So what have I been doing while I’ve been in FL these past couple of months in between work and sleep?(that Night Shift life!)

I caught a night launch

Took our son and his girlfriend to Main Street during Bike Week for some people watching. Always an interesting cross- section of humanity. But fun in small doses—-like every 5 years or so! We even saw “Willy Wonka”.

Walked the beach, the bridge and the roads in between. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends or kids.

Spent time with friends and family. Sleepovers with my mom. Mass with my grandfather. Dinners and lunches with my kids. Girls nights catching up with friends and visits back and forth with the Hubs.

In between shifts and sleep I food prepped for the kids, made vegan donuts (so good!) and learned how to make a pretty delicious hummus.

Leaving will be bittersweet. I’m ready to spend time in between shifts with my Hubby and pup. Our kids are in a good place and ready to carry-on adulting without mom hovering. (Although, I’ll still be offering them up in all my Rosaries and Masses, they’ll be in good hands).

And in between visits, you can find us exploring the mountains and catching sunsets. (minus the snow!)

So for now, these last few days will catch me cramming in as much visiting and quality time with my people as possible before I get on that plane and head north for a 2nd year in New England!!!

Peace!

May!

My birthday month, Mother’s Day, summer is a-coming and only 15 days until the end of this assignment. But who’s counting?!

Me. That’s who.

It’s been a pretty sweet deal to be able to spend so much time with my kiddos, family and friends. And it has flown by (for me). I’ve been much busier with work and sleep than expected and these last 2 weeks will be no exception to the previous 11 weeks.

I did manage to sneak away to spend the weekend with the Hubby recently and we had a great time. I even confirmed my next assignment—-in Boston. And then came home in a chaotic whirlwind of travel challenges. My flight home was rescheduled and finally cancelled, had to grab a hotel room (and shared with a complete stranger/new friend) right before they sold out, delayed flight the next day and 2 more rescheduled shuttles home and made it home just in time to shower and grab my stuff for my overnight shift; sponsored by Wawa coffee, Diet Coke and lots of walks around the parking lot in between patients. Glamorous travel life.

That’s the way it goes sometimes tho. Just gotta laugh (so you don’t cry) and roll with it.

Hard to believe that it is almost Easter. It is not lost on me that Lent encompasses the first half of my assignment back home in FLA. Night Shift is no joke.

I am happy to be home spending time with my kiddos and family and catching up with friends but I grossly underestimated the difficulty in being away from the Hubs. We are both walking through the desert these 40 days experiencing a multitude of trials. But we are not alone. And Easter is closer each day. So we dig in and lean hard into our faith, even when we don’t want to.

Last weekend I was able to fly back to spend time with the Hubs, attend a beautiful wedding, catch up with friends and soak up our time together. It was a glorious balm to our spirits. Next week Hubby comes to FL to spend Easter with the whole fam and we’ll mark the 1/2 way point of this assignment. The light at the end of the tunnel.

Interestingly enough, these past weeks have absolutely flown by for me. And as challenging as it is being apart from my honey, I know that my time here will bless our kids and our family. They are spreading their wings into adulthood but still benefit from mama and papa love. So, we’ll snuggle and enjoy our time together and trust that the future that God has in store for us is far greater than we could ever imagine. We just need to lean in and trust that although Lent is here and now, Easter is coming and bringing all the glory with it.

Peace.

Today is my last shift in New Hampshire (for now). 9 1/2 hours to go, but who’s counting? Hard to believe it’s been 6 months that we’ve been up here already. It feels as though time has flown by, but in other ways it feels as though we’ve been here forever.

This traveling gig has been interesting for sure and has allowed us to explore a dream, to live the dream and to plant a stake in it and establish ourselves in that dream. Wild. A wild, wild gift!

I’ll have a couple of days off and then head south to get ready for my next assignment (at home). This will be 13 weeks and allows me time with my kiddos, my mom, sis and other family and friends. I’ll also take care of doctor, dentist and tax appointments. Get it all done while I’m home. In between, I’ll work some visits back north to be with the Hubs (and Bandit). And like all time these days, it will go fast and in other ways it will seem to last forever. I’ll just do my best to soak it up!

Enjoy some pics from the last 6 months.

Peace! T

My last post bemoaned our mild winter here in New Hampshire and it continues to be crazy weather in temp swings, snow, rain, etc. Just the pattern I suppose. Chalk it up to “global warming” or natural patterns in the weather, whichever camp you fall into. Either way, the reality is…….it’s winter and some days it isn’t except for the calendar date.

Yesterday, we had our first taste of an Arctic winter storm. For us, it brought low temps and windy winds. No snow. Just cold. I don’t mind cold, I despise wind. We’ve had arctic weather dip into Florida (we really have, stop laughing) and I now realize how hilarious that is. Fortunately, I’m on a 7-day stretch of work and spent yesterday in the hospital only venturing out to the car to/from work and a couple of doggy “business runs”. Invigorating is a great word for those brief forays.

I bought a coat this past spring for winter up here and so far it has been great, but mostly overkill. Yesterday, it proved it’s beastliness and strength in the negative temps and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to stay warm. My lightly clad ankles were the only cold part on me as I waited an agonizing few minutes for Bandit to finish up and head back in. He’s breaking records at how fast he can conclude a nature call, that’s for sure!

This morning as I made the short trek to the garage to warm up the car before work, my nose hairs actually froze. The most bizarre feeling. Fascinating.

This afternoon, the arctic storm will pass and we will top out at about 8degrees with tomorrow a balmy 37. Later this week it will rain. Or snow. Who knows.

Either way. Wintering continues…….