Today we are setting sail on our long-awaited voyage! Or is it yesterday? Or tomorrow? Who knows with the time change! haha! Today we are embarking on a 10-day mediterranean cruise on the brand new Carnival Vista! This trip is a much needed vacation after all the craziness of buying a house, moving, shooting weddings, graduation and more!

For the past few years, my parents have been buying the family a family vacation for Christmas. In 2014 we went white water rafting in West Virginia. Doing things like rafting and hiking are things that are right up my family’s alley. There’s nothing my adventure-loving mama would love more than climbing mountains, camping in the woods or rafting down rough waters with her kiddos. So you can imagine our surprise when this past Christmas she surprised the family with a trip to NYC!

We’ve gotten the advice from countless people that we should not be hasty to have kids right away and that we should take advantage of the time we have where it’s just the two of us! One of things being traveling! We’re not very ‘well traveled’ I guess you could say, and between medical school, my full time job and photography business, there really hasn’t been much time to travel! We know that once Branden starts residency this summer, he will be working 80 hours a week for 4 years with very little vacation, so if we want to do a once-in-a-lifetime vacation together- it would have to be now! So that’s why we are going to Europe this spring!

Where to begin when recapping the amazing weekend I had in Charleston at the Rising Tide Society leaders retreat! Not only did I get to make 80+ amazing new friends from all over the country (and some from out of the country!), I also got to experience Charleston for the first time! What a magical city it is! I’m already trying to plan my next trip there!