You’ve probably heard by now, but for the next 13 weeks, San Diego, CA is home!  Ben and I are going to do some travel nursing for a while, and we arrived at our first assignment just a few days ago!  California is a long way from our little corner of Ohio, but we are loving it so far.  The night before we left home, Ben and I had dinner with both of our families.  As the evening came to a close and we gave our final hugs and said our final goodbyes, Ben’s Nana pulled me close and told me words that summed up everything I was feeling.  “The hardest part of leaving is getting in the car.”  Even though we had been looking forward to this adventure for quite a long time, there is still a sadness that comes with saying goodbye to the familiarity of home and family and loved ones, and the routine of life as you know it.  The feeling of excitement at the unknown outweighed any of our hesitations though, and we are loving every minute of this great opportunity!  It took us almost a week to drive across the country, making lots of stops along the way to take it all in.  Within our first 48 hours of travel we made it to the famous arch of St. Louis, Missouri, delicious coffee shops, and the elusive winding path of Route 66.  If you are one who loves to travel, you NEED to check out www.airbnb.com!  We have stayed in so many fantastic places along the way due to Airbnb, and we tell everyone we can to check it out!  If you’re wondering how one goes about staying at a cattle ranch in New Mexico, the answer is Airbnb :)  More about the cow camp tomorrow though, here’s some of the adventure between Ohio and Oklahoma!

Morning coffee in the awesome city of St. Louis!

We actually went to the TOP of that huge arch!  The ride up was a little sketchy, but the view from the top was worth it!!

Off-road exploring on Route 66…..or somewhere near it since we were having a hard time actually finding the historic Route 66….

The awesome place we stayed at in Oklahoma City!  Airbnb wins again!

A random life-size mural at a Cherokee Trading Post somewhere in Oklahoma.  How can you pass up a crazy thing like this?!