2 weeks to go on this assignment...

The end of an assignment always brings the temptation to lose focus on the job you are at and look too far ahead to the next job. I knew I would be fighting this as soon as I woke up and my head was already away from Uvalde, Texas this morning. So I said a prayer, did my power hour (devotions, business, research, reading), walked the dog twice, chugged some coffee after my shower and hit the pavement in my mobile office.

The day went fantastic from 8-4:00, because my patients were kind, motivated, and ready to work hard. Then... I got back into cell phone service as well as service on my laptop. These next two weeks are going to be so far from fun, my teeth hurt from grinding them just thinking about it. But I vow to give each and every patient the care they deserve while I am here, and set them up with a game plan for once I leave (there is not yet a replacement for me). So today was 10 hours, 191 miles driven, the rest of the week looks to be all uphill until Friday.

But the next assignment! so... there is a job offer in Alaska. It is not the location I have dreamed up, and the thought of all the tourists makes me cringe already, but it is ALASKA!!! Ketchikan, Alaska to be exact. It is in the SE portion of Alaska, meaning there will be no living out in the bush and escaping human contact in the dead of winter (as it barely snows and mostly just rains non-stop year-round), but what it does mean is that we can actually get there in April! All of the other jobs we have looked at would be nearly impossible to physically get ourselves, our doggies and a vehicle too. The ferries are on a limited schedule until May, Brad is currently banned from the entire country of Canada, and the transport ferries that are running with availability for vehicles would run close to $5k factoring in our plane tickets and hotels while we wait for said vehicle to arrive. It also means that we are a couple thousand miles closer to the mainland of Alaska and all of its splendor.

So now that we can get to this location, our current dilemmas are as follows: we need to sell two vehicles (while I owe more on mine that it is being appraised at, as there is no blue book out for 2016 used vehicles yet...), we need to buy a bigger truck, downsize everything we own again to fit in said truck and then get to Bellingham, Washington by April 8th.  Also on the to-do list: finish paperwork for new company, which means i need to find a doctor to give me a physical, file taxes, & get both dogs rabies shots and 'declarations of health' no more than 30 days prior to April 8th. Oh, and finding housing. Finding housing in one of the top summer destinations, which also houses a Coast Guard base and all of the employees for said tourist season is daunting and so far, frustrating. There are some beautiful beach front homes with availability, but $6500/month is a little out of our budget. Most other furnished places have already been booked throughout the summer by tourists and most non-furnished places want at least a year lease.Upside: Brad should be able to get a decent job in the tourist sector.

 I also must pack up everything I own and move out of my place by March 12 or 13th, get back to New Braunfels and re-plan my trip to California to see my dearests since the trip I just booked probably won't fit in this new time frame.  

I won't consider signing the contract until we get a few more of the logistics ironed out, but my heart is happy knowing it may happen. It may not be what I had planned in my manic head (Kenai Peninsula), but if there is one thing I have learned, my dreams often let me down because I don't dream quite big enough...

Camping at Guadalupe State Park

Being back in Texas has allowed us to spend more time with loved ones, including Brad's family. One of our goals was to go camping with Brad's sister and brother in law. The challenges to making this happen included conflicting work schedules, 4 dogs to bring and living in three different locations spread 3-4 hours apart. 

After picking a weekend, we spent another week or two searching maps for campground that allowed dogs, had river access and was between all of us. That brought us to a wonderful state park that none of us had visited previously, Guadalupe State Park. We would have preferred to pick a place in the wilderness off to the side of the road where we could pitch our tents and dip our fishing poles, but free access along the Guadalupe is nearly obsolete these days. 

We were able to get spots in the "primitive camping" area which consisted of 9 walk-in campsites. We got two that neighboring sites and camp went up. Expecting over night temperatures to drop into the low 30's, Brad rigged us up what I call the 'homeless tent', using old blankets for insulation underneath the rain fly. 

Seriously, it isn't good looking, but it does help with insulation! A few minutes later we realize that the pump for our air mattress is NOT in the bag. So we blow up a queen size air mattress with all the hot air we could muster up. A couple hours later, some light head spins and numb lips, and we got the job done. ((Sadly, as the hot air cooled over night, we lost a lot of the firmness in the mattress)). 

Eventually camp got set up, and the fun really began. We stayed for two nights, while Amy and Adam were only able to stay with us on Friday. We did some walking around the park, fishing in the river, naps in the grass and had lots of good eatin's. 

The tent looks significantly better with the rain fly on, doesn't it?!

The beef jerky got Brad a lot of attention

Adam, Amy and their furry babies

The day time temperatures were chilly but warm sun shining, night temperatures were cold, but we had such a glorious time exploring a new park and building our relationships with family. Maybe one day I will remember to get all four of us in a picture!