There's No Place Like Home

As many of you know, after graduating from high school in 2006, I attended Brigham Young University in Utah for four years, and, between my freshman and sophomore years, went on a mission trip for my church to the Volga Region of Russia for two years. I remember calculating the total time I had spent with my family from June 2006-June 2009, and I had spent a total of 13 days with my family. Crazzzzy.

So, that being said, it probably comes as no surprise that one of my favorite parts of attending medical school in the good ole Commonwealth is that I get to see my family MUCH more often now than I have the past few years. Charlottesville (where I go to school) and Abingdon (where my family lives) are about 3.5 hours away, assuming you drive 6 over and limit bathroom breaks. Here are some maps to assist with your geographical understanding of my life:

This weekend, I met the family at Natural Bridge, Virginia, a place located just off the interstate in between Abingdon and Charlottesville. Natural Bridge is home to (you guessed it!) the Natural Bridge (of "1001 Natural Wonders to See Before You Die" fame).

In addition to the Natural Bridge, there is also a drive-thru safari park located nearby. Yeah. A safari park in the Middle of Nowhere, Virginia. Weird, huh? I was a little skeptical. The first time an Arabian Oryx stuck it's head through our car window, though, I was a believer. We had a great time! We got to see and/or feed camels and rhinos and llamas and elk and kangaroos and giraffes and, my personal favorite, a white tiger! Expectations? Thoroughly exceeded. Here are a few pictures.

Disclaimer: I have no financial ties to the Virginia Safari Park, other than a slightly overpriced admissions ticket. 

Me as a camel:

A camel as a camel:

Beautiful Virginia on a cloudy day:

"I WASN'T scared. I was surprised." -Dad

The ultra rare three-legged baby zebra:

Just kidding. The zebra has four legs. Also. We fed these things from our car and survived:

Madre McMurray, playing with parakeets:

QT with the little sister:

 

“Heaven and earth never agreed better to frame a place for means of habitation than Virginia." -John Smith, 1612. I agree, Mr. Smith:

I went all the way to Africa and didn't get to feed a giraffe. Go figure.

So there you go. A good time was had by all. I highly recommend the Virginia Safari Park. Lots of action. And lots of fun seeing the family, even if it was only for a few hours. Living in Virginia has absolutely been one of my favorite parts of medical school thus far. Dorothy and I are on the same page. There's definitely no place like home.