I have one month left in my contract in Massachusetts (actually, I’m a bit under that now). I have a ton of thoughts about this but my two biggest are:
I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT TRAVELING!
I WISH MY HUSBAND WAS WITH ME!
Jon and I are very different in our views of marriage. I am okay being away and he is not okay with it. While I understand that I do need to go home at some point and actually have a marriage, I’m not sure why my dream has to be put on hold because he waited until he was 30 to go back to school full time to fulfill his dreams. But alas, we’re married, so it doesn’t matter anymore.
More than anything, I wish we could sell our house in Atlanta and travel full time for awhile. I would love to go around the US exploring with my husband. I would love to wake up in a new city every 13 weeks and wake up in national parks all across the US with him between those 13 weeks. But I can’t. I do miss him, but I’m independent so it’s not unbearable. It does make traveling harder when I don’t have a permanent buddy available to go exploring (I won’t camp alone and certain hikes I won’t do alone either) because I’m more limited in what I can do.
Traveling has been my dream since I took my first trip to Switzerland and Italy when I was 21. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to see everything that I can see. So I went out of the country every single year and never went anywhere in the US. Now that I’m traveling in the US, I never want to stop (but I still want to go back out of the country- more than anything!).
My job has been more tolerable lately since we have slowed down a bit. I have still had crazy, horrible days, but it’s not every day. I also work less days now since I’m able to work some more 12 hour shifts. I enjoy the people that I work with for the most part. I would never want to stay at that hospital, but I love Plymouth. I love Boston. I love the Cape. I love Vermont and Maine and New Hampshire and all the surrounding states.
Exploring New England has really been wonderful. The weather here was perfect for the summer. I loved Boston even more than I thought I was going to. I had no idea how many awesome hikes would be near here and it has really ignited my passion for hiking and I can’t wait to start getting into backpacking. I am finding out what kind of places I want to live in (once Jon is done with school and we sell the house, of course) and what type of jobs I’d want to work. I get to enjoy the beach and the mountains and everything in between. My love for nature just keeps on growing up here and I have been fortunate enough to hike to the tops of mountains that have taken my breath away (Georgia mountains just aren’t this awesome).
I am beyond grateful for my life. I’m so lucky to have a husband that I love, two precious cats, financial stability, and the health to enjoy being able to travel across the US for a living. I am so lucky that at the age of 28, I found a man to love me for (hopefully) the rest of my life, I have been to 8 countries, I’m traveling across my own country, I’m well educated, deployed and spent a year in Iraq, and have a nice savings account that allows me to do these things without worrying about the “what ifs.” I also have two healthy parents and two healthy in laws with tons of nieces and nephews and amazing friends that I know I will have for life.
I never saw this being my life. I thought I’d grow up to be a teacher and have some babies by the time I was 25. Now I don’t even think I want kids and my life just continues to grow and show me new opportunities. Although I can’t wait to get out of bedside nursing and I’m dying to see something other than just the ER, I am so incredibly grateful that I somehow picked nursing as my major in college, which has given me so many opportunities.
I couldn’t be happier that I stuck with my plan of travel nursing and I am so excited to head out west next. I have nothing lined up next yet and am unsure of what direction we’re headed (Jess is extending her contract here because she found her boyfriend, but only for a month), but I know it’ll work out and it’ll be another awesome experience. And hopefully the ER will be better too!
at20something 
You do seem a lot happier lately and I think it’s good you’re working longer but fewer shifts, I would like that as well. Plus you’ve gotten to spend the summer somewhere cooler than ATL, which is really neat about travel nursing, you can enjoy different seasons different places. I’m glad Jon is supportive through everything as well.
Yeah I have definitely been much happier! This schedule is working MUCH better for me!
I love reading your posts and seeing how positive you are 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed this job and got to explore a bit of that area!
I can honestly just feel how happy you are right now. You’ve seemed so positive and joyous lately. I could not be happier for you and congrats.
I used to think I didn’t need to be with T all the time but lately I’ve come to realize, I do really miss him a lot.
I miss Jon too but I’m having too much fun to want to go home yet! I think it’s more fun for me since I’m out exploring but Jon HATES that I’m gone!
I think you’ll really enjoy exploring the west. It’s a lot different from the east and there isn’t so much to see as far as things to do, like the cities aren’t as big and the population is a lot less. You might miss certain foods a ton more than here lol, but nature you will get a ton of. Because it’s so much less populated, that’s all you see as long as you’re at the Rockies or past it. The landscape is so different and awesome, you’re going to explore so much more. The time difference can make things difficult, those three hours, but you and Jon will get through it, the weeks will fly by just like it did here. I feel like it wasn’t so long ago since you came to Massachusetts. The west is gorgeous.