Things change so quickly!

I have to make this quick, because we are about to hit the road. Just wanted to catch everyone up- on Monday, we got pulled from our assignment in CA, thank goodness! We packed up and left Tuesday morning. We don't have another assignment. We have no idea where we will be in a week. But we have total peace about it. We prayed for a long time on Monday before pulling out, and we both felt peace about leaving... and as a wonderful sign from God, as soon as we stopped praying, a double rainbow appeared over the lake. It was a beautiful reminder of how He has always taken care of us, that He hears us, and that He will provide.

So right now we are on "vacation." It's been an adventure already- I'll post more later. :)

Crazy ER Stories: The stupid things people do.

Before leaving Wisconsin, Brandon had a patient come in who was complaining of severe pain. The patient was a grown man, in his thirties. His hands were wrapped in wet cloths. Brandon pulled the wrappings back to take a look and found that the patient's hands had been chemically burned.

"Wow, what happened?" Brandon asked, expecting the man to relate some type of work related injury.

"Well, my friend told me that something bad would happen if I rubbed rock salt and ice all over my hands. But then I forgot what he said would happen. I knew he said it was bad, but I couldn't remember what it was, so I decided to do it. And it really burns!"

It never ends.

Fifteen minutes ago, Brandon and I were relaxing in our living room, preparing for bed.

Our peace was destroyed when we heard a woman shrieking. She ran into the parking lot, screaming "Rape! Rape! Someone please call 911 now!" before something happened to silence her.

We grabbed the phone and called 911 immediately. We were transferred to three different people. Then we were told that the area we told them to come to didn't exist.

The police finally showed up. We can hear a woman crying and men talking.


This is a horrible tragedy. The sad thing is that something like this happens in our parking lot at least twice a week... the same parking lot where I have to walk the dog while Brandon works nights. It's terrifying, and heartbreaking.

I pray that the woman who was screaming is okay. I also pray that we can get out of here, quickly.

Photos

I've uploaded some pics from our road trip to facebook. You can view them by going here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=86189&id=500176494&l=cbcce

Rain, Rain don't go away, oh we need you this dry and dusty day...

Our first two weeks in California have been nothing but rain. Actually, that's not entirely true. We did have a few days of snow. I guess we just can't get away from nasty weather.

But the rain isn't so bad. The rising water levels help cover up all the garbage piled up on the "beach" outside our window.

We're still in the same cabin, but we have made a few improvements. We put a deadbolt on the door and purchased some towels and washcloths. It's amazing how a few changes can drastically improve a situation.

We are still hoping to move. God has placed some really great people into our lives here who are actively searching for somewhere for us to live. Our own search was fruitless and our company has not been kind enough to pull us from the assignment. They are all sympathy when we tell them what's going on, but let's be honest-- it all comes down to money for them. They are in the business to make a profit. All travel nursing companies are. They assure us that they'll pull us if we need it, but they don't seem to understand that WE NEED IT. It's so hilarious when Brandon calls them to catch them up on the situation.

Brandon: "Well, we still haven't found anywhere to live, and this morning the police were here again searching one of the cabins. We really need to get out of here."

Recruiter: "Okay, great, great. Well you just keep me posted on how things are going. Give me a call if you need anything."

Brandon: "Well you did mention that you could pull us if we didn't find a place to live, since there is a safety issue..."

Recruiter: "And if it gets to that point, we'll definitely pull you. We want you to be happy. So just keep hanging in there and let me know how it goes."

Brandon: "Well, we aren't happy here. We don't want to live here. We can't find anywhere else to live. You haven't found us anywhere else to live. So we feel like we're at that point."

Recruiter: "Great, great. Well if it gets to that point, I'll tell you what jobs are available. You just stay there and keep me posted on how things are going."

Can you sense my frustration?

But we really are trying to have a positive attitude. We are thankful for the great people we've met, and Brandon honestly does like the hospital where he is working. It would be a good situation if we were in a safe location.

We have internet for the time being, so we will start trying to catch up with everyone. Have a great week!

update

Quick update: we're still here, alive and kicking!

We're trying to find a new place to live, although the search has been fruitless so far. We visited an apartment today where we were cussed out by the maintenance men and walked in on a couple doing drugs (and other illicit activities, if you know what I mean) in the back room. Mark that one off the list.

Drugs must be a pretty big deal here. The other night when I took Ralph out to potty, I walked into the middle of a drug deal taking place in our "resort" parking lot.

Oh, and because Emily said it was hilarious and blogworthy, I will tell you why we don't have internet....

The "resort" advertised free highspeed internet in every room. When we settled into our cabin, we noticed that we were unable to access the internet. We mentioned it to the owner who said (and I quote), "oh, you just have to walk around outside and try to find a signal." Hmmmm.

I hope we get moved soon. I feel bad that I haven't had a chance to read everyone's blogs lately. Catch up with you soon! Oh, and thanks VERY much for the prayers and support. We appreciate it more than you know.

Please, somebody, wake me up from this nightmare

I need to keep this short, because the internet here only works for 2-3 minutes at a time.

We are in California, and we are less than thrilled. Honestly, I am miserable.

In the last 48 hours, I've seen 3 drug deals, 2 arrests, and 1 assault... in my neighborhood.

Brandon is working all night, and the lock on my door doesn't work.

So I'm sitting up all night with tear gas in my hand, with the dining room table pulled up the door in hopes that nobody will be able to break in.

While the safety issue is by far the worst thing about this assignment, it is only one of a long list of problems we have had so far. This is shaping up to be a nightmare. We are actually thinking of calling it quits on the travel nursing thing, because it just doesn't seem worth it right now.

So keep us in your prayers and I will try to update again soon.

On the road again-- I just can't wait to get on the road again...

Hello from Reno, Nevada!

We made it to Reno last night. Yesterday was our longest day (700 miles). It really wasn't that bad. We saw some AMAZING scenery. I tried to post pics to facebook last night, but this internet connection kept crashing. I will try again in California. I've already taken over 200 pictures of mountains, haha. :)

Brandon is grabbing us some breakfast, then we are going to hit the road again. Today is a short day. We should make it to our new home by lunch.

The weather here in Reno is awesome-- Sunny and almost 50 degrees! It's a great glimpse of the warm weather awaiting us.

Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers and thoughts. The text messages and phone calls were very much appreciated. It's nice to know that we are still connected people, even when we are in the middle of nowhere. :)

Much love!

(1900 miles down... 250 to go!)