In my last post I said I was “clearing the clutter” in my life. Well, the time came where a part of that “clutter” was getting into a healthier work environment that would allow me to continue to learn and grow in both my bedside nursing and my leadership roles. In order to do that, I had to jump off the island and get back onto the mainland.

I probably had about 16 interviews for 4 different jobs in the span of 3 months, but 1 job continued to stick out and really kept taking a seat in my head. I, officially, accepted the position as Nurse Manager for Baylor Scott and White Health over two of their Freestanding ERs in Forney and Wylie, TX at the beginning of May. This meant I had to find a place to live back in Texas, make travel plans for the boat ride and drive and, ultimately, quit my job in Kodiak. None of which was an easy feat. But, I did it (with the help of an army) and left Kodiak, Alaska on Saturday, May 26th. Ok, well, the ferry was delayed and I “officially” left at 2am on Sunday, May 27th…but who’s keeping track?

After a very rocky, 10 hour ferry ride to Homer, Alaska, my dogs and I set off to drive to Anchorage to pick up my mom. After the ferry delays and a 5 hour drive, we finally made it to Anchorage around 7pm on the 27th. Monday morning, Memorial Day, my mom and I set out on our week long adventure to drive from Anchorage, AK, through Canada, and down into the lower 48. An adventure it was, but let me tell you, the beauty that surrounded us was abundant!