Second week as a wanderer

Is Connecticut considered New England? I should consult the google. Either way, it's beautiful. I took a drive today (sep 2) in hopes to walk on a beach in Fairfield. They wanted to charge me $50 to park for the "day" (it was already 6 pm and the parking lot was empty...). Outrageous! I'll come back in the fall when they let you come and go as you please. One of my least favorite parts of being on the east coast and being in a new place is parking. It's hard to find, it's expensive, and usually inconvenient to where I'm going. Not to mention hard to find again after I'm done with what I'm doing. I can handle driving in traffic, but parking sucks. I think that is why I haven't ventured to the city yet. I will either have to navigate parking there or find parking here at the Stamford train station. Both a pain. There are lovely small towns here, but they're too close to the big city to feel quite real. I'm looking forward to a trip up to Vermont. 

All that aside...

So after my failed beach attempt I drove north through some of the most beautiful neighborhoods I have ever seen. Seriously, every house looks like it should be on the cover of a magazine! And they have that older,  New England style, low rock walls and all. The trees are never ending and they are just starting to get red tips. Fall will be glorious!!

Sunday Sept 4

So this past week was hard. Work isn't bad at all, but the days off are kinda tough. Not what I expected. As I've mentioned, it is hard to get into a good rhythm with the whole night shift thing. It would be easier if all my work days were in a row each week, not scattered. So I find myself tired all day and laying awake at 3 am. So it's hard to have fun and be adventurous. So besides hiking, running, and working I find my time to be rather lonely and a little depressing (made worse by poor sleep).   I have learned that TV is not my friend. I don't have it at home so when I got here I was like a kid in a candy shop. I quickly realized that it's mindless and unintentional. I have turned to reading and blogging at night when I can't sleep. 

Having said all this,  I'm still glad I'm here. It's nice to have a new world to explore, no worries about yard work and home maintenance, etc. 

Though I sometimes take what I have in the church for granted, today I am so grateful for my membership there. I'm grateful that I can come to the other side of the continent and still find a warm, welcoming environment among people who share my values and beliefs. No matter how many places i visit or sights I see, nothing is better than the feeling of home that comes with being with good people. I made a few friends today and have plans to be adventurous with them. 

I also felt like I was seeing the gospel with new eyes today. With the commotion of leaving my home in Spokane, traveling across country, starting in a new place, and (let's face it) some distracted behavior before this... I wasn't as dedicated in the little things. This week when I needed the extra light, I realized I didn't have it. I hadn't really been doing my part. As I felt that need for strength beyond my own, I craved going to church. Reading the scriptures was refreshing, rather than an uncommitted chore. I found myself wanting a calling at church so I could serve more. Thankfully someone asked me to teach Sunday school in a few weeks 😅. And I definitely found a new love for the people around me. Chances are that I am the only one who will ever read this, but not sorry for the spiritual sappiness. 

Here are some hiking pictures from this week

Hudson valley



Missing my pup, but glad he's happy and in good hands. 

Traveler nurse: week 1

Two things about working night shift: it's easier during work hours and it's harder during my time off. Working during the night requires fewer discharges to home, fewer doctors orders, transfers, meals, blood sugar checks, medications, etc. Its easier by far than it was working day shift on the tele unit in Spokane. Granted, I've only worked 2 night and I've been in training, so things could hit the fan soon;) 

It has been hard to figure out how much and when to sleep when I'm home. Last night I worked at the hospital and today I slept until 5pm! What?! Now what do I do with the rest of my day (which will inevitably last until at least 3 am)? I'm at the mall looking at clothes that I don't like and eating a pretzel. Then I'm gonna go watch a movie by myself. And then go home by midnight, since I don't have a partying bone in my body. And no, I don't have friends either. Travel nursing is exciting, adventurous, new, and lonely at times. Being an introvert doesn't help. It's not like I'm gonna walk up to people on the street and say "hey! Let's hang out!". So I'm limited to people I meet at work and the 15 people in my ward at church. This is the part where being single sucks. I need an adventure buddy.

Enough of that stuff. I'm good at being alone:). I think I might go to the big city tomorrow. See Central Park? Eat at a cute cafe? Try not to get mugged or lost? Sounds like a day!

Some Stamford scenery...

Road trip!

Once upon a time I moved across the country. Wait, that was last week. My buddy Rena was a great sport and traveled the 3700 miles from Spokane to Stamford CT with me. We camped, we hotelled. We ate too much sugar and fast food. We visited sites along the way, including Jackson Hole, Mount Rushmore, nauvoo, Kirtland, Chicago, Niagra Falls, and Palmyra NY. I enjoyed all of it, which is new since I used to loathe long trips in the car. Call me impatient. 

I particularly enjoyed seeing the church history sites. Let's be honest, road trips aren't usually terribly spiritual in nature, so my state of preparation before visiting temples and the sacred grove wasn't what it could have been. Preparation aside, I definitely felt the importance of what happened in Palmyra and Joseph Smiths role in the Lords work. 

Things are so green since we arrived in Illinois! It's like April instead of August. Except it's also hot, and quite humid. I don't mind though:) 

So I'm now living in Stamford CT, about 25 minutes from where I work in White Plains NY. My neighborhood is gorgeous! Filled with expensive and beautiful homes that look like a park. There is no traffic in my neighborhood and I feel totally safe. I've been checking out the local nature preserves and doing some hiking/trail running. It is lovely and somewhat flat here.

A little Cash

The horse, that is.  My latest addition is a lovely 2 year old gelding named Cash. Technically I've had him for a couple months now, but who blogs in the summer? 

From the minute I laid eyes on this kid I was smitten. His shiny dark coat is one of my favorite colors... 

Meeting the ladies. Probably the only time this quarter horse will ever pick up his feet and flag his tail😆






First time in the saddle: practically perfect.

He has been so easy! He's gentle. Not spooky. Took the saddle great. And I've ridden him! Even on trails. By himself. In a halter and leadrope. Not saying he hasn't made me a little nervous once or twice... but he's such a good baby! And I have to remind myself that he really is only 2 and is already so good!! Now, not to dis the ever energetic and hard working Arabians.... but it is such a relief to ride a horse that isn't afraid of his shadow!!!! It will be fun to see where my quarter horse and Andalusian kids take me.... I think we will have a great next 25+ years together! 

He has a knack for herding the doggie...

The day I decided to ride him in the pasture with just a sweatshirt around his neck. It is very possible that he bucked me off...😬




And then te next day he seemed to remember that bucking me off was an option....

But he's lovely!!!

And hasn't bucked me even a little bit since then. And I've ridden him about 8 times. Just short rides though 

The beautiful herd. Jon (my neighbor) takes the best horse photos!




Cash and Lleida have a rough life


And they occasionally destroy gates to escape into the yard. Kids. 


Can't wait to pack the miles on my little guy next summer! And watch the younger and bigger little girl grow up! 

Horses: my summer adventures

There's something about posting on Facebook and instagram that I don't like... but yet I enjoy sharing or writing about what I'm interested in or excited about. When I started this blog I was absorbed with nursing school. Then it became a bit of a travelog (as I'm sure it will again). Currently I'm into horses (not that I ever WASN'T into horses...).

  As of this winter I had 3 horses. My 20 years old (Omni), 13 year old (Chevy), and my yearling andalusian (Lleida). About a month ago I decided to sell the lovely Chevy because I thought I should be responsible and not have 3 horses just for me. So with much hesitation I sent him off to his new home. He is definitely missed and I enjoyed many, many good times with that horse. His new owner contacts me often to tell me how much she is enjoying him. That makes me feel better. 

 

    

Just a few days after saying goodbye to my Chevy boy I had to say goodbye to my old friend Omni. We were out on a trail ride and he took a wrong step and severed some tendons (among other things) in his ankle. The vet gave him a poor prognosis and so I had him put down in the operating room. I cried like a baby. My sweet, quirky horse who I had started riding when I was just 12 and he was 3. He was by far the most challenging horse I have ever started under saddle and had more energy and stamina than any horse I've ever been on! I miss my friend and I'm grateful for my fellow horse loving people who took care of me while I was a mess:)

Omni boy on our last ride together

 

  

That ever alert face:)

  

 

    

I've been feeling a little listless when I go out to see the horses and my pasture feels empty without the boys I've had for so long. 

I decided that I didn't want bad experiences to scare me away from horses this year. Horses are such a part of my life and I have trips planned this summer involving them. So what to do?

I brought my moms horse (Sylvie) to be a riding horse this summer. My mom needed me to take her anyway to put some miles on her since she's still pretty green. Sylvie is a beautiful horse and is actually pretty fun to ride. She has some quirks to work on though, including being very head shy, especially with bridling. She is also rather easy to startle, which caused her to get away from me out in the woods once when I touched her tummy when she didn't expect it. Luckily she didn't go far! So I just need to spend a lot of time with her. Long story short, here's my summer girl:

 

Over looking Pipestone Canyon near twisp😍   

A little sass on the trail...

 

So there's my update. Horse adventures to follow.