Virginia | Nam Writes.

I’m a self-confessed modern girl, but I’ll take any kind of furniture shopping any day of the week. This Sunday, I headed west with friends to do some vintage shopping in Leesburg, Virginia. The Old Lucketts Store describes itself as “vintage hip,” which is a good description for the mix of furniture and random odds and ends that make up the sprawling grounds just off of Highway 15.

Lucketts has been around for over 20 years, but I only discovered vintage shopping last year. It pays to have friends who know things. I even brought the new boyfriend along (known henceforth as M), which is noteworthy, not only because I have a new boyfriend, but because he likes to go furniture shopping. CRAZY. I’m not yet convinced he’s real, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

Old car parts, old bath tubs, old tools – pretty much anything old is available for sale.

Who doesn’t want a chicken statue?

Indoors, there is higher-end furniture, accessories, lighting, and everything in-between.

I always gravitate to the snarky posters and clever knick-knacks – like these awesome letter books.

Or this poster, which may have been written with me in mind.

Snarky dish towels? Yes please.

And here is M, dutifully toting my items around the store. Isn’t that the real reason we have boyfriends?

And then, there’s this. If you’re wondering what to do with an old, broken car, get ready for some inspiration: Fill it with flowers. I love this.

Finally, no shopping trip is complete without a rickety swing ride.

Lucketts holds two big sales a year. The first is on Groundhog’s Day Weekend, which was postponed to March because of the snow this year. The second is their spring market with hundreds of vendors on May 21 and May 22. I have my calendar circled already!

Holy Bargain Basements – 40 Miles!

Last Sunday, The Boyfriend and I set out for our biggest bike ride yet. It was The Boyfriend’s idea to ride to Mount Vernon (George Washington’s home) and back for a grand total of 40 miles. Of course I said, “40 miles? That’s nothing.”

That was before I experienced the hills. Now listen. I grew up riding my bike in Chicago — which is flat as a pancake. Guess what is not flat as a pancake? If you guessed Virginia, give yourself a prize. We’ve done parts of this trail before, so I expected the intermittent hills for for the first 13 miles. But when you hit mile 14…PAIN. I lost count of how many times I had to get off my bike and literally walk it up the hill like a complete weakling while other bikers zoomed past me. Let’s just say, I will not be riding the Tour de France anytime soon.

Behold our 40-mile bike ride in all of its glory.

We stopped in Old Town Alexandria which is a midpoint between miles 9 and 10 to reward ourselves for our intrepid journey. The Boyfriend was very, very happy.