So…it’s been a year since we packed up and left North Carolina for our traveling adventure. All I can say is WOW! I wasn’t really sure what to expect when we started and sometimes still not sure, but we have had a blast! Dont get me wrong, there have been some wicked stressful times, some raised voices, silent treatments, and the exchange of some not so nice words. However, those moments were way outnumbered by amazing ones.

We have driven across the country twice and we have seen some really cool places along the way. We’ve been to the northwestern most and the northeastern most points in the United States. We’ve been to museums, state parks, national parks, beaches, mountains, deserts, waterfalls, volcanos, craters, lighthouses, landmarks, lakes, rivers, and islands. We have seen lots of wildlife and it never gets old!

The weather has been everything from drenching rain, gobs of snow, and blasts of wind. There have been weeks it never stopped raining and places we could not get to because the car would not make it in the snow. But there have been beautiful sunny days, too. And on those nice days, it has gotten dark anywhere from 4 PM to 11 PM.

We have eaten at many restaurants and even tried some new foods. We tried lots of breweries and even a few wineries. Scott found a love/obsession with gelato!

We have met some fantastic people along our journey as well. Some of them will be lifelong friends and were hard to leave when that time came.

Professionally, this experience has also been mostly wonderful. I have been able to work with lots of different surgeons, PA’s, nurses, and techs in the OR and have learned a lot from them. I have been able to see procedures and use equipment that I had never seen/used before. I have learned things that I like and dislike and can now use this information to find new places to work. I found out that there is a big difference in working 10 hours everyday instead of 8, but that it’s nice to have 3 days off in the week.

Here are some fun stats from the last year:

States: 30 Countries: 2 Miles Driven: 27,780 National Parks: 12 Time Zones: 5 Walked/hiked: 300+ miles Biked: 150+ miles Flights: 2 commercial, 1 biplane Ferry Rides: 5 Train Rides: 2 Temperature Extremes: High:122 degrees Low: 3 degrees (-15 windchill) Altitudes: Low: -280 feet High: 12,250 feet Work: 3 hospitals in 3 states

I’m not sure how much longer we will pursue this lifestyle but I know that we will make the most of it while we do. Here’s to more learning, exciting adventures, new friends, and great experiences.