- strangers living across the US in july 2008 to some of the best of friends by november 2008

- a recent high school graduate, a college junior, a travel nurse, and a business professional in 2008, to a college senior, a civil engineer, a travel nurse, and an RN in 2012

keep reading for more of our story....

- we met each other in bangkok, ready to begin a journey backpacking across southeast asia.  we spent the following two months hiking, volunteering, eating delicious food, drinking delicious drinks (sometimes TOO many drinks... trust me, it's no fun when your friends have to get your drunk behind home on a tuk tuk), exploring ancient ruins and world-record-holding waterfalls.  we learned the vast history of thailand, laos, vietnam, and cambodia, we learned that the people of the area have some of the biggest hearts (yes, even to americans, who destroyed many of their worlds to pieces just a few decades ago), and we learned that we will never ever get $5, hour-long massages again so we took full advantage of the opportunity.


shopping in vietnam

amidst a 3-day boat trip in laos, playing with the kids of the village



relaxing in halong bay, vietnam


enjoying the scenery along the ride with our rented scooters

beautiful children of a laotian village


experiencing morning offerings to monks in luang prabang, laos

view of rice fields along a hike in northern vietnam

capturing the sunset in halong bay, vietnam


entertaining this little cambodian girl while the rest of the group builds her and her mother a new home

carrying a post for the new home

tuk tuk ride to the club in phnom penh, cambodia in our $10 custom made dresses from hoi an, vietnam

enjoying angkor wat, ancient ruins in siem reap, campbodia

- after the trip we went our own ways, back to our own lives, meeting up maybe once or twice with one or two of us, but never all together until just a few weeks ago, when we all traveled to mexico.  we relaxed in the mexico sun, reminiscing the good times in asia and catching up on each others lives from the past 4 years (with a little eating delicious food, drinking delicious drinks, "hiking", and dancing thrown in there too :P)

lazy river at xel-ha


dinner at the resort

sea turtles hatched while we were there, so there was a big celebration releasing them into the water!

shots, shots, shots shots shots shots

SO excited to be dancing, obviously.

must have been gangnam style, we were the only ones who knew any of the words.. it was "too new" then, and now, only a few weeks later it's EVERYWHERE!

ocean view at the resort


endless drinks and pool bars

daytime bbq with paella

"hiking"... on a paved path, in bikinis and flip flops

the sun wears you out... we took a break in the hammocks

so cute.

heeeeey fishy fishy


the trip was well overdue, and we've decided we can't go for so long again before a trip is in the plans.  next year is easy, we've got a wedding to celebrate!!!


miss you girls already, see you next year!!
***many hugs***