Live that Life

Live that Life...

What do you do when you end up unexpectedly with three days off in the middle of the week? And it's going to be July 4th? And your house is basically packed up and the only thing to do around same house is pack MORE?

If you are me, you see if anyone wants you, if there are any reward type airline tickets available and if the sweet big guy is willing to watch the dog. And the chinchilla. And the cats. And the turtle. Bless his heart, he agreed. I took him out for Mexican food before I left to make the idea more appealing.

And where did I end up?

VIRGINIA!!

Friend Cathy lives there. We met in Mexico when we were 18. Even though she lived maybe 6 miles from where I grew up, we had to travel 1000 miles and be deposited at the same boarding house by well meaning mothers before we made each other's acquaintance. (We lasted at the boarding house until the mommas went home. As soon as the moms were gone, so were the yummy meals and hot water.)

Cathy/Me

This past winter she came to Texas!

(I can't find a Mexico picture. They are all packed away in storage.)

Anyway, Cathy foolishly said "Come see me!"
So I did.

$12 and some points for an airline ticket and I was gone.

It was a magical three days. I had four airline flights and 72 hours. That worried me. Just one flight being delayed or cancelled could ruin the whole trip. On the return I had it scheduled so I would arrive in time to get across town to pick up Bunny who would arrive at another airport.  Fingers crossed, I put my fate in United's hands.   They came through like a champ.

And what did we do in our 72 hours?

Visited her son and his wife's house, had a driving tour of Richmond, went to a brewery, had a big steak dinner,  antique shopping, lunch out, visited a Civil War battlefield, another brewery, dinner out, dug potatoes in her garden and visited a plantation.

And we visited. That was the best part.

Because Cathy lives in a picture book perfect farmhouse in rural Virginia. I had no idea Virginia was so pretty.

Can't believe I didn't get a better pic of the front of the house.

Aren't those puppies adorable? 

Decorative dogs, real dogs. 

Hank and Sadie are the real ones. 

The basket holding dogs don't have names. 

I'm going to call them Rufus and LeRóy.

Morning coffee was on the front porch. I really thought I had "Front porch-ing" down. We have a pretty good porch in Colorado. But no. This porch was straight out of Martha Stewart magazine. Or maybe Garden and Gun. One hundred and two year old farmhouse with a wrap around porch. Wicker furniture. Hanging baskets. Big black labs at our feet.  Wildflowers strategically placed in mason jars. Seriously, I could have spent the entire 72 hours there.

Heaven.

And the story of how they ended up in this perfect house is the BEST.

The other side of Heaven.

Cathy's husband grew up in the area. When he was in 4th grade, he was out on the school bus and saw this gorgeous old farm house. He told himself "One day, I'm going to live there." (Ok. I wasn't on the bus, I don't know EXACTLY what he said, but that's the gist of it.)  Maybe 35 years later, there he is. With my sweet friend.

Sigh. Excuse me. 

I need to go back and have coffee in this spot. 

There's a 100 year old magnolia tree on the other side of the house 

and it made the air so sweet.

Anyway, it was a perfect three days and I'll hit some of the highlights next post. But here's what I am going to leave you with:

Live that Life.

This was on someone's Facebook wall and I stole it. I saw it while I was waiting for my plane and it perfectly sums up what I was feeling. Yes. I COULD have stayed home and packed and been bored. Walked down to see the fireworks maybe. But...but...we only have one life. Love it, live it, don't waste it.