city of brotherly love pt. 1

Well, here it is...the long-awaited explanation of how I decided to move to Philadelphia (which will happen in the Spring). When I say long-awaited...I mean, by me, of course.  I'm pretty sure I'm talking to myself :)  Honestly, though, in a few--months? years?--I'm sure I'm going to look back on the whole move-across-the-country thing and wonder how.did.i.do.that?  So I figured I should write it down. Because it's sort of a big deal. You know, moving to a place where I know no one. Also: where it is freezing.  Also: where they don't sell Rotel at the grocery store. (I know. Omg.) Also: where they don't say "y'all."

Y'all.

Holy moly.

Now, let's clarify something. Well, two somethings.

Number one: It's not that I don't know how to be away from home.  Hello, Summer 2007 in Spain. I actually think I won't be seeing much less of my Houston family. We're on a sporadic visit schedule anyway, punctuated by a whole lot of phone calls.  (Trust--AT&T wasn't looking at us when they decided mobile-to-mobile minutes would be free. Suckers!)  At any rate, I see my parents every few months, and it works.  All this to say: being away from "home" (Houston) is something I've done for ~8ish years. I can keep up with them, no prob :) Lots of phone calls and the occasional care package <cough cough MOM>

Buuuuuut, then there's my sister. Also known as my sometimes boarder.  I say "sometimes" because I'm her sometimes boarder, too.  Basically, we have joint custody of each other. (What?) Every other weekend and holidays, yo.  That's what's up. And then there's my friends. The ones who live here, and the ones who are a mini-roadtrip away. We are also on a sporadic visit schedule, but it largely involves one having the ability to drive somewhere (relatively close) for a weekend.

Being away from Austin will be hard. I would be lying if I said I could keep that schedule up.

Yikes.

Now for number two...

Number two: Texas is like a piece of my soul. Now, maybe I'm wrong, but you just don't seem to hear people talk like that about South Dakota. Nothing against South Dakota, I'm sure it's lovely and very...Dakotish. But, it's no Texas.  Trust me when I say, you had to have been raised here.  Seriously. Warm sunshine, open hill country road, Randy Rogers on the radio...heaven. Truly, one of the best things in life.  If you've never experienced it, then...fail.  Big fail, player. Get on it. You'll be glad you did. :)

Ok, with the somethings in mind, let's think about this: why would I willingly choose to move a few bajillion miles away from people and a city and a state I love?

Enter: The j-o-b.

Oh, hey, j-o-b! It's about time you showed up!

Now, those of you who know me (i.e...all of you, ha) know how I am about my job.  More specifically, about what I do.  It's purty important to me.

I mean, lots of people go to work everyday, and then they go home, and that's that.  They like their jobs just fine, but those jobs don't really define them. Their jobs give them good careers and enable them to have good lives. Other things are more important. Like being a good spouse, or parent, or volunteer.

Ain't nuttin' wrong with that, honey. That's some good stuff.

But, that's not me.  Because, you see, I get serious personal fulfillment out of my job. If I were to define myself in a few words, some of them would definitely include "ICU nurse." It's part of who I am.  Daily, I am reminded God called me to this job, called me to this career. From my first job as a sixteen-year-old nurse aide in an adult cardiac unit, I knew God wanted me to be a nurse practitioner. It's hard to explain how I knew.  I just knew.

So, when it was time for me to make some decisions about life after grad school, I knew I wanted a job in which I would feel fulfilled. In which I would feel satisfied. In which I would feel like what I was doing mattered. I also desperately wanted the right job.  Not a perfect job.  But a job that's perfect for me.

After much searching, resume editing, phone calling, and interviewing (and praying)...I think I've found it.

Here's how I did it (how God did it, really):

Stay tuned for part 2: the job search.

(And Happy Tuesday. I ended my Tuesday with some super delish crockpot tacos. Mmm tacos. More on that later).