tumbleweed.

this stretch of time off in between work days was harder than it has been and i was pretty homesick. but after sleeping off my exhaustion the last few days, i decided to make the most of today since i return to work tomorrow.  so, adventuring i did! i have passed by this rio grande sign (crossing a river) almost every day, but i thought for sure it was just a decoration. i found out at work this week, no, it's the real rio grande river! it's just so small compared to what i thought it was.

i decided to check out a new area called los alamos. its about 20 min southeast of me. it was a beautiful cool afternoon (minus the wind at 40 mph, no joke) as i begin to make the drive into town. i literally couldn't believe what i saw as the 4runner began to climb. there i was, in the middle of the mountain, and rock and snow covered mountains as far as the eye could see. the contrast of the crystal blue sky was mesmerizing. all i could think of was how could someone possibly think this stuff "bumped" into existence?? i have no clue, but i know one thing, my God is matchless in glory!

as i got into town, i felt almost as if i had fallen into the town of mayberry. small quant area, lots of people walking around downtown. it was amazing.  my main mission was to visit the museum where they built the first united states atomic bomb, also known as the manhatten project. how cool is that?! why would they do that in the middle of nowhere new mexico? that's exactly why! it used to be the middle of nowhere's nowhere. from what i understand, there is still research going on at the lab here, but it is top secret. if you try to climb the security fence of the property they shoot you dead right away, so i don't suggest it! but it was still pretty cool!

now i am going to attempt to fight the closing of my eyelids (bets are i will lose) in hopes of switching back to the night life for tomorrow. hope you guys are having a great week, miss you all!

....and..go lobos???

holy guacamole.

when i started this blog, i was afraid to bore you guys with a post every day because i had nothing else to do. it has been shy of 2 weeks since i last posted. as you can guess, i am finally starting to settle in here as the homesickness is less and less each day which i'm thankful for!

so my sister came to visit me and was here through the beginning of last week. i can't begin to describe what a sweet blessing that was for me. it was truly one of the best few days of my life. we experienced true new mexican food, shopped 'til we dropped, snowboarded until our bodies gave out, and watched lots and lots of chuck (this new show she has gotten me addicted to).  it was a fabulous ending to the feeling of loneliness and being homesick, transitioning to the best work week i had to date.

i am starting to fit in at work, meet new friends, and holy cow already being able to share the gospel! so prayers would be appreciated as we jumped right into revelation, and well thats no joke! today the Lord gave me peace about trying to tackle something that is impossible in 1 corinthians: 

"that by Him you were enriched in everything-in all speech and all knowledge. in this way, the     testimony about Christ was confirmed among you"

i am so excited for this opportunity (nervous as all get out) but trusting the Lord to do the work just as long as i am available to be a vessel.

on a lighter note, i think people at work like me, i have already had offers to take me to the airport, keep mia, and gotten a bag of m&m's. i'd say thats progress! :) 

the past few days have been a blessing in so many ways. since i have been gone, i have been able to cultivate a friendship with a girl in little rock that i hardly knew before i left. we have connected, and at a time in both of our lives where we could really use a friend, God provided. funny how you can meet someone, and you feel like you've been friends forever. it makes me heart so happy, and for her i am truly thankful.

my heart has been so full from all the calls, messages, etc from everyone back home. you never would know how much that stuff means until you are on the receiving end, so for that i thank you!

in the meantime, it is already time to start lining up where i am going next, (i know i can't believe it)! i have little to no concern about it because i have full trust that He will take me where i need to be. 

well, that's all i've got for now, i miss you all dearly! xoxo

one week down.

well i have officially been here for 1 week. i have learned a lot about this little town:

-there are more casinos here than banks
-turn on corona street..why of course there is a street named after beer!
-ER patients are the same across the board, regardless of the state
-the semester of spanish i took in college has slipped my mind
-the possibility of 12in of snow today doesn't cause chaos like it would in arkansas

my first week of work went well. unfortunately, the hospital is obviously understaffed (which is why i am there), but it still can be frustrating at times. the people i work with are great, and a lot of fun. mia and i are settling nicely into our little home, and i have found a sushi place in new mexico (who'd a thunk it) so all is well! my sister is coming to spend the weekend, so i'm sure i will have LOTS to post next time as we go on some more adventures. happy weekend everyone, and as always, thanks for reading!!

i'm gonna make this place my home.

a lot has happened since i posted last. i went to work for the first time yesterday and ended up even taking my own patients (my nurse friends know you usually get at least some orientation). the other nurses were great, warm, and welcoming. other than the nurse being the nurse, tech, secretary, lab, patient transporter, AND pharmacist, i think i will adjust well! :) i was a little discouraged though because they have me working every single weekend and overtime my first two weeks (both not part of my contract), and the lady who does the schedule at the hospital basically told me it probably won't change.

despite the set backs, i was determined not to let it get me down and had a great day off today running errands, and spending most of the afternoon at the dog park (one of my T5 places so far). mia had a blast and it was absolutely gorgeous today. the high was 53 and one local said, "it just like summer!" umm no but i'm glad its warm(er). i met some nice older men at the dog park who made me laugh with their jokes and stories of back when they were young.

as the sun was setting and mia was dragging i decided it was time to head home. i had been excited to grab some osaka sushi to go (i found it on my exploration) but when i got there the door had a "closed" sign on it, so i settled for chili's. when i walked in to pick up my food, i became like a giddy school girl because what was on ALL the tv's but MY HOGS!!! i couldn't believe it!! i'm sure i stood out even more like a sore thumb in the crowd because i was grinning ear to ear, but oh well. and they won..a huge gator upset was a fantastic ending to an awesome day off! 

that's a wrap.

the last day of my first weekend here in santa fe was a pretty routine sunday, even though i was in unfamiliar territory.

i went to church at calvary metro in santa fe which is a satellite church out of albuquerque. it was much smaller than fellowship in little rock which is what i'm used to, but it was still really good. the worship was intimate (which i love) and the teaching was great as well. 

after the service, i decided to stick my neck out a little bit and meet some people. it worked well because i ended up going to lunch with some new friends and had my first legit new mexican meal. apparently everything here in town comes with this green chili sauce unless you specify that you don't want it. so i tried the nachos with the sauce on the side, maybe i will be a little more brave next time! :) we had great conversation and they are already planning a ski/snowboarding trip because i said i was determined to go before i left. this is a huge answer to prayer, as my fear was the inability to connect in community since i am here for such a short time, so praise God for that.

then i came home and finished unpacking, and got all my stuff ready for my first day of work tomorrow. i'm sure i will have lots of juicy ER stories to share so stay tuned.. :)

santa fe at a glance.

today i did quite a bit of exploring. i ventured out into the unknown, finding some awesome and some not so pleasant things. a few things i learned today:

- "u" turns are encouraged at every, and i mean every chance the road allows it
-  walmart is something i have no desire to experience again
-  EVERYTHING is an adobe building (yes, target, banks, houses, even chili's)
-  watch out for the "speed humps" instead of bumps
-  if you miss the turn into your bank, just drive to the next block and there will be another one
-  i am only paying $3.05 for gas..booyah


i will try to give a quick blurp of how the day unfolded, and then i will let the pictures tell the rest. started the morning by cooking a nice big omelet with all the fixings, then mia and i headed off. i called the only friend i have made thus far (a 70+ year old lady) to find out where i could go run. i found the trail she told me about and it was absolutely amazing! then grabbed some grub at whole foods and went back to the same spot to picnic. after that, we ventured out to locate the retail (mall, target, best buy, petsmart, you know all the goods.) 

a nice lady at petsmart gave me the location of one of the dog parks where we went next. it started out a bit rough (new place, new dogs, new smells for mia) but she adjusted quickly and had a blast with the other dogs including another boxer. next was REI, (thanks to Julie Russell for letting me know there was one here) in which i grabbed a couple of gems of course! :)


i drove back towards my little adobe, driving into the most incredible sunset i have ever seen. no matter how alone i actually am during the day, God continues to remind me of His presence. 

i grabbed some dinner on the way home (it's not safe to be out past dark) and was nearly run over by a pack of city police racing by with lights and sirens. i asked the girl in the drive thru if that was pretty standard, she responded with "unfortunately, yes. have a good night ma'm!" gee thanks??? 

overall i am well pleased with my first day of adventure. i forgot to mention that i also located, the church i am going to try tomorrow and i am really excited about it. its an acts 29 church plant from matt chandler so we shall see. well guys, again, thanks for reading, i miss you all!!        
                                     

this is actually the house of the lady i know. mine is much smaller, but this gives you an idea of the "adobe" look.

           

871 miles later.

We made it.. (finally) PRAISE THE LORD!!! As the dark shadows of the mountains begin to surround me around 11:00 last night, I knew I was getting close. I arrived shortly after midnight to my hotel in Santa Fe where the snow and 25 degrees also gave me a warm welcome. 

When I walked outside this morning, the crisp air was frightening, but I literally was amazed by the scenery before my eyes. The warm sunshine beating down in a clear blue sky, with the snow covered mountains in the distance.  The beauty of the Father and His work brings me to my knees. How could anyone not believe that the One created it all, every intricate detail? To say it is beautiful here, would be an understatement. I'm definitely not in Kansas (or Ar-Kansas) anymore!

Today the adventure begins. I am going to settle into my new housing arrangement as well as locate the basics, Wal-Mart, Crossfit, my hospital, and the church I will try on Sunday. Thank you all for reading, and stay tuned for more to come.

To God be the Glory!!

view from my hotel.