Dear Diary...

Earlier this week, I came across a box of books tucked away in my bedroom. Little did I know that as I lifted the lid, I would be revisiting my childhood and once again holding several of the beloved titles that I read during my elementary and junior high years. I immediately pulled out Anne of Green Gables and set it aside (I'm rereading it for oh, the hundredth time right now), but I also was pleased to see The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Ballet Shoes, Shh! We're Writing the Constitution (yes, I was smitten with TJ even then), Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and Caddie Woodlawn among others. The true find, and the one that has kept my mom and I entertained for the past couple of days was my first diary, from when I was seven years old. I bought it at the Philippi Elementary Book Fair and started with an entry on November 13, 1985: "It was an hour till lunch. My partner in music was Kris. He started flirting with me." The pages that followed were equally as amusing, but made me realize that there are a few chief characteristics about me that have never changed. Out of pure silliness, I've decided to share a few excerpts:

My attempts to find the good in everything: I had to clean my room but I found a doll I lost and I was happy. (Feb. 6, 1986)

The appeal of classic style: I have a lovely dress on. It is a pillgrims dress. We will dance the Virginia Reel. (Nov. 21, 1985)

Sibling conflict: My brother is snoopy, mean, bossy and a tattler. (Jan. 3, 1986)

Young love is fickle: I like Kevin Keller! (May 13, 1986) I hate Kevin Keller! Steven Lewis has a crush on me and I have a crush on him. We’re going steady. (May 15, 1986)*

Pampering is good for the soul: I got a box of choclates. They are yummy. I also got a very pretty card. I got 54 valentines at our school party. (Feb. 12, 1986)

Sometimes you make mistakes before you learn a valuable lesson: I went skiing. It was fun. I crashed 7 times. I also learned how to stop. (Feb. 10, 1986)

* The May 13 entry was crossed out with the same color pen used to write the May 15 entry.

Growing Up Gold and Blue

My visit to West Virginia this summer has given me the first true sense of homecoming I have felt in returning to my childhood home. Perhaps I was never away long enough for things to perceptibly change or distant enough for me to revisit them fondly. However, this time, I have relished in rediscovering places and things that were once familiar and dear. In trying to explain the experience of growing up in West Virginia, and truly capture its nuances, I often come to a loss of words or struggle to explain it to people who didn’t grow up in this environment. And with those who did, there will always be an instant understanding. I’ve had a complex relationship with my home state, but as anyone who was born here can tell you – it is one that you cannot deny.

Over the next week, I hope to revisit some of the places and things of my childhood and early adulthood on the blog. For now, I’m off to explore some of the unique shops and galleries in downtown Elkins and look for a special piece of West Virginia to take to my new home. My assignment to my WV readers, especially the ones that have lived away (I’m looking at you – Katie, Stephen, Justin, Tina, Laura), is to think of things that made your childhood distinctly WV. For my other readers, I’d love to hear some of the things that were particular to growing up in your native state.

Wine Country

According to tradition, married couples are supposed to save the top tier of their wedding cake to eat on their first anniversary. Since Matt and I had a rather unconventional Reine de Saba cake after our wedding, we decided to instead share a bottle of Joseph Phelps Le Mistral – our favorite wine which the chef of Cafe Europa ordered especially to accompany our wedding dinner. The bottle accompanied a decadent meal of seafood bisque, duck tortellini, lamb, and other culinary indulgences.

Ending with our favorite vintage was the perfect capstone for our anniversary by not only recalling our wedding feast, but also because sampling wine together is one of our favorite activities. Earlier in the afternoon, we had explored a couple of vineyards near Charlottesville, the heart of Virginia viniculture. Wine-making in Virginia has a history that dates back to several failed attempts by Thomas Jefferson to cultivate wine grapes imported from Europe to the 20th century when Virginian vineyards began to flourish and attract international attention.

Barboursville Vineyards

Horton Vineyards

Happy Birthday Bro-bee!

Clifton Inn: Celebrating "An Excellent Year"

The main house at Clifton Inn. Formerly owned by Thomas Mann Randolph (T.J.'s son-in-law), the main house features guest suites, a formal living room where we enjoyed afternoon tea and a restaurant on the veranda that gives sweeping views of the mountains. 

Bees in the lavender lining a walkway. We spent a lazy afternoon wandering the grounds and reading in the gazebo. It was refreshing to have some quiet time together after our busy week of house hunting. As the light breeze wafted the fragrant smell of lilies and lavender through the gazebo, I felt so content sitting with Matt and our books.

Sitting on the bed in the Martha Jefferson Room. Like the gazebo, the bed was an inviting place to read and relax. From the moment our hostess led us to our room where soothing music played to when she bid us farewell with a beribboned box of treats, it was hard not to feel at home with all of the uniquely "Clifton" moments. 

The rest of the Martha Jefferson Room. Located on the front of the main house, the room overlooked the front lawn and gardens. Although we have fond memories of the Dogwood Room at nearby Collina Farm, it was enjoyable to stay in the main house for this visit.

Matt savoring one of his Rocky Patels in the gazebo. I adore this picture and I think it really captures the moment. It may be my favorite picture of the weekend.

These were some of the lilies surrounding the gazebo. You know I couldn't resist taking a picture of my favorite flower - especially when their blooms were so splendid.

Happy Independence Day!!

“We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”        

- Thomas Jefferson

The above quote is certainly the most recognizable piece of the composition the spawned the creation of the United States of America. However, it is a sentence at the end of the piece that remains the most poignant to me: "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor." The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were acutely aware that their participation in the colonies' separation from Britain and the formation of a new nation could cost them everything, including their lives. As the colonial delegates prepared to sign the document, John Hancock instructed, "There must be no pulling different ways: we must hang together" and legend has it that Benjamin Franklin wryly added " We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

A couple years ago, I received an email forward that detailed the hardships encountered by the signers of the Declaration. Though not entirely factual, it outlined sacrifices of not only specific to the signers who publicly put their names on the document, but also the contributions of all colonists that took up the patriot cause. In our lives, the wars have been fought at a distance and the burden is taken by the men and women who represent our country in the armed forces. During the fight for independence, everyday citizens sacrificed their lives, homes and fortunes. As we celebrate Independence Day, we should certainly celebrate the signers who put themselves at risk by become the figureheads of the revolution, but we should also remember the colonists whose names don't appear the faded piece of parchment. They too, through their bravery and sacrifice, created the backbone of a new nation and made the freedoms we celebrate today a reality.