Queen of The South

I have decided to "blog" my new adventures as a travel nurse. I have never blogged before, but my mother has always said I am a writer, and so even though my mom may be the only one who reads this, here goes...
I have dreamed of being a travel nurse since school, and my husband (Mark) and I decided it was time to pursue. So we sold our house and began to think of all the amazing places we wanted to see in this great country... surfing in sunny Hawaii, clam chowder in coastal New England, snowboarding in Steamboat Springs, sampling wines in Napa Valley.... ahh, the options were endless. So we loaded up our truck with our two kids, Tommy age 4 and Andrew age 2, and all the stuff that would fit into the back.... I mean ALL the stuff, including a bike rack atop (I include this detail for later laughs). We then set out for our great adventure in.... Tennessee?
I don't think I have ever thought twice about TN prior to 3 weeks ago. (That's where Nashville is, right?) And let me assure you, there are no sunny beaches and there is not a drop of Cabernet Sauvignon to be found in this dry county... But when my nurse recruiter tantalized us with pictures of a "chalet" in the woods one mile from gorgeous Center Hill Lake, we couldn't resist.
Perhaps I should fill you in on "travel nursing"... Recruiting companies find jobs for you in places that are in need of nurses quickly and for a period of about 13 weeks. If you are accepted for the job, the recruiters provide you with housing, pay your utilities and travel expenses, and a decent pay rate.... not a bad gig.
Ok, back to the chalet... it is a newer vacation rental home surrounded by woods and complete with fireplace, hot tub, and the best part (if you ask Tommy and Andrew); bunk beds. It really is gorgeous here. The boys can play Daniel Boone endlessly on the property around us, and we have a 56" TV with cable (this is a big deal to us who have never had cable! How did we live without HGTV? I know, it's sick, if we aren't fixing up a dumpy place of our own, we are watching someone else do it!) We are about an hour outside Nashville, in a small town called Smithville (complete with a Walmart, of course). Cookeville is about 45 min away, and that is where the hospital is that I will work for... but that is for another posting.
So, here we are, wintering in this gorgeous house with nothing to do but go to work 3 days a week (at which time Mark stays with the boys). What will the next 12 weeks hold?