Down The Shore, Down The Shore

Sal and I tried to make it down the shore at least a couple of times over the summer. We're not huge shore goers, instead we'd rather go to the lake, which we did... a lot! Being only about an hour away from the shore though, we figured why not. Sal took advantage of a beautiful day, and joined a few buddies of his on a deep sea fishing charter. He suggested I meet him down the shore after work for dinner. I was psyched, because we never do things like this, and even though I didn't want to drive far, it was well worth it. Knowing he would be driving my truck home, made the drive even easier. When I arrived, he couldn't wait to tell me about his day. He had caught the biggest fish on the boat using a lite tackle, not the thick line and bigger fishing pole every one else was using. we took his winnings and we grabbed wings and drinks! What better way to celebrate?!

We walked along the boardwalk, hand in hand, and tried our luck at some games! Highlight of my night? I picked a penguin! Oh, and Sal bought me ice cream! How can you not have ice cream on the boardwalk?

A few weeks later, we decided to go bright and early on my day off, we skipped kickboxing and headed down. We stopped for sandwiches and chips to enjoy while on the beach, and just laid on a towel, soaking up the sun, all day. We both had our reading materials - Sal had Jaws, and I had a NASM magazine. It's kind of funny, you can tell what each of us likes just by looking at what we're reading. Munching on fruit, time seemed to pass quickly. It was hot though, so we kept having to walk down to the ocean and cool off. Aside from our feet, you won't find us swimming in the ocean though. Unless we're in Florida or on an island, we don't really swim in the ocean water. 

When Sal had enough sun, we packed up our stuff in the beach bag and cooler, and we put our stuff in the car so we could enjoy the boardwalk. We quickly found ourselves at a bar on the beach, enjoying summer cocktails. However, we weren't about to spend all of our money on drinks - I mean $17 for two drinks!? No thank you. We wandered a little more, and ended up in the aquarium. We had already been in the aquarium before, but Sal is a sucker for fish. I was easily convinced though, when Sal mentioned the penguins! We decided then that we'd come back for the penguin feeding later that night! Seeing Sal's face light up when he stares into the tanks is enough to make anyone's heart melt... okay, maybe just mine. We left, and found ourselves walking to the mini golf area. We couldn't even remember the last time we went mini golfing (I think the last time for me was high school? Wow...). We went on the more difficult course, and found ourselves cracking up after every swing of the club... I ended up getting a Hole in One though on the second hole! I was super proud! 

You'll never guess who won by looking at this picture, ha!

We went and grabbed a bite to eat before the penguin feeding. I got another drink, and a salad, which was out of this world. I didn't think it was going to be as good as it was. I knew it'd be good, but wow. 

The penguins were next, and my eyes lit up as I watched them feed the penguins. How do they get that job? No seriously, because I'd pay them to let me do that for a day! I tried to pet them, but being that there was glass between me and the penguins it was rather difficult. 

It was the perfect date night. Looking back on both of these days now, I remember back to how I felt that night, and those same feelings wash over me now. My heart is full, and I am happy. It doesn't take much to make me happy; Sal just knows the ways to my heart. I breathed in the salty air, and I felt a calmness that stayed with me the whole ride home. I love that we don't have to spend a week on a long vacation, we can go on these mini getaways and be just as happy, because we're together, and that's what really matters.

A Long Road Trip to Virginia

Sal and I are no stranger to road trips, especially long ones... we've even been as North as Canada, but when my brother, Kyle, chose Virginia as his destination for medical school, we didn't realize quite how far Virginia was until we started our drive there. Seven hours long. Usually Sal and I are good with car rides together... we find things to talk about, music to listen to, and when I get bored enough, I bust out a book, or this time study materials for my CPT exam. It gives Sal some silence while driving, something he enjoys doing wholeheartedly. I am never the one to drive these long trips, I'm never the one to drive in general. I drive enough to and from work each day, that I am grateful when someone else says they'll drive. 

We headed to Virginia bright and early, the day after Kyle had gone down with his girlfriend. My parents would be coming a few days later. It's a good thing we left earlier, because my brother's car had broken down and he needed to get to his first day of medical school somehow.  As soon as we got there we quickly found a place to eat, which ended up being a fast food restaurant, but it was probably the cheapest I've ever been to, with much better quality food. Imagine that? I ended up with two chicken wraps for about $3. It satisfied us enough to help us through car shopping. He did not purchase a car that day though, even though we visited about four different dealers, even hopping in the car with one to go to another lot. We took the below photo as proof that we were alive at one point during the drive (haha).  Off we went to dinner afterwards, to a local place that turned out to be delicious!

The next day, Sal woke up early to bring my brother to his medical school orientation. We were all so excited, that none of us could go back to sleep, so we decided to start our day. We had planned, the night before, to get my brother a fish tank, for many reasons: a) he would probably be lonely when we left b) he loves fish c) it doubles as a night light d) it's calming. All great things, we thought, for someone who was going through medical school. Sure, he'd have to take care of them, and clean the tank, but it would give him an easy break from studying. We wandered around Petco & Petsmart, and eventually chose the tank that would host his new fish. Sal set it all up for him, so that when we went to pick him up from school, he'd open the door of his apartment, and see it first thing. We decided against filling it with fish, because we wanted him to be able to pick out which fish he wanted. Let me just tell you, he had a feeling that we were going to get him a fish tank, but he didn't know which day it would be, and he was just as surprised as we thought he'd be! I couldn't keep my mouth shut in the car, I was so nervous I was going to spill the beans on our way home. Thankfully I didn't, and the look on his face when he opened the door was pure happiness. 

I also made chocolate chip cookies for him, because who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies? I don't think there has to ever be a reason to make them! We found ourselves wandering a fish store later that night, looking for the right fish to put into the tank. It was funny watching him go through aisle after aisle of fish, trying to find the right ones. We brought them home, named them, and placed them into the water. They looked right at home, and it definitely made his place a little more homey. 

The next morning, Sal dropped Kyle off at school again. This time, we took our time getting ready, and found ourselves out the door, in search of a 'waterfall.' We found a trail, one that we thought would be a nice hike to this awesome waterfall. Five miles later, we realized it was not an awesome waterfall like we thought, and that we were going to have to walk the five miles back to the car. I have never walked that far in my life, and my whole body was exhausted. We were all ready to give up, but that would have gotten us no where, and we would still have to walk back at the end of the day. We didn't pick Kyle up from school this time, in fear that we'd be late, and he'd be there waiting for us. Instead, my parents got down that day, and we had them pick him up. It turns out that we made it home before them, and we quickly showered, knowing we had to be ready for Kyle's family picnic with the medical school.

We were ready, and waiting when they finally got home. It turns out that my brother had to stay later, and so after he got ready, we piled in my jeep and headed to the football stadium, where they were holding a family picnic. We piled our plates full of burgers, hotdogs, potato salad, and watermelon, and found ourselves a table. The weather was perfect, and the atmosphere of the stadium was grand. We talked together, and eventually found ourselves talking to one of Kyle's future professors. It was funny, and when we headed out, the photographer even snapped a few pictures of us, which came out beautiful. The night could not have gone better, at least not in my opinion. 

The next day was rainy. My parents brought my brother, and Sal and I found ourselves wanting to explore all the Virginia had to offer, in our case, it was wine. We found a wine trail, Bedford Wine Trail, that was actually farther than we thought it was, and ventured off. Kyle's girlfriend, Michele, just wanted to sit home and relax, and frankly, I don't blame her after our nine mile hike the day before. So it was time for another adventure. When we arrived at the first little countryside winery, Hickory Hill Winery, our hopes were set high. The guy that owned the place was hilarious, and guessed our ages immediately [side note: no one ever guesses our ages correctly, so we were stunned]. He was also spot on in describing me as a person, so much so that I thought he was diagnosing me with something! We enjoyed the wine, and absolutely loved the pineapple sangria that he let us try. We picked up our wine trial passports, and were on the way to the next place. 

Ramulose Ridge Vineyards was the next closest winery on our list, and we headed there. It had beautiful views, but the wine wasn't all that great in my opinion, unfortunately. We left quickly, wondering why these wineries didn't have crackers or something to pick on while visitors tasted the wines. We still powered through to the next winery, White Rock Vineyard. This winery had spectacular views, and if we had brought our own lunch, we probably could have eaten it in the amazing eat in area overlooking the wineries. The wine here wasn't terrible, at least not to me - Sal did not enjoy it. I actually liked one enough to buy a bottle, but found myself wondering why once Sal mentioned that they sort of tasted like cleaning products. 

The next winery, Peaks of Otter Winery, was probably the worst wine I had ever tasted. We had to pay to try three wines, or all of them, which was over 25 different wines (uh, no thank you). We paid to try three, and quickly noticed that all of the wines were so insanely sweet, that we couldn't stomach to drink them. If the person wasn't drunk after trying all 25 wines, they would surely be in the bathroom for the rest of the day. The only cool part of the winery was the map that hung on the wall, and you were able to put a push pin into the town that you were coming from. It was awesome to see where all the visitors had come from, how far they had traveled. 

It wasn't until we were going to go to the last winery that we finally stopped and got a sandwich from WaWa, which was about the only place we could find. It definitely wasn't a smart idea to wait that long; I was feeling good, too good. We headed to the last winery, LeoGrande Winery, which wasn't disappointing like we thought it would be. And we enjoyed it, as well as the people we were with. One group of women had even followed us to all of them. We lost them when we went to one of the wineries, but met back up in the end. We realized that there was one winery that wasn't open, and we hoped that we would still be able to complete our passport and receive the free wine glass at the end! The informational center that held the power to check out our passports and hand us these glasses closed at 5, and we had to make it there in time. We literally arrived at 4:59, just as they were closing up. We begged the guy that we would be quick, and that we were only there for the ... he guessed it, "glasses?" As soon as we walked out and got back into the car, Sal and I clinked our glasses, having had a pretty successful day. 

The following day was Kyle's big day, his White Coat Ceremony! We all got ready bright and early, and headed to the church where it was being held. Speaker after speaker had nothing but motivating and inspiring things to say, and told quite amazing stories. One by one each future doctor went onto the stage and said their name and where they were from. It was incredible how far some of these individuals were coming from. Prior to the ceremony, they listed fun facts about the class, who was married, where they went to school, what their undergrad degree was in. Being the first medical students at this university would be groundbreaking. They will all leave a legacy, and at that moment I could not have been prouder of my little brother. He would be leaving his mark on the school, on the world. It's crazy to think how fast time had truly gone; I swear I was just poking fun at him when he was younger and tried to hang out with my friends and I. We're much closer now, which I think is why it killed me that he was moving so far away, but I knew it was for the best. I look up to him, probably more than he realizes. He deserves all of his dreams to come true, and I will always be right there pushing him along. When he thinks he can't study another word, I will be there telling him he can. I know he can - he can do anything he sets his mind to. He has accomplished so much, and even though he's not anywhere near the end of this part of his journey, he's got so much determination that he will not let himself fail. It's truly inspiring. 

As soon as we got back to his place, we popped open a bottle of champagne that I had brought just for this special occasion! We ate lunch, shopped for necessities for Kyle, and then got ready for dinner. It was a celebratory dinner, but there underlying sadness... we'd all be leaving the next day, and while we were happy that Kyle would be officially starting his journey to becoming a doctor, we probably wouldn't be seeing him for months. Still, we chatted over drinks and delicious pizza [who would've thought that you'd find that in Virginia?!]. Of course, we ended the night with dessert, because really, there's no better way. We left the next day, with more tears than anyone could handle. It wasn't goodbye though, it was just see you later. 

It was one unforgettable trip, one unforgettable moment, one unforgettable start. 

Cowgirl Kristyn & Cowboy Sal

Earlier this year, Sal and I chose to spend our vacation in Florida. My friend, Olivea, was living there at the time for school, and proposed the idea that a bunch of us go down for the Country Superfest. It wasn't hard to convince me to take a few days off to see her in her element, and enjoy country music with good friends. I purchased the plane tickets, and counted down the days till we were on a plane headed to the sunshine state.

The plane ride was a bit uneasy as it was rainy when we left. We hit a little turbulence, though it felt like a lot more being that we were on such a little plane. When we finally got to her house, after what seemed like a very long ride from the airport, we were greeted by Olivea's friend, and a cute note Olivea had left while she was at her internship. Not only did she leave us a note (and a helpful map!), but she also left us towels and shot glass necklaces. We knew we were in for a great vacation. The weather was beautiful, and we weren't about to waste a day inside, so we threw on our bathing suits, and headed to her pool. 

We spent the afternoon laid out on beach chairs by the pool, soaking up the sun and breathing in the Florida air. I was so happy that we had landed safely and we now how the next few days to enjoy this.  I could not stop smiling, and my smile only got bigger when Olivea made it home from her internship. We spent a little while longer out by the pool catching up, and then we decided to head to dinner at Salt Life, on the beach. The wait was more than two hours long, and we grew bored quickly. We decided to walk to the beach, and enjoy the sunset.

By the time we walked back to the restaurant, the sun had gone down completely, and we were still told to wait. Finally, as the restaurant emptied out, and we swore we were going to be told they were closing, we were seated! We quickly ordered our drinks, and placed our appetizer order, choosing whatever the waitress recommended. She even ended up bringing us extra for free, trying to make up for the long wait. When dinner arrived, all I could say was, "mmm!" It was beyond delicious, and was well worth the wait. After many, many laughs, we walked out - happier than we had been before we arrived. We were almost at the door when Sal stopped us to take pictures with the fish tank that was featured on the show Tanked. 

We went home and wound up playing Cards Against Humanity, a game I had never played before. Let me just tell you, I could not stop laughing. Having never played before, made the cards that  much funnier, especially when you play with such great friends - old and new. We went to sleep with our stomachs hurting and our cheeks sore, looking forward to the next day. We woke up early, and headed to the local deli to grab sandwiches before we went to the country music festival. When we got to the stadium, we parked and chowed down. We didn't tailgate, instead we checked out the fan area, and enjoyed the music played by up and coming artists. 

The weather didn't look great, but we tried not to let it get us down. Unfortunately, the Florida weather hit us strong. There was thunder and lightning, and we found ourselves being herded inside the stadium, where it was safe. We were packed for a long time, and as time ticked by, we realized that the show was going to start extremely late. We were tired of standing, and we had all had enough. Everyone was hot and sweaty, pushing up against one another, and I wanted to leave. I wanted to lay down. The rain eventually stopped, as it always does in Florida, and the show began, but not before announcing that Big & Rich would be cut from the line up. Colt Ford came on, Little Big Town graced the stage, and then the two everyone was waiting for - Eric Church & Jason Aldean.   The first night was incredible, and as we walked back to the car, we sang the songs and chanted for the US of A! I could not wait for the following day - we were planning to make it better than today. I mean, just seeing Luke Bryan himself would make the day that much better. 

We went to bed, or fell into bed, exhausted. We woke up early the next day, and prepared. We got there early, and immediately lined up for the meet and greet. We were able to choose to meet Joe Nichols or Easton Corbin, and we ended up choosing Joe Nichols. I was excited, but again we waited. It seemed we did a lot of wasting, but in the end it was well worth it every time! He signed my ticket, and snapped a picture with me. It was Father's Day, and these artists who are dads had to spend their day putting on a show - I made sure to wish him a happy father's day, and for that I'm sure he appreciated. 

When the concert started, we heard Joe Nichols and Easton Corbin, Florida Georgia Line, and then Miranda Lambert, and finally Luke Bryan. When Luke came on, I nearly died. Even though I've seen him in concert before, he still stunned me. He's such a great performer. During his time on the stage, Jason Aldean came back out, as well as Miranda Lambert, and Joe Nichols, although I'm pretty positive Nichols was drunk, and had no clue what he was doing. We thought he was going to sing, but he just came out, stumbling and hugged, no it was more like fell into Luke's arms. The second day was definitely better, and it shines brightly in my memory. 

The next morning, some of our friends would be leaving, and I was glad that Sal and I had chosen to stay an extra day so that we could relax, something that we couldn't do the past two days. It's funny because you'd think that being on vacation, you would relax, but sometimes adventure calls me - more often than not. We still woke up early, we wanted to see the sunrise together. It was absolutely breathtaking, and to see the sun rise with people you care about, is such an incredible feeling. We walked the beach, saw starfish, all while waking up with the sun.

We left, and enjoyed lunch at this delicious local place, Mango Mangos. We ordered Pina Coladas, and I'm not sure why, but drinks like that always taste better near the beach, in the hot weather. For lunch, I ordered mahi mahi over salad. It was so fresh, and I ate every last bite. 

We hung out by the pool until Olivea came home from her internship, and then we got ready for dinner. It was just the three of us, taking on the town. After we enjoyed dinner, Olivea showed us around the town that she called home for the last two years. We explored the shops, the streets, and monuments from wars that happened long, long ago. We came upon the kissing tree, and Sal and I sealed our love underneath with a kiss. The night ended when we got our ice cream, because how else can you end a perfect day?

The next day was the day we were leaving, but we weren't about to leave without exploring the town on our own, and checking off more adventures off of our bucket list. I booked a later flight, so we had the whole day to wander around. Olivea had left us her bikes, and we grabbed them and rode around. Though we had a GPS, and Olivea's directions, we still found ourselves going the wrong way. Luckily we found what we were looking for - the lighthouse. I don't think I had ever been in a lighthouse before, and I was glad I was able to do so with Sal. We climbed the stairs, and I tried not to look down. It's not the heights I'm afraid of, but falling. I don't let fear stop me though. How could you, when you only live once?

Afterwards, we rode our bikes across the street, and chose to go zip lining over the alligator farm. Okay, Sal chose this, and I tagged along. I had always wanted to zip-line, and when I thought zip lining, I thought through the jungle on some island, not in Florida, but I am so happy that we did. With Sal lined up behind me, I wasn't frightened. I knew that I could do it, lead us. We zip lined over the alligators, and afterwards grabbed a bite to eat and walked around, enjoying the birds and alligators up close and personal.

Before we knew it, we had to go. We rode our bikes back, and quickly showered up. Our ride arrived, and we were on the plane before we knew it. Heading back home, heading back to reality. I was so happy; we had had such an unforgettable vacation, and even though I didn't want it to end, I'm so glad it happened.