May Fun Trip 1

It was probably mid-March when I realized how it looked like May would unfold.  Flying to DC on a Tuesday (May 5) for the balance of the week.  Supposed to fly back to Dallas on Sunday night, which ended up being Monday night because of weather.

Then that week in Dallas, which turned into a short week because of the weather delay.

The following week, a Wednesday flight to San Fran for the balance of the week.  Flying back to Dallas on Monday night (day off for Memorial Day). 

More than 10 days out of town in the month of May, and every single one of them for fun!  

We've done nearly back-to-back vacations before and decided it wasn't a good idea.  We came back from China and had only a few days home before flying to a wedding.  But I figured maybe it would work better if it was shorter trips and more than a week in between?  Plus, more vacation days are always better than fewer vacation days, no matter how much we love our daily life in Dallas.

Here are some highlights from our trip to DC and Virginia.  I'm trying to focus on the positive since I am possibly at a lifetime low right now.  My spirits are down, missing my little nephew in California.  Not happy at all to be in Texas.  Maybe the lottery is the solution?  We talked about both possibly moving to California and possibly kidnapping Willard (with or without his parents, totally up to them).  Both seemed impractical. 

Anyway, some fun from DC and Virginia: 

Working from my friend's house (with a red eye, so wearing glasses), the first day in DC.  She made lunch for us, sauerkraut, potatoes, veggie hotdogs: 

Dinner made by my friend, served on her rooftop (with fun napkins!).  A lentil dish that was so good:

In Charlottesville, a morning visit to Bodo's Bagels, which was something I ate at least weekly in law school:

Bodo's with a line out the door: 

And a long line inside Bodo's:

The Bodo's menu, not sure how legible these pictures are though:

The Bodo's order delivery system is insanely efficient: 

Hard to read, but the rooftop says "Where Students, Tourists & Townspeople Meet."  It used to be The Tavern, and it closed 5 years ago, reportedly because the rent was too high, but nothing new has gone in its place, so it really should have stayed open:

The Rotunda, under construction:

On Grounds:

The Bodo's location on the Corner, which was under construction the whole time I was in law school:

Mincer's on the Corner, for all your U.Va. attire needs: 

The College Inn on the Corner: 

The White Spot on the Corner, a late night favorite.  Although even when I ate meat, I could never stomach the idea of an egg on top of my burger, no matter how drunk or hungover or sober I was when I ate there: 

Statue in town:

A small "living wage" protest (typical Charlottesville!):

Crozet Pizza, not really in Charlottesville, but it was the best pizza in the area when I lived there:

A trip to a vineyard for the afternoon:

Inside the vineyard:

Sitting outside drinking rose for a change:

Kids playing, adults drinking:

Vineyard:

At the reunion, our class picture was taken from above, but here's a ground shot.  I can kind of see about 60% of my face in the crowd.  There were 90 people at our class dinner, which was probably about 55 grads and 35 spouses, but the picture was just alums:

The night ended back at the law school with music, dancing, drinks and catching up with friends:

A final stop in Charlottesville, Gourmet Exxon, which was probably one of my three favorite sandwich places when I lived there.  The menu at Gourmet Exxon:

Inside Gourmet Exxon the first time we went there (not crowded):

The sides counter:

A list of options (Gourmet Exxon's official name is Bellair Market):

But it is indeed an Exxon station:

This is the building, sandwich heaven:

 

And when we swung by Gourmet Exxon on our way out of town to get sandwiches for the drive, this was the line, but totally worth it: 

Back in DC, an unplanned homemade dinner at my friend's house, thanks to our 24 hour flight delay: 

And since we made the best of our layover, Cafe Pizzaiolo for a late lunch: 

And then, Beltway traffic since hubby flew out of Dulles and I had at make my way to BWI:

The rental car.  42 miles to empty it says, mileage is 39,363.  Since I hate gas pumps, if I'm driving any distance, I do the pre-paid fuel option, which means it makes sense to return the car as empty as possible: 

Living on the edge.  Ford cars suck.  Note that it's only 30 miles later and I'm now 2 miles to empty.  Total lies on miles to empty.  Or maybe it was that bumper-to-bumper traffic that ate into my mileage.  At this point, I was close to the rental car return, but still more than a mile away.  The "miles to empty" ticked away, got down to 0 eventually, but I made it at least half a mile further, which was all I needed before I parked to return the car.  Whew!  My husband would have melted down if he were in the car with me.  It would have totally stressed him out.  And he would have been pissed because I knew it was going to be close, so I turned off the air in hopes of making it without running out:

 

So there you have it, six days in Virginia in pictures!