Each Spring and Fall in Virginia, thousands of people dressed in their best Polo, J.Crew, and Lilly Pulitzer flock to a field just outside of Charlottesville, set up plots with tailgating necessities, and proceed to drink heavily all day in the name of some horse races. Obviously, I have always wanted to go. Rob's graduate program at UVA got us a plot and some food, so on Saturday morning we boarded the MS Commerce party bus and made our way to my very first Foxfield experience.

 

From the one race I actually saw.

Sweet Cat. Hi, Cat!

 

Styrofoam coolers ain't that sturdy.

This is Andrew. He went to college with my friends from high school and now is in grad school with Rob. 

Desire and Patrick, my friends-from-home-turned-Charlottesville-neighbors.

I fell asleep on the bus ride home, like many others. Everyone was worn out from a chilly day in the rain, but we had so much fun together. Rob's classmates have always done a fantastic job making me feel like I belong with them. When Rob and I got back to the apartment we changed into warm, dry clothes and headed to our favorite Chinese buffet. Bed time happened extra early that night. I think you know you had a good day when you find yourself calling it a night at 8:30 PM.

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This afternoon we're off to Maryland for the Death Cab show! I couldn't be more excited.

PS There's one more regular ad space left for May. 

Check out my sponsor page and send me a quick email if you want to grab it!

Happy Monday!

[The street in front of our old Sunday Morning Spot, taken in Roanoke, May 2011.]

Currently, there are several empty corners in my apartment.

The space where a coffee table used to be. The old home of a lamp. An empty bookshelf in the corner of the office.

There was a time in my life when these empty spaces would have been a cause of anxiety and sadness. Now I look at them with joy and see how full of hope they really are. As I pack things slowly into boxes and send furniture away, I am simplifying my life.

There's something very attractive to me about doing things that aren't easy. Maybe it's the runner in me.

Go the distance. Throw things away. Make life better.

I remember a very specific moment from when Rob and I were leaving Roanoke to move here for the year. I was emptying the refrigerator in an apartment that no longer held any of our things. A broom sat, propped against another empty corner and dust covered the floor of what used to be our living room. The muggy August heat of southwest Virginia crept through the old warehouse windows of the apartment, and in that empty space, Rob pushed the hair from my sticky neck and said "I love you." That apartment wasn't empty as long as we were in it.

I have learned that an empty corner is just the beginning of something new and better.

Read recipe here.