~Posted
by: Roma
We
recently got back from a really awesome vacation! It was a much needed one. J
I am so thankful we were able to finally return to Virginia after six years. If
you have been reading our blog for a really long time, you may remember that we
all went to VA in the spring of 2010. We spent one whole week visiting family
(many were relatives we kids had never met before) and exploring Colonial Williamsburg
and Jamestown, and then another week in Washington D.C seeing all the sights. Since
then, we often talked about going back to Virginia, but hadn’t been able to for
various reasons. Well, six years later, we were finally able to pack our bags
and take a road trip! Praise God!
This
time we did not go to D.C at all, nor Williamsburg or Jamestown. This time, the
main goal was to see our dear Aunt Gladys, who is now 91 years old, and there
were also lots of other relatives and friends we wanted to make sure we would
see! Most of this trip was time spent in the car driving—from OK to MO, from MO
to TN, from TN to VA, driving from town to town in VA (because the relatives
are spread out) and then driving from VA to TN, then TN to HOME! (Yes—a lot of
driving. In a minivan with exactly seven seats and a trailer hitched to the back.
But we made it! t’s a good thing we love each other because we needed to be squished
together for days--ha!
Our
first stop was…Branson Missouri! For awhile now, we have been wanting to go to
the Sight and Sound Theater in Branson to see the production of “Moses.” Sight
and Sound is incredible—they have a theater in Branson and in Lancaster PA, with
Christian actors and actresses who do a fantastic job bringing the Bible to
life! Our good friends, the S family from Texas, wanted to see Moses as well,
and so we road-tripped up there with them to see the production, and hang out
together afterwards. We had so much fun with the S family, we are determined to
make this a tradition! J After the show, we all
went out for BBQ together, and then since we were all staying in the same
hotel, we hung out in the lobby late into the night playing a card game. So
much fun!
The
next day, the S family headed back to TX and we hit the road again and headed
to TN for one night, and then on to Virginia.
The
first stop in VA was Danville. We went to my Dad’s cousin Bill’s house to have
dinner with him, his wife Becky, their daughter Monica, Monica’s three girls
Kayla, Bethany, and Hannah, and Kayla’s daughter Logan. Lots of family! J
We hadn’t seen Cousin Bill since our Grandma Ruby’s funeral and so it was a
happy reunion to see him again. As for everyone else, it had been six years and
so everyone has grown so much!
We
had a yummy cookout that night and caught up on all the news. Next morning, we
all went to Cousin Bill and Becky’s church and then out to lunch at a
Mediterranean restaurant.
After
saying our goodbyes to Cousin Bill, we headed over to see Aunt Gladys. When we
got to her house, however, we saw a note taped on the door. “I’ve been waiting
to see you all since noon. It is now 4. I am at ______ restaurant
if you want to meet me there.” Apparently, there had been a miscommunication,
and while we were still hanging out with Cousin Bill, poor Aunt Gladys was all
ready and waiting for us! (Southern people are very patient.) So Dad found the
restaurant on his GPS and we were off to chase down Aunt Gladys, LOL! We found
her and her daughter Patsy and our Cousin Cynthia all at the restaurant. So we
sat down and ate, and afterward we all went back to the house to visit.
This
is a blurry picture, but it is precious. Aunt Gladys is one special lady! All
of her siblings, including our Grandma, have all passed on, and she is the only
one left in that generation. She is strong-spirited, candid, southern, and full
of spunk. And we love her! She still drives her own car, lives alone, walks
around with no cane or walker or anything, and when I started to feel nauseous
that evening and was sipping water, she came marching into the room and
declared, “She shouldn’t be drinking water! Diet Pepsi will help!” So she gave
me some and sure enough I felt much better! How did she know Pepsi would help? J
I miss chatting with her and Patsy and Cynthia about politics, religion,
family, and memories already.
On
Monday—Memorial Day—it was time to go see cousin Em! We checked out of our
hotel in Danville and started driving towards Richmond. Last time we came to VA
to see Em, his wife Lois was still with us. Cousin Lois passed away a few years
ago, but Cousin Em recently remarried, to a wonderful woman named Irma, and he
moved out of his home into Irma’s condo. So we were reunited with Em and met
Irma for the first time. We love her! She is a very pleasant lady with a neat
background so we enjoyed talking with her. After dinner at Cracker Barrel, we
took a tour of their beautiful home and landscape outside, and spent some time
just visiting. Then goodbyes were said.
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Ruby trying to get near
the baby goose at Cracker Barrel. I don’t think mama goose appreciated that as
much so she and Ruby are making eye-contact right now. J
There were also lots of ducks there that cousin Em and we kids enjoyed watching
while relaxing on the rocking chairs!
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And
that wraps up Dad’s side of the family. Now it was time to go to bed and get
ready to meet our friends the W family the next day!
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Enjoying time with the
W family in the living room—here Bianca and Rubia are with Alexis, Kimber,
Cassilyn, and Lydia. They were the sweetest girls!
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Dad
and Bianca met Mr. W and Alexis at a Father-Daughter Retreat in Georgia many
years ago, and we kept up with their family through social media for many
years, but it was so wonderful to finally meet them all in person! They
homeschool like us and we are similar in many ways. My parents really enjoyed
talking with Mr. and Mrs. W, Caleb got to hang out with Ben, and Josiah loved
playing with their son Josiah!!! J They showed us their
rabbits, cats, dog, chickens, and cows—we took a walk together to a horse farm
and back, and enjoyed lots of fellowship. I hope we see their family again!
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We have gained lots of
new friends. J
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And
last but not least, the next day we drove to Quantico to see some of Mom’s side
of the family. After 6 years, 5 months, and 5 days (YES—I figured out exactly
how long it had been) we got to see Mom’s Marine cousin Matt and his family
again! We love our cousin Matt and we were very excited. We went to their house
and saw Matt, his wife Courtney, and their kids—sweet little Cross and precious
baby Charlie. Cousin Mark (Matt’s brother) was also there with a friend, and
our Titi Wanda, Matt and Mark’s Mom, lives there as well.
Besides
Matt and Courtney’s house, we also toured Titi Wanda’s apartment next door, saw
the chickens and horses, and then all went out to eat at Golden Corral.
Afterward we came back to the house to visit for a while.
Our
time with all our relatives was definitely too short. L
But I am still so thankful we got to see so many of them. (Despite the fact that
Josiah and I sat in Urgicare during this vacation due to bad coughs and
congestion, and I struggled with motion sickness on Day One of the trip. But
God is still good! We made it through the whole road trip A-Okay and had lots
of fun.)
We
also turned the road trip home into a fun occasion! Driving out of VA, we
stopped for a tour of Michie’s Tavern, which was fascinating! Next we stopped
in the music city for a whole day of family fun! Our day in Nashville included:
getting a tour of the Carnton Plantation, owned by the wealthy McGavock family
during the civil war; eating lunch at a delicious local bbq place; exploring a
toy store with over 20,000 toys in it, and relaxing outside over refreshments
at a very hipster coffee shop.
When
we got back to our suite, we all jumped into the outdoor pool and hot tub and
then got into an intense volleyball game in the water—just the seven of us! It was
so nice! That day made me very grateful for the family God has put me in. I
love all of them!
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This GPS (Maggie)
really came in handy during our road trip. If you look closely, my Dad turned
the little car on it into an airplane. That is the inner private-pilot coming
out in him. J
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So,
after 10 days, thousands of miles, 6 hotels, family, friends, laughter, lots of
food, and making new memories—our road trip came to an end. We have so many
other GREAT pictures I would post here, but it would make this blog post way
too long. I hope we get to see all those people again soon, Lord-willing, and
it was great to just be able to get away from normal life for awhile and do
something different! And, to combine Ben’s, Rubia’s and my birthday trip all
into one trip. What a great vacation.
