Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

We drove to the Salt Lake City airport right after Victor’s Internment in Bear River City, Utah. By the time we arrived home it was two in the morning on Saturday. Three hours later we were up again and packing for our next adventure to West Virginia. This trip was on our calendar for some time since it was the weekend of Camila’s baby blessing. Aubrey, Raul, and Claire were also riding with us. Our trip out west and subsequent funeral was unexpected, but we decided to keep our original West Virginia plans because of Camila’s blessing, and because we had already booked an AirB&B close to Breck and Iris’ house. We picked the kids up at six and began our eight-hour road trip to West Virginia, severely sleep deprived, and with a four-month-old baby. Claire did very well, especially considering all the traveling she had been doing the last month. She started having a melt-down about an hour before arriving in Ranson. Brad and I stayed awake on the drive by singing to the radio and playing the game “guess that 70’s song and group”. Once at Breck and Iris’, we visited with the kids and grandkids (including Mancha), grabbed some Peruvian take-out, and crashed at our AirB&B for some much needed sleep!

Herndon, Virginia

Luckily, Breck & Iris’ church didn’t start until noon so we were able to sleep-in. When we arrived, many of Iris’ family were already at the church, which was located in Harpers Ferry, WV. The blessing and service were wonderful, and at the conclusion of the meeting we took a group picture in front of the church. Breck cleaned up his whole back yard in order to accommodate all the guest that would be coming over after the blessing, but it had been raining for several days and Sunday was no different. Due to the rain and Breck’s muddy yard, Iris’ Mother was nice enough to have the gathering at her house in Herndon, Virginia. We enjoyed visiting with Iris’ family and friends, and Raul and I also enjoyed taking a ride in Cameron’s Tesla. Cameron is a good friend of Breck and Iris’, and his Tesla is the same one that Breck once backed into when it was parked behind him!

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

On Monday we went to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Even though Brad and I have been there many times, we wanted Aubrey and Raul to see the beautiful historic town. We did our usual park at the cemetery (which in itself is beautiful, perched on top of a hill, with beautiful views of the town below) and walk to town, however, the path was a little more tricky with strollers. We ate dinner at Rabbit Hole, Breck’s fav restaurant for fish n’ chips, and ice cream for dessert (Raul especially loved his). We then walked the historic streets, river front, and picturesque bridge that crosses the Shenandoah River. Other than Raul stressing over the noisy train (that might cause Claire to lose her hearing) a good time was had by all!

Martinsburg, West Virginia

Breck had Tuesday off, and the weather was still holding out, so we decided to take the babies (and Mancha) out for an afternoon stroll. Martinsburg had a cute little duck pond to walk around, and fun playground with zip-line, rope-climber, and merry-go-round…it really brought the kid out in all of us! The only problem is, I’m not a kid anymore, and my head was spinning for hours. I was unable to get my equilibrium fully back until the next day!

Great Falls, Virginia

Everyone had Wednesday off, and since the weather was still going our way, we decided to visit the awesome falls at Great Falls National Park, in Virginia. The Falls did not disappoint, and neither did the babies! Once again they were little angels, strolling through the Park, while we were eating dinner, and during the three-hour car ride there and back. Raul chose the restaurant for dinner, Pikoteo, a Latino fusion restaurant in McClain, VA. We had the outdoor patio all to ourselves! The food was delicious and the manager of the restaurant was the nicest…he cleared his desk off in his personal office so that we would have a place to change the babies (no changing tables in the bathrooms). After dinner we stopped at little Tienda in Fairfax, VA for Latino snacks and popsicles for dessert!

Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Breck is always asking me when I’m going to move to West Virginia, and of course I tell him, probably never, however, if I were to relocate to West Virginia, I would move to Shepherdstown. It is such a quaint town with historic walkable downtown covered in shops and restaurants. Shepherdstown also includes numerous parks (steamboat monument park is most impressive with beautiful views of the railroad and Potomac River) a University, a babbling brook that runs under the entire town, a mini-house, and so much more. Thursday evening I showed Aubrey and Raul some of my fav sites in Shepherdstown, and then for dinner we ate at one of Breck and Iris’ fav restaurants, Kome Thai and Sushi Bistro. The food was great, but once again there were no baby changing tables, so Camila & Claire had to be changed on their father’s laps, while sitting on the toilet, in a small bathroom! For dessert we had ice cream (are you sensing a theme here?) at a parlor downtown, and as we were talking with the young woman scooping our ice cream, she asked if any of us attended BYU-I (apparently Breck was wearing a shirt with a BYU logo) because her parents went to school there. We told her that ALL of us (minus Raul) were graduates of BYU-I. I just love it when the world is so small!

Germantown, West Virginia

Friday was our last day in West Virginia, and we had big plans to take Aubrey and Raul to The Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Hagerstown. Afterwards we were going to go roller skating, which is something I’ve been wanting to do for my birthday (which was the next day). Unfortunately, the market closed at 6:00pm and we wouldn’t make it in time because Brad, Raul, and Breck all had to work until 5:00pm. We found another Amish market in Germantown (which sadly meant no skating) that didn’t close until 7:00pm. At 5:00pm sharp we loaded up the cars and drove the hour to Germantown. Just as we got to the front doors at 6:00pm, a guy came out and told us it was closed. What?!!! I was so mad!! We were all starving, and there was an Indian restaurant a few doors down, so we decided to go there for dinner. The meal was okay, however, it took an hour for us to get our food, and the babies were restless. Thus, my pictures of Germantown (above) are of Daddy’s walking their fussy babies in an India restaurant! And guess what? Yep, you guessed it! No changing tables in the restrooms! Soooo, just a little note when going to WV to eat: get ready to change your baby on your lap while sitting on the toilet, AND remember that the Amish close-up shop whenever they want, not the time it says on their website! Before heading home we stopped at another Tienda for dessert and snacks.

Ranson, West Virginia

Our home-base was at Breck & Iris’ home in Ranson, WV. Even though Brad and I found a nice AirB&B close to Ranson, we mainly used it for sleeping, and for a quiet place where Brad and Raul could work during the day. When not exploring parks and quaint little towns in West Virginia, we spent our days in Breck & Iris’ living room, visiting and playing with the babies (and Mancha). The top left picture is of Brad and I modeling our Kentucky Derby t-shirts. The Saturday we drove to WV, it was Derby Day, so our celebration included showing off our t-shirts to Breck & Iris (they were not impressed) and watching the replay of the Derby on the news. The following Saturday was another eventful day…my birthday, and that celebration was just as fun as Derby Day, with an eight-hour drive back to Kentucky. Fortunately, Claire was a champ, until the last 45 min of the drive when she decided she was done (I don’t blame her)! Brad and I did go out to eat Saturday evening at a restaurant of my choosing, and he did buy me a slice of birthday cake from my favorite bakery. But really, the best birthday gift of all was spending the week in West Virginia with my kids, attending my grand baby’s blessing, and playing with my grand babies (and Mancha!)! I am grateful to Breck and Iris for letting us invade their home, and for being the best hosts ever!!!