#37: Rope Swing at Blue Hole

        "You have to cross three bridges to get to the Black Hole," the old gentleman on the bicycle with the straw hat and winter gloves mused. It had been a long drive to this unmapped site, and had he not been biking by, we may have turned around and never made it.

        On the last day before I left for a few days at home, Molly, Lauren, Jade and I went on one last excursion to this mountain stream! It was an overcast day in May, and the water was no warmer than 50 degrees. I didn't want to get in, but fearing regrets is the best way to keep me from them, and the girls are so good at getting me to realize I'd be missing out!

             We made a few friends from Jade's hometown who goaded us to get in...after assessing the different depths of the water (trying to avoid stray rocks in the shallows) and optimal jumping points, Lauren was the first brave soul to jump in!

           Then Molly jumped.

           And then Jade took the first try on the rope swing! And then.... yes, I took the plunge.

             That mix of freezing mountain water and Joe's vulnerable immune system landed me with a nasty cold that I still have two weeks later... my system will recover. Regrets last forever :D

"Well, you just have to stand up to your fear and not let it squeeze you white. Right?" - Bridge to Terabithia

#107: Ride a UTS bus

        This picture was taken on a UTS bus first year coming back from Jade and my birthday dinner celebrations! Back then I never took the bus to class, and I know I'm revealing my age here, but back then the routes were called Blue and Orange. To account for increased first year housing way up in Hereford and Observatory Hill, now they have the Northline and Outer/Inner Loops.

        Ironically, I weighed more first and second year when I tried to walk everywhere than I did when I moved to 1900 JPA, where the bus stop literally right in front of my apartment has made me lazy and old.

"As long as a school bus comes riding by, I'll be willing to jump on it." -- Diane Evans

#61: Go Wine Tasting

        Ahhhhlcohol, the perks of being 21. I haven't gotten to any vineyards this spring, but I did take advantage of my mountain proximity to the vine in the beautiful September weather. My first trip was actually a 40 minute trip to Price Michel, a strikingly gorgeous winery up 29 North. I did a little researching this summer and found this place online, and the fact that they were having a free tasting event WITH chocolate was too much for me to pass up! Heather, Kimberly and I dressed up and went one Saturday.

       After being served some dessert wines by "Joe" our barista, the three of us decided on 2 bottles of wine we enjoyed the most: the Peach and Raspberry ones. "Tres bien" was also quite delicious but considerably more expensive. We had fun afterwards frolicking a bit tipsy amongst the vines and tractors outside.

       Molly's birthday was just a few weeks later! Her parents were so generous to pay for all of us to go wine-tasting at Jefferson vineyards up near Monticello. The wine selection we had here wasn't dessert so it wasn't nearly as sweet- the real red and white stuff.

        The view was gorgeous here, complete with six lovely wooden chairs just perfect enough for us to sit in and admire the mountain view before climbing into our WAHOOPTIE! My experimenting at vineyards and with different bottles with Joe has led me to the conclusion that I love Rieslings, and that, like Kristin, I don't have those $4 bottles of strawberry wine they sell at convenience stores, no matter how much the cashier tries to dissuade me.

"Wine is bottled poetry." -- Robert Louis Stevenson

#100: Make a 2am Harris Teeter run

         Reason #129 why my boyfriend is the best: I wasn't going to complete this task! He really wanted me not to give up just because it's a stupid obligation. So he let me sleep for 2 hours and then woke me up for the Teeter trip!

         When I was touring colleges, I remember going to CNU...and one of the main things they couldn't stop talking about on the tour was how Teeter was 24-7 and you could go there any time. Seriously, this point was the highlight of the tour and hit on throughout the day as one of the main drawing points to their university. It's kind of a joke, because we have a 24-7 CVS, Kroger, and Harris Teeter all within 5 minutes of Grounds.

         I didn't buy anything, but Joe was able to get chocolate Teddy Grahams that Kroger doesn't carry! And several things for Sam and Hyde, of course. (If you can't tell, Joe's holding up a "2" peace sign!)

#7: Read a book in your favorite Garden

            Wednesday was my first day of no exams, no school, no obligations! And Lauren came to my rescue and prevented me from freaking out about life. I grabbed my last West Range chicken sandwich and my picnic blanket and headed over to one of my favorite gardens... I don't even know the number. But it's the third one dowwn on the West range, and it has the giant Ionic column at the entrance.

        She and I enjoyed A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids, and its beautiful life lessons helped remind me of the important things to be aware of as an adult mermaid.

"We want to be refreshed, to remember, to find our way back to the part of us that is mostly ocean"

#13: Visit the Farmer's Market Downtown

        April showers brought May flowers! ... to the Charlottesville City Farmer's Market, that is! Each Saturday morning April through October, the parking lot across from the Downtown Mall is packed with tents and vans from local vendors that look like they get a lot of business. From fresh produce and "forest fed meats" to jewelry crafts and baked delights, the market is a smorgasboard of sensory stimulation.

            Kimberly and I took a break from studying for our final final exams and grabbed a trolley downtown to experience this wonderful event which I regret not previously being a part of. The market is open from 7am-12pm, and the marketeers are a wide range of Eco-hippies, clinging sorority sisters, and even celebrity professors like Fordham <3. We decided to mill about the site several times to soak it all in and make sure we hit the vendors that were perhaps lower on the locational hierarchy.

           The first thing I noticed when we entered the lot was the "Orchid Station", complete with entrancing orchids and an equally eyecatching owner. It made me think of poor Pansy and poor Joe who was stuck taking an exam at the time! Then, Kimberly wandered over to the Baker's Palette and got a delicious looking cinnamon bun which we took for a stroll through the maze of vendors.

Please enjoy the pictures and get down to the Market one weekend if you can!

Oh, and if you do, try the fresh baked bagels. They're diviiiine!

"Farmers markets are green shoots coming out of the gun. They represent hope and they need to be cultivated. But we have a juggernaut coming at us." -- Jerry Brown

#90: Spotlight a Streaker

            I’m growing up and I’m making decisions. Some wiser than others. I’ve decided I am going to bring my camera tomorrow and take pictures of the McGregor room where I have lived for the past week. I’ve decided I’m going to stay two more hours and head to Biltmore where I will celebrate seven hours and Cinco de mayo with a margarita. And on the way home, burdened with my kilo-boulder shoulderbag hanging by threads, probably after stopping at Little Johns to actually eat some substantial food, I will stop on the Rotunda steps and see if I can’t spotlight some streakers.

            Refusing to buy a flashlight or heaven forbid one of those Lawnie-spotlights, I will further define “spotlighting” as “direct attention to, intense scrutiny or public attention”. Having seen streakers numerous times, it won’t be something I could miss tonight and never see again. But I highly doubt I won’t see anyone, because it’s exam time and stressed out college kids do some crazy stuff.