Brevard, NC

Our trip started out with the 11 hour drive to Brevard, NC, home of Bret's grandparents, Nanny and BobBob. Papa, Mollie and Joseph, with accompanying friends, drove up on Monday, while Mama, Bret, Rachael, Will and I followed that Wednesday. Unlike the initial trip on Monday, our drive was uneventful :)

Our driving group.

While we were in NC, we went white water rafting on the Nantahala with my family and it was a blast! The little town it was in was so neat! It was such an outdoor community- everyone was either kayaking, running, or biking- it was such an energetic area. I'd love to live somewhere like that one day.

Mollie and Joseph on the Nantahala.

The neat cafe on the river! (I know, I'm a dork)

The "adults". Who are we kidding?

The next day, Will and I spent some time walking around in downtown Brevard, NC with Rachael and Bret. Brevard is a very cute, quaint town. There was an old fashioned soda shop and movie theatre, as well as several outdoor athletic stores.

After that, Will and I went and met my dad and Joseph at their campsite.

Joseph brought a few friends to NC, so we all decided to go canoeing. They were camping on a big lake which connected to a waterfall down stream, so we canoed to the waterfall. The water was very warm at first, but once we reached the waterfall- it was freezing! Of course the boys jumped right in, but Will and I creeped in- at first getting our toes wet, then our ankles, and eventually we jumped right in. Papa even got in with us! Behind the waterfall was hollowed out so you could climb behind it and then slide out on the slick right under the waterfall. Being behind the waterfall with Will and Joseph and hearing the water pounding down in front of us is one of my favorite memories. The water was so cold, and we were very timid about getting in, but I'm so glad that we did. The trip was about embracing each moment- and we definitely did that each step of the way.

We enjoyed a cookout with my family after our water adventures and got ready for our EARLY morning drive!

Chronicles of Our Trip

Will and I got back from our trip a few weeks ago and have been adjusting to a new pace of life ever since. Our roadtrip was absolutely amazing, and not a day goes by that I don't think about it. It was peaceful, relaxing, invigorating, and I'm so glad we decided to do it before med school.

Now that school has started for Will, our schedules have changed a lot. Will is up much later, and wakes up earlier. When he is at home he's normally studying so it's pretty quiet at our home lately. The other big change is Gross Anatomy Lab. Gross is an understatement. Will is in lab for a few hours each day and let me tell you- the smell! The students wear scrubs and a lab coat while in lab, so even though Will leaves his lab coat at school, we still have to wash his clothes every day! He's been in school a few weeks now, and although it's been difficult at times, we feel like we are in the right place right now. There is a great group for medical school wives at UMC that I've joined. They have meetings all throughout the year and parties and all sorts of stuff I'm looking forward to! I also switched jobs a few weeks ago. It was one of the hardest decisions I've made yet, and definitely the hardest Will and I have made as a couple. But when looking at all the circumstances, it was a much needed switch. We are learning to trust right now.

I wanted to do some posts of our trip with some pictures. We took roughly 2,000 pictures total, so I can't post nearly all of them- but I wanted to post a few highlights. I'll break the posts up by location.

Here are a few sneak peeks!!

Brevard, NC at Nanny and BobBob's cabin.

On the road after many LONG hours. We quickly resorted to self portraits as entertainment.

Made it to our first big destination! 27 hours of driving and 6 hours of sleep in 2 days!

The big G.C.

Our first fruit stand in CA.

Lombard Street, San Fran.

Yosemite!

Vernal Falls, Yosemite

King's Canyon/ Sequoia Natl Park

Moro Rock, King's Canyon/ Sequoia Natl Park