Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My St. Patrick's Day Card and Bracelet from my dear MIL

I didn't do a thing to celebrate this year. I'm usually with Dan and his parents in his hometown, where they have a massive St. Patrick's day Celebration. Seriously, it's a teeny town, but people come from all around the area to go to this thing. The parade today? Was over an hour long!  So they were still having fun without me today. Well, Dan wasn't. He actually told me that today was made him realize how much he misses me and how lonely it is out there without me. He said he's been ok just by himself at home, but celebrating with our family and close family friends there....without me? Wasn't all that fun. 

I worked today so I didn't do any celebrating at all. And because I'm getting over this stupid stomach bug (and with my immune system down...my allergies), I just kicked back with a small glass of wine and sushi. That's about it.

Oh! And enjoyed a cover band that was playing at the brewery just two doors down. 

God, I love this place....

Accidental Job Opportunities (PS: NETWORK, YO!)

Randomly on Wednesday, I decided to do a little Google detective work. Obviously, I had been in bed most of the week, and was getting bored out my ever loving MIND. I started wondering what other opportunities were to be had in the this section of Colorado. I hadn't ever considered this area before, so I haven't even come close to seeing everything there was to offer. I mean, what happens if I'm not sure I want to turn this current job into something permanent? I like it so far, but I have to think about whether its something I want to turn into a long term commitment.  Could I do the same thing over and over again, day in and day out? It's not so bad, but really...Could I?

I still have that desire inside to do more with upper extremity rehabilitation.  Earlier this year, I applied for the Texas Women's University Post Grad certificate in UER. Darn it all, I DID miss the cut off date to start the program in the spring, but I'm hoping to hear in the fall if I can start in January. It's mostly online -- I'd also have the opportunity to travel there once per class for different workshops and hands on things. So I'm excited about that!

But anyway...Back to my Google detective work. I started doing research on Hand Therapy in this area. Which led me to a Facebook page of a local clinic. It doesn't appear they have a webpage -- just the Facebook.  So I decided to make a comment on the page. Something along the lines of being an OT, being new to the area, blah blah blah, great facility! Seriously though, it did look like a fantastic clinic, from the info and things that I saw on the page, as well as the pictures.

One thing led to another, and within a few comments, I was meeting today with the owner!! I DID in fact go this afternoon after work. I met with another OT, got a little tour of the facility, had a great time chatting about my experience and the plan is for me to come and observe a number of times, since I'm here in this area for another 10 weeks anyway.  They also want to get to know ME better and make sure I'm ready for a big move commitment -- by making sure I even LIKE the place first.  The conversation went SO GREAT!! I sent off my actual resume a bit ago to them.

No promise at this point of a job opportunity anyway, but there's a good chance that it could lead there. It will be expanding at some point, the clinic, and they want to be ready with another OT.  This is very exciting, so keep your thoughts and prayers with Dan and I.

Our biggest issue right now is HIS job situation. We need to make sure that he lands something, too, to put the icing on this cake. 

But seriously...Be fearless like me...Do something weird like contact a company via their FACEBOOK should they have no other fantastic way to do so! I felt weird doing it, but I knew I had to get my foot in SOMEHOW. Sometimes you have to just NETWORK in order to get where you want to go....)

The only thing good about the stomach flu...

 

Is a flat stomach. The kind that looks like I worked for it. HA!  My stomach is begging to eat, but any food that I get in? My stomach hurts so badly after it gets there. It sucks so badly. I didn't even get to eat pie for Pi Day yesterday -- I picked up a Hostess Chocolate Pudding pie and ate a few bites. Which tasted good! But I ate slow. Good thing, because my stomach started hurting quick. Darn it all. So, that pie got tossed....

At least the bloat that I built up last week disappeared. I was getting frustrated. Moving into a new city? Means trying out new foods. It also means probably not eating the VERY BEST while driving across the country to move to said city. I really didn't eat terribly on the way here, but I was sitting on my bum driving for 20+ hours total. I'm going to guess that was one problem. Not to mention a change in altitudes did me in.

Tonight? I'm packing up a bunch of clothing to mail back home. I overpacked on the cold weather clothing and have had to pick up some tshirts to wear to work at Target. The building hasn't turned on the A/C yet. And even when it comes on, it won't cool down too much in there -- because the building is considered the "home" of many people, they do their best to keep it comfortable for them. Which I definitely recognize as important. Thank goodness we get to wear capri pants and bermuda length shorts to work!! But yeah, I have a lot of warm clothes that need to head back because it's so amazingly warm here!! And I don't have the room for all that stuff hanging out around here...

Sick. Alone.

Besides having an upset stomach situation over Christmas and a similar situation in...2007....I haven't had a true stomach bug since April 2001. Yes, I know exactly when I last had a stomach bug. I'm a freak. Get over it.  Between that date and June 17, 2011, I had not thrown up even ONCE. The situation in June? It was called "Took my boards and drank too much to celebrate my nervousness" syndrome.  I barely drink much because of the fact that I'm afraid something like that will happen. UGH.

I finally had the lovely chance to experience a TRUE stomach bug this week. With things coming back up. UGH. I do NOT do vomiting. I just don't. Well, ok. So I do, it appears.

Monday was a rough day to begin with. I felt like I had barely slept the night before, thanks to daylight savings time and me obsessively checking my clock that entire night. Then I got up late, rushed to work late, and felt OFF the entire day. I felt anxious, but nothing I was doing to help my anxiety was working. I  didn't feel like eating. And I thought maybe I felt off because of low blood sugar, but even eating didn't help that. I still felt craptastic. Tired, lightheaded, just not myself.

Came home and ate dinner as usual. Not to mention a smudge of cookie dough (I blame either the cookie dough, the salad, or the nurse who was fighting a bug after a weekend of sick...She still wasn't feeling well Monday).  I just felt horrendous. My husband passed it off as I was just tired out. GO TO BED. He shouted.

Needless to say, around 11pm, the bug hit. And I KNEW it was going to hit. I don't know what's worse. Actually getting sick, or that anxiety before the getting sick. KNOWING you're going to but just not sure when your body is going to make it happen.

Thank goodness it only happened once. I happened to have a few phenergan tablets around from previous nauseating experiences. Those things are awesome.

At any rate, I'm pretty pissed off about the whole thing. This is my second week on this contract job and I am hit with a stomach bug. I can get through colds and sinus stuff. But obviously, you can't try to work with a stomach thing.

I'm at home today for the 2nd day. I still have a headache. I'm still exhausted. I'm still drinking a mixture of orange vitamin water and pedialyte. And I FINALLY ate solid food today.  I tried yesterday and it seemed to aggravate the system a bit.

The worse part of this whole experience, besides the fact that it's jumbled my brain and I've written a terrible post...IS THAT MY HUSBAND IS NOT HERE FOR ME.  I have been relatively ALONE for the past 2.5 days. I was lucky that my boss stopped by before work yesterday and brought me 7UP and Maalox. I needed something!! ANYTHING! The woman who owns the B&B has been texting me asking to make sure I'm ok and did I need ANYTHING? Although, I have to wonder if the boss came by to make sure I was actually SICK?? Ha!!! Well, I looked like death yesterday, so I know that she believed me. :)

But seriously. I am alone. I miss my husband so stinking bad. :( The worst homesickness comes during the times that you're feeling the absolute worst. I was so ready yesterday to start packing my car back up. All because I was miserable with the stomach flu. I was laying on the bathroom floor, fighting another round of nausea...talking to Dan on the phone, tears running down my face, calculating the damage this would do to me should I run away now.

I have been up a couple of hours now and need to go back to bed already. I know how pathetic that sounds, but holy headache and exhaustion.

Another drive around

Today was relatively uneventful. Still felt pretty tired out, but it was gorgeous outside and I found myself wanting to just DO ANYTHING. I pretty much have exhausted any options for shopping in this town...and besides, it's a Sunday, so not a ton is open. Which left me with doing something outside. Besides I needed a little vitamin D in my life.  So, since it's only 15 minutes away, I drove up to Black Canyon:

You guys. I can't even BEGIN to do this thing justice. No way, no how. This picture captures almost NOTHING that I saw today. I need my DSLR, that's what I need. And even then, I'm not sure I'd get it right. The depth. The beauty. THE AWESOMENESS. I had no clue how to get it right. This is just a picture from the parking lot. I wanted to hike some today, but alas, I was alone and unsure as there was still a TON of snow. I definitely wasn't wearing the right equipment for that sort of thing. So after I got this shot...I took my route south.... 

To the town of Ouray (pronounced "Your-ay). It's this itty bitty town nestled in at the base of the mountains. 

After that, got back into town, took a walk, finished laundry, went and had a beer at the brewery down the street.  It was a great day!

The first week...

I am completely and utterly EXHAUSTED today. After a very huge whirlwind the last few weeks, it seems that my body got the memo that it was time to slow the eff down.  Rude little memo it was, it hit me around noon today. BAM. Eyes that can't stay open...Sinuses that are all stuffy. Lack of appetite. Just blech feeling. I was supposed to go out and meet some other chicks in town, but my body was not happy with me after I decided to go ahead and get ready anyway. So here I am being lame on a Saturday night...talking to you. I would write more, but as I already said....Tired.  More from me soon, I promise. I just need to get my bearings in my new town. But so you know...I really like this job and I REALLY hope it turns permanent. Fingers crossed.

Just the view on the way to do a little grocery shopping this morning. Never going to get tired of that horizon. NEVER.

What's happening!!!???

To say things were bad (then GOOD) the past two weeks is an understatement. While the bad resolved itself eventually, it was a veeerrrrry slooooooow and anxiety filled process of epic proportions. While at times, I pride myself on my dramatics, but not this time. It really was that bad and I resent a certain  Facebook status I saw posted this week. Something along the lines of the fact that people should just suck it up and deal with their so called problems.  Probably not aimed at me at all. But it sure as heck pissed me off. I decided, however, not to comment about the fact that their perception of a persons problems....may actually *gasp* be wrong. (You know you're crazy when you get this paranoid, lol....) So my nightmare started...oh, about Thursday the 16th. We could go back two more days to the start of a cold, but it was the migraine/tension headache on that Thursday that stated it all.  I don't have those. I've never before had a headache that grew worse and nothing I gave it made it feel better. I couldn't relax. The pain engulfed my whole head. Made me cry. I couldn't open my eyes because the light killed. I left work after half a day of awful and it just got worse. My amazing husband took me to the ER that evening where I got a fabulous cocktail of pain meds and anti nausea serum (not the medical term at all. I just like the word). But not before all the rooms around me were filled with sick SCREAMING children.

Long story short...While it may have been a bit impulsive at the time (but not really as I have been contemplating this since the beginning of the new year), I decided to resign from my job. And take a job 1500 miles away (contract for 12 weeks that could turn out PERMANENT!!). I got the offer last Friday at 9:30pm.  And I left for Colorado the next Thursday.

And here I am. I will have a lot of new adventures to write about! Including worrying to death about Dan finding work out here....

Have a look at what I saw during my drive out here.... (I'm on the western slope of CO). It involved a drive up and down mountains. CRAZY.