Goodbye DC

Good Ole Honky Tonk
My last few months in DC were a mixture of work, work, school, presentations, and goodbye's. I was so incredibly fortunate to have the most amazing group of friends and so many random people that i hung out with that i had to stagger my goodbye parties in order to hang out with everyone. The hardest part of leaving was leaving all of them. It is not often that you find people that you click so easily with and i miss them so much already.

I also was able to go to Nashville to see one of my Besties! I hadn't seen Kaye since her wedding and she and i were both in desperate need of a girls weekend. She because Bobby was deployed and I because my life was insane. It was just what the Dr. ordered! Live country music, BBQ, warm summer nights and my girl..what more could i ask for :)

Yooper Girl
Somewhere in the midst of all my goodbyes and work, i squeezed in a quick trip back to the U.P. I was so happy i was able to make it back for my Friend Desi's wedding. I had been 3 YEARS since i had seen her, and hadn't even met her adorable daughter Liv! Desi is what i consider my best friend from college and i didn't want to miss her big day. Though this meant i would miss my former roommate and nursing student buddy Abby's wedding..i knew i had to be there for Desi. My college memories are primarily of our hilarious times together and she is still the girl i can call whenever i need to talk..no matter how long the time is between the conversations!

This trip also allowed me to hang out for an entire week with my absolute favorite person to be around...FAREN! Faren picked me up and was basically my taxi and travel partner for the whole week, providing her usual sense of calm, serenity and happiness. I never have a bad day around Fare-bear. Love you girl.

I was also so happy that i was able to spend a day with my other amazing friend Heather. Heather and i will go months without talking and pick up right where we left off. I love my friends to death and am so darn blessed to have all of them in my life.

I also got to see my family for a quick minute at my aunts camp in Hermits Cove. The short recluse captured a little piece of my heart as it always does. Something about being around my family and lake Superior makes me not want to go back to my every day life. :)

Cali!
After i finally said all my goodbyes and all the stress of outprocessing and packing my entire life into my brand new Xterra and moving boxes, i headed to AZ for some much needed R and R. In true Kara fashion..i was packing 3 hrs before i left for my flight at 3 am...and when i arrived in AZ i still had three papers due for my masters. :) I am a professional procrastinator! Luckily my sisters are amazing and set me up to get everything done and still have a killer time. The best part of the entire trip was getting to visit California for the first time! Spending the weekend with my Mom, and sisters Mona and Deanna in Ocean side California was a breath of fresh air. WE kayaked, swam in the surf, ate delicious dinners, and i tried stand up paddle boarding for the first time! It was a blast. I love my family so much and this vacation re-affirmed the fact once again. :)