These are a few of my favorite things (about my trip home)....

Family

My first day home was spent with Mom... we ventured out to good ol' Fashion Square Mall for some shopping, Greenberrys for my favorite coffee, Bodo's for my favorite bagel sandwich, and home to relax before Dad got home from work. We decided on dinner at Farmington and fortunately for us, it was Pub Quiz Night! After our pitiful attempt at trivia in Austin (where all the questions were completely obscure and geared towards the more artsy and "emo" crowd), the three of us mustered up the courage to take part in Farmington's trivia night. We didn't win... but we didn't come in last place either! Darn those british intellectuals who take time to read the paper every morning. On Friday night, both my sisters (plus Tony and Will) drove from D.C. to spend the rest of the weekend with us. We had SUCH a good time together! Mom made her famous chicken and stuffing dish... and we proceeded to eat, drink, play our favorite "What If... Then" game, watch home videos, and laugh the night away. It was so nice to be home with everyone.

Charlottesville in the Fall

My second day home was spent showing Firas around the beautiful town of Charlottesville, AKA me being the most annoying girlfriend in the world. No matter what it was we were doing.... eating, sight-seeing, driving... all he heard was, "Isn't this the best ______ you've ever seen?!, "Isn't this the best ______ you've ever tasted?!" Okay, so I was trying to sell my town. I should have let it sell itself, because it's an easy town to love. I was just overly excited to finally be on my stompin' grounds and have places to show him for a change. Even my Mom told me to give it a rest. My apologies, Firas. You were very patient. However, we did get to experience some of Charlottesville's finest attractions, including Riverside Burgers, Starr Hill Brewery, wineries, Zazus, Thomas Jefferson's architecture (Firas was very amused by all of the brick and white columns), and more. We are on a mission to find Starr Hill beer in Austin because it is just so darn good and the customer service is exceptional. We must have had 10 tastings (for free!) and the guy serving us took the time to chat with us and answer all of our questions. You've gotta love the local attractions.

Friends

I was so thankful to be able to spend time with a few of my close friends while back in Virginia. Tara drove from Baltimore to spend Friday night with me and the family, and it was SO much fun having her with us. She's been part of the family since college, and as always, fit right in with our crazy clan. She came along with me, Mom, Dad, and Firas to Pollak and White Hall Vineyards, where we tasted a whole lot of Virginia wine. I still love her even though the server corrected her on how she pronounces Pinot Gris (some people do say "Pinot Grigio", but here it's called... oh, just pour the wine already!) It's funny to think about how many times Tara and I have rolled our eyes at each other, thinking the exact same thing. It was good to be reunited with her, and I am so, so excited for the St. Patrick's Day reunion in Austin! Fast forward to Saturday night where I was able to celebrate with Dana, Elizabeth, Vail, and Emily at Liza and Zach's beautiful wedding. I was so happy that Firas was able to meet some of my closest friends and see me in my element... which would be on the dance floor with my Charlottesville girls. Grind train, anyone? What a night! Another wedding blog post to follow.

Thank you to everyone who made my trip home so wonderful! Now get your tails to Austin! ;)