We left Thursday and drove as far as we could in the direction of Winchester, Virginia, to celebrate with my sister as she graduated. We drove into the night and here are some pictures of how we finally got the kids to sleep in the car. Peyton had to make himself a tent, but he really did sleep like this for a couple of hours.
Friday morning we finished the trip (only 2 hours) and arrived in time to go to C's hooding ceremony. We listened to some boring speakers, heard the same three students get all the awards and cheered as C received her hood and got all that much closer to graduating for the final time!
Friday night J & I got some time without P & L thanks to Grandpa G & Grandma J. We drove a little ways to our friend Gary's in-laws house and were graciously welcomed by strangers for dinner, drinks and a bed in true southern hospitality. They were a great couple and we had a fabulous time making new friends, catching up with old friends and enjoying the great outdoors of northern Virginia!
Finally Saturday arrived! The big day! One of my little sisters became a Dr. Congratulations, Dr. C Williams! I don't know why I'm not really big on taking pictures of other people's big days, like this, so I have no pictures to share with you, but I know she does. It was a sweltering hot day and the ceremony was outside. So, I sat and fanned myself with the program, waiting with my other sister to "Woo Hoo" as C's name was announced and she received her fake "diploma".
Meanwhile, J wandered campus with P & L, found a place to lay in the shade and played baseball (go figure) with Peyton, of course, they didn't have a bat so they used a stick and a fallen nut - anything to keep them occupied and out of the heat and from bothering others as they restlessly endured the hour and a half boredom (for them) that is graduation!
We spent the rest of Saturday leisurely celebrating! Eating Italian food, sleeping, eating more Italian food (pizza delivery is great) and playing in the kiddie pool.
Then we ventured another hour and a half northeast to a DC suburb to spend the night with baby sister, E, and her husband. But, first, to get there, we had to take a ferry! And today Peyton is still talking about the boat we had to drive our car onto to take us across the river to get to Aunt E's house and can we do that again? Sure, if it wasn't a 9 or so hour drive just to get there, it would be worth the $4 and the 10 minutes on the boat...right? Again, no pictures, well, because it would have just been water all around us...easy to imagine! Peyton has also been reinventing the scene in our pool with toy boats, toy cars and "his hand as an island". Does he really think we went to an island? I guess that is sign he needs a small geography lesson.
As a complete aside, he did pick up the globe all on his own today and perfectly find the state in which we live and confidently exclaim, "Look, Mommy, here's our house!"
Back to the trip...
Sunday was yet another day on the road, another hour and a half northwest this time to Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Kinsel's house. We had mini family reunion of sorts. It was really mostly my family and the people we'd been with all weekend but my aunt, uncle, cousin, and cousin's baby came today, too. It was great to meet Baby S and see how she is thriving after spending the first month plus of her life in the NICU! This is the only other picture I took all weekend...
And finally, Monday morning came and we loaded into the car for the 9, turned into 11, hour trip home! And this is where I can thank the inventors of the DVD player in the automobile for my sanity! We did try to do other things, brought some coloring books and such and those lasted a few brief moments from time to time but the main entertainer for those 11 hours was a whole host of library borrowed cartoon DVDs.
All in all, it was fabulous trip! It was great to see family and in a different season than normal! It was fun to play in the yards of those houses we are normally couped up in during the cold, snowy months of winter when we normally visit. It was great to see the flowers and produce being cultivated in spots that are normally bare ground during our visits. It was great to wear shorts, t-shirts, sundresses and swimsuits and go barefoot, in place of snowsuits, layers of pants and shirts and heavy winter shoes. It was great to pack all of our belongings for 4 people for 4 days in one large suitcase rather than the typical overstuffed bulky 3, sometimes 4, suitcases for the same number of people and the same number of days! Cheers to summer travels and the lightness and warmness it brings to our hearts to be near family as they reach milestones they've been dreaming of for decades, literally!
We are soo proud of you Aunt C! It still warms my heart to think of all you have endured these last 5 years and the good you are going to bring to so many people throughout your career!
I wish I had a picture of you, all by yourself, well with your "diploma" of course to insert here as it seems totally appropriate! Lesson to me...take pictures of everything...you never know when you might indeed want it!.
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