Road Trip Day #8-#9 of 26

Since we got to spend most of the week with our friends in Blacksburg after David went back to work last Monday, we decided we'd spend the weekend with him in Virginia Beach. We drove down on Friday, and thought we would surely be there before 5pm. Boy were we WRONG! We made it to Hampton, Virginia, which is only thirty miles from Virginia Beach, but then we hit a snag. A BIG snag. It's called the Hampton Roads Bridge and Tunnel. Believe me, for my family it's a mild version of hell. We got within seven miles of the tunnel and traffic stopped. I don't mean slowed down, I mean stopped. To make a long story short, it took us almost three hours to get to the opening of the tunnel. Three hours stuck in the car with two bored kids. Three hours with very little noticeable progress. It was awful! This picture was taken the following day as we were leaving Virginia Beach for Williamsburg:


We did finally make it to Virginia Beach where David was waiting for us. We managed to get a great room at the Homewood Suites, which was wonderful because it had a fridge and a separate bedroom. You gotta love that! We met one of David's co-workers and his family for dinner at an excellent little pizza place in Virginia Beach called Primo Pizza. Their garlic knots were to die for! After that, we grabbed a few groceries and went to the hotel to crash.

On Saturday, June 20, we decided to celebrate Reese's third birthday at the beach. It was extremely crowded, but the girls had a great time. We didn't stay long, but it was a fun trip. We at least got some cute pictures!



After going to the beach we headed up to Williamsburg, Virginia, for a visit with another of David's co-workers and a trip to Colonial Williamsburg for dinner. We at at the King's Arms Tavern and were thoroughly enjoying a nice appetizer when David made the mistake of speaking in a slightly harsh tone to Reese, who was crawling around in the floor. Keep in mind, Reese is a VERY tenderhearted kid. When she got in trouble, the screaming and wailing began. She was so upset that I had to pick her up and take her out of the room. The King's Arms Tavern is a very nice, quiet place with roving entertainers and candlelight. Of course, the exact moment our child decided to make a public spectacle was when the singer showed up in our dining area. Needless to say, I missed the entertainment. When we finally got back to the table my $35 prime rib had arrived. I ended up with Reese sitting in my lap for the whole meal. She was facing me with her face buried in my chest, so I managed to eat most of my now cold prime rib with her hair in it. We got some pictures there, too, in between fits and screams.



Oh well... Motherhood... It isn't for the weak... Or the ones who want to eat a hot, hairless meal...

Busch Gardens

Our second day in Williamsburg met with the kids' approval much more than the first day. We headed to Busch Gardens. Isn't that every kid's dreamland? It was wonderful! The first thing we did when we got there was eat. The food at the first restaurant was mediocre, but we didn't care. We were just happy to be there!


Reese had never really been to an amusement park, so she wasn't really too sure about the rides. Katie was such a great big sister. She held her hand and took care of her when they rode the clydesdales!


After the tame kiddie rides Katie was ready for a roller coaster. The one she chose was the Loch Ness Monster. We didn't realize that the coaster had three loops and a long dark tunnel. Check out the before and after pics of Katie:
BEFORE:


AFTER:


That roller coaster scared that child to death. Needless to say, we didn't ride any more coasters that day!

The rest of the day passed in a blur of food and fun. I think we ate at almost every restaurant there, but our favorite was the meal we had with the Oktoberfest presentation. Reese was AMAZED with the dancers and singers, and even got up on stage to do the chicken dance! If you know how shy Reese is, you know that's amazing! We went to see the Oktoberfest performance two different times because she loved it so much.



I took a ton of photos, so I'll just post my favorites and say that we had a wonderful time.

Leaving NC

After we sadly left the Outer Banks, the kids and I met David at the airport near Williamsburg. Rhonda had to head home, so we continued our vacation with David. The first night we were there we went to Colonial Williamsburg to explore. We ate at Chowning's Tavern and paid a whole lot of money for some pretty awful food. What a bummer! David and I wanted to explore the city a little more, but the kids weren't very cooperative about that. After a few pictures they were ready to leave.