Weekend in Seattle

I've stuck pretty close to home so far in my life - I went to undergrad at my state school, University of Maryland, and now live in neighboring Virginia a little less than an hour from the house I grew up in. Although I love the area, and still have tons yet to explore, I'd like to move to another part of the country once I finish grad school. CJ shares the same goal, and we've spent so much time talking about moving to somewhere like Seattle that we thought we better visit to see if we actually like the place :) Bonus was the two National Parks in driving distance.

This trip came only a few days after our final exams and projects of the spring semester, so we didn't have much time for planning. Other than our hotel and car rental reservations, we ended up winging it, which surprisingly didn't turn out too bad. There was one extremely questionable airport motel, but we made it out alive. All's well that ends well, right?

Bourbon and Horses in Kentucky

Never ones to pass up a visit to friends and family in a new (to us) place, CJ and I jumped at the chance to visit his uncle and family outside Louisville, KY this spring. Neither of us had ever been to Kentucky, and I don't know if we would have planned a trip there on our own, but it was a great opportunity to visit with family and explore a little bit more of the country. CJ's uncle, his wife, and their then almost one-year-old son moved to Louisville earlier this year and we were excited to see them and their new home.

We didn't have many plans going into the trip other than spending time with family, but after a weekend full of historic houses, horses, and bourbon, I think we definitely got a good taste of Kentucky. Here are some highlights.