A two week loop with Grandmom!

Instead of heading directly for Williamsburg for Christmas, we decided to make a loop through some eastern states and Grandmom (Jerry's mom) decided she was up for the trip.  We stopped first at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  We took in the museums and buildings that tell the tale of this strategic town once home to one of two Civil War era US armories and the site of John Brown's raid.  On our way to Louisville, Kentucky we stayed in Winchester, VA and Charleston, WV.  In Louisville we enjoyed a reunion with Rex and Angela, friends from Anchorage.  We also went to the Louisville Slugger Factory for a tour.  Our next stop was Mammoth Cave which is the longest cave system in the world with measured passages totaling over 400 miles.

As we continued south we stopped for a visit with Cousin Joan and Alan in Nashville, TN.  We went to downtown Nashville to see the Honky Tonk bars and had some great southern barbecue.  We also toured around Opryland to see the Christmas decorations.  Thank you Joan and Alan for taking time to tour around Nashville and for your kind hospitality! Our next stop on this whirlwind tour was Asheville, NC, and what visit to Asheville is complete without a tour through the Biltmore Estate? Still the largest residence in America at around 4 acres of living space, it is owned and operated by the descendants of George Vanderbilt.  With multiple Christmas trees in each room and 4 miles of garland, this was the perfect time of year to tour the mansion!

We stopped at Smith Mountain Lake on our way north and met up with brother-in-laws, Randy and Philip, who were working on a lake house renovation for a friend.  The next stop was Harrisonburg, VA to visit with Amy's sisters, Betty and Gretchen, and their families as well as Uncle Kenton and Aunt Shirley.  We attended a Christmas coffee house at Parkview Mennonite Church where brother-in-law, Robert, was a member of the men's choir that performed. The boys would definitely say that shooting Uncle Philip's 40 year old BB gun was a highlight of their trip.

Grandmom was a real trooper and we were glad to be able to spend time with her.  We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving

There's no place like home for the holidays! After parking the motorhome in their driveway, I am sure Vince and Barb may have made up other words to that song.  During the first weekend of our two and a half week stay in Southeast Pennsylvania, we headed to Lancaster to enjoy a full blown Thanksgiving meal with Amy's aunts, uncles and a few cousins. We then spent two days volunteering at the Mennonite Central Committee Material Resource Center where we helped with book recycling, school kits, health kits, baling clothing and re-paletizing canned meat.  It was amazing to see how they would make something out of what others discard.  They make rag rugs, comforters, and quilts for sale at MCC Relief Sales. Their mobile canner travels to various states and volunteers can donated meat to be shipped all over the world to aid in relief efforts at refugee camps due to war or natural disasters. The recycling program alone brought in $200,000 last year.

We enjoyed another amazing feast of Thanksgiving at Vince and Barb's house.  Grandmom, all Jerry's siblings and spouses and all the nieces and nephews were there.  During our stay we visited the apartments of the newlyweds Michael and Erin and Ben and Aimee.  We also caught up with Amy's college roommate Michelle, and Jerry's high school friends, Kurt and Colleen and Chris and Michele.  We got to spend some extended time with Kacie, Mikayla and Jake while Kent and Gail celebrated their 25th anniversary.  We enjoyed dinner with Tom, Karen and the boys and more family time bowling and roller skating.  Needless to say, it was a full and memorable time.

Not to leave any stone unturned, we took the train from New Jersey to New York City for the day with Barb.  We made our way around the city on the subway, taking in Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Balto statue in Central Park, Lombardi's Coal Fired Pizza, Wall Street, 9/11 Memorial and Macy's.  It was a full day!  Macy's was more packed with people than any other stop.  They did have the best Christmas decorations in the city, though.