You might have heard last week, but I'm kind of having a moment with dark chocolate. Some people aren't big fans of the super dark stuff, but whatever! More for us, right? And with Hurricane Sandy on her way and a weather report calling for snow in Roanoke, I felt like there wasn't anything better for me to do last night than whip up some Paleo hot chocolate.

When I was in high school, my family and I used to go skiing every winter with one of my best friends, Patrick; and the Starbucks at the resort had "drinking chocolate," which I'm pretty sure was just melted Ghirardelli chocolate with a splash of half and half in it. They were served in adorable tiny cups, and Patrick and I used to sit for hours by the fire and nurse them slowly because they were so rich they would make us sick. But they were delicious, and the perfect drink for a blustery day.

Here's to riding out this storm safely by a warm fireplace with a delicious beverage, and, if you're lucky, someone you love by your side.

Ingredients:

Makes two mini hot chocolates or one regular sized one.

Half a cup of unsweetened coconut milk

Half a cup of unsweetened coconut creamer 

(It comes in a little carton like half & half)

2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon sticks, as a garnish

1. Combine the two coconut milks together in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat.

2. Add the chocolate and vanilla, then stir until incorporated.

3. Pour into little cups and garnish with chocolate drizzle and a cinnamon stick.

Cheers. I promise to make a vegetable for you next time.

A few weekends ago I drove to Farmville, where I studied English as an undergraduate student, and I was hit with so much nostalgia along the way. That drive down 460 East is one that made me who I am today--the curves and stop lights and long straightaways lead to a place where I read hundreds of pages a week, made some of the best friends, finally understood what kind of person I wanted to be, and eventually met Rob at a Halloween party six miles down the road.

Every time I visit, I drive that road and think about fall and winters past, about the semester I read Clarissa, about the amazing friendships I made, about  broken hearts that healed and made me thankful,  about that one overlapping year where Sean and I were at school together; our standing lunch dates where we would eat soup and grilled turkey sandwiches dipped in honey mustard, his visits to my place from his dorm room to do laundry and homework with me, and that overwhelming reminder of the gift that your brother is one of your best friends.

There are so many roads that make me think--the road from Roanoke to Charlottesville and back, the road I drive every morning from my parents' house to downtown Roanoke where I went to high school and now work, the drive from downtown to Hollins where I went to graduate school. All of these roads that signify seasons of my life that have passed, but that I still hold onto with some of the best memories.

When I drive to Northern Virginia to visit Rob, or when we meet somewhere in the middle, I like to picture a day when we wake up every Saturday morning, cozy and settled together in our own permanent home, looking back on those days that we used to travel so much to be together.

Life sometimes puts a lot of miles between where one is and where they'll end up.

I'm getting there.

This week has felt so strange to me--I felt so anxious! I even thought about turning my car around yesterday on the way to work so I could go home and get back in bed. I just felt like taking naps. But I worked through it and even managed to run really fast and for a long time a couple afternoons this week, and I made a recipe I was really proud of, so I can't really say that I've had a completely off week. Is it a full moon or something? I even had only one cup of coffee yesterday!

Either way, I wanted to share a few things that made me smile this week. Hope you enjoy them.

[Rocky is totally in his element when on a boat.]

Fairy Tales for Twenty Somethings. The Tinkerbell one is especially good.

Robyn is such a world traveler--sometimes it kind of takes my breath away!

Did you know that foxes love marshmallows?

My friend Jenna introduced me to Audible, and now I'm actually looking forward to driving four hours this evening!

Please look at these photos of these sweet dog friends.

I love getting a little peek into the lives of my blogger friends, like this one from Eliza.

I've been using my Cuppow! this week and it's awesome.

Another gorgeous post from Sam--On Hope (And How).

I'm off to see Rob in Northern Virginia this evening--I haven't actually been there at all this month, so it will be nice to get away. We're going to a Halloween thing on Saturday, which will be fun because we actually met at a Halloween party four years ago! What are you up to this weekend? Happy Friday!

PS Sponsor Freckled Italian in November!