Oh The Places You'll Go

And boy did I go!

It has been a whirlwind summer in the Land of Allison. I had a work trip planned to Washington, DC in June, so I added on some remote work and vacation time while I was on the east coast to see some friends and family. I thought I would be escaping the worst of the Arizona summer heat, so you can imagine my delight when Virginia decided to have a bit of a heat wave while I was there. For those of you not used to mountain life, that was extra special in Tazewell where a lot of people don’t have air conditioning. Oh joyful wonder.

You can see some of the highlight reels below. I went from DC on the train to Charlottesville, then to Richmond for Cousin Dinner, Tazewell, Greensboro, NC, Martinsville, VA and Poquoson before flying home.

Going Places, Seeing People

All in all, I got to see my dad and Becky, my grandmother Bettye, 16 cousins, 11 aunts and uncles, 1 great aunt, several friends in Tazewell and Greensboro, two adorable babies, two toddlers, six family dogs, and umpteen cats.

It was a really fun time seeing people I love. I also got to help build a chicken coop with Aunt Poody for Pooda Coop 2, pick raspberries and blackberries from Uncle Paul’s orchard, have dinner with some of my Charlottesville and Richmond cousins (cousin Jonathan is the BEST cousin dinner organizer ever), ride an ATV along the James River, see the Woolworth’s Lunch Counter of civil rights fame, tour Greensboro and all the culinary goodness there with Don and Angela, hang out with G-mama, ride in a limo to have the famous Steinhilber’s fried shrimp with Uncle Wayne, Aunt Ann, and Cousins Kathy, Barry, and Karen, visit the Moore House where the Revolutionary War ended (yes…I’m related), successfully change over the WIFI at my dad’s house with Uncle Jay’s expert help, indulge in green bean sandwiches thanks to Dad and Becky finding half-runner green beans, listen to deep house music while rocking on the porch with Uncle Jay and Uncle Wade, visit with Joe and Bec and the girls, listen to my Uncle Litz give a lovely reading at his church, laugh with Aunt Jackie and Uncle Litz while rocking outside, experience the best hamburger at a random country airport, cuddle with Tux the Boston Terrier, watch the fireflies with my Aunt Poody at her river house, learn to make Aunt Marty eggs from none other than Aunt Marty, laugh with my Great Aunt Sis, one of the kindest aunts any of us have ever had, hang out by the river with Cousin Erin, watch Hayden dance to Taylor Swift, spend the day with Allie, Aunt Mollie (the original queen of rocking and listening to music) and Allie’s new baby, Riley, and so much more.

It would take me pages and pages to write about how much fun it was seeing everyone. I am so lucky to have so many good friends and family members. My cup definitely runneth over.

Until next time, the Great Virginia/North Caroline Roadtrip Extravaganza is over. Thank you to everyone that took time to spend a little time with me while I was there. I’m sorry if I missed any of you this time around. It wasn’t because I didn’t love you. It was just because time is time, and sometimes I run out of it on visits back east.