Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing

Hey y'all. 

It's been a little bit, but I guess that's to be expected with everything I have going on. I made it through the first week of classes, and I think I'm really going to enjoy my OTC/non-prescription medication class. 

I'd be lying if I said this week was a cake walk. I had a ton of meetings (which went fine), but Thursday brought a series of mood shifts on the funk. And by funk, I mean depression. I've never been one to say that I've felt depressed. 

In a bad mood, a funk, just bla - yes. Those I've felt, but never depressed. I don't think this will be a chronic thing, but I know I've never felt like I did on Thursday (and never want to again). I think it's a culmination of worry and stress. When things like that happen, I try to calm myself down because I get angry rather than emotionally upset - tears, yada yada, the whole nine. I say things over and over in my mind and I pray. I pray about it because I know things will happen like they should, but I need that little convo with God and myself - talking myself down from anger, from words I can't take back, from the emotional stress of it all, etc. Sometimes, if I need that extra boost, I jump on Pinterest and look at my Words To Live By Board (call me crazy). Words can have such an impact. For real, for real. It's why I have a whole wall of them in my room. Songs do the same thing for me. Couldn't help but listen to this old SHeDAISY song on Friday, circa 2006:

Life is funny, life's a mess

Sometimes a curse, sometimes a blessing

Don't worry 'bout a thing, don't worry 'bout it.

Life gets sticky, life can bruise

Sometimes you win, sometimes you're losing

No matter what it brings

Don't worry 'bout a thing.

Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing - SHeDAISY

To help remedy my mood, I picked up my camera this afternoon. I haven't touched it since my pancakes. Seriously.  Even though these pictures may look slightly crummy, they've helped my mood ten fold. The natural light in my bedroom at the beach is CRUM.MEE. (Oxymoron - poor light at the beach? I know, but my room is on the back of the house and I have just one window. Story on the white walls here.) It is what it is though, and I've been dying to share this (gave a little peak on Instagram).

Y'all know I bought some antique Virginia license plates a couple weekends ago in Staunton for a little wall art that I had in mind. I must say, I LOVE it when things turn out just like I imagine them (I apologize for not having more pictures of the how-to process). 

 

Antique License Plate Wall Art

Things You'll Need

• Antique license plates (how many is up to you)
• Hemp Cord, twine, or thin rope of your choosing
• Hot glue 
• Scissors
• Hook for hanging

How To Make It

• Gather your plates and clean them (mine were yucko!).
• Thread rope/cord through plates as you choose. I cut four pieces (two for in between each plate), all the same measurements and hot glued the ends together. You won't see the hot glue because it hides just behind the plates.
• Then I threaded the rope through the holes on the bottom plate and tied together on the backside (kinda wanted everything to look cohesive - as if the rope were threaded through each hole). I trimmed the cord to make sure nothing was peeking out. 
• I did the same for the top, making sure I left some so that I could hang it. 
• There are a million ways to thread your rope/twine - play around with it before committing to anything. Do what works for you!
• Finished! Now hang from a cute hook and enjoy (got this hook on sale for $2.99 at Hobby Lobby - can't beat that!). 

This is the first thing I see every morning - totally in love.

I guess I could file this one in the #enjoyingthesmallthings category. I'm trying to enjoy them because they're all I've got right now. On the flip side, I'm super excited for next weekend to get here. I'll be in Richmond for some down time, and on Sunday I'll be at Byrd Park for the JDRF 5k (my twelve year old cousin was diagnosed with Type I when she was nine).  I hope that a cure for diabetes (and HIV) are discovered in my lifetime. If you're interested in donating/walking, email me!

-Suze

Everybody's Got Some Country In Them

Doesn't flyin' down an old back road give ya, a sweet taste of freedom?

And that worn out favorite pair of blue jeans - yea ya' just gotta love 'em.

And you can never resist that sweet tea and fishin' til the sun goes down,

Everybody's got some country in them.

And you can't tell me that you don't like a campfire, every now and then.

Riding in the back of an old Ford - hair blowin' in the wind.

It doesn't matter where you're from, who you are, or where ya been,

Everybody's got some country in them.

Some Country - Emma Lynn White

I get that country music isn't for everyone, but this song pretty much nails it. Never heard of Emma Lynn White? Me either - until recently. She's actually from Gum Spring, VA and is studying music at a school in Nashville, TN - pretty much living the dream right? Here's her Facebook, iTunes, some of her music vids, and an old blog of hers. (Her song Nashville is such a fun song and her song Train even incorporates her lil bro's banjo talents! Talented family much?) Totally supporting locals when I can :) 

Where am I going with this? I bought her song sampler Friday night, packed my bag for Charlottesville/Staunton, and read a little of Gone Girl before heading to bed. Saturday I woke up to . . . rain. Boo! I made the best of it though. I arrived in Charlottesville to learn that my girlfriend lost her wallet at Sweet Frog the evening before. We re-traced her steps without much luck, so we headed to Staunton - The Queen City of the Shenandoah, for a breather. 

Pretty much any outlying area within 25-35 miles of Charlottesville is going to be small. Really small y'all - so be prepared. Growing up, my youth group at church used to go to Ingleside Resort for weekend conference trips. We would snow tube, commute to Wintergreen/Massanutten for skiing and snowboarding, and then partake in awesome music and festivities in the evenings.

Why is The Queen City so cool? Well, Woodrow Wilson was born here, it's home to Mary Baldwin College, and has tons of Shakespearean roots - like this theater and this cottage.

I had a few things in mind that I was looking for, so we parked and walked around. This was the only time during our day that we wouldn't experience complete and total downpours. 

At one point, I mentioned to Amanda that Beverly Street (the main street in downtown Staunton) reminded me of High Street in Morgantown - she totally agreed. I love small town feel. I really do. There's still a small part of me that clings to places like Richmond and Philly though - I think its the artistic/urban nature of things. Places like this are artistic in their own special way.

Here's the store I was in search of - Worthington Hardware (here's a documentary that a UVA student made about the store/family - very worth it to watch - it will warm you head to toe). Hands down, it was the coolest store. This older gentleman owns it, and his daughter makes certain that there's no haggling haha. They had tons of old Nabisco cracker boxes, GE fans, vintage soda bottles, worn Remington casing boxes, and more than you could ever imagine. I wanted all of it - my purse nor my car were big enough.

These were what I came for - project post coming soon! P.S. Who knew old plates could be so pricey? The owner's daughter explained that folks will restore old vehicles and they come looking for plates, authentic to the time of the vehicle - makes sense now - totally unbeknownst to me.

Then we went in Queen City Marketplace where I found this. When I say I would loved to have had this riding home in the backseat - I mean I realllllly would have loved for this to have been in my back seat. Maybe no one will ever want it?! HA!

Upstairs I found this ancient Maytag Washing Machine. How lucky are we nowadays?

Since starting pharmacy school, I have accumulated quite the collection of old pharmacy-like goods. Last fall, when driving through Delaware, my roommate and I stopped at this very unique antique store where I purchased an old Rheumatic Fever Remedy bottle for just $10! Things have kinda taken off from there. Also in my collection are quite a few old-school mortar and pestles. At this point, I'm totally running with it. In Queen City Marketplace, I found this gem - an old kit used to remove snake venom for just $9.50! (Not sure if this has been used or not - I'm gonna go with no because the Iodine and Ammonia were still in tact.)

I also found this old Ex-Lax tin for $4. {Fist pump} Two points for Susan!

 We browsed a few more stores on Beverley Street. One store had this neat creation for sale.

When's the last time you've seen a movie theater window look like this?

We made it to the end of the strip of shops when I told Amanda, "There are literally no cars driving down this road. That's when you know you're in small-town USA." She was like, "Stand in the middle and snap that baby up." So you know I couldn't pass that up. While standing there, Emma's song flashed back through my mind. My girlfriend is from WV and she knows all about small towns, but thrifting isn't really her thing. She tagged along though and totally embraced my quirks. Maybe you are from a small town, or perhaps you're from a big city - either way, anyone can identify those precious moments, the simple ones, the country ones, and allow them to totally bless you.

Just over that hill is Mary Baldwin College.

Before heading back to Charlottesville, we decided lunch was in order. We decided on Shenandoah Pizza. Three words - Promise You'll Eat. Seriously. Promise me! Hands down the best pizza I've ever had. We ate, then headed back to Charlottesville to address the wallet sitch. Then, in normal fashion, we hit Anthro and Target. Found this signage near the travel books in Anthro. Absolutely love it! Gonna have to recreate a version for myself. (Post coming about "Things I'm Loving.")

O! On Friday I mentioned I'd get to see a cute little boy named Ryder - well he is cute and he is a boy! He's a nine week old Black Lab. Hims the sweetest yittle man. He's a squirmer - excuse the blurry puppy love.

That evening, Amanda and I hit the downtown mall in Charlottesville. We walked waded into Urban Outfitters because the rain was absolutely relentless. Then we made our way to Citizen Burger Bar for some local meaty goodness. There's just something about local meat, local buns, local shrooms (you get the idea) that just feels - right. Local is seriously a good thing.

At this point, it's no secret that Charlottesville/Staunton rank high on my list of favorite places/things to do. On Sunday, as I made the drive back, I used that time to think and reminisce. It used to be that Amanda would make trips to visit me in Richmond during the summer, and we would make day trips to Charlottesville for shopping/vineyard love. Now, it's the opposite - and I don't hate it one bit. As I was thinking, my eyes couldn't help but wander to the rearview mirror, taking in the beautiful mountains and fog. It hurts my heart a little bit every time I leave, but ya know what they say though . . . once a Mountaineer, always a mountaineer. 

What's your "some country"? Is it campfires, driving down backroads, slamming screen doors, wide front porches, or maybe it's something else?

-Suze