Fun Weekend in Albermarle County!

What an amazing weekend! We took a ride through the gorgeous hilly area outside Charlottesville, through Ivy and Crozet. Off of some windy roads and into Sugar Creek Road we made our way to Blue Hole. We hiked a few miles with our new friends from Florida to a swimming hole with a rope swing.

The water was crisp and made you lose your breath when you dropped in. We had a nice lunch on some large rocks in the creek and watched a golden retriever "rescue" every rope swinging swimmer.

The next day we made our way back toward Sugar Creek Road with two couples in the residency program and walked another trail toward some more smaller swimming holes. We took a dip in this small swimming hole and layed out on the surrounding rocks.

After our hike, we drove to White Hall Winery and tried a variety of very good wines and then drove through some windy roads to Crozet where we found a delicious dinner at famous Crozet Pizza.

Surrounded by gorgeous nature and new friends we had a wonderful time :)

Updating Our New Home

We've lived in Charlottesville for a few weeks and we are renting a home in town. It's only a few miles from the hospital and downtown and located in a nice family neighborhood. Our landlords allowed us to paint and make some changes. These DIY (do it yourself) projects were inexpensive ways to spruce up our new home and make it more "us."

Our first changes were to our master bedroom and bath. We're still working on the bedroom (we're buying a bedroom set), so I will update that later.

Our bathroom is finally finished! We painted the walls Sherwin Williams 'Sleepy Blue,' a nice subtle blue that makes a room calm and warm. I painted the sink unit white and we hung a white cabinet above the toilet. A few more touches, like the matching shower curtain, a curved shower rod and white bath stand and it's all done!

Ode to Omaha

Somewhere in Middle America



Four years ago, I played Counting Crow's "Omaha" as I drove up 75 Highway to my new home in eastern Nebraska. Now as we prepare to set off on an exciting adventure on the East Coast-- half a country away, I'm feeling a little nostalgic.

We've had an amazing run ... blizzards, barbecues and bar-hopping adventures. We started our little family in Omaha, marrying in 2007. We rented our first house, added a dog to our bunch and made life long friends. While Omaha may have its downsides (cold weather), the people here have made it an amazing place to live.

We met our fellow medical school couples and built lasting friendships. My favorite memories include trips to Vincenzos happy hour, rooftop bbq's at the Lofts, Farmers Market Saturdays, Around the World Tours in the Old Market, wine at Cork and Bottle and trips to find delicious ice cream dishes at eCreamery or Ted and Wally's.

At CUMC, I have been fortunate to work with some of the most amazing women in the world - they are caring beyond belief, selfless, witty, fun and loving. I have been surrounded by love for 2 1/2 years and I will miss seeing their smiling faces every morning. As we walk down the hall together, most people say "Here comes trouble," and boy have we created some! From long lunches to loud laughter--we've had so much fun!

Erik and I have stuffed the U-Haul with items we've collected over the years, but we're leaving behind a little piece of ourselves. In Omaha, we've built a family of friends and four years of amazing memories.

I'll miss you all and will look forward to our visit back to O-town!