Misty Mountains

Destination: Tennessee
Total Cost: roughly $100
Total Miles: roughly 450
Dates: June 13-14

Time to play a little catch-up on the blog (which will hopefully cover some of these fantastic trips I've been on over the last couple months!).

Today, we will start with one of my favorite people coming for a visit!

After I took boards (the first time), I had a couple days to regroup and prepare for Caroline's arrival from Colorado/Wyoming. For the first time since she graduated, she was coming to visit me!

We planned to head over the Smokeys to Gatlinburg for a day before heading to my grandparents' house near Knoxville. Caroline arrived on a Thursday evening just before Rivertree Singers' rehearsal, which she graciously attended with me.

Following a good night's sleep, we headed to Gatlinburg for a fun day of shopping and sightseeing. Our first stop was recommended by my grandma: Ober Gatlinburg.

While it was an overcast day, we could still see through the mist as we rode the aerial tramway. The views were impressive, and Caroline and I had a great time listening to the tram's operator give his oration.

Once at the top, we explored the area, did some shopping, ate lunch, and tried to get caught up from a year's worth of missed conversations.

Back down in Gatlinburg, we set about doing some window shopping...which included checking out some comfortable moccasins and a sports' store that had a very small corner containing both Duke and Clemson paraphernalia (in the same corner...what are the odds?!).

That evening, we stayed at my grandparents' near Knoxville. It was the first time Caroline had met my grandparents and my aunt and uncle, but other than Caroline's beating all of us at Phase 10, the visit went very well. On the whole, it was a very relaxing end to the day.

The next day found us headed back to the mountains in search of bears, caves, and one of my favorite spots this side of the Mississippi: Cades Cove.

If you have never been to Cades Cove, you must check it out! My family has been visiting the Cove since I was probably around 10 years old, and the beauty and wonder of it has yet to lose its charm. here to learn more about it.

Nestled among the Appalachians, Cades Cove has a large scenic loop drive that allows you to take a leisurely drive around the Cove. There are old churches, houses, and barns that can be explored, bears and deer that may wander across your path, and hiking trails available for the adventurous. Check out the National Park Service website

After spotting some deer and bears, walking through some of the houses and churches, and a picnic lunch, we headed a few miles down the road to explore some caverns. Another place I remember visiting once during a family vacation was the Tuckaleechee Caverns. I took the LPs there a while back, and since we were in the general area, I decided that Caroline and I would visit the caverns.

They did not disappoint.


The caverns are much more hands-on than others (so I am told), and the tour guides always share something new that I don't remember hearing before.
When we finished the tour, we purchased some delicious fudge for the journey home. It was a fun trip, and I love the spontaneity that traveling with Caroline always affords.

And don't worry! We took another trip into the mountains before she left, so I'll be sure to blog about that in the next couple days.




Until then!
:)

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!
:)

Sunshine and Clouds

For Trip Info: check Over the River

:)

I love clouds. And I love sunshine. And I especially love sunshine coming through clouds. And during this particular road trip, I got to see a fair amount of both clouds and sunshine! The clouds came from a Cloud Maker I passed, and the sunshine came from the Knoxville, TN Sunsphere!

This trip, I visited my mom's parents in Tennessee (which I like to do, both because I love them and because I like the drive). And Grandma cleared her schedule the whole day Tuesday! So (after I slept in like a bum), we headed towards downtown Knoxville.


When my grandparents moved to TN around 14 years ago, they took my siblings and I to the Knoxville Sunsphere. Mind you, at the time there were only 4 kids. But I digress!

Over the years, I have wondered about this huge glowing orb in Knoxville: why haven't we gone back? what makes it so sunshiny? how did it end up here?

For a full history of the Sunsphere (which I will NOT bore you with here), I would recommend checking out the World's Fair Park website. Loads of facts.

If you're ever in that area, I would recommend checking it out...parking cost us $3 (which you may be able to find some free parking if you look), but it's completely free to go to the observation deck in the Sunsphere.

(and for those of you wondering: the windows were filled with a 24 carat gold dust)

After traipsing around the Sunsphere, we headed to another downtown attraction: the Market Square. Filled with little shops and cafes, it is a fun area to walk around and grab a bite to eat. If you're ever not sure where to go or what to do, I recommend Googling attractions or things-to-do in the area to where you are headed.

As always, my trip to Grandma's was WAY to short, but knowing it's just a little jaunt over the rivers and through the woods, makes the shortness somewhat bearable. Until next time!

ps...I bought my plane tickets for Colorado...and I secured my plane tickets for Haiti...

The Best Kind of Prize is a Surprise!

(for trip info, check out Over the River) 

This weekend is my Grandma Rush's 70th birthday...and because I'm working this weekend, I decided to go up on Monday to surprise her for lunch at her favorite restaurant, Abuelos. Thanks to my mom's youngest sister, Robin, I was able to pull off the surprise visit with Grandma not suspecting a thing (which, if you know my Grandma Rush, that's almost mission impossible!). 

The drive up wasn't too eventful...but I will never tire of driving through the Great Smokey Mountains! This time around, there was ice and snow in the trees (just a little bit) on the way up-thankfully none on the roads! Being a bumper sticker collector and avid license plate watcher, I keep an eye out for any interesting stickers/plates on other vehicles. And I was not disappointed this trip! My favorite by far was "Somewhere in Kenya a village is missing its idiot" sticker that I passed near the Junction for Hwy 11 and 25. I also noticed an unusually numerous amount of Pittsburgh Steelers paraphernalia...and not just from PA! 

Another quirky habit I have developed during my travels is finding strange road signs. There are your normal ones: Stop, Yield, Do Not Pass, Pass With Care, RR Crossing, Ped X-ing, etc.  Then there are those random ones that a second after you pass it, you think "HUH?!" Such as: Blind Intersection, Don't Even Think of Parking Here, Caution Roadway Ends, etc. The sign I found on this trip and was able to capture was actually the 3rd in a series of 3 signs found as you drive into downtown Knoxville. The first, "Begin Blasting Zone" was quickly followed by the second, "Please Turn Off Pagers and Cell Phones." The third was about a half mile later (after I had prepared myself to be violently shaken and was beginning to process the second sign) and read, "End Blasting Zone." Say what?! 

Needless to say, I was NOT blasted anywhere. And having had a successful surprise trip, I am now home...fighting a losing battle with allergy/cold junk (as long as I win the war in the end, I shall attempt to bravely take the sound beating this stuff is giving my lungs and perhaps, if I am fortunate, my voice shall return?) and planning my trip for next weekend! 

Over the river...

Destination: Grandma's House (Powell, TN)
Total miles: 330
Cost: priceless

One of my favorite places to go when I have time off of work is my Grandma Rush's house.

Living < 3 hours from Grandma definitely has it's perks! The drive up I-40, between Asheville and Knoxville, is beautiful no matter what time of year you take it.

I could elaborate on the awesomeness of visiting my grandparents, the enjoyable restaurants that Grandma and I check out around Powell, the uplifting services I get to attend at their church, but while those are all great things about visiting them, I would have to be truthful and say that probably my favorite part of any trip to Grandma's is talking with them and listening to them.

For instance, I have found out that my Pap (as we call my mom's dad...dad's dad is Grandpa) used to work at a steel mill...some night shift, some days, in various jobs around it...and his stories are always worth the listening to!

Every morning, my grandparents eat breakfast, take their pills, and pray for their family. While I'm not much of an early riser, on those rare occasions where I wake up early, I love sitting in bed and hearing them pray in the kitchen for each of their kids, grandkids, great-grands, brothers and sisters, and church family.

I'll elaborate someday on the road trips, the drive, the fact that I can take my Mr. Darcy-fill up as I'm leaving Travelers Rest and not have to fill up again until I get back (10 gallon tank, 35+ mpg, 330 miles roundtrip, do the math)...but for now, I will leave you with this:

Family is one of the most precious treasures mankind has...and my grandparents (on both sides) are among the most rare and beautiful jewels anyone could ask for :)