One Green Bicycle

Spa of the Rockies

2012-02-21T11:33:00.002-08:00

What a time is this? Around valentine's day, my birthday, and now the perfect time to visit the spa with one of my favorite cousins. We visited Glenwood Springs, CO Spa of the Rockies for a relaxing time of massages, facials, and dipping into their famous, soothing hot springs. The original sulfur smell mixed with the horizon of snow capped peaks made this a trip I wouldn't soon forget. Not to mention T. learned how to snowshoe. She is the adventurous one, choosing her first outing to be hiking up a frozen waterfall. We had a lot of fun exploring all over Colorado.

The waterfall Taye and I attempted to snowshoe

Me and my snowshoes soon after a little tumble

Climbing the waterfall in snowshoes

A boutique that reminded me of my niece in Boulder, CO on the funky Pearl Street

A cup of coffee to precede our fun activities at Stella's on Pearl Street, Denver, CO

A random ice glacier we found while driving, next to the road in Red Stone, CO

T. taking pictures of the landscape in the freezing cold. (I stayed in the car :) )

I saw this from a distance and had to figure out what it was. So after multiple driving attempts we found it and realized it is an arts center for the local kids. What a cool building!

I think it might be called a yurt...maybe.

A vintage boutique in Glenwood Springs, CO

Our road back took us up and over a mountain. When we got to the top we took some pics then noticed some snowboarders pull of the road in front of us. They snapped on the boards and slid down the mountain. They were right next to us. Now they're going crazy speeds down a scary looking slope. Gorgeous but too steep for me. Take a look, what do you think?

Once we got back to my home in Greeley (actually, Evans) was a friendly face with a naked body holding a balloon. Who wouldn't smile with that trio of features?

An AC app?!

2012-02-12T17:46:00.001-08:00

Who knew the AC church has an app of sermons. It's organized by several churches and includes many previous sermons as well as the option to listen live, if you like that.

So if you have a smartphone be sure to check it out!
The app icon is shown below and here's their site: http://www.acsermonstreamer.com/

A taste of nihongo

2012-02-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Or as some others may say, Japanese.

Kanji symbol for family

Since I can't really (or haven't figured out a way to type Japanese, yet) I thought I could try giving you an audio clip and photo I put together today while I was studying. A website with "all things Japanese" called www.tofugu.com gives out free resources to help anyone learn Japanese or even just read fun things about the Japanese culture. This form is one of their many resources.

audio link (click here)

To whom much is given...

2012-02-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

And I'm hoping the same it true for 'to whom little is given...' My skiing skills would definitely get me off the hook and you can see why. I can be thankful I didn't hurt anyone, that's all I'm saying. :)

Split Pea Soup

2012-02-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Back in middle school, peas used to have the connotation of being terrible, an almost brown color with no distinct taste. Basically, just thrown in for the vegetable serving required in all school lunches. Not any more! With a boatload of color and flavor this soup is made delicious.

My host was telling me about her very favorite soup, split pea soup. Never having tried it before, I was determined to find an interesting recipe to try this soup for my first time. And I was not disappointed. I made a couple changes I added into the recipe below (basically taking out the ham and exchanging the bay leaf with other spices). Enjoy!

Split Pea and Ham Soup by easy natural food

1 pound green split peas* (soaked overnight in warm water, then rinsed)
6 cups stock/water (I used 3 cups homemade chicken stock, 3 cups water)
1 ham bone (did not use)
1 onion, diced
1 small strip of kombu/kelp
1 tsp basil and parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium large carrot, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter (optional) (did not use)
1 cup diced cooked ham (optional) (did not use)

1. Place split peas, ham bone and stock/water into a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to a simmer. Add the onion, kelp, spices and garlic.
3. Gently simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Stir periodically to prevent the split peas from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
4. Add the carrot, celery, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the peas are completely mushy and soft. Add a bit more water/stock if needed, but careful not to make the soup too runny.
5. Puree the soup (I use an immersion blender). Be careful of hot splashes!
6. (if desired) Add the butter and ham pieces and simmer for 5 minutes to heat the ham through. I add butter because otherwise this soup has very little fat in it.
7. Taste and adjust seasonings as required.

Welcome home, Dad!

2012-02-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

My parents have been through a lot in the past couple years. But today was the culmination of a lot of their efforts. My Dad went through an ankle replacement surgery to ease the pain of his joints. The type of pain he has had all his life stems from a disease process called, ankylosing spondilitis. The pain gets worse as the autoimmune disorder continues to tear apart his joints, in some ways similar to forms of arthritis. He his doing so well since the surgery earlier today as mom continues to keep up with his pain medicine and learn about drains. I'm so thankful my nursing background has helped me answer at least some of her questions and calm some of her fears. These next several months of post surgical rehab will be a long road for both of them. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Deep and Wide, Deep and Wide...

2012-02-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

...There's a fountain flowing deep and wide.

Well that was certainly the case when I got home from the mountains yesterday. Not quite a fountain, just a shower pipe. When I walked downstairs I found 1/2 my bedroom flooded with half an inch of water. I don't have much stuff so what I did have wasn't a problem to get out of the water to dry. But my gracious hosts had been putting together a proper bedroom for me in the last week; and the wood was just laid and put together.
So I hear the sound of running water as I'm trying to step on the sides of the walls to get around the room without stepping in the water. I see the newly set shower drain pumping out water. What do I do? Well, those of you that know me, also know how much I'm not well versed in construction or hands on stuff. Anyway, I quickly think, "What would I do at home?" The only thing I could think to do was turn off the water behind the toilets since that was the only place water had ever overflowed on me before. So I ran upstairs and shut off both water "valves". When I went downstairs I also noticed a pipe near the shower with some levers parallel to the pipe. So I turned them perpendicular thinking that would stop something, maybe not water, but it would stop something. I called my host in the mean time as well. He didn't pick up so I left a message and sent him a text as well. At this point I heard the water stopping, so I hoped I had done at least one thing right. It felt so awkward for me to just sit there looking at the water. I didn't know what else to do. I was so helpless.
Brandon came home soon after. Apparently he called me but we don't have good reception so I never got the call. He called the plumber and checked out everything I did to make the water stop. Thankfully, he also didn't make me look like an idiot when I found one of the levers I turned off was for the gas. He just smiled, chuckled a little, and walked upstairs. He still had to go pick up their little girl. So while he was gone I started mopping. And mopping. And more mopping. It took until he got back I had finished 1/4 of the room, pathetic.
Anyway, we got it cleaned up and their researching the plumbing problems today. I'm so glad I'm staying with a family for this time and not on my own. I would've been so much more stressed trying to figure all this out by myself. I'm trying to learn what I can though, so I can be prepared for the times ahead.
Remember, yellow lever for water. And red lever for gas.

I'll send more pics as the room progresses through the remodeling phases. Hopefully with this being the only problem along the way.

My Blog's Namesake

2012-02-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

The Real One Green Bicycle, Live, and in Action...well almost

On my first bike ride with my one green bicycle and it was such a beautiful ride. It doesn't really look green even in real life. When I first found it on craigslist I was going by someone else's perspective or the manufacturer's title. But if you look really close in the sun, the color does have a hunter green cast. And it's my first folding bicycle, a Dahon to be precise. You can see the differences in several of these pictures I've included. I even added one to show how it looks all folded up before I throw it into a carrying case. Thanks Jennifer from Loveland who showed it to me! And another thanks to my friend at home who let me test drive his Dahon so I could get the knack of a folding bike before I collected it.

Close to my home I found a pretty popular and long trail called The Poudre Trail. It extends through several towns, winds along rivers, and climbs through valleys and dog parks. What a fun ride! So I thought I'd share part of it with you. Hope you enjoy the video and pictures!

Home Sweet Stranger's Home

2012-01-27T16:13:00.000-08:00

I'm a the lucky one. No blessed is a better word. I found the housing for my travel nursing assignment by searching and putting up a post on craigslist. Typically, I do find the safe route to be the best so this obviously was not my first method of researching housing in the area. Periodically I checked in at corporate housing websites, long term hotels, and local rentals. My current travel nursing agency did give me the option of using their housing which would have made this research superfluous. And this is a good option for many travel nurses who don't have time to set up more personal housing or those who want to focus on the job for their first one or more assignments.

However, after hearing how my agency would spend three times more than necessary on housing (as compared to local rates in the area) I decided to ask for the money in stipend and find my own housing. I had also found many people who used agency provided housing were mistaken in their expectations. There were several great rental apartments in the area for much cheaper and with more amenities. The biggest hurdle was finding a place that could offer a three month lease, equal to my three month job contract. So initially I spent quite a bit of time on the internet finding well rated rentals. My standards started plummeting when not one company I talked with offered a three month lease. I found one hotel that offered such a lease but only had a two bedroom available. So obviously it was twice as expensive and not even furnished.

All of this knowledge led me to pursuing housing through friends and local contacts. That gave me one good option close to one of the two job offers I had yet to decide on. My brother then suggested craigslist, just to check out the market a little more on a personal basis. I looked through several of the posts for a couple of days to get a good idea on price and location. One thing I was sure of: I did not want to stay with college students. Dear friends at Purdue, I love you all and the time I spent with you. But most college students are not like the group we had in our apartment building. And I wanted to make sure that I could focus on my night shift job and sleep as much as possible during the day. So no hard feelings :)

Anyway, so I pieced together my own post on craigslist including my story and little bits about me. I put down attributes such as I like pets but don't have any, I'm a nonsmoker, don't do drugs or alcohol, and I love kids (aka peds nurse), making sure to add my preferences: private living quarters, wifi, laundry, etc. I added a max price consistent with location and amenities based on the hotel prices I liked. (If only the hotels had three month leases I wouldn't be in this debacle) And added that I'd be willing to give references and would need a background check in return.

I had no clue that within 24 hours I would have received at least 15 offers, increasing several more each day thereafter. I communicated by e-mail either kindly rejecting the offer or asking for more information. Some of the people were very kind. I talked to so many from so many areas of life. It was very interesting talking to them over the phone. These complete strangers offered me keys to their homes, sharing their washer and dryer, taking turns parking in their garage, even so far as inviting me along with their friends on social outings. Some were rather creepy sounding. A middle aged man with a four bedroom house, living alone, offering the rest of the house since he spends every night at his girlfriends house. How about a big resounding No. One offer was living in a home with several guys and one other girl, all similar in my age. They were so kind but my own accountability to the boundaries I like to support inhibited my acceptance of that offer. And then my current host contacted me offering house details but being careful to not give too much information for their own security. I appreciated their safeguards, especially having a child, and pursued more information. We talked by phone, text, and once confirmed, by video chat. She texted me pictures of the home and so on.

So getting on with the story, I chose living with a young couple and a toddler. I live in a 1700sq. ft. unfinished basement which is three times the size of my old apartment. And then I drove out there a week later to move in.

We have all gotten along well together. In fact, they invited me to their parents home yesterday for a big family supper. They are such a sweet, hospitable family. My host's mother has her own horse ranch, giving riding lessons and the whole bit. The father builds houses and they live in this beautiful area along a river. Driving in there was a herd of deer grazing in their front yard. They proceeded to tell me deer are the least interesting of the animals that frequent their land. Oftentimes they spot bald eagles, up to fifteen, various owl species, even an occasional elk. Or maybe the host was just teasing me on that last bit. We had a fun dinner, gave the girls a bath, toured the ranch, and then tried sopapillas as dessert for the first time. So tasty!

The Adventurous Spirit

2012-01-24T05:54:00.000-08:00

So, apparently I'm adventurous. I'm so lucky I learn new things about myself every day. You see, several people have recently been saying how adventurous I am. And maybe this isn't even worth a blog post. But how do you know who someone really is? Not to get too introspective her. But, it isn't always by how they act. Many people lie or do the ever increasing divorce rates, crimes, and lawsuits not depict that already? Oftentimes it isn't even what they say. Sure how they act and what they say can tip you in a general direction but that only accounts for a tiny, tiny bit.

I guess what a lot of people think of as daring is different from my own view. Yeah, I have traveled. I've gotten to go to all sorts of places, through the Lord's blessing. And I have been able to have some pretty crazy experiences, if you count getting stranded in Italy. I'm not saying anything new by saying that traveling and doing unique things can provide a lot of opportunities. Of course it does. But who needs hundreds of opportunities? For the dating sort, it's like saying you want to peruse through hundreds of different guys or girls. But you only need one. For the cooking sort, it's like saying you want hundreds of Tilapia to make dinner for yourself tonight. You only need one. God directs the path into as many or as few opportunities as you see. He provides them and he takes them away. Some think that they are stranded living in a small town. All I can think to say is bless you. Be thankful your number of opportunities has been handpicked down to a select number of good ones. The more space and people the more opportunity for error. Sorry, this topic has made its way down a rabbit hole.

Getting back to my initial point, you may not know people by how they appear. Hearing my plans to travel to Japan, living on my own in a foreign country, or living in a basement of people I met on craigslist. Those things may sound all crazy, but they're just choices. For my path, God led me here for a short while. I'm having trouble thinking of which point I want to focus on first. Maybe it's how I want people to stop feeling guilty for living in a small town, or going to the same small job for years. That's definitely part of it. For me, when I started sharing my plans to go to Japan the people around me seemed so excited and several would comment on things they had always wanted to do but never could. But my life isn't meant to be exciting. It is meant to glorify God. And I would love to do that in my hometown at a small job living a small quiet life. And maybe I'll get there at some point. Maybe in a couple months, or maybe never.

But to everyone out there, enjoy your life. Be where you are. A good friend of mine named Nicole once told me a famous quote, "grow where you are planted." And if God gives you the opportunity to do something you've always longed for, go for it.


Don't give people the illusion that traveling is a great life and staying in one town if looked down on. I keep thinking how much I long to invest in one place, in one people, in one mission. To not feel so scattered that I can't control my thoughts and decisions as I move from town to town from one job to another. I'd love to have a dog, to grow a garden, to know my area so well I can give others directions to the best bike trail. But I'm not there. And the only thing that keeps me centered is Christ. It sounds all religious I know for those of you out there without a God. But, I'm completely serious. Instead of a guy that plays with emotions or a job that will always leave you feeling empty, God is the only true anchor. Here's some proof. I'm a travel nurse. I don't have tons of experience and I only know a little bit in comparison to so many other medical professionals. I do know, without any doubt, that if God took me to Sante Fe, Bismark, or a tiny city no ones even heard of (and that's meant to sound boring, not exciting) I would be just fine. No matter where I go I have that one anchor. Any other born again believer knows exactly what I mean. There's no fear when you know that there is a God who listens to your prayers and talks to you through life and the Bible. There is no fear because God took it away when He promised a relationship with him. But that is each person's choice.

Another facet to this is that I'm nowhere near adventurous. Have you read the Bible? I'm not even as interesting as Ezekiel and many don't even know who he is. And why do people look at doing crazy things as a good thing? Yes, I agree. In John 4:18 we read there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. And in Timothy we read For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and of a sound mind. Not being fearful is oftentimes exchanged for doing stupid things like jumping from a plane or saying something you'll regret. However, casting out fear isn't always the same as doing crazy things.

For example, I had to push past my fear when I was scared to make small talk with some old school friends. No one around me was aware that I was battling this fear. And it certainly wasn't a crazy thing to do. And this is the most interesting part, no one had any clue if I was on the winning side of my battles or the losing side. No one except my anchor.

So I guess my point after all of this, stop trying to be adventurous or daring. Just put away your fear. And live in Christ who gave you and me life. And are you one the winning side or the losing side of your fears? Only you and one other knows.

Fresh Baked Granola Bars

2012-01-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

By: Vegan Stoner

"The perfect snack for a winter's hike on Long's Peak." -My host

1. Melt a half cup peanut butter and a half cup agave nectar in pan.

2. Add 4 Spoonfuls of applesauce
3. Stir in 3 cups of oats and a cup of trail mix

4. Spread in baking pan.
5. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

6. Munch.

First day on the job

2012-01-14T13:27:00.001-08:00

Many of you have heard the phrase, "It was such a good learning experience." But what some people seem to forget to tell you is that phrase is usually the same as saying, "Everything went as bad as it possibly could've. I just keep reminding myself that God is good. God is good. God is good."
Well my first day was a great learning experience. It was like pulling teeth to get any information for my first day so I kept prodding my recruiter. One day before my first day I received an email giving me an address, time, contact name, and phone number. I thought, no worries. This is what a travel nurse is, being flexible. So I got there 10 minutes ahead and went straight to the elevators to get to level two. Except there was no level two. The buttons listed G, 1, 3, 4, and 5. So I went to the registration table and asked where I can find my contact person. She looked very confused as she stated that employee was let go several years ago. I just keep thinking, flexible, be flexible, it's all about flexibility. I nodded, thanking her for her time, and dialed the contact number. It was the main hospital dashboard. I keyed my way to human resources, asked her some general questions, and even though she had no idea who I was she pointed me in the way of routine orientation. I get to the auditorium and it was great, water bottles at each seat and even breakfast in the back. But as I walk in an employee stops me and asks who I am. I gave her my name, told her my story, and showed her my traveler badge. Apparently there was no record of my hire. I didn't know what to do or who to call since my recruiter lived in california and she wouldn't answer her phone yet. The employee offered me a chair until we could figure out logistics.
Several managers introduced all of the new hires, all except me. Was I forgotten? Did they find someone else better qualified? Did I have a job? Should I start planning on returning back home with my family? Should I try to push forward or back my Japan trip in order to go straight there or wait and find another job? Those were several questions blasting through my head as I tried to listen to general orientation lectures. The first break came so I decided to ask the lady I talked to earlier if she had heard any new information for me. Another new hire in the room was panicking she didn't have a badge yet. In my head i was thinking, "You don't know if you have a badge?! I don't know if I have a job!" I tried to wait patiently. While I had some time, I attempted calling my recruiter. Amazingly she picked up and calmed me down a bit saying that i definitely had a job and that she would make some calls. The HR lady still didn't know anything but said I was welcome to stay in class. Before this day I was told I had a couple things to do at occupational health before my first day. So over my lunch I ran over there and got fit tested and a tb shot. I got back a little late and found out the Peds manager had been looking for me. Six hours into the day I found I for sure had a job and my lawson number to prove it. A huge concern was lifted and I felt I could finally concentrate again. After the scheduled day I found my managers office and we chatted about everything. She also gave me a quick tour and worked with me to plan my entire schedule for the whole three months.
All of that being said, to the future travelers out there, you can be as prepared as humanly possible. You can have all the numbers written down, people contacted, details memorized, etc. But at any moment everything can seem to go awfully wrong. So don't panic. Remember to be flexible. And the absolute biggest peace for me was praying 1 John 4:18.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

Nameless

2012-01-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

So last week I learned a lot at a conference. One of the biggest ideas that hit me was the idea of giving more credit to the creation than the creator. How so many times we talk about the names of great speakers, events, designers, etc. We can talk about top name artists, the favorite brand of the day, or even daily drama, but when the rubber meets the road when are we sharing the name of Christ and the story of salvation, the two most important topics. So at this conference we were challenged to mention the name of Christ more than any other name. To follow along with that idea, I decided to make this post about what I learned with no names. Obviously, several of you will know who or what I'm talking about. But this will be a challenge to me to focus on the name that's truly important, Jesus Christ.
Over the course of those several days, here are some of the topics that really got to me.

How to deal with interruptions- I never thought of some stories in the Bible interrupting others but there are several where, in the middle of a miracle story, Christ is interrupted by another person asking something completely new. And how did He deal with that? He gave them all the time in the world and usually met their physical need as well as their spiritual need. It was so convicting to compare that to how I often want to respond to those who interrupt my time studying, at work, or maybe just my 'me time' I like to keep to myself.

Goal: Give every interruption uninterrupted attention for as long as they need, remembering God loves them and maybe wants to use me if I wasn't so busy.

How to react to people- One speaker mentioned a couple stories where he was attempting to share how God had been working in his life. The girls he was talking to didn't want to hear what he had to say so they continually blew him off and walked away. But, no, he didn't take that as a slam or frustrating. He just continued to follow them and speak of all the ways God is amazing and has affected his life. Another young man flat out told the speaker, "You don't do anything special. I could do what you do. All you do is read the Bible and say, 'Guys, we got to do this.'" This comment just made the speaker smile and respond, "Yes, that's exactly what I've been trying to say all along."

Goal: To have an eternal perspective that no matter who I'm talking to, words and actions won't hurt me. That God can inspire me to manipulate those words and actions to glorify him in love.

How huge the current issue of slavery- Who would've guessed that there is still 27 million slaves today. And that is more than any other day in history. This number encompasses all forms including forced labor and sexual slavery among others. To learn more go here

Here are some more pictures I took throughout the conference.

Passion 2012

2012-01-03T16:05:00.001-08:00

The first morning in Atlanta at the conference

May these days and masses of college and young working adults sole purpose be to glorify Jesus Christ. May they find their passion and unique perspective to shape their awesome path in Christ. Blessed be your name Jesus. Our reading was in Luke 8 this morning as we studied gods amazing love and for the woman in verse 43. She had been found unclean by a blood condition for twelve years. She was unfit to be with others and feared thinking she would cause them to be unclean as well. She had to risk the social standard she was held to. She risked making Jesus unclean. But thanks and praise to god, nothing is too bad or too much to bring down Christ. We can't mess him up or ruin him. It is a most blessed arrangement that the relationship is one of grace, where the darkest of sinners can be made pure white. What awesome love is this?

Strawberry frozen yogurt

2011-12-31T11:45:00.001-08:00

So our family has a Christmas tradition. Every year, around Christmas and new years we make homemade ice cream. Past years have included flavors such as mocha chip, vanilla bean, coconut, gingerbread, and cinnamon. This year we continued the tradition by churning blackberry frozen yogurt two days ago and strawberry frozen yogurt today.

I found the best recipe in a surprising place, the ice cream maker manual. Who would've thought?! So here it is:

3 cups Greek yogurt
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups puréed fruit of your choice

Combine in ice cream maker and mix for about 30 minutes. Makes roughly 1/2 quart.

The perfect treat for new years!

A fitting song

2011-12-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

Last night my family and I heard this song and it caught my ear. It represents, with less drama of course, a stage of my life. I've been going through the stage of simplifying. Getting rid of all the extra clothes in my closet. Pairing down and organizing all my stuff in the attic. Working toward the goal of living completely out of my car, while still seeing the basics I need to take when traveling by plane. Yesterday my family started talking of all the safety issues I should think about and plan for: not stopping my car for things like an infant seat by the side of the road, preparing to react if eggs are thrown toward my windshield, knowing the safety number to call if an unmarked police car turns on his lights behind me when I'm out in the middle of nowhere. My mind hates to think like that. All the what if's can be consuming. But logically I need to prepare for that worst case scenario. And if it happens, to not be surprised but to have a battle plan in the very worst of possibilities, no matter how terrible. And that is embodied in this song.

This song poetically describes life battles and epic changes within the window of time. Here are the lyrics:
............................................

Home is behind
The world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow, to the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Mist and Shadow
Cloud and Shade
All shall fade
All shall fade

...............................................

The song is so beautiful, I don't want to take away its beauty by my word fumblings. However, I wanted to try to communicate how it helped me think of my life in God's big picture. And in that, it spurred me on to what I'm doing with my future thus far.

Last year, I was reading several authors I found at the Passion 2011 conference: Francis Chan, Gabe Lyon, Louis Giglio, and Andy Stanley. An interesting idea was to think of your life in God's picture. Instead of asking myself, "What do I want to do with my future?" A better question is, "What is God's story? How has He been affecting my family for generations? And what has he been training me for already?" As the song states, we still have many paths to tread. But its a beautiful thought to think I don't have to start from scratch. God has been leading and training before I was ever asking. So I like to ask myself, "What should I do now to continue to springboard off of what God has done and continues to do in my life?" And by answering that question, leads me to seek out learning more Japanese, traveling, and (through the strength's finder 2.0 book) use the more natural God-given talents, which I can go into more detail in a later post.

I hope you enjoyed the song. May it be a moment of reflection or instillation of peace in several of you for your paths ahead...through shadow, to the edge of night.

Last Day

2011-12-23T07:00:00.001-08:00

Have you ever had to turn in a resignation letter? I have great managers and coworkers who always want the best for me and my future. However, I still felt nervous thinking of how they would respond. Of course, they were great about it. My last day will be Sunday, Christmas Day. What a merry day to end a wonderful season.

So while writing my resignation, I thought the proper thing to do was to give them two weeks notice. That seems fair and standard. But how to put it in a clear letter while being kind and communicating the great learning experience I have had here, that was the question. So I went to town researching and more researching. I found a couple fair options at www.allnurses.com, searching under 'resignation letter'. The consensus seemed to be a very short, like almost sadly short letter. I remember one letter that literally looked like this.
Dear Manager...,
My last day will be blah blah blah. Thanks for this work experience.
Sincerely,
blah blah blah

Now that is just plain sad. I don't care how poor of an experience they had. I think that's disrespectful. But, maybe that's just my perspective after having such good employers. So mine went something like this.
Dear Manager...,
Thanks for all the ways you've contributed to my growth in nursing. As we've previously discussed, I've be looking more into travel nursing. I just found a perfect position at a hospital in Colorado that seems to be a good transition from Riley, utilizing hourly rounding, bedside reporting, and even Cerner computer charting. My last day will be December 25, 2011. I look forward to working with you until then and if there's anything I can do to help in these last days, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Javon
That was pretty much the bulk of it. It wasn't crazy long but it had sincerity behind it. Have you ever had any issues with the resignation phase?

A fun fact: I e-mailed my resignation letter before I had accepted an offer yet :) Thankfully I had two firm offers pending in Colorado which helped boost my confidence. And a very supportive family. These two things were key through the process.

And to all my coworkers reading this, it has been a pleasure. For over two years now it has been an honor for me to learn from you and work with you. I wish I could see all of you before I leave but apart from the people working Christmas day, this is my goodbye. Thanks everyone and I'd love to see you again, be it out and about in Indy or coming to visit in Colorado! Have a very merry Christmas remembering who it is all for. And I look forward to seeing updates by facebook too, so keep those pictures coming!

My first post

2011-12-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

This is probably the part where I'm supposed to be creative. But, here's my thought. If I start out pretty simple, maybe a tad boring, it can only get better from here. And the largest portion of people will be reading my first post so it may entice them to come back and read a more creative entry later on. Like a good wine, I'm hoping this blog will get better with time.

So to catch everyone up on my life, here are its current events. I accepted a travel nursing position on the general pediatric floor in Greeley, CO. It will start in January so I'm getting all the details for that in place in these last weeks. I've already researched, phone called, and done anything I can possibly think of to make the right decision regarding right agency, right hospital, and right timing. Prayer is very important and has been at the forefront of these decisions. However, that doesn't mean I can idly go to most open door without seeking out all the options in front of me. My mom would say that I like to make every decision the most difficult. And if that's the case, I've went to so much research I should be able to help out any future travel nurses out their in thoughts, worries, or questions. I'll post more later about how I chose the agency, hospital, and timing. Right now what I'm working on is called a compliance checklist. Any nurse interested in pursuing this field will want to collect these documents and have them ready, hard copies and electronic formats.

A W4
Permanent Tax Declaration Form
Direct Deposit Authorization (if offered by your agency)
Driver's License
Social Security card
Voided Check
EOE forms (given by your agency)
Basic Life Support certification
PALS or ACLS certification
Current license for state you'll be traveling to (temporary or permanent)
A physical exam within one year
A negative PPD or chest x-ray
An immunization record or current titers for the following: Rubeola(measles), Mumps, Rubella, Hepatitis B (history of series or signed declination), Varicella, and Tetanus/Diptheria (within two years, only needed if providing care to children twelve years old and younger)
Drug testing (your agency may want it at a specific drug testing center, mine was Labcorp.)
And then you'll need to sign forms such as a medical release form, disclosure for background check, background information sheet, background application, confidentiality aggreement, and a work experience checklist.

Now for my family and friends who have no use for the above details, I am so excited to be going to Colorado. Anyone would be welcome to come and visit! The Denver church is about an hour away if you'd like to come on a weekend. And I'll have a couple beds open where I'll be if you need a place to stay.

Next week will be my last to enjoy the comfort of my hometown and my most beautiful niece, before about six months. After the three months in Colorado, I have plans to go to Japan and help with tsunami relief, attend language school, and look into how I can be used.

About the title of my blog, I've been looking for a folding bicycle recently. It seemed to best suit this quickly moving lifestyle. A good friend of mine gave me a test drive of his Dahon Boardwalk. It seemed like a great, economical option. (I've also been researching those a lot recently so any questions there, I'll be happy to help. Or I'll send you over to my good friend who knows much more than I do) So after hours of internet, amazon, and ebay hunting, I looked on craigslist. About two weeks later and half a dozen rechecks of craigslist I came across a set of two dark green boardwalks in perfect condition living about 30 minutes from where I'll be in Colorado. So I became super excited and sent in my holding fee. So I'll be picking them up right before I start my new job. And yes, you did read correctly. I said a set, meaning two, of these bikes. The price was amazing and this way I won't totally feel like a loner if I have a friend come visit who wants to take a ride with me. For the most part though, it will just be me riding one green bicycle through all these changes. And may God guide it towards him and His will. I'll check back in later. Thanks all for reading my first post ever!