July Stories: Jimmy, Jefferson and Peaches

As I've said many times before, this summer has been awesome.

After my husband's parents left, (check out details of their visit here and here), my parents came into town!

I wrote about their grand train entrance and the first few days of their visit in my post "it's been a while".

SO! Jumping right in where I left off, this is the story of our very full house.

July 12th, my aunt and cousin came into town. They were coming so that Madi could see Liberty, and also to spend some time with us and in Washington D.C.!

It was so fun to have them at our table.
(And we were really glad that we got this bigger table!)

We have a super good-looking family.

On Friday, they had a tour of the campus. So I went off to work, and everyone else kept themselves busy at the house, or around campus.
That night, mom made her famous (and one of my absolute favorite meals) chicken enchiladas.
We thoroughly enjoyed those, and then decided it was time to introduce them to Caribbean Snow.

(If you don't know what Caribbean Snow is, then you obviously don't read my blog. So hop to it.)

Side Story: When Paul and Rhonda were here, we took them to Carib Snow. Rhonda ordered a Kiwi and White Coconut by my suggestion, and I ordered the same thing, with ice cream in the middle. The man erroneously put ice cream in Rhonda's as well....she was not happy about that. Until she tasted it. Now I'm pretty sure she craves it daily.
:) 

Okay, now I need some Snow, stat. This is the worst part about blogging around lunch time.
It's almost always about food.

To save my stomach further grumblings until Dusty gets here for lunch, I'll talk about the butterflies!
Earlier this summer, our apartment complex traded out our plain bushes for some flowers and other plants. Everyone's front yard area looks so summery and bright.
For some reason, our two yellow-flowered bushes were particularly attractive to the butterflies.
They were packed full of them!
Of beautiful butterflies!

"I'm a beautiful butterfly!"

Anyway. We had a lot of fun looking at them all, flying around and landing on the flowers.
It was really pretty.
We had fun catching them, as well!

They stayed around for weeks, only around our bushes. Not really sure why, but it was definitely a fun sight every day, leaving and coming home to our lovely winged friends.

On Saturday, we had a whole day planned.
The six of us headed up to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's plantation in Charlottesville.
We had been there before with Dusty's parents (during my birthday month when they came to visit), so we were looking forward to visiting again.

He was a handsome fellow, although a bit bronzed.

If you ever have the chance to go to Monticello, you should.

It's absolutely beautiful.

It's obvious why he would have preferred to spend all day, every day at that plantation than anywhere else in the world.

There's no photography allowed in the house itself, but we took the tour and were able to walk through his halls, rooms, library, and even his bedroom, where he died.
The house is beautiful, expertly designed by Jefferson.

You can see how clever he was, and how entranced he was by time and weather.

The back side of the house:

We spent a good amount of time around Monticello, touring the grounds, taking pictures, visiting his grave and wandering around the gift shop and museum by the visitor's center.
It was pretty warm out, but we had a really great time.

On our way to Monticello, we had seen a sign saying "Fresh Peaches".
My mom's favorite fruit!
So, as we drove down the windy road down the mountain, we took a left at that sign and headed up to who-knows-where in search of fresh peaches.

Looky there!

Sometimes, that long and winding road leads you right to a peach market.

 I think mom was in heaven.

Needless to say, we lived on peaches for the next few weeks.

They had everything! Peach cider, peach dressing, peach butter, peach salsa, peach barbecue sauce...
The list goes on and on.
We had a lot of fun wandering through their store, ooh-ing and aah-ing at everything we wanted.
We settled on a little bit of everything, grabbing some peach donuts as well.

What a worthy little stop. We were glad we had made the trek up the hill. Even just for the view!

Afterwards, we piled back into the car...
(Oh and PS, Dusty rode in the trunk the whole way there and back. Not an actual trunk, but the little back door slot of the medium-sized car....don't tell any police officers you may know. The car only sat 5, so we had to improvise. He was alright. Really.)

We were excited (dad was really excited) to be going back to Jimmy's on the James that night for dinner.
It was his last night with us, so it was important that we go somewhere great.
And while we did take my parents a few other places, (including The Crown, which has the most amazing wine parfaits) their love could not be swayed to anyone but Jimmy.
(Despite the fact that dad kept calling it "Jimmy on the John", which doesn't have quite the same meaning.)

Such a fun place!
Everyone's food was amazing. We all split some desserts, and, despite the smutty waitress, had a lovely evening.

Smutty: adj: smut-ti-er, smut-ti-est: cruddy: characterized by obscenity. Soiled with smut. Grimy; indecent or obscene. 
Ex: That smutty girl is wearing leggings as pants. 
Ex: That waitress that bends over to show her gleaming backside is the smuttiest of them all.

I don't have anything against waitresses, skirts, leaning, cleaning, or smiling.
But when the waitress is oblivious, the skirt is short, the leaning and cleaning is extensive, and the booty is out, then that smiling waitress starts to bug me.

Madi and I were staring, unable to rip our eyes away. Like a car crash.
I wanted to tell her. I really, really wanted to tell her.
Casually walk by and say, "Excuse me, lassy, your skirt is too short. So much so, that your tush is making an appearance like the bad encore of a terrible concert".
At every slight movement, her skirt would whisk up. To be fair(ish) it was way shorter in the back than the front, but even so, the skirt was too short to begin with. How could she not know? 

I felt like I was at a show in Vegas.
That I did not want to pay for.


It's moments like those that make me wish society was more concerned with the truth than with being "nice", or not hurting anyone's feelings...like those poor people on American Idol that have been told they have amazing singing voices all of their lives.

Anyway...

After waddling home in happiness, we plopped down and decided to watch an episode or two of So You Think You Can Dance. We were pretty far behind, so we were trying to catch up.
My dad and Dusty ran to the store, to get the cable that would allow us to hook our computer up to our TV.

While they were out, dad went and grabbed me Starbucks and THIS:

The best parting gifts ever. We had been talking about this movie earlier in the week, and I still can't believe I own it now. I can watch it whenever I want. Except not really, because Dusty still refuses to watch it.
I suppose you had to grow up with it.
Otherwise it may seem a little weird.

Dusty and I had nursery duty at church the next day, so we went while the rest of the gang hung out at home and prepared lunch.
It was our first time in the nursery rotation, so we were slightly nervous!
I wish I could have taken pictures of all of the cuties. To respect the privacy of them and their parents, I decided not to, since I didn't have express permission. But we had a blast. We were with the really little ones, and one little girl didn't want to be anywhere but my lap.
She latched onto me for dear life! I spent the entire time in the rocking chair, talking to her and just hanging out. She did not want to talk to Dusty. Haha! Every time he came close and tried to say anything she burrowed her face into my shoulder.
He was a little offended but I think she's just a one-person-at-a-time kind of gal.

That afternoon, we took dad to the airport and had to say adios!
Which is never fun to say.

Love my parents!
Luckily, my mom was staying for another two weeks, so it helped ease the pain of a slowly-but-surely emptying household.

The Harrises were set to leave the next day, so we enjoyed our last night by going to an especially adorable part of downtown Lynchburg.
The Craddock Terry Hotel!

It's a hotel dedicated entirely to the theme of shoes.
Thus, the giant red high heel on the side of the building.

It used to be an old shoe factory, and now is a super cute hotel. Every room has a different shoe on the door, and the lobby is filled with old-fashioned shoe polish stations, a shoe-filled gift shop, and books and art about shoes. It's pretty great!

Madi and Terri were able to get a few souvenirs...
Especially since my aunt is a teacher and is contemplating a shoe theme for her classroom! She found a bright red high-heel door-stopper!

Afterwards, we went down the road a little to Waterstone Pizza, our favorite pizza joint in the area.
We finished off our meal with their home-brewed root beer floats!

The rest of the evening consisted of us four girls downstairs laughing hysterically and talking inappropriately, while Dusty was upstairs trying to study. I doubt he was able to do so very effectively, but we sure were having a blast!
It was really sad saying bye to Madi and Terri the next day...the house seemed oddly empty and quiet when I came home from work that day. But, we were really excited to have mom for two more weeks.
Two weeks of peaches, laughter, reading, and happiness.

:)

In love,
Cait

birthday month.

Hi ya'll!

Ooooh, it's birthday month. Yes, yes! Be prepared for a hefty blog post.

I have always loved birthdays. Especially my own. I am so thrilled that I married such a fun man, who loves to hype up my birthday as much as I do!

My mom flew out last week, and then my in-laws flew out a few days later! It has been the most amazing week. To begin the week, mom and I traveled to North Carolina to meet up with some Georgian friends of ours on Sunday, which was a blast. We ate at a Cajun restaurant called Razoo's, stayed in a comfy hotel, and had such a wonderful time catching up and seeing Sarah's brand new bundle of joy, Brooklyn. Such precious memories. One of the blessings of being on the east coast for once!





The next few days were SO fun. My mom bought me a sewing machine for my birthday, and we ran around town buying fabric scraps, thread, and Fall decorations for my apartment. So far I have cut and re-hemmed a tablecloth that was too big for our table, and used the excess for a bench pillow, (our "bench" is actually a little shelf/side table that mom found at DAV Thrift, that holds my sewing supplies in it) and made an apron from some adorable remnant material! All with mom's help, of course. Our apartment now smells like Pumpkin and looks like it, too!



We have the best wreath in our entire apartment complex, and the best little pumpkin to greet us as we come home. I can't tell you enough how thrilling it has been to see the leaves turn. Each day it seems there are more trees joining in the red, yellow and orange parade.

The only regret I have for the week is that I had to work. But mom spoiled me, and the two of us had pumpkin spice lattes every day of her visit. It was so delightful. She brought Dusty and I lunch Monday and Tuesday, and we ate together outside in the beautiful weather! It was a nice break for Dusty, studying hard for midterms that week. The three of us went to Dickey's on Monday night, and Red Lobster on Tuesday night with the O'Callaghans, which was such a treat!

The day of my birthday dawned sunny and beautiful, although poor Dusty had his midterms to dread throughout the day. However, our celebration that evening shot us to brilliant, stress-free and obesitous happiness.



We had made reservations to The Crown for that evening. It has been quite a while since I have dined so finely. It is a local treasure of Lynchburg, we now know firsthand. Tasty and pricey, the food is exquisite.

Our appetizers included the salad bar, a delectable crab cake, buttery crab bisque served in a bread bowl, and the most delicious brie, served in a puffy pastry and drizzled in honey.



We were already in heaven, and our ribeye and filet mignon entrees hadn't even arrived yet. Mom and I's baked sweet potatoes were like a slice of pie, with the cinnamon honey butter they include on the side.



We were all so stuffed, the fullest we've ever been. Since it was my birthday, they brought a small platter of delicious treats. Some amazing macaroons, and the most awesome chocolate truffle things. They had GLITTER on them! It was the best!



They also gave me a free wine sauce parfait for dessert, complete with a single birthday candle. Mom got a lemon cake, and Dusty (of course) got the chocolate volcano dessert. The wine sauce parfait was SO delicious. I don't like wine, but this ice cream covered with sweet red wine sauce...I was so into it.

Even when mom knocked my spoon into my lap, dripping with the red sauce, I was still so into it. Then later, when she knocked the entire parfait into my lap, covering my dress in red wine sauce, I picked up the rest and was still, SO into it. Hahaha! I still can't stop laughing every time I think about it! It was just about the funniest thing that's ever happened to both of us, I'm sure of it. I thought they were going to come over and tell us giggling idiots that we were unfit for this nice of a restaurant. I was all but squealing in laughter. It must have been the wine sauce.



As his birthday gift to me, Dusty has prepared a whole trip for us -- which will be taking place in November! I cannot WAIT. We will be going to Connecticut for a couple nights, to see our friend Lauren, and to go into New York to see the Broadway show "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". Starring Daniel Radcliffe!! We are both so excited, and it's going to be so fun to have something so awesome to look forward to for the first few days of Thanksgiving week!

Dusty's parents arrived the next day, and I made dinner for us all! I prepared my famous (or so I'd like to think) jalapeno cream cheese chicken. Dusty has been bragging on me, so his parents really wanted to try it. Unfortunately for us all, (especially my mom), the amount of jalapenos MIGHT have been a little overboard :) but it was still delicious, and we had a great time eating together. My first experience preparing a meal for more than just Dusty and I here in lynchburg, and with our new table bench, we could all sit around our little table together! It was a great night.



Mom was all set to leave the next evening, but as she spent the afternoon with me at work before Dusty came to pick us up for the airport, she got a call that her flight had been canceled! Needless to say, I was a pretty happy camper. We had another amazing night together, the five of us eating at the Hibachi grill (a huge buffet, basically a Golden Corral with an asian twist) and mom and I spending some sewing time together, which produced my first homemade apron! (Coming to a Posies by Cait shop near you). I'm so glad she got to stay.



We woke up bright and early Saturday morning to take mom to the airport, and said our farewells. I wish she was still here! The rest of us had a loooong day of history and touristy adventures :)

We went to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. It was a really cool experience. He was such an amazing man! Rhonda bought Dusty and I a magnet of Jefferson's 10 rules. :) it has already begun to reformulate my lifestyle! He was a brilliant man, and it was incredible to see his home, his gadgets, and the evidence of his life and contribution to our history.



We then went to Appomattox, to see where Lee and Grant came to terms for the end of the war. It's amazing to walk on the same ground as some of these historical figures. Despite the many hours of driving ( a few too many, even though Dusty said he was going a faster route... :) ) it was a wonderful day, and we saw some really amazing things! We were pooped by the end of it all. We ate that night at Shaker's, which was lovely, and got in our pj's at home and watched three episodes of Boy Meets World. :)



Sunday we went to the early service at our church, and were really excited to get to show Paul and Rhonda our church home. They really enjoyed it. Our church was hosting the Children of the World, from World Help. Children from Uganda, Nepal, and the Philippines who are apart of their sponsorship program, and tour the world by dancing and singing about Jesus. It was amazing.

http://www.worldhelp.net/cotw.aspx

We made tacos for lunch, and Rhonda helped me learn a little bit about my new pressure cooker, a birthday present from my dad! We made chicken for lunches this week. I can't believe how easy and amazing it is! I can't wait to start using it. I never thought I'd love cooking this much. And my sewing machine? Pretty much the most incredible machine I've ever owned. I think I'm going to be addicted. Oh, the possibilities!

And ALSO -- big news -- Rhonda and I went shopping at the mall here in Lynchburg. It was my FIRST TIME. That's right!! My FIRST shopping trip since moving to Virginia. It was wonderful. The mall is small, (only one story) but clean and charming, I suppose -- and has all the necessary stores. We hit up New York & Company and got some awesome deals on new work clothes for me, I was in dire need of some black slacks! I'm so excited about my new clothes :) I got the most killer black boots at a shoe outlet they have there...I'm in love. After the mall we also went down to Old Navy, where I got a few more amazing steals...including a dress for $4.18. That kinda bargain would make my mom proud! All in all, it was an afternoon that I had been craving. I hadn't realized how badly! It was some great girl time for Rhonda and I.

Dinner that night was a return to Dickey's. A favorite of ours -- always a great meal! We got back into our pj's at home, and watched Something Borrowed...a birthday gift from my friend Lauren :)

It's been such a wonderful week. Even though this next stretch will be even more difficult then the last, spanning the next 10 weeks, and including Thanksgiving, I know that it will be all the more wonderful to return home in December and enjoy our family -- and truly, our experiences here continue to be more and more precious. Virginia is for lovers, after all. Why? I'm not sure. But I think it's true.

In love,

Cait

P.S. Happy Fall to all :)