CHEERS TO CALIFORNIA !!!

 

Ever since I was a teenager I have wanted to live in California and finally at 33 I am able to live out that dream.  I absolutely love it here.  There are times that I am driving around and I think "whoa I can't believe I actually live here."  I  have been trying to take advantage of all my weekends and explore California since I am only going to be here till next August. 

One weekend I crossed another item off my bucket list which was climbing a mountain.  OK this wasn't a big mountain but it was a mountain and the scenery was amazing!  Over Labor Day weekend I jumped on a plane and flew to LA and spent the weekend there with my aunt and some friends.  It was such a fun weekend just being on the beach and having no plans.  I also spent some time in San Francisco, Sanoma/Napa and most recently San Diego!  By the way did I mention how awesome it is to live 20 minutes from Napa...30 minutes from Sacramento and 45 minutes from San Fran.  I am a lucky lucky girl!     Here are just a small sample of pics from my recent adventures:

 

 

Old Sacramento

 

 

Relaxing by my pool!

 

The mountain!

 

Gorgeous view

 

Fun times in LA !

 



 

Fleet week in San Francisco!

Air show! 



 

 

 Sanoma/Napa

 

 

 

We love our bubbles!

 



 

San Diego!

 

 



 

 

 

I have a lot more places on my list I want to visit before next August ... I am so a Cali girl! I am always up for visitors so start planning and come out and visit!!!!

Welcome to Travis Air Force Base!

 

I arrived at Travis Air Force Base on Wednesday August 8th.  Potter was still with me on the road trip and as soon as we arrived we checked into my temporary lodging hotel on base then proceeded to check out apartments.  The first place I looked at is the one I went with.  I love it and it fits me perfectly.  It was such a great relief to find a place the same day I arrived.  That night Potter and I spent the night on base getting "initiated" into military life...what a fun night with lots and lots of wine and Air Force boys!  LOL.  The next day I drove her to the airport....saying goodbye was hard.  She was the last friend form Michigan I was going to see for months.  The feeling it me as I was driving away "I am for sure on my own now."  I cried tears of happiness and of fear.  I had no idea what to expect. 
So for the next week I spent time getting to know the base and the area of Fairfield/Vacaville.  I moved into my place all by myself which was a difficult task but I could feel the support and prayers from everyone back home.  After a long 3 days of unpacking I was finally moved into my new place!
One of the perks of my place:

 

Love this pool!!!!!

 

I began my job on August 13....I felt like a little kid going to school for the first time.  It was such a nerve racking day.  Making sure my uniform was correct, making sure I spoke to people with correct military terms and just making it through day 1 with no mistakes was so stressful.  As time has gone on I have started to become more comfortable in my surroundings but every day is a new challenge.  Sometimes my civilian mouth comes out and I will say stupid things like calling Colonels "guys" instead of "gentlemen" ... everyday I laugh at myself and the funny mistakes I make. 
I feel that I have spent more time in meetings and learning the ropes of military life than seeing patients but I guess that is to be expected.  My day begins at 7:30am and ends at 4:30pm (usually however there are lots of day where I work late).  I have to leave my house 45 minutes to get to work on time (work is only 15 minutes away).  Every morning there is a line up outside of the gate to get on base which makes mornings very early! 
I am currently working in Family Advocacy which is a lot like my job I had when I worked in Child Welfare for the state.  It has helped me a lot to have this previous experience.  In December I will transition from the Family Advocacy program to ADAPT which is the substance abuse program.  I will work there till April and then finish my residency in Mental Health.  I will be moving to a new base in August 2013. 
As residents we are also on-call once a month. So a scheduled of on-call is either Monday-Thursday or Friday-Sunday. We get called to the ER for mental health emergency usually resulting around suicidal thoughts etc. Getting called in is a pain especially in the middle of the night but these are the times when I feel that I am making the biggest impact.  I have learned so much in the short 2 months I have been here at Travis.
The learning curve is ridiculous. On top of learning all the military stuff  I am learning all the military social work ins and outs.  Everyday is overwhelming.  We are residents and treated like residents.  People constantly drilling us with questions and correcting everything we do...its intense and I constantly have to remind myself that all of this will be worth it in the end.  August can't get here fast enough :) I love being a Social Worker and even during the difficult days the love for my job will never change.  Here are some pictures of Travis Air Force Base!

 

Hospital where I work

 

 

I love all the palm trees on base :)

 

 

 

 

Still have to get up close and personal to one of these yet!

 

 

 

 

 

How time flies....

I can't believe it has been almost 4 months since I have posted on this blog.  My life has been a whirlwind as most you have seen on facebook.  I am keeping this blog to help update my friends and family back home but also for me to remind myself of my journey over the last year and what a journey it has been. 

Let's pick up from my last post when I was at Officer Training.  I wrote that blog when I was about a week in and all I can say is that the remaining four weeks were just as difficult.  It was one of the hardest experiences of my life and now looking back I honestly can't believe I did it.  I struggled with health issues, feet issues, lack of sleep and my body just not responding well to the food, heat and all the physical and emotional demands.  Needless to say I was happy when graduation came.  I graduated on August 3, 2012.  My parents and one of my BFF's came down for graduation.  Here are some pictures of my 5 week journey...lot more on facebook.

 

A day in the "field"

My roomie and me...she was the BEST!

 



 

My flight commander and I...two Italians...could get any better LOL

 



 

Conquering my fear of heights. No one got a picture of me crying before thank goodness!

 

 



 

Graduation Day with Potter...I really hate my "blues" uniform!

 



Tamiesha and me at COT.  She is truly my "person" at Travis...this girl is amazing!
 

 

 My parents and me at graduation

 

 

 

I had to add this video...I was chosen to be the girl out of my flight to compete against staff for pushups....mind you I had shoulder surgery in January.  I did 60!!!!!!! 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BxRPHagy04&feature=plcp

 

 

After graduation Potter and I began our 6 day road trip cross country.  This was something that was on my bucket list and it was the perfect graduation present.  We left on Friday August 3rd and drove 12 hours straight to San Antonio where we spent 2 days.  I was tired and wore out after training and it took me a bit to adjust to not having a schedule and not being yelled at :)  It was nice to relax and just enjoy time with one of my girls.  We left San Antonio on Sunday August 5th and drove to Sante Fe New Mexico for the night.  On Monday August 6th we drove 12 hours from Sante Fe New Mexico to the Grand Canyon then onto LA where we spent the night with my aunt.  Tuesday morning we woke up spent some time with my Aunt then headed up the coast to San Francisco where we spent the night and the following day.  Wednesday after touring the city we jumped on I-80 and headed up to Travis Air Force Base.  I love living 45 minutes from the city!!!  Here are some pics from the road trip:

Leaving San Antonio!

 

 

Arizona

 

 

Grand Canyon

 

 

Taking it all in! 

 

 

                                  

    Los Angeles....Rancho Palos Verdes hill

            

                 Driving the coast

 

 

SAN FRAN!

 



 

 

 

Trolley fun!

 



 

 

Crossed this off my bucket list :)

 

 

 

 

We had such a great time and made some awesome memories.  I am forever grateful to Potter for planning the entire trip for us.  She did an excellent job.  You have no idea how much all of this meant to me girl....love you!  Thank you to all of those of you who prayed for me during my training and my trip.  The support and encouragement was so appreciated! 

 

This truely was 6 weeks of my life that I will never ever forget.  I learned so much about myself and what I could endure and how strong I really was physically and mentally.  Next stop on the trip was my final destination....TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE!