The Flora of Monticello

I don't know if the flowers and foliage around Monticello is anything like wast it was in Jefferson's day, but it is my favorite part of Monticello... just so pretty! Here are some of the flowers I saw on Saturday.

Here is a view of the landscape from the house...

And a shot of the house itself.

Just Keep Driving

I suffer from a condition known as wanderlust (if you can call it suffering). I've had it my whole life. I thought travel was the cure, but as it turns out, it only feeds the disease. The more I travel, the more I want to travel. And the more I see, the more my curiosity is peaked and I need to know what else is out there! I have spent a lot of time in the car - well, in many cars, many rental cars. When I drive, I see other ways of life, worlds so far removed from the one I live in, and it makes me wonder what it would be like to live like those people. I remember as a child, looking up at the huge high-rise apartments, imagining the lives of all the different families, who made there homes there, above the hustle and bustle of the city. I imagined what it would be like to be one of those people. I remember seeing the Soldiers in the news during desert storm, living in tents in the sandy wasteland of the Middle East, and thinking about what that must feel like - residing in a war zone. During our 3 week cross-country road trip several years ago, I saw farms and wide open spaces and considered whether that would not be better than suburbia. Well, over the years, I have had the chance to live in a city (in a high-rise apartment), in the country, in a hotel for months on end, in a war zone, in a military barracks, and in the Caribbean. Though I enjoyed each of those experiences for what they were worth, they were never quite as good as I had imagined. I still faced times of loneliness, depression, uncertainty, and the daily struggles of life. The landscape is always so diverse, changing from state to state, city to city, and even country to country. But what I have found is that anyplace can look perfect from a distance. It is when you get out from behind the windshield that you can see the flaws and imperfections. The longer I remain in any given place, the more I notice its shortcomings, and the more I long for greener pastures. It seems there is no remedy, except maybe to just keep driving.

C. calls this the Joshua Tree... I drive past it every day on my way to his apartment.

I love this old, run-down shed... so typically quaint... one of C-ville's many beauties.

RR tracks in Charlottesville, VA

A rainbow on Long Island (not something we see frequently there)

A Walk in the Park

C. and I went for a lovely walk in the park the other night. Of course, I took my camera along and captured some shots of the flora along the way. Thankfully, C. is a very patient person (or at least patient with me) and didn't seem to mind the numerous stops I took to acquire said photos.

Old Rag

I hadn't been hiking up Old Rag in quite a few years. I had forgotten how long it actually takes to get all the way to the third peak!

The day could not have been more perfect! A beautiful blue sky and the trees just beginning to show their green leaves budding...

My hiking companion was getting a little tired. but even he thought the view was worth it. =)

I love VA Dogwoods! They are especially plentiful in this part of VA it seems. So pretty... I just had to get a photo.

He's Not My Type

I've heard it many times and have said it oft' myself. The idea of even having a "type" is kinda ridiculous when you think about it. Way to throw the baby out with the bathwater! I have an excuse, poor as it may be. I really didn't want to get into a relationship - not casual dating, and definitely not a serious courtship. I liked the freedom I had and wanted to never suffer the misery that is marriage (or at least what I had seen it to be in the lives of many around me). Yeah, I complained about the single life because it's expected. And sometimes even thought about how it would be nice to have someone in my old age. But as long as things were going swimmingly in my professional life, I was quite content in my singleness. So, when people would try to set me up with different guys, without giving them a chance, I would give them a flippant "Oh, he's not my type." Well, God has a sense of humor. If someone had asked me to describe my "type," I probably would have said something to the effect of a musically-inclined military man, with a heart for missions and a disdain for the ipod, ipad, and anything else "i" related. A man, older, stronger, and wiser than myself, with a desire to change the world. Instead, God sent me a man much younger than myself, with a disdain for military life, a love for all things Mac, and an obsession with Bob Dylan. People keep asking me, after all these years of forswearing men, why this guy? It may not seem a likely match, but I see God's fingerprints all over it. He is truly perfect for me in every way. So, for all of you questioners out there, I don't know if I can give you a satisfactory answer via blog, but I will tell you what it is I see when I look at the man I adore.

First off, let me assure you that he is a Christian, who sees eye-to-eye with me on my non-negotiables (namely Sabbath keeping and infant baptism). While those are important to me, they are not the things that swept me off my feet. I suppose there are a lot of things that contributed to this unlikely romance, so let me begin at the beginning. My year in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba probably worked in his favor - a place where compliments flow in as great quantity as the alcohol on that island. I quickly grew accustomed to the pick-up lines and overblown flattery. Mind you, I took it for what it was worth - absolutely nothing. I didn't let it go to my head. I did, however, become hyper-distrustful of men and their thinly-veiled intentions regarding me and any female within view. That being said, my first day back in the States brought me face to face with a sweet, seemingly innocent boy (I say "boy" because he is several years my junior and looks even a bit younger than that when he is clean-shaven). He talked with me, not to get something, but because he was genuinely interested. He looked into my eyes as he spoke and wasn't long before his eyes spoke volumes. We became fast friends, discussing life, religion, philosophy, and politics. We didn't agree on everything, but held common ground on the essentials. Our debates were often lively, rarely heated, and always ended on good terms. We disagree about the exact date that it went from friends to more than just friends, but only by a few days. According to him, it was the night he took me out on our first date (I saw it as dinner and a movie with a friend). Apparently, we "shared a moment" over fajitas. For me, it was the first night I went to his apartment (to cut his hair). After the haircut, he asked me to stay and watch Avatar, a movie I had not seen, despite all the hype. It was during that movie that he reached for my hand. It was electric - I don't know how else to describe it. We had it all... the friendship, the common interests and beliefs, and this touchy-feely thing people call chemistry (whatever it is, we have it!). All of that to say, I am glad I was not limited by a "type" because God sent me the only man able to tear down my walls and win my heart. He is everything I want and nothing I could have imagined. *happy sigh*

Downtown Fayetteville

I was given an hour lunch break, so not knowing what to do with myself, my brand new GPS and I took a trip to the older part of town. It was quite adorable. I wandered down the main street (Hay St.), and stopped to eat at a little mom and pop shop, where I struck up a conversation with the waitresses and a retired Soldier. We discussed Iraq and Afghanistan and the defense contracting world... you know, all the usuals.


I liked the old City Market, so I took a few pictures from various directions.



And then just some street shots...