✨🏝️👑💓 sea-suns greetings from a so cal sunshine sea breeze princess 💓👑🏝️✨

hello, it’s been a minute. 

that pic is me last monday, at la jolla shores. i went there to decompress and breathe. i had a job interview earlier that day for a permanent position here in san diego. 

and i’m pleased to share that i was offered the position. and with absolute honor and delight, i’m pleased to share that i accepted. 

i will be working in the rapid recovery unit.. a post-OR recovery unit, for people who need to stay in the hospital overnight after surgery. all the nurses there have ICU backgrounds, like me. there’s a lot of opportunities for growth on this unit. i feel ready and excited to try something new.

there’s this saying around here among nurses that “san diego is the place where travel nurses go to die.” meaning.. travel nurses come here and don’t leave. and when i first got here i thought “no, not me.” when i started travel nursing a little over a year ago, i thought i was going to go to lots of different places and work lots of different jobs and make lots of friends along the way. when i got to san diego in the spring, i thought i was gonna do just one three month contract, breathe the warm air, skate in the sunshine, and then keep moving.. 

back in march, on my ten day solo road trip out here from vermont, there’s one song i listened to a lot.. “froggies” by goth babe. he says “only at the ending does she cry.” and i listened to that song a lot those first few weeks here. those words felt like they’d be so true. back in the spring, i felt so fresh. i was so happy. i loved the beach. i loved the palm trees. i loved the clear blue skies and the sunshine and comfortable air on my skin. i was so happy and excited to be here. and i knew at the end.. yeah i’d probably cry about leaving this place soon..  

in those first three months back in the spring, i did a lot of solo exploring. during a three month contract, you kinda feel like a lucky tourist.. you get to be in a new place for longer than just a vacation, and you go and do the highly recommend things and see the popular places. and in these first three months i met a lot of cool people, at different social gatherings and out and about. and i’d explain how “i’ll only be here for a little bit.” and the interactions were always polite but felt a little surface level. and everyone i met told me how nice the summer was, and that i should stay a little longer. 

so then i stayed for the summer. and quickly fell in love.. hard. the interactions got a little deeper. i started going places and doing things that felt less touristy. i fell in love with my tuesday afternoon routine.. going to the pacific beach farmer’s market then walking on the beach. and i loved going out dancing in hillcrest (any night of the week), going to beach parties, bay parties, boat parties, candlelit hot yoga. i loved skating on the boardwalk along the ocean.. i can’t even pick which time of day is my favorite because it’s always so nice.. i love the misty salty air and the shape that the palm tree shadows leave on the sidewalk. and i fell deeply in love with all the wonderful people i’ve met. on my birthday in august, i took a surf lesson and hosted a roller skate birthday party, a dream come true. what fun we had. how lucky am i to have made so many amazing friends in just a few months? 

earlier in the summer, between my first and second contracts, i took the opportunity to go to phoenix to for a concert and to meet up with a friend from college.. an opportunity to spend just a night in a new city that’s not too far from my current home. and then right after my birthday, i had the chance to meet another friend in vegas.. another chance to spend a few days in a new city close to my home. 

and as the summer days faded like the sun into the ocean on a clear evening.. i tensed up every time i thought about leaving. and every time someone asked me “where are you going next?” i would smile and answer with “we’re not going to talk about my future right now.” but in the quiet moments of those late summer days, i searched for contracts outside of san diego. i was still excited about the prospect of going to new places, confident that i could make friends (almost as cool as my friends in san diego). but throughout this process.. i was feeling burnout from being an ICU nurse.. i wasn’t feeling excited about being a float nurse.. (that’s seemingly becoming one of the only options for ICU travel nurses in california..) and i wasn’t feeling excited about leaving san diego.. so, what was my ‘why’ then?? i couldn’t come up with a good answer.. so i asked my recruiter, “could i stay again, for one more contract?” and it was approved by the end of the day. yay! i get to stay.. again.. for three more months. 

soon after that, i went to my first ever multi day festival with my friends, same same but different out in lake perris. and what fun we had. we danced, played, and laughed under the sun and under the moon, and in the water. we dressed up and dressed down, ate good, felt good. i felt loved, seen, heard, held, included, and celebrated. “spoiled..? maybe a little bit.” and call me crazy.. call us crazy.. that’s where i fell in love with my sweet kurtee. more on that another time.. maybe.. 😉

how could i leave after that?? so.. with my reluctance to continue on as an ICU travel nurse.. and my reluctance to leave this beautiful place, my amazing friends, my dear lover.. i decided to stay. i started looking for permanent positions. and i got exactly what i was looking for. i’ve become one of those travel nurses that dies in san diego. 

change is exciting, not scary. i’m proud of who i’ve become. i’m proud of my malleability, to change my circumstances to fit my desires, instead of following a stale dream that didn’t align with my goals anymore. 

so that’s the story of how i decided to make san diego my home. 

to everyone who wished me well in my job search, thank you. i feel so thankful and immensely appreciative of your support. 

to my new england friends.. it’s not goodbye forever. i will miss you. i’ll come back to visit in the green, misty, and mossy summers. but i won’t miss living in the bitter cold. so come visit me here, it’s 65° and sunny right now. i’m sitting at a cafe, outside, in a skirt, drinking a smoothie. i’d love to show you around. 

i love my friends, i love the beach, i love the sunshine. i love the life i’ve lived here, and i’m so excited to make san diego my home.