VA Tripping: Part 1

Turns out Virginia isn’t just for lovers. It’s for families, too. And our little family of three (hopefully all five of us next trip!) had a marvelous trip.

That being said, I have to ask, what kind of Hubert vacation would it be without a few bumps along the way? Why, it wouldn’t be one at all!! Did someone get sick? Yes. Did someone end up in the ER? You betcha! Thankfully, this time it wasn’t Haeden causing all the ruckus. It was me. Who knew I was such a drama queen (shush, Robyn!)?

Everything started out well enough. We decided to break up the 10-hour drive into two days and left Thursday night after work and last-minute packing. Can I just take a minute and say, “Thank you, baby Jesus!” for the invention of the portable DVD player?! That thing was a life saver. So much so that when Friday morning it inexplicably stopped working, we had no choice but to stop at the next Wal-Mart exit to buy a new one. Completely unexpected but NECESSARY expense, you guys! I am pretty sure that Haeden watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse no less than fifteen times during the trip. We also tried Bob the Builder, Nemo, Cars and Wall-E but nothing else can hold his attention for more than ten minutes. That show is toddler crack to him. Dan wonders about the subliminal messages being sent to him, but I’m just happy he stayed quiet because there is no way I could stay in the car for 10+ hours with a whiny toddler. I would sooner ride back with a trucker.

Anyways, being the cheap bastards that we are, we decided that the hotels in Columbia, SC were probably too expensive and decided to look for a place further on down the road. That ended up being almost an hour down the road and because that was not enough punishment, the place was a DUMP. These things don’t phase Dan much, but I am a prissy little princess and do not like to be able to see foreign substances on the blankets or a bug crawling up the wall. Also, they didn’t even have a flat screen television in the room. What the hell?

The next day we arrived in Virginia ahead of schedule and met Robyn at work. After showing him off to all of her co-workers we grabbed some lunch at the local Mexican joint. I really get a kick out of the fact that you can pretty much go to any town, anywhere and find one of these joints. They're pretty much all the same no matter where you are --- warm chips and salsa immediately delivered to the table, at least two or three different waiters serving you (not that it matters because you usually can't tell one from the other) and the tall, laminated menu that includes a little foodie dictionary on the bottom because Taco Bell has no idea what a chalupa really is, and neither did I.

Dan took in the scenery on the thirty-minute drive up to Robyn's house while Haeden slept and my sister and I played catch-up. I don't know that you can ever really appreciate a sibling until they're no longer living across the hall/ town or at least within a few hours drive. We fought like cats and dogs growing up ("MOOOOOM! She's in my room!), but now I miss her like crazy. I used to look at her and see nothing but our differences and now I just see the similarities. I'd love nothing more than to see her on a weekly basis rather than two or three times a year. I know I'm never getting her and her husband out of Virginia and I can't blame them since it is gorgeous, but I sure do wish Virginia was a few states closer.

Anyway, later that afternoon we drove over to a little spot known as Little Stony Falls. It is my favorite place to go when visiting and I was so excited to show Dan. We have a thing for waterfalls and they will always remind me of our honeymoon. We had a great time until Haeden and I had the brilliant idea to take Haeden and try to walk across the creek via stepping stones. The very first rock I tried to step on turned, causing me to fall over and scrape my elbow and knee while simultaneously dunking Haeden's bottom half into the creek. Man, Dan turns his back on us for two seconds...  I sure hope he learned his lesson.

Since Haeden's shoes were sopping wet and it was too far to go back and change him, we stopped and bought him a new pair of shoes (not that I need a reason to buy either of us shoes). Then we headed to dinner at their local steakhouse, complete with peanut shells all over the floor. I love places like this despite the fact that I'm not eating meat and I am physically unable to throw my own peanut shells on the floor. I always end up piling them up in the middle of the table. I don't even realize it until someone mentions that I could just throw them down like everybody else. Guess it's just the neat freak in me. Tell me I'm not the only one?!

That night Josh was kind enough to sleep on the couch so that Haeden and I could have the bed. Robyn had decided that she wanted to sleep with us (Dan had his very own blow-up mattress, the lucky duck). I tried to warn her about Haeden's violent sleeping habits, but she would not be deterred. As expected, Haeden slept great while Robyn and endured kidney punches and face slaps throughout the night. She declined to sleep with us for the rest of the trip, but I refrained from telling her "I told you so". Aren't I maturing?!

Stay tuned for details on the rest of the trip - including our biking trip,ER visit and Haeden's first visit with his Grandpa and Grand-Mary! Never a dull moment!