Last weekend in Myrtle!

Most of us get Monday off for Memorial Day.   Ryan got Friday and Monday off. . lucky dog. . but also lucky me!  Ryan decided to take one last trip to North Myrtle Beach so we could enjoy the sunshine, beach, family, and relaxation one last time. And this time without the wedding to-do's!!  Just whatever we wanted to put on our agenda. . which was no schedule at all except enjoying us.  We crammed just about everything in that we could. . .From visiting with my relatives to being a Myrtle Beach tourist.  Here are a few of our adventures!

We wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather by being a tourist and going to Broadway at the Beach for a little Jet Boat Riding and Dinner.  We had Jack and Mom come along too!

We ate dinner at Joe's Crab Shack where we could sit outside and enjoy the great weather.  We officially felt like the typical tourist. . . especially when this happened to Ryan:

My handsome husband and I!

My beautiful mom.

The only way I could get him to smile was to ask "Have you lost any teeth?"

We also enjoyed a little bit of beach time until Tropical Storm Beryl got a little too sandy for us!

Our last dinner together before we are both settled in Nashville was at a very neat and relaxing place called Patio's in Little River.  Great music, sunshine, and right on the waterway.  We couldn't go wrong!

Although Ryan had to head back to Music City, I ended the weekend with family and friends on the beach for Memorial Day!

More great weekends to come!!

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

Short but Sweet. . .Surprise Weekend and Post

Wooooooo  hoooooooo!

With Memorial Day being this weekend, not only do I get Monday off. . but I get a short notice/surprise visit from Ryan!!  Bring on the weekend!  Even though we only get a few nights/days together, we hit the single digits until I move to TN. . 8 days as of today and 5 school days left.  What a GREAT weekend it is going to be!  Updates TOGETHER to come! : )

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

Preparing for TN . . . in SC. . . Whew!

What. A. Day!  An accomplished day at that!  With only 11 days left before the big move to Nashville, TN, I grabbed a Red Bull and hit the day running this morning.   So much to be done before leaving!!  What I started with and what I got done: Yay!! :)

Step 1: Social Security Office (the most dreaded)

 The last time I went to the Social Security office, it was over a 2 hour wait.  I was quite pleased and excited when I was in and out within a 30 minute period (considering there were what seemed 50 other people ahead of me) and well worth it!  It's offical. . the new name is Lauren Elizabeth Rishel!

And I got to use this for the first time:

Step 2: Run to my appointments at Coastal Carolina and HGTC to obtain my official transcripts!

Without these, I can't apply to jobs in Nashville!  Requested extra so I have them on hand when needed.  Myrtle Beach it too far of a drive. . and snail mail may take too long if I need it quickly!

Step 3: Not as important. . buuuuut. . . I was passing by. . . so I stopped. And I had time to kill before my next appointment of the day! :)

Since I made it one full week of running, I treated myself to a pair of lime green running shorts!

Step 4: Eye appointment!

I couldn't get here fast enough!  Usually I dread any type of doctor. . but today I got new glasses!!

  Last time I got a new pair was my freshman year in high school. . yes, a little sad. . but now the new pair will be here next week!!  EEEKK!  It's the little things in life sometimes! ;)

Step 5: Rush home, finish an application for a county in TN in order to get it in the mail!

Step 6: Get to the post office!  Not only did I have an application to mail, but a package to Ryan's mom!  It was full of goodies from the wedding she wanted!

Step 7: Sale wedding items!  They have taken over my Mom's home!  They need to be gone before I move. . so craigslist and ebay it was!  Already getting responses. . may be easier than what I thought!

Step 8: RELAX!  Everything had been crossed off the list. . done. . compeleted. . accomplished!  It was then time to curl up with a good book on the patio. . fall asleep here and there. . finish the book. 

Felt AMAZING to get all of these things done before I leave for TN.  Now. . . to hear about a job. . .

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

Distractions from the norm...

Hobbies for me, hobbies together!

Current hobbies (not exhausted)...
 Reading...

 
Reading is a hobby that has not always been an interest of mine.  After graduating college I immersed myself in a variety of fantasy novels from the Wheel of Time to the Hunger Games.  I read to learn and to grow, to laugh and to be intrigued.  I read to understand things I've never been exposed to.

Water...

Anything to do with water...
Water-sports, surfing, fishing, boating, and laying on the beach.  You can see a hint of my life jacket tan from endless hours on a jetski.  I will miss the salt water living in TN!  We will be traveling to Florida for weekend getaways for sure.

Video Games...
Yes, when there is time to be wasted and I can not spend it with my wife. . . . I turn to video games. It is a hobby of mine that has always been there.

Sports...
Generally I like to watch all sports but lately I have been following European football or "soccer".  That being said I can watch almost any sport except golf... I don't like watching grass grow. 
Teams I follow...

Now hobbies for the future Mr. and Mrs. Rishel!...

Line dancing!  Once a month we will put our boots and blue jeans on and head downtown.

Boating!  We will never get off the water, that's where we met!

Traveling!  There will always be somewhere to go!  Nothing is more satisfying then the adventures with my wife!

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

Potential marathon runners??

Being in a long distance relationship, it is sometimes hard to find things that we can do "together".  We tried to do Redbox and have a movie date night where we watched the same movie. . but then $1 turned into $8 from not returning them in time (me to blame)! That was counted out. . .We then tried having a set time where we knew we would stop what we were doing to have a phone date.  But with different schedules. . different jobs. . and in different time zones.. . we had to deal with what we could get!

That's when we came up with something new we could try together. . . running.  We may not run together, at the same time, in the same place, or the same distance/time. . but we motivate each other to run each day.  Is this what you are thinking? . . . ;)

                                                         Here's the plan we came up with:

Week 1: Run 1 minute; walk 1 minute (repeat for 20 minutes)

Week 2: Run 2 minutes; walk 2 minutes (repeat for 20 minutes)

Week 3: Run 4 minutes; walk 2 minutes (do 5 times)

Week 4: Run 8 minutes; walk 3 minutes (do 3 times)

Week 5: Run 10 minutes; walk 3 minutes (do 3 times)

Week 6: Run 1 mile; walk 2 minutes (do 3 times)

Week 7: Run 1.5 miles; walk 2 minutes (repeat once)

Week 8: Run 2 miles; walk 2 minutes (repeat once)

Seems like a fun journey we can begin apart and in two weeks continue together! Woo!

Here is where I get to run daily:

Love running around this marina to the lighthouse on the waterway.  Very peaceful and motivating.

Ryan's running path isn't too bad either:

This is the Greenway (13 miles of trail/path) that is literally our backyard.  This path is just steps behind our apartment in TN.  Spoiled?  I say yes!

Who knows, maybe you will hear about us running one of the following:

 

Fourth of July Music City Run- 5K, July 4th

Diaper Dash- 5K, August 4th

  

It's Just a Run- 10K, August 4th

To be continued. . . ~Elizabeth and Ryan~

The eagerness of what is to come. . .

Well. . . .

The big day finally arrived and was it was ever so amazing!! 

 

  
We were surrounded by loved ones. . .family and friends. . .became one, danced the night away, soaked in the moments we will always remember, and it all happened a block away from the beach.  The last time we will be together at the beach with one of us living there. . . and only one day to enjoy being husband and wife before being separated again.

This is where out story takes a minor turn off the common path of newlyweds.  We only got to enjoy one day as husband and wife. . then back to the normal routine.  For the past 8 months we have been in a long distance relationship.  Ryan started a job in Music City. . Smashville. . Nashville, TN! Meanwhile, I have been in North Myrtle Beach finishing my school year as a Kindergarten teacher. 

 13 school days. . .

17 days total. . .

592 miles. . .

The only things keeping us apart.

Meanwhile, we are keeping ourselves busy!  Planning, designing, and creating our wedding from the bottom up was on my daily agenda.  Now that we are Mr. and Mrs. Rishel, my time is now focused on finding a J.O.B. in Nashville! 

Well, Ryan. . he has taken over the creativity!  He painted our first cornhole set. . .while he "patiently" waits for me to move to TN!

 Good things come to those who wait. :)

~Elizabeth and Ryan~