Visit with the Chappells!

After leaving Williamsburg we headed north a bit to visit our great friends, Chris, Aimee, and Ryan at their new home in Richmond.  They are expecting another little boy in January, so it was great to get a visit in before their family of three becomes a family of four!

Their new house is lovely and the best part, they have a HUGE fenced in backyard.  Though I suppose rather than calling it a backyard, Adam and Liddy would probably just assume we call it heaven. 

The dogs and kids had so much fun running around and let me tell you something, Ryan has just about every fun toy you can imagine, including a swing set, playhouse, and yes, a motorized John Deer tractor as well!  Look out Ryan, you'll have a brother to share those things with before you know it!

Andy has passed his love for towing to his son!

Adam and Ryan got along great though which was awesome because it gave the adults a chance to catch up.  It was a wonderful visit and we can't wait to visit again once baby boy #2 joins the crew!!

A little blurry, but love this one!

Love you guys! 

Jamestown National Park

Since we were in Williamsburg on Veteran's Day, we took advantage of the fact that all National Parks waived entrance fees in honor of our nation's veterans.  When we visited last year, we toured the Jamestown Settlement (remember this) so this year we decided to check out the National Park at Jamestown instead. 

I was so glad that we did because it turns out, we didn't miss seeing the famous Pocahontas statue last year, because it's not at the settlement, it's in the National Park! Hooray! I was so excited to snap this picture of Adam as I have the same one of me when I visited in 4th grade (I'll have to dig it up and scan that in). 

We really enjoyed the park and did our best to read and learn, whilst keeping an eye on a hyper 3 year old!  Adam also seemed to enjoy himself, though we'll definitely have to take him back when he's older and can understand a bit better.  He did seem to grasp the concept that "America was born here." 

After our visit we snuck into town for, you guessed it, sandwiches from The Cheese Shop, and then we took them to the York River State Park (again, free admission!) for a picnic.  The views were spectacular and the sandwiches, as always divine!

Camping at Williamsburg...again...

It's very clear looking back through our camping adventures that Williamsburg is one of our favorite places to camp and our trip this month did not disappoint.  Santa was of course, a big hit, but it wasn't the only fun thing we did.

We enjoyed, as per usual, a great lunch at The Cheese Shop.  It's actually fun to look back at all of our visits there, Adam went from enjoying a bottle there to now getting to enjoy yummy turkey and roast beef sandwiches. 

We got treats from the candy shop and then proceeded to get good and messy---nothing better than chocolate kisses! :)

We took hikes with Liddy and hikes with Adam.  We ran races (so Adam would nap) and we then played Dominoes (while Adam napped). 

We had our first screening of "The Polar Express" and while Adam enjoyed that, Andy and I enjoyed conversation around the fire. 

Love love love Williamsburg and look forward to continuing to create memories there!

October 2009

 

November 2011

November 2012--vest still fits! :)

Here comes Santa Claus...

After stumbling upon the grand arrival of Santa at the Williamsburg Yankee Candle Store last year we just had to make it a part of our camping plans to be there for this year's festivities! 

We danced and sang Christmas carols and sported our super cool antler hats.  At one point while Adam was sitting on Andy's shoulders he bent over and put his arm around me and simply said, "I love you mommy."  Heart be still...my little angel truly is my Christmas partner in crime.  It's going to be a great holiday season!

Then they said..."I do"

It was a love story spanning 10 years. They've survived many a dance floor, bonfires, boat rides, and also some of the darkest times anyone could imagine, and yet we were all so lucky to witness the official coming together of Sarah and Liza.

This sign says it all...

Those who spoke at the wedding had the most wonderful things to say about Sarah and Liza and while they had varying stories from different aspects of their lives, they all agreed that on November 3, a "Ying" married her "Yang." 

I've never seen two people compliment one another so well before, and that's not to say I don't have amazing couples in my life, but there is just something about Liza and Sarah that makes you want to try harder. To step outside your comfort zone in order to support the partner in your life.  They are a true testament to what love and marriage should be. 

In true Greeley fashion, we celebrated that love, and we celebrated it hard.  That dance floor was likely pre-warned, and yet, there's no way it was prepared. 

Another wonderful, heartfelt, touching, inspiring, energetic, and memorable Greeley wedding in the books and we look forward to August 2014 when Amy & Brendan tie the knot! 

And then there was a hike...

In November the typical Lake Winnipesaukee activities are not very weather appropriate, but a slew of the Greeley clan found that a brisk morning hike (ok, maybe it wasn't "brisk" for all of us!) was the perfect way to spend the morning of Sarah & Liza's wedding. 

We started with layers; long sleeves, sweaters, jackets, hats, gloves, and a full pack of tissues.  By the time we hit the top of Mt. Major, we had shed most of our layers and used up most of the tissues (a sniffly bunch we were!).  However it didn't take long after reaching the top for the wind to practically smack us in the face and it was a race to see who could get their layers back on the fastest. 

The hike back down was even less "brisk" for some of us, but we learned that there is no shame in having to get on all fours to crawl down the rocks.  We're family, we hike together, we crawl together, it's rather cute. :)

Great conversations were had, laughs were shared, and we found ourselves ready for hot showers, but not before chowing down on pancakes, omelets, sandwiches, home fries, and hamburgers at a local diner.  Hey, we earned it!

It started with a bonfire...

The tiki torches guided us down the long winding driveway to the beautiful home the Father of the Bride built with his own two hands (and his two sons).  There were pumpkins lining the front porch with candle lit mason jars scattered in between.  In the distance embers were shooting into the sky from the bonfire that lit up the eve of Sarah and Liza's wedding. 

Aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, friends and of course, cousins gathered to kick off what would be one of the greatest wedding weekend's I've ever had the priviledge of being apart of.

 

 

Father of the Bride and Bride XOXO