The Greatest Place On Earth

Irvington, Virginia.  Located on the Rappahannock River, Irvington is the home of the freshest soft shell crabs, most glorious 4th of July parade, and of course, the Fleet family.  Ever since I can remember my family has spent the week of 4th of July in Irvington.  My mom grew up here, 99% of my family lives here, and my grandfather has been the mayor here for the past 15 years.

This week is one of my favorite weeks of the whole year because I love everything about Irvington.  From an outsiders point of view, the small town of 500 doesn't have much to offer (not even a stoplight?!), but insiders like me know that Irvington is the greatest place on earth. 

We liked to spend our mornings at the local coffee shop very appropriately named, "The Local," our afternoons sitting by the pool with all the cousins, and our evenings eating dinner on the porch as we watch the boats sail by.

Each year Irvington boasts the most extravagant 4th of July festivities.  There's a concert put on by the Air force band where hundreds of people bring out their lawn chairs and picnic baskets to enjoy the patriotic tunes, a parade in which everyone is encouraged to participate (even if you just want to ride your scooter or segue), and of course the most spectacular fire works!

Each year the Lee family has what we like to call our  "Fam-LEE Reunion".  There is always lots of singing, dancing, eating, and fellowship.  Some of us may be a little quirky, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

I'll say it again; Irvington, Virginia... The Greatest Place On Earth. And as the locals say "A day spent on the Rivah is a day well spent."

Gone For Awhile

Today I'm leaving for a month long journey where I will be serving high school kids at a Young Life camp in New York.  I'm excited, nervous, scared, and don't really know what to expect. But I know it will be one of the greatest months of my life.  Don't worry though, I've already written a couple of blogs that will post automatically while i'm away. Enjoy the posts, enjoy the fantastic month of July and I'll see you in a month! 

Wild Wild West

The day after graduation I embarked on an adventure with my best friend to California.  We stayed in the Sierra Nevada's for eight days and then explored San Francisco for four days.  Our two weeks in the west were full of adventure; hiking, climbing, kayaking, and much more. Never have I ever seen mountains so monstrous, valleys so deep and dry, and the sky so abundant and blue.  

We stayed in cabins so we weren't exactly "roughen' it," but the intense altitudes, exhausting hikes, and extreme climates definitely pushed us to our limits.

Each morning we'd load up on carbs to get us through our day and then set out for an adventure.  Some days it'd be a strenuous hike through three foot snow and others it'd be hours of bouldering through the Alabama Hills, a famous spot for old western movies.  While each day was exhausting, something about being outside, engulfed by the Sierra Nevada's, rejuvenated and refreshed me in a way that is indescribable.  I felt on top of the world (probably because I was at 14,000 ft. elevation).  

After long days of exploration and adventure we'd come back to the cabin where we'd cook dinner and sit by the campfire and relax.  One day we found a spot next to a creek, set up our iHome, and read.  It may have been one of my favorite moments of the trip.  I'm usually the kind of person that likes to go go go all the time but it was so nice just to sit, relax, and take it all in.  

After a week of fun we left the mountains and headed to the city. It was a pretty big adjustment going from being in the mountains where we literally saw no one except our group to being in the city where we were surrounded by people everywhere we went.  During our four days in the city we ate a lot of good food, checked out some of the local hot spots, and even sunk our toes into the very cold Pacific Ocean.  

Our trip out west was one-of-a-kind.  I will never forget the sights we saw and the good times we had.  Although it was sad leaving the wonderful state of California, it was only "goodbye for now," because I know we'll be back to enjoy her soon and very soon.  

  

Girls Graduation Brunch

The morning of graduation I had twenty of my closest girlfriends over for a brunch to celebrate graduating and to celebrate our friendship over the years.  These girls are what made high school so much fun and I love them all so much!

We all sat down at one long table and ate and talked about our favorite memories of high school and everything that is to come.  All of us are going in different directions next year which is frightening but equally exciting. I can't wait to see where the wind takes us and how it will bring us all together later in life.

The menu was simple, but delicious:

• Fruit Salad
• Muffins
• Bagels
• Watermelon
• Egg and Bacon Cups
• Strawberry Shortcake Skewers 
• Tea and Juice

The stars of the show were the Egg and Bacon Cups and the Strawberry Skewers.  Both went like hot cakes! The Skewers were easy enough; just slice strawberries, cube angel food cake, and alternate the two onto skewers.  The Egg and Bacon Cups were a recipe from Martha Stewart. And trust me, you're going to want to make these!

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 8 slices white or whole-wheat sandwich bread
• 6 slices bacon
• 6 large eggs
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 6 standard muffin cups. With a rolling pin, flatten bread slices slightly and, with a 4 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut into 8 rounds. Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to edge of cup. Use extra bread to patch any gaps. Brush bread with remaining butter.
   
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium, until almost crisp, 4 minutes, flipping once. (It will continue to cook in the oven.) Lay 1 bacon slice in each bread cup and crack an egg over each. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a small knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately.
    
   

   

   Flower arrangement by my very talented grandmother, Mama Dear.

   
   

The morning was perfect; not because of my planning or cooking, but because of the company and the fellowship.  Thanks for such a lovely morning ladies! And thanks to my parents, grandparents, and best friend Leah. I could not have pulled this off without you guys. 

Strawberry Fields Forever

A couple of friends and I kick started our summer by visiting Scot's Strawberry Farm for some strawberry picking.  And let me tell you, we harvested! The berries were in perfect picking condition and even more perfect eating condition.  They were the juiciest, most delicious strawberries I had ever eaten in my life! Mmm. So good.

I know, I know. You're reaching for the screen to grab them, aren't you? They were that good! We picked and picked and came home with quite the pile; 5 buckets I believe...

And if I haven't sold you yet, they were pretty inexpensive too! All these strawberries would have cost a fortune at the grocery store but these were much cheaper. $8 a bucket I believe. And the buckets were huge.

Tasty strawberries, good prices, and good times. I'd call it a successful day!

Welcome.

Untitled, a photo by Soda O on Flickr.

“Simplicity is the glory of expression”
- Walt Whitman