Bunny Tracks, aka Pam, is the devoted, doting, loving wife of Easily Forgotten who would blindly follow him to the ends of the earth. But I’ll let her tell you in her own words.
EFG
I go by the name of Pam, Spam, Pamelor, Pamma Jamma, Pea Kae, or Mrs. Himstedt now. I came into the world back in 1963 born in Memphis, TN. I only lived there for a few years while my father completed his internship at Baptist Memorial Hospital then moved to SE Missouri to settle in a small town in the Bootheel close to the Mississippi River.
My father was a physician and my mother was a home maker taking care of me (the deprived baby), my older sister, and older brother. I remember growing up around healthcare all my life. My father would take me to the hospital on rounds with him. Then, when I was old enough, I worked at the medical clinic in the laboratory. My mother made sure we were where we were supposed to be and well fed (more than a full-time job with 3 active kids). Unfortunately, her cooking and homemaking skills didn’t pass down to me.
Every summer when school let out, we would take 3+ week vacations all over the country in our Holiday Rambler trailer. I believe we made it to all states except Alaska and Hawaii. We would usually make a stop in Colorado on the way out or back. Dad took us on some harrowing trips over Devil’s Punchbowl (between Marble and Crested Butte) and Black Bear Pass (near Telluride). In spite of dad’s sense of driving adventure, I love the mountains, nature, and just being outside, especially in the low humidity and crisp air. Now my brother lives in Colorado when I think it should have been me. We would also go to Kentucky Lake to camp, fish, swim, tube, and ski. I have always been an outdoorsy person.
After graduating high school, I went to the University of Missouri just as my older brother and sister had done. I realized after a couple of years there, it was much too large for me and I left and went to Central Methodist College to complete my nursing degree. I stayed in Columbia, MO and worked for a year before moving to St. Louis where I worked for 13 years. When I was pregnant with my son, we moved back to SEMO and have now worked here for 20 years.
I have since completed my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, my Master of Science in Nursing and Nurse Practitioner. I have been an RN for 32 years and a Nurse Practitioner for 16 of those years. I have 2 wonderful children—Sarah, 23, and Sam, 19. They have been my pride and joy and it is hard to see them fly from the nest.
I met Curtis (and I did not “easily forget” him) back in 2009 through Match.com. We wrote long emails most nights and we really got to know each other for months before we actually had our first date. We finally tied the knot this year! Curtis and I have done some traveling part time over the last 7 years and we decided that we wanted to travel full time before we were too old and could not physically hike or backpack. Already we are seeing people our age and younger dropping like flies.
I have also been disillusioned with healthcare lately. I know I am burnt out and need a change. I can no longer listen to my patients cry in my office because they cannot afford their medications or all their retirement money is being spent for their healthcare. This is not the American Dream and I feel it is absurd to spend your life working to only spend your dying days forking over all your money for health care. I feel my time is spent trying to prove to insurance companies why I feel the medications I prescribe are the best for the patient. I also feel I give 100% to care for my patients and I am not sure it is always about quality patient care these days–it is all about making money. Healthcare costs are too high! (and I know it is not because I have gotten big raises in the last 9 years). I don’t want to be a “Debbie Downer” but I am so tired of working and tired of hearing about all the problems of this country—-healthcare, politics, gun control, and education. I don’t know the solutions, but I know I need a break from it all.
I feel a sense of peace when carrying all my belongings on my back and hiking down a trail. I don’t have to worry with fixing my hair or putting on makeup—I can just be my natural self. I don’t want an alarm clock getting me up in the morning, I want to wake up with the sun and fall asleep when the sun sets. I will be with my partner and we can laugh and just enjoy life without all the fast pace and constant technology. I guess I sound like I am going thru a mid-life crisis or I am just getting old. In either case, I know I am ready for a change.
I love my children dearly and my family but I must do this because I have not felt true happiness or contentment in just working and making money—there is more to life and sometimes a challenge and change is the only way to find it! Bunny Tracks is off to hit the trail!
I am the journal keeper, editor, and the photographer of our travels. As you will see, Curtis is the writer and he does a fine job at making it enjoyable. I do, however, want to give my opinions as a female hiker in her 50s hiking with her husband so if you see some comments in parentheses and in red print, you know that I could not help myself (good, bad, or ugly). It is going to be interesting 🙂
Bunny T
Maybe she’ll slip a few through the cracks, but only I know the admin password. One thing she forgot to say is that she loves bunnies–I have lived in “Bunny Hell” for the last 7 years as a result.
EFG