Home Sweet Hotel

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Welp, we live in a hotel. This should be interesting.

If you missed the previous post, here is what you need to know…Will’s contract was unexpectedly terminated five weeks into his assignment. In the two weeks that followed he accepted a new contract for nine weeks, we moved out of our rental, and set up shop in an extended stay hotel.

It’s been a little over a week since we moved into our new digs in the Twin Cities, and so far so good. However, we have found that there are significant challenges to hotel living, particularly cramming our lives into 540 sq. feet.

Currently, we are staying in a one-bedroom “suite”. All that really means is that there’s a door, albeit an important one, to the bedroom and bathroom. Amenities include a little kitchenette with a fridge/freezer combo, microwave, and a two-burner stove. The kitchenette also includes the basic utensils, dishes, pots and pans, and most importantly, a wine opener. Certainly more than adequate for a hotel stay, but somewhat lacking for a 9-week residency.

I’ll admit the kitchen is the hardest thing for me to get used to. I absolutely hate that we don’t have an oven and most of our meals come out of the microwave. Wife fail. But we are making it work and really, 9-weeks of lean cuisines can’t kill you, right? RIGHT!?

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Where the magic happens a.k.a. where the cat sleeps all day

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Living room and office space. Complete with coffee table/tote full of clothes.

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Kitchenette with state of the art microwave and non-functioning dishwasher. #blessed

Even with the teeny tiny living space, we’ve been pretty happy with our experience so far. There’s definitely a downside to hotel living, but some of the perks are pretty great too. A few of our favorites being:

  • Breakfast every morning
  • Dinner or snacks every Monday – Wednesday night
  • Free coffee ALL DAY (I have abused this privilege with abandon)
  • Housekeeping and linen swap 2X a week
  • Indoor pool and hot-tub (key for a cold MN winter)
  • Coin-op laundry on site (granted $4/load is not cheap and requires a lot of quarters)
  • Dog run area

The other great thing about the hotel is the location. We are right on the edge of Minneapolis/St. Paul and close to area attractions and hotspots. We haven’t had a chance to do much exploring yet, but we’re hoping to maximize the next 7 weeks and take advantage of everything the Twin Cities have to offer.

Hopefully, we’ll have plenty of adventures to report back soon!

Stay tuned…

 

It’s Been a Week….

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When I left off last, we had just found out Will’s contract was going to be terminated. We had no idea where we were headed next, whether or not we could break our lease, and most importantly, if Will was going to have to start a new 13-week contract.

What a difference a week makes.

I’m happy and incredibly relieved to say that everything has worked itself out.

Earlier this week Will accepted a new 9-week contract in the Twin Cities! This is a serious win for us because we desperately did not want to start the 13 weeks over again. And for an added bonus, he starts right away so there’s no gap in work.

But of course, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows and this new opportunity comes with its own logistical challenges – the most pressing being our living situation.

Right now we live about 50 miles outside of Minneapolis/St. Paul and 70 miles from Will’s new job. Initially, the recruiting company wanted us to stay in our current place and for Will to commute. But 70 miles one way, in the winter, is just not gonna work. So we pushed back.

Guess what? We’re moving!

Sidebar: We are quickly learning that while there is an advantage to being ‘easy to work with’ we do have to be our own best advocates. Pushing back on this specific detail was our first lesson in getting what we want for the service that Will is providing. Of course the recruiting agency doesn’t want Will/us to move. That’s a ton of work and added headache to an already chaotic situation. But when push comes to shove, the need for qualified help outweighs the irritation of relocation. So yeah, fight for what you want. But you know, don’t be an asshole.

So, we’re moving to the Twin Cities. Yay! But the next challenge was finding a place to stay for 9 weeks. Not that easy friends, not that easy.

Considering the fact that we will only be relocating for 9 weeks rather than 13, the recruiting agency advised us to find our own housing through Airbnb or Craigslist – somewhere that we wouldn’t need to sign a lease.

I spent a few frantic days searching online for furnished housing that would allow our two pets and wouldn’t break the bank. I didn’t have much luck. Most Airbnb listings in the Twin Cities are glamorous downtown lofts that are way out of our price range and Craigslist is just too overwhelming.

So after some debate, we decided on an extended stay hotel. There’s certainly some trepidation that comes with staying in a hotel for 9 weeks, but we felt it would be the easiest solution to our housing conundrum. To be honest I’m kind of looking forward to it…on-site gym and pool and housekeeping weekly? Yes, please.

Unfortunately, Will has to commute for the first few days while we wrap everything up here, but it’s a small price to pay for being able to relocate. This weekend will be dedicated to repacking and preparing for the move. Here’s hoping the rest of this process goes smoothly.

Next time I check in it will hopefully be from the comfort of our new temporary home!

Stay tuned….

PS…I’d like to give a quick shout out to red wine for getting me through this week. Thanks for always having my back.

Surprise!

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Things have been progressing along nicely since we settled in to our new Minnesota digs. So far we’ve had two major snowstorms, freezing rain, and a few days of 20 below zero. Pretty much par for the course ‘round these parts.

Will has been enjoying his first assignment and has started to find his groove. But of course, just when we think things are settling down…SURPRISE, they hired someone else. Neat-o.

Before we get into it, here’s a little background info: As a traveler, Will is contracted for 13 weeks with this specific facility. They have been looking for a full-time PT for some time, but without anyone to fill the position, they opted to hire travelers to fill the need. Will is not the first traveler they hired, but apparently, will be the last for a while.

Contractually, the facility had to give two-weeks notice of termination, so the bomb was dropped last Friday. Excellent way to start the weekend, right? He will finish out the remaining two weeks in his current position and then the new person will take over.

Obviously, this leaves us in quite the pickle.

One of our biggest concerns is that we really don’t want to start the 13 weeks over again. Not that we don’t love being in Minnesota (in winter), but we signed on to this lifestyle to see the country and experience different places. Starting a new 13-week assignment in late February would essential put us here for almost 6 months. Deal breaker.

On the bright side, Will’s recruiter was on the ball immediately. He let her know the situation Friday afternoon and by Monday morning she had submitted his application for several new contracts. Fast-forward to Wednesday and he’s done three different interviews with three different facilities, all ranging in start date and location.

We got some promising news that one of the facilities would be willing to honor an 8 or 9 week contract – essentially the time Will has left from his original contract. And, it starts in two weeks so there would be no gap in-between.

Fingers crossed this works itself out. It sounds promising right now, but as we are quickly learning, nothing is for certain.

Until next time….

The Beginning

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Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start….

My husband Will and I decided long ago that when the stars aligned and the time was right, he was going to pursue working as a traveling physical therapist. Per usual, life got in the way and we lost our compass for a little while. After several unplanned delays to our grand plan, we came to a very serious crossroads. It was decision time.

Our lease was ending at our rental and the house was being sold, we couldn’t renew even if we wanted to. We weren’t ready financially (or let’s be honest, mentally) to leap with both feet into the nomad lifestyle. We threw several ideas around about how to move forward, but the one that kept coming back was traveling. It was something we had both always dreamed of doing. Something that just felt right in our bones. So we resolved to make it happen. Come hell or high water, we were going for it.

There were several months of uncertainty before traveling became a reality. We spent six months grinding out our plan, trying to get all the moving parts organized. It was a frustrating process, but it helped that we had a great support network. As summer turned to fall, our dream started to materialize.

In November, things kicked in to overdrive. Will began contacting traveling companies, looking for information. Within 24 hours, he had more than 40 recruiters vying for his attention. It was incredibly overwhelming. He decided on the company that left him the most professional voicemail and began the process of finding an assignment. We’ll save the dirty details of recruitment and placement for another day, but suffice it to say things moved REALLY fast.

Our original plan was for Will to find a travel job in Idaho – not very exciting to start in your home state, but we figured it would be the easiest option. That way there wouldn’t be any messy licensing requirements or moving shenanigans, and he’d be able to get to work quickly. Or so we thought. Best laid plans, right?

After a whirlwind few days of phone calls, emails, paperwork, interviews, and extreme anxiety, he got his first offer.

We were headed to…..drumroll, please…..Minnesota!

My home state.

The land of 10,000 lakes.

In the dead of winter.

Yay. (insert heavy sigh)

Truthfully, we were happy to be heading back to Minnesota. We would be close-ish to my family and it was familiar territory. We had three weeks to get our stuff, and ourselves, from Idaho to Minnesota…yikes.

We made it. It wasn’t pretty, but we made it.

For now we have settled in to our little rental and are slowly learning what this whole traveling thing is all about. I hope you’ll stay tuned, there’s so much more to come!

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Can’t hit the road without a new car, right? Adulting is fun sometimes….

3,500 Miles

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Things have been pretty hectic in our household lately. I recently started working from home, which is great, but it’s certainly been an adjustment. As I try to navigate my new role we are also in the midst of moving out, putting our things in storage, and dealing with a 10-month old bulldog puppy who I swear is trying to break me. And since we really love to pile it on, we figured, why not take a road trip!?

Real Talk: I am a HUGE Beyoncé fan. When she announced the Formation tour I damn near lost my mind. I didn’t care which city or what date, but I was going to see that show. Since my husband is amazing, he agreed to go with me to her show in Minneapolis. That way we could visit my family for a bit while we were there. Two birds, right? And because we just love being trapped in a car together for 24+ hours, we decided to drive. And so begins our latest adventure…..

The trip from Boise to Minnesota was fairly uneventful. We’ve driven this route many times (and really, North Dakota doesn’t have much to look at). We busted out the drive in two days. 13 hours one day, quick stop over in Montana, and then 11 hours the next. Whew.

We spent some time at my parent’s house before heading down to the Twin Cities for the concert. Our hotel was in the Nicollet Mall area of Minneapolis – if you’re staying in the Twin Cities for the first time I highly recommend this area. There are tons of restaurants, theaters, museums, and nightclubs all within walking distance.

First things first, the concert was ah-mazing. Except for that whole 1.5 hour severe weather delay….yeah that happened. There was lightning, seats were evacuated, we drank a lot of beer. But when Bey finally hit the stage it was totally worth it. Best. Concert. Ever.

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The next day we recovered in the hotel room, ate some fancy burgers, and wandered around before heading to the Twins game. Now, I’m not a huge baseball fan (and the Twins really suck this year), but trust me when I say, going to a game is worth it just to see Target Field. The stadium is immaculate and there’s so much to see and do – and eat! We stuffed our faces with the usual: beer, brats, dippin’ dots, and more beer. Sports! Yay!

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When it came time to head back West, rather than taking the same old boring route back home, we opted to add a day to our drive and take the southern route through South Dakota and Wyoming. Best decision ever. On day two we stopped at Mount Rushmore – a first for both Will and I. People always say it’s underwhelming, but to quote my husband:

“How can that be underwhelming!? It’s faces carved into a f—king mountain!”

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So yeah, Rushmore is cool.

We also stopped at the Crazy Horse monument – about a 30 minute drive into the park from Rushmore. Construction on the monument has been slow going and so far the only thing that’s done is his face. But man, it’s going to be HUGE when it’s done – which the information desk told us could be another 15-30 years. Even though the monument is nowhere near completion there is still a lot to see. The museum on site has an incredible display of Native American artifacts, pictures, and history. Don’t tell Will, but I liked this stop better than Rushmore.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, but absolutely gorgeous. I have a new appreciation for Wyoming after this drive.

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Eight days and 3,500+ miles later, we made it back to Boise in one piece. Totally exhausted. Totally drained. Totally worth it.

Until next time,