West Palm Beach

          It was December 2013, and the breakup triggered the idea. I had always wanted to backpack Europe. I never thought I would do it, especially alone. The thought of backpacking by myself had to happen single. I decided I wasnt going to date for a year so I wouldnt change my mind and decided not to do it. The amount I needed would take me a few years to raise, however as a travel nurse, I could make this happen in half the time. I muffled through the pain to take all the necessary tests I needed to fill out the requirements to travel with the travel company. As soon as I was finished, I knew it was a waiting game. I wanted out of my job and Dayton, Ohio so bad that I really wanted to take any job. My heart however was set on West Palm Beach where my uncle and aunt lived. They had introduced me to their friend who I would live with for next to nothing. My family had just taken off to live in Brazil. If I had taken off just a few months later, I could have lived with my family. Things tend to work out though.
        I had an awful day at work where I had given my all to my patients but it wasn't good enough. I was getting frustrated with the job that I was consistantly being picked on for silly charting mistakes. I spent most of my day in the rooms of my patients helping them, assisting them to the bathroom, getting medication to them for pains or problems and listening to them. I headed out of work and realized I got a call from my recruiter who needed to talk to me as soon as possible. I had to wait to the next morning for the news. He found me a job at Good Samaritan Hospital on an overflow unit. It sounded easy which I found out later that it was far from that. It overlooked the water and abled me to live with my families' friend which I wanted. I said yes right away without paying attention to details of the contract. It was much less than I should have been paid but I didnt care at the time. It doubled my salary from what I was getting as a staff nurse and it was in Florida. I gave my two weeks soon after and knew that New Years would be spent on the road that year.
       My time here was amazing and cut short but I realized two things:1) nursing in florida wasnt as good as Ohio and I was consistanly put into situations that were unsafe and 2) time off made up for all the frustrations I had had at work. Life turned into a vacation.  I decided to take the extra money I would make and place it into a fund that I would use to go backpacking in Europe. My plan was to go for six months which would change later but that was the plan. I wanted to go wherever I wanted and do anything I wanted. If I earned $5000.00 for every month I was in Europe, I could achieve this. I knew I could spend alot less than that but this was my goal amount to have just in case. If I was to go for six months, I needed $25,000. This was going to take me about a year and a half to try to save it up and have a bit more for a buffer in case something happened.
         It was going to be hard to save up because everytime I turned around there was something fun to do in Florida. My time was spent with a friend named Melinda who had started traveling a year prior from Ohio as well. I met her through a friend named Becky and we met on a trip to Key West a year before I arrived. Melinda and I acted like queens the first few months. We ate the best seafood and went to all the best night clubs. It was the only time in my life where I was completely reckless with money. I realized when I was paying bills that if I wanted to reach my goals to go backpacking things were going to have to change soon. I enjoyed this crazy life for another month before changing my ways. Europe was calling and I wanted to make this happen. I was going to have to find cheaper ways to live and enjoy things if I was going to get there.