Charleston

Over the weekend I took my much anticipated trip to Charleston, and the timing couldn't have been better. I was like a caged beast being released from captivity; it was an incredible time. Ashley found us an Airbnb right on King Street, in the center of everything awesome downtown. Five of us stayed there, and we had our own queen beds. It couldn't have been any better. Three of our girlfriends who still live in Charleston also joined in on most of the fun.

It was a special pharmacy appreciation weekend (or something?), and MUSC hosted a few different alumni events...including the oyster roast, which featured an open bar. We took part in most of the events, except for the live CE. We were there to party, not to learn. We did, however, jump on the opportunity to take a picture with the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, whom we all had a not-so-secret crush on back when he was teaching our lectures. Other than that, we hit some of our favorite bars and restaurants from the days of yore, as well as a few new ones. We reminisced about so many different eating and drinking establishments that I could hardly believe we had that much time to repeatedly visit these places over the course of four years. How did we afford all that dining out and alcohol? The truth is that we probably couldn't afford it, but we did it anyway. I don't think anyone has any regrets about the way we lived up our time in Charleston.

Even though we hadn't seen each other since the year after graduating pharmacy school, it seemed like no time had passed at all. I was a little worried that the few of us that were moms would be stuck in some sort of mom-zone or that we had all morphed into some adult version of ourselves that would make things awkward and not very fun. As it turns out, I had no reason to worry. Everyone seemed exactly the same, and we had as much fun in 2016 as we did from 2004-2008. It hurt a little more to party to the max as people in our mid-30's vs being in our mid-20's, but it was nothing we couldn't handle for one weekend. In fact, I stayed up past midnight every night and even closed down the bar at Stars with Leah and Ashley on Saturday night. We almost got in trouble with the bouncers because we wouldn't leave. I'm not exaggerating! I already want to go back. We know now that we cannot let seven years pass before we do something like this again. It's a little ambitious to think we could do a yearly meet-up, but we're thinking every 2-3 years or so. I am completely on board with that!

As far as the details of the trip go, most can be revealed in pictures. We have no shortage of group shots from the weekend. So without further ado, here we are...Whitney, Leah, Rachel, Ashley, Brooke, Brittainy, Jenn and me.

The most obnoxious fun people of the class of 2008 on Bowen's Island for the MUSC oyster roast.

This Belgian waffle with chocolate mint ice cream and nutella was heavenly. So were all the cookies, ice cream, etc. I ingested over the course of four days.

The five roomies for the weekend

The old stomping grounds. We wrangled Jimmy out of the Drug Information center to join us for lunch.

Eight years later, and Dr. Hall hasn't forgotten who we are. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing.

Our taste in cocktails has gotten more sophisticated, but everything else is the same.

The pregnant girl that can't keep her eyes open for a picture.

Ray Ray keeping the condo stocked with Prosecco

Sitting 3rd row in Brooke's mom-mobile.

Love the SC lowcountry

All eight of us made it into a photo together.

Looking a little wrecked...which I suppose is normal when you close down the bar in your mid-30s

We told the bouncers we would only leave if they would take our picture.

Celebrating Whit, the mom to be, at Fleet Landing

Lunch with the Dean

We had a little too much fun with the Boomerang app. Honestly, I can't really tell you what is happening in most of these videos.

The girls decorated the condo for my birthday.

This trip came at the tail end of over two months of a relentless travel schedule for Dylan. So for me, it was a desperately needed and well-deserved vacation. In the week leading up to my departure, I was so stressed out that I was hardly sleeping or eating. I touched the fringes of a very dark place, for sure. I don't know what exactly caused me to crack. Nothing was so different than when Dylan had traveled in the past, but doing it over and over, week after week, was exhausting. More than that, though, it was lonely. I basically cocooned myself from feeling and lived out my days jumping through hoops and going through the motions of making sure my children were well-loved and cared for while I crumbled on the inside. The timing of this vacation makes me believe it was a divine intervention. By the time I found my seat on my flight from Phoenix to Charlotte, I thought I would finally relax and pass out for four solid hours. Dylan, forever my knight in shining armor, had sprung for the extra points to get me into first class when he booked my ticket because it happened to be my birthday weekend. But strangely, even in a big and comfortable seat, I was still completely wired. I didn't sleep a wink, and it took me a couple days to finally come down from a state of craziness and sleep normal again. When I returned home on Monday, Dylan and our boys were all at home, and it was so, so nice.

October 24th had been ingrained in my brain since the middle of August. The light at the end of this very dark tunnel. I was sad that my epic time in Charleston was coming to an end, but I couldn't have been more excited to walk in the door and feel like a whole family. We have Dylan at home for two weeks, and even though he has two back-to-back trips after that, I can handle it.

My parents took G&G for the first three nights of my trip while Dylan wrapped up a beastly 9-nighter because they are energetic and incredible. But more on their adventures in another post. I think this is more than enough for now!