Catch Up

Another wonderful week in northern California ends and I have to admit, I do love this place! I love our town, I love the weather, I love the scenery, the fruit, the people, I guess just about everything! I had my job interview this week and it went well enough the nurse manager asked me to come back the next morning to interview with the night crew, since that's the slot I want. I dealt with severe panic but all went well and I came out of the morning interview deciding I was correct, this was the hospital for me. The nurse recruiter called me later in the day and told me if I was interested in the job, she would start on the background check, checking my work experience, etc. When that is done, she will call with an official offer. Once I shared the news with my east coast friends, their initial question was HOW MUCH IS THE PAY THERE? I'm sure it varies from hospital to hospital, some are union and some aren't and from area to area, but overall, my opinion is the west coast values their nurses more than the east coast, or so that's my experience. But, you say, the cost of living is so much greater on the west coast. I disagree. I suppose it, again, depends on the area you choose to live and the lifestyle you choose to participate in. Housing on the eastern shore of Virginia was so out of reach for the working folks, they aren't losing homes to foreclosure, they couldn't afford them to start with! Yes, gas is much more expensive here but I don't have to drive 30 minutes to the grocery store, or an hour to Walmart, or an hour and a half to the movies! Everything I could ever want or need is within a 15 minute drive! And we have mass transit! Some food items are more, some are less, the choices are greater, and the produce is out of this world! Enough of that!
We braved the heat and the crowd of 750,000 people to attend the Pride Parade in San Francisco a couple weekends ago, and it was a blast, sunburn aside. Last weekend we went to the waterfront in Suisun for their July 4th festival and chuckled at the people staking their claim to plots of land early in the morning to ensure their seating for the fireworks that night! Made me kind of worried that it would be a madhouse and it was! Oh it was wonderful! We went at the last possible minute, parked a few blocks away and hoofed it to the waterfront. We found a patch of grass, spread our blanket and discovered we had front row seats to one of the best firework displays I've ever seen! The crowd was unbelievable and everyone ooo'd and ahhh'd to my delight!

Last night we ventured back to the waterfront and watched an awesome Salsa Band. I might mention that the event was free! Next Friday I'm packing dinner in the cooler and we'll enjoy a different type of band. I think Mark enjoyed people watching as much as he did the music. Sunday afternoons, the town sponsors a Jazz series on the waterfront and while neither of us know anything about Jazz, we'll check them out tomorrow.
Have I mentioned that I love our town? LOL! I went to the library Friday and had a wonderful conversation with another patron. The lady was surfing the shelf I needed a book from and I couldn't help but glance at what she was looking at. Ok, I admit, I'm just flat out nosey. I commented that I had read the book she was considering and that led to a lengthy discusion of our favorite authors, types of books, the area, and why I had a southern accent, ugh. I call North Carolina home and I guess after 20+ years of living there, a southern accent is inevitable but I didnt realize that it was so, well, noticiable! I guess it is. Feeling self conscious about my accent aside, it was great talking to this lady; maybe I didnt realize that I might actually be lonely when Mark is at work!
Today we went to a Home and Garden and Craft show at the Senior Center in our neighbor town of Fairfield and while we strolled through the crafts, no babies (add to the consider for next year if we're here list) my intention was to visit the master gardeners who were set up. They were awesome answering my questions about planting an herb garden and I can't wait to start. I even left with some free cuttings of plants they were giving away, a jade plant that they assured me would "grow like crazy", some iris's for the yard, and a little chicken or hen or something like that, again, that I could not kill! Okay, so they too, commented on my southern accent!
When we first filled out our wishlist last year, I picked Vallejo and Mark picked Tahoe. Obviously, I won! We soon discovered that Vallejo's claim to fame was the Zodiac Killer, well, that and the city filing bankruptcy. We made the right decision staying out of that area and living in Suisun, I think. I really do love our town!