Spring 2017 - Virginia Here We Come!

Life continued in our house. I was working, had been working for the past two years at a tutoring center, while homeschooling my youngest son E. My daughter was still teaching but she'd decided she wanted to go back to school and receive her masters in pastoral counseling. It was a grueling schedule for her, but I'm proud to say she finished and received her degree. It was a huge accomplishment, one that we wanted to commemorate by attending her graduation ceremony at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

I'd never been to Virginia. My son hadn't been on an airplane since he was two years old, so he didn't remember it. This made the trip an exciting new experience for both of us. We flew into Raleigh, North Carolina and drove the two hours to Lynchburg. As we went through the beautiful countryside I realized how much I missed seeing mountains. I love Florida, don't get me wrong, but it's as flat as a pancake. There's beaches, trees, parks, waterways, canals, but no mountains. Heck, there aren't even hills in most of the state. Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains are absolutely stunning! The air was clean and crisp, the roads easy with very little traffic so the scenery could be better appreciated. How we loved both North Carolina's and Virginia's landscape!

Pictures don't do it justice. It's gorgeous!

Another thing I loved about Virginia was the people, the Southern hospitality, and oh yes, the food! We went to several restaurants and enjoyed some of the classics, like sausage gravy and biscuits:

But if I had to pick a favorite eatery, it was {RA} Bistro. The chipotle burger was crazy delicious! I seriously recommend it if you're ever in the area.

I was especially thrilled to visit Monticello, the home of President Thomas Jefferson. It was a dream come true to cross that off my bucket list.

Unfortunately it was raining that day and we weren't able to appreciate the grounds, though we were able to see the vegetable garden.

Of course, I can't forget the main reason we went to Virginia: graduation day! It was made especially memorable by the guest speaker - none other than President Donald Trump! Whether you like him or not (and I realize that's a touchy subject for many), it is still thrilling to have the current President of the United States speaking at your graduation. It was a very lovely speech, focused on the students and not on himself which I greatly appreciated.

I am one proud mama!

If I had to point to a highlight of that year, this trip would be it. I loved every minute of it, even the rain and the low temperatures (because 49 degrees is freezing for this Floridian). Of course 2017 would be memorable for more reasons than this. There's plenty more to come, so stay tuned!