RVA time

I got up at 4:00 a.m. to catch the plane from LA to RVA. I slept from the time I sat on the plane until one hour before it landed. When I awoke I spoke to my seat mate the rest of the way. I always think I am just going to ignore my seat mate...and then I always have good conversation with them and can't ignore them! Anyway, when I got off the plane I started walking towards baggage claim hazily in my own world. In the far distance I saw a bunch of kids holding flags and I thought, "Awww...where is the military service person close by?" I even glanced around to see if I saw anyone. As I got closer, I realized I knew those kids! They were some of my bestie's kids jumping up and down and cheering! I then thought, "Wow! I wonder who Hudson and Reid and Peyton and Ann Harper know in the military and what a coincidence they are here when I am here?!!!" And then as quickly as that thought fleeted by, I realized, "Wait, they are here for me!" I was so surprised and overwhelmed by their welcome party! My best friends walked out of the crowd and greeted me with much needed warm hugs and smiles. Again, I was overwhelmed with emotions but this time- gratitude and happiness. This was exactly what I needed at that time. Thank you SO much Bonnie, Christina, and Susan! I couldn't ask for better friends!

After the warm welcome my mom and Warren met us at baggage claim and not too long afterwards we were on our way "home". It didn't take us too long to settle into RVA. On Wednesday we did A LOT of shopping for Andie's 10 birthday, went out for chicken wings that were just too good, and met Bonnie and kids out for ice cream. The next day Andie turned 10!!!! She got to open a few presents before we headed to Kings Dominion for the day with Kathleen, Stella, Siena, and Vivi. KD was SO great! The kids LOVED it! I am telling you, this is the amusement park for thrill rides. The kids rode coaster after coaster with very little lines. One of the coasters (The Inimidator) was so fast that Warren even blacked out for a moment! The last few hours of the day we spent in the water park. We left around seven and headed back for a birthday party for Andie with the Horniks and our family. It was such a nice evening and I can't believe my baby girl is 10!

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Ok- I am way behind in blogging and now I am in Madagascar and I just don't think I can catch up right now. I am feeling super overwhelmed so I will make this more brief than expected.

I had the best girls' weekend with friends while my parents took Andie and Zoё to my cousin, Lori's house. They had the best time with all of the animals and four wheelers, and I had the best time hanging out with my girlfriends catching up. We had a boozy brunch which I haven't done in probably 15 years, so that was a fun start to the weekend. We also Dave Matthews Band so we took a nice, nostalgic walk down memory lane.

During the week we ate amazing food (yummy lobster), spent a lot of time with family (the girls LOVE their Uncle Adam) and met up with friends. It was easy and felt like home should feel. We shopped a lot, ate a lot, and visited a lot. My best friends' kids and my kids get along like they are family. It's always nice to connect back to home and all that it is. The pictures tell more of the story.