Williamsburg


Well, I am 4 days away from the beginning of my 365 project and I'm also 4 days short on introductory material. Actually...that's not true. I could honestly go on and on for days, weeks maybe even months posting my favorite photos and talking about my life. But I'm 1 week in on my posts and I'm already feeling like I'm just ready to move on. It's an introduction, after all...not my entire life story crammed into 10 posts. So today I figured it would be alright to go ahead and start in on my project. Maybe I'll be a little different and do a 369 project...



Harold's Aunt Kim is here for a few days to visit with us before heading home to -9 degree weather at her home in Montana. It's been nice having a familiar face around near the holidays, especially for Aden. He hasn't had many opportunities to spend time with our relatives, so times like these are always special.

Since she arrived on what is well known as one of the best shopping days of the year, Kim and I took advantage of Aden's nap time and Harold's day off to head out to one of my personal favorites, Kohl's. My savings were so impressive that I can't help but share...

That's right...I saved more than double what I spent and I came home with 15+ items.
The day was successful, and I topped it off with a trip to the movies after everyone had gone to bed. It really is great to have family around. Everything just feels a little bit more...normal.

Anyway, that was yesterday. Today we decided to cash in a Groupon deal I snagged a month ago for Kim's Christmas present. We are fortunate enough to have been stationed in an area that is full of historical landmarks and museums, and one of those places nearby is Colonial Williamsburg. This place is the coolest!! So of course as soon as I saw the deal for half off full-access tickets, I couldn't help myself. We took Kim on a trip out to Williamsburg for the day for some shopping, walking, touring and memory-making. The camera got passed around a few times, so I can't take all the credit for these photos below, and somehow we didn't get too many with any of us in them. But whether we are in them or not, here are a few of my favorites for today.

Aden making a mess of a giant holiday sucker. He was thoroughly sticky, and especially sweet.

Me & Harold before our tour of the old Capitol building. It's an amazing thing knowing that right where we were was where certain events shaped and changed our country in a way that still affects our lives every single day.

Cheesin' at his Daddy outside of the Jailhouse.
This was the same Jailhouse that once housed the famous pirate 'Blackbeard' and his crew of 15 men. We were told that Blackbeard's crew was held in these cells until their trials and then 13 of them were hanged, 1 was released in return for all the dirt he gave up on his pals and the last hadn't been a pirate at all, but a prisoner from a trade ship. It was quite the experience, seeing these cells, knowing that these walls were some of the last that those men ever saw.


Sometimes up to 15-20 men were held in each of these cells, depending on what time of year it was. I could barely handle standing in there on my own, let alone stuck in there for as many as 90 days with a room full of stinky, grouchy, miserable criminals. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to spend any amount of time locked in any of those rooms...

This was my favorite yard that we saw in the entire square. I love how clean and tidy it is. Also, that bridge is SO adorable! I will be storing this away in our 'Future Home' folder for the day we become multi-millionaires and can afford to build our own home. Every dream home needs a tiny bridge, complete with a tiny crick.
Usually, when I go anywhere with just about anyone, I am a picture-taking-fool. I am snapping photos of this, that and the other thing...in the off chance that some day someone might care to see the details of whatever it is we did that day. But today I just wasn't with it. Outside it was cold and windy and even though the place was teeming with tourists, the weather was really not tourist friendly. That was a bummer, because it was our only day of Kim's time here that we could use these tickets. So we made the most of it but instead of taking a million and one photos, I kept my hands tucked warmly in my pockets as much as I possibly could.


Today was a great day that I won't soon forget. We had a good time with someone we love and I learned a few new things that I never would have found out on my own. I stood in the jail cell that once held an infamous pirate and looked up to the balcony where Patrick Henry once stood and declared his opposition to the Stamp Act. I learned that only planks without knots could be used to make buckets and also that the word peruke means wig, or toupee. 

And last but not least, when we got home from our adventures today Aden had a big box waiting for him...

...Happy Birthday Aden!! Love - Uncle Destin & Auntie Stephanie!! 
Couldn't have ended the day any better!

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 27, 2012. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.

2 Responses to “Williamsburg”

  1. Your favorite place in Virginia! Looks fab, I love places like that. You're talking to a lady who WANTED to go to Ghettysburg for a family vacation when I was like twelve. Okay, Hershey Park was also involved but still...I did enjoy it. Ever tour the Plantations around these parts? They're fun too, but expensive.

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    1. Once you get yourself up here we can go to Williamsburg together and then you'll love it too...and our kids will become history buffs. Plus, it is much cheaper than the Plantations! We only went through one while in Charleston...

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