Hey, y’all thanks for joining me as I share my week with you. Really this post was supposed to be “how much I spend in a week as a travel nurse” but it was such a busy work week and ya girl was tired. I lost track so it will be more like a “spend the week with me” situation. Anyhoo here goes.
Monday
Today is my day off woohoo. I am always so excited about my one day off you really would think it is a whole week. My last shift wasn’t that bad thank God. Now it’s time to get breakfast and head home. Breakfast is almost always a veggie omelet but today I had it with some french toast and tater tots that – was $7.29 I also had to pay my dinner bill but since that was for last week we will skip that. My friend invited me to have a Mexican breakfast at El Taquito and I am so happy I went because the food was good. I paid for the food portion and that was $35.00. The laundry bill for this week was $22.50. This was a luxury I appreciated while on my long crisis assignment. I had a hair appointment at 4 p.m. so I woke up at 3 p.m. to meet my scheduled Lyft ride but the appointment got canceled. I really was looking forward to getting myself together and actually looking like somebody’s child but oh well. I still went to the mall though as I had to do a return at Nordstrom rack. Lyft rides $8.82. I ended up picking up a few things but only paid $12.92. I then remembered that I had not completed my Shipt order for my weekly supplies so I had to do that. That came out to $74.20. Still being so disappointed about not getting my hair done, I decided to just go home. Lyft ride $8.83. Although it is my day off I didn’t need to order any food, so I waited for my Shipt order then off to bed I went. I woke up intermittently thinking about the fact that I will have to wash my OWN hair.
Tuesday
It’s 3 a.m. and I decided to just get my hair washing chore done. Although it took forever to get my hair washed, whatever concoction I used left my hair surprisingly soft. I wasn’t mad about that. I always use my day off as a way to indulge in a little self-care because working 6 days on and one day off ain’t no joke. So I ran a bath, did me a little facial, and then it was time for bed. I remembered that I had some little token bags to pack for the core staff so I did that. Everyweek I choose an area for bible study this week it is Psalms 23 so I focused on the word for a bit then off to bed I went. I literally squinted and it was 5 pm, time to get myself up and ready for work. I always question my life choices at this exact hour, but the conclusion remains the same. I have to work. Work wasn’t bad at all. My coworkers treated me to snacks this evening at the cafeteria so no spending was necessary. I worked in the ED hold and this made it my second time working there. I got report rounded on my patients and then I got the shift started. It was busy but I liked it. At one point I wanted to do the ED so this gave me a feel of it. Decision, decision. Lunch was from Kona Grill which was an Avocado burger, it was so good like so so good, and cheap too $16. The shift went by quickly and that was good.
Wednesday
Breakfast this morning is – leftovers so I saved some money there. Really uneventful day as I spent most of my time sleeping for work tonight. I really always try to be in bed by 9:30 a.m. so that I can get enough rest. Purchasing a plane ticket should be high on my to-do list this morning but being the procrastinator that I am, I choose sleep. Then 5 p.m comes by so quickly – another day another dollar. “Time is winding down”, “I’ve got this” me hyping myself up. The last leg of any race is always the hardest. I got to work and walked around a bit trying to find my floor for the night, I eventually did and got settled. But chile was it cold. For some reason, the hospital was on and popping tonight with codes and rapids. Lunch was pasta from Jasons Deli it was so good and a strawberry shortcake. I am so in love with their strawberry shortcake, it is to die for literally. It’s time to start telling my coworkers bye and it is such bittersweet moments. But this journey has to come to an end.
Thursday
Happy and sad at the same time. Like this is it! Well almost. Breakfast again was an omelet because what is breakfast without an omelet and that was $9.43. I had been packing a box for a while to send off with FedEx. I have an account so I will be billed at a later date after my package has been delivered. I will definitely need to do better on my next assignment in terms of the things I collect. And it’s time for bed. Rolling out of bed again for work but tonight will be the last time I roll out of bed for work for a while. Thank you, Jesus! Looking forward to turning my alarms off because it has been a long and arduous ride. Dinner was from Outback. Steakhouse and that was $44.40 I am doing my last shift on my semi-original floor, but it’s about to be a long night. As a nurse you know it’s about to be a long shift when a few things start happening right at shift change – the monitor techs keep calling (btw thank God for Monitor techs), or your unsteady patient is trying to roll out of bed. Tried being tough but it was hard saying goodbye to coworkers who became like family. It definitely took teamwork to get through these past shifts – and a team we definitely were.
Friday
Finally got my ticket which was a whopping $626.20. These airline prices are really getting out of pocket at the moment, but technically it is my fault because I waited all this while. Breakfast again was an omelet plus I found this coconut cake that I have been looking for in the cafeteria for weeks. They somehow knew it was my last shift so they had it ready for me. And just like that 6 months at this facility was done. Today I got to be in the sun for a good while and it felt good. Did a little experiment with my friends then had breakfast at Grandma’s. I think that’s the name of the restaurant. Up next was the outlet mall. Found a few cute items in Banana Republic total of $139.01. I have been wanting an Adidas Jacket for a while now and I found the perfect one plus a few more tidbits for $90.94. It was a pretty productive day. Now it’s time to just veg out for a long while as there is no work. WooHoo!
Saturday
First Saturday off in long while so I spent the day listening to online church and sleeping. Oh, I had to pay for my room for the next 2 days as my contract was over and that came out to $200.72. Then it was time to meet up with my friend for some evening activities. We found the cutest family-owned Italian restaurant. It’s called Monteleone’s. The Food was good but the vibe, decor, and customer service were even better. Then it was off to Scenic drive another one of the places I wanted to visit before leaving El Paso. It’s basically a lookout spot that allows you to see the beautiful city and parts of Mexico. It’s so, so beautiful. Then I made a quick Target run for some water and a few other stuff total $65.05. It was a simple but yet beautiful evening. I’m about to sleep good.
Sunday
We set out early for our road trip to Carlsbad Cavern but not before having breakfast at Whataburger. The ride to the Caverns was pretty interesting as we saw a lot of random properties in the middle of nowhere and I couldn’t help but become intrigued by their off-grid lifestyle. Like how often do they go into town? Where do they get water? What do they use to communicate? Cell service was poor. What did they do for fun? Just so many questions. We stopped in the town to look around before heading up and it was pretty neat too. We walked the caves out which was pretty long actually and I know my legs are not going to let me live this one down but the sites and stories behind them were so amazing to behold. We really wanted to make a stop at the White Sands National Park but that will have to be done sometime soon as the time ran out on us. But my friend improvised really quickly and found another site – The Sand Dunes. Getting there was pretty sketchy lol and fun all at the same time and I have now learned to not trust Google reviews too much. But the walk and fresh air were a plus and I saw so many wild animals. Ended the night with Dinner from the West Texas Chophouse and it was hands down the juiciest steak I have ever had.
So yea guys that’s how I spent my week. Ended it with a bang if I should say so myself. From here on I will most definitely make use of days off to explore these hidden gems because after all, that’s one of the main beauty of travel nursing. How do you determine whether or not your shift will be an interesting/difficult one? Let me know in the comments.
Until next time my loves ~ xoxo Dee
