Parent's Weekend at JMU

Parent's Weekend at JMU is a weekend filled with activities - lots of fun stuff. After picking up Cari we headed to the Outpost Bookstore to see what kind of trouble we could get into. She found quite a few things she just had to have, of course. I picked up a couple of t-shirts and a travel mug and Bob found a "JMU Mom" coffee mug that's the perfect size for tea! :)

From there we headed to dinner at Outback where Cari's roommate, Jocelyn, works. Jocelyn told me I simply had to try their new Caramel Appletini. I did. It was wonderful! By the time we left we needed to head back for the Colin Mochrie, Brad Sherwood Show (from "Whose Line is it Anyway?"). OH MY GOD ... what an evening filled with laughter. To say they are amazing is putting it mildly. I can't even imagine being that talented and thinking that fast on my feet. They are two crazy guys let me tell you. To tour the country and have no plan is inconceivable. But that's exactly what they do. Oh they have basic games they plan to play, but all the integral parts of the games are provided by those in the audience. When you see people shout out things in the audience on the TV show, it's true. That's how they do their show. And their show is crazy funny. My face hurt from smiling and laughing the entire time. I would go see them again in a heart beat!

We stayed at the Residence Inn in Waynesboro. It's a fairly new place and we loved it! Everyone who works there goes out of their way to make your stay as pleasant as possible. The ladies at the front desk told us about the Fall Arts Festival in downtown Waynesboro that weekend. Since we weren't able to get tickets for the football game Saturday (sold out) we decided to check out the arts festival after the picnic.

It was actually larger than we thought it would be and covered parts of several streets.


Bob checked out glassware - we did end up buying a couple of pieces (bowl and vase) from one lady. Cari found a bead booth and went home with beads and silk cording for a bracelet.

and before leaving we had to buy some of these beautiful local apples and honey ...


Cari needed some groceries so we headed to the nearest Walmart to pick up her supplies. A full cart later (which included 2 cases of water) we took the cold stuff back to our room to put in the fridge while we went to get some grub at Applebees. We had tickets for the Pops concert that evening but ended up not going. The concert didn't start until 8:30 and we were all just too tired to mess with it. After going back to Cari's dorm and putting everything away we decided it to go see if we could get her a piece of carpet for her floor and a piece of foam for her bed. Bob stayed at the dorm and played on the computer while Cari and I left. It was another late night by the time Bob and I got back to our room thirty minutes away. We both slept late Sunday morning!

We met Cari for lunch around noon and headed over to Wilson Hall for the A cappella-thon. JMU has seven a cappella groups and each one perform three songs. It was fabulous! I can't wait to hear them again. All of them were amazing. Bob said on the way home that he was sitting there thinking how untalented he is. LOL Those kids just blow you away with their talent.

About 5:00pm we headed for home. Between picking up Peanut and my car, which we left at Herb and Jean's, it was around 10:0pm by the time we got home. A very long and fun weekend!

... until next time,
QB

Balloon Ride

Bob and I have been wanting to go on a hot air balloon ride for ages. Since we decided to take an extra day before going up to JMU for Parent's Weekend, it seemed to be a good time. After researching the different companies in the Charlottesville area, we chose Bonaire Charter. Several weeks in advance I called and talked to Scott, who we later found out would be our pilot. I held myself back from getting super excited because I was afraid the weather wouldn't cooperate and we'd end up not being able to go. Monday before our scheduled ride on Thursday I called to confirm and it looked like the weather was going to be really nice, but Scott told me to call back after 2pm Thursday after he received the current update. As we drove towards Charlottesville the temperature was perfect and the sky a beautiful blue, with only a few fluffy clouds. I started letting myself get excited! Scott told us to meet him in the parking lot next to the Boar's Head Inn and we would be able to spot him because the basket would be in the back of the truck. He wasn't kidding! This is what we found we we drove up:

Scott then told us we'd be going to another location to light off with three other balloons! How cool!! My mind was already racing ahead to the photos I'd be able to get. :) It was fascinating to see the process from the very beginning! Kyle (the chaser) took this photo of us inside the balloon while it was still be blown up with the fan:

Once the balloon almost full of air, Scott started adding heat to the air ... and balloon started rising. It was SO COOL!

Lift-off was so gradual we didn't hardly even realize we were off the ground! It was so peaceful and serene. The views were awesome, especially with the other three balloons! The views were amazing. Of course I was snapping photos like crazy.


And one thing that really surprised us was the even 1300'+ in the air we could hear dogs barking like they were just down the street. Scott told us that they could hear conversations from the ground - that sounds are muffled by trees and buildings and such on the ground, but they carry in the air. It was wild. There are beautiful lakes in Charlottesville and we were above the one the UVA rowing team uses - we actually saw them practicing. Here's one of my favorite shots over the water:


The next amazing thing that happened was the "Splash and Go" technique. As we watched from our balloon, one of the other ones was slowly "falling" towards the water. As they got closer and closer to the water, Scott explained the "Splash and Go" technique to us. The pilot actually sets the basket down on the water for a few seconds, then takes off again. Wow! How cool is that?

... and here is OUR basket hitting the water. See the ripples?


How cool is that? Pretty cool, I'm thinkin'. As we rose again one of the other pilots warned Scott there was a front (with rain) coming in. We could actually see it...

Sadly, we needed to set down a bit earlier than otherwise so Scott started looking for an appropriate place to land. We ended up in a field, on a hill. It was a good thing Scott has been flying for 20 years and had plenty of experience. He walked that balloon up a hill like a dog. Kyle soon came along with the truck and the process of packing the balloon up began. Imagine our delight when we were asked to help! LOL

After the balloon was all packed up in the truck again, we headed back to the Boar's Head Inn where we enjoyed the final phase of this wonderful experience. Scott popped a bottle of champagne for us!

When we asked Scott to recommend a place for dinner he suggested "Duner's" right down the road. So off we headed. It was a small place with a packed parking lot, but we were immediately seated. As we browsed the menu, we ordered wine and munched on the delicious bread provided. Dinner was absolutely wonderful!! It was some of the best we've ever had! My marinated pork tenderloin and mashed sweet potatoes were amazing! By the time we headed back to our hotel we were slugs. The only thing that could've made our day/evening better was if Cari had been able to join us. She had planned to but had too many issues with her computer programming assignment that was due that night and couldn't make it. Hopefully next time though.

The first day of our trip started off with a bang. We looked forward to seeing some of Blue Ridge Parkway on Friday and having dinner with Cari.

... tata for now

photos by Wanda Troupe and Kyle.

More baby love!!

Got to see my little love bug on Thursday!! She is so beautiful and so sweet. Apparently, stranger anxiety has kicked in a bit early too. It had been over two week since she had seen me and as soon as she did the bottom lip poked out and she tuned up and cried. It was pitiful and cute at the same time! LOL Heidi was getting ready to give her a bath so I got to get a couple of shot of her enjoying it.


After she was all squeaky clean and dressed, I got to rock and feed her. Then it was play time: