Yesterday we returned from our first major family road trip since our move to FL from UT back when we only had a 1-year-old Allie. I had committed earlier in the year to sing with the Chamber Singers at the Washington National Cathedral in our nation's capital, the performance having been this past Sunday, singing prelude for the Evensong service. Of course after committing, I realized how challenging the activity may be, with me being nearly 8 months pregnant and having all three kids with us this time. Last time we sang at the Cathedral was in 2007, when I wasn't pregnant, and Kevin's parents came to babysit the kids at home while we flew to DC for a few days. Since we knew we'd have the while crew with us, we deci
ded to make it a week-long road trip.
We loaded up the car with PB and J and fruit, snacks and suitcases, and a CD case-full of movies and music. The girls filled their backpacks with books, paper and markers, and we hit the road last Wednesday-- drove 9 hours to Charlotte, NC to stay for the night before moving on. As we continued to drive further north, the gradual change in foliage and landscape was a welcome variation from the typica
l sand pines and palmettos of the central Florida coastline. I loved the lush forests of Nor
th Carolina. Truly. If we had an extra week of vacation time, I probably would have lobbied to have us spend it all in that state.
The following morning we drove to Natural Bridge, VA. Had we not hit some nasty traffic on the way, we would have explored more in that area, but the congestion, due to an accident AND roadwork, knocked out over an hour of our free time. We at least toured the caverns at Natural Bridge, once owned by T
homas Jefferson. Drew made it difficult for Kev to enjoy the cave very much, since he insisted on just... well... being two-- a typical monkey attempting to run everywhere and climb everything. From the caverns we drove a bit farther north to Lexington, VA and spent an hour there, first seeing Southern Virginia University, and then walking the grounds of Virginia Military Institute where Stonewall Jackson once instructed.
We then drove nearly an hour northeast of Lexington to visit with our old BYU Wymount friends the Lassens. Erika graciously fixed us fajitas, and we spent the next several hours laughing and eating and watching the kids catch fireflies out in their backyard. Neither Erika nor Matt have changed a bit in seven years. GREAT friends... I miss all those Wymount buddies.
Friday morning we began our drive to Washington
DC, stopping along the way to tour Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello in Charlottesville, and then making a quick stop at the grounds of the major Civil War Battle of Chancelorsville. Just before reaching DC we stopped at George Washington's Mo
unt Vernon just before closing time, taking the very last (and slightly rushed) tour available.
Saturday was our big "museum marathon" walking day, starting out early and trying to hit the museums the kids had an interest in seeing. We spent the morning alone in the
American History Museum, making sure to see the two items Allie and Sami wanted to see-- Dorothy's ruby
slippers and Lincoln's top hat. After eating hotdogs and pizza in the shade on the lawn outside the museum, we made our way to the Natural History museum to see the T-Rex on Drew's list, as well as the exhibit of gems
that captivated our girly girls. However, when walking from the back to the front of the museum, we walked right past some people that, out of the corner of my eye, looked
like the Diehls, another family from our Wymount days. So I turned and, realizing it really was them, said, "Hey! Is that the Diehls?!" We hugged and chatted in the atrium for an hour while the kids played. It was incredible to run into them... in DC, of all places!
After taking the kids to the art museum for a short while, we went back to the hotel for a quick swim before leaving to have dinner in Rockville, MD with the Gibsons and Ryan Glasser, a friend Kevin worked with at Harris until his decision earlier this year to pursue a postdoc, and his girlfriend Marigny. We walked down to a square a few blocks from their apartment for dinner. After a late dinner and then taking the Gibsons back to their hotel, we all didn't get to bed till after 11pm. Needless to say, the kids were all a bit grumpy when we woke them up for Sacrament Meeting in the morning.
After attending the Capitol Hill ward, we went
back to the hotel to each lunch and let Drew get a nap. Kevin took the girls out of the room while Drew slept, walking them to the grounds of a nearby museum to have their own "Primary", since they had to miss Primary at church. When they returned, we woke up Drew and piled in the car heading for the Cathedral. While the choir rehearsed at the High Altar, Kevin took the
kids on a tour of the museum. Then all the family members and congregation members took their seat in the pews and we began the prelude. The kids were fantastic! I did not hear a peep out of
them the entire time we sang. And even during the service, while I could see they were bored and wiggly, I only heard one or two noises from them. Of course, Kev had to bear the brunt end of the stress of keeping them quiet and contained, but he did a great job. Once the (incredibly long) postlude concluded, we left for the hotel, hoping to just have
sandwiches for dinner, but almost immediately upon arriving in our room,
the fire alarm sounded and we were evacuated. So we ate at a nearby cafe instead, with Allie crying nearly the entire time about how her tiger and blanket were going to burn up and would never be replaced. Of course, there was no fire-- the two clues being I never saw nor smelled any smoke, and we never heard sirens... ever. We were soon able to return to our room (only by walking up the stairs to the 5th floor). We changed our clothes and drove down and parked near the Potomac to walk
around the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, as
well as the Washington Monument (and to catch glimpses of the White House and Capitol). With all the miles of walking we did that weekend, my hands and feet still haven't fully recovered, in terms of swelling. I'm currently donning elephant feet... literally.
Monday morning we said good-bye to DC, and made the 9 1/2 hour drive to Savannah, GA. Tuesday we walked from our hotel to get on a Trolley tour of the city. We knew that with the
kids, Kev and I wouldn't be able to explore all the
things we wanted to, so we highlighted the things that would be of most interest to the kids. The Jepson art center was it, and it was right around the corner from our hotel. While the kids played in the children's activity area for a couple hours, Kev and I took turns touring the galleries and then discussing the art. The center was cool and clean and fairly quiet-- not busy at all-- so
our kids pretty much had free-reign. After a quick dip in the hotel pool, we grabbed the
stroller and walked to dinner. We then walked down by the river, where the girls were given "Savannah roses" from one of the many people making and selling them throughout the city. The sweet lady offered to take our picture in front of the bridge, and then told the girls about the history of the Savannah rose while she made one for each of them. Then we went for some ice cream before trekking back to the hotel for the night.
Before driving home yesterday morning, we once again walked down to the river to catch the ferry across the river, just riding it right back to our original port without ever getting off. And then we were on our way home!
Honestly, I am completely exhausted, and have let the kids watch an awful lot of TV and movies today. I have a week's worth of laundry to tackle, and the kids had already managed to destroy a perfectly clean house in less than an hour after walking in the door. But, you know, the trip was worth it-- even with the fits each day that we had to endure. I though a lot about the purpose of family trips (which, most definitely, are NOT "vacations"). Truthfully, Allie is the only one that
might remember any of this trip, but Sami and Drew will most surely forget the whole thing eventually. The memories are for Kev and me. But rather the purpose is to strengthen family relationships, to strengthen our family bond. Because, really, if we're going to spend eternity together, we had better darn-well
like each other.
Know what I mean?
