Mom comes for a visit!

Hello again, here I am still working away at Runk and Pratt and enjoying the amazing mountain views this state has to offer.   Its been a bit since I last blogged, but there are only a few noteworthy things that have happened.  Not to say they weren't important!

As you may have seen, my sweet mother came all the way out here to visit me and see where I am living, working etc.  We had so much fun together! I really enjoyed being able to spend some quality time with her and catch up on things going on in our lives.  We did some sightseeing, shopping, ate some good southern food, and enjoyed the company of Jason's gracious family (as if they could be any more gracious).

The main things we saw were the natural bridge and the caverns that are located near the natural bridge which was about an hours drive away.  I think Natural bridge is a pretty popular area to sightsee in Virginia and I can see why, it was pretty cool! There was a large sign as we walked in that read "One of the seven natural wonders of the world!"  We were like 'Awh nice! No way, thats so cool!'  Only to find out later that this is very false information and I feel like they shouldn't be allowed to claim that if its not true!  Anyways that was memorable... The caverns were also very cool, literally! I was freezing in my shorts and tank top because we were a long ways below ground.  Apparently they are the deepest caverns in Virginia?

Anyways, we also went and visited Thomas Jefferson's retreat home which is right here in Forest.  We got a tour of the house and the grounds and it was very interesting to learn a bit more about Thomas Jefferson and his private life.  He came to this house when he wanted to get away from the busy life at Monticello.  He would actually spend a few months here at a time during each season, so it was not just a summer home.  It sure was beautiful, you can see why he chose that spot as a getaway!

I tried to give my mom a little better taste of southern culture by going to Chick-fil-a, eating ice cream while looking at the mountains, drinking sweet tea, and experiencing the incredible hospitality of the Faixes :)  It was so much fun to have her here, but so very hard to see her go.  I have less than a month until I make the trek back to Minnesota which blows my mind! Where has the time gone? But, I am ready to be close to my family again.

It has been a hard week as my family is headed to the cabin soon, and as of now it looks like I will not be able to join them.  I LOVE being at the cabin, it may be one of my favorite times of the summer so I am real bummed that I am missing it this year.  But, I am planning some trips to sightsee a bit around the east coast and hopefully I will be able to make that happen :)

On one of our days off, Jason and I also went hiking up Sharp top mountain which was about a 45 minute, 3 mile hike.  It was a beautiful day and it was really fun to spend that time with him as we've been working so often.  It is a treat when we can spend a whole day together!

Thats all for now, thanks for being interested in my life!

Ivy Lake at sunset

Mom :)

Natural Bridge!

Natural Bridge

Natural Bridge with my beautiful mama

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest vacation home

My adopted dog, Buddy!

From the top of Sharp top mountain, it was SO beautiful!

Summit Selfie

Jason is such a hippie :)

A favorite spot to get ice cream! Such a beautiful view of the mountains.

Its JULY?!

WHOA.  Its already past July 4th.  Hard to believe!

Things that have been going on in my life lately:
-Workin with my favorite people, the residents of Runk and Pratt!!
-Vacation with the Faixes extended family to Atlantic Beach, North Carolina
-Volunteering for an organization called World help (http://worldhelp.net/work/)
-Fouth of July!
-Getting ready for a visit from my momma :)

Work is work.  I am so blessed that I have the opportunity to work with these seniors.  I am lucky that I even have a job in the first place and I am SO thankful for that.  Even though the early mornings can be a drag, overall I have enjoyed my time there.  It has confirmed my passion for seniors! I have always had a soft spot for the elderly but working with them and serving them has confirmed this.  I hope to work in a senior care facility someday with my nutrition degree, but we will see!

Family vacation! Jason and I managed to snag a few days off from work so we could join the fam in the beach adventure.  We met up with Jason's dads side of the family which ended up being around 30 people (?).  It was overwhelming to meet all of them at once, but I am glad I was able to meet the aunts, uncles and cousins I have heard things about.  Everyone was so welcoming! AND we got to lay on the beach, play in the ocean and get a tan for a few days.  It was a win, win.

I have started to volunteer for an organization called world help which is a sponsor organization for needy kids all around the world.  Its a pretty cool thing they do there!  I have gone to help out with electronic filing, and scanning documents that need to be filed and such.  I will definitely be going back!

Yesterday was the Fourth of July! Happy Birthday America!  Since I have no friends here besides Jason and neither of us felt like being social, we hung out and had a little party by ourselves.  The weather has been perfect the past few days.  Sunny, a little breeze blowing and not very humid at all! We went kayaking on a nearby lake then did some grilling and hanging out at the house.  I made such a yummy fruit pizza and decorated it patriotically which was so fun for me! Even though it was just the two of us we still had quite the spread.  We headed to a nearby country clubs golf course to watch some fireworks.  It was nice because it wasn't so crowded, like it is at the fairgrounds (for those of you in Cambridge).  It was nice and spread out and we had snacks and sparklers and it was just perfect! One for the books.

Last but definitely not least, my mom is coming to visit TOMORROW! WEE! I have missed my family and just being home this summer A LOT.  Every time I know they will be together my heart aches because I am a 24 hour drive away! I am excited to show her around the area, maybe tour Runk and Pratt, do some sightseeing and just hang out.  SO excited.

Well, here are some pictures from all of these happenings.  Thanks for being interested in my life!

Atlantic Beach

North Carolina is a hidden gem.  Its like something out of a Nicholas Sparks book!

Selfie.

Beautiful sunset.

I could be a Liberty Student, right? Here are the beginnings of my fruit pizza!

Kayaking

Watching fireworks. Jason will probably be so sick of selfies by the end of the summer! :)

Sparklers!

More sparklers

Last selfie I promise!

Thanks again for reading! Things to come: Visit from mom! Hopefully a trip to Washington D.C. in August, hopefully seeing my friend, Lisa from camp last summer (She lives in Pennsylvania), and maybe another trip or two to see some of the sights on the east coast! Hoping for Philadelphia or maybe Ocean City, Maryland.  All of this costs money, so we will see...