road trippin'

I know, dear god do I know, that I haven't blogged in quite some time.  I missed an entire month!  I don't think that has ever happened since I started blogging.  And the worst part is that I actually have things to share!  Lots of road tripping pictures, and visits from both of my brothers, and vacation pictures and first day of work picnic lunch pictures, and wedding dress shopping pictures, and extended family from Iowa visit pictures!  I've been busy, busy, and between you and me, living back at my parents home has made me kind of feel like I am on perpetual vacation.  I get too distracted by how much fun it is to be home with them, and see them bonding so well with my puppy boy, and showing him all these new places to explore, and in general feeling like this isn't my real life.  Thus, I haven't done much in terms of tangible productivity at all! No studying.  No blogging,  No cooking or cleaning.  I guess I have done some laundry, but it kind of doesn't count because I forgot how glorious it is to have a washer and dryer in your own home.  Holy freedom!  Number one top purchase with my first pay check (even though the entire thing will basically be negative money because of loans) should be a washer and dryer.  Even if I don't have a home, cause right now I kind of feel like a queen.

Ok, so first up, the road trip seems like an appropriate place to start.  I mean, especially considering that it is the actual start.  We plotted out our route, most important stops included seeing Emily in Massachusetts, going to Niagara Falls and stopping in Cleveland to visit my cousin Eileen.

Quickest visit to North Hampton ever, we drove out after JP finished work for the day, and arrived around 11:00.  We promptly realized we were exhausted, but we powered through amazing nachos that were waiting for our arrival.  Some one had to do it!  I asked Emily to be my Best Woman in the wedding, and she happily agreed.  Morning came quickly and we shoved more delicious food into our bodies.  I love that my family always knows the perfect places to eat in every town they have occupied.  TASTY.

Quick, super duper quick, stop in Cleveland for rice bowls and catch up time with one of my favorite cousins!  She is an RN who works in the NICU and is in NP school, how's that for some acronyms!  We had a lot to commiserate about, and a lot of missed time to catch up on, if only we could have stayed longer!

We actually changed course halfway through our trip and veered sharply north through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan near where my family used to live.  That was a pretty great decision too, the roads were small and not congesty, and there was so much nature to take in!   Plus we had the joy of staying at a beautiful cabin in a remote part of Michigan, my parents drove out so they could get some time with the two of us before JP's early flight out, it was lovely!

Mackinac Bridge connecting the upper and lower peninsulas

 

Oliver chased nine deer across this field, and had the thrill of his young life!

I've got a pile of Niagara Falls pictures, so I shall parse them out of this post and into another.  For now, just know that the road trip was great, and from this vantage point it seems like a long time ago.  Hopefully soon I shall regale you with tales from my current rotation in family medicine, and catch you up to the present day adventure.  I am having a ball!