Fresh Air

I'm back and refreshed. I said more than once over the weekend that when I top Afton mountain coming into Cville I feel like I can breathe again. I went to see Annemieke, and meet her boyfriend of 3 years who I haven't even spoken to on the phone. In a world where people complain about the lack of intimacy in relationships because of the internet, I am so thankful for facebook for making me feel like I'm still part of her life. When we talk about what's new, it's not all a total surprise. Of course it is better to get all the juicy details in person.

Luckily, I got to see her parents and brother too. I love these wonderful people like my own family, and they treat me like I'm one of theirs. I even got to see my mom and dad who came down on Sunday to have breakfast and wander around grounds with me.

Aside from the people I got to see this weekend, the highlights of the trip were:

• Eating my way through Cville (as usual). This means I had Take it Away, Bilt, Bodo's, Southstreet, Mudhouse Coffee, Arch's, and the Tavern. I also took someone to eat at LJ's. I'm pretty sure I gained 5 lbs in three days. I'm pretty sure it was worth it.

• Private tour of Ashlawn in the rain, all because it cost $20 to go to Monticello.

• Apartment party with lots of red wine and salsa dancing. Seriously? When was the last time you were hanging out in a 2br apartment with a bunch of grad students and a full blown Latin dance club broke out? So fun.

• Dusting off my tour guide skills and talking about the history of UVA. I could go on forever, seriously, you wouldn't be able to shut me up.

• Finding M the perfect birthday present from the perfect store!

• Driving through Blacksburg (this is hard for me to type, we're supposed to hate those hokies) and having dinner & coffee with my bro on the night before his first day of classes!

Low lights of the trip were minimal, but:

• Getting rained on all day Saturday.

• Not being able to afford to walk the grounds of the home that belonged to the founder of my university. Mr. Jefferson would not like that at all.

• The driving part of my trip back (18 wheeler blowing a tire right in front of me, too tired, and then too hopped up on caffeine).

Next up? Finding and securing a place to live in my new town. But first, I think I'll go to the beach for a couple of days!