New friends.

We have to admit that our time in Nashville was not our most social of times.  We moved to Nashville knowing very few people.  Although I had lived in Nashville before, many of my friends had graduated and moved to different parts of the country.  Josh was job searching and my nursing program was a distance program, meaning I saw my classmates one to two times per month.  Additionally, we church-hopped during the first two months we were in Nashville, visiting many different congregations.  So, neither of us had regular contact with others.  Although community seemed to be all around us, it was difficult to initially plug in.

A friend from high school, Dan, connected us with his aunt and uncle who live in Nashville.  After meeting (Uncle) Dave and (Aunt) Vicki at a free symphony concert, Josh and I felt like we had found our Southern long lost family members.  We intermittently spent time together and each time felt comfortable, normal, and somehow familiar.  They encouraged us in our endeavors and filled our bellies with delicious food!  Their friendship felt like a gift to us while we were far away from home.  We are excited to travel to Nashville in August for my pinning ceremony and see Dave and Vicki again!

Vicki is a super talented artist.  She mainly paints birds (my favorite) with a unique, whimsical style.  She actually is now painting full time, which is quite a feat.  Check out her website to view her art and try out her unique recipes.  We love her rhubarb lime custard pie!  www.vickisawyer.com. 

the lovely couple

Spring break.

Josh and I decided to pack up our tent and make a quick road trip to Savannah, Georgia for Spring break.  It seemed like the perfect time for a road trip, you know, with final exams and projects on the horizon.  We liked the idea of one more “hoorah!” before the end of the semester to liven our spirits.

We stopped in Atlanta en route and visited Josh’s good friends from college, Andrew and Camille.  They had been teaching English in Korea for over a year and now have returned to the states.  They gave us a comfortable bed, showed us Atlanta’s farmer’s markets, and introduced us to some tasty Vietnamese sandwiches and soups.  After this delectable time in A-town, our travel south continued.

Josh and I loved Savannah and appreciated a change in pace!  We loved Forsyth Park, River Street’s talented artists, and the many varieties of glazed pecans.  We also enjoyed time on the beach at Tybee Island for a day, soaking up the vitamin D.  We would recommend the Freedom Trail Tour, which was an educational experience about the civil rights progression in Savannah. 

My most favorite parts of the trip were seeing the huge magnolia trees, the Live oaks with Spanish moss, and Painted Buntings on our hikes!  If you don’t know what a Painted Bunting is, look it up please!  You will be so glad you did.

I hope to remember these fun weekend get-away-trips with Josh.  Our little family of two has a lot of love and many places to explore.  All we need is our car, tent, and some Vietnamese sandwiches.

southern magnolia

Hubs

Forsyth Park

spanish moss

First African Baptist Church

River Street

our campsite

Live Oaks

the savannah

hiking