Just passing the time. . .

Arrived in Amsterdam at 0600 this morning. Not too jet lagged, thankfully. Walked from the central train station to my hotel only to find that reception doesn't open until 0800. No problem. As I sat and waited for someone to arrive I met some people from Oregon and Ohio. Chatted with them to pass the time. Couldn't check-in then though (room won't be ready until 2 pm). So, am now trying to waste some time until my room is ready.

Sitting in a ubiquitous Starbucks passing time.

Note to self: Backpack gets heavier the longer you carry it! Was so proud that my backpack was only 9.7kgs. Realize now that 9.7kgs is HEAVY!!!! May have to purge some more and send stuff home. Will wait and see.

Day of Departure

Ok, this is the Day of Departure - August 6th. All packed and ready to go. The bag now weighs in at 9.7 kg. Not bad to start with, I think. But it will get heavier as I go along, I'm sure.

Now, to get through the throngs at the airport. Nothing like leaving the day before Eid! Ugh! Hope the lines aren't too long.

See you on the blog soon. . .

Eurotrip 2013

5 days and counting. . .

So, five days until I leave on my two month backpacking trip to Europe. It's exciting and a little bit nerve racking. It's a lot of traveling in two months. Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Poland.

All accommodations are booked and Eurail pass is in hand. Now to finalize what I will be taking with me. The bag is packed and it's at 9 kg right now but will probably be a bit more when it's all said and done.

I will try and make a video of what the final bag looked like, what I packed in it, and the final weight. But it may not be until after the trip. . .

Stay tuned for the next installment. . .

Connecting in Amman

Left to right: Tara, Jean, Faye.

I had the most amazing weekend in Amman, Jordan! I was fortunate enough to meet my professional idol, Jean Watson. The occasion was a nursing conference of Middle Eastern Nurses Uniting in Caring.  We had a wonderful weekend filled with enlightenment, encouragement, and love. The conference was small and allowed for us to get to know one another fairly well. Of course, any time nurses get together they can find things in common! No shortage of comparing "war" stories about work and life. It was great to meet so many nurses from different countries and find that they face similar problems as we do. Jean was so accommodating and giving. What a wonderful soul! I am so happy to have met her and hope to see her again when she comes to Saudi Arabia next year.  I plan to attend this conference again next year if I am able.  And I would like to visit the nurses that I met in their home countries.

Physics experiment at the Dead Sea.

Then there was the Dead Sea.  We drove from Amman down to the Dead Sea. It is more than 400 meters below sea level and as the bottle on the left, demonstrated the pressure was changed as we went down!  To my surprise the empty water bottle I had in my bag started to squeeze in on itself. Our own little physics experiment. Cool! This was especially interesting to me because I have recently received my PADI certification and learned all about pressure at depth. And it was decidedly warmer at the Dead Sea. The temperature can be as much as 20 degrees Celsius warmer. When we the Dead sea we had the air conditioning on but the closer to Amman we got the cooler it became allowing us to open the windows.  Lovely weather in Amman at this time of year.


But of course we could not leave before getting wet! We had to see for ourselves what it was like. The water was a gorgeous blue and the shore was lined with resorts willing to allow you to use the beach for a fee, of course.  We decided to use Amman Beach because we only had a few hours and would not be able to take advantage of lunch. What a nice way to spend the morning.
 The water was crystal clear.  No particulate matter or swirling plankton to spoil the clear blue water. Faye had to take a picture of her feet through the water. It's her family tradition. Fun!

I hope to see Dr. Watson in Saudi Arabia next year when she comes for another conference.

A great time was had by all!

Vacationing by the sea

Many of you will ask "why are you vacationing by the sea when you live by the sea?" Well, what better place to relax and ponder than watching the dolphins frolic as they leisurely swim by?

There were several reasons that compelled me to come back to the states for vacation this year. And why not do it at the beach?

First, I had to come back to the states to close on my house. Yes, I am officially without a mortgage. And boy does it feel great! It was a bit of an ordeal but at least it is done now. The mortgage has been paid as of today, November 5, 2012!

Secondly, I thought that as long as I was here that I would take my certification examination. I am officially a board certified Nurse Executive - Advanced. And boy was it a tough exam!! But it was worth it and hopefully it will be a plus for my career. If not now then for the future.

Thirdly, I needed a redo on Intralase Lasik surgery on my left eye. The surgery went well and I haven't needed reading glasses since!

Lastly, I wanted to relax and not stress. I have course work to complete for my leadership program so i had to lug the computer with me and I could not see traipsing through Mongolia with my computer praying for wifi! It was just easier to come back home.

So, all is finished and now I am just relaxing waiting for the next dolphin sighting. . . and dreaming about where to go on my next adventure.