The Mayers: A Life Updated
Hello there United States of America!
Wow, it’s hard to believe that we have been back in the US for 4.5 months now!
When we left the Middle East, we left with the plan to have NO PLAN. Yes, we are full grown adults who wanted to be happily unemployed and homeless. By choice. For a while, anyway.
We are very fortunate to have been able to work incredibly hard while living overseas (truly: blood, sweat, and tears) to be able to afford this. How? We are extraordinarily frugal people. Yes, it does seem that we spend everything that we make due to traveling any time there is more than a 2-day weekend, but other than travel and food, we have spent almost no money in the past 4 years. And we travel QUITE economically. How do we achieve this?
· Depart at off-times
· Only buy tickets on sale or with reward points
· Never, ever, EVER check bags
· Stay in AirBnbs
· Walk everywhere once in your destination
That, and airfare is significantly cheaper when you are flying only 4-6 hours, versus having to contend with flying over oceans like you do with any international destination from the US.
We were also fortunate that between the two of us our jobs not only paid our salaries, but also completely paid for housing, furniture, health insurance, annual airfare home, as well as all moving expenses to and from the UAE.
So…does it now make sense why we chose this life for the past few years?
The first few weeks of our life in the US dealt with the logistics of repatriating back to the US and spending quality time (instead of rushed and frantic during all-too-brief stints of times back in the US) catching up and reconnecting with some of the closest of our family and friends. And let's be truly honest, time spent getting over jet lag and recouping from extreme work burn out (I was averaging 70-80 work weeks and involved a lot of weekends, plus my “volunteer work” with the UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council). This time was also about just enjoying our marriage together.
Once we found our new equilibrium and soaked up a serious amount of love from the incredible people that our lives are blessed with, it was time for an AN EPIC CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP! No set plan, no set destinations; just some thoughts, more awesome people to visit, sites/sights to see, and food to try! Why!?!?! Because, after our time living abroad, we realized that we had seen more of the world than our own country. That, and after living in the desert for 4 years, surrounding by shades of brown and extreme heat, we were ready for a serious dose of Mother Nature.
In the coming weeks, and posts, I will be updating this blog with all of the epic-ness of this trip, so stay tuned.
But the BIG news...WHAT IS NEXT!?!?!?
The answer: CHICAGO, Illinois.
I have accepted a job at Ann and Robert Lurie Children's Hospital as a Pediatric Oncology Nurse Practitioner for the Solid Tumor team. We will be moving to Chicago at the beginning of September, and I start in either end-September or end-October, depending on the licensing and credentialing process.
Surprised!?!?!? Us too. Us too. We have never ended up where we thought we would be, but we have always ended up where we are suppose to be.
Hello USA! We are very excited to be back in your arms!
