Seattle and Olympic National Park

Jesse and I have made a point to travel as much as possible before we both have "real" jobs and before kids come along one day.  So, this summer we knew we would take a trip, and we quickly decided on Seattle. The previous summer we met the beautiful West Coast while in California. This was also the beginning of our National Park quest, and with Seattle came Olympic National Park. Plus, we have high school friend Chase and college friends Hannah and Adam to visit while there! It was a win, win decision.

Between summer and fall semesters we took 9 days to peruse Washington, and in like-fashion of our other trips we packed it full! We landed in Seattle on a Saturday around noon, and after a slight mishap with public transportation that gave us an unexpected tour of Tacoma, we arrived at Chase's doorstep ready to see the sites! (There were so many photos I wanted to share I had to make collages out of them. Click to view them larger, if needed!)

First up was Pike Place Market, which is busting with freshly caught seafood and fresh produce, local artists, bouquets of flowers, restaurants, and more. My heart sings for this kind of stuff. Across the cobblestone street is the original Starbucks, of which I took a picture like the good tourist that I am, but didn't care for any of their coffee. Seattle is home to too many local coffee shops to bother with Starbucks, in my opinion. We ate breakfast at Le Panier French Bakery and Cafe where they create the most decadent croissants I've ever encountered! I had to get another before we left Seattle. We were still in Pike Place for lunch, so we ate at Lowell's for seafood with a waterfront view. (Travel tip: move along and avoid the long wait to eat here. I'm sure you can find seafood just as good in the area.)

Jesse and I had the afternoon to explore alone, so we took a walk to see the Space Needle and visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. These are right next to each other, and I highly recommend the glass museum. We didn't have it on our list of "must-see" places, but it was worth the entrance fee to see his amazing works of art! (Travel tip: you can purchase combo tickets at the glass museum to go up in the Space Needle. We had to pass on this due to time, but it saves a good bit if you're doing both!) The weather was perfect while we were in Seattle- even unexpectedly warm. According to locals, Seattle is not the dreary water-logged city you might think!

We took an Underground Tour of the city, which was really ineresting to learn the history of Seattle as you walk through what was the original business district, beneath its new iconic streets and buildings.

The next day we road the ferry over to Bainbridge Island to get to Olympic. This gives one of the best views of the city!

 Olympic is the most versatile NP we have been to. It covers a good bit of land and consists of beaches, a temperate area similar to a rain forest, to the mountain range. It's really amazing to experience so much just within one park! We camped our first night at Kalaloch, between Beach 2 and 3, all of which are covered with driftwood. We made it here just in time to pitch our tents and watch the sunset!

The next day we woke up early to investigate the tide pools. The amount of shore that is exposed at low tide is incredible. The tide can change by 10 feet, revealing barnacle covered rocks surrounded by puddles of sea life! The rest of the day was spent hiking within the Hoh Rainforest. We chose two short trails - the Hall of Moses and Sol Duc Falls trail. Sol Duc Falls is one of the iconic waterfalls of Olympic. With recent drought conditions, the fall wasn't gushing with water, but it was still a beautiful view. We prefer to get a little off the beaten track to enjoy the surrounding nature while forgetting about all of the people. That's when we found one of our favorite spots of the trip, which crosses a bit downstream of the main Sol Duc Falls.

Our second campsite was pretty awesome as well - underneath a huge Sitka spruce tree and next to the Hoh River. We hiked another trail in the rain forest, engulfed in nature's beauty! National Parks are some of the best get-aways because you are fairly off the grid - making do with what food you brought with you and very limited cell service. While you're hiking, the trees really put you in your place as they loom overhead. It's so refreshing to pull out of our everyday lives and strip down to the basics. Even during a busy vacation, hiking in a protected and historic forest helps us slow down and unwind.

We relocated our campsite for the upcoming night (to Mora campground), then hiked yet again! This time 1 1/2 miles down Rialto Beach to Hole in the Wall, an arch that has been carved out of the rock which is only accessible at low tide.

On our last day in Olympic, we woke up early to enjoy the coast one last time. We took a short drive and hike down to Second Beach. This was one of the best mornings of the trip. We had the beach all to ourselves. After rounding a huge rock wall near the water's edge, we came up on a group of sea otters. If you look closely at the bottom right photo, you can see them sitting on the rock!

We stopped at Hurricane Ridge on our way out, and did a short hike near the Visitor's Center there to Sunrise Point. The mountain range is absolutely glorious!

For our final leg of the trip, we headed to Yakima, WA to visit friends Hannah and Adam. We have been friends with them since our Auburn days, and they moved cross-country for Hannah's job as a physician's assistant! They live in the cutest cabin-like home on the hillside of Yakima, surrounded by apple orchards. Plus they live within short driving distance to many outdoor activities. I always love seeing what adventures they are taking on next! They took us to Mt. Rainier NP and we pleaded with the clouds/fog all day to part so that we could see the mountain in all its glory. It held out and only decided to show a few glimpses here and there, with the most visible at the very end of our hike. It was still totally worth going, and we had a wonderful visit with the Wilsons!

(I promise Mt Rainier is right behind us!)

(The top middle photo shows the glaciers on Mt Rainier. Middle bottom is a groundhog/marmot.)

(The best we got!)

We loved everything about this trip (well, except for the detour to Tacoma)! Seattle was such an enjoyable city. We could go back again and again and do completely new things both in the city and in Olympic. And, of course, eat a few more of those croissants!

Summarizing Summer

While writing this post I could vividly hear the Dixie Chicks circa 1999... "well the weeks went by and spring turned to summer, and summer faded into fall...."

Yep. That's pretty much what happened. I haven't posted since spring break in April! I'm not even sure where the summer went, but here we are nearing October!?! I think after boards I just took a break from pretty much everything, and it was hard to get motivated to post again. Several of you have been sweet enough to inquire about the blog, which lets me know there are a few of you out there that care to read my ramblings. :)

Let's see... in the past 4 months...

I passed Part 1 of said boards (praise be to Jesus)!

Four of our favorite people moved up the East coast. Brother Mike to New Jersey and the Domeny clan to New Hampshire. They wouldn't leave Addy with us. "You must have your own children," they said. So we hugged and cried, and hugged and cried some more.

And then they left...

Although we miss them daily, they are truly friends forever. I might even endure a cold, snowy winter visit just to see them.

In May, I finished my 3rd year of optometry school. That concluded all of our didactic courses, so we will NEVER sit in our self-assigned seats again! I'm sure the far left seat of the third row of Room 301 is perfectly shaped to my behind at this point. Sadly though, this means my classmates and friends are slowly parting ways as we have been in various externships during the summer and rest of our 4th year. I don't know if I could have made it through without these three ladies below. Heather, Erika, and Gussie helped pull me through the hard times, and laugh through the good. I'm excited to see where we will all end up in the future!

In May we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary by going to the Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Festival near Huntsville. And made a trip over to the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottboro. We ironically visited Unclaimed Baggage passing through on our first anniversary - this is unintentionally becoming a tradition.

We've enjoyed the farmer's market and the beach a couple times this summer.

Explored some Florida caverns with Matt and Heidi.

Helped paint a friend's house. Painting is sooo much more fun with friends. Always make that chore a party!

I spent half of my summer living back at home to "work" at my externship in Elba. It was such a wonderful experience to work beside the two ODs that inspired me and have encouraged me along this educational journey. They have a wonderful practice with an amazing staff, and I got great "real-world" experience while there.

I got to visit with cousin Carissa on her way back to Virginia. What should have been a 30 minutes coffee break quickly turned into a couple hours delay on her trip. But it was worth it!

We took a whirlwind trip to Seattle and Olympic National Park for a week in between my school semesters! Those details I will share soon in another post.

Since then, we've been to Memphis, Tennessee for my cousin Cameron's wedding, which was beautiful, delicious, and quite a blast! We enjoyed several roof top views of the city, and couldn't leave without trying some Memphis BBQ!

And that gets us to this month! I've been at my new externship site for the Fall semester. This is a local practice of ophthalmologist mixed with a few ODs. I'm seeing tons of diseases and ocular issues I've never seen firsthand before! Jesse has taken a break from his Master's program, mostly to plan around our Seattle vacation, but should be back to his studies soon. We've enjoyed our afternoons with heavy doses of Netflix. :)

Stay tuned for Seattle! We ate SO much food, I may have to split up the post! And Olympic was pretty marvelous, too.

Asheville, NC

Aaah, spring break! Such a sweet time. I'm not sure what I will do when there's no such thing....you know, in the real world. We spent the first weekend in Asheville, North Carolina. It was probably our least planned trip to date. I usually like to have an idea of an "itinerary," but this trip was all about relaxing! We wanted to check out Asheville as a possible place to call home in the future. The closer the end of my schooling gets, the greater the reality of settling down and finding a place that has opportunities for both of us.

Asheville is an interesting place and had a lot to offer. Its downtown area is lined with quirky shops and boutiques featuring many local products and organic/natural items. The whole town has a hippie sort of vibe with an emphasis on caring for yourself and the environment. Lots of delicious, organic foods, a constant awareness of recycling vs the landfill, art, and the outdoors (it sits at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains). Lots of concepts I can really appreciate!

We decided to book our stay through AirBnB, which is a site where people list their apartments, extra bedrooms, homes, etc. for others to rent. While on the surface it sounds a little serial-killer-scary, it's completely safe! Our first experience with AirBnB was during our New York trip. This time, Jesse and I chose to stay with a couple offering their extra bedroom. While this did lend less privacy, we had a great time talking with our hosts, sharing travel stories and learning about Asheville through a local's perspective! Some hosts are more involved than others, and often share these expectations within their listing. AirBnB is a great way to live like a local on vacation, save money (we spent half of hotel costs), and meet some awesome people. Our hosts were wonderful, and even cooked us breakfast both mornings!

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, checked-in, and set out to explore the downtown area. While we didn't have specific plans, I did have a list of places to eat (would you expect anything less?!). So, our first stop was The Gourmet Chip Company, where they toss kettle-cooked chips in various seasoning combinations. We chose the Napa - sprinkled with seasalt, lavendar honey, herbs, and bleu cheese. Jesse loved this stop, as he prefers salty snacks over sweet. Crazy...right?  ;)

Friends Heather and Luay also began their break in Asheville, so we met them for coffee at Double D's (double-decker) coffee bus.

We also joined them for dinner at Chai Pani for some delicious Indian food!

We spent most of Sunday walking around downtown. There are so many fun shops to pop in and out of! The old architecture is also beautiful to see. We also walked to the Grove Arcade where there are local craftsmen selling products outside and local shops inside. I had fun selecting scents to create my own custom bath scrub in Bathe. Everything begins as a base, you select up to 3 scents to combine and other add-ins depending on the products. They mix it up and package it for you to enjoy at home!

A few street performers were out and fun to watch/listen.

It was a bit cool walking around, so we got some hot cocoa at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. That cocoa is legit - very rich, creamy, and you select your flavor. I tried the Maple and Smoked Salt.

We took an afternoon drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was beautiful as the mountainside is beginning to burst with greenery. I could only imagine how breathtaking it would be in the fall! Sunday night we were limited on dinner options, as many places were closed for the night. We decided on pizza and had no regrets. It is in fact possible for 2 (skinny) people to demolish a 14" pizza.

The next morning we went to the Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate. We almost didn't go, but we were so glad we did! It was definitely worth it! The mansion alone is amazing, with such attention to detail everywhere you look. It took 6 years to build and is exquisite, especially for a home built in the 1890's! I highly recommend the audio guide - it gives you the full experience and educates you on each room as you walk through. You appreciate the experience a lot more with the guide.

(view from one of the terraces)

We ate lunch on site at the Stable Cafe, and had one of the best meals of our life. For real. We were a little bummed that we'd be there through lunch and miss out on good eats in Asheville, but we were blown away with the food there. We got the Southern Sampler Feast for Two, which had roasted chicken, ribs, Carolina BBQ, collard greens, pimento cheese grits, and slaw. For $30, the meal was a steal! Our waitress was perhaps the most Southern belle I've ever heard, and upon placing our order she said, "Ooo, wee. Y'all will love every minute of it!" And she was so very right! We sacrificed the slaw to conquer the rest, because everything else was seriously on point, including the sweet pickles! And we never, ever like sweet pickles. The greens and grits were off the charts, and Birmingham has some pretty mean greens and grits around town.

We were so stuffed we had to get dessert to go (no photo!). Because, you know, I had to get dessert. Especially with a description like this: "a generous portion of ginger chiffon cake layered with pink grapefruit curd and vanilla butter-cream, served with Champange sabayon, candied ginger, and fresh grapefruit." I didn't know what Champagne sabayon was, but now know it's likely one of the Lord's best creations.

Left to explore on the grounds was the Gardens, Conservatory, and Winery.

The Winery was neat. You walked walked through the entrance and down into the cool cellar; back upstairs and into the tasting room. Each ticket includes a complimentary wine tasting.

We had a great getaway in Asheville! We loved the town and would gladly return. There was plenty more to do...and eat. :)  Now I'm going to make a salad...

three years, then tomorrow

Hello everyone,

Tomorrow and Wednesday are the two big days my classmates and I have been waiting for!  We take Part 1 or our National Board exams. We're all looking forward to having this behind us. I'm sure there will be a feeling of relief as this is lifted from our shoulders Wednesday at 5pm! I'm also sure it will be quickly followed by a feeling of anxiety during the next 30+ days of waiting to hear if we actually passed it or not.

So, please remember us over the next two days and say a quick prayer for me (us). This test is a culmination of the past three years of our lives, and what we all have diligently been working so hard for.  It is also a test of endurance since it is so long. 500 questions, 4 sessions of 3.5 hours. Pray for focus and motivation until the last question is answered!

In the meantime, I'll be doing some last minute studying, followed by an afternoon of relaxation and unwinding as I try to calm my nerves. :)  And I'll be holding on to this promise:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; 
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”
-Lamentations 3:22-23

A Short Hiatus

Here I am, yet again, apologizing for not posting anything for quite some time. It's been nearly two months since I wrote last. This blog is always in the back of my mind, but I decided not to spend time on it the past couple of months. In the middle of this month is my upcoming National Board Exam. My classmates and I will be sitting for 14 hours over the course of 2 days, answering 500 questions about nearly everything we've learned so far in optometry school. This is Part 1 of 3 board exams we all have to complete (read, pass) to become optometrists.  I've been slowly working my way through material since December, so most of my extra time has been spent studying instead of blogging. I though it was a good idea to put it on the back-burner for a bit, then pick it up again after the big exam.

What's happened in the meantime, though?
I tried a local donut shop, Shipley's Donuts, with my friend Heather one day after class. Definitely worth the stop. (Of course, the first thing I mention is food.)

I survived having a classmate giving me various injections this semester. Once in the eye lid (subcutaneous), once between the tissues overlying the sclera (subconjunctival), in the arm (intramuscular), and one round of taking a little blood from my arm. Thankfully I chose a trusted friend as my partner, and no tears were shed. We both even made it out without subconjunctival hemorrhages!

          

We drove to the gulf for a weekend with friends, and had a great time checking out Mobile and the surrounding area. We ate a delicious seafood lunch on the water at a really cool restaurant built out of shipping containers. They also had an awesome outdoor area to sit and enjoy the view.

Unfortunately, on that same trip a deer ran into the side of my car. He did enough damage that we couldn't drive it back to Birmingham, and it was later marked as totaled. Thankfully Jesse's dad was willing to come rescue us from the middle-of-nowhere. Come to find out, the deer also put a dent in the top of the roof. Thankfully, none of us inside the car were harmed.

The hunt for a car began...and went on... and on.... Then finally we decided on a car. A new(er) white, Hyundai Sonata. I know, I know... the same kind of car. I secretly have made fun of people in the past getting a newer version of the same car, so you can do the same to me. But to our defense, the newer version is completely different from one I had, inside and out. Jesse hated my old car and would never, ever have bought it again. Honestly, we decided on a budget and looked at all the 4-door sedans within that price range. By the time Jesse and I each eliminated some, there were only a few options left. The 2011 Sonata is much improved upon from 2008. I had named the old Sonata "Sonya," and now the new Sonata "Sonya 2.0" since she has the 2.0Turbo engine. I was very sad when old Sonya was totaled, but Sonya 2.0 feels like an old friend already. :)

We've marked a couple more things off our Birmingham Bucket List.  We had lunch one day with Mike, Kelsey, and Addy at the Tip Top Grill which is on top of "our side of the mountain" and looked out over the neighboring Lover's Leap. I had dinner one night at Babalu's Tacos and Tapas while Matt & Heidi were visiting, which was fantastic! I wanted to eat everything off their menu, so Jesse and I will certainly return! So, yes, by bucket list I really mean restaurant check list...

We said an Alabama goodbye to our friends Hannah and Adam as they moved on to the next journey of life in Washington. We got to hang out with them on their last night in Birmingham, so I like to think they saved the best for last. ;)  We also got to help them pack the day of their move, but I didn't get a single photo of us together! Hannah recently finished school and passed her board exam to become a physician's assistant. That lady loves people, and I'm happy to see her living out her dream and caring for others.

Jesse inherited Hannah's fish tank that couldn't make the move, so he has spent quite a number of afternoons tending to it and getting his plants and a few new fish settled in.

Those are a few of the recent highlights! I'm signing off the blog for a few more weeks to focus on studying for boards. I'm accepting prayers for motivation, clarity, understanding, and maintained sanity until March 18th! Jesse too, as he puts up with me and my stress until then! After that, I'm looking forward to blogging regularly again.