Here's to the good life.

My mom keeps telling me that people want updates. Sorry!

Alright, so...Nashville, TN. Things move a little slower here. It's hotter than FL by a long shot. Little less humidity though, which one can be thankful for...unless you're actually outside, meaning you're sweating profusely anyway. People are MUCH better drivers than in Seattle. There are these ginormous bugs called 'Cave Crickets' which look like a cross between a spider and a cockroach and they happen to have taken up residence in my house. Scary. We just had "cicada season," in which bugs crawl out from the ground every 13 or 17 years, climb into the trees to lay eggs and make the most deafening sounds, then die 3-5 days later. They come out in MASS and were clocked at 90 decibels on Vandy's campus. They are also partially, if not fully, blind and continuously just smack right into your head while you're walking down the sidewalk. Needless to say, these 6 weeks where they infest like a plague is a time where nobody, I repeat, nobody goes outside.

Vanderbilt is pretty much amazing. I write my own schedule at work. All I have to do is make sure I get 40 hrs/week and get all my work done. When I come in doesn't matter. When I leave doesn't matter. As long as work is finished. I had my first project made up of 45 ELISA plates (all of which are between 3-6 hours long experiments). I finished all of those and am about to begin working on the reruns now for the final results! Yay! We have a pretty laid back atmosphere and jeans and a tank top are my day-to-day wear. No fancy shmancy work attire when you're constantly handling blood, plasma, urine and/or edema fluid.

These days I've been splitting my time between Murfreesboro, TN and Nashville. The boy lives in Murfreesboro until October when he's finally making his journey up to Nashy! So exciting. I've been traveling somewhere new practically every week. Cleveland, TN for a wedding OUTSIDE in the SUN in the middle of JULY. Yeah, I hope you're thinking what I was thinking...crazy. I also got to see Reid (the boy)'s childhood house and all the damage that occurred in the tornadoes wake. It was still a gorgeous town, but you could see the devastation all about. We got to go along the Ocoee, as well; which we now have free tickets to go rafting down!! Indianapolis, IN for the fourth (and my birthday weekend). IN isn't my favorite state. Not much to do, or see around those parts. And the fact that it's one of the states that bans 2-4-1 specials on drinks! WHAT?! Yeah, I know. Terrible loss. Tampa/Orlando, FL to visit the friends and family. Meghann- I am sorry I chose my friends over you, karma was received. Got to see my niece for the first time and might I say, she is ADORABLE! I love her so much. I can't wait to watch her grow up. I bought her a "My first Vanderbilt tee." We're going to raise her right, must have ivy league written on her forehead as she grows up! Haha. Chattanooga, TN for some fun times with friends.

My birthday was fantastic! Almost exactly a month ago. Mom and Jack got me breakfast (Starbucks), lunch (a great lunchbox and thermos!) and dinner (Flemings gift card), as well as rock climbing tickets for Reid and I in FL. Meg got me an incredible gift of Zorbing tickets, which I am so excited for. If you don't know what it is, google it. Reid got him and me tickets to go ziplining through the mountains in Gatlinburg in October! So, middle of the fall with all the leaves changing colors, we're spending an adventure filled weekend in the mountains to zorb and zipline! Such an amazing birthday! Oh, and the awesome fact that I found and drank my very first gluten-free beer too! Yum, yum deliciousness.

On Monday I start my one month unlimited hot yoga by work. I'm going to do a 30 day challenge, so I hope people are up to keeping me accountable. I've got no plans for the month of August specifically for the purpose of saving some money. One way to do that is by not doing any traveling! I have to go to NY in September, Gatlinburg in October and a wedding in FL in November. Trying to figure out how to go about the Christmas thing in December, but basically I have a trip once a month and I need to make sure I have the money to do all of it! Working my way through it though. Tomorrow is the end to a very long week. I've been working every day since last Thursday, so I'm desperate for tomorrow to come so I can lay out by a pool and have absolutely no worries and nothing to do.

Cheers to the good life.