The DMV!!

     So now I am in the DMV, which stands for D.C., Maryland and Virginia, a larger and busier metropolitan area. This time I had to make the 13 hour trip back home all by myself. I packed up ALL my stuff, packed my truck and drove home for the weekend.

Crossing the Mississippi River again on my way HOME!

     

Welcome to VA!!

     I arrived here Sunday evening to stay in a hotel because my apartment had no furniture until the next day. The hotel was nice except the business area as they called it consisted of an e-computer without Microsoft Office or its own printer - NOT COOL!.
     The first couple of days at work was spent as usual in orientation of all kinds and tons of computer based training. Talk about sleepy days. Thankfully week one went by and I was finally into orientation and actually in a room. This was my opportunity to learn the computer charting system - EPIC. That was really important because I had not previously worked with it anywhere else.
     On day two after my arrival I was finally able to unpack my truck and move all my junk in on the second floor. Thank God my apartment is on the front - closest apartment to the stairs. Very modern appliances - all stainless steel, beautiful countertops and cabinets. The furniture is so so, with possibly the world's most uncomfortable sofa EVA! But get this - what do realty properties have against overhead lighting? Other than the kitchen and dining room this joint has no overhead lighting! I had to request a floor lamp from my travel company, otherwise I would have been living in a dungeon for 3 months!

     Again, I had mapped out a couple of churches in the area - so I was excited for my first week to attend. Extremely large congregation. AWESOME WORD!. Enough said!

LOVE the kitchen!

Last Days

     Well my ArkLaTex assignment was a pretty descent one. My last days were spent getting drug tested (again) for the new assignment I accepted, and of course packing. My last weekend a member of the church I was attending invited me over for dinner after church which was nice.

     My assignment ended on a Tuesday and I was out of there on Wednesday for my long journey home - alone this time.

     Kinda weird, but I met more people on my move out day than I think I met outside of work the entire time I was here. One of the maintenance men actually helped me tote some things down to my truck. Then a cleaning crew came to clean the apartment next to me, (which would explain why I never saw anyone there) and one of the crew also assisted me.

     I tried to do the trip in one day but I couldn't make it. Stopped on the other side of ATL in Conyers for the night. Next stop, HOME SWEET HOME (for the weekend) by way of my SWEETIE 1st!!! 

Hurricane Isaac

Hurricane Isaac decides to make itself known - considering the history of the area I was concerned. Before accepting the contract I was sure to investigate this whole hurricane/weather situation, but I was wrong. Thankfully I had a few days to prepare in the event of the storm really coming down the line.

What I discovered is that my city is a lot like my home - far enough inland that it is usually the evacuation destination. Forecasts were coming in about 5 days before landing. I did the usual prep - buying some non-perishable food items and bottled water, prayed and prayed more.

My family and friends were highly excited by the prospect of me being caught in the hurricane especially by myself, so I decided to start a hurricane update - periodically I would send a mass text message to everyone reporting the progress and projection of the storm. This method seemed to calm their concerns and nerves.

Thankfully the storm moved exactly as expected. Many residents of the low lying areas were evacuated to my city and I think we only experienced a little rain. So Thankful!!!

Big Storm!!

     So on a random morning I am preparing for work as usual and I can tell that it is raining pretty hard, but no big deal right? Boy was I wrong. This rain is unlike anything weather wise I have ever experienced, and I survived HUGO!! Water was coming down sideways and it hurt-literally as it hit me in the face, but you run to the car and it's over. 
     Next comes the lightening with booms so loud my SUV shook-not to mention the paths seemed so close and frequent that it was blinding-my eyes didn't have the chance to adjust-it was like the paparazzi!
As I try and make my way to work, the car in front of me is slowing for no apparent reason, then he stops and makes a U-turn. Then I see why-another car has attempted to drive through a significant amount of water on the street and is now flooded in water above the doors! It was hard to see. Perhaps if he wasn't there I might not have seen it either!?
     I only know one route to work so now I have to navigate the city to find my way to work. The weather report on the radio tells me not to go under the interstate as it is also flooded. Of course I call the hospital and make them aware of the situation but that I am making my way. I'm doing pretty good figuring it  all out. I have to make a couple of U-turns due to the water levels at various street. In the midst of it all I forget that I drive a SUV (Thank God!) so I was finally able to make it through some water that other cars had to turn around for. I made it safely!
By mid afternoon you could never tell anything at all had happened that morning...

'Tha Boys'

     An old friend that lives in Texas told me about a gospel concert going on in Alexandria-it was nice to just get away and hear some great music!
     A couple of weeks later I hit Dallas for the weekend of a lifetime - A DALLAS COWBOYS pre-season football game!!! 3 hour drive, but there was noooooooo way I was going to be that close and not at least try to get there! I decided to go for church and spend the night just in case I could swing a tour of the stadium the next day.
     So, if you are a Cowboys' fan and have yet to experience a game, let me share some info I wasn't privy to. You have to have a parking permit to park in addition to your ticket. Without the mercy of a parking attendant I would have NEVER gotten in. I had to walk around one half of the stadium before getting to my entrance, but it was all worth it when I sat in that seat without hassle or disruption from anyone around. The jumbo monitor-Heck, just being there was a dream come true!
     The next day I took a tour of the stadium@ half price too! Didn't get to go on the STAR but the end zone was a satisfactory substitute :)
     Another one of those things I WILL NEVER FORGET and despite having to go alone, it ranks high with one of the few coolest things I have done!!!
Part of my NO WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA TOUR!!!

The End Zone!

Sharp Dressed Man! - R.I.P.

Just call me Kit Carson!!

     Work was always interesting and I learned new cases and grew in confidence with others. Splinted SOMETHING about everyday! It took them awhile to figure out that I didn't need babysitting. Finally just asked the charge nurse one day, when I was gonna be cut loose - my patience was running thin!
     Found a shooting range! 1st day the manager really took an interest in teaching me how to properly and safely use the thing (bought small handgun before leaving to travel). I REALLY NEEDED that. Just that 1st day made a HUGE difference in how I felt about just holding the gun. No shooting on the first day though - TRUST me - I was NOT ready for that!
     Besides the shooting range I found other things to do to keep me active. One word - ZUMBA!! Great workout! Took a vegetarian cooking class as well. 
     A co worker told me that a movie was being filmed in the city. It took a couple of attempts (with main highways being blocked off for production) to actually find one of the sites but I accidentally stumbled upon it when I got lost.
Gerard Butler is starring in it - don't know when it is due out but I did get a bit of a pic. This scene is where they built a replica of  'The White House' that got blown up later as part of the story.

The Times of the ArkLaTex

     While in the ArkLaTex I was going to be working in a new environment of sorts - a privately owned specialty surgery center. This basically meant that the rules are a little different but certainly doable. Had the opportunity to learn a new computerized charting system along with new equipment which is always a good for the next contract. You never know what you might get! Work was always interesting and I learned new cases and grew in confidence with others. I finally had to say that I didn't need babysitting after a few days so that I could work on my own.
     As I tooled around town it was comforting to know that the Walmart was just down the road :)
In my travels I found a DSW-LOVED IT!, and a Coach outlet (and yes, I got my 1st)! However I never found the Aldi's and there was no Zaxby's (sure missed by blackened salad!)
Found a fabulous local artist museum with glassware and other local artist crafts for sale. Visited some local parks and discovered a great knitting shop and a shop known as 'Painting With a Twist'.

My work of art from Painting With A Twist!