Our Virginia Trip

Shortly after Ben came home from this last deployment, he mentioned that the flight surgeon he was deployed with asked if he would consider officiating her wedding.  He thought it would be a great getaway for us, so he agreed.  I know it meant the world to her and it didn't take long for us to realize how much some time to be just Ben and Jen, was needed.

We traveled all day Thursday and picked up this tiny car in Norfolk to get us around the tidewater area.  It felt like a toy car...the two of us and our luggage barely fit!

Friday morning started at one of our favorite places on the planet; Windsor Castle Park.

 This trip could be titled, Holy Humidity!

I wanted to run all morning, but the humidity had other plans.  We made it 6.5 miles before we waved our white flag, wrung out our clothes and went to get Ringo's, still the absolute best donuts.

 We cleaned up and then went to The Point, for lunch.

 It was funny being back at these old favorite places; the same staff, food and beauty...just a little more country than we remembered.  Did I mention it was my birthday too?  Best birthday lunch right here!

 

Then we headed to the Inn at Warner Hall for the wedding rehearsal.  They were just a little happy to see Ben and we were even more happy to see green and rain.

When we pulled up, Ben said he felt like he was stepping into a movie.  For real.  It felt like we were in Stars Hallow and a guest at the Dragon Fly Inn.  Go watch Gilmore Girls if you don't know what I'm talking about.  Sookie was in the kitchen, Lorelai greeted us at the front desk and a very tipsy Emile Gilmore was the mother of the bride.

Anyway, they showed us to our fancy room and I ironed Ben's clothes on the baby ironing board :)

 

We were thoroughly spoiled at the Inn.  They had drinks and appetizers galore each evening, along with amazing food at each meal.

 

There are so many stories I could share about this weekend.   It's always a bit of a shock for me to see Ben in work mode; some because there are parts of his job that are insane and some because it's a side of him I don't see at home.  This is a perfect picture of Ben at work:

 Ben said he was going to get a lemon cookie he kept hearing rave reviews about.  I started to wonder what happened to him, when I found him in front of the cookie table, talking intently to this older couple.  He listened carefully to their life story and asked a few questions before excusing himself back to our appetizers.  Ben not at work=does not chit chat with strangers.  Ben at work=strikes up conversations with everyone and they always end up sharing all the intimate details of their life.

The next morning, we went out for a run.  Everyone thought we were crazy to go out in the rain, but we loved it!

 Ben found a baby turtle on the road :)

 

This graveyard was at the back of the Inn.  They picked this place specifically for the historical factor and I thought it added a really cool touch to the weekend.

While everyone else at the Inn was doing wedding stuff, we got to just sit and drink tea.  I finished a book and we talked about life.  I could have stayed in this spot forever.

 Humidity + rain + running = the most stinky clothes you can imagine.  They were so stinky, our fancy room was starting to lose it's fancy appeal and we had to awkwardly take our stink to the boathouse to wash them.  Some of the wedding party was down there killing time, so Ben decided to join in the fishing and I chatted with some of the ladies.

 

 The wedding was supposed to be outside of the house, in the lawn, but due to the rain, it had to be moved to the foyer of the house.  It was a very unique experience, to be standing, looking up for a wedding.  Plus, the girl standing next to me, suddenly had a wardrobe malfunction and I had to lend her my sweater to make it through the ceremony.  Never a dull moment in my life.

 

Ben pronouncing them man and wife

 The reception was in a tent in the backyard.  I never quite understood why they didn't just have the wedding in the tent, but I was also thankful because the humidity was still trying to slowly melt us away.

 

It was way too loud in the tent, so we enjoyed our pie on the patio.

 Sunday morning, Ben got to preach at Hope.

 Seeing the building was incredible.  Actually, it was a strange feeling, sitting in Knox's chairs, in Hope's building (Hope bought the chairs from Knox during a renovation) and being a visitor.  George is on sabbatical and is actually in Kansas, but we got to see Benjamin and Hannah.

Ben talking to Benjamin and Hannah in the foyer of church

The sanctuary:

 We went to lunch with Matt and Kathleen.  They were in our small group and now have a sweet baby.  It was so great catching up with old friends.

 

We ended our trip with a stroll through downtown Smithfield and one final walk around Windsor Castle.

It was a fantastic trip.  We heard countless, "You look so tan!" and "You don't look old enough to have an almost 11 year old!" and "Are you planning on homeschooling forever?".  I got to meet some people Ben was deployed with and see some snippets of his work life.  He got to see me not at work...actually he had a good laugh at me trying to function without mom-brain.  The kids had a great time as well, but I'm going to let Alison tell her side of the story.