Catching Up ~ Virginia: The Little Trip

Over the summer we also took a 'little trip' as the kiddos named it.  Last summer (2013) we were shopping at our local Bass Pro Shop and in the store they have a little counter with a sign: Outdoor Traveler.  A lady stopped Garrett in his tracks by offering him a great weekend getaway to any of their resorts at a ridiculously low cost.  The only catch was we had to pay upfront for the weekend trip and while there listen to the companies spiel about their one-of-a-kind timeshare.  

It took little convincing.

We had every intention of not waiting an entire year before going on the 'little trip' but our schedule just wouldn't allow it.  So finally, this last August we got to go.  We chose their resort in the Shenandoah Valley area of central Virginia because it was only about a 3hr drive and we had never been to that part of the state before.  
                                             

The drive was just beautiful!  At one point we were going through a small country town and I spied a a little white church with amazing stained glass down a dirt road.  Of course I asked Garrett to turn around so we could check it out!  I can't remember now how old it was :( ...

When we finally made it to the resort we first checked out our awesome 2 bedroom, fully loaded, log cabin ....

and then meandered down to the lake for some paddle boat fun!

We took a stroll around the rest of the property to check it out.  {not photoed are the horse stables, putt-putt, amphitheater, basketball/tennis court, and extra playgrounds.  It was a pretty awesome place!} 

We spent a day at that fantastic pool area.  Kayla tried her hand .... hips ... at the hula-hoop contest while Gavin busied himself in the spray-ground.

 

Our other full day on the trip was spent at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson!

Front

Back

We weren't allowed to take photos in the home :'( so I clicked away on the grounds outside, which was quit captivating.

Butterfly 

Did you know he was just 33 when he drafted the Declaration of Independence?!  Boy do I feel like a slacker now.

Also.  Did you know there is a Carr buried, like, right next to him in the family cemetery?  Yeah.  We're claiming that to be a very close relation.

We all enjoyed our day there so much!  They had a special 'family' tour geared towards younger children and it was fantastic.  The kiddos {and parents} actually liked touring the home and learned so much!  Around the grounds and gardens they had fun activities and games for families.  And then, of course, the house itself was amazing.  It's been preserved so well with actual belongings/furniture/books/art of the Jefferson family it's like you're walking back through time.  It's just fascinating to me to see the actual chair and desk Thomas Jefferson sat at .... the bed he slept in ... the view out the window he cherished so much.  So special.

On our drive home we took the round-about way so we could make a pit-stop at Luray Caverns.  A local gem in the hills.

You're actually looking at a reflection!  That's super still water reflecting the stalactites from above. 

It was pretty crowded ...

but eventually we were able to break away and enjoy a section of the caverns to ourselves!

The kiddos really liked it!  Afterwards we found a spot outside for a quick picnic lunch and an opportunity to feed the geese our leftover bread.  

Another attraction they have at the caverns is a ropes course!  The kiddos were super excited to do it ... even Kayla, our one with a fear of heights.
 
Gavin was a little natural!  He dubbed himself 'Adventure Boy' and loved every minute of it!

Kayla slowly tackled the middle level ... she definitely had a love/hate thing going on.  

Eventually, Gavin decided he wanted to climb up to the third level and he mastered it like a pro!  

After watching her little brother up there, Kayla thought she would give it a try.

She slowly made her way to the stairs and practically crawled up them to the third level.

She took one look down, bear hugged the pole ....... and had a complete and utter panic attack.  I'm not going to lie.  It was pretty awful.  There was a lot crying and screaming as she was perfectly frozen to that pole.  She could not be coaxed down; Garrett had to wrap his arms around her while she buried her face in his neck as they went down the stairs, navigated through the middle level of the coarse and then down the first level of stairs to the solid ground.  {and Gavin trailed behind completely on his own the whole while.}  It was definitely NOT the way we wanted to end this trip :(.  We are at such a loss at how to handle this fear of hers.  Enough time goes by and then she seems to forget her fear and always wants to push herself to try new things {which we will never stop encouraging} but then it inevitably ends this way.  Remember THIS?!

Anyways.  We were definitely SO proud of her for facing her fears, and she did rock that middle section, so we'll take that as a win :).