A few short hours ago I returned from my Big Fat Virginian Family Vacation, and in the spirit of telling you more than you ever want or need to know about my life, I thought I’d share a few ton of details with you. The reason my brothers, myself, our spouses and our total of eight kids between us all gathered at my parent’s Blue Ridge mountain retreat is because forty years ago, these crazy kids,
who are now these crazy kids (and also happen to be my parents),
got hitched!! And we wanted to celebrate, and as my dad likes to say, “have a big time.” So, my niece and I went to the store and got a partially decorated cake and made it look AWESOME:
Then we ATE it! And ice cream too! Yummy!
But, since it’s a seven hour drive to this mountaintop paradise, we also had to stay a few days and have fun together. Unfortunately, my husband couldn’t get the week off of work so he was only able to spend one night with us there. 🙁 He had to go back to Ohio and OOPSIE he accidentally took the kids’ car seats with him so I got to visit the local Wal-Mart and stimulate the Lexington, Va. area economy so we could get around during the week and get home (small detail)!! (We hitched a ride with my brother and fam in their SWEET Toyota Sienna mini-van. But that adventure will have to be its own separate post next week.)
My brothers and I kicked the week off right with a visit to the local CVS. My parents’ house is four miles up a mountain, and the town at the bottom of said mountain does not have much to offer except a Mormon college, a Food Lion, and praise the Lord, a flippin’ CVS!! So my nerdy brothers and I (I am the COOL one in the family, believe it or not) tore up the local CVS. My brother Andy said, “I feel like I am in the presence of greatness.” And I was all, “You can be my apprentice.” And he was all, “How about your Padawan Learner?” For those of you who are not huge dorks, this is a Star Wars reference. My brothers looove Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, etc. I was all, “Andy, you just brought CVSing to a whole new level of nerdiness!” It was epic, to say the least. We did two transactions and I think we wore out our welcome at the small-town CVS! I will detail our purchases in my Super Savings Saturday post tomorrow. Never fear!
It was HOTTTTT most of the week, but we did get out to take the kids to some of the beautiful local creeks and rivers to play. Here’s Joshua at a stop on the Blue Ridge parkway called “Otter Creek”:
When it was too HOTT (I’m talking 98 degrees baby!) we just stripped Sophie down to her diaper and put her in a rubbermaid tote with a little bit of water at the bottom and stuck her on the front porch. Yee-haaaa!! It was pretty much the most fun she’s ever had in her life!
This was actually taken on the first day of a nasty stomach flu bug I caught. My brother and sister-in-law had it too! I spent a good part of this day and the ENTIRE next day in bed! It was awful. So I missed some fun times but my family did a wonderful job of taking care of and entertaining my kids for me!! So thanks to them!!
Sickness aside, we had a really had a great time. One thing I love about my family is that we just like to be together. My brothers and sisters-in-law all make very good company. We all crack each other up which is fun. So I can honestly say that five days with 15 of us all in the same house was FUN. Really! I’m so thankful for such a wonderful family.
I took hundreds of pictures while I was there (449 before I started deleting the bad ones!), so my Weekly Winners post Sunday will be a big one! And perhaps it will contain another vacation anecdote or two. But for now, I’m pooped, so I am going to leave you with a picture of my son enjoying his first S’more ever at the bonfire we had in my parent’s yard last night:
The whole vacation was just THAT good!
Sounds like a GREAT time! You got me homesick for the mountains though…I have to wait until Fall to go visit. But I’m glad you made it back safe and sound…and a few car seats more to your name :-p
Welcome back!!
Looks like a great trip (other than the being sick part anyway) – welcome back! 🙂
The Blue Ridge Parkway is absolutely beautiful. Glad you had a good time! (besides the sickness of course!)
I gotta tell you
1. The kids get bigger and bigger every time I see them
2. Only You can go to the mountains and, as Dwight Yokum says ” A Thousand Miles From Nowhere”. and find a CVS…
3. I like Star Wars too…(don’t tell anyone)
4. I really want a smores right now.( and it looks like Joshua is wanting to share in the picture.I can imagine him saying ” Here Mr. Daniel, do you want some?!)
5.Sorry you were sick, that stinks.
6. My wife is beautiful.(that has nothing to do with you or your trip,but it IS true and I thought you should know.)
7. Thanks for being gone so your husband could help me with my car again.
8. My family is glad the Rapsons family is whole and home again.
I remember that picture of Charlie and DeeDee!
My money would have been on Charles saying that at CVS.
You may be the cool one in the family, but you are quite quirky yourself… speaking of which I STILL need to send you your AUTOGRAPHED BARRY WILLIAMS book. I’m such a bad friend.
Ok, I TOTALLY missed the “-ian” on the end of “Virginian.”
And had you been one state north, it would have been illegal to put Sophie in a Rubbermaid tote on the front porch. Dang-nabbit, she’d have had to been nekkid!!
Coming out of lurkerdom to say that I almost could’ve written your post. My husband, two year old daughter, and I just got home yesterday from our trip from Ohio (we live here, too) to the Outer Banks….driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains and even down the Blue Ridge Parkway past the Otter Creek pull off you mentioned. I was even at the WalMart in Lexington VA on Wednesday night, buying milk for our daughter–we were staying in the Best Western up the road from there. Anyway, it was crazy to read your blog about the same places I had just been.
Love reading your blog.