It’s time for me to wrap up all the talk about my travels and get back to more important topics on Pretty and Poor…like shoes. But before I finish talking about West Virginia completely I wanted to share with you some more amazing highlights (that don’t involve mullets).

Part of my trip was spent at my Grandparent’s place on the New River. The New River is one of the oldest rivers in the world. In fact, historians aren’t really sure which came first: the New River or the Nile. Rightly so. The whole place has a prehistoric, land-before-time feel. I took this opportunity in the vast wilderness of West Virginia to do some exploring on my terms: in my Tory Burch flip flops. I’m sure if Tory were to see the stress I put these pretty little shoes through, she’d flip. But hey, fashion is all about what you make it right?

And yes, I'm aware that I'm very in need of a pedicure. They don't have too many nail salons in West Virginia. So to create the illusion of nicely polished toes, my solution was to pile on coat upon coat of OPI Red.

Romping around the woods in my designer flip flops and polo dress made me feel like a little kid again (a very prissy little kid). And the scenery around me was like something from an enchanted fairy tale...at any moment I was just waiting for a princess castle to pop onto the scene. Perhaps this was one of the most breathtaking views from the river.

Being surrounded by nature reminded me how much fashion can be inspired by things in the natural world. But don't worry, I haven't started shopping at Patagonia on a regular basis.

Upon getting back from vacation I got tonsillitis. No bueno. After a week of doing nothing but sleeping and eating popsicles, I'm back in the game and ready to share some highlights from my vacation.

This probably doesn't come as a shock to you, but my trip to West Virginia contained no shopping...unless you count the trip I made to the IGA for my Grandma to pick up noodles and orange juice. My trip did, however, contain one of the biggest fashion faux pas known to the world: the mullet. Within 24 hours of leaving home I got to see a real, live mullet at a Sonic in Kentucky.

This woman obviously thinks that her neatly tailored business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back look is the ultimate style statement. I just hope she didn't see me snickering and snapping photos through the tinted windows.

About 10 miles down the road, I found out why people who ride motorcycles wear leather. I guess I just always thought it was a part of a culture-- a style statement for bikers. I actually found out that bikers wear leather for a much more functional reason. Leather is fitted. Riding a motorcycle in basketball shorts exposes a little thing I like to call man-thigh. I didn't even try to hide my humility from this road warrior. I rolled my window down and proudly took a picture.

There's a reason guys shorts are made a little longer. Perhaps our homeboy, pictured above, should invest in some studly leather pants.

Just when I thought my vacation would be filled with mullets and man-thigh, my Dad pointed out a landmark that really caught my attention. The words "billion dollar" were music to my ears. The billion dollar coal field, in Williamson, West Virginia used to be a notorious location at the center of coal transport. At any given time, a billion (that's right, a BILLION) dollars worth of coal could be found in the trains within the field. I started thinking about this and came to an alarming conclusion. You see, coal is pretty much the same thing as diamonds (you know, add some pressure, get a diamond). So, the billion dollar coal field is essentially the biggest bucket of diamonds in the United States.

The World's biggest bucket of diamonds. Who would have thought I'd get to see this on vacation to West Virginia?

Starting tomorrow, I’m taking the nation by storm. Not quite, but that was fun to say. I’m actually joining my family on a trip to West Virginia to visit our extended family and relatives. Here are some things you should know about West Virginia.

1) West Virginia has the worst shopping of any state in the nation.

2) From where I’m staying, the closest shopping mall will be over an hour away. Half the stores at that shopping mall are completely vacant.

3) Wal-Mart is a big, damn deal.

Those things all sound harsh—I should really cut West Virginia some slack. It’s actually a pretty wonderful state. It’s a beautiful place with amazing mountains, breathtaking views and untouched areas of wilderness (good thing I’m really into all of that, better remember to pack my Teva sandals). Plus, the people in West Virginia are ridiculously friendly. They always call you, “Hun” and say things like, “You’re just pretty as a doll,” and “Well, bless your little heart.” I like that.

Aside from the scenery, there’s a lot I’m looking forward to! Like I mentioned earlier, West Virginia is where my entire family lives and I can’t wait to see all of them. Grandma’s, Grandpa’s, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins-- some of which I don’t even know. The last time I visited West Virginia I was standing in line at the store and a man approached me, asked if I was “so and so’s girl” and then proceeded to explain how we were related. That wasn’t the first time a situation like that had happened and it’s bound to happen this trip, too. I’m also looking forward to sweet tea, laying by the pool, smoking a stogie with my grandpa, playing “waitress” at our family-owned restaurant (people have complained about the service when I’ve done this before), playing with puppies (because someone in my family is guaranteed to have a dog that just had puppies) and partaking in some extreme sports (rafting, fishing or ATVing). And no, I’m not kidding about the extreme sports thing. Everyone needs to play outside every once in a while.

Starting tomorrow, it’s unofficial West Virginia Week on Pretty and Poor. I’ll keep you posted on my travels, hilarious situations and purchases through pictures and postings! Stay tuned for a week with less fashion than usual and more fun than ever (especially if I can manage to get my hands on some moonshine).