VA to KY: football, fall leaves, and good food

 

 

Husband and I took advantage of the long weekend last week and packed our bags for a road trip to Kentucky to see Mississippi State play (and beat) UK in Lexington. We left after husband got off work on Friday and drove all the way to Charleston, West Virginia that night before waking up way too early on a Saturday to make it to the game. We saw a beautiful sunset on Friday before everything got dark, and we literally climbed a few mountains before reaching our halfway point. I had never before seen signs warning me of 9 and 10 degree descents, and needless to say we were both very glad that husband was driving during that portion.

Being displaced bulldogs, it was quite a treat to see our team play in person rather than on tv, and we're only hoping their good fortune of winning continues this weekend against Tennessee! I will say that even though we knew that UK was a basketball school, never have either us seen such an empty stadium at kickoff (and we were there for the rebuilding years at MSU). It was a little sad, but maybe that's what happens when the team is 1-5 and there are horse races around to entertain you otherwise on a Saturday afternoon...

In regards to the super cheesy picture with the broom, let me say two words: Harry Potter. That's right. That is in fact a broom from the filming of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and yes I realize that I have a major Cheshire Cat smile going on there. But eeeeek it was from the movie!! And some cool people totally used it!! Let me explain: husband and I visited our good friend, Leigh Holland (see awesome friend below), in Wilmore, KY, home of Asbury University and Asbury Seminary. And who knew, but Asbury has an incredible media communications program there, and a lot of their alumni have gone on to work on some pretty notable projects (like the Olympics). All over their building are movie props, posters, awards, and cameras donated from alumni and their projects, and I totally geeked out on seeing most of them... No shame. 

And side note, they made my heart even happier when I saw a sign for Welton Academy from the film Dead Poets Society... favorite. movie. ever.

 

 

On a whim, Leigh's suggestion for dinner that night took us to the Windy Corner, this neat market/restaurant, in the middle of nowhere horse farms. We might have thought that we were majorly lost for at least ten minutes, but the confusion was well worth it for this sweet little cafe. It was truly a unique and delightful experience, and oh, the food was divine! We knew we couldn't go wrong with some of their homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (it is fall after all), and they definitely did not disappoint. If you're ever in Lexington for a game, you should try out this wonderful little nook!

 

 

And other than the last one, the pictures above were of the scenery on our drive back through West Virginia. That state may have nothing but small towns and cities, but it certainly has some beautiful countryside. It also didn't hurt that our first impression of our western neighbor occurred during the beginning stages of the leaves changing color. The last picture was taken during our drive through Middleburg, VA. This little town has a main street of stone and brick buildings, and its outlying areas are full of rolling hills and beautiful farms. In short, it's gorgeous and totally worth a drive to see. 

So recap: football. harry potter. friend reunion. food. fall. Yep, a wonderful weekend for the books.