LOMA LINDA/ CA TRIP

Loma Linda's dental school is about 30 minutes away from both of our parents houses so it has been pretty high on our list of schools we would consider going to.

It worked out wonderfully that the interview date was the day before my best friend's wedding and  two days before Jordan's brother's wedding because we were already planning on being in CA.

We did have to change a few travel plans but it all worked out great!

We flew from NYC to LA on Tuesday night and enjoyed the relaxing evening and doing LOADS of laundry at my parent's house.

The next morning Jordan had his fastest interview to date at Loma Linda. He loved the campus and was really excited about the school.

I was able to go to my old job at pre school and hang out with the kids. 

I miss that job more than anything.

I love the idea of loma linda strictly because I miss that job so much.

It was a fun afternoon to drive around and look at apartments with my mom and Jordan and just imagine what it would be like to move back to our old stomping grounds. 

Most importantly, we were able to see a movie at our favorite theater and eat their popcorn haha. we are obsessed.

The next day was the pre school's field trip so Jordan and I tagged along to the pumpkin patch.

I got a much needed hair make over. Goodbye long, stringy, dead, blonde ends. Hello, short, dark, HEALTHY hair. I may not love it yet but I am happy to have it healthy and let it re grow. 

That night one of my best friends got married! The wedding was in malibu and it was GORGEOUS!

Jessica made the most beautiful bride! I have NEVER EVER EVER see a more beautiful dress.

Their ceremony was so cute and no one could deny the love they have for each other. It was seriously beautiful!

Jessica and bobby threw quite the party! I was sad not to have Jordan with me but he had to be at his brother's rehearsal dinner. I had my mom and dad with me tho. Third wheeling just like old times!

(My mom and I fight over jessica. I'd say she is just as much my mom's bff as she is mine.)

The next day Jordan's brother got married and we added another Smith to the family!

Jordan may have looked like a penguin in his tux but I was happy to have him as my date for this wedding! I love that he is my date for eternity (even if he is a total goof.. just look at that picture of him)

It was a loved filled few days!

By the time the wedding was over we were more than ready to head home to Utah.

We flew home the next morning and slept SO soundly in our bed!

It was a wild few weeks of traveling and we are so happy to be home for a few weeks.

We have lots to think about but these next few months will be so fun for us as we decide where we will live for the next 4 years!

I am so giddy for dec. 1 (the first official day schools start accepting). Thankfully, Jordan has a few more interviews and I have a few more trips to distract me.

NEXT STOP: SAN FRAN!

NYC DAY 4

Day 4!

We slept in because we were all really beat. We had bought bus passes for the double decker bus and really hadn't used them yet so we planned on spending our day doing a tour. 

Our first stop on the bus was to central park. The park is huge and everyone except Jordan and I had to be on a flight that afternoon so we were short on time. We decided that the fastest way to get around would be on the back of a bike. We found the cutest bike tour guides and they took us all around. I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time. We hit the major stops in the park but my favorite was the friends fountain. When we pulled up our guide turned on the friends theme song and we all danced around and took pictures. It was amazing! 

Jordan really wanted to see the temple so we did a quick stop!

We continued on the double decker bus tour and ended up at Chelsea market. 

From there we said our good byes to our family and Jordan and I went on our way. 

We went to the Empire State Building and managed to sneak through security and bypass every line. This got us in and out in about 20 mins. We were so happy. I've been to the Empire State Building 3 times and now that I've seen the views from the freedom tower it doesn't even compare. Freedom and top of the rock are way better. But Jordan hadn't been there so we had to go! 

We finally got to eat at my favorite New York pizza place. It was so nice to have a quiet dinner with just the two of us. It was the perfect time to talk about the future and talk about how we felt about moving to this city.

I love Broadway shows so I wanted to see one last show before we left but most shows don't play on Monday nights so we didn't have much to choose from. We decided to see Amazing Grace. The story is really cool. It's about the man who wrote amazing grace. The actors were great and had AMAZING voices but somehow the show didn't do it for us. We walked out feeling whatever about it. A Broadway show is never a bad idea, in my opinion. Next time we won't go on a Monday tho. 

After the show we took a sketchy cab ride to our hotel near the airport so we could hop on a plane early the next morning. 

And just like that, our trip was over. 

I'm so sad to be home from my favorite city. Not sure when I'll be back, but I sure hope it's sooner rather than later. 

We feel really blessed to have gotten this opportunity to travel with the people we love. Their support and encouragement towards Jordan was so sweet. We were so lucky to get to celebrate Jordan's accomplishments together in the most beautiful city in the world!

anddd we are extra grateful for my parents who "sponsored" our trip as a "keep up the good work, jordan" gift! They are the best and we are so grateful for them! 

NYC DAY 3

Day three started early! 

We hopped on the subway to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. IT WAS FREEZING! When you're that cold you don't care how you look haha. 

We took lots of pictures with the selfie stick. My dad was OBSESSED with it. He hogged it the entire time hahaha. 

We couldn't be in New York with out eating shake shack so we made that our lunch stop. I love their burgers on those soft buns, but the oatmeal cookie shake took the cake this time. 

Once we were done with lunch we went to the freedom tower. This building replaced the twin towers after 9/11 and is the tallest building in the US. We went up the most AMAZING elevators to get to the top. Once we were at the top they did a little video presentation and all of a sudden the screen drops and you see the view. I got chills!!! We looked around at the top and enjoyed the views. 

The only thing I NEEDED to do in NYC was go to the 9/11 museum. The last time I was in NYC they were a few months away from opening and I killed me that I couldn't go. This trip I finally got to go and it was unreal. Just walking the grounds there is a somber spirit. The museum was incredible and it tugged at every heart string. There was a section where you listened to voice mail messages from people in the towers... So heart breaking. As much as it made us all a little sad to remember that day, I'm so glad I saw it. 

That night we were exhausted and had no desire to run around the city to find food. We found the closest restaurant we could. Unfortunately, it was so expensive (small guacamole was $25), too spicy to even eat, and our server was SO cranky. We ended up laughing about it because everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. 

"NO MORE PICTURES!"