mini catch up....

So, the lack of posting is partly due to excessive amounts of fun being had this summer... (i.e. minor catch up post is below) I know no one cares about all this. But I want to write it down for myself to remember....so, feel free to skip to browsing yahoo.

A family trip to DC over the 4th of July...which was a good time overall, but an epic fail the first day. 

ALTHOUGH - on the drive up we found a FANTASTIC BBQ place! Carter's Pig Pen BBQ, in Mechanicsville, VA.  It was AH-Ma-zing. All of the kids ate like lumberjacks, My Love and I ate our fill, we had fresh made Lemonade (the real deal) and sweet tea (also the real deal)....all for $20.00. People, if you are hungry en route to DC - this is where you need to eat. 

Boy Bean's meltdown in the Museum of Natural History perfectly captures how most of us felt that first day. Between missing breakfast...starting the day with a mile walk to the Metro...choosing lunch at a place that had guacamole on everything (which the Boy made me allergic to) ...

having insane NEEDS for bathrooms immediately (which had long lines, broken a/c, and minimal toilet paper)...dressing incorrectly for the heat (blasted weather forecast!)...and closing out the day with an EXTRA half-mile walk because our gate was closed....we learned quite a few lessons that improved the vacation for Day 2. ;)

 Day 2 - the actual Fourth - was about 10 million times better. We watched the parade downtown - fully decked out in our "Go America!" gear. (As Jumping Bean dubbed the bandanas.) 

The parade was great. The kids loved it - but we didn't stay for the whole thing because it was almost 2 hours long! Instead, we slipped out about half-way (while the happy window was still open) and grabbed lunch before the crowds. Good call all around.

We followed the parade and al fresco lunch with a fun street show by a group of break dancers. Then we let the kids cool off in a fountain. Fantastic urban experience had by all. :)

That evening, we set up camp on this hill, and waited for the fireworks. It was a really great time and some fantastic memories were made. Like Bitty Bean completely ruining her shirt and needing to be clothed with a bandana. We went full redneck.  :)

(This picture was from two nights earlier  - the night of the fourth was very clear)

 The lack of posting has also been due to things going a wee haywire in my corner of the world. My Love is heading out again for a bit, and that always makes me desire control. Which means organizing and clearing out has been happening again. It is my own weird neurosis that helps me feel solid...but more on that later.

~Whitney Copyright 2013

Cabinning at Crabtree falls

Over the weekend of July 4th we took a family vacation to the Cabins at Crabtree Falls  between Charlottesville, and Lynchburg, Virginia - pretty much smack dab in the middle of wilderness.  We called what we did "cabinning" because although it was in the woods - we did have indoor plumbing, so we didn't think it right to call it camping.  
For this family with 3 city dwelling girls, it was as rustic as we'll be able to handle for a while!  (We stayed in Annie's Cabin and it was perfect!)  Our activities planned included swimming in the river, hiking to the top of Crabtree falls, roasting marshmallows, exploring, and just being together. 
 We did indeed hike most of the trail to the top of the falls - we made it 1.1 miles out of the 1.7. Canaan hiked almost the entire way!!!  Jonathan carried Lena in a backpack, I carried Taylor in a backpack (both were made for carrying children!), and Canaan carried lunch in a backpack.  She was such a trooper.  The scenery was absolutely beautiful...we took pictures - but they seem to have been eaten by the computer.
 However, the highlight of the hike for the girls (and I mean Canaan and Lena) was when they had to go to the bathroom.  They thoroughly enjoyed learning how to "go in the woods" and I think they determined to hold it until they could go outside the rest of the weekend!  They are now educated on the finer points of where to put your feet and how to go off the trail.
More on the rest of the experience later....It was full of excellent stories!

Copyright 2010