Sharon worked at the hospital in New Albany at the same time that I was in New Albany doing home health....interesting that we never met, yet were working for the same hospital and in the same area. New Albany is home for her and considering that I lived in the area for 6 years, I'm sure we will have something to talk about.

Last night, I had dinner with a friend of a friend...Wes. He is friends with my old neighbors in Atlantic Beach. Barry and Mandy know him from Pensylvannia and forwarded him my email address when they found out that I was heading this way and didn't know anyone. Wes is a nice guy...kinda what I would call dull and geeky sortof...but we still had a good time. We went to Wally's for dinner and it was AWESOME!! Great food and great atmosphere. I let Wes talk me into having red wine....I'm usually a white drinker...and it was GREAT! I think maybe I'm converted!! ha ha

WOW...I have had more social activities in the last three days than I've had in the last three months!!! It's really nice to be in a more metropolitan area that actually has things to do for single people or people in general....think I'm going to chill and watch movies tonight.

I am waiting for my fingerprints to come back to start work at the Vetrans Hospital. Hopefully, I'll be working Monday...in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the area and scope the place out a little more. I finally broke down and bought a new digital camera....wish I had done it sooner!! So...watch out for lots of pictures to come!

Monday, November 06, 2006

bored

Wow...Three months and a complete assignment since I last posted. I'm still in Morehead City, NC right now with only two and a half weeks left on my assignment. The plan is to go to Phoenix, AZ next....

I extended my contract here with hopes of living on the beach and enjoying all that the beach has to offer.... Little did I know that after Labor Day, the beach is like a deserted Island!! There are many days when I am the only person on the beach within sight. Aco love it and has been able to run free of her leash and play in the sand and the water. She has been great! She listens a lot better now (although she still gets distracted easily).

I'm sitting at work right now and quite bored at the present time. I shouldn't complain, it's a nice break when it's quiet. I'm just looking forward to leaving here and moving into a new place with new people and new problems...yep...every place has them and I'm sure that Phoenix will not be any different than the many other places that I've been.

Trinity was here and just went home yesterday....I miss her already. She has been talking with me over the last year about living with me and we discussed it in depth during her visit. I thought that she had decided that she was moving after this school year then tonight...she called me (at work) to tell me that she thinks she is going to stay in Kendallville. I really just want her to be happy, and to make a decision. A lot will change if she chooses to come and live with me but change is good...right?

I haven't been home to visit for about two months and am not sure when I am going home again....dont really care to be there anymore. I would much rather have Trinity come to visit me although it doesn't always work out that she can and it gets rather expensive too. I dont know what it is about Kendallville but I just dont want to be there....

A lot has been happening:

Lisa and I dont talk any more...
Mom and I had a major fight....it's better now....
Mom bailed out Shane and he is living back home with Trae....
I have made a new friend 'Donna' and I think she is going to travel to Arizona with me...
I'm having second thoughts about being alone (as in 'no man in my life)....
Trinity is growing up and beginning to like 'boys'....
Corey is living in Corydon, still without a job or a drivers license....
Donnie is still in Jail and waiting to be transferred to a state facility....