72 hours.  

3 hikes, 15 miles, 3 wineries, 1 brewery, 3 dinners, 1 breakfast, 1 visit with family, 1 visit with friends, 2 movie, and 2 naps.

ALL in 72 relaxed hours.

All to celebrate 14 years since the best wedding ever.

Hikes:

• CrabTree Falls

Amazing hike.  Took 2 hours 20 minutes including the 1-mile scenic tour we took after we reached the peak. It’s the largest waterfall west of the Mississippi.  It’s actually quite dangerous with over 30 hikers having plummeted to their deaths in more recent years when slipping on the rocks. It is pretty much a straight uphill path and then straight downhill on the way back.

• Rivianna Trail – This is a trail right in downtown Charlottesville.  A great nearby trail for the morning before we checked out of our Airbnb.
• Ragged Mountain Area Trail – We did the entire 6.7-mile loop.  Up and downhill the entire hike.  It was close to home, a great workout, and great choice in hikes for Saturday afternoon.  Turns out we had done a portion of that trail the last time we were visiting with the girls.  We just didn’t realize it until we were at the end of the trail. 

Wineries

• Early Mountain – Simply breathtaking views, location, and indoor space.  Wines were yummy and charcuterie board delicious. Definitely want to visit this winery again.

• Barboursville – Was on the path home and since we had both heard of it and it was rated well, we decided to check it out.  Neither of us could figure out why the hype…scenery was lackluster as was the building and the wine. 
• Pippen Hill Winery – A beautiful location.  We went on Saturday and met Kaya and Addy.  While we weren’t hungry, lines were long, so we ordered everything outside.  Kaya had not eaten lunch, so I ordered an overpriced charcuterie board.  For $37, they gave me two paper plates, a block of crumbly cheese, prosciutto, salami, a drop of honey to be put together by yours truly.  Seriously.  The setting is indeed gorgeous, but the wine is expensive and I think they have lowered their quality and service at the expense of numbers and packing the place.

Breweries

• We visited Devil’s Backbone.  It was on the way home from our CrabTree Falls hike – we ran in when the sky opened up.  To avoid driving in the thunderstorm, we stopped here.  The outdoor space looked cool, but we weren’t interested in being outside during the storm.  The inside felt like it should be in Jackson Hole.  Justin ordered a beer, me a flight.  I didn’t like any of the beers. Not a place I wish to return. 

Dinners

• Oak Heart Social – Yum!  Cool vibe!  Lots of couples and couples and friend groups meeting up.  They suggest sharing so we split the shaved salad, beets, and seared rockfish.  All delicious!  We were debating ordering a fourth thing…the sausage and mushroom pizza sounded so good, but we thought it would be too much food….we thought wrong as Justin ate six Wegman’s meatballs when we got home. 
• Brasserie Saison – We had dinner reservations with Sam and Zabby.  While the ambience was cozy and nice and the food was good, the service was a bit awkward.  For example, they forgot to make Justin’s dish and the way they handled it was weird.  We started with bread and butter and a Brussel salad…both delicious.  The ladies had the trout and the men, the steak frites.  Dessert, we shared some chocolate mouse and crème Brule, both very good.  Food was good, but not to die for and service just weird.

• Orzo Kitchen and Wine Bar – Yum!  We went on a Sunday.  Place was a little darker than my liking, but food was excellent. Crowd was mostly multigenerational per table.  Then there was me and Justin and a few others. We started with the shaved zucchini salad and the Lebanese Muhammara, both scrumptious.  Justin ordered the lamb shank bourgignon and myself the peasant beef and pork Bolognese, both fantastic. I rarely order pasta, but it felt like the right move and it totally delivered.

Breakfast

• Saturday and Sunday morning we enjoyed yogurt at our AirBnB, our standard Greek yogurt and berries breakfast.  We went for breakfast after our hike Monday morning. I had a few places in mind, but hadn’t made a final decision and since in a time crunch we ended up at Blue Moon Diner, where we had coffee and omelets.  Omelets were fresh, a decently priced choice.  Though if I had to do a breakfast spot again, I would try Oakheart Social. 

Family

• We enjoyed a nice visit with Kaya and Addy Saturday afternoon.  They met us at Pippen Hill Winery.

Friends

• We enjoyed a great evening with Sam and Zabby who we hadn’t seen since spring 2019.  It was really fantastic meeting up with them.  This height cracks me up.

Movies:

• We watched two NetFlix movies…I actually sat still and we cuddled on our small couch and enjoyed watching not one, but two movies, with no electronics in hand!

Naps:

• Need I say more, not sure how, but even doing all these things, we managed to take two one-hour naps while we were away. 

14 years married, 22 years together.  Honestly seems like college and just getting together was yesterday.  It hardly seems like we have been together that long.  You are my best friend, my person, and I love our life and doing life with you.

As if no time has passed, Karolin slipped back into our house and our lives merged for a wonderful week.  Our activity calendar and evening activities are busier than in the days when Karolin was our au pair, but with a few rain and runny nose cancellations, we managed to eat family dinners more than I anticipated.  The girls’ activities allowed for some one-on-one and two-on-one time.  There were lots of hugs, cuddles, reminiscing, and enjoying the present.

We feel so fortunate that Karolin continues to visit us on her vacation time…she could go anywhere, and she chooses us.

Labor Day Weekend we escaped to Williamsburg, Virginia, for one last summer adventure. While school started the prior week, the girls had both Friday and Monday off.  We departed early Friday and headed straight to Jamestown. Colonial America is the 4^th Grade History curriculum so it was good to be able to make the history come to life. The museum and settlement and ship replicas were interactive; we all enjoyed it. 

Friday evening after checking into our hotel, we briefly explored D.O.G Street before heading to Amber Ox for dinner.  The food and vibe were fantastic, though if we were to go back, we would leave the kids at home as they weren’t as impressed as we were.  We figured a visit to Kilwins would put a smile on their face.  Their ice cream is so delicious, it made us all happy!

Saturday morning we woke early, ate breakfast at the hotel (a late change to our hotel to get one that included breakfast) and then headed to Water Country USA.  Fairly early on, we ran into Grace, Matthew, and Suzy Thompson and spent half the day doing rides with them.  The girls loved the water park.  Emerson was the bravest tackling several of the high thriller rides, Harper tackled a few of the high thrillers, and like me, Avery got her thrills from the low and medium thrillers. The park closed at 7:00 and while the girls could have stayed to closing, we wanted to be able to shower before dinner. We found a cool spot, an indoor warehouse type space, which housed long rectangular tables, arcade games, beer, and food stands.   We indulged in the beer (Precarious Beer Project) and tacos (Electric Circus Taco).  It was a unique and fun experience for a Saturday evening.  Oh yeah, and we made another visit to Kilwins.

Sunday morning routine was the same as Saturday.  When we had gathered plenty of snacks and food, we ventured to Busch Gardens for the day.  Our family favors water parks over amusement parks, however, we all had a great time.  The risk level of the girls on the rides was a repeat of the water park.  Emerson went on a total of two different roller coasters, riding a roller coaster three times in total.  Harper did two roller coasters, one time each.  Avery did the bumper calls multiple times; they were her favorite ride.  When we stumbled across some of the Sesame Street rides when searching for a bathroom, those became my targeted rides. The girls made fun of me…two of those rides were thrilling enough for me!

We did a lot of splitting up with rides. The Log Plume was the only ride all five us did, besides the bumper cars.

While we didn’t close down the park, we stayed late and missed our dinner reservation.  Sals was open late so we went there knowing it would be a good spot for the girls. 

Monday morning, we strolled through campus before heading home.  It was a great way to end the summer….some reminiscing, some history, new experiences, fun, and family time.

The last first day of elementary school for Avery and Emerson.  The next first day where all three girls will be together at the same school will be in four years.  We have been so fortunate to have all three girls at the same school for five years! I thought I might shed a tear or two at the bus stop, but nope!

Avery confident in her stylish jumper.

Emerson confident in her stylish dress.

Harper in her soccer shorts…wasn’t the planned outfit, but the one that she felt confident in.

All three of my girls!

The annual bus stop breakfast.  My girls are always so excited for it, yet too nervous to truly eat much.

Wow, how the group has changed over the years!

The non-Oakton students joined the breakfast too!

The 6^th graders – they think they are so cool!

The morning bus ride was a bit delayed due to a new first grade neighbor with the first day jitters.  The afternoon bus ride was delayed as well due to a double back bus route. It was a long first day.  The girls came off the bus happy and ready for day two!

All week there was minimal shoes and clothes wearing.  Note for packing next year…LESS shoes and clothes!  We wore bathing suits from morning to late afternoon alternating between beach and pool constantly.  The beach was practically in our backyard so going inside to grab some snacks, go to the bathroom, and eat lunch was quick and easy. 

Weather was good, except for the last day which was a washout.  Water was calm and warm, and I even got in the water twice…and more than just to pee…legitimately got in the water.

The kids played in the sand burying Sophia.

They boogey boarded and played paddle ball. 

We collected shells.  We found quite a few big olive shells!

They had pool contests using the boogey boards to see who was the last man standing.

They lounged around the house and had too much screen time. 

Justin and I walked and worked out a lot.  We took a family walk only once to the pier.  

We didn’t even go on the pier this year!

We ate in every meal! 

We did venture out for ice cream twice at the local ice cream shop Bada Bing. 

We celebrated Harper’s birthday once more! 

The first night we did a poolside barbeque which was a huge hit, why we have not done one previously, I don’t know!  

The grown-ups indulged in a seafood boil.

The rain stopped for a very brief hour at 6:00 p.m. Friday so we ran outside to take some group shots. 

My girls…getting to be so grown up!

After being stuck inside all day, we were in a silly mood!

The rain continued to hold out long enough for the kids to jump in the pool one more time!

It was our third year staying in the house Conched Out, so we pretty much nailed down the menu for the nights we took out (pizza, barbeque, and seafood boil) as well as the responsibilities of each family. We shared delicious meals, laughter, poop stories, dad jokes, and most of all our continued friendship.  

“Friends are the family we chose”.

Harper’s birthday celebration started two weeks before her actual birthday.  To celebrate, she opted for a sleepover with Liza.  Liza came at 4:00 and they spent nearly 24 hours together not getting bored once and keeping themselves fully occupied. 

There was present opening, which included some twinning.

Mac and cheese eating from Pot Belly’s.

Followed by a trip to the new Tysons Boro movie theatre to watch Minions: The Rise of Gru, where the girls enjoyed a jumbo popcorn while layed out on reclining seats.

Their bellies were full, but not too full for Jenny’s icecream!

The girls chattered and slumbered.

Enjoyed a blueberry and chocolate chip pancake breakfast.

Followed by a morning of more playing a more fun!

The celebration continued Saturday evening with tickets to see Toy Story with music performed by The National Symphony Orchestra.  Harper invited Grandma to join so the three of us had a girl’s night. The weather was perfect.

The food delicious!

The freebies were ever so present starting with a ride to the front in a golf cart!  Harper won a pop-it.  I won a tote bag.

Grandma and I sat in the rented cushion chairs and wow, I will never not rent those again!

Smiles…wide smiles…from ear to ear…were present all night long.  My girl was so incredibly happy, living her absolute best life. 

We celebrated her birthday dinner the 11^th at Pazzo with Grandma and Grandpa.  Since we would be packing Friday for the beach, we decided to do dinner Thursday evening.  

Friday morning was present opening, followed by a day spent with Papa and Grandma visiting Grandma Adele and bowling.  She had a great time, but after she got home and Justin and I were still packing and finishing up work, it was clear she didn’t feel like it was her birthday and we cared about it. She was moody!

With no food in the house, I was hoping she would pick take-out, but she wanted to go out….Bear Branch it was, followed by apple pie and ice cream at home and a wonderful cuddle reading her birthday letter. 

Her 9^th birthday celebration went on for days; however, it became clear to us that unless Harper celebrates on her actual birthday, all those things are somehow forgotten!

Happy 9^th birthday Harper!!  Hope you know how much you are loved.

One of the things Avery and Emerson dislike the most about being about a twin is sharing a birthday.  Totally valid…completely understandable!  Therefore, I told them they could have their own parties this year and each pick a day to celebrate with the family.  Ironically, they decided on a joint party…Watermine Waterpark was what they both wanted! 

Although they had a combined party, that was actually fairly small due to a lot of their friends being out of town, we had an extended birthday celebration over four days!

Thursday morning started out with gifts…and all their gifts. They wanted to open everything at once! Gifts were not extravagant and yet they were so appreciated, especially the ones from each other and Harper.  Harper had soccer camp from 9-3 so I took Avery and Emerson out for breakfast at Simply Social Coffee shop just the three of us. 

A quick stop on the way to my parents’ house allowed us to pick up some edible parting gifts for the birthday party (Swedish Fish and gum).  They spent the afternoon celebrating with my parents at Bowlero bowling and playing arcade games, followed by lunch at Wildfire, and finally some swimming, which Harper also joined in for the swim. 

My parents brought the girls back home at 5:00 and we sang happy birthday and indulged in birthday cupcakes and tarts. 

We opted to go out to eat to celebrate on Friday due to Emerson having softball practice Thursday as well as the girls being “fooded” out from going out to breakfast, lunch, and having so many desserts.  

Friday evening, we celebrated with my parents at Matchbox, singing to them once again!

Saturday was their birthday party.  The weather was great and the girls had a fantastic time.  The only complaint that I heard was that the party wasn’t long enough! Not a bad complaint to hear!  Justin and I sat at the Funbrella during the party and it was honestly the easiest most stress free party I have ever entertained.

We were all zonked Saturday evening from spending all day in the sun.  We did some vegging on the couch and I even fell asleep for an hour.

The celebration continued into Sunday as one of Avery and Emerson’s gifts were tickets to see ABBA at Wolftrap.  The show was sold out.  We tailgated by eating CAVA in the van and then danced in our seats to a great show where the energy was contagious. 

Perhaps sharing a birthday is all the reason to extend the celebration into four great days!

Happy 11^th Birthday Avery and Emerson!

For four summers now, we have been attempting to vacation with my sister and her family.  Each year the idea has gotten pushed to the next summer due to COVID and a pregnancy. Last year as we were thinking 2022 may be the year, I realized it was my parent’s 50^th Anniversary and there was no way we could vacation together without my parents also joining us.  I asked my parents if they would be interested in doing a beach vacation with all of us to celebrate their 50^th to which they jumped on the idea. 

It took a bit of searching before finding a great house on the sound in Duck, NC. Lauren, Gabriel, Noah, and Elias flew in from London on a Thursday and by Saturday morning we were all packed in our two cars and headed to the beach.

Family. Sandy. Delicious. Exhilarating. Bakery. Extraordinary. Water. Amazing. Grateful.  

These were the single words that each of us chose the last night around the dinner table to sum up our vacation.

Duck was the perfect spot for our family.  We were within walking distance of the boardwalk, the beach, the Four Seasons clubhouse, local independent food markets, outdoor produce stands, restaurants, and hundreds of stores.

The weather was quite rainy some days, probably the rainiest beach vacation I have ever had, but it was far from a washout, and we still made it to the beach a total of four times, which is how many times I anticipated we would go being that we were staying on the sound.

We made some delicious dinners at home…from pasta night to steak night to a burger and dog night. 

We enjoyed a couple beautiful sunsets on the non-rainy and non-cloudy days.

We had a family talent show where we laughed so hard we gave ourselves a core workout.

We drove to Nags Head and peacefully enjoyed a calm morning at Jeanettes’ Pier.

We played paddle board, collected shells, played in the sand, and swam in the ocean. 

The girls battled out their pool skills, both on the billiards table and in the swimming pool. 

We indulged in a few bottles of wine and brewskis, including an afternoon beer flight at Growlers. 

We purchased and ate an insane amount of bagels, cookies, scones, donuts, and cake from a local bakery Tullio’s where our family may have been the best customers of the week. 

As if that wasn’t enough sugar, we indulged in ice cream from Big Bucks twice and ate saltwater taffy. 

The house itself was great, very clean and well maintained, a fully stocked kitchen, a great floor plan, and spacious rooms.  All beds were comfortable except for (yes, you guessed it) mine and Justin’s.  The mattress was fine but ironically the very pretty bed frame squeaked every time sometime turned a fourth of an inch. By day four, I couldn’t take it anymore and bunked with Avery in a quite comfortable twin bed. 

There were lots of cousin cuddles, grandma hugs, and most of all love, joy, and fun celebrating a huge milestone and what my parents “I do” commitment 50 years ago created. 

Jan 26/27 – Avery first injured her foot at gymnastics.  Complaining of it hurting but no bruising or swelling.  She wears an ace bandage on it off and on, takes a week or so off from gymnastics, but with no bruising or swelling over the course of the next week, I basically tell her to suck it up. 

Feb 10 – Avery hurts it further when doing a handspring at gymnastics. Still no bruising or swelling.

Feb 11 – I decide to take her to Urgent Care before school for an X-ray to prove that her ankle is just bruised and because I was starting to question my judgement as a parent.  X-Ray is inconclusive….they determine it may just be a sprain; however, they also see something that could be either a hairline fracture or an oddity in her growth plates.  They refer us to an orthopedist and put her on crutches in a splint until she can get further evaluated.

Feb 14 – We see Dr. Shepard.  X-rays reveal just a bad sprain.  He orders physical therapy (PT) twice a week and tells her she must stop running and jumping on it for three of four weeks.  He indicates she can come off her crutches as soon as she is ready.  I expect this to be within a day or two, she ends up staying on crutches for three few weeks…a few weeks on both crutches and then another week on one crutch.  While she is not able to attend gymnastics during this time, she is able to attend dance and participate in various ways over the course of the next few weeks.  There is some watching and some movement of the arms while sitting in her chair.

Mar 15 – After a month of PT and not participating in gymnastics at all and dance in a very limited capacity, Avery’s PT clears her to fully participate in gymnastics and dance.  She believes the sprain occurred long enough ago that it is healed.  At PT, Avery starts doing some running and jumping.  We expect her to be back at gymnastics and dance this week.  While she has been cleared and her ankle her certainly improved, over the next two weeks, it still seems as though it isn’t as strong as it should be by this point. While cleared, she still takes another week off from actual truly participating in gymnastics and dance.

Mar 30 – Avery goes back to the orthopedic and sees the Physician’s Assistant as it is the routine 6-week follow-up appointment. Due to her continued pain, additional X-rays were ordered, ones not only for her ankle, but also for her foot. The PA consulted with another orthopedist in the practice after seeing the images and they thought they were now seeing something called tarsal coalition, which is a genetic condition one is born with and often starts presenting starting around the ages of nine.  A MRI would confirm such a diagnosis. Until the MRI, Avery was put in a boot where she could only take her foot out for PT, to shower, and to sleep.  The exercises in PT changed as well with this potential new diagnosis.

Apr 11 – MRI day.  I spent hours on the phone trying to get an appointment for a MRI.  Our original one was scheduled for even a week later; however, I finally got lucky after calling multiple times a day daily and found a cancellation.  Avery was nervous about the MRI; however, she was able to calm herself and she did great. 

Apr 13 – MRI results were in and turns out she did not have tarsal coalition.  Great news! This was confirmed by Dr. Switagon April 13^th.  I had lined up this appointment as a second opinion in the event she had tarsal coalition.  Due to the first doctor’s vacation schedule, her second opinion doctor read the MRI before her first opinion doctor.  He cleared her to return to things back to normal as she could.  We would continue PT for a few more weeks to continue to strengthen her ankle and foot. 

Apr 17 – Easter – Avery injures her foot in an Easter Egg race.She ends up using crutches the rest of the evening. 

Apr 18 – We happen to have Avery’s follow-up appointment with the first practice (2^nd doctor – Dr. Ludwig) the day after Easter.  We tell her that we saw another doctor and received the good news on the MRI.  She agrees with his path forward based on the MRI, though she is concerned with Avery’s new injury. She wants an X-ray again to make sure she didn’t reinjure it based on where Avery is saying it now hurts.  The X-ray shows a potential fracture, but she isn’t sure and believes it could be a bruise as well. So, she orders Avery back in the boot for two more weeks.  Avery receives a new boot as her prior boot was starting to fall apart on the bottom.  We spend 40 minutes trying to get fitted with the new boot.  Despite the boot being the same boot, Avery is having problems with her foot moving in it.  She is in tears by the time we leave, and we go back and talk to the orthopedist a second time. She assures Avery a little movement in the boot is okay and she is not doing further damage to the foot.  She indicates PT needs to stop for several weeks to allow the foot to heal.

Apr 19 – Avery is not only wearing the boot but also back to using her crutches as she literally can’t walk now without a lot of pain in the boot alone. This continues for the next week plus.

Apr 27 – I leave a message with the orthopedist as she is clearly regressing.

Apr 28 – I speak to the Physician’s Assistant, and she believes Avery has now developed Amplified Pain Syndrome, something that can occur when a body part is immobilized for too long. Avery has now become overly sensitive.  She said the pain is real but it is a result of physiological pain.  She ordered Avery to start PT again right away as opposed to waiting; PT is recommended for up to three times a week.

Apr 29 – We start PT at home, it is challenging as she can barely put up with it.  The PT is simple touch and ice.  We continue this at home for a few days until I was able to get her back into a PT session.

May 5 – Avery has a PT session focusing on desensitizing and she is able to tolerate it. She is off the one crutch again by the end of the day. 

May 6 – The desensitization exercises seem to be making a big difference and she is walking in her boot normally again. 

May 20 – Avery goes back to Dr. Ludwig, takes additional X-rays and is cleared to take off her boot and resume walking on it. Doctor says it may take about a week to get comfortable walking on it all the time so boot can be worn occasionally if/when foot gets extra tired.  PT to continue twice a week.

May 20 (evening) – Avery is attempting to walk in the kitchen without her boot when her knee gave out on her and she has sharp pains for over an hour in the back of her foot (Achilles’area).  She said her knee never actually hurt but she collapsed due to pain in Achilles’ area.   

May 31 – Avery finally been off the one crutch she had been using after hurting her Achilles.  She was in a lot of pain for over a week and is finally walking normal on her foot again.

June 22 – Avery sees Dr. Ludwig and she says her progress is great.  She said it was night and day from what she had seen of Avery previously.  She wants Avery to continue PT for another month since it has been benefitting her so much. 

All throughout this time, Avery has:

– Been in and out of dance

– Been in and out of gymnastics

– On and off of crutches

– Had high and lows

– Been scared, down, positive

– Attended X PT Sessions

– Complained, A LOT, did I say A LOT?

– Above all persevered! 

It’s been a roller coaster of emotions and tasks for her and me.  It seems like a long time to have to deal with an injury, but we are both hopeful that we will look back on this time down the road and realize in the grand scheme of things, it was just a short period of time that she got through and taught her resilience.