When we found out Chris had a cousin getting married in VA on June 3, and I had a cousin getting married three hours away in WV on June 11, we decided we should make a family vacation out of it and head east. But what would we do for that week in between the weddings??? I looked at the map and saw that Nashville, where my sister Jenny and family live, is "only" an 8 hour drive. There you have it...VA-TN-WV...that would be our trip!
There is way too much to write about, so in keeping with my "Top 10" theme (for our day at Disneyland), here it is...
"Top 10" moments/memories/reflections from our BIG journey around the Southeast:
1. Our stats: 18 hours in the car, 6 cities, 4 planes, 4 pieces of lost luggage, 4 random babysitters to make 3 date-nights possible, 3 states, 2 hotels, 2 weddings, 2 flexible kiddos, and 1 couple who now feel like we can do anything! (I'm exhausted just writing that out.)
2. We had many "we're not in southern California anymore" moments, including (but certainly not limited to): Concealed Weapons Class sign at the gun shop just down the street from the high school; being dive-bombed by the cicadas (who only emerge every 13 years) and stepping over their carcasses everywhere we went in Nashville; the HEAT and HUMIDITY glorious green grass and thick forests; $3.49 a gallon.
3. Experiencing a true southern wedding in Lynchburg, VA where the ceremony took place on the tree-lined driveway of the bride's home...we were very thankful for the fans and tissues (used to wipe sweat from our faces).4. Visiting Thomas Jefferson's personal retreat, Poplar Forest, with our California family where Sam had one of her better falls (see video) and Abby crawled all over the floor of our forefather's house before we abandoned the
guided tour and made for our own personal retreat under
the shade of Jefferson's trees.
6. A fabulous double date in NASHVEGAS with sister Jenny and brother-in-law John. Date included a steak house dinner, watching a few minutes of a Rascal Flatts music video being filmed, strolling down Broadway with crazy country fans in town for the CMAs, and enjoying live music at Layla's Bluegrass Inn.
5. Lots of pool time to beat the heat in TN. You know your kid is a daredevil when your husband has to say the following to an onlooking mom, "I know this looks like child abuse, but she is really enjoying it," in reference to Samantha asking to be thrown higher and higher, again and again, despite many face plants and belly flops.
7. A 8+ hour drive and a 6+ hour drive went pretty well despite our portable DVD player quitting on us and the expensive adapter not doing its job to power it back up. Thank goodness for books, crafts, the radio, naps, snacks and "I spy." A (mostly) good time was had by all.
8. My highlight...TUBING down the New River in West Virginia with my entire immediate family. Think really really lazy river with a little rapid section at the end. We even took our 14-month-old and her 9-month-old cousin down the river once (minus the rapids). They'd never let you do that in CA..or any other state! |
| GG and her son (my dad) during the ceremony. |
9. Watching my precious, sharp, and feisty British born Grandma Gwen (aka "GG") spend time with her 5 great-grandchildren. She is a wonderful Grandma and I love that my kidswill have memories with her too.
10. Dancing the night away in Bluefield, WV with my immediate and extended family at my cousin Paige's WONDERFUL wedding. The last two times we have been to WV it has been for very difficult and sad gatherings, so it was wonderful to be there to celebrate together with my grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousins.
Despite the fact that our trip ended with a 17 hour journey home thanks to a delayed flight, a missed connection, lots of sitting on runways, really unhelpful people at Delta airlines, missing luggage and car seats (still missing and unaccounted for), and a slightly terrifying shuttle ride home at 11:30pm (2:30am body time), we had a WONDERFUL 10 days of being together, experiencing new places, enjoying family, taking in the beauty of our country, and celebrating marriages.
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| Straight from the shuttle to the living room...in our nasty loaner car seats courtesy of Delta. |
A really fun bonus to the end of our trip was meeting up with Loise at the Roanoke airport.
In 2001-2002 I was Loise's "dorm mom" at Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe, Kenya.
It was so fun to see her all grown up and doing great almost 10 years later.
Wow, I'm getting old.
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| Sisters and husbands...just cause I wanted to get this picture in here somewhere! |
