virginia is for lovers, and i'm smitten

I waxed poetic about the Midwest a few months ago so I think it's only fair that I give my current home some love too. It was one year ago this week that we went under contract for our first home. I've now lived in two states, one district, and a commonwealth. What's next...a territory?  

Northern Virginia is really more "outer DC" and I know the rest of Virginia probably doesn't look too kindly on us. We take up little of the land, but we have more of the people and therefore influence a greater share of things than the rest of the state would like. I get that. We're a bit annoying and a lot bossy in that way. But I hope the rest of Virginia won't hold it against me because I certainly appreciate that much of what makes Virginia a wonderful place to live is the 98% of the state not called Northern Virginia.

Virginia is a little bit South and a little bit East Coast, but resides in this no man's land known as the mid-Atlantic. We're famous for peanuts and Presidents. There are worse things to be famous for.

Virginia is full of places that are old, quaint and historic - all things that are right up my alley. I'm also not above admitting that I've geeked out at more than one Civil War battlefield in Virginia.

I love exploring my new state, and I'm settling into the idea of calling it home. This is no small feat. I lived in Arkansas for 5 years, but I don't remember ever entertaining the idea of it being home. I'm a nester with a bent toward the domestic so "home" is my highest form of praise.

I'm warming up to Virginia because I feel comfortable here. I live close to the city where I can enjoy baseball games, great restaurants, culture and shopping but then I get to drive a few minutes away to my home on a quiet street with parks and trees and the kind of neighbors who watch out for you.

Virginia likes to surprise me. Every time we take a road trip through this state, I'm completely blown away by how beautiful it is. I could probably spend a month hopping from small town to small town, from B&B to B&B and never get tired of it. And yes, I know I travel like an octogenarian.

I've been to a lot of states (49!) so I know a thing or two about American countryside, and I can honestly say that Virginia is near the top of the list. I was reminded of that over Memorial Day weekend when we spent some time exploring around Charlottesville. This was taken at Montpelier - James Madison's home. These early President's certainly had a knack for owning beautiful properties. It's tough to beat this view of the blue sky and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

So here's to you, Virginia. I think we're going to get along nicely.

a note on the midwest

I interrupt the vacation storytelling to bring you a little note on my encounter today. I’m going to do some generalizing & stereotyping. If that gets your knickers in a twist, read no further.

I waited for my bus inside a hotel lobby today because it was chilly outside. I sat down next to a man who must have seen me eyeing his goodies because he jokingly declared that I couldn’t have his wine or chocolates. He explained that today was his lucky day. A lady had given him the wine because she didn’t want to carry it around in her purse and the chocolates were from a waitress to make up for his cold eggs.

He asked me if I was from DC, to which I responded that nobody is really from DC. This is, of course, not entirely true, but pretty close. He wanted to know where I’m from. I answer this question differently depending on the situation. When I’m outside the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virigina), I usually tell people I’m from the DC area, but when I’m here in the DMV, the answer is always North Dakota. I haven’t lived there in almost 10 years, but it’s still home.

 “You’ll never guess where I’m from,” he said, “North Dakota!” Of course he was.

We went on to a have a lengthy discussion about home, oil (naturally), his visit to DC, and my life in DC. It was the best way to spend a few minutes waiting for the bus. It reminded me how much I love people from the Midwest, particularly people from North Dakota. There are so few of us that it’s hard to meet one you don’t instantly love.

Some of you may not get the whole Midwest thing, and I understand that. I know we aren’t the warmest bunch. We can be a bit (ok, a lot) reserved, pragmatic to a fault, suspicious of outsiders, annoyingly polite. We think soda is pop, this is salad, and distance is measured in hours, not minutes.

After living in the South for 5 years and now the Mid-Atlantic for just under 5 years (I confess that I always thought  DC was just considered East Coast before moving here), Midwest really is best. This isn’t a knock on the South. I loved the food and was fascinated by the big personalities, bless your hearts. Although, I will admit I could have done without the weather and the hugs. SO MANY HUGS. And I love living here in the DMV where we enjoy 4 distinct seasons, cultural diversity, and trees. Trees are great.

But at the end of the day, there is no one I would rather have in my corner than a Midwesterner. We are fiercely loyal, refreshingly genuine, sensible, hard working, honest, and humble. It can be hard to break through our shells, but once you do, you have a friend for life. We won’t think twice about lending a hand or feeding a neighbor – probably with hotdish.

Since I haven’t lived in the Midwest for a long time, I find those sensibilities in me slipping away. The accent faded a long time ago. I smile less at strangers. I walk faster. Being able to see for miles now seems strange. Today was a nice little reminder that there is no place like home, even if home is considered a flyover state by most.