Shane and I look forward to the annual beach trip every year. This year has been different. Shane's wildly excited. I'm the one feeling cautious.
I'm not the only one either. All the siblings have been trying to distance beforehand. Pop had a rough bout with food poisoning that put him in an Israeli hospital in January. His kidneys put him in the high-risk category for coronavirus. And baby Graham's under 6 months old.
The odds were low, but the stakes were high.
There's no guarantee everyone would remain healthy or that we'd be able to meet next year. Megan was scheduled to move to an overseas post for several years over summer. Nana and Pop made the decision to go forward and hoped to see as much of the family as they could.
When my siblings started to say they were in I kept quiet. A month out, Carrie didn't want Shane and I to go at all. She was worried about the virus spreading at protests and that Heidi being in and out of care would increase our chances of being exposed. I said I wanted to hold off a decision to wait, pray, and see how the data trended.
Thankfully, the numbers for VA did trend downward even with everything going on. I can't tell you if it's due to the masks, people being cautious, less deadly strains of the virus becoming predominate, or God just saying, "Let's slow it down."
Shane and I buckled up and headed to the coast Sunday afternoon. I knew it would probably be okay, but the fear of being the one to introduce the virus to my family still nagged. We've been very careful. Shane and I prayed before we left that we'd all stay healthy or that God would be with us if we did get sick (It was a common prayer at meals and I'm sure at bedtime throughout the week!).
Fear is a liar. Fear will tell you everything that possibly could go wrong and then if one of the endless situations it predicts plays out it will tell you it was right all along.
But I was still nervous for the first several hugs. We were all in.
I'm writing this 5 days after the beach trip ended and 12 days after the first of the family arrived. So far, everyone's reporting in as healthy! I'm the only outlier with my allergies, but those are a minor nuisance in the scheme of things.
I'm really glad we got to go and make memories this year. I've uploaded a ton of pictures I have to write posts for.
On April 25, Cousin Kerry and Dr Matt were married! The physical wedding was off, but the online reception was on!
Carrie had me dress up in 'cowboy formal.' I had a hat, a tie, and a t-shirt. I should have worn my kilt, too, but I didn't think anyone would ask what I was wearing!
Nana wasn't pleased with my shirt. I got a text. Hilariously, I was vindicated when someone's husband walked on camera shirtless!
It was fun! It wasn't as good as being in person, but I'm glad to have been part of the celebration. I had been looking forward to taking time off work and driving to SC to be with everyone before COVID hit. Kerry's been commissioned and Dr. Matt being officially her husband will help her Air Force medical career coexist with his medical research work (they're a pair of smarty pants). I believe they will be moving to Dallas, TX San Antonio, TX soon (if they haven't already).
Congratulations to Kerry and Dr Matt! We love you and wish you the best!
For your birthday weekend, you are entitled to brunch and help moving!
Patrick and Shelby are moving from their townhouse to a house. They had to give three months notice at their current lease (bleh). Nana and Pop had planned to stop by for Patrick's birthday on their way back from setting up Jama's medications. Shane and I planned to drive up and visit everyone, too, so it was a good time to come together as a family and do work, son!
Unfortunately for Shane, he picked up a cold on Thursday. Aunt Dot has been recovering from a rough bout with pneumonia, so he had to stay home with Carrie.
It made things easier for the moving crew, though. Nana was free to help Shelby with the sorting and packing while Patrick, Pop, and I did the lifting.
Patrick and Pop went to pick up the U-Haul. The gas station people recognized Patty and gave him a free trolley rental (Staunton's a small town). He drove it home and we went to work.
I didn't take many pictures, because we were on the move. Pop occasionally took a rest break and tried to count all of the times he's helped with moving in his life but it was a chasing of the wind.
Patrick was happy for the help. Moving is a lot of work.
I like parts of moving. The moving large items is a spatial game and purposeful exercise.
Patrick was laid back about the whole affair and would have been okay making multiple trips. Pop and I didn't want to stop until we had crammed the truck completely full. Shelby and Patrick will have to go back for cats, small items, and cleaning but we got all the big ticket items in.
We caravaned to the new house. Patrick in the truck, Dad in the Kia trying to figure out the weird stick shift with reverse on the left, and me in my Volvo.
The new house was only two miles down the road. Patrick turned up a steep hill and there was a moment I wondered what we'd find when we opened up the truck!
The weather was perfect for moving. It was slightly too cool for standing still.
Most of the move was straightforward. There were a few items we had to puzzle out a solution or two for. Like this chest of drawers.
It really didn't want to turn into the final door on the left!
The free trolley was instrumental in bringing in the washer and the dryer. Pop stayed to do the skilled work while Patrick and I kept ferrying things in.
We thought we were really clever with the washing machine. We brought it out of Patrick's apartment and tipped it over to drain out a chunk of the water. We would have been wise to check inside it. There was a load of wet clothes that added extra weight to the endeavor. We all laughed when we found out.
There was one exciting moment. Shelby called out, because Patrick's car was sliding out of the driveway. It was at a glacial pace (Thankfully), but they're going to have to be aware of the gravel and the grade from here on out.
Shelby and Nana worked in the house and on the cars. I spent most of my time on the truck, so I didn't get many pictures of them in action.
We met for brunch at 10:30 AM and finished moving around 3:15 PM. Or at least, Nana, Pop, and I finished. Shelby and Patrick had a lot of moving left to do to make their house comfortable to sleep in!
It was looking good, though. The floor plan was very similar to Igor's house growing up. There was a split level entry and big common rooms off to the right upstairs and down.
Igor's house didn't have a deluxe cat tree, though!
It seems like a good spot. I hope Patrick and Shelby love living in their new home!
It was a windy drive home, but all the moving helped warm me up for the next style of moving that awaited me at the barn.
Anyway, love ya Patrick and Shelby! Until next time!
New for the day, was Nick visiting to finish the new stall doors.
Carrie played assistant while I managed horse chores, Loki, and Shane.
We had plans to meet the cousins at 1 PM in Richmond for lunch. Originally, I was going to go to The Point to be closer to the Interstate. I didn't get in from horse chores and random help until 9:15 AM, though. It was a 20 minute drive and the 9:30 AM service wasn't happening. I made Shane bathe and gambled on going to the small local church at 11 AM.
I thought, "[The local church] has gotten out early before. The Point rarely does and we'll be close enough Carrie could meet us or we can drive back for her. It's on the back-road route she likes. She'd have to come to the Point to meet us and I bet she runs late working on the barn, anyway."
I was wrong on multiple levels.
The other interim pastor was the one who we perpetually got out early with. The service ran 22 minutes early. It was a communion Sunday and I didn't want to miss out. I texted Carrie we'd be home in 8 and then the time nearly tripled! A woman stopped me to ask a question as I was trying to herd Shane out and it took a few minutes to politely make our exit.
Meanwhile, there was a bad crash on 20. Nick got the call (He's a volunteer emergency responder). He left to help which meant Carrie was done early on the barn. She was showered, dressed, ready, and waiting by the garage door by noon texting, "Where are you!?"
It's about an hour and ten minutes to Short Pump from where we are. We didn't pull up to the house until 12:27 PM, so we were running late-late. Carrie was upset.
We got in the car and got underway as quickly as I could get us going safely (A ticket or a crash takes more time and costs more cash than anyone should want to risk). I was praying the whole way! We made good time and arrived at 1:35 PM.
Luckily, the cousins were running a little late themselves. They got to the restaurant and walked around for a bit, but we showed up within 10 minutes of them, I think.
We all met at Kabuto Japanese Steakhouse.
The restaurant fits into Carrie and I's personal history. It's where I was introduced to Mom-Mom when we were dating. "He's too short," was Mom-Mom's first impression of me! "And too casual."
I won her over eventually!
We were celebrating Nate's birthday a few days early.
I had a harder time getting pictures of him, because he was on the opposite side of the table! Nate got to hang out between Grandpa and Grandma. At the end of the meal, the hostess brought out a gong and they sang "Happy Birthday!"
Noah, Sophia, and Shane sat on our end.
Shane has been to a teppanyaki grill before, but he didn't seem to remember it well. He kept calling the cuisine "Chinese" food.
"Chinese, Japanese, whatever! They're all the same." he said.
"Not even close kid."
Shane didn't want to admit he was wrong and got some looks when he was corrected.
Noah's look was probably from noticing I had my camera out, though. It fit well with the narrative, though!
The soup was a hit.
Everyone enjoyed the salad, too. Carrie wanted me to get a picture of Shane eating his ("Proof!"), but he was constantly talking to Sophia and I had my own soup to eat (Carrie stole most of the salad!).
The kids all loved it when the chef came out. He started to flip eggs into his hat and juggle utensils.
When he offered to throw rice I volunteered to be the first. Carrie went second and the chef worked around the table.
Carrie caught it, but Shane and I had no luck! I blame the throws!
The chef went around the table: Sophia, Noah, Chris, and Nate all tried. I caught a part of it on video.
There were lots of good smiles going on.
I focused my pictures on the kids on my side of the table. I noticed Rachel had her camera out, so she may have got some good shots from other angles.
The chef offered Shane some special sauce. He was afraid it would be spicy and turned it down! I insisted he'd like it and soon there were more laughs!
The fire was a lot of fun!
Nate got birthday pineapple that he shared around the table. It was a fun family moment. The cousins will be heading up to their new home next Saturday. Chris already started work and was in for a weekend visit before heading back.
Carrie spent the end of the meal talking to Chris and Rachel about Triple R camp. We almost sent Shane last year, but the move affected everything.
It would be fun if Shane and Sophia both got to spend their first overnight camp experience together some. I want Shane to go to a camp for fun and to build independence. Going away for a week was a little scary at the start from what I remember, but I have good memories of being at Camp Highroad with Bill. I eventually worked at a summer camp when I was in high school (more great memories!).
Nate and Shane got squirrelly by the end of the meal. Shane was trying to breakdance/spin-drill while Nate jumped over his legs whenever they came around!
I let it go on for a little bit, but when Shane didn't pay attention to servers trying to walk by it was time to cut it out. It was a good cue for everyone to pop up and make our way to the door (and mints!).
We traded some stuff and said our goodbyes in the parking lot. I may have thrown a pokeball at Sophia.
"I'm going to miss them," Shane said.
He and I both wish that more of our friends lived closer together, but at least people are in driving distance. The Cassano-cousins were all the way in Signapore and Italy, so this is way closer for them!
We hit up Lowe's on the way home and came back to find our power was out. The wreck that Nick had been called away must have hit a power pole. We didn't get power back until 7 PM!
We played some cards by flashlight until then. Shane was upset, because he said he didn't want to play and then when we started without him he changed his mind. Then when he stayed underfoot, chased the dog, and sang in our ears we got annoyed and he couldn't understand why! He did play some with us, but he was ready for some electronics when the power came back on and I had to go out for horse chores.
And so ended our winter break! I was looking forward to Shane going back to school and a little reticent about going back myself. I had enough of a plan that I wasn't going to be swamped from the start, at least.
We had some visitors to make New Year's Eve special! Kim and Ryan drove over from Richmond to see the new house (and dog!).
We met up at the barn before we headed out to the tavern for lunch. They chose to drive the back roads to get here. Kim was happy to report they didn't get trapped behind any tractors or slow-driving country folk on the way over.
Shane wanted to show off his room (and Pokemon stickers) to Ryan before we headed out. Like me, Ryan said, "That's Mewtwo," only to have Shane correct him, "NO! That's a Mewtwo Y!"
I tried to catch a wild Shane on the way back from lunch. Shane rode with Ryan and Kim. Kim's window was down, but I missed!
I had to hop out of the car, pick it up from a puddle's edge, and slam dunk it in.
"Daaaad!!!!" Shane yelled.
No, we weren't driving. We were parked at the hardware store for an errand. The roads don't have passing lanes, so it's not like I could drive up beside them. Plus, Carrie would have been in the passenger seat and killed me.
Kim commented that she didn't need a radio while we sat around. Ryan and Shane kept up a steady stream of beat-boxing to keep her 'entertained.'
We gave the official tour of the property when we got back. Heidi pulled up and Carrie peeled off from the group to saddle up herself.
Kim, Ryan, Shane, and I went back to the house and opened presents! I don't know how they find time to shop for as many people as they do, but they manage and they're good at it. Shane got some Harry Potter LEGOs, a HP coding game, and a LEGO Technic car.
He pulled out the wand right away and started to treat it like a weapon. "Say it! Don't spray it, kid!"
There excitement was broken when Max stirred up some excitement of her own. She was stalking some shelves, so I shifted them to see what she was on to.
A mouse shot out. Max caught it.
"Good girl, Max!" I said.
"Let me see! Let me see!" Shane shouted. Kim had the opposite reaction.
I had to stop Shane from racing over to Max. She trotted out of the kitchen and down the hallway with her prize. I started to laugh as she moved to Shane's room. (She was bringing him a present!).
"What!?" Shane yelled. "Noooo!" He ran after and Max dropped the mouse! The mouse skittered into the laundry room and I had to move shoes to help Max zero in on her target again.
I'd hoped she'd kill the mouse, but she was treating it like a prized toy. Stress can kill a mouse and I didn't want it tortured, but I wouldn't cry if it keeled over.
After Max dropped and caught the poor thing multiple times, I pulled out the camera to take a video.
You can tell I got highly distracted at the end. We never had the chance to see if Bucket had hunting instincts. By the time Ryan and I had retrieved her from behind the TV, Max had dropped the mouse and it had run under the fridge.
When the excitement died down, I let Shane show Slime Rancher to Ryan. Shane interjects Slime Rancher into any random conversation, so I figured it would be best to get it out of his system.
With Shane plugged in, that gave Kim, Ryan, and I time to sit down, talk, and play a board game! We learned to play Azul!
That's the temptation with video games and kids. The games can buy you a moment's peace, but if you overuse them...
I pulled the plug shortly after our game. Shane showed Kim his room and ended up wrestling with Ryan and Loki!
Carrie came in from riding and showed Kim Happy-cat while the boys played. (I didn't get this picture pre-approved, so I put it in small until the censors could look at it!)
"We should get a picture before you go," I said.
Everyone agreed, but not everyone had the same type of picture in mind.
This led to a few tries.
Ryan applied tickling to try and get a smile.
And I guess that's the best we could get out of Shane posing. He stood still, at least.
Amazingly, Kim barely moved even with some wrestling adjacent to her! She knows how to avoid getting blurred out!
I'm glad they visited, because it made New Year's Eve a special memory. We weren't planning on staying up or anything of the like. I would have been happy if they chose to stay the night, but it was not to be!
Shane started working on his new Harry Potter LEGOs right after they left.
I'm going to need to get him working on a thank you note....in 2020!
