Why I Like Travel Nursing

Have you ever been in a situation so deep and/or long that you couldn't see how completely it took over you life? 

That sounds bad, but it can also be a good thing.

For me, my job in Wichita, as much as I really love what I do, drained me. And I didn't even know it.

Everyday I would come home exhausted after working 13-14 hours and driving 30-40 minutes each way. It would take me 1-2 days just to recover from work, and then I would work again. Because of this cycle, I always felt tired... and I thought there was something wrong with me. 

The unit I worked on was so busy, we rarely had lunch breaks. We would just run through, shove something in our mouth, and run back out. Since starting travel nursing, I haven't missed a lunch break one. single. day. And I think I've only been at work longer that 12.5 hours a few times. These things make a huge difference!

When I get home, I can see Eli and help put him to bed. Before, on days I worked, I didn't get to see Eli at all that day. I left before he woke up and always came home after his bedtime. If I worked several days in a row (as I did every week), I wouldn't see him for two or three days. My baby. 

I see Eli every day now, and I get to talk to him and he tells me about his day. It just makes my whole day better!

Along with all this, it is less stressful at work too. I don't have any 'extra' responsibilities that I would have if I worked permanently at the hospital, and people have fewer expectations of me. I can always (honestly) say, "oh, I'm a traveler, I don't know where that is,"  and I'm not expected to always know the answer. It's also less stressful because never once have I had more patients than I felt I could take of well. 

On my days off, I get to spend time with Eli and Josh, and we are more intentional about seeing the city we are in and enjoying our time together. 

This whole thing has almost been a vacation!

The Adventure Continues...

Our time in Arizona is coming to a close, and with it, a new adventure approaches! Next stop Oklahoma City!

My next travel nurse assignment will be at OU Children's Hospital in Oklahoma City, starting April 21st. My last day here in Arizona is this Friday, April 3rd. We plan to spend Easter Sunday with family here in Mesa and head out Monday for OKC.

In the meantime, we are busy with packing this week! And since next week will probably be consumed with travel and unpacking, I thought I'd share some old videos that warm my heart. :) He is so big now and talks sooooo much more, but I just love to watch these videos and see my sweet little boy. I couldn't get it to upload here, but I recently put a video on Facebook of him running around a little water park. I know some people don't have Facebook, and I'm sorry I couldn't get it on here, but try to get on sometime and watch it on someone else's Facebook.

2015 Adventures!

We are setting off to a new adventure! As most of you know (but some may not), we will be starting off the new your in a new state; Arizona.

To explain from the beginning, I need to go back to August; this is when we first started thinking about change. Our initial thought was to move towards the Joplin Missouri area to be closer to Josh's sister Rachel (but mostly her two kids, Scout and Rhuey, who are around Eli's age). We love you Rachel and Vance, but we love your kids just a little bit more. Not even gonna try to deny it.

Anyway, in thinking about trying to find a new job, in a new city, in a new state (for me, Sara), I contacted a travel nurse agency (see below for more details on travel nursing), thinking they would be able to help me with getting a Missouri license and finding a job. They can, but as we began going down that road, we started thinking, "why move NOW? What's stopping us from [nurse] traveling for a while before we settle down in a new place?" We would both be quitting the jobs we have now, selling our house and packing up everything anyway. Why not? Eli is not in school and he's young and generally more flexible now than he would be later.

We decided to try this travel nursing and spend time with some family we don't get to see as much; first stop, Arizona! Most of Josh's mom's family is in the Mesa area, so that is where we are headed. I start work at a children's hospital in Mesa on January 5th and my contract ends April 4th. For now, that's what we know. If we don't hate the travel nurse life, we would like to visit the Seattle area next, but that is not official in any way; just an idea right now.

FAQ:

How long will we do travel nursing? Will we go to other places after this? We don't know yet.

Are we still going to Joplin after travel nursing? No. For several reasons, we have decided against that idea. I think it was more of a stepping stone idea God used to get us to where we are now. Funny how He works sometimes, isn't it?

What WILL we do after travel nursing? Not really sure right now. (You love my answers, don't you?) :)

A lot of things are in the 'wait and see' file. We feel this is where God has brought us for now, and what He does next or where He leads us is up to Him!

Pray for us, email us, text us, keep up with our adventures on the blog and Facebook; we would love to hear from you! We are already missing the people we are used to seeing most often, and I know we will miss other people along the way, but we will also be making stronger relationships with family and friends we would otherwise not see or be around. What opportunities! What adventures!

**A note about travel nursing:

for those of you who might be wondering "what in the world is that?" or, "how does that work?"... I am employed by an agency that hospitals contact to say they need specific help for a specific period (i.e. a pediatric nurse from January to April), the agency then sends applications from the nurses they employ that fit the requirements set by the hospital. The hospital will conduct phone interviews with applicants to determine who they would like to hire, if they like me and I like them, we sign a contract saying I will work for them for the specified period. Technically, I am not 'moving' every time we go to a new hospital, the government sees it as 'business travel' (as long as I don't stay in one place for more than 52 weeks) and I get reimbursements for mileage, housing and meals, along with regular pay. The agency helps me find the jobs themselves, but they also support me every step of the way; they help get paperwork lined up (trust me, it's a lot of paperwork!), my nursing license for the state I'm going to, housing, etc. as well as moral support. :) They do this all the time!

Now, some very,very late BIRTHDAY pictures!

I made this cake for his birthday; two layer chocolate with cream cheese and oreo filling, with chocolate ganashe and 'dirt' on top. It was good, let me tell you. Even those who may not love chocolate would like this.

You would think Eli is reaching for the cake, wouldn't you? But, no! He loves his tractors! That's all he wanted. I had managed to hide the fact that I borrowed his tractors for the cake, but as soon as he saw them, it was, "oh, my TRACTOR!"

On his birthday, he also got the special treat of riding in the car at the Walmart entrance. He doesn't look too thrilled in the picture, but trust me, it was greatly enjoyed and not soon (ever) forgotten.