mom time

Last weekend my mom came to see me. It was really nice to have her all to myself for a few days in Charlottesville.

Thursday she arrived around 6 and we went out to dinner and sat outside drinking cold beer. Then we watched The Descendants at my place.

Friday we slept in (which I rarely do anymore, and it was oh so nice) and then headed over to UVA. I did some work at the library and in special collections while she read. Then we met up for lunch, and then I went back to work for a while more. After that we drove to Richmond for dinner at my grandparents' house, where my aunt made paella and sangria and we ended the night with a sing-a-long at the piano.

Saturday I woke up at 4:30 to get ready to go on a group run, but it was pouring rain and I hadn't gotten enough sleep, so I went back to bed and slept until 8. Then I ran nine miles on my own, when it wasn't raining anymore. After that mom and I headed to Fishersville for the Daylilly and Wine Festival. We looked at flowers, ate lunch, tasted wine, listened to music, and had a good time. It was overcast the whole time but thankfully didn't rain, and also wasn't too hot!

Mom bought me this lovely hat at the wine festival.

Sunday I got to take mom to the church I've been attending for over a year, and then we had brunch downtown. After that we did some shopping and wore ourselves out. We ended the day with snacks and wine at my place and a viewing of Despicable Me. Oh, and she sewed a button back onto my sweater for me. (Thanks Mom!)

She left super early Monday morning. So early that I had time to drop her off at the airport and then come home and make a pie (key lime in a homemade graham cracker crust) for our "Summer Pie Day" at work.

balloon ride

Two weekends ago my aunt came to Charlottesville with some of her best friends to celebrate her birthday. She let me join them. We stayed at a resort, ate a fancy dinner, and the next morning got up bright and early for a hot air balloon ride! It was fun. Here are some pictures:

touristin' it up

I just spent a few days hanging out with a good friend who came to visit. She had never been to Charlottesville, so I showed her around.

She arrived Wednesday evening, which was just in time to go to the top of Montalto and watch fireworks! We had a picnic and enjoyed the views, but I thought the fireworks-watching-experience was a little weird because they were so far away and therefore not loud, plus not accompanied by music (for us). So it was a sort of surreal time of watching quiet little fireworks all over the city down below. But still fun.

Thursday we visited Monticello. It was very hot, but that was the story of her entire visit.

Sure there's a shuttle behind us and TJ is looking the wrong way, but hey! We look better in this one.

 

We got to try our hands at writing with a quill pen.

Obviously it didn't turn out so well. I don't know how they managed to write anything back in the day.

After Monticello we ate lunch at Michie Tavern. I had never been there before, so her visit was a good chance to try out the touristy restaurant. The food was a little better than I was expecting. Those stewed tomatoes were delicious.

After lunch we visited Albemarle CiderWorks for a tasting. Then we went down the road and did a wine tasting at Pippen Hill Farm. We also sat outside and had a snack. Not because we were hungry, but because it was so beautiful that we didn't want to leave.

Is this not the most perfect view ever? Sure it was so hot even the cheese was sweating, but still. Beautiful.

After all the wining and dining (and sweating) we went downtown and walked around Court Square and the Downtown Mall. Then we ate (again!) at The Whiskey Jar. It was really good.

Friday we got up early and drove to the Blue Ridge Parkway to hike Humpback Rocks. Luckily, it wasn't very hot. But it was a little thundery.

Dramatic views at the top!

Feelin' strong!

 After the hike we headed to Scottsville, grabbed a quick (and very necessary) lunch at Subway, and then hit the river for four hours of tubing on the James. It was very slow, but relaxing. When tubing was over we showered and went to dinner. We happened upon a new Italian place I didn't know about, and sat at the bar for a delicious and very affordable dinner. Then we walked it off around UVA, making sure to check out the Poe room.

After such a full and active day, we hit the hay early. That was good because I got up really early on Saturday to join a big group of runners at 6 AM. (6 AM! I'm sure I'll post more about this later.) I got back home at 8:30 and went back to bed for an hour or so while she did some work. Then we headed back out for another day of fun.

We drove to Staunton and visited the Frontier Culture Museum. That was probably the worst choice for a 100+ degree day, because it's all outdoors (or inside non-climate controlled historic dwellings) and requires lots of walking. But we braved the heat. And the Museum is genius for offering golf carts to rent! We wouldn't have made it through the whole place if we really had to walk. Because seriously, it was hot.

Our sweet ride, with an Irish house in the background.

In one of the American houses they had just baked biscuits!

And we *might* have helped ourselves to one each. We were starving.

Look at the adorable sheep!

When we finished the museum we were wilting and hungry, so we headed to downtown Staunton for lunch. Then we did a wine tasting at Ox-Eye Vineyards. And from there we drove to Fishersville for another tasting at Barren Ridge. There was a wedding happening, so the tastings were up the hill at a cabin. Without ice or air conditioning. The wine was possibly our favorite of all we'd had so far, but the heat was brutal.

Once we made it back to C'ville we walked around the Downtown Mall some more, stopping into more stores than usual to take advantage of air conditioning. When we'd worked up a little bit of an appetite, we enjoyed sushi for dinner, and then headed home.

I'd say we had a pretty packed and awesome time.

Tats for the Fourth

In honor of the Fourth of July I'm wearing a fun temporary tattoo. I even got two co-workers to wear them, too! (Yes, I'm at work, but that's because my friend Celia is coming to visit later today and I'll be hanging out with her and not working the next two days. Woohoo!)

We put these on in the copy room without mirrors, so I didn't realize I placed mine right on my lovely mole-removal scar. That's hot.

weekend

Last Friday I didn't have to work because I'd attended a conference all weekend at the beginning of the pay period. So I went to Richmond and got there in time for lunch with the family. Then I took a nap. After the nap I went shopping with Sunni and her friend for sandals, because I don't have any other than flip flops, but I didn't find any I liked enough to buy. Then it was back to the house to eat a bit and get ready to head downtown.

Downtown is where my Aunt Judy and I went to see Idina Menzel sing (she was in Rent and Wicked and Glee). Then we went out for a snack after the show, and shortly after that was when the storm-out-of-nowhere hit and we thought we'd be taken up in a tornado. Seriously. You should have seen us standing in the median of Broad looking like idiots with debris flying all around, almost swept off our feet. Luckily when we got across the street a security officer let us in some empty office building so we wouldn't blow away. When the wind died down a tiny bit we headed back out to get Sunni and her friend, who were at a show across the street from ours. Then the rain came and we couldn't find which parking garage we were parked in, so that was fun. We finally made it back home around midnight. Luckily after last year's hurricane storm that left all of us camped out in my Charlottesville apartment, they got a generator for the house. So we were the only home around with air conditioning and lights, which was good for the grandparents. We had Grandma with us at the house, because the generators at the assisted living facility weren't running air conditioning. And it was a hot weekend y'all.

Saturday morning I went for a run. I ran eight miles and it was very hot. But I just bought a hydration belt so I had some fluids with me. On the run I came across this giant tree in the road on Old Gun. Cars turned around and I saw a bike go around through someone's yard, but I just went under it.

After the run we had brunch at the house, and then I went with the girls to the pool. It was really hot, but I just stayed in the shade. The whole time. I sat in the shade and read, then I sat in a short chair in the water that was also in shade. That way I didn't have to bother with sunscreen. Or skin cancer. After swimming, Sunni and I dropped her friend off at home and then gorged ourselves on Sweet Frog. Then we headed home and I watched a movie with Aunt Judy and Grandpa.

Sunday I got up early and headed back to Charlottesville so I could clean my bathroom before church. I wanted a clean bathroom because I had people over yesterday, which is exciting since I've never really had anyone over who wasn't a relative.  A few work friends came over and we ate red white and blue foods and watched 1776 the musical. It was fun.

We didn't have time to eat dessert though, because after eating and chatting and watching a really long movie, it was late. So we had our dessert today at work. More red white and blue!