two week vacation from our vacation

Right on Schedule, we rolled into Charlottesville first week of May (with a little help from our friends, one of which was a car), and we've been here for two weeks, loving life, playing with friends, resting our legs, and enjoying home. Jeremy, our good bud and fellow volunteer from Okinawa Bolivia, came and hiked with us for a few days, and then we all headed into c'ville together to play a while.

Here we are with our friend Scott and his baby goats, Marie and Elizabeth. There's maybe nothing more fulfilling than holding a baby goat. For days after this I kept thinking, man, I just want to pick up a baby goat.

Then we went to Monticello to check out mister Jefferson's place.

And the farmers' market downtown,

where there was a woman from Bolivia making empanadas! Too cool.

Then Patrick and Hanna came from Omaha to visit us for a few days, and we hung out at the cabin, did some serious fishing (serious meaning even I caught something, which never happens), and we all went to see the Boss in action. that's right, Bruce Springsteen in our little ol hometown. How great is this life!

Then, cause we hadn't had enough fun yet, our friend Meg came into town for the weekend, and stayed at Leah and Joe's with us. Leah and Joe's new place is fabulous, perfect for them, and it was so great to spend so much time with those two. While Meg was there we made a few pitures of strawberry margaritas and made a day of it. Love that woman!

Inbetween playing with friends, we spent a lot of time playing with friends. The fun is on full-time when you come to your hometown for vacation. Everyone's game for playing. i love it. Here's Tom and Jed hanging out by the river at Jed's b-day bash.

On Thursday we headed down to the Tye River with Talley to deliver some trail magic to fellow hikers. We didn't know who we'd run into, and for a while there it looked like maybe no one would come through, but by the end of the day we'd made a feast for more than a half dozen hikers. It was fun to be on the giving end of magic, knowing how much it means to come upon an unexpected delicious meal. We fixed up burgers and dogs, chips and salsa and guac, fruit and salad, cokes and beers, cinnamon rolls and scones, juice, coffee, and rootbeer floats.

Some of the hikers who hung out for a few hours and ate up everything we put down.

And finally, just to squeeze in a little more fun, I headed down to South Carolina to hang out with my awesome women friends from college. It was a fantastic weekend and felt to good to be around such hilarious, wise women.

Susie and Steph singing the Wood Song -a funkhouse fave. Brought a tear to my eye.

And now, exhausted from all that fun and feeling fulfilled from the good time spent with our fam and friends, it's back to the trail for us.

This afternoon we're heading out from Sugar Hollow into Shenandoah National Park. I love that the AT goes right through our back yard. What a beautiful place we live in. We'll be back in three months, ready to hunker down, move back into our place, and start life anew. Jobs, school, house, whoa. I think I'll need these three months just to get used to the idea. And for now, that's exactly where I want to be.