Meet Virginia

September 12, 2026

“She never compromises. Loves babies and surprises. Wears high heels when she exercises. Ain’t that beautiful?…Meet Virginia. I can’t wait to meet Virginia.” – Train, Meet Virginia

I totally neglected my beautiful morning routine that I described in my previous post. My Saturday morning alarm went off at 6:30, and I hopped out of bed, dressed quickly, fixed my fucking face, and set out on an adventure that I hastily planned before bed last night. I’ve realized that some of my self esteem comes from a place of being adventurous and willing to set out on my own to try new things. I mean, I went to Paris by myself two years ago. Flew across an ocean, got into a car accident with my Uber driver, drank a gallon of champagne, enjoyed a romantic dinner for two by myself on a Seine River cruise. I’ve climbed tiny mountains by myself in Shenandoah. I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge alone on shaky legs when I was certain that the wind was either going to toss me over the edge into the bay or right into the path of a Honda Civic. I’ve got it in me to be an independent, Sheryl Strayed, Into the Wild kind of woman. So why haven’t I been scratching that itch lately? What am I waiting for? Does life pause while I’m waiting on my life partner to show up? Do I need a man to chauffeur me around the country or carry my bag through the airport? Do I need to force my friends to wake up at the ass crack of dawn to see the countryside with me? Nah. I can do this on my own. I’ve seen me do it.

Today was just a small step toward claiming some of my adventurous spirit back. I planned a day of exploring some parts of Virginia that I hadn’t seen yet. I moved to Virginia almost TEN years ago, and I’ve seen plenty of DC and NOVA. I’ve spent some time in Roanoke and Charlottesville, and even Virginia Beach. I’ve hiked many parts of Shenandoah and the Appalachian trail. But this is a big, beautiful state – and I need to get out and see more of it. I’ve been to Leesburg about 100 times, but I was inspired last weekend by a shopping trip I took with my friends in the historic town there. We explored witchy shops, quirky stores that sell plants and books, and a pie shop that smelled like heaven on earth. I want more of that. I want to feel connected to my home. I want more of that feeling when you chat with the owner of a small shop or the proprietor of a booth at a farmer’s market and feel like you connected with someone even for just a few minutes.

So here’s how my day went!

I started with a little hike at Eagle Rock in Star Tannery, VA. This trail is fab. Super well marked and maintained. It only took me about 25 minutes (~1.2 miles) to climb to the overlook. There was a stunning view from the summit, which was really nice today since it was so overcast and a little foggy out. If you ever go here, there’s an option for a longer hike (~5mi) if you keep going past the overlook on the Tuscarora Trail Loop. I opted to just turn around and head back the way I came, cause I had stuff to do! Part of the reason I didn’t do my morning routine was because I was afraid parking would be tough. I read online that there were only about 7 parking spots at the trailhead and I wanted to get there early enough to snag one. I ended up being the second vehicle to pull into the lot. I pulled in right behind a young couple, and I awkwardly followed them up the trail. I kept praying that the guy wasn’t taking her up to the overlook to propose, because I was certainly going to make things awkward and kill the mood. I pretty much had the trail to myself on the way back, and got to enjoy some lovely quiet time inside of my head. I’ve listened to enough episodes of Tooth and Claw and National Park After Dark that every crackle of leaves I heard in the woods put me on high alert for bears and bad boys. But I had my bear spray in hand, which had me covered on both fronts.

I was perseverating (SAT word I learned from my boss) about my next stop. I told my dad I wanted to go on a hike today when I was FaceTiming him Friday night, and he tried to convince me to “find a nice festival instead”. He too, is afraid of boys and bears. But he inspired me to find something local and funky to attend, and I found a Sunflower festival in Winchester, VA. I finished my hike and felt energized, so I said “fuck it” and bought the $10 entry ticket in the car before I left the trailhead. The festival was at an adorable little farm called The Homestead Farm at Fruit Hill, and it was so lovely. They of course had large sunflower fields where you could go and pick your own flowers for $1 per stem. The real draw for me was all of the little vendors that were set up at the festival. It was basically a really big farmer’s market with tons of local craftsmen and businesses selling…everything. They had honey, fall decorations, clothing, earrings, leather, pork chops, funky socks. They had it all. I treated myself to a beautiful pair of earrings, a Gilmore Girls fall sweatshirt, and a jar of spicy pickles from the farm store. I was also elated that my car did not get stuck in the mud from parking in the grass at the farm. I think my car is actually in 4WD all the time? But I’m not really sure how it works or how to actually do 4Runner things. I’m just a girl!

It was 11:30 by the time I left the festival, so I set off for Old Town Winchester for some lunch and shopping. I had lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Old Town called “El Centro”. That place was fantastic – I had a watermelon flavored margarita that was spicy (10/10), delicious fresh salsa and chips (10/10), and a chicken fajita (9.5/10). The service was great, and it was a perfect day to sit outside. Bonus points for the waiter seating me next to the couple with the adorable twin boys who both managed to get ketchup in their ears while eating. Or at least that’s what their dad was shouting. “Ketchup! Everywhere! It’s in his ear! Honey, it’s in his ear!!!”

I spent the next couple of hours exploring the shops in Old Town. I visited one of those charming book and plant stores, but this one specialized in “Romance” books. I think they actually specialize in Fairy Porn, but the plant section was lovely. I pretended I was someone else for five seconds and almost bought a pretty plant with orange blooms, but then I snapped back to reality and remembered that I can’t keep a plant alive. I can’t. I just fucking can’t. But a girl can dream about an orange flower life.

I went into another bookstore and a few little boutiques. Then I found a metaphysical shop. I perseverated (again!) on whether to buy some incense…but as a survivor of an apartment fire, opted not to for now. The shop had a very cute shop cat who was very proud that his face was on a gum ball machine in the store. They had a lot of crystals, and some spell jars…for the low price of $8.99! I almost bought a love spell but the damn thing didn’t come with instructions which seems like a recipe for disaster. I’ve seen that movie Obsession. But love for the low low price of $8.99 sounds like a good deal compared to that $10,000 matchmaking service that lady tried to sell me a couple years ago.

All in all, it was a great day exploring a little corner of Virginia. I learned that Winchester, VA is the “apple capital of the world.” Local businesses have giant apples out front, and they paint them in creative ways. Louisville has something similar with the Derby horse statues that businesses paint. There’s some historical significance there because Stonewall Jackson had a headquarters there during the Civil War.

It’s fun to come home and enjoy little trinkets from the day. I can’t wait to dig into my spicy pickles, and I got some nice pics for my Instagram and whatnot. But I think what I’m proud of today is that I got out there and tried to find joy and adventure on my own. I didn’t sit around waiting for life to deliver it to me – I sought it out. I got up early when I really wanted to sleep in and I set out to do something that was just for me. I was also really compassionate to myself today. When I was on my hike, surrounded by all that stillness and quiet, I allowed myself to think about some hard things and talked out loud to myself the way I would to a friend who was seeking advice or reassurance. I didn’t bully or degrade myself. I treated myself to little gifts, allowed myself to eat that whole fajita and a whole basket of chips without guilt or regret. When I was sad, I was sad. When I was lonely, I was lonely. And when I was happy, I noticed it and felt grateful. Meeting myself with the same compassion and understanding I offer to everyone around me, and meeting Virginia.