Hanging with the parents

In between tons of painting, cleaning, and unpacking, we did have some fun while my parents were here. We ate at super yummy local places all week including Wade’s (good Southern home-style cooking), Monsoon (Vietnamese noodle house), Nu Way (a 70 year old burger dive bar), and Caribbean Sweetness (incredible Cuban food). We also tried chains not found in Texas, such as Bojangles (fried chicken) and Hardees (burgers). Everything was sooooo good.

Everyone is also super friendly, so we got great recommendations from “natives.” Following one of those suggestions, we headed to Tryon, NC for the Blue Ridge BBQ festival. 

 It was small town festival with a craft fair, classic car show, BBQ competition, live music, and great food.

(It's your truck Carrie!) 

(This picture is for you Uncle Dan)

We had a great time walking around, people watching, and listening to the awesome Southern accents. We were very excited to try Eastern BBQ, which we have heard is different from Texas BBQ. We selected the booth with the most award banners and longest lines. 

After a few bites, I made the comment that I didn’t think the BBQ tasted different, which is when we realized the booth we selected was named Texas Rib Rangers. Oops. Though we were proud that Texas style BBQ had the biggest draw. Haha. We did try SC BBQ before my parents left. It was a little different. First, the only meat they know is pork. Second, the BBQ sauce is very vinegary. We liked it, but I think we are a little partial to our Texas BBQ.

We also visited the Biltmore House. 

It is known as the only castle in the US. It is a ridiculously huge house with beautiful grounds. God gave us a beautiful day to explore the house and gardens as well as the winery. We had a great time.

(A sweet little muskrat on the grounds) 

Chris also arranged for a tour of VCOM in order for my parents and me to see the campus. I was so pumped since I hadn’t seen the inside. It is a very impressive campus. Since the SC campus is only 4 years old, it is super up-to-date and has incredible resources and materials. It made me very thankful God selected this med school for Chris.

Finally, we drove to Greenville, Spartanburg’s much larger sister city to drive by my new office and to see the gorgeous Falls Park on the Reedy (only 2 blocks from my office :) ). Chris and I discovered the park when we visited for his VCOM interview in January. The park is in downtown Greenville with a beautiful cable bridge that spans a waterfall.

The park has some pretty trails and is very peaceful. 

 Greenville has one of the prettiest and cleanest downtowns that Chris and I have ever seen.

Too quickly, the 19^th arrived, and we dropped my parents off at the airport. I must admit that I did great during the goodbyes but did cry once we drove off. My parents leaving made everything very real. I am super pumped to be in SC, but I do miss being near my parents. Chris and I feel so blessed to have them. They spent 10 days helping us drive to SC, paint, clean, and unpack. We can’t thank them enough for their help! Love you Mom & Dad!!!