We traveled a lot this past year. More times than we'd planned. In February, we went to Florida to return my daughter's labs, who we'd been dogsitting while she and her family settled after a cross-country move. We also went to celebrate my grandson's tenth birthday. He wanted to go to Disney Animal Kingdom for his celebration. Since we love our grandson, we went. We had a good time and I loved the lushness of Animal Kingdom, but I learned never to trust my daughter when she said a roller coaster was fun. Moving backwards and getting jerked around unexpectedly was not fun!
We experienced another unexpected trip when we rushed back to the Sunshine State two months later after that same daughter underwent emergency surgery. Our presence relieved our son-in-law so he could return to work and the angst I felt being at being far away during such a time. She'll be dealing with some lifelong adjustments, but she's fine now.
In early summer, we flew to England to see our oldest daughter and her family, and to be there for the birth of her second son, our fourth grandchild. It was a wonderful time spent with family and visiting historic sites, including one tied to the great knight, William Marshal. Posts with photos here..
 |
| Sitting one the upper level of one of London's famous red buses for a tour of the city. |
 |
| The Aforementioned Bus. While these tours provide an overview of London and some of its history, much of the city was blocked from view by the bus and other buildings. Next time, we'll walk. |
 |
| Obligatory Photo of Stonehenge. Sheep really do graze nearby. |
This past year, my husband celebrated his twelfth year at the church where he serves as pastor. After a dozen years in the pulpit, he needed a bit of a sabbatical, but with the birth and medical emergency, vacation time had to be reserved for family. Since the church office where I work was closed on Friday during the summer, we broke up that "sabbatical" into several weekends. We went to Edenton for Independence Day, the NC mountains, and Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, where we didn't ride a single roller coaster. Been there done that this year. (Or so I thought. Read on!)
 |
| Verandah at the historic Barker House, Edenton, NC |
The one we didn’t ride.
For our anniversary, we
made a quick loop around eastern Virginia, visiting Manassas
Battlefield, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Mall in
Washington D.C., Mount Vernon, and finally, Fredericksburg Battlefield.
It was all interesting, but the battlefields were particularly poignant
experiences. Standing where so much blood was shed for independence
from tyranny on one side, and to preserve the Union on the other brought
home the fact that this history, these people, these battles were real.
This nation needs to remember that to avoid another such terrible war.
 |
| Statue of Thomas Jackson overlooking the Manassas Battlefield. |
 |
| Looking down the Sunken Road in Fredericksburg. |
 |
| Reflection Pool at the National Mall in D.C. |
 |
| Obligatory photo of the Unknown Soldier. |
 |
| After a week in which Disney was practically empty thanks to Hurricane Dorian, thousands of other eager visitors converged on the park. Yay. |
 |
| Now this was a treat for this Star Wars fan! |
Yeah, we love our grandsons.
And that wasn't all. We also traveled to the mountains of Virginia for Thanksgiving with friends. It was too cold to do anything outside, but we enjoyed our time visiting with them.
It's our Florida daughter's turn now. In just a few days, they'll arrive to spend Christmas week with us. More family time, more memories. I can't wait.
Next Post: Goodbye and Hello