Coast to Coast 2012: Alllllll the Other Stuff

1) Our first meal stop of the day was notthatfar from my house, at Loretta Lynn's Country Kitchen in Hurricane Mills (south of Nashville).  It was definitely "country" food and it was really good!  If you ever go, make sure to getcha some of their green beans.  And, believe me, you will probably NEVER again see me recommeding green beans.  These were that good!

2) My daughter gets carsick.  It.was.bad.  She did okay when she had Dramamine.  When she refused to take her Dramamine?  Well.  Let's just say I ended up throwing away my purse at a gas station on the North Carolina/ Tennessee line due to her christening it with her carsickness.

3) I firmly believe that Cracker Barrell is the state restaurant of Virginia.



4) We got in lots of cousin time!  My nephew, who is two and a half, called both the boys "Kyan."  He was more partial to the real Kyan but loved to pal around with both of the boys.

5) Karis was NOT a fan of her cousin.  In fact, she ran and hid whenever he came in the room.  She wouldn't have anything to do with him and I took to calling her Regina George (a la Mean Girls).

6) We found men in uniform in DC!

Say it with me now: HUBBA HUBBA

One more: COME TO MAMA

6) As the picture above evidences, my cousin Alison learned not to ever utter the words "I dare you" to me unless she REALLY wants me to do it!  I will totally catcall a group of young sailors.  Oh yes I will.

7) Something we else we saw in DC?  This guy:

He hung out on the fence, very close to us, not leaving us alone until . . .

My brother offered him a sucker.

DC squirrels . . . ain't skerred.

8) My scalp totally got sunburned on our DC day.  Do you know how bad it hurts to have the top of your head burned?  YEOWCH.

9) Eating dinner Saturday night, the whole group minus ME:

10) I took this picture at the Fredericksburg Battlefield.  Orbs?  Rain? Overactive imagination on my part?

The foundation outline was of the Stephens House -- according to legend, the lady of the house did not flee as the Battle raged on outside her front door and, in fact, tended to wounded soldiers.  She's buried on the land now.

11) We stopped for the night in Cookeville, TN on our way home.  We ate at the Steak and Shake with the ABSOLUTE MOST INCOMPETANT STAFF in the history of ever while we were there.  Gah!  We did, however, get a cute pic or two while we were there.  ;)

Do I look tired and like I'd lost my shit with kids approxomately 23483292 times that day?

Yeah.  Thought so.

I'll have one more post next week but this was, pretty much, our trip!  It was a good time.  As MawMaw kept saying - it was the trip of a lifetime.  I can't wait to take my kids back to DC one of these days.  I can't wait to go myself when I can enjoy the American History museum and the Arlington National Cemetery a little more.  It was a great time.

Coast to Coast 2012: Arlington National Cemetery

I knew my children were going to have no idea of the magnitude of what they were seeing at the Arlington National Cemetery.  When we walked in I told Jaidan, "everyone who is buried here did something during their life to make your life better."  He still didn't really get it but I'm hoping that one day he - and his brother and sister - will realize exactly what they experienced.

The magnitude of this place . . . of all the people who died defending our freedom or devoted their lives to this country. . .  is something every single American should experience.  It is most certainly humbling and just . . . I'm not sure the words. 

One of our first stops was the eternal flame and the graves of John F. Kennedy, Jackie O., and two of their children.  (Total sidenote: for some reason, I expected to see the grave of JFK Jr.  The children buried were a daughter and the son, Patrick, they lost while Kennedy was in office.  I Googled and JFK Jr was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.  Just in case you were also curious).

Without a doubt, the most touching thing we saw in the cemetery was the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Changing of the Guard.



There is a sign posted at the Tomb that asks for "respectful silence."  Trying to get a two-year-old to administer respectful silence is easier said than done.  :/  I tried shooting a video of the changing of the guard but when Karis started yelling, "Hi Ty Ty, Hi!" over and over to her brother, I had to shut off the recording and tend to her.

I was in kindergarten when the Challenger shuttle carrying Christa McAuliffe and six other crew members exploded.  For whatever reason - perhaps because it's my first ever historical moment - that has always stuck in my mind.  I wanted to make sure we saw the Challenger memorial while we were at the cemetery.

We didn't get to see as much of the cemetery as we would have liked.  It's a big place and would be easy to spend an entire day there.  The kids were wearing down, though, so we headed out.  If you are ever in the Washington DC, keep me in mind that the national cemetery is an absolute must.

Next up: Onto North Carolina!

Coast to Coast 2012: Aquia Church and Quantico

We had originally planned to go into DC again on Friday the 15th.  But our Thursday in the area completely wore us out.  There was just no way we could go back again -- especially with having to get up at the crack of dawn to make the train.  Ackkkk.  Wasn't happening.  Instead we set out for more exploring in Virginia. 

We started off at the Aquia Episcopal Church.  The church was established in 1654 and the building was beautiful!

Also, the sky?  SO BLUE!

There was a cemetery on the grounds with stones dating back to the 1700's.  I loved looking at their names on the tombstones.  I think my favorite was a man named Rowzee.  Definitely not a name you see every day!  And speakure.ing of the tombstones, it was kinda crazy how many of them we saw with something that would be considered morbid nowdays -- like a skull and crossbones and things of that nature.

After leaving the church - and grabbing lunch - it was on to Quantico and the National Marine Museum.  Not only was the museum free (score!) but they also had a playground on the premisis.  My sister-in-law took my nephew and both my boys to play while the rest of us checked out the museum.

Or tried to check out the museum.  A certain little girl wasn't feeling it and was, therefore, being an absolute turd.

From what I did get to see I can tell you that the displays were pretty realistic and some of them were quite graphic.  The Marines have an interesting history and, man, are they proud of it!  This museum is definitely one that will make you feel proud to be an American and leave you in awe of our Armed Forces.

After our quick walk through the museum, Alison, Karis, and I checked out the Semper Fidelis chapel before heading over to the playground to hang with the Boy Crew.



We wrapped up the day by getting stuck in traffic (on the highway!  We'd been told repeatedly to avoid I-95 and were behaving!) and then stopping for ice cream.  Karis alone polished off two kid cones from Coldstone.  Where ever did the child get her love of ice cream?

Next Up!: Arlington National Cemetery

Coast to Coast 2012: Fredericksburg Day 2 and Maryland

I have, over the past few months, taught my boys bits and pieces of American history.  I try to keep things age appropriate but sometimes, like with the assinations of presidents, it can be hard.  We sort of glossed over the whole someone killed him part of Abe Lincoln's history when we talked about him.  Which is probably why my boys had a lot of questions when I took pictures of the spot where John Wilkes Booth was shot.

(this is literally just a marker on the side of the highway -- nothing there but the sign)

I gave them a watered down history which, apparently, was slightly lost in translation.  Kyan told his Aunt Jessica and I the story and it went a little like this:

"Abraham Lincoln was bald and he did not wear a hat.  He got on a boat and went to an island and then John Wilky Boots - he was a bad guy - he SHOT him!  And John Wilky Boots wore a hat and boots.  The end."

Kids!

Our first BIG stop of our Wednesday in the Fredericksburg area was George Washington's birthplace.

The house is no longer standing (they have a concrete outline of it) but many of the buildings have been recreated and are filled with antiques.  It was a really beautiful place and the kids had a lot of fun exploring and checking things out.

Doesn't Kyan just totally look like he's having The Best Time Ever?

They had a flower garden (where they encourage you to pick the flowers!) and chickens on the land.  The outer buildings were filled with old fashioned farm equipment and other neat things.

Also on the property is a small replica of the Washington Monument.

Kyan was convinced this was the actual "Washington yo-mama-ment" and was so excited to see it!

Karis, of course, was wayyyy too young to get anything out of all the history we were taking in but she did have fun (and looked precious) picking flowers in front of the monument.

After we left the main part of the property, we headed to the family burial site.  Am I the only one who feels a little . . . odd . . . walking around a place like that?  I mean, I'm not spooked or anything like that.  It just feels like, I'm not sure how to put it into words, how would I feel if a bunch of tourists with fanny packs and sporting spandex were taking pictures of where my ancestors were buried?

For the record, I was totes not in spandex nor was I sporting a fanny pack.

Washington's parents and grandparents were all buried on the land.

BTW: The Washington birthplace is FREE and that includes a guided tour if you're so interested (we opted out).

After we left Washington's birthplace, we headed to Stratford Hall which happens to be the birthplace of Robert E. Lee.

My dad was a HUGE history buff and an even bigger Civil War (or, as he liked to refer to it, the War of Northern Aggression) buff and I'm pretty sure Robert E. Lee was the third person (right behind Jesus and his grandpa) that Dad sought out when he passed those pearly gates.  WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET HIM TO LEAVE THIS PLACE.  I joked around that we had gone to his mothership but, seriously, the man would have spent hours - HOURS!  DAYS!  WEEKS! - at Stratford Hall.  We did the tour and when the guide showed us the room Robert E. Lee had slept in as a child, she mentioned that there were his "guardian angels" in the fireplace and that she had grown men ask to see them and then break down in tears.  Yeah.  My dad?  Woulda been one of those men.  Fact.

Guided tour and a huge house are two things that didn't go well with small children.  The kids and I eventually left the tour and walked around the - beautiful - grounds.  Pictures weren't allowed inside the mansion, something that was really a shame as there were gorgeous antiques.  And cradles!  Oh man, I love the old fashioned cradles and bassinettes.  I just wanted one picture but nooooo.



After leaving Stratford Hall, we decided to take the 35 mile or so drive across the stateline to Maryland.  I wanted to eat some Maryland crabs!  If you read this blog on the regular then you done arrrrdy know I had food on my mind.

We headed to Captain Billy's Crab House right on the Potomac and it was . . .

. . . the biggest freakin' DISAPPOINTMENT.

Ugh.  Do not ever eat at that place!  I ordered crab stuffed mushrooms (a favorite of mine!) and hush puppies. The hush puppies were good but the mushrooms were AWFUL.  Gross, gross, and YUCK.

When researching the restaurant, I thought if nothing else it would be a nice place to eat because it sat right on the Potomac.

The restaurant didn't have any outdoor seating at the time we were there, though, and you know what?  The Potomac - at least this part of the Potomac - looks pretty much just like the Mississippi.  Icky and brown.

Oh, Maryland, you disappointed me so!

Next up - DC, Baybay!

Coast to Coast 2012: Smokey Mountains and Fredericksburg Day One

I hopped on the scale yesterday morning, our first FULL day back home, and realized I only gained two pounds while on vacation.

Two pounds.

People.  That is, like, one good poop. 

If I was reading someone else's blog and they announced they only gained two pounds on vacation I'd put on my judge-y pants and be all, "Well, honey, you so did not do it right" or I'd hmph and think, "that's not a REAL vacation."

I mean I go to New Orleans and for three days and gain THREE times what I put on this vacation. 

But I DID do this vacation right and it TOTALLY was a REAL vacation and we had such a good time.  We just (literally) walked our asses off.

Proof it was a good vacation: between my phone and camera, I took 1,100 pictures.  ELEVEN HUNDRED.  Good vacation.

I figured, when it came to writing about this trip, I'd just go in chronological order by day.  I realize that might be boring to you but this is my blog and it was my trip and I want to remember it. (Rude, much?)  Besides.  My friend Rachel already told me she'd read my blog posts.

Anyway.

We left Sunday the 10th and stopped for the night in Knoxville, Tennessee. I had never been further east in Tennessee than Nashville prior to this trip.  Wanna know what I learned?  First off, the Smokey Mountains are BEAUTIFUL.  I'd love to go back in the fall.  Second, East Tennessee boys love them some Brandi. 

Love this picture of the crosses with the mountains in the background!

We pulled into Fredericksburg on Monday evening and spent some time hanging out with my brother and his family.

Tuesday was our first full day in Fredericksburg and it was a very full day.  It was also a rainy day.  Sad face.

We started the day off at the Stonewall Jackson Shrine. 

Note, if you're ever in the area and want to check it out, the lady who works there was a total C-U-Next-Tuesday Faced B-Word who did not want the children there.  Regardless of the fact that the children (at that time) were not being assholes.  Regardless of the fact that she was a park ranger for a NATIONAL HISTORY SITE and I was trying to introduce my children to a little bit of hands-on history.

The Cooter-on-a-Scooter probably would've kicked me out had she seen us taking this picture. 



The Shrine was FILLED with Civil War era artifacts and was actually very interesting.  I kinda wanted to go just for the sole purpose of saying I'd been, you know?  But I really like old stuff and the house was full of interesting antiques.

After we left, we headed to the Fredericksburg Battlefield.

I had visited a Civil War battlefield -- Pea Ridge in Arkansas -- when I was in high school.  But this battlefield seemed more . . . sacred, I guess?  It was raining and we didn't get to see as much of it as originally planned, but I was still glad we went.  I hope to do this (and a lot of other things from this trip) when my children and older and more able to understand the magnitude of where they are and what they're seeing.

Fredericksburg has a neat, very cute little downtown area.  Since we were right there for the battlefield, we headed over to check things out.  We started off with lunch at Goolrick's Pharamacy -- which happens to be home to the nation's oldest functioning soda fountain.

The sandwiches left much to be desired but that's not the real reason we were there anyway.  The boys each had a milkshake (chocolate for one, vanilla for the other).  They were pretty much the best milkshakes EVER.  The vanilla - ohmygahhhh.  I had a cherry coke -- like a real deal cherry coke.  And it was worth every single last calorie.  It was amazing.

We had a lot of fun checking out downtown.

There were TONS of antique shops, a few souvinere shops.  We even found a candy store where I let each of the kids pick out one thing.  There was a children's bookstore (LOVE!) and the owner was an absolutely delightful lady.

We love Ladybug Girl!

The rest of the day was spent playing in the hotel pool (seriously, folks, how many pictures can one person take at the hotel pool?  Chill out next time, B!), eating fast food for dinner, and the collapsing into bed.

Next up: The story of Abraham Lincoln and "John Wilky Boots," George Washington's birthplace, Stratford Hall, and Maryland.

So Far . . .

We have . . .

- Ate a (super yummy) lunch at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

- Stopped for a night in Knoxville.
- Drove through the breathtakingly beautiful Smoky Mountains -- and the equally gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains.

- Had a sick baby girl.  *Sad Face*
- Crossed the border into Virginia.

- Taken hundreds of pictures.

- Visited with Uncle Booger, Aunt Jessica, and Baby Beezy.

- Saw the Stonewall Jackson shrine.
- Realized the woman working at the Stonewall Jackson shrine is a heffa with a 'tude.
- Walked through the Fredericksburg battlefield.  In the rain.

- Had (OMG, so good) milkshakes at the oldest functioning soda fountain in the USofA.

- Browsed the shops in Old Town Fredericksburg.

- Swam.  A lot.

- Realized blogging-as-we-go is a lot harder than previous thought! 
- Had a great time!

Today we have plans to cross another state line.  Tomorrow?  We're heading into to check out our nation's capital.  Can't wait!