Since I have last posted I have been in Virginia visiting Sam's family and my friends from this area. There has been a lot going on and not a lot of time to write an update. I am currently sitting in the Madison Heights Library on Sam's computer in a "Early Learning Station" whatever that is... the keyboard is color coded.
But here is a brief recap of what I have been up to:
This is Mamma's new puppy, Julia... I made her wear her bangs in a pony tail... it brought out her eyes!
Then, I put her in high heels... I think she looked good... really gave her legs some definition... under all that fur! haha I don't know how much that dog likes me much any more!
Finally, said good bye to my wonderful (slightly lazy) cat Tom to go off to Virginia!
I went to the Stoney Badger to for New Years Eve. Sam's band, Bad Circus and Mark's (Sam's older brother) band, Junkyard Mountain (formerly 110 Calories) played the night away. It was great to see tons of people that I, of course, haven't seen in months! We danced, drank and in general brought in the new year with a bang (I have the bruises to prove it)! It was great to see both bands after all this time and old friends also!!
The next day was spent mostly hungover and going between napping and watching football, which is really just more napping for me. In the evening though Sam's dad made a delightful Southern New Years Feast for us:
Skillet corn bread!
Turkey!
Collard Greens cooked with some bacon or some sort of pig parts.
Black eyed peas,
and stewed tomatoes (my personal favorite... not really I think they are really some of the weirdest food out there in the world.)
I also got a special treat of getting to see FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER someone using an ELECTRIC KNIFE ON TURKEY!!!!! hahahahaha it was so great! I kept walking around saying "we don't talk about that, it's a tender subject" from Rocky Horror but no one knew what I was talking about sadly.
And, here is the epic Southern New Years Feast! I tried to look up what all the foods mean but I got distracted or something... so, instead you get my guesses!
Corn bread = gold, like money!
Stewed Tomatoes = when eaten with hot sauce (like I did) they are for vitality!
Black eyed Peas = are grey like cinder blocks so they are for security
Collard greens = with balsamic vinegar are for money or maybe health... I am running out of things here...
Turkey = love.
TAAAA-DDAAAA!
I have also gone to Lexington a few times to visit my horse Justin who is king of the sheep!
There are about a million sheep out there... ok, maybe not a million but A LOT!!
Like Jesus, he keeps an eye on his flock... except Justin doesn't wear sandals.
He would like you all to know he is still super tall, likes to bite things and looks good in purple :)
He is also incredibly hairy! I think he is going for the long haired hippie look... he is living in the mountains!
The sheep were adorable! They freaking chew sideways with their little mouths... it is hard to explain but awesome. I also got to meet the woman caring for Justin for me while I am running around Sweden. She was wonderful, super friendly and apparently calls him Secretariat instead of Justin. She was pleased to hear that he is half quarter horse and half thoroughbred and even follows my blog (hi!!)! I am very glad he is there, with a sheep and some other horsey friends also. He seems very happy and looks to be in great health :) I still miss him though...
I had to drive back and forth over these mountains to see him the few times I did.
This is my favorite part of Virginia!
This is Justin's view... pretty sweet.
I think he has it pretty lucky even if it is REALLY cold in Lexington!
After I fed him about a pound of peppermints I kissed him goodbye one last time and drove back over the mountain. I tried to explain when I would be back and how we would kick ass this summer together... but I think he was more focused on finding more peppermints to eat!
I drove back to Lynchburg the other day along the James River... and I realized that over the past few days all I have been doing is driving back and forth over mountains and rivers... the Tye, Piney, Maurre River, James and I think there is another I keep forgetting... There are a lot of rivers here! It reminded me of summer fun on the river :)
I have also had a riding lesson with Kit and Parker! While I was living here I often rode in lessons with Parker and her horse Theo and have missed them greatly. I got to ride a horse named Dazzle who has been carrying around young girls for a while and in comparison to the horses in Sweden is TINY. She was great to jump and I had a lot of fun. It was also really nice to see how much Parker and Theo have progressed! They are quickly leaving Justin and I in the dust jumping 3'6" with ease! It was great to see everyone at the barn and be somewhere where I felt comfortable and not completely lost! It was also nice because Kit asked me the million dollar question of what have I learned in my riding in Sweden that I will be able to bring back to the hunters and riding Justin in particular. It was a great question and really got me thinking (and missing Justin) and I think I will have to remember to keep it in the back of my mind while I am riding in Sweden. I really enjoyed Dazzle, she was such a sweet ride and jumped like a pro and made me feel great too.
I have also been able to spend a few evenings hanging out with Sam and I's friends Chris and Courtney! We used to cook meals together, go out to happy hours and in general hangout. They got a pug puppy before I left but now the little bugger is a full grown pug! He is still a puppy spaz and nearly ate me alive (in a good way) when I walked into their apartment. He has totally won me over on the pug front... I used to think they just looked really weird... they do, but in a cute way!
Sampson the Pug!
This is how he is most of the time and making weird snorting noises... adorable!
I also managed to squeeze in a lunch with Jeremy (old boss and friend) and Grant (old coworker/boss and friend) at a great restaurant called Market on Main, run by the old boss of all of us! We caught up on each others lives, gossip around town and ate some great hamburgers! I was nice to see them, they were both big supporters and fellow schemers of me moving to Sweden for glass. We sat down like no time had passed and I think it will be like that every time I come back into town. Now I am off to see Sam's band play again and in a few days will be going back to NC to see my family and hopefully blow some glass with my dad!
Can you bring me a sheep or maybe a lamb would be better (wishful thinking)
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