Greetings from the Commonwealth of Virginia! Today marks my first blog post while beginning this traveling journey. I will likely share my posts to Facebook but there is also an option to the left of the page to subscribe by email and it will let you know when a new post is made. 

I'll clear up two things that may be confusing. 

1) Obviously, Sheila Clarkson is not my real name. Years ago, my sister and I were goofing around and made up what our disco names would be. If you haven't figure out, I LOVE disco. Put me in some purple sequins and send me back to the light-up dance floor. Anyway, we decided Sheila was a good disco name. Weird, but whatever. 

2) For those of you who are not as informed about my new adventure, let me fill you in. I have left my school job with SLPS to take a traveling OT assignment. It was time for a change for many reasons. However, I have made so many friends for life through SLPS and I will still worry about the future of my kids- but I know my friends will keep me posted. They better. 

Staffing companies are always looking for therapists and nurses to travel to unheard of towns (usually) where there is a need. These positions are contractual and usually up to 13 weeks or more, if there is an offer to extend the contract. Sometimes it is to cover a leave or sometimes just until they can hire someone full time. That is my situation- I'm going to be the lead OTR at a SNF in Rural Retreat, VA. I'm staying in a different town called Bland and I live right in town across the street from the courthouse and down the street from the P.O.

So now that those are cleared up- we made it fine. My folks came down with me and drove my dad's very bright and big truck with all my necessities for 3 months (i'm not selling my house). Mom and Bella pretty much slept the whole way; one of them curled up in a booster seat next to her favorite squeaky toy... It was an easy drive with no real problems. It was really cool coming down into West Virginia through Charleston- a curvy mountain drive through their very industrial city. Their capitol building was really pretty. I can imagine how pretty that will be in the spring. Everything here is basically in the Blue Ridge mountains from what I'm gathering and vast and hilly. I've seen a lot of cows out and have come to terms that bovines must have good balance to hoof it (LOL I'm so funny) up and down the hills.  Mom and Dad stayed the night and took me on errands Sunday and then trekked home. It had snowed overnight here and was freezing rain most of the morning. I did some computer training stuff in the evening while watching the Justin Timberlake concert with funny commercials.  Also, it was killing my geriatric soul to not be able to stop at every antique mall on the way. But there appear to be plenty locally to explore. 

                                    

This area has a lot of hiking trails and nature sights to see. There's a lot I want to see. But I may wait to do anything more adventurous until it's nicer out. I don't want to plummet to an icy death. Today we went to Dismal Falls, in Bland County off the roads away. Thankfully the non-paved roads weren't terrible on my sedan. After searching for some sort of marking for the aactual trail down to the waterfalls, I finally found a path but it was not well marked. There was a log across the stream but I 1) wasn't in the mood to play Dirty Dancing and 2) I didn't want Bella and I to fall into freezing waters and turn into John-sicles. 

That head sticking out of the backpack is Bella.

It was a lovely drive down the route, I think called the Blue Ridge Trail? Stopped at a neat Amish Furniture and Market Store. I bought some fudge and knitted washcloths since those are the best. 

Hope you enjoyed. This girl is off to start her first day of work on Tuesday!