Ignorant Historian

I once argued with a Virginian that outsiders don’t consider Virginia a part of a South.  Yes, they fought on the side of the Confederacy, but I’ve always considered Virginia in it’s own category, you know?

Well, I still think I’m right about that, but I won’t be making that argument again.  I had to drive 3 hours north to get to Roanoke from Raleigh (all on back roads), and somehow ended up in the most Southern place I’ve ever been.  As I sat in the dining room of the 19th century hotel, I felt like I had been transported back to its heyday.  I was served “fancy” grits, peanut soup, and bread pudding.  The upcoming deer season and Virginia Tech football were the two major topics of conversation beyond the boring subject of our class.

It was quite foreign to this non-Southern city girl, that’s for sure.

As I was driving to and from Virginia, I was thinking about what it would be like to live in any of the various communities I drove through.  I just can’t picture living that far from a city.  Where would you work?

After my three days of training, I headed out to the cabin which was about an hour away.  I honestly thought that I might get freaked out being there alone, but I wasn’t.   Well, except for when a wasp kept dive bombing my pajama pants because the cloud pattern apparently looked like a window to him.  If Ronnica screams in an empty cabin in the middle of nowhere, does it still count as a girly scream?

I had a great two days alone.  It was peaceful.  It was agenda-free.  My major accomplishment was completing a 1000-piece puzzle (with help).

It was just what I needed.

Though I could have spent the whole 4 days alone, I was excited for my friends to join me for the weekend.  We had 21 people–including 13 children ages 2 to 17–in the cabin.  It was too much fun…I wish I could live in community *almost* like that all the time (it’d be great to have a little bit more personal space for each family and a larger kitchen!).  It’s great just to live life with others.

So overall it was a great week, though I am glad to be back now.

But I can’t end this post there.  Remember, I hinted at the possibility of a vlog?

Here it is:

I realized that I didn’t show the height of the cabin in the video. Here is a picture from the couch, showing the fireplace, hallway, and a bit of the kitchen:

Isn’t it gorgeous?

This is it.  THE big one. My 1,000 blog post.

And while I don’t blog primarily for you, I don’t think I’d still be at it without your readership (yes, you too, young lady in the back) and your comments.

So as a thank you, I’m offering you this vlog.*

You read that right: a real-live VIDEO of yours truly.

And thank you, YouTube for that hilarious screen shot. (And I may be a YouTube newbie, but I actually know how to change it…but didn’t.  That might be the funniest part of the whole video.)

(If that doesn’t work, you can see it here.)

Things I meant to say in the video but got too nervous and forgot:

• I have trouble putting words together OUT LOUD.  I hope you’d agree that I can do a decent job in writing.
• This was filmed at the end of a long day.  Just another part of my realness straight from me to you.
• That stain was from a cookies and cream milkshake from Chick-fil-a.
• My hair, jewelry, and makeup looked nice so I decided to shoot the vlog today, not the other way around.  I know that I don’t have to get dressed up for you all.
• Speaking of dressing up, those PJ bottoms are one of the pairs my mom made and sent me a couple weeks ago.
• I think my lovely blue room makes a lovely back drop, don’t you?
• I used a big stack of library books as a tripod.  Glad I had them handy, but I suppose I should get reading them again.
• I might not be so opposed to doing future vlogs…if only I knew what to do them on.  If you have any ideas, hit me.

Thanks again, truly, for reading!

*If my 1,000th post is a vlog, is it really a BLOG post?