The NC Snowpocalypse!

Hi everyone! I'm enjoying writing a mid-week blog post because the biggest snowstorm since 2005 has hit North Carolina hard today! Duke closed at noon today & Evan got home around 12:30. UNC decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to close at 1 pm. Around 12:45, I started noticing the fine, sticky snow starting to drift down past the windows in my classroom. By 1:15, when my class let out, there was almost an inch of snow. The buses stopped running, and I would have been stuck on campus if Evan hadn't been able to come get me (& a group of my friends!). It took us about 2 hours to drive the 3 miles from campus to our apartment. Phew! Some of my other friends heading a different direction ended up walking 3-4 miles home since the buses had shut down. Not the best planning on UNC's part!

Leaving class today

The big UNC-Duke game is tonight and is still on as scheduled. Evan and I are tempted to make the trek by foot to the Dean Dome to see if we can get some last minute tickets for cheap! If I had to guess, there will be a lot of unhappy people who paid $500+ per ticket if they are unable to safely get to the game.

Trying to get off campus!

As of now, Evan and I are both home safe and guessing we'll have another snow day tomorrow. Things are supposed to get messy tonight with a mix of snow and ice. North Carolina isn't prepared for this kind of snow, so plows & salt trucks are few and far between!


No big news to report here other than our exciting storm. I'm still having fun with my Etsy shop with mom & staying busy with school, and Evan is still working hard as usual. We're looking forward to visiting Lewisburg in a few weeks for Dallas' 90th birthday extravaganza & then having Chris & Abby (and hopefully Nance & Al) down to visit for 4-5 days over Spring Break! Lots to look forward to…

Until next time - stay warm!

-Moll

Ringing in 2014

Greetings all! After a relaxing winter holiday, Evan and I are settled back in at home in NC. There was a lot of traveling around the state for both Evan and I, but we got to spend time with both of our families so we can't complain! 

One of the most fun things I did over the break was set up an Etsy shop with my mom. For those of you that are unfamiliar, Etsy is basically an online super-site for handmade and vintage items. Our shop name is Two Artsy Souls - it's a collaboration of jewelry (made by mom) and random crafts (made by me). Etsy is a great marketplace for people like us, who aren't looking to make a career out of it, but really enjoy being artistic. Check it out! www.etsy.com/shop/twoartsysouls :)

Evan and I were fortunate enough to have a week-long Christmas celebration this year….

First off - Christmas in Fairmont!

Kaye & Molly opening stockings

Molly & Evan opening gifts!

Evan, Kaye & Doug opening gifts!

After spending a few days in Fairmont, Evan and I headed to Lewisburg to spend a few days before Christmas with his grandparents. We really enjoyed our time visiting, then headed to Beckley on Christmas Eve. Evan stayed for a few hours, while I camped out for the next few days.

Christmas morning in Beckley was great, and Chris & Abby made it to Beckley on the 26th (where we proceeded to open even more gifts).

Mom & Papa Lew

The whole Fox/Drescher/Evans crew!

After the holidays I headed back to Charleston - where I met back up with Evan a few days later. We spent an evening in St. Albans with the Drescher grandparents and enjoyed wrapping up our Christmas celebrations there. Before we knew it, it was time for NYE! Chris & Abby were in town through New Years as well, so it was great fun to get to celebrate together! Evan and I went out to a nice dinner with our friends Ellie & Jordan, and ended up ringing in 2014 in the Drescher basement. :)

Molly & Ellie

Molly & Abby

After a blast of a NYE, Evan and I packed up and headed to NC on New Years day. And we've been here ever since, settling in and getting back into a routine. Although we miss friends and family in WV, we really do love our life down in NC. As always, visitors are more than welcome (especially with all the craziness with the unsafe water in WV right now - we have lots of clean H2O!)

Love,

Moll

Giving Thanks with Family and Friends

Hello all! As I write this post, I am cozy in my parents' basement, experiencing a hint of relaxation after completing a long and busy semester at UNC. The comfortable familiarity of my childhood home will always help me take a deep breath and remind me to be thankful for twenty-three wonderful years full of family and friends.

Rewinding a few weeks....I cooked my FIRST turkey this year at my apartment for an AuD Friendsgiving celebration! I was pretty nervous at first...but Ev & I had a blast finding a recipe and making sure we had adequately removed all of the guts of the turkey (I did have a bit of a panic moment when I pulled the neck out...yick!)






Originally I planned to invite only my AuD class of 9 people, but then I expanded the guest list to the entire program. We had about 30 people in our 1000 square-foot apartment (pretty much everyone made it). We had to set up card tables in the bedroom and the guest room, but (almost) everyone had a seat. The whole apartment was basically a restaurant! Everyone brought a side or dessert, and along with the turkey & a ham, we had quite the feast. It was a great night! 




The next weekend I headed home for Thanksgiving in Charleston. All of my grandparents were able to make it, and Chris & Abby came down from Mississippi. It felt like it had been ages since I'd seen everyone , so it was great to catch up and spend some quality time with family (and Ziggy, of course).

Mom prepared a delicious meal, as usual, and we enjoyed the left overs throughout the weekend. Later that weekend we set up the tree and enjoyed all getting to decorate it together (Evan even made it to town for that!) Decorating the tree and reliving all of the memories from our very, very homemade ornaments is one of my favorite things to do every year during the holidays. I catch myself looking at all of the ornaments time and time again throughout my time at home every year.

It was only one week after the Thanksgiving holiday that I was amidst final exams and papers. Before I knew it, the exams were through (after many cups of caffeine were consumed), and I was getting ready to head to Charleston, and take my mom on to Pittsburgh for a potential treatment. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, the experimental trial fell through last minute and therefore we won't be heading back to Pittsburgh this upcoming week. Despite the disappointment, we are all doing our best to find the silver lining in a treatment change. And, since I have had some extra time at home, I have been looking through old photo albums. So, for your enjoyment, a little walk down memory lane...

   

Nothing is better than old pictures. Nothing!!

Christmas will be here before we know it and I'll be seeing you all soon! 

Lots of love,

Molly

Merry Halloween!

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while...but Evan and I decided to spend a Saturday night in and I thought it was time to catch the crew up on what we've been doing. School has been unbelievably busy (and hard!), but I'm sure it'll all be worth it come May 2016.  We have been able to get away a few times this semester, and each mini vacation has been wonderful.

A few weekends ago over my Fall Break, I was able to head to WV for a weekend. My dad headed to Blackwater Falls for a weekend with old friends, so mom & I decided we should get away too! We went to Stonewall Jackson Resort for a night and had a lot of fun despite dreary weather the first afternoon we were there.

Walking around the lake!

The next morning, the sun finally came out and we were able to enjoy a nice long walk around the lake and grounds of the resort. It's such a beautiful place!

It is always refreshing to get a little mother-daughter time away. We had a great time forgetting about all of our worries and just relaxing in the moment.











Last weekend Evan and I headed to Charlotte with our friends Sarah and Mark for a Halloween night at Carowinds theme park (it was called "Scarowinds"!). We had a blast walking through all the haunted houses and even riding a few roller coasters in the dark.

Mark, Molly, Sarah, & Evan at Scarowinds!

The next evening, we got all dressed up and headed to a Halloween party! Evan and I decided to be ironic this year and dress as Santa & Rudolph. HoHoHo!

We had a lot of fun at the party, but Evan kept complaining about his nice full beard and his heavy velour suit. So, when we decided to go out to Franklin St. (the main street in Chapel Hill) on Halloween night, we decided to switch costumes! You can decide who best resembled Santa. It was another successful Halloween!

At Mrs. Ruths Farm after pumpkin pickin'!

My favorite day in October, Evan and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. It was the perfect fall day in Carrboro; we went and picked pumpkins from a local farm and then got Maple View Farms ice cream before coming home to carve the pumpkins. In the evening we went to one of our favorite local restaurants to top off a perfect day celebrating 4 great years.

Maple View Farms for ice cream!

Now that it's November, the trees are finally changing to beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows in NC. Just a few more weeks 'til Thanksgiving, then my semester will be over before I know it! 

Can't wait to see you all over the holidays!

All my love,

Molls

Better Late than Never!

Hi all...I was doing so well posting every few weeks for a while, but life got ahead of me this month and I just couldn't find time. But now it's a pretty Saturday morning in Carrboro, and I figured I would take a break from the world of Audiology to catch everyone up on what I got into in August. Here goes...

Doug, Kaye, Jean, and Evan

On the second weekend in August Evan and I headed to Pipestem State Park for his cousin Trevor's wedding. Trevor and I met at WVU before Evan and I were dating - WV connections never cease to amaze me. We had a great time staying at the lodge (with a beautiful mountain view from the patio) and getting to see a ton of his family.

Evan and I got to Pipestem on Saturday afternoon in time for a family picnic. It was a great way to bring family together and get to see everyone right away. After the picnic, we went to dinner with a few others and enjoyed relaxing, soaking up all the mountain air on the patio. :)

Sunday morning was the wedding. We got all dressed up and, even though the weather didn't cooperate for the outdoor ceremony, it cleared up later in the afternoon. We had to head out after the reception, but we made sure to get a little hike in before we left the park - suit & dress included!

Evan and I drove separately to Pipestem so that I could head to Charleston for my last week of summer break & Evan could go back to NC. As everyone who reads this little blog knows, my mom has had a less than smooth summer. She was still in between treatments at this point, so I just wanted to spend some time with my family. Chris and Abby were home for a few days, which was awesome. And it was Big Al's birthday - none of us could remember the last time we had all been together for his August birthday, so that was really special. 

Birthday love - Durham Bulls shirt!

Dad with his kiddos :)

When mom & dad were both working, Abby, Chris & I headed to Flat Top for a day at the lake with Grandma Shirley & Papa Lew. Days at Flat Top always go too quickly, but we had a great afternoon.

This was Ziggy's first trip to the lake! Hard to believe he hadn't made it out there before, but - as you can see - he had no problem getting comfortable. He wasn't so sure about the fish, though...

Fishing with Papa Lew

Nothin' like a pontoon ride at Flat Top!

Chris and Abby headed back to Mississippi mid-week. My parents took a few days off from work and I took them on a little tour of beautiful outdoor places to see in WV. I promised mom to take her before I graduated from WVU, but life got in the way. This trip was planned before her surgery and everything, so we decided to go ahead and try to go. Unfortunately, none of us knew she was carrying around 2 liters of fluid in her right lung. Despite the challenges of THAT, she was tough as nails during the trip. No matter how good or bad you are feeling, it's hard not to be amazed by the beauty of WV at Spruce Knob, Dolly Sods, and Seneca Rocks. We stayed at Snowshoe for a few nights as we travelled around, and Snowshoe is gorgeous as well!

First stop...Top of Spruce Knob!

Seneca Rocks!

After heading back to NC, school started and like got hectic quickly. I must admit, it's pretty nice no longer being the 'babies' of the program. Second year is supposed to be the busiest, most challenging year...and I have no doubt that that is correct. I'll do my best to keep bloggin' as I can...bear with me!

More to come eventually :)

Love, 

Moll