Vegas groove

Things are moving along here in Vegas.  I started my new job on 10 June which was almost a month later than when I was suppose to.  There was a big hick up and I was told there was a 50% chance that I wouldn't have a job but things moved forward and I was able to start!  

Most of work is focused on computer based training and shadowing others for now.  I won't be able to start seeing patients until I complete training in Walter Reed where I'm suppose to go in a couple of weeks.  I've been waiting on my contract company to approve the travel so I can get tickets for everything.  I hate waiting on other people, I hope it all goes smoothly!  So far it seems that I will be working with a good group of people.  It's a different type of work, being incorporated into primary care but the hope is to mitigate problems before they escalate to the level of needing specialty mental health.
We're moved into our condo and it's a nice place.  It's a quiet area, decent pool, and away from all the Vegas madness.  Still getting use to the heat.  It's amazing how draining it is.  The temps were in the 80's so we forced ourselves to go out and about the other weekend.  It's funny that we are seeing 80 degree weather as "cooling down" but after it being 100 and above it felt so nice!

Before I got this job, we had Alaska vacation plans with Joe's nephew and his friend.  When I accepted the job it was cleared that I would have a week off without pay due to these plans that were already made.  We had a great time in Alaska doing tourist stuff although it was the hottest week ever in Alaska while we were there!  They were also battling multiple forest fires.  They tend to let the fires do what they need to but it's still sad to see all that is being burned.
We did some major Alaska "must do's": fishing, bear viewing, saw moose, bald eagles, and flew over a glacier!  It was amazing to be back soon after moving away.  It was so laid back and relaxing compared to the traffic business of Vegas.  It was a wonderful vacation!

Now that we are back in Vegas we have to get our Vegas groove on.  We are going to focus on exercising, eating right, and get back to saving money! 

Next adventure bound

A lot has happened since I last wrote...more traveling that I wrote about (I need to get better at this).
The 3rd September was our last full day in Panama City Beach, FL.  It has been our home for the past two years but we are ready to go and an opportunity presented itself!
We are on the road to Anchorage Alaska!  I got a job at the VA Hospital there and Joe will find a job once we get there, he is still on terminal leave so he's getting paid to move!  We are going to take about 3-4 weeks to get there.

We have been staying with friends and in AirBnB's which have been amazing.  We got one in Panama City Beach that was two blocks away from the beach!  It was chill and relaxing, a good way to leave the area before Irma made her presence known.

Our first stop after leaving Florida was Wynne AR where Joe's family is.  It's the farmland of Arkansas, similar to where my grandparents are.  We spent a full day there and two nights.  It was a good visit, and even Joe was surprised how well everything went.  His family is lively and some are chatty, there is always some drama and we were caught up on that!  One thing that we laughed about was the day to day living and how it goes when visiting family in the country.  We drive a lot, because nothing is near anything, sit, eat, visit, drive some more, sit, visit, eat, and repeat!

After AR we were off to Amarillo TX.  We again lucked out with an AMAZING AirBnb!  We got there early enough to do some touristy stuff and checked out Cadillac Ranch before having wine and Joe a cigar at our little cottage!  We also found a local eatery that was great!  We do very well at avoiding chain places as much as possible!

With all our sitting and eating I'm going to need to start a hard core exercise routine once we get settled in Alaska!
After Amarillio we were off to the Denver CO area.  
On the way to Denver we stopped at a random deli in Pueblo CO.  It was a legit Italian deli, Gagliano's Italian Market and Deli, it has been a family business since 1921!  We got a couple of amazing sandwiches, found a little lake, put Tux in his carrier and had a leisure lunch by the water!
Once we got to Denver we stayed with a friend of mine from my time in the Utah Guard.  They opened up their basement to Joe, Tux, and I.  We had some awesome dinners in the local area.  It was here that I realized I was not use to the dry weather like I was once before.  It's taking me some time getting use to the dry air.  
One of the reason for staying in Colorado for a couple of days was to check out the 4 Wheel Campers who had a dealer in the area.  We went and checked them out but we both didn't have a love connection.  We are the beginning parts of our research of them but it was good to get eyes on and physically get in one instead of just looking at them online.  
I had applied for jobs in that area of Colorado and Joe mentioned that he was glad that I didn't get that job, which I agreed with.  We like the area but maybe not the best fit for us, living wise.  
The next stop is Salt Lake City, UT.  The first few nights we had another AirBnB before moving in with my Aunt for the rest of the week.

Birthday Month!

It seems like I'm posting after an adventure and we are having more and more of them :P  Last post was the beginning of July and here I am at the end of August.  I turned 40 this month and Joe turned 41!  He had a TDY to Atlantic City so I flew up there and had a long weekend checking out another new place.  Bonus was that I didn't even have to pay for the plane ticket!  It was a free trip with my credit card rewards....Happy Birthday to me!  
Even though we are always out and about we also have fun here in PCB.  There are days where we just need to get out of our apartment and enjoy the local places and music.  One of our regulars is Buster's Beer and Bait, and yes Buster has both of those things!  He has great outside seating and regular live bands!  

What's not to like :)  On weekends we will go for bike rides, out to a breakfast spot and then wherever we end up riding!  I'm all about exercising that doesn't feel like exercise! 

We enjoyed Atlantic City but we were also sadden by how run down it was.  It still had it's charm but we could see how amazing it use to be.  Talking to a local barista he said it's due to casinos being everywhere nowadays and not just Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City...and of course politics :(  I got there early afternoon and once we checked in we did a walk around and figured out a show to see.  Ended up seeing a very good burlesque show after some tapas.  The next day it was a pool day and we scored a cabana platform (which is normal $75) for free!  Nothing like laying around a rooftop pool on couches drinking mojitos!  We walked the boardwalk that night, stopping where ever for drinks, hookah, food.... and good people watching!  

Second time doing hookah!  First time was in Baltimore with my girl Natalie!  This time we sat on the boardwalk, had drinks, and watched the city go by!

Had to have a little fun!  

Happy birthday people!

Before flying out we did a quick visit of Philly, a city we want to go back and explore further!  

It's always hard to come back into adulthood and our jobs :( but again... we make the most of being here. This past weekend we finally got out and did some stand up paddle boarding!  It was fun and relaxing!  We'll be doing it again for sure! 

 In 20 days we'll be checking in for our Ireland/Scotland trip!  Work is just a means to fuel our adventures! Loving my life!

Garden City Love

We took a few days off and drove up to Savannah.  Joe has been there before and wanted me to see it thinking that I'd love it and he was right!  The history, the Spanish moss, and just walking around looking at everything was awesome.  We went in the middle of the week so it wasn't crazy busy and the weather was almost perfect!
We stayed in an historic house, well... we stayed in the carriage house so we had our own little place :) It was off of a main road and it was perfect for the two of us!  We got there before we could check in so we just parked at started walking.  We were about 4 blocks away from the river...so much to see!  All the old houses, the gardens here and there.... words cannot capture the beauty of that city!

us walking around checking out everything!

After we spent time walking around, checking out some pubs, we were able to check in.  Joe was trying for a bed and breakfast but this was not like that, it was like we were renting out our own little apartment!

the headboard, our house number was 109

Once we got unpacked and situated and I put on some warmer clothing we were off again.  The joys about these cities is the random happy people you meet.  We stopped at a pub that was right around the corner from our place and a girl next to us, from the UK, was talking to another man getting some traveling tips.  Once the guy left we began talking to her.  She's in her early 20's and decided to save her money, sell everything, and go traveling around!  Awesome!  We found it funny that she'd never been to Ireland because it's "too expensive".  We had a good chat and we were off doing a thing I started "apps and drinks" :P  We stop at places, sit at the bar, get an appetizer and a drink, enjoy some chit chat and then we go off to another place!  After few places it turns into just drinks but it's a good way to extend the visit and make sure one didn't get too toasted along the way.  Oh Savannah is an open carry city.  I got drinks "to go" and in the doorway of every place is a stack of plastic cups!  The city is beautiful and to walk around drinking.... it's like walking around with a drink in a museum!  

We didn't realize how many movies are made in the area until the next day when we did a trolley tour of the town.  We knew about some of the big ones but it was good to hear about others.  That pub next to our place, we stopped in at least twice, was from "Something to talk about"!  "There is Forest Gump" and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".  We found the bench area where Gump was chillin and the tower where the feather floated down, and the house where the killing took place from "midnight...".  Once we got home we watched "Midnight...." We are still working through Savannah movies :P

Outside of Six Pence pub

We walked around and took pictures and just enjoyed the city.  

crossing the street.... so much green and beauty everywhere

We had a good time, listened to some music and just walked everywhere!  

this was an awesome pet store :( went through it and thought of Sami...had a chuckle with their signs though!

Not sure what city we have our sights on next but either way we'll have fun exploring!

Hello 2016!

this was in the bathroom....good words to live by for 2016!

What a year 2015 was and as sad I was to close that chapter, I'm excited looking forward to 2016!  Joe and I took a quick trip over to St Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S. to ring in the new year.  We took Sami girl with us because I wasn't comfortable boarding her with how she has been doing.  She is such a good traveler but I can tell she's a fan of her routine now that she is getting older.  She was good on the trip but was not completely herself :( but she is still plugging right along.

Ms. Sami, professional road tripper

St Augustine was a fun little city.  We stayed visited mostly the old historic part of town, with the cobble stone streets.  We drove down on New Year's Eve and once we got settled we found an Irish pub/restaurant on the river bank, had some drinks and some good food before moving along.

We walked around and ended up in a small little bar with sangria and old Charlie Brown the keyboardist playing songs non stop.  Charlie was in the front by their big window and watching people walk past, stop and have some fun, do a little dance on the street before moving on was awesome.  Joe and I cut a rug off and on, enjoyed the good vibes, fun people, and good drinks.  When 2016 hit we shared a traditional New Year's smooch and cheered with our other bar friends!  We left there and ended up in another little bar for a couple of more drinks before heading back our hotel.

Needless to say we were hurting a little the next day but we went back to the historic district and walked around.  A lot of fun little restaurants, bars, and stores to explore. Very beautiful area!

There had been a lot of changes this past year.  My parents divorced and I'm not sure when I'll see my Mom again...she's planning on moving to Hawaii as soon as possible.  I want the best for my parents but it is a tad weird and I'm trying to be supportive to both of them as they move forward with their lives.  I've had two major moves (from UT to NC to FL), graduated with my MSW, retired from the AF..... A LOT of things happened this year and for 2016... we are planning a big European vacation around September/October :D  So that's going to be fun!  

I'm slowly working toward my LCSW.... we are getting beach cruisers soon so we can ride to the beach when it gets crazy here and we don't want to drive, plus we have some places nearby that we can ride to for breakfast or dinner!  There are so many ways we are moving forward with what we value in our lives... we are happy and excited!

Highs and Lows

We have made it through Thanksgiving!  Actually Thanksgiving was very nice.  I had to work but keeping in mind that my clients are stuck on a unit and had limited time with their families (if they came for a visit). It was a good day. Our staff all brought in traditional foods and we broke bread with our clients, it was nice....reminded me of how things would be at a deployed location.  Granted, after we ate I had to do therapy with my clients.  They seemed to appreciate it and they had football games to watch so lunch didn't last too long.  The next day Joe and I headed over to New Orleans. Neither one of us has been there before and it's only about 5 hours away!  Nothing like a nice mini vaca :)

Joe found a historic hotel for us to stay at, French Market Inn cir. 1833.  It was just at the edge of the French Market.  On a hour carriage tour we heard that 90% of the buildings in the French Market had courtyards and our hotel had a beautiful one!  It was amazing how quiet it was being in the courtyard and when we stepped out front of our hotel, all the people and noise....

We dropped off our stuff but couldn't valet our car for a few more hours, so we hit the streets.  Stopped in an Irish bar and had an irish coffee to toast our little vaca.

After a quick walk a bout we stashed the car and got ready to really enjoy the French Quarter.  We stopped at a place for dinner, expecting a wait BUT we walked right in AND scored a balcony table overlooking the street.  During our dinner there were street performers on the corner playing wonderful music!

After dinner we walked around and found a little bar, with an awesome courtyard and wasn't uber crowded, off of Bourbon street that was recommended by our waitress.  One thing about NOLA is that the drinks are very stiff!  After our one drink we walked around, got some drinks and walked up and down Bourbon street (it had to be done).  When Joe bought some cigars the bouncer offered him some fine coke :P  We stayed out till about 1am and by that time Bourbon street had become a mass of people, we hit up our off the main street bar for a nightcap and called it a night before things got too crazy.  

                                      

The next day we got up kinda early and it was wonderful, watching the city wake up.  We walked down to Cafe Du Monde and got coffee and beignets, sat on the steps across from Jackson Square and watched the city!

                             

We walked around, ate good food, enjoyed the street music and performers before wandering back for a nap.  Night two we left the French Quarter and walked over to a more "local" spot where each place had it's own music....jazz, blues....all amazing!  At dinner we ended up having a good laugh with some ladies at the table next to us!  One thing about NOLA is that people are friendly and happy... one can't enjoy themselves.  We had somewhat of a early night due to having to drive home the next day.

We got up early again and got our coffee, sat on the steps...again a beautiful morning.  We took a horse carriage ride through the French Quarter and to St Louis Cemetery #1 (you have to go in with a guide now due to people messing with the tombs).

After that wonderful tour, our guide was born in the French Quarter so he had a lot of good stories and info, we had to check out and head out.  We drove around the Garden District to check it out and walked through Lafayette Cemetery (no guide needed).  Then it was back to reality and being adults :( ugh

We will be going back!  We both loved NOLA, the people, the vitality, and the food!  Goodness....the food was amazing!

So that trip was definitely a high :)

While we were gone we took Sami to boarding and when we picked her up, her DM has progressed.  I think it was a combo of her being over stimulated and more activity than usual but after a few days of rest it's gotten bad.  She's struggling but she can still get up after some work and her walks are a lot shorter.  My heart breaks whenever I walk her now :(  I have another appointment made for her in another week and we'll talk about options.  I've cried so much for her but I am also appreciating our time with her, she's getting extra treats :P  We are having a new "normal" with her. There are times where I feel that she is depressed and her vibe saddens me, it's like she's confused as to why her body isn't working like it should...her back legs are failing her.  I feel useless at times, I don't know what to do...how far I'll allow her to progress before I call it.  Her spirit is still there, at times, but other times :(  We will see how things go...but I don't think I'll be boarding her again.  I told my friend Amanda about Sami and she told me "I know you will be faced with some very hard decisions soon, but Sami has been loved to the moon and back in her precious little life."  I need to keep thoughts like close to my heart!

From the Gulf of Mexico to the Blue Ridge Mountains!

No rest for us!  I had a telephone interview a couple of weeks ago for a job in Panama City and they wanted me to come meet the team and see the facilities.  I got free time to spare so why not!  Joe was able to take the whole week off, he was taking Thursday and Friday off for our own little get away so it worked out well.

Darien, GA

It's about a 10 hr drive :(  We stopped in a cute little town in GA and then had lunch at a fun place in Tallahassee, FL.  We got to PC early evening so we could scope out some apartments that we wanted to look at after my job interviews.  I ended up having two!  Another place called me to set up an interview that day so I had a day packed and it was Joe's birthday!  He got to play interview chauffeur and scope out the area while I was getting questioned :P

First interview went o.k.  It was to be a Child Protective Investigator.  It is a state job and I would be investigating reports of child abuse.  I would have to pull call off and on, and drive up to 2 hours away.  One place in the region I would have to take a ferry to get to!  It would be a very taxing and mentally stressful job.  It would not be a boring job that is for sure!  One of the questions I asked was about how they support their workers to avoid burn out, they did report a heavy turn over rate and their "seasoned" person had been there 3 years!  I was told by one of the supervisors that they highly recommend that their workers take a week off ever couple of months for a reset and to "catch up on paperwork".  Ummm not a good selling point to me!  Knowing how I am in the work environment, I would work myself to the bone to do the best I could do!  Additionally, this job would not get me towards my LCSW which I want to get.  I would have to take additional work to get my therapy hours :(  I researched the pay average for MSWs in FL (they are lower than the national average) and the range is from $21-$31/hr, this job was $20 and some change :(.  They wanted me to come back after my other interview for the background check portion but....

Next interview was the follow up.  It's working with active duty and retired military in an in-patient setting...mainly PTSD and substance abuse.  The population I want to work with and it's therapy focused!  Only downside is that it's an PRN so it depends on the patient load how many days/hours I will get.  I was told during the interview at a minimum it would be 2-3 days.  This work environment would be a perfect fit for me for it's population and it's workers.  I spent a few hours there.  I sat through one of their team meetings where they staff clients and I got a good feel for how they operate.  I talked to some of the other MSWs and also the nursing staff and everyone enjoys the clientele and the work environment!  I walked away with a job offer for $23/hr :D  WOOT!  I start orientation on 5 October.  That gives us a couple of weeks to get settled in FL!  

After that interview we had a light snack, I changed, and we started apartment shopping. We had Joe's bday dinner on the water and it was wonderful and we were both in awe that this was going to be our new home!  Tuesday morning we checked out another apartment and then headed back to N.C. 

first FL sunset!

We took Wednesday as a reset day and then Thursday heading to the mountains of N.C.  Beautiful area and we both loved the city of Asheville!  It didn't feel like we were in N.C.!  The Biltmore is amazing and I recommend that to anyone in the area!  I'm fascinated with the Vanderbilts now!  

Biltmore

it use to be a dairy, holding 40 dairy cows...now it's a winery and we sure did enjoy the wine tasting!

Saturday we headed home and stopped at Chimney Rock.  The elevator was broken so we got an entrance discount since we had to climb 499 stairs to get to the top!  But it was worth it!

Chimney Rock

We have a garage sale to get ready for this weekend and then a short trip to Charleston for Labor Day Weekend!  Then the weekend of the 11th we are off to the Outer Banks and then we MOVE!  

It's a rainy day, the furkids are lazy and I need to get motivated! ugh  I need to sort through stuff to get rid of.  I kept some "winter" stuff because it does get chilly here in N.C. but now.... I  have to downsize even more!  Plus I have my work starting paperwork to fill out and send back to my new job!!!!!  Time for some income!  

Life is crazy, wonderful, and I plan to live it to the fullest!

A pirate looks at 40

Well, I'm not a pirate and I'm not turning 40....but I'm just about there.  I will be turning 39 in a manner of weeks and whoa what a ride it's been thus far.  I've moved more times that I care to count and by the end of September I'll have another move tallied up!  I can't believe it, I'm already hunting for apartments and there is so much to do AGAIN! We want to downsize even more with this move so I need to start going through my stuff again.  I did keep some cold weather stuff/clothing which I can downsize :D  Yeah for Florida, no winter weather!  We have our must see NC items scheduled.  
I just returned from visiting a friend up near Boston and had a great time!  I thought when people talk of north easterners they embellish the "wicked" and other words.  They don't!  It is beautiful up there, all the towns but I would hate to live up there in the winter :(  We checked out Salem and some other historical areas.  My Mom lived up there as a little girl so it was nice to see some of the area.  We bought fresh lobster off the boat one day!  My first lobster eating experience!  I've avoided having lobster in restaurants, mainly because if I'm going out to eat I don't want to work that hard to get to my food!  So buying it off of the fisherman, then taking it back for some home cooking, and eating it outside with great people... it was worth the wait!  I was gone about 6 days and I was so happy to come back home!  
We have a somewhat chill weekend coming up then I'm heading to the Baltimore area to visit a friend there just for a long weekend.  I need to get all this visiting in now before I get a job! *fingers crossed* that the job happens soon after we get to FL.  I applied for a hospital social worker position this week and that would be great if I got that job!  
My life has never felt more surreal to me before!  Even living in different countries I've had moments of "wow, is this really happening to me" but it's not been constant. The compatibility that I have with Joe amazes me, the ease of our relationship is something I've always wanted but never lasted.  It's the little things.... Yesterday I texted Joe about dinner, asked about pork chops (I found a recipe) and he stated he wanted to grill them so I looked for some sides to go with.  He invited his friend John over (John's girl had other plans) and we were just going to hang out.  Joe gets home, seasons the chops, I get working on the homemade mac and cheese with Joe's assistance.  John shows up and he "monitors" Joe's grilling and I finish up with the mac and cheese, and broccoli.  We timed things wonderfully and it all finishes about the same time.  We sit down and the food was wonderful, conversation is easy...after dinner we did a quick clean up and move out to the porch.  The guys light up their cigars and I have a glass of wine.  Easy, comfortable, good times!  It starts to rain and we start to relocate to the garage, I tell Joe I'm going to go inside (I'm engaged in this book and I'm almost done) plus the guys were talking shop and well...I had enough of that.  No hard feeling and it was easy going. After John left Joe said they had some good conversations on relationships and other things, so I'm glad that I stepped away and they could have those conversations.  
A wonderful evening!  So comfortable, everyone was in a good mood, and the vibe was relaxed and comfortable!  
I am really blessed!

Flight booked!

Moving out to the east coast I found out that I have a good handful of female friends out here and they were excited for me to in the area so we could meet up and visit.  Some of these "visits" have fell through for one reason or another.  People have their lives and they get busy, I understand that... 

When I first moved back to Utah in 2010 I had the great opportunity to volunteer with Made By Survivors in India for two weeks.  I flew out to India on my own, not knowing who'd I meet or who my roommate will be while there.  I lucked out and got the best roommate ever, Coleen.  We had a great time together and enjoyed our time in India.  We talked about meeting up but she lives on the east coast and I haven't spent a lot of time out here since 2010 ;)  Well, I shot her a message and this morning I just booked my flight to hang out with her for about 4 days!  I've never been up around Boston so I'm looking forward to being with her and checking out a new place!

Randomness of the Fourth

Joe and I are both victims of wanderlust.  We didn't have set plans for the holiday weekend, we had a vague idea of where we were going to go.  Our only major obstacle was finding a sitter for Sami.  All the "boarding" spots in the area were booked :(  On Thursday Joe literally went out of his office and asked is there anyone with older kids, anything/anyone, that dog sits?!  A coworker has a 20 year old daughter that does and we were good to go!  I met with Lexi on Friday evening before we headed out to a promotion party for a new Chief.  The original plan was to drop Sami off Saturday morning before heading out but Lexi brought up just taking her Friday night!  I was nervous, which is normal leaving Sami with someone new but I felt o.k. with Lexi and off Sami went.  Lexi texted me this cute picture of Sami Saturday morning and it made me feel even better!

Our vague plan was to head to Richmond VA and then head down to Williamsburg VA.  Richmond was pretty much like a ghost town.  We had lunch downtown and due to the holiday it was quiet.  After a wonderful lunch we walked around and checked out the capital.  It was nice to almost having the city to ourselves!

Capital Ale House

VA Capital

this was on the capitol lawn....we need to go back and check out the Poe museum they have in town!

happy and blessed travelers!

After walking around downtown we headed to a smaller area of town called Cary.  It's older, had cute apartments and houses and streets of local indie type stores.  We were craving a nice little gellato store but no luck :(  Actually walking around all weekend we didn't see any gellato :(  I'm guessing it's not a big VA thing! ugh  After that we decided to head down to Williamsburg.  The thought was to head down there and get a hotel in that area.  Williamsburg was packed up, it's a very patriotic area and I'm not surprised that it was packed for the holiday weekend.  We walked around a little bit, got some ice cream and since we both weren't feeling the area we heading down to Hampton VA.  It was weird to be back there a little bit.  That's where I graduated high school...in that area.  We found a hotel and then found a seafood restaurant on the water.  The food was terrible but the view and the company was perfect!  The food was so bad I gave a bad review on yelp :(

my love!

On Sunday we headed out early and looking at our route we found a town on the water and checked it out via the Internet and it sounded like a good place to stop for lunch.  Edenton NC has a charming downtown and tons of historical houses.  We enjoyed the waterfront area and in the visitors center heard a little bit more of the town.  Apparently around 50 women got together and did their own tea party revolt, they didn't even disguise themselves!  Unfortunately people laughed at them due to them being women but it's cool to hear about rebellious women back in the day!  We took an old school trolley tour and saw all the cool old  houses, some were built in the mid 1700s!  Beautiful town!

my first NC lighthouse!-the Roanoke Lighthouse

After our trolley tour it was lunch time.  I found a place in my searching but when we drove by neither one of us felt like stopping there.  We went back to the historic downtown and walked into a store with a sign outside promoting cold beer and wine, along with a cool patio!  We talked with the owner for a few minutes and he had some cheese but that was it so he recommended a sandwich place for lunch and said we could bring our food back to the patio AND he had homemade sangria :D We were sold!  We got our freshly made sandwiches and went back to a patio to ourselves and cold refreshing beverages!  Great day!

patio awesomeness!