Chris with a 'K': virginia is for lovers, a hemi-versary, and the waffle house

Last weekend, Drew and I journeyed to Floyd County, Virginia, located in the southwestern part to see his parents. It was the first meet-the-parents event for me. I wasn't terribly nervous or anything; I mean, I tend to not make enemies until at least the 7th or 8th meeting. Drew reassured me that I couldn't possibly do anything that would make them dislike me, unless I like punched him in the face or something. Rest assured I had nothing to worry about; I reserve face punching for slow walkers and people who have cell phone conversations in the library.

We got to Virginia super late on Friday night. On Saturday morning, Drew's dad made french toast. It was really good, and I wondered why I don't eat french toast more often. Oh well. Then Drew and I went to Blacksburg and walked around on the Virginia Tech campus, Drew's alma mater. Then we ate Jimmy John's subs on the drill field. Later that afternoon, we went to Charlotte, NC to have dinner with Hawkeye, Brian, and their new baby, Heidi. Remember Hawkeye? She's my old friend from Girl Scout camp; I was in South Carolina last January for her wedding. (go back to the blog archives- you'll find the posts) Heidi sure was cute, and it was fun to catch up with Hawkeye and Brian. Plus, they got to meet Drew and Drew got to meet them.

On Sunday, Drew and I took a walk in the woods. Seriously. You see, Drew is from rural Virginia and his parents live on this huge piece of property that's like way bigger than the neighborhood that I grew up in. Being out in the country is quite a contrast to what I'm used to, I mean, I can't imagine what it must be like to drive 40 minutes just to get groceries. I might be a city girl, but I do like the open air, the trees, and the peace and quiet in the middle of nowhere. (it reminded me of Girl Scout camp!) Drew and I walked to a mini waterfall and then sat out by the pond.

We left Drew's mom and dad's in the early afternoon. Okay, so something that I find amusing is how there are churches like every 10 yards in the South (20 yards in the rural areas). And, I like all the clever sayings on the church marquis, you know, the rhymes that basically tell you that you are going to hell. Well, we drove past this church and saw this rock that says "Jesus Saves." We actually turned around to take a picture, and here it is:

Yeah, I'm totally going to hell now. Anyway, Drew and I went to the town of Floyd, which is like the only town in Floyd County. The downtown area was only about a 4 block radius and it had one stoplight. Nevertheless, there were a few restaurants, some shops, and some art galleries. Even though Floyd is in a rural area, surprisingly, it has a thriving arts community. We checked out a couple galleries, and Drew, nice guy that he is, bought me a sterling silver bracelet with freshwater pearls. Here I am in front of the Floyd Country Store:

The Floyd Country Store was kind of cool. It had a little restaurant and a stage. The resaurant served Southern food like bbq and collard greens. On that afternoon, there was a group of people having a jam session, playing banjos, fiddles, and guitars. The store had stuff like cookbooks, cooking gear, children's toys, and clothing. I got some hushpuppy mix and an egg timer shaped like an ice cream cone.

We left Floyd and headed back to D.C. So, Drew and I have been together for six months now, so we went to the Waffle House to celebrate our hemi-versary. Now, you might think that the Waffle House is a strange place to have a celebration, but not so. Drew and I are big fans of the Waffle House. Big fans. When he lived in Virgnia, he dined at the Waffle House about once a week. Let me tell you how much I love the Waffle House. Everytime I go to the South, I HAVE to eat there. In fact, sometimes I even pilfer things on my Waffle House visits, like menus and salsa. On my last visit, I took home two Waffle House mugs. So when Drew and I realized that we had a hemi-versary to celebrate, we made a unanimous decision to celebrate at the Waffle House. (by the way, I didn't take any souvenirs on this visit, in case you are wondering. It just might be the first time I left the Waffle House empty handed)

Drew told our server that it was our hemi-versary, and he asked the server to make us a special waffle. Isn't he sweet? (this was all a surprise, by the way. I was in the bathroom while Drew was taking care of this)

Drew brought a candle he purchased at the Floyd Country Store. Even though we didn't light it, it was like had a candle light dinner at the Waffle House.

Here is what I ate: Sausage, egg, and cheese on Texas toast, and hash browns, scattered, smothered and covered. (for the uninitiated, that means that I ate hash browns with onions and cheese)