Procrastination

With a capital P.

No...I have not been sitting around for the last two months, idling the time. And I have not been studiously studying this whole time either.

(Though...there has been A LOT of studying going on...).

I took the ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner boards towards the beginning of June and thought that would be the end of studying. But God had other plans, and I was two questions shy of passing.

Which meant more studying.

And I have been studying like a fiend. But I've also been traveling and taking some time to enjoy the summer (which has been relatively mild for South Carolina).

So after loads more studying, some quick trips to Virginia, New York City, Knoxville, Gatlinburg, Cowpens, Townsend, and Charleston, and some more studying, I took the AANP Family Nurse Practitioner boards in Knoxville on July 19. And passed! And by a good margin, too!

All that studying (and traveling...and studying while traveling) paid off...though, I suspect that the Lord had a greater hand in all of it and allowed for the circumstances.

So...what did I do to celebrate? Work at basketball camp for a week, then travel to New England for 5 days. True road trip style!

But, this brings me back to my title: procrastination.

Because of my constant guilt of doing anything productive when I was not studying, I put off blogging about all those trips. And, once I passed boards, I put off blogging because of how much there was to blog. And I didn't want to tot my computer around during camp.

(hanging head in shame)

But! Last night (at 2 am when my insomnia and lack of full-recovery from nightshift was in full swing), I determined to be productive and stop procrastinating. Seriously! I am unemployed (and loving it!) and have been so many places this summer with some awesome people...

And who knows how long that unemployment is going to be. Or where the next road trip will find me!

Time to get blogging!
:)

Strawberries

Destination: Strawberry Hill and Cowpens Battlefield
Total Miles: 100 miles
Total Cost: $30ish




Before I begin my tale of adventures in the Up Country, let me quickly update you on my adventure to the Low Country.

I am currently a member of the Rivertree Singers, a choral group composed of around 30 members. We are professionals who work and live in the Greenville area of South Carolina...there's everything from account managers, web designers, composers, and stay-at-home parents, to nurses, cosmetologists, and bakers/cooks. And we all have at least one thing in common: a love for singing.

This spring, we have been rehearsing for our summer concerts. One was in Greenville, and the other was in Charleston at the Piccolo Spoleto festival.

Now, if you have been following my blog since its beginnings, you know that I love Charleston. And like most of my trips to Charleston, this one was a bit of a whirlwind. Having worked the night before we had to be at St. Phillip's for rehearsal, I was thankful to catch a ride down...which, unfortunately, I failed to take advantage of and sleep. By the time I got to bed that night, I had gone for well over 36 hours with only an hour or so of sleeping on the drive down.

My friend and former piano-duo partner, John, was also visiting Charleston with his choir from Westminster during the festival. We sang a song he composed (which you should be able to hear here), and he graciously came to our rehearsal and conducted us (giving us some helpful tips on both interpretation and musicality). Following the rehearsal, John and I spent some time meandering around the Market...stopping for some Haagen-Dazs ice cream. It was great to catch up with him and worth the extreme lack of sleep!

Supper was at a delicious Italian place near St. Phillip's, and
subsequently called for a stop near the waterfront at a gelato venue. Those of us who had eaten supper together finished our gelato and gave a spontaneous mini concert (aka: we sang one song that we all had memorized). Then, I rode to the hotel where I don't really remember anything until the next morning. (YES! I realize I look half dead in the pictures...trust me, I look better with sleep than without). :)

We sang in the morning at a church in downtown Charleston, then after a quick lunch, we walked over to St. Phillip's for our concert.

Which, if I do say so myself, was quite a success.

Anyway...

I got back late that night (mainly because I had gotten locked out of the house and went to Panera to study), and trust me, I thoroughly enjoyed sleeping.

Having promised the LPs a road trip to get some ice cream, (and having that day off from my two jobs), I piled them into Mr. Darcy. We stopped for some glass-bottled-cokes and lunch at an awesome cafe in downtown Travelers Rest, William's Hardware Cafe.

Instead of taking the somewhat shorter route to Strawberry Hill, I drove them the back way...up Scenic Highway 11. We enjoyed singing crazy songs, drinking our glass-bottled cokes, and telling stories as we drove the almost 50 miles to Strawberry Hill.

Upon arrival, we delved into the homemade ice cream (eating WAY more than we should have!), and then we piled back into Darcy to finish the drive to Cowpen's Battlefield.

After walking around for a bit, the kids were able to take part in learning how to fire one of the grasshopper cannons. They were so cute!!

Then we headed out to walk around some more...and ended up splashing through puddles during a deluge rainstorm. Soaking wet, we laughed and ran around the battlefield...much to the dismay of certain park rangers (who probably think I had lost my mind). But hey, we had fun and there was no thunder!

I had them race about once the sun came back out, effectively drying them off, then it was time to take Charles to his baseball practice.

All in all...an awesome 60 hours.

And just a window into the wonderfully non-normal and non-boring life I am privileged to lead.

Seeking an Adventure

Sometimes road trips are planned events that are plotted and mapped out in advance.

But more often than not, road trips come somewhat unexpectedly. 

I discovered something about myself today. Something I think I have known for some period of time. 

I like driving. I really like driving. 

Sure, there are times it is frustrating. The other drivers on the road seem to not understand simple concepts such as turn-signals, speed limits, and safe distances between vehicles. But over all, it is relaxing. Time to think, listen to music, catch up with a friend, people watch, or simply observe the scenery. 

You all know me. If something comes up that can be turned into a road trip, I will gladly seize the opportunity! 

Two weeks ago, such an opportunity presented itself in the form of a friend interviewing at MUSC in Charleston (you can read about his interview here). How perfect! I could take the afternoon off of clinicals (for the first and ONLY time this semester, mind you), escape the Upstate, and visit one of my favorite road trip cities in South Carolina. 

After finishing clinicals, I drove home, ate a quick bite, then headed south. Having driven a few times to Charleston, I did not need a GPS until it was time to meet up with my friend. His interview was supposed to go until 5ish, and I was set to arrive a quarter-till. Of course, plans changed a little when his interview finished early. 

Once I arrived, we headed downtown for some supper. Parking by the Battery is one of my tips to anyone visiting Charleston. It is free, and it provides a pleasant excuse to meander down Meeting Street. 

We ended up eating at Hanks, a slightly-more-upscale restaurant. The food was delicious, and we enjoyed catching up on life. 

After supper, we looked over pictures and videos from his recent trip to Haiti, and we discussed his interview. 

Sometime after nine o'clock, I headed home...with a quick stop at Starbucks, of course. 

The drive back was uneventful, even after Horatio, my mini-blue-bunny, had passed out from consuming too much hot chocolate. 

All in all, a very fast and fun trip. 

Life is so unexpected, taking twists and turns that we do not expect. Grad school was definitely NOT a turn I was expecting, but thankfully, God knows all the bends in my road. 

I am not counting on having much time off during February, but I have taken over a week off school and work during Spring Break and am anticipating a most exciting adventure! 

:)

New Old

Destination: Charleston, SC
Total Miles: 520
Cost: $75

Before I tell you about my road trip, I must first clarify three facts for you.

1. I am NOT a beach-kind-of-person.
2. I like to look at the ocean.        Period.
3. I LOVE history.

Those being stated, let me commence with my tale.

Growing up in the South, one learns a great many facts (some biased) about the role of Charleston throughout the history of the United States of America. Charleston was the main port in South Carolina during the colonization of America. It also played important roles in both the Revolutionary War and the War of Northern Aggression (I mean, the Civil War). :)

In the past few years, I have come to take advantage of the fact that I live roughly 3 1/2 hours from this fascinating, historical city. While I tend to do many of the same things each time I go, I also enjoy finding something or some place which is new to me. In the true spirit of road trips, I have discovered various places the past 3 years in Charleston such as: Morris Island Lighthouse (which stands in the water), Sunset Point, Harbor View Road (an excellent area to meander), the Spice Tea Exchange, and a pink house in the French Quarter (just to name a few).

This trip, I invited a friend who had never been to Charleston (and, having grown up in the North, did now know much about this amazing Southern city). Robert is a friend I met in nursing school...he works in the OR at my hospital and has a somewhat more normal schedule than mine. We coordinated a day off, and Tuesday was selected.

After rising much earlier than I normally do (aka 7 a.m.), I set off to his place to pick him up. We were on the road just after 8 a.m. Our first (and most important, we decided) stop was in Columbia at a Starbucks I usually stop by on my way down.

It was the perfect day to visit Charleston. The sky was mostly clear, with the occasional perfect cloud. Since Robert had never been to Charleston (and it being close to lunch by the time we got there), we parked along the Battery. The salty smell pleasantly assaulted our olfactory nerves. We walked down Meeting Street, up through the Market, and doubled back for lunch at Bubba Gumps. Then we wandered around some of the shops, smelling spices, taste-testing nuts, and enjoying the sights and sounds. We walked down King Street, back to the Battery where we picked up Mr. Darcy and headed towards Folly Beach.

The leisurely drive around Folly is always worth a go...but my favorite part would have to be going as far as the road lets you, parking, walking up the beach, and rounding the corner to find Morris Island Lighthouse.

This walk up the beach was interesting in that we came across several beached jellyfish. Robert, having never been on a beach this far south, let alone seeing a real jellyfish, prodded a few of them...picked them up (because as we all know from Finding Nemo: "The tops don't sting you!") by the top and threw them back into the waves. This was also the part where I think we got burnt the most (at least I did).

After our stroll around the beach (and over some rocks), we found the lighthouse.

It was well worth the walk, jellyfish, hot sand, and all. I have always been fascinated by lighthouses. They are about the only thing I can draw...I love the colors surrounding them (the blues and greens of the sea and sky, both calm and stormy)...if they were worked properly, they could save hundreds of lives during storms.

But the one thing I really wanted to see this trip was something a FB friend had recommended. The Angel Oak. A massive tree, that (to be quite honest) is hard to describe and best seen in person. Something completely new to me, yet it is thought to be among the oldest trees left standing in America. It was probably not quite 30 minutes from Folly Beach, and I would have to say, definitely worth the drive.

After walking around the oak...almost overcome by the sheer size of it, we headed slowly back. First Starbucks we came across was located inside a Piggly Wiggly. Being another Southern fixture, Robert had never been in one (not even sure if he'd heard of it), so we stopped in for a few minutes (for those of you who have no clue what a Piggly Wiggly is, it is a chain of grocery stores).

All in all, another successful, enjoyable road trip. Charleston is one of those classic cities that I think I shall never tire of visiting.