Cross Country

Jacksonville Beach was wonderful, but I was ready to explore another area. I chose to relocate to one of the farthest areas from Florida....Seattle! Since it was such a long trek, we first stopped in Missouri to see family and friends. Mainly to see the growth progress of my sweet nephew, Oliver!
I hadn't seen him since the day he was born, so he was such a big boy to me when I saw him in June of '08! He started smiling, which was so neat to see! We played, and he slept (a lot)!



Here is a picture of my brother, Justin, with Oliver and Sarah! We only were able to stay there for a few days, but I was happy I got to see them at all! We had to hit the road, so we could stop in Springfied, MO, before taking a short break at Yellowstone National Park....all on the way towards Seattle!

Back to the Sunshine State

After the holidays, Eli and I spent another couple of weeks in Kansas City before heading down
to Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Our condo was amazing!! It was huge and right on the beach. We loved hanging out on the balcony. Jax Beach (as it's called) was nice for several reasons! The weather was good, we were able to make a lot of weekend trips and we also made some friends! Eli and I rode our bikes everywhere!

One of our fun weekend adventures, was a trip down to St. Augustine, which is supposedly the oldest city in the US. Whether it is or not, I didn't care. We enjoyed many of the tourist attractions there (without a tour guide, of course). My favorite part of the trip was dinner at a restaurant recommended by a friend. It was on a barrier island, so we had a beautiful view of the sunset.

Later, we took a long weekend to explore Orlando, which was only a couple hours away. Instead of Disney World, we opted for the less-kid crowded Universal Studios! I hadn't been on a roller coaster in years. After a few doses of Dramamine, I was good for the day!

The waves are bigger on the Atlantic side, so Eli and I did a lot of boogie-boarding! Sometimes it was difficult because the currant was incredibly strong. Our nights were spent hanging out with some other Missouri PT travelers we met down there. I also worked with many fun ladies that were nice to hang out with! Towards the end of our assignment down there, we had some visitors - two of Eli's friends, Jon and Brett, and his brother, Luke. We took some time off work, and enjoyed exploring the area with our friends. The weather was perfect every day they were there, so we were able to enjoy the beach at it's fullest!

I really enjoyed Jacksonville Beach and have contemplated moving down there. It is just so far from my family........plus I still have more exploring to do before any decisions are made!

Christmas Lasted a Week

After Kansas City, I made my way back to good ole' Springfield, Missouri. My family could not all hang out the same weekend, so I would say it was a dysfunctional Christmas. My Christmas lasted over a week. It was great none the less. I got to see my favorite people and spend some good quality time with my Grandma Carol. (as seen below)

I don't get to see her very often, so it was a special treat getting to spend time with her over the holidays!

My brother, Justin, and his wife, Sarah, came down for the weekend! We had a lot of fun. This picture was taken pre-Oliver...doesn't she look so cute!

I even had time to go to my annual, girl-only Christmas party! It was suppose to be an 80s party, as you may be wondering why some of us are looking goofy! We had a blast!

The weather was unseasonably warm, so Eli and I took time to go out to Ha Ha Tonka while visiting his family in Camdenton. It was nice to see his parents and siblings, who all live close enough to each other to be able to get together all at the same time (unlike my family!).

After returning from Camdenton, Eli and I went back to Springfield to spend time with my parents, Jennifer and Ryan! We played tons of games and had a good time. After a few days in Springfield, we went to St. Louis to see my brother again. After my week+ of Christmas, I was content but extremely exhausted! I hope we can coordinate a weekend together next year!

Life on the Plaza

So, you might be wondering, "Why Kansas City?" I know, I know. Of all the places we could choose from. Our thoughts were that we would be closer to friends and family for a while, especially for the holidays. We lived in a very cool area, called the Plaza. It is full of neat restaurants and shops. One of Eli's favorite parts of living in KC was our close proximity to the Chiefs Stadium! I admit the tailgaiting is quite fun. However, the losing part sucked!! I've been to four games now and have yet to see them win.










Since we were there at Christmas time, we got to see a Plaza tradition. On Thanksgiving eve, the streets of the Plaza fill up, and the city ceremoniously lights up all the shop lights at once. Then the bars fill up.....which was of course my favorite part of the ceremony!!

more Chicago.......

Eli thought it was very important to show you all how close we were to Wrigley Field. Don't think I've switched from the Cardinals!! However, it was a neat area to live in. The stadium is old but remarkable! ..........anyway........ We ended our time in Chicago a bit early. That's part of the negatives to travel therapy. We run the risk of our time getting cut short if a full time employee gets hired (of course we get four weeks notice). So at the end of October we packed up and headed to Kansas City, MO. Which I will elaborate on in my next posting!

Chi-town

Sorry it's taken me a while to put up another post. I am continuing from my last blog.......As my job in Fort Myers was wrapping up, I started mapping out my next location. I had always wanted to visit Chicago, so I thought why not live there while the living's free! After applying for and receiving my Illinois license, I was good to go. I made a quick stop home in Missouri to see family and friends, and then I was on my way towards Lake Michigan. Since parking in Chicago is extremely expensive and hard to obtain, Eli and I downsized all of our belongings and packed everything up in my Passat. I cannot believed everything fit!! (I did have to get a rooftop carrier!) Upon arrival, I couldn't have been more excited. We got to our apartment, that was picked out by our company, and to our dismay found about 450 sqaure feet of partially furnished housing. As you may not know, being a traveler means I leave a lot behind. So I have to rely on furnished housing to get me through the months.

Anyway, after a short housing crisis, everything was worked out, and I began my enjoyment of Chicago. I think I explored every inch of Chicago. I went to the Art Institute, the Lincoln Park Zoo, Millennium Park, the Field Museum, the Shed Aqaurium, the Museum of Science and Industry, Navy Pier, Wrigley Field...................the list goes on and on. Below are three pictures from a day of exploring: the famous "bean," the skyline from the carousel at Navy Pier, and Eli and I with the skyline behind us.

One of the coolest parts of living in Chicago, was using the L train. Chicago has a great public transportation system. It was wonderful being able to use the trains or walk everywhere. This picture was taken about two blocks from my apartment. This was a place I liked to walk to and unwind. It goes to show that even in huge, busy cities, there is always a serene place to relax. Cheers!

Florida Weekend Adventures

As mentioned in my previous post, I went on many weekend adventures when down in Fort Myers. One of my favorite places was an island just thirty minutes away - Captiva Island (just north of Sanibel Island). The water was crystal clear and much cooler than the bathwater-like ocean by my place. One day, Eli and I found twelve conch shells washed up on shore! If you can get past the not so attractive woman in the picture above, you can see how blue the water is.

Another fun adventure, was deep sea fishing. The only time I have ever been fishing that I can really remember, was with my dad in Texas....and that was fly fishing. So for me, this was new territory. After I got over my sea sickness with the help of some Dramamine, I got pretty good at fishing. I even, for the first time, put on my own bait!! I caught about seven or eight and was quite proud of myself. When it was all over, I got to keep the fish. I had a week's worth of wonderful fresh fish fillets!

One fun-filled weekend, Eli and I drove ALL THE WAY across Florida to Miami (two and a half hours to be exact). We stayed in the Fontainebleau hotel with my Aunt Sandy, Uncle Mike, and cousin Sarah. We went on jet skis, explored the area, ate at a couple of great restaurants, and enjoyed the scenery. The hotel was right on the beach and had fantastic views. I had such a great time with the Starr's!

After Miami, Eli and I went on several other trips up and down the coast to explore the beaches. There are too many to mention, so I'll talk about my favorite, Key West. The area is almost like New Orleans' Bourbon Street, including a fully nude bar (don't worry mom, I did not participate). The water was beautiful and the island vibe was relaxing. It was so much fun to walk around to all the shops and relax in the sun. I wish I could have stayed for a week to explore more of the ocean!

Sorry this is such a long post! I am trying to catch everyone up to where we are now, which is going to take a while! I hope you all feel like you know more about my Fort Myers Beach rotation. Looking back at all these pictures, I remember how much fun I had and forget that I even had to work during the week! Enjoy.

From the Beginning

Hopefully you all know what I have been up to this last year and a half. It all started in May of 2007. I was tired of my job at St. John's Hospital and was looking for new opportunities. After several months of research, I quit my job at the hospital and took a traveling job in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. For those of you who are geographically challenged, it is located in the southwest portion of the state. I had to clear out my rental house in Springfield, Missouri, and downsize to what could fit in my car. Call me spoiled, but it was very hard coming from a girl with about a billion pairs of shoes and purses to match! I managed to utilize every inch of my car and headed down to Florida. Now, I wasn't as brave as you think. My boyfriend, Eli, is a physical therapist. He has been my traveling companion, so I have not done it alone.



The cool part of this job is that the travel companies pay for my living expenses. My place in Fort Myers Beach was amazing...and free. I was on the beach (technically across the street but I didn't care). Above is a photo of the place - we lived on the top floor.



Eli and I spent many hours on the beach, just enjoying the scenery. Here are some beautiful pictures from "our" beach:












We went on many weekend excursions and explored most of southern Florida. I will write more on a later day. Hope you enjoy the first of my blogs! Also, I am new to blogging, so be a little forgiving!!