October Update

What am I doing on this sunny, cool October morning, you ask? Well, right now I'm enjoying some tasty hazelnut/french vanilla coffee and updating my blog. This morning I got up and fixed open face egg sandwiches with spinach, tomato and avocado and a side of turkey bacon...YUM-MY! Lon left for a day of editing commercial shoots and I have a day of yoga, studying and whatever-else-comes-up ahead of me. It's 62 and gorgeous right now...our high might reach 80 today. Have I mentioned how much I love, love, LOVE fall??? Now I have. :)

Test 2 is down and boy, was it a doozie! It was all GI (gastrointestinal) and you wouldn't believe how much crap (ha, ha) goes on between the blow hole and the poop shoot! I passed, but with my lowest score yet...an 80. I'm making myself be happy with it, too...not everyone passed and it has the notoriety of being one of the more difficult exams. We'll see...still have two cardiac tests and one on endocrine/DM/trach care before the comprehensive final. BUT there is light at the end of this long, dark tunnel...the FINAL final (last test at Chatt State) is now LESS than 6 short months away!!! Woo Hoo!!!! That means the NCLEX should be in about 8 months (we have to wait for them to get our transcripts and contact us with approval to test, THEN we can schedule to take the exam.) Whew! I can not even describe to you how sick of studying I am. I am trying my hardest to keep my eyes on the prize. It is worth it, I know. This is the first step towards our big dream and I'm so excited to be so close to having one thing done and being that much closer.

Yesterday we received our first copy of betterRving.com magazine in the mail. It's a free publication from one of the larger RV supercenters (sales, repair, camping, classes, etc.) located in Tampa, FL. Eyes on the prize, right? We have visions of new territories to explore, good friends to visit, freedom, road trips, bike rides down forest paths, through 'tree tunnels', alongside brooks, streams and lakes, playing cards underneath a blanket of stars, trying new foods and new activities, meeting new people, learning a ton and enjoying every minute and what it has to offer. Ready to join us yet? I know this lifestyle isn't for everyone, but it sure does seem custom made for the two of us. So all of you out there...be prepared. We might just show up to say Hi, but don't worry...we'll bring our own bedroom. :)

Got the itch again!

No, not that kind of itch!!!! The open-road-itch. We've been doing a little too much 'research' on RV's, travel, RV parks, cities on our radar, (cooler) weather elsewhere, etc. Too much heat and humidity here. Butterflies about starting school after a 4-month break. The 'Bible Belt' has run its course with us...

Don't worry...we're not moving again...yet. Still have one more year in school (and on the lease). Then a year or two of working for experience. But after that...we're mobile! We still adore our cute little town of Chattanooga. And once the weather cools off a bit and we're able to enjoy the out-of-doors again, the 'itch' will settle down. But cabin fever, record high temps with no current end in sight, and stress about working less and studying more...well, they can get a girl ready to start fresh.

Enough of that...time to get ready for work. Oh! I did do something this weekend very unlike me...I finished a school project early! It's due sometime mid to late semester and I finished it yesterday...woo hoo! One less stress.
Happy Monday!

Summer colds suck!

Yep...I've been fighting one head on for almost a week now. Hate these things. Stuffy head. Mouth-breathing at night = waking up with a sore throat and gross, fuzzy mouth. Disgusting. Need to buy some more generic Nyquil. The Dayquil version is the only thing that got me through one of the craziest days I've had at work yet (yesterday). NEVER a dull moment. Guess that's a good thing. Keeps me on my toes.

Learned something new yesterday (as usual). Ever heard of dementia? Sure you have. Ever heard of Lewy Body Dementia? Neither had I. Here's a great link with all kinds of info. Scary stuff (the brain changing/dying on you), but always good info to know. Will be working with the Alzheimer's Association this summer for a school project. Should be eye-opening...I know it will be heart-wrenching. If you know someone who is dealing with this debilitating disease, here is another link you might appreciate.

Never stop learning. That's my goal. Right now I'm learning the basics of nursing. Once I graduate, I'll learn how to be a good nurse. Then, as I'm honing that skill (for the rest of my career), we'll start traveling and I'll learn how to live in, hook up, tear down and care for an RV. I'll learn how to hoop dance. Learn things I've never thought of from people I haven't yet met. Learn how to live in a home where the entire country/continent is my backyard. Maybe I'll learn the location we want to call home, maybe that will continue to change. Guess I'll find out. I'll learn how other people live, work and play. I'll learn more about myself. And being the perpetual tourists we are, we'll learn about our country, its states, towns, people, historical places, natural wonders, our neighbors (CA/MX) and whatever else comes down the pike.

New Sites

As you can see I have been posting some new Fave Sites. The Gladheims is my good friend Jenny's blog (from back in my Navy days.) It's a private blog about her family, but believe me, her kids are adorable! Thanks for the invite, Jen!!! :)

Happy Janssens and The Happy Hoop are two new links Lon found for me. This energetic and adventurous family has been on the road full time for several years now and they are doing some super cool stuff. Sara (mom/wife/blogger) is also into hooping, which I had never heard of. It looks like fun and if you visit YouTube.com, you can see some mesmerizing videos...imagine hula hoop meets yoga meets funky music meets VERY limber and talented people. Thought of another good friend, Jennifer Prince, when I saw this! :) Got my hoop out as soon as I saw the site...now, if I can just keep from damaging anything...

The NuRVers is a group of 'younger' (meaning: not of retirement age) full time RVers making their living on the road or just taking a break from the rat race for a bit. Their rallies sound like a blast!

So good to hear that so many people are seeing this as a viable option for a lifestyle. Can't wait to try it out ourselves...Must be patient...three years can go by really fast, but it seems like a long time when you're at the beginning.

Goodbye Facebook!

Well, my rollercoaster relationship with the infamous Facebook is coming to an end. It's been fun at times, got back in touch with some 'blasts from the past,' wasted WAY too many hours on a myriad of mindless, but enjoyable games, and learned how many people are out there that I have absolutely NOTHING in common with (other than a school or a bloodline). Needless to say, FB has run its course with me. All done. I'll be deleting that account this weekend. After that I should have more time to blog. Which I really enjoy...especially with a glass of wine or a pint of IPA in hand. Oh yeah, and I'll have more time for studying, too...guess I should be working on that now. Need to review the last year in anticipation for a crazy 3rd semester.

The summer so far...let's see...Mary (my MIL) came to visit us for a little over a week. It was a whirlwind vaca for all of us, but so much fun! We introduced her to our fave places around Chattanooga, played some super fun Buzz Quiz (PS3) and card games (Oh Shit is still the best!), had some good food and tasty adult beverages (of course). Oh! And we introduced her to our all-time favorite live entertainer, Eddie Pontiac! She was instantly smitten...and didn't want to leave El Meson. She and I sang and swayed to every song. (Lon just watched and laughed at us.) She had so much fun we went back the next weekend so she could enjoy his music and antics one more time before she left. Love her! Can't wait til her next visit (hint, hint Mary...October is great down here...)

Been working quite a bit since she left for MI. Time to start organizing last year's notes and start prepping for next year. If all goes as it should, this time next year I'll be a practicing, licensed RN. Crazy, huh? Then only two years til we can start traveling. We have been doing a bunch of research on travel nursing and full time RV living. We're having a hard time finding blogs or forums with truly negative feedback about either of these. Sounds absolutely PERFECT for us! So...that's our three-year plan. For now. Life is funny and has a way of changing plans for you...we'll see. Either way, hopefully in three years I'll be blogging from the open road and a new locale every few months.

Guess that's it for now...plan to update at least a few times a month, but you know what happens to plans...
'So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it.' - WW