Adventures of Nomads....

On May 25th, we left our empty house and said goodbye to being Greenville residents.  I cannot believe that 5 years of living in such an amazing city flew by that quickly. It was sad and I'll admit that I cried much more than I expected to. We said goodbye to Lillie's wonderful teachers at ARBC and hit the road onto the next chapter on our road to Lexington. This time however, we headed south to the beach. We stayed at a Wyndham resort and loved our special time together. We played in the sand. Lillie made friends with EVERYONE and both mama and dada became reacquainted with aspects of their childhood that once meant so much. Richard loved the water and I worked hard on a "drippy castle" and pond area of Lillie to relax in. It was our first vacation as a family of three and our first trip alone since April of 2014. We've vowed that it will not be that long before it happens again. 

After leaving Myrtle Beach, we went to Charleston for just a few days. Nothing really special to report during our time there.Lillie and Luka both were such wonderful travelers. Being 17 months old and having to sleep in a pack and play for almost 3 weeks was a challenge. Before leaving Greenville, Lillie was sleeping through the night like a champ. She rarely woke and would sleep 7:30-7:30 without disruption. Being a nomad changed that a bit. Without a rocking chair to soothe her, Lillie ended up in our bed. She loves snuggling at night and enjoyed this a lot more than we realized.

We headed back to Greenville for Richard's big day! On June 2nd, Richard officially graduated from his residency program. Being the house staff president, he ended up giving a speech. I was so proud and Lillie was beyond thrilled with her daddy's achievements. It still is amazing to me that 3 years have flown by since he got the nice long white coat. He loves GHS so much and they have been such an incredible family to us. They have loved us, supported us, celebrated with us all that life has blessed us with over the past 3 years. We will cherish our wonderful residency family for the rest of our years.  I know that we will meet some wonderful people in Lexington and I know we will have more extended family, but the GHS residents, attendings, program staff and everyone else involved in the program are top notch. Already, we are planning visits with people. 

GHS Internal Medicine Class of 2017 

Speaking of our GHS family, lets talk about the spouses and how amazing my "support group" is. As much as people outside of this lifestyle want to relate or encourage, it is almost impossible to do so. Only a special group of spouses understand what it's like to see your spouses leave at 5 am and watch them arrive home at 9:30 pm, complete orders via phone or computer for another hour, go to bed and get up and do it all over again. When my dear friend Kara found out that we had to come back to Greenville for graduation and for Richard's board review class, she immediately offered to house us. It was so special and wonderful to spend time together before we left the city for good. Kara (and her husband Ryan) have 2 beautiful children, Carolina and Duncan. Lillie falls right in-between both of them age wise. When I first met Kara, she and I were both talking about someday having kiddos. After struggling with infertility, they pursued adoption and were very quickly blessed with Caroline. Shortly after Kara found out she was pregnant and in May 2016, Duncan arrived. As I drove away from Kara and her sweet miracles, I couldn't help but think about the progress and changes that we've supported one another though. Growing our families, surviving being a residency spouse together and loving our sweet children together.What incredible blessings we have been given in 3 years. I am so thankful for Kara, Ryan, Caroline and Duncan. I know that as the years go by and the adventures continue that the Paulk family will remain near and dear to our heart. Kara and I often talk about our girls going to summer camp together and I cannot wait to watch them grow up.

Lillie & Caroline dancing to Raffia

Hanging at Aunt JJ's

Our next home was with my wonderful college Bff and her husband. Spending time with my best friend before leaving town was so special. We were lucky enough to live just 1 mile from her for the past 2 years and although I don't think I'll ever get this lucky again, I am so glad we had this time. Jesse and I met on our freshman hall in 2006 and it was immediate friendship. She was been there through everything and I am so thankful I got some one-on-one time with her before moving away from South Carolina. Lillie loves her to pieces and watching Aunt JJ love on Lillie makes my heart so happy. Jesse is more kind and loving than I can express. Richard's graduation had been on my birthday and those events overshadowed my 30th birthday. Jesse called my favorite spa, set up a massage and watched the baby while I went and had "me" time.  How thoughtful of a friend is that?  I am so lucky to have such an incredible best friend and miss being near her. I will say JJ and Trey trey are planning on coming for a visit sometime soon!

Our final "home" was Walt Disney World. After driving away from Greenville (yes, I was crying), we headed to Lexington. We had just over a week before closing on our new house and it just so happened that we were due for our awesome #BruceDisneyVacay . After our initial flight from Lexington was cancelled, we finally made it to Disney on Monday the 12th. We spent great time with Grandma and Grandpa and enjoyed every moment. I don't think my parents have had such a relaxing trip in their whole lives. While at Disney, we met a few characters, ate some wonderful food, laughed and enjoyed our "magical" time. Lillie was yet again a trooper, she met Donald Duck without being scared, ate well, tolerated going to 4 different parks and everyone we met gushed over her. On our last trip to Disney in 2015, we shared a special time with my parents and told them that I was pregnant ( just 5 weeks). That made it even more special to know that we brought our sweet 17 month old along with us.