Non-marathon Richmond

November 8-13, 2012

Thursday:

So, we nearly missed our flight. McCarran Airport thinks they're being sneaky when they forget to put words like "Economy Parking" on any signs anywhere, but I figured them out. They know that we will drive in circles, being spat out onto non-airport roads, and that by the time we almost find it, we have to spend the extra money to park closer because we have to haul A to get to our gate. It worked. We paid double what we planned on paying for parking. Those sneaky foxes.

It was worth it, though, because now we have this funny story to tell people about how Kaelee was told she would have to miss her flight or throw away all of her hair product liquids in order to take her luggage onboard instead of check it because it was too late, and how she started to cry, and how I sternly said, "Don't cry!"with pointed finger, to which she put on her big girl face and showed me how brave she could be. I think the #1 quote we used the entire trip was "Don't cry!" I sat next to a guy on the flight who is a semi-pro tennis player, who wants to name his future son "Bingo." Good times.

Natalie had everything nice and hospitable for us when we arrove (yep, get used to that word 'cause I'm gonna use it). Dinner was delish, and I slept quite nicely on an air mattress. She even gave me a pair of her skinny jeans. What a lovely hostess.

Friday:

 I love this one. Our fun begins!

Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello. Loved this place. Jefferson rocked. 

He is buried on-site in the Jefferson family cemetery--where his descendants are still buried! So cool.

We also went to Carter Mountain--next door neighbors with Monticello--to buy apples and doughnuts. Do people spell it like that anymore? Okay, then, donuts. Then we went to the downtown mall there in Charlottesville where I purchased a cute pearl ring and we ate deliciousness at Revolutionary Soup.

A sisters trip would not be complete without some late-night, pre-marathon sister silliness.

Saturday:

Marathon. You already know about this.

Sunday:

We went to church. Then we went to this church:

where Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech. Because we were there on Veteran's Day weekend, we were privy to a reenactment of the convention and speech. This was one of my most favorite things from the trip. It enlivened the patriotism within me. America!

  


 We took a Sunday drive through some gorgeous neighborhoods and through University of Richmond's rich-kid campus. Lovely.

We also visited Hollywood Cemetery, where three U.S. presidents are buried. Coolest cemetery I've ever been in, and I have a weird love of cemeteries, so this is saying a lot.

Monday:

George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. Very cool, but very much more touristy than Monticello--the crowds, expensive museums, impersonal tour guides, and overpriced food court turned me off. Freeway traffic and lengthier travel time didn't help. I'm still glad we did it, though, because Washington rocked, too. There was an archeological dig going on near the house: they were trying to find a fence line, and along the way they found a Revolutionary War infantry jacket button and . . . something else cool that I can't remember now, but I do remember that it was cool, so that's all that matters. 

Tuesday:

Kaelee and I went to the Edgar Allan Poe museum while Natalie went home to get the travel items she forgot and Matt went to class. (Poor Matt was so sick the whole time we were there.) It was a fun little museum, worth about the $3 we spent on it. I'm glad we squeezed it in, though, because I think Poe is pretty great. Then we ate, not necessarily because we were hungry, but because we had some time to kill. (Food was a very important part of the trip.) We went to a place that used to be a fire station but has been turned in to a restaurant. Pretty cool. And pretty yummy: burgers with sweet potato tots.

We kept ourselves busy on the plane with books, word puzzles (thanks, Summer), and a movie called The Odd Life of Timothy Green (which we liked, but another woman described it as "Terrible . . . an hour and a half of my life I'll never get back." We were so offended she didn't like it. We had a layover in Detroit before landing in Vegas.

I was so happy to see my family! When Dax woke up early the next morning and I picked him up, he looked up at me like he wanted to make sure it was really me, snuggled himself against me, then did it again. My heart thought it might burst. It was super hard to leave him for six days, but he was in good hands. Leif stayed home from work Thursday because Dax was sick, so he was on kid duty that day. My mom had the kids Friday, Leif had them over the weekend, Kenzi Stone (Bernan's friend) watched them Monday, and my Mom/Erin had them Tuesday. I really, really, really missed my family.

Thanks to everyone who made this trip possible!