Busy morning - sun tea!

hi folks,

i have a lot of extra time on my hands because

(1) i just finished my first year of med school

and

(2) david is in MT (check it out!!)

so, i've been cooking and playing in the kitchen quite a bit.  here is my latest experiment:

feel free to stop by for a glass!  i have one waiting for you!

Go west....

hi,

(1) i've managed to finish my first year of medical school.  go me!

(2) i'm driving cross-country with my boyfriend, david.   here is a link to his blog: GO WEST!  CHECK IT OUT!

(3) when i get back, i am turning over a new leaf. i will update weekly.

love,
me

i promise.

an update on my life for the past few months... probably list style (with pictures).

love,


me!

Movin' on up

Wow! It's been a busy few weeks, and I'm seriously exhausted. Moving is a b*tch, but I'm almost done.*

Here are a few shots of my place:

Before:

 After:

Tomorrow, I'm heading to Boone, NC to visit with Jess!  Just in time too. It's going to be 100 degrees this weekend in the Triangle.  I'm hoping I can retreat to the mountains to keep cool.

* I need to thank David and Josh for helping me move the big stuff.  I'd also like to thank my Dad for going with me to Ikea and my fancy new mattress!  You guys are awesome!

Home sweet homes...

Hi folks,

I'm sorry I haven't posted since I got home, but I've been super busy.  I'll go ahead and post the route for our last day on the road:

Day 24:  Nonstop from Knoxville, TN to Durham, NC

We pretty much didn't stop the entire day.  I was more than ready to be home, and the idea of sleeping in my own bed kept me focused on the task at hand - driving!  Once  I get moved,  I'll do a full recap of the trip... I promise!  Oh, and the total mileage of Day 1 - Day 24 ("round trip") comes to 7, 733 miles!  Oh boy!

Since I've been home,  I've secured my new apartment (pictures to come).  I've also visited with a few friends here and there.  Which brings me to the next picture.... 

Above:  Me and Baby Paul O' on Day 1 (of his life)! 

This picture is a little out-of-date (June 11, 2010), but I wanted to check with the parents before I posted on my blog!  You may remember one of my first posts...  Well, this is the little guy on the first day of his life!  I cannot express to you how happy I am that he's here!  David and I went to visit him last night (one month later), and he's been busy growing, growing, growing!  He's precious!  Congratulations, again, to Kelly and James!   I can't think of better parents! 

Alright, I gotta get back to moving!

3 for 1... a pretty good deal?

The last three days have been heavy traveling days.  Our trip is pretty much winding down, and we're trying to get home ASAP. I mean, I have a new apartment to move into after all.

I'll start with Day 21, which was a pure driving day.  We only stopped to stretch our legs a few times and grab a bite to eat for lunch.  We entered both Nebraska and Kansas for a short bit by accident.  That brings our state count up to 19 ( AL, MS, LA, AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ, NV, CA, ID, MT, WY, SD, IA, NE, MO, KS, TN).  Just for the record, I'm going to post our route for Day 21.  It isn't very thrilling:

Day 21: Sioux City, IA to Joplin, MO

Map courtesy of maps.google.com

Day 22 wasn't much more exciting, but we DID make a few stops along the way just to see what Missouri had to offer.   Below is our route for Day 22:

Day 22: Joplin, MO to Memphis, TN via Mansfield, MO and Poplar Bluff, MO

Map courtesy of maps.google.com

Our first stop was to check out the home of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder in Mansfield, MO.  If you remember, we stopped by De Smet, SD earlier to visit "The Little Town on the Prairie." I believe she set two of the Little House books in De Smet (Dad corrected me... it's three in the series plus These Happy Golden Years and The First Four Years).  Anyway, Mansfield, MO is where she, Almanzo and their daughter, Rose, finally settled.  She lived in Mansfield when she actually wrote the series.  There are two houses at the site.  One was built by Almanzo and the other is a stone house that was a gift from Rose to her parents.  Both were absolutely amazing - especially when considering the humble Surveyor's house in De Smet, SD. I got to see a lot of interesting things (pictures, clothing, Pa's fiddle, etc) from Laura's past.  I had a blast.  They won't let you take photos inside any of the buildings, but here are a few from the outside:

Above: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Home in Mansfield, MO

After finishing up in Mansfield, we set out for Memphis, TN.  When plotting our route the night before, I realized we could plan it such that we'd go through Poplar Bluff, MO - the boyhood home of one of the greatest Tar Heels of all time, Mr. Tyler Hansbrough.  The Tar Heel in me couldn't pass up the opportunity to swing by and thank the citizens of Poplar Bluff for such a fantastic basketball player (GO HEELS!).   SO. I demanded we stop, and I took some pictures to prove I was there: 

Above:  Missouri Born, Missouri Bred but when he dies he'll be a Tar Heel Dead!   Poplar Bluff may be known as the Gateway to the Ozarks to some, but to me, it is the birthplace of Psycho T! 

Alright, enough about that.  I just had to stop myself before typing out the fight song and everything that comes along with that...  GEEEEEZ! I'm ready to be home.

We rolled into Memphis around 8pm.  Dad and I dropped Mom (and Pepper) off and ran downtown to grab a bite to eat.  We ended up eating at Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous Ribs. It was a bit of a hassle to find parking, but trust me, it was worth it!  The ribs were pretty damn good, and the atmosphere was unbeatable.  We also drove past Beale St, which was pretty cool.  I wish I had time to get out and enjoy it, BUT we were in a rush as usual.  Here are a few pictures: 

Above:  Rendezvous Charcoal Ribs and some shots of Beale St (from the car).

Day 23 was also a pretty big traveling day.  We had to make it all the way from Memphis, TN to Knoxville, TN.  Usually, it wouldn't seem like such a big deal to drive 400 miles, but we are really tired, folks.  Every single mile we drive now feels more like 10 miles.  It's rough:

Day 23:  Memphis, TN to Knoxville, TN

Map courtesy of maps.google.com

Before we left Memphis, I insisted on visiting Graceland.  I couldn't come this far and not see it.  I checked the website for info about buying tickets and almost had a stroke when I realized it would cost $30.00 for a tour.  I'm a poor soon-to-be med student.  Ugh! I can't afford that, Elvis!  Jesus!    

Just when I thought all hope was lost, Mom pointed out that I could visit during the prayer and meditation time (7:30 - 8:30am) for free.  It's actually quite nice. You can't go into the home, but you do get to walk right up to the front and take pictures.  You also get to visit the "Meditation Garden."   Now, I've always heard about the peacefulness and spiritual aura surrounding Graceland, but I was skeptical.  I mean, how could the exploitation of someone's home and private life be considered peaceful?!?!    Well, folks.  I will tell you that my trip to Graceland was incredibly peaceful and serene.  I couldn't get over how calm and comfortable I felt.   I'm not a huge Elvis fan, and I'm usually uncomfortable touring old homes.  But for some reason, I felt relaxed and welcomed.  Pretty odd... and folks, I swear I'm not crazy.  I  promise I will not start referring to my trip to Graceland as a spiritual journey.

Above:  My trip to Graceland - Memphis, TN

Alright, I am gonna eat and get to bed.  It's late.  Gotta rest up.  We have a long drive tomorrow... all the way to Durham, NC!

Day 19 and 20 - Happy 4th of July!

To make things run a bit faster, I'm going to combine Day 19 and 20 (in list format).  Hold tight!  Here we go!

We'll start with Day 19 -

Day 19: Spearfish, SD to Murdo, SD via Deadwood, SD and Mount Rushmore, SD
Map courtesy of maps.google.com

What we did: 

- Drove through Spearfish Canyon and saw the Spearfish Falls

- Visited Deadwood, SD - not impressed. And No!  I did not see the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and 
  Calamity Jane.  They were charging admissions. UGH!

- Saw Mount Rushmore complete with a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator, which was

  awesome!

- Stopped off at Wall Drug to get a donut and coffee.  Dad got one for free for

  being a Vietnam Vet (see bottom right of donut picture)!

- Drove through the Badlands, SD.  Gorgeous!  Saw quite a bit of wildlife

  including a mommy mountain goat (??) feeding her young.

Photographic proof: 

Now, on to Day 20 (July 4th) -

Day 20: Murdo, SD to Sioux City, IA via Mitchell, SD and De Smet, SD
Map courtesy of maps.google.com

What we did: 

- Visited the World's Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD and bought a toothpick holder

-  Stopped by De Smet, SD - AKA "The Little Town on the Prairie."  This was really special stop for me.  As a young girl, my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Nelson, read the entire series to my class.  Oh!  Such fond memories... 

Photographic proof:

Alright, we're all caught up!  Feels good, doesn't it?  

Til' tomorrow!