Hikes in Kauai

If only hikes everywhere led to views as gorgeous as these.

Waimea Canyon

Sleeping Giant Trail

Mahaulepu Beach Trail

Kipu Falls Trail

Opaeka'a Falls Trail

Surprises in Hawaii

When you hear people talk of Hawaii, you get a ton of "oh my, how beautiful" or "the waterfalls are amazing" Such beauty everywhere. Of course they fail to mention or warn you of what can be creeping round the corner among such beauty.

The most common and my first visitor in the apartment was the good ole cockroach! I've lived in Texas for a good portion of my life and I'm not a stranger to this critter. The bait traps have helped but ugh!

Thanks to a few ladies at work, I have been warned of the centipedes that sneak into the little crevices especially into the dark spots such as shoes and clothing. "Shake out everything that is near to the ground" is the most common advice. I don't think I'll have as much as a problem with this one since I'm so close to the beach and this critter is more in the more green lush areas of the island.

Now my next critter guest was the cane spider. This guest definitely made me have a true girl moment. It's presence on my bed none the less caused me to practically scale my wall. I jumped off my bed so fast and let out quite the yell. Then I proceeded to launch every shoe I could get my hand on. Obviously the girl moment passed quickly and the warrior in me surfaced! Unfortunately the little bugger escaped me and the flipflop attack. I really wasn't able to sleep very well. Thanks to a few good friends who informed me of the common arachnid of the islands, I have some relief that it'll at least eat the roaches. I say some relief, I really meant a smidgen.

The hilarious and random island critter isn't much of a critter, it's a chicken. Feral chickens have taken over the island. Some say that it is the effect of a hurricane that hit the island, damaging multiple farms. Chickens are hard to claim so they are just allowed to roam free. They are everywhere and some. It's pretty funny when you spot them on the beach.

So it goes pretty much without saying that I get a little freaked out at times when I feel my hair brush against my skin or a slight tickle here and there. My first thought is "oh shit, the critters are back for a visit." I usually survey the area and double check under the sheets. ;)

Oh the adventures they don't necessary put in those guide books.

ALOHA from KAUAI!

Oh my goodness! What a beautiful place.

I arrived a bit exhausted, but so excited to be here. I made friends with the airport transporter. Well I forcedly asked him to be my friend. Lol! That's basically been my thing recently. I spot someone who looks about my age or shares an interest and ask if they need another buddy for outdoors stuff. I now have a surf gal pal who was the hotel hostess. I say was because she now has a new job at the paper. :)

My first day was gorgeous. I walked around on the beach and got a bit of sun. Being so close to the equator, the sun is a bit more fierce. I also met a nice guy from Oahu at the hotel who I asked to drinks later in the evening. I moved into my new place which is so cute. It's like a big hotel room. No kitchen though. :( I'm not too concerned though. I have my blender and rice cooker! I'm set!

My evening was at a quaint plantation with beautiful greenery and views of the beach. Took a stroll down to the beach and watched the stars. Once my eyes adjusted, it was an amazing site. The moon and stars reflecting off the ocean. I can see how this place is quite the romantic spot. A sweet and unexpected beauty of a first evening. Welcome to Kauai!

I miss my girls

Ok, I talk about me a lot so I'm going to try not to and talk about my children, my furry babies actually. Due to my recent travel assignment, I'm having to leave the girls with their grandma for a few months since I can't handle putting them through a 6-8 week quarantine in order for them to come to Hawaii. They get to spend the summer in Texas instead.

Cicciona and Idra, at different times, came into my life while living in Rome. I was working at Torre Argentina where they were abandoned and needed a home. Vance and I took them into our home and gave them nothing but love. Cicciona had a brother first, but Timido was only with us for a short time before he died. In his short time on this Earth, he also touched our hearts and will never be forgotten. Idra soon after came to us with such a personality. She does share similar features like Timido which may have been what attracted me to her. I was so happy though when Cicciona and Idra were brought together and became instant sisters.

Baby Cicciona

Cicciona & Timido

When we moved back to the US, they settled into the new air conditioned life and enclosed patios. They lived the life and still are. My girls are quite the travelers too. Yes, they even have their own passports.

They fly so well. The 14 hour flight from Rome to Houston alone was a test of their endurance. They recently made another flight from San Francisco to Houston. And they are the best car companions too. Idra typically took to hiding under the seat whereas Cicciona loved being on top of whatever was highest in the car. (I was moving a lot from Texas to SoCal to NorCal.)

Cicciona is such a skiddish cat with others but has always been a momma's girl. She typically sleeps on me whether it's my back, hip, stomach. I swear, no angle is too hard for her to balance on. She's not a talker but, man, if you shut a door on her. Uh oh, you will hear it for sure! Her love of water stuns me sometimes. Whether it's the faucet on a slow drip or a toliet flushing, she is right there, peeking over. And it cracks me up how she loves to be long. When she's comfortable she's stretched out like a sphinx. My sweet girl.

Idra, aka the "Tank", is such a presence. I think if a burglar were to enter, she would spread out and demand attention. My grandmother calls her a hussy because of this reason. The moment I walk through the door she drops on the floor and rolls around, stretching out and showing her belly. She demands attention all the time. I've always treated Cicciona as the alpha cat but Idra really has taken claim of the position between them two. Once a tom cat came into the backyard of my mom's place and Idra pounced on Cicciona as to say 'that one is mine and only mine for the taking'. Cicciona is my innocent baby and wouldn't dare, but Idra would be such a slut if I were to let her out. I do admire her fearlessness. She will give anyone a chance and if she disagrees whatsoever, watch out, cuz she isn't declawed!

I'm missing my girls so much right now as I pack my apartment in San Francisco preparing for the move to Kauai. My mom promises me skype dates but I think the girls will be more interested in sun bathing on the enclosed patio. *sniff* Just a few months and I'll get them back in my arms.

Mama Shay does San Francisco

Mom had a great time in San Francisco with me. She tackled the stairs of my building as well as the inclined streets of SF. I made her scream out just a couple of times with the 45 degree street angle. And of course, she had to meet my Matt. We had such a fun time driving around and seeing the sites of the city.

Thanks for coming out Mama and taking a chance!

HAWAII!!!!!!

It's happening!!! I got the job offer!!! Waimea on Kauai island!!!! Woohoo!!!

April = Roller Coaster of Life

April was a month of love, life and friends.

I've really put myself out there in the world.

I've tried love and it didn't work out the way I would have liked but we are in different places. It was great while it was.

And I've made new friends and rekindled with ole ones and enjoyed the sharing of life's crazy adventures.

I have danced and smiled. We have had a blast together in San Francisco. Lifelong friends. Gay men love me and I love them!

And then there was Europe. Rome and Amsterdam specifically. My soul called out to Roma. Made a few deals. (Tim, I'm holding you to it and myself!) My sweet Norena, the stars were aligned the day we met. I'm so blessed to have you in my life. I look forward to many future naked spa days together! LOL!!! Only in Amsterdam!!! Being part of a national celebration (Queen's Day) will always make you feel part of the local life. People smiling, laughing, singing and drinking is always addicting.

Wine tasting is never overrated! Nor are limo drivers when lots of wine is involved.

I look forward to the adventures that await me. (crossed fingers for Hawaii!)

My Life as a Travel Nurse

Many of my non nursing friends don't understand my schedule or my job and how it affects my life. I am a travel nurse.

As a RN, I'm qualified to practice nursing in any state or US owned place. So all 50 states and US Virgin Islands count. Now, to go to most of these places I just have to apply for a license and have my home state verify that I'm an active practicing nurse and not a criminal. So with that, I can 'travel' to any state and work in hospitals in my specialty which is in the Intensive Care Unit.

What do I do...

My job in the ICU is intense at times. No, it's not what you see on TV's 'ER'. More like what House and Grey's Anatomy's doctors do when they are in the patient's room and something emergent happens. That's more my job than any doctor. It makes me laugh when I see the TV docs hanging medicine or drawing blood. Yeah, docs don't do that. And in most cases, when a patient 'crashes' (tries to die), it's the nurses who react and the doctors come in later. That's more what I do when I work. My job has it's ups and downs. Some days all I make a difference by just talking with my patients, giving them their medicines, help them reposition in bed or in a chair, draw their blood to test and yes help them when they need to go to the bathroom. (Hospital food, disease processes, and antibiotics do not often agree with the body's digestive system so things can get messy.) On other days, I'm crazy busy trying to save a life and provide special medicine to help the heart do it's job better, giving blood products when people have more blood coming out than they have in and even pumping on the chest and shocking it with pads when the heart stops or spasms. And in rare days, I'm there when a patient or family decides that the body has had enough and we are there to make the patient in their last moments of life. I love my job. I may be physically exhausted some times, but I LOVE what I do. I'm always learning.

Where...

I love it when my friends on facebook ask me "ok, which city are you in now?" Yep, that sums up a travel nurse. I'm a contract nurse in simple terms. I work through an agency where hospitals have submitted short term contracts seeking nurses of all sorts of specialties. Most of these contracts are 13 weeks. Yes, I can potentially move to a new job every 3 months. Sometimes hospitals need nurses to fill an opening if a staff nurse takes family/medical/maternity leave. It's when they need someone now! Yes, hospitals should be hiring new staff but that takes time and budget approval and training time. Travel nurses are experienced nurses. You can't travel nurse if you just got out of nursing school. I have to be able to walk into a facility and do my job. I usually get a day or two to shadow someone so I can learn policies specific to the hospital and where things are located. Recall the saving a life scenario I gave, yeah, I need to be able and run and get something within seconds. Basically I need to be ready for anything.

My first travel position was in my hometown of Houston, then once my California license came through, I loaded my car and moved to San Diego. My contract was allowed to be extended and I did so for a total of 10 months, then it was San Jose, CA and now San Francisco, CA. I'm now in the process of applying for a Hawaii license. It may not be ready when I need a new job/contract but it's next in the plans. So in the meantime, I talk with my agencies and work on submitting my file to hospitals. Yes, I said agencies. It's not smart to keep all your eggs in one basket. Some hospitals have agreements with certain big travel nurse agencies. The pay with one agency can be higher at another. In the end, I'm selling my skills to the top bidder. I also value my relationship with my recruiter because he/she is the one that is busting ass to get my the jobs that will fit what I want and try to make it for when I want. That's the crazy part of my travel nurse job. I may not know if I have a job after the present contract til maybe a couple weeks before it is to end. So far my average has been 2 weeks. So yeah it can be a bit nerve racking. Hey I love a challenge!

The great thing is that I AM A NURSE!!! I rock at what I do and there is always a need for me. I may need to settle with a position in a city that may not be on my top 20 just to get me close to where I want. I did this with San Jose in order to see San Francisco. Now I may wait in SF until Hawaii comes. We shall see. The good thing is there are amazing hospitals here in SF and I'm meeting fabulous people and making friends.

My goal...I'll have done my research in the cities that I love or think I'd love and make up my mind if I want to stay and plant roots. Who knows? I have my ideas for now but things change as I change. I look forward to my future, but I'm enjoying my present in the here and now.

I'm a goofy nurse at times...and sometimes stethoscopes should be worn on the head!!!

Friends Forever

I've lived in many places and I've acquired such amazing friendships. True friends. You know, the kind when you haven't seen or spoken in years but the moment you get together, it's like no time has passed. I've always felt blessed by this. I'm aware that my career and lifestyle allows me many liberties, one being to travel and move around.

My forever friend found me.

Thanks to facebook, I reconnected with a dear childhood friend that I knew in middle school in New Orleans. After my second move in Texas, we lost each other. That was back in the day before cell phones took off and email wasn't around. (What did we do without technology!?!?) I noticed her post that she was taking a getaway trip with her cousin to San Francisco. I almost peed my pants!!! Ok, not really but I definitely did a happy dance in my apartment.

My sweet Cinnamon. I have always remembered her smile and laugh. Our friendship was innocent at a time of innocence, but solid. We discovered that we are now both nurses. She has a beautiful son. And you know what, her smile and laugh hasn't changed a bit. I loved her comment to me was that I look the same minus the glasses, just now I'm a bit more diva! LOL! I love her!

Her cousin Martha and I explored the city. We laughed, almost cried and ate some serious crabs!! I'm so blessed to have been brought back together again. As kids we laughed and played and now as women...oh watch out world!!!

SF in spring time

...is freaking cold and rainy! I'm just glad I love my job and have great friends to spend time going places and hanging out. Sometimes though I miss my many homes...New Orleans, Rome, and San Diego especially.

Of course trying to find something Mari Gras-esque to do in SF was pretty difficult. I was craving king cake like it was going outta style! next year I have a couple bakeries that I'll be calling. :)

I miss walking in Piazza Navona and Piazza del Popolo seeing all the kids dressed up for carnivale. It's pretty chilly there too so the weather isn't part of the nostalgia.

Oh and sweet SD. I miss my beaches and sunshine. This spring has been great there. Sun shines more often than not. So unlike last year.

Don't get me wrong, SF is great. Like I said, GG has a piece of my heart. Whether it is sunny of foggy, I love looking at the bridge. My sweet friend Anne came in town for a quick getaway trip. Yeah, it was the weekend of the Japan earthquake. So we had tsunami warnings here in SF. Really the tide came in pretty far up and in the ports, a bunch of boats knocked together causing a bit of damage. No real danger to us on land though. Anyway, Anne, myself and a new friend Alisha was enjoying the morning and decided to rent bikes and cross over the bridge. Yep, pretty blue skies all the way to the bike place and then about 10 minutes, clouds came in and dumped on us. We were a bunch of ragged looking chics. So we returned the bikes and just hit up the Irish coffee place and got our grub on! LOL!

Rainy afternoon brings pretty things later

Union Square heart

Sunset on Fisherman's Wharf

Rooftop lounging

Anne likes the bike but not so much in the rain

I so enjoy being the secret tourist. I always come up on new places. The fortunate thing is I just enjoy as I go because I have the time to explore and come back another time. And in SF, there are so many different spots.

San Francisco....

....what a town. I've been in the city for a couple of months and I must say, what a beautiful place. It's quite an original one. I keep having a movie flashback of ' The Sweetest Thing' with Cameron Diaz climbing up the hill jamming to her tunes. Yeah, I've so done that! LOL!!!

SF is a gorgeous and original place. I have fallen in love with the Golden Gate Bridge. I love it when I have the opportunity to sneak peaks at it's towering beauty. And yeah, its a bridge, but oh what a bridge it is. Sure, I've enjoyed the many hikes in the Presidio, shopping in Union Square, people watching on Castro Street, driving down the most crooked Lombard Street, looking at the backside of the painted ladies from my roof top, but that big red bridge never ceases to capture my attention.

Oh GG, you've stolen a lil piece of my heart.

Moving Day!!

Well I did it! I finished up my contract at San Jose and then moved to San Francisco the next day and the start the new job the following day! Talk about busy busy! The great parts of my new job is 1)it's an 11a-11p shift, 2)no cancellation hospital, 3)no floating to anywhere but CVICU from the ICU. 4)manager is really nice and gives me most of my shifts requested! Oh and of course, it's in SAN FRANCISCO!!!!!

Woohooooo! I'm excited to start exploring....wait and see for all the cool stuff that is to come.

Happy Twenty Eleven

Lake Tahoe is a beautiful place. Heavenly and Sierra at Tahoe are gorgeous resorts. I highly recommend it to anyone who is hanging in the Bay area.

Some of you may not believe this, but I love snow! I truly hate the cold but I love all that you can do with and in snow. Snow angels, sledding, snowboarding, snowballs....you know what I mean.

I broke in the new year with a little umph! Doing a little umph too, but that was because I was sore from all the snowboarding and boozin it up without my friends just wouldn't be the same. :) So Sean and I took a walk over to the Nevada side and people watched and then caught a little Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark for some ball dropping!

Overall it was a fantastic weekend. I had quite the intake of hot chocolate and tea! Oh, and the BBQ ribs....oh my goodness, those ribs were amazing. I've had such a craving since I've moved to the Bay area. It was a great little trip and I was glad to expose Sean to a little travel.

Hope everyone had a great start to the new year and may you have a happy and healthy 2011!

Christmas in San Jose

I joined Crista and Sean downtown to play and check out the holiday events. I worked the entire weekend of Xmas which was nice money, but it really didn't feel like Xmas until.... my Megan. Thank you Megan for making Christmas eve feel like the true holidays. We had a mix of foods but shared a great evening together chatting it up about traveling and nursing and our crazy families!!!