Friday, May 24, 2013

Virginia - Highland County

For our second part of the trip, Liza and I spent a few nights in a beautiful house in Highland County. Our days were spent reading by the creek and exploring the property. During the nighttime we ate too much cheese, drank local wine, and star gazed. We watched the most amazing shooting star fall so slowly through the sky it seemed unreal! The weather was mostly sunny with big white clouds but, on the second day, the weather cooled down and we witnessed some storms roll through the valley. It was magnificent to watch! Virginia's beauty has once again won my heart over! I look forward to the next time I can escape into the mountains with Miss Liz! Thank you Liza for such a lovely trip :)

On a side note - Yes, from now on I promise to never shoot my video vertical. Lesson learned :)

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Virginia - Buffalo Bend

After graduation, I decided to take a little road trip with my friend Liza (who you have seen here) up to her home state of Virginia. Liza and her family live in the valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the scenery is breath taking. Originally, we deemed the trip "mountain throw down" hoping to make it into a big trip full of friends. Yet, as more people bailed out, it ended up being just me, Liza, and the mountains. Our first stop was at her house on Buffalo Bend! Well, Liza wouldn't describe it as a house...she describes it as a shack on a cliff, but I disagree. It is a beautiful and rustic little home in the mountains right on a creek. We drank wine, took long walks, ate delicious salads, and talked through the craziness of graduation. A perfect kick off to a lovely week in VA! More to come with regards to the rest of the trip...


Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Not farewell, but fare forward.

Well, this happened this weekend...

Crazy, huh? I walked across the stage to receive my diploma and was given my hood by my favorite professor who is also my advisor. He told me that he loved my daisy chain and, man, that could not have been a better thing to hear as I became a graduate. After the ceremony, Rhodes served us champagne and hor d'oeuvres and my family took photos and celebrated. After leaving Rhodes, we packed a little, ate some Muddys cupcakes, opened presents, and finally went to restaurant Iris for a celebratory dinner. The chef had made a personalized menu for me congratulating me on my accomplishment and the staff decorated the table with ribbons. My family and I sipped on sangria, ate mouthwatering food (their bone marrow and fried oysters were to die for), and shared our favorite college moments. Finally, most of my graduating class met at a bar on Beale and just enjoyed one another’s company before we all left each other to go to great things.

As cliché as it is, my four years at Rhodes really did fly by. I am beyond happy that I decided not to transfer a few years ago (I blame those feelings on a poor rooming situation) because my life at Rhodes has changed me for the better. My professors and classes taught me how to be more open-minded and care about what is going on in the world. Unintentionally, they taught me how to be organized, hardworking, and timely. But most importantly, my time at Rhodes strengthened my relationship with myself. Rhodes also introduced me to amazing people who I can’t imagine life without. It also introduced me to a southern lifestyle, which I have learned to appreciate and will greatly miss. It is hard to leave this place after such a life altering four years, but I know that great adventures lie ahead. So, in the words of our dearly loved college president, my goodbye to Rhodes is not a farewell, but a fare forward.

For now, I am off the the mountains of Virginia to enjoy some well earned R&R! Cheers!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Beale Street Music Festival


Hey friends! This past weekend I trudged through inches of mud to go to Beale Street Music Festival. As usual, it rained and was freezing, but all of the kick ass music distracted us from the weather. My favorite performances were Phoenix, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Blind Mississippi Morris, and The Flaming Lips. I have seen many of those bands before, but it was my first time seeing Phoenix (pictured above). Their beats were perfect to noodle around to! Also, they are from Paris so how can you not to fall in love with them!

This weekend was the perfect kick off to a summer full of concerts. It was also a send off of sorts since next weekend I will be leaving Memphis. Eeek! Did I really just type that?! I should end this post before I get too sentimental about leaving Memphis - I still got one week :) What did you all do this weekend?