I love to hike. I love being outside and I especially love being in the woods. Add a waterfall and it is Utopia. Today, we ventured to Dupont Forest in North Carolina.  I've been here a couple times before, but forgot what a great park this is. 

The girls are such good hikers, especially Stella. I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have such a wonderful pooch like Stel. Luna is the baby and she is loved very much, but Stella has a special place in my heart.

 

I'm no botanist, that's for sure. I take pictures of plants I find visually appealing or interesting. This particular one was everywhere blooming. Pinks and whites. Very pretty against the greens of the forest.

What I love about Dupont is it's truly a family place. The trails are wide and graveled. You can choose short hikes and still get great rewards, or choose longer, more difficult hikes, with even greater rewards. None of the hikes can truly be classified as "difficult". It's a nice opportunity for those who may not be "hikers" to get out with the kids and still enjoy "hiking". 

The view from the bridge alone is gorgeous. 

We spent quite a bit of time sitting in this very spot. The mist coming from the falls was so pleasant after a humid hike uphill. 

Stella was enjoying a few minutes of cool-off time. Amazing that even at 10 years old, she still loves a good workout. 

Luna, not one to "go-with-the-flow" was slightly stressed out by the whole situation, but tolerated it since Mom and Stella were present. 

Headed down the hill, the girls are tired and ready for home. 

 I am looking a sight, but was thoroughly enjoying myself. 

 My favorite part... sleepy girls. We all got a good workout in, got to enjoy the woods for a few hours and got to interact with people who love this beautiful world as much as we do. What a great day at Dupont. 

If I Can't Go To Em, I'll Bring Em To Me

I am lucky to live in such a great town. Although I haven't been on vacation in 7 months (which is a long time for me) Greenville has plenty of vacation-like things to do. Last weekend, my bestie came for a short visit and we had 48 hours of non stop fun.

We started with a night out on the town with 4 guys, all of which whom ditched us by the end of the night. Here are 2 of the class acts:

After a morning at the Farmer's Market on Main St, hours of shopping at Haywood Mall and pedicures fit for a princess, we headed to the baseball field for some good ol' American fun.

It's no Great American, but it does have a special place in my heart, and not bad at sunset...

Sunday, sadly our last day together, Jessie, Kim and I headed to the Saluda for a relaxing couple of hours supine under the sun on a tube.

I recommend everyone check this out. We had such a great time.

http://saludariverrafting.com

I spent almost every minute of our weekend together begging Jessie to move to the dirty south so we could be together once again... fingers crossed she accepts my proposal. Until the next weekend staycation...

Itching for a trip

There is nothing I love more than traveling. The freedom, meeting new people, driving fast on the highway, eating at new places, new smells, new sights, new shopping, new trails. You can literally be anything and anyone you want to be because no one knows any different, yet you remain yourself because there's no one else you want to be! I love traveling! Life has been a little emotionally draining this year, however. In order to live, you must work. In order to travel, you must work harder. I've been working harder, therefore my trips have dwindled exponentially. I'm about to go crazy! There aren't many things in life I truly need, but I need to get away... immediately. How do you have a blog about traveling and then not travel? It's coming my followers... It' coming.

New Career

When I went to school to be an OT, I thought I could take on the world. I was the most ambitious new grad in the south and honestly felt like I was going to make a difference in the profession. Research, symposiums, teaching. I could do it all. I am now 5 years into it and what I can tell you is... I'm tired. The politics involved in this profession are exhausting. I go to work everyday hoping I don't have to confront yet another director to remind them what ethical behavior is. What I have discovered is that I need to own my own business. I haven't quite decided yet what I'm good enough at to do, but what I do know is that Ryan, Carly's boyfriend, has agreed to buy the house across the street from me to be our "office" and Carly and I are about to take over the world... the "how" is still a process, however.

Another New Year! 2011

As you can see, it has been a long while since I have posted on my blog! It's no secret that I'm a slacker when it comes to certain things and VERY easily distracted by shiny object... or anything really. But!!! Lucky for you, my plan (not really a resolution maker) is to stick with it!

So, briefly, I am currently living in Greenville, SC in my own house, but am still technically a "traveler" and under contract. I have decided that since I travel more for pleasure than work these days, I will expand. My most recent trip, Tybee Island, GA!



After what I would consider the worst end to a year EVER, having my "soul mate" end our "relationship", my brother leave after a very fun and productive visit, and sitting at home all alone (poor pitiful me), I cried until my eyes were so swollen I had no choice but to go to bed by 10:30 pm. Yes, sometimes I am still a girl!. Saturday morning, I composed my wretched self, pulled out the girl's seat belts, swore off anything with a penis (again, as most of know this is a common theme with me) for the weekend and headed south!

The girls, of course, were champs, as always! They have a way of getting Mama through anything! Our room at Tybee Island Bed and Breakfast Inn was adorable and the girls were welcomed with their very own courtyard to play!

The Crab Shack offered what I would consider a bucket of food for our sampling

Some of which I had no idea how to conquer... We ate (I the seafood, Stella and Luna small bites of sausage) on the patio while the rain came down, my favorite sound!

Sunday morning, we headed into Savannah where the girls weren't really in the photo shoot mood I constantly strive for in beautiful places, so we settled for a pretty church and some trees.

As we continue our addiction to travel...

A New Year

It's the start of a new year, and I must say, I've learned a lot about the traveling world so far. I am currently at a hospital in Cincinnati and decided to extend my contract for another few months so Grandpa and I can travel to Alaska at the end of April and not get stuck in a blizzard! I never thought after working in acute care at GHS that I would ever EVER like acute care anywhere but I actually am really enjoying it here! It's so organized and far more rewarding because you actually get to follow up with patients from day to day and the care coordinators and social workers actually read therapy's notes! That's crazy!!!
The girls are still very much enjoying living with Uncle Dan! I don't know what they do all day but I think most of it is destructive since I often have to clean up messes. The living room floor is covered in toys, yet they still pull items off of the tables and out of the garbage to shred to pieces. Pleasant puppas!
Back to Alaska... I am a bit concerned about the drive to Alaska. It's 4000 miles and I plan on taking 2 weeks off to get there. There are so many things to prepare for before we leave. Will the girls be okay? They love car rides, but good lord! That's one heck of a car ride! Will the 4Runner make it? I have no reason to believe that it won't, but most of the trip is in another country and there aren't a lot of places to have repairs done on the Alcan. Can I afford it? Alaska is so expensive! I'll have several weeks off and being spending a ridiculous amount of money on gas and food and camping and hotels. It's going to be an expensive trip!
One thing that I have learned very quickly when traveling is a year seems like 3 months. I already have the entire year of 2009 planned out and it just started! These next few months will go by so quickly, then I'll be gone again, this time away for quite some time.
Here's to a wonderful new year!!!!

Home Sweet Home

So, I am several weeks into my Cincinnati assignment and I learned something new about traveling. In our contracts, there is a section for me having to work 40 hours a week and the facility guaranteeing me 40 hours a week. Well, unfortunately, that means that when the census is down and the facility is overstaffed, they can call you off during the week, which puts you in a situation where you either have to work the weekend or eat the money. I guess it's not too bad every once in a while, but if it starts happening every week or two, that's going to make me very unhappy. I really don't like working weekends, unless I'm getting paid a large amount of money for doing so. That's the latest in the traveling world.
Other than that, I'm still liking it here. There was snow outside this morning when I woke up and that was not enjoyable to me. The windchill was horrible all day and I'm pretty sure snot could have frozen to my face had my nose been running. The good news is...it's not even winter yet!!! Something to look forward to!
I change my mind about once a week, but right now, it's kinda looking like I'm going to extend my contract here until March, then in April drive out to Alaska. I know, I know! I'm complaining about the cold here! If I'm there April though June though the temperature will be in the 40-60s depending on where you are. I have wanted to visit Alaska for a long time and everyone I know who has gone has told me how incredibly beautiful it is, so, might as well go when my company will pay for me to get there. Sane people would probably fly, but, of course, my girls do not leave my side, so we will make the 4000 mile trip (not exaggerating!).
We're excited about Christmas at home, but more importantly, we're excited about THANKSGIVING!!!! As most of you know, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I LOVE turkey. It has been the routine for many years before I left Cincinnati to go to Celia and Grandpa's in the morning for breakfast/brunch, then to go on a hike, then to head to mom's for turkey!!!! I truly gain 35 pounds every year on that day alone and it's worth every bit I put into my mouth!
I'll keep everyone posted on the upcoming events!