Basye Virginia

Here is Mike tasting one of the jams.

Dave and Tana--isn't her pregnant belly so cute and little?

I am not a short person--5'6" but next to these two (Mike is 6' and Dave is 6'5") I look like a midget! I wonder if my boys will inherit any tall genes from my side of the family.

Mike on the hike and Dave being a goof.

After almost a week of fun and relaxation in Maryland, Mike and I left the kiddos with Mike's parents and drove to Virginia. I missed the boys and looked forward to talking to them every day but never once did I worry about them. Each time we talked to them they were happy as could be and gushed on and on about the hot tub, the treats, the cousins, etc. I cannot tell you how thankful I am to have such a wonderful mother-in-law. I know it wasn't easy for her to watch my boys for me but she was so willing to do it and I love her for that. The time away was much needed.

We spent Friday evening checking out the resort and getting groceries at the local town (like 15 minutes away). We spent a lazy Saturday sleeping in, going for an hour and a half walk up and around all the cabins, and drove to a market owned by the local Mennonites. There we bought my favorite candy that I've wanted to buy for over a year. I finally decided it was vacation and I could buy them even at the ridiculous price they were being sold at. We also found this little store with just about any jam or syrup you could imagine. Looking for an Apple/Jalapeno jam? They had it there. Wonder what pickle jam taste like? They had that too. Imagine some weird jam and they had it. They also had some normal jams. They had all their jams out with crackers for people to taste. We ended up buying a Spiced Pear Butter and some Apple Cinnamon Syrup for Carol (because she has tons of jams and syrups already and we thought it would be fun to add to her collection).

Sunday we went to the local branch and spent another lazy day taking a drive through the Shenandoah valley, reading books, another long walk, and playing a board game.

On Monday we got to sleep in again and didn't decide to wake up until after 9. We got ready for the day just in time for my brother Dave and his wife Tana to show up and play. We went on a three-mile hike around the lake and Tana is such a trooper. I don't think she was even out of breath in her pregnant state. After the hike we went swimming at the lake and then came back to the condo and ate and played games and watched TV. Oh, and I have to add this in because it was surprising to all of us: I can tread water for over 30 minutes. I had no idea I had that talent, especially since I am not a very good swimmer.

Having my brother and Tana come up was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was so nice to get to visit with them without being interrupted a million times by little kids. We had such great conversation and I really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know Tana better. I'm so thankful they live only a day away so we can spend some time with them.