"No Place on Earth do I Love More Sincerely, Than Old Virginny..."

UVA and Zeta Xi House

Last week I had a chance to visit the gorgeous campus in Charlottesville, VA. The University of Virginia and the Zeta Xi chapter of Alpha Delta Pi. Last time I was here? 7th grade. I am so glad I got to go back!
The weather in the mornings was cool and sunny. Perfect for a good run. I loved running through the town and the grounds. I can't and won't get tired of the view.

The first morning I head out about 9 AM after eating a nice breakfast at the house knowing I had a meeting at 11. Before leaving, I mapped out my run on the ever so helpful mapmyrun.com , wrote the names of the streets in order on my hand, and set off. I had a great playlist which included everything from "Be Our Guest" to "A Whole New World". These were going to be the best 3.5 miles I'd run in a long time. Running past the old Charlottesville homes and down the bricked sidewalks, I found my rhythm and never looked back. I was singing along my head to "You've Got a Friend in Me" remembering the time Molly and I sang that for the entire school in 6th gade, precious. , gawking at the beautiful buildings, dodging the construction crews (and students) pretty sure every other road in Charlottesville is being worked on, and checking my hand at every intersection for where to go next. I followed the route just like always, and then I looked down at my watch. 45 minutes. hmmm, I will be honest and tell you that I didn't stop running at all, and I was running at a good pace. I also began to see fewer and fewer students, no more construction, and streets were getting smaller. Welp! I was lost. I kept running though, not knowing where I was going. Hind sight? Probably not the best decision. I ran until I found a main thoroughfare. I figured it had to get me somewhere, right? Well I ran and ran and ran some more because I was worried I would be late for my meeting we know this girl HATES being late. Finally, I saw it. Signs for "Historic Downtown". I remembered seeing that on the map. From there, I made it back to the house just in time to have 30 minutes to get ready and be on time for my meeting at 11. 3.5 miles turned into 7.7 miles, but hey, I felt great afterwards!

Because I got such great runs in while I was at UVA, I didn't feel bad about the delicious food I also enjoyed during my visit. Some of the members told me that Charlottesville has more restaurants per capita than NYC, and I wasn't about to argue. Please see my favorites below:

Top Left-Starbucks. Every day minus one to make sure I was not developing a problem Don't worry Duran Durant, it was a gift card. grandesoychaitealatte please and thank you.
Top Right-Number 3. I ate lunch here with two New Deltas who were totally excited about all things azure blue and white. We bonded. They'll make great leaders, sure will!
Bottom Left-The Virginia. I ate lunch here with a member whose faith was ever so refreshing. We talked about our walks with the Lord and shared similar struggles, and just when I'm missing that community, God puts a believer right at my lunch table. Awesome!
Bottom Right-The Flat. Dark Chocolate and Strawberry Crepe is all I'm sayin.


Title: From the State Song of Virginia: "Carry Me back to Old Virginny"  Written by James Bland