Luray Caverns

There are several caves and caverns along the Blue Ridge Parkway that are open to tourists. After asking around, we learned that the "best" ones to visit were the caverns at Luray. According to their brochure, Luray Caverns are the "largest and most popular in the East". Owen has never been in a cave, so we decided that this needed to be one of the stops on our road trip. The caverns did not disappoint. There were plenty of stalactities, stalagmites, columns, and other formations to look at. The kids did fairly well in the cave. Of course, it was a constant battle to try to keep the kids from touching the formations, but they did a good job walking and keeping up with the group. At the end of the tour, we found ourselves in a large room with an organ in it. Luray Caverns is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records for having the world's largest musical instrument. Any guess what it is? It is an organ that is connected to the stalactites. Somehow it is rigged so that little hammers hit the stalactities causing them to vibrate and release sound. We were able to hear "A Mighty Fortress is our God" played on the stalactities. It was kinda cool.

Skyline Drive

The kids and I have recently returned from our fall break trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway. Brian was not able to go with us because he had taken off work the week before to visit his dad. Not wanting me to drive alone, my parents graciously offered to go with me. The journey began last Friday in Dover, De. I picked the kids up from their Poppy's house and then drove to my Aunt Connie's house to pick my parents up. They had flown up the day before to visit with my Aunt and Uncle. The itinerary for day one: drive the Skyline Drive and visit Luray Caverns. After saying goodbye to Uncle Mike and Aunt Connie, we set off toward Front Royal, Va to get on the Skyline Drive.



















The Skyline Drive is the name given to the northernmost 105 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a scenic drive that runs the entire length of the Shenandoah National Park. The scenery was stunning, and we were greeted with beautiful views of the Shenandoah Valley almost immediately. Of course, we had to make several stops so that we could get out and enjoy the view. Unfortunately it was overcast, so a lot of my pictures turned out dark. In addition to making several stops at the overlooks, we also made a stop at Luray Caverns. By the end of the day, we had driven 65 miles along this scenic road. Here are a few of the pictures from the drive.

Canoeing on McGinnis Pond

I was stuck at home- alone- all last week while Brian and the kids were living it up in Delaware. One day, they went canoeing in the pond behind Poppy's house. Olivia told me all about the canoe trip on the phone that night, and it really made me wish that I was in Delaware with them even more so than I already did (if that's even possible). Apparently, everyone had a great outing on the lake. Well, maybe Uncle Dustin not so much- it looks like he had to do most of the rowing.

A Week in Delaware

Following Gary and Katie's Wedding, Brian and the kids remained in Delaware for a week to visit with Poppy and Nana. I had to go back to work, so I didn't get to stay. From what I hear, though, everyone had a great time. The kids got to play and spend some time with their grandparents. I drove back to Dover on Thursday to pick the kids up, and it was obvious to me that the kids (and the grandparents) were having a ball. Here are some pictures that I took on the kids' last night in Delaware.

Gary and Katie's Wedding

Here's what I learned on my recent trip to Delaware: when you rent a car, don't be cheap- get the GPS. Owen, Sarah, and I almost missed the wedding because we couldn't find the church. Fortunately, we made it on time, but we had to sit in the last row. Sitting on the last row was great for monitoring Owen's behavior, but it was also bad because I only saw Olivia when she walked in. The ceremony was just like I like them- short and sweet. Once it was over, we took pictures and then drove to the Dover Downs Hotel for the reception. This time I made sure that I was clear on how to get to the reception. I wouldn't want to get lost and miss that!

The reception was super-nice. I had heard about weddings where a full meal is served, but I had never actually been to one. Usually, there is just a spread of finger-food. Gary and Katie's reception had a full meal including bread, salad, and filet mignon (yummy). Seated at our table were many of our favorite people- including Barb, Brian's dad and brothers, Sarah, and my Aunt Connie and Uncle Mike.

For Olivia and Owen, the main attrations at the reception were the DJ and dance floor. Those kids were out there dancing long before anyone else, and they stayed out there until they were too tired to move anymore. Olivia went back and forth between swaying (so that she could watch her dress move) and spinning around on the floor (those are her break-dancing moves). Owen pretty much stuck to his one move- the spin. Olivia really wanted to dance with Owen, but Owen wasn't having that. Uncle Mike stepped in and obliged. Later I spotted Olivia dancing with the ring bearer. I don't know how that happened, but I've got them dancing on video. I'm going to post that, too. Anyway, the wedding and reception were nice. I didn't get to stay until the end because the kids were getting tired, but I hear that the party lasted well into the night. I want to say once more how thrilled I am for Gary and Katie. They are two wonderful people, and they deserve all of the happiness in the world.

Get Down, Olivia!

As promised- this is the video of Olivia dancing with the ring-bearer. I totally ruined it by shouting "Olivia- get down, baby" in the middle of it, but I'm still going to post the it because it's so cute. Enjoy.

The Rehearsal and Dinner

When our airplane landed in Baltimore last Friday, we had very little time to kill. We caught a shuttle to the car rental place, got a car, and drove to Dover. We made it in time for Brian to pick up his tux and for the kids to get dressed up for the wedding rehearsal and dinner. Both Brian and Olivia were in the wedding, and since this was Olivia's first go as a flower girl, she really needed the practice. Before leaving the house, I was able to get a picture of all of the Sanders brothers and their dad. This opportunity doesn't present itself often, so I took several pictures of them throughout the weekend.




Gary and Katie got married at a church in downtown Dover. It was a really old Methodist church, and it was beautiful. Olivia took her flower girl duty seriously and walked down the aisle without any prompting. Once the rehearsal ceremony was underway, though, she sat down. I had a talk with her about this, but I guess that it didn't do the trick because she ended up doing the same thing during the wedding. Oh well. At least she wasn't loud.

After the rehearsal, we drove to the Pizzadili Winery for the rehearsal dinner. It was a very nice dinner, and we all enjoyed socializing with the rest of the wedding party. Olivia has always adored Katie, and she also took a shine to Katie's sister Ashlee. She clung to those two all night. I actually started to feel bad- like Olivia was ruining their night by clinging to them too much. I tried to pry Olivia away from the Miller sisters several times, but she'd go right back to them. I asked, and they said that she wasn't bothering them.

Since Olivia's birthday was on the day of the wedding, Barb (Nana) had gotten a huge tinkerbell cake for Olivia, and had arranged for everyone to sing Happy Birthday to her at the rehearsal dinner. It was such a wonderful gesture. Aunt Katie also had surprises for Olivia and Owen. According to Katie, she had had "too much fun in the Disney Store". Owen got figures from the movie "Cars", and Olivia received a princess movie, crown, and wand. That Aunt Katie really knows her stuff!

Toward the end of the evening, the bride and groom (and others) made speeches about their families and members of the wedding party. I believe that everyone in attendance was truly touched by the love that these two have for each other and for their friends and family. It was the most wonderful evening, and it certainly set the right tone for the next day's events.