Well, as promised I adequately died on the side of a mountain this week in an attempt to increase my stamina and do some sightseeing at the Mount Pisgah Trail. This particular hike was about 4 miles out and back reaching an elevation of about 1600 ft. That being said, I felt like I was rock climbing instead of hiking - and not the fun kind with ropes and harnesses. The rough kind where you don't use your hands even though you kind of want to. Me, being the clumsy, lanky type, almost fell twice which is a personal best seeing as I didn't actually complete the task. Mike and I saw more people than usual on this popular trail, one of which decided to hike with a large barreled shotgun. Upon further investigation this man apparently hikes with a gun for personal bear protection. That being said, bear spray is cheap, light, and 1000% more affective. Regardless, after passing him I couldn't get the image out of my head of attempting to hike with a shotgun in my hand. That would be a recipe for disaster and I am positive my family can attest to that. 

​After having my ass handed to me by a measly 4 mile hike, and Mike for that matter, it was my time to shine. I like to pride myself on picking places to eat, so that is exactly what I was tasked with. Unfortunately many places here in Vermont are still very wary of opening up due to the pandemic, making my job a bit more difficult. I finally found Riley's Fish Shack in St. Johnsbury. This lovely establishment has only been open for about 4 years, but the ever-growing line leading to the order counter would have anyone second guessing that fact. This small shack is open currently for takeout or picnickers, but will most likely open the dining room soon. Mike and I grabbed a couple of sandwiches, some mozzarella sticks, and a beer before setting up camp in the large, grassy space right next to the restaurant. Luckily, the sun shone brightly down on the afternoon and I had a blanket in the back of my car. ​

Not wanting to go home just yet, Mike and I sought after a brewery to end the day with. We finally found a brewery in St. Johnsbury that wasn't closed called Whirligig. The interesting thing about Whirligig is that the bartender also happens to be the head brewer and owner. So, we learned a few interesting things from him to say the least. To our surprise, Whirligig still is not open for in-house drinking, but we were able to take a couple four-packs to go. We settled on a New England style IPA and a Cider seeing as Ciders are very popular around here. The Cider we bought was tangy, but not tart like many Ciders can be. The blend was very well done and I overall enjoyed the sweetness to it. I definitely will be back to say the least. Since we still weren't ready for home, we ventured next door to a tap room that was officially open for business. Getting a seat outside in the sunny 65 degree weather, Mike and I toasted to a day well spent. 

All in all, I didn't actually die hiking even though halfway though I thought I might. In the meantime, stay in mind, stay in touch, and take one step at a time. 

It's that time again! Another 13 weeks came and went, with a brand new adventure finally taking flight. While Reston was extremely gracious to us, it was time to make a move. Scoping out our prospects, we landed on a small town in Berlin, VT. Vermont, known for its maple syrup and ciders, is quite small. In fact, it is home to the smallest capitol in the United States with a whopping 7,000 people making up Montpelier. Not only were we looking for a place close by, but we wanted to find a place that was filled with multiple outdoors activities and minimal people. Being in the city for 13 weeks was taxing to say the least. So, Mike and I packed up and drove North. 

The drive from Reston to Montpelier is about 9.5 hours. However, Mike and I thought it would be disrespectful to drive past Gettysburg without stopping. In conclusion, our 9.5 hour drive ended up being about 12 hours, but it was a stop worth taking. Thinking back, I would gladly go spend a weekend in Gettysburg. The history there is too incredible not to enjoy and the town is small-town chic to say the least. With small shops, fun restaurants and bistros, and the history behind each building, everyone's happy (especially me with the bistros). After fueling up on bagels and coffee, we headed on towards our destination. 

Arriving in Montpelier, I wasn't sure what to expect. I figured we would see beautiful mountains, but that was about all I had in mind... mountains and maybe bears. Montpelier in itself is a quaint town. As mentioned before, and I don't think I can say this enough, it is very small. That fact alone, though, makes it homey and peaceful. Walking out of our current Airbnb, we are greeted with a bright copper dome positioned right atop the capitol building. It truly is a sight when leaving our small cabin. That being said, the downtown area is about a five minute walk from where we are, which makes it easy to navigate. So far, the town is everything we wanted: secluded and down to earth. I think that this jump from big city to small town living is a nice break. It has been an easy transition and a much slower pace. People here are very kind and hospitable as well, which makes it easier to love the beautiful State. I think the hardest part about this assignment will be transitioning out of it. 

Before I officially end this post, I wanted to talk a bit about my new work environment. So far I've been working on my own for about 2 weeks and the hospital staff have been very helpful and gracious. I really have nothing bad to say about the staff or the way they run their Emergency Department. While I really loved the friends I made and the people I worked with in Reston, their ER was not well managed. People were placed in rooms without being triaged or checked in, some sections would get slammed with no help while others were coasting through the day, and huge work ups were being done on people just because of policies in place by HCA. I in no means want to bash that hospital, but let me just say I left knowing what not to do if managing an emergency department. This current small community hospital has been the change I needed to keep me fresh as a nurse. Whenever I get a patient they are always checked in, triaged, hooked up to the monitor, and changed into a gown. Sometimes they even come back with an IV in place and blood already sent. The staff also seem to have a great relationship with paramedics because most of the paramedics also work part time in the hospital with us. Therefore, the doctors and nurses really trust the judgement of the paramedics that bring us patients. Being honest here, we should have a trusting relationship with our paramedics in all places but many facilities do not. It helps that this is a small town with our hospital being the closest one in the area. Because these paramedics mostly bring patients to us, they have time to build those relationships. I know there is still a lot of time during this contract, so I will not rush to make a judgement quite yet on this hospital. However, I can say that it has been quite the change for the better. 

With that, I will leave you for now. Don't worry though, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to update you guys on what I'm doing. Spoiler alert: I will probably be dying on a mountain somewhere trying to reach the top. In the meantime, keep in touch, keep in mind, and COME VISIT!