we made the journey down and through the shenandoah valley for my old boss and great friend’s wedding. it was delightful, a truly joyous and overwhelmingly happy time. smiles were present at all times, but we were just too busy cavorting in old and new water holes (including the maury river) to capture them on film. i hope that my more diligent friends can fill in the gaps.

i bought two W&L bumper stickers so that i can fill in the gap here in minnesota, so that i can bring a piece of that six-horse town with me to the twin cities. so that despite the fact that soon, i will minnesota license plates, that i park in front of a minneapolis house, that i have adopted  midwestern way of pronouncing my vowels — despite all of these things — i will still have a piece of virginia proudly displayed.

i won’t likely be back to virginia until december, but now that kate has now seen my homes, in northern and southerwestern virginia, i can turn to her, when i need to remember the places where i’ve been, and say, tell me what you loved about virginia. and i know she’ll say:

your family. your friends. the lake. the river. everything.

i’ve got a feeling (and a black eyed peas song in my head) that the generals CAN (and will) pull off the upset. this team, this program has fought it way through some very tough, dark times – times that were more navy than royal – and this team has already done more to excite and energize “Generals’ Nation” then i thought was possible. this team makes me prouder than ever to be a general. this team makes me wear crazy shirts W&L-themed in my minnesota living room. this team makes grown women cry and former athletes wish for their glory days. this team makes me smile … and hope.

this team is playing in march.

here is a little something i tried to write on saturday, but i got too distracted by the game …

as i am writing this, i am listening to WLUR’s broadcast of the ODAC women’s basketball conference semi-final game featuring the washington and lee generals and some other team from southwestern va. also, as i am writing this i am realizing the marymount saints are playing in their own conference final game against another team from central va.

as far as i am concerned, there are two teams that play women’s bball in va – and both of their colors are royal blue and white, both have sleek graphic identities (see the fleur de lys and the trident), and both were home to a member of the calhoun family.

i should have never doubted them.

kristen works fast. in less than 24 hours, she and tiffany were booked for a three-night twin cities tour – a tour that starts today. egads.

i get a little chocked up and shivery when i think about tiffany and kristen coming to minnesota, and i felt similarly when elizabeth descended upon my fair city. these are some of my favorite people and with them, i have had some of my favorite times.

the magic part of all of that is, as the cross country flight would indicate, they must think so too.

i started writing this yesterday during bootcamp because i knew that i wouldn’t start crying in while we were talking about instructional design – who does that right? i did, though, start crying in the shower though thinking about saying goodbye and last night, right before falling asleep, i teared up too. i hope that means i won’t cry in front of you.

but, that is probably unlikely.

i know how much i miss you when i don’t see you for a few days. i know how much i like my world, my twin cities, with you in it and i anticipate my world being a little darker without you and your twisty blond hair and your shiny blue single speed.

i am afraid of the dark and when i am afraid i often cry.

but enough about me and my tears. on to you – on to you and your adventure – and the pride and excitement i feel for you as you hit the road, jack, is a swell of bright, bright light. just the drive alone will be a mobile crazytown – who knows what awaits for you in kansas and oklahoma – and i can’t wait to hear what kind of trouble you and your caravan gets into, let alone what happens in texas. everything may be bigger there, but they are about to be hit by something huge.

thank you for being the best kind of pal a new girl to the cities could ask for. thank you for all those runs and trips to starbucks and the epic talks that accompanied them. thank you for being honest and loyal and simply irrestible. thank you for getting it, getting me and getting down.

there is probably only one thing left to say – go get it girl.

love, love, love (as i would say),

a