This past week, Andy and I packed our bags and headed east to my motherland of Virginia. It was a whirlwind of a trip with tons of quick stops and all too short visits, but I'm looking forward to pulling a few of the highlights to share on this blog of ours. The photos above are of my dear friend Rachel. She and I are true compatriots; we share the same distinct southern/Virginian cultural identity, and we have lived as foreigners in a strange land. Plus, we have pooled our closets, navigated foreign countries, narrowly avoided disaster, and maintained a long-distance friendship for years.
Rachel and I first met at the University of Virginia, and later, we shared a room in Florence, Italy for 4 months - an experience that cemented our friendship like no other. When I look at Rachel, I am flooded with the memory of train stations, our lovely Italian flat, Scottish haggis, strange fashion choices, and our first photography class (actually, the same class where I met my husband!). Rachel is a photographer out in Virginia, and we met up with her at our alma mater for some old-fashioned picture taking. It was entirely wonderful to see her, to reminisce, and to tromp around on UVA's stunning grounds. We desperately need a longer visit (hint, hint!).