White Christmas in Virginia

Happy Epiphany everyone!!!

Yes....the Christmas spirit is still alive and well in the Pedersen household. We'll see how long this year's tree makes it. I'm starting to take bets now. Last year....our tree was budding new growth when we finally put it outside after February 2nd. This one might give last year's a run for its money.

On to our WHITE Christmas in Virginia. :)

After some concern about my family actually arriving in Virginia (thank GOODNESS they went through Dallas and not Atlanta), they arrived 2 hours late but were full of smiles as snow was already covering everything. We had a wonderful Christmas Dinner and had a great time opening presents, showing off Dave's expanded train display, and playing with the pets.

The next day was Sunday and Dave and I took off to church while the Harris family enjoyed a cozy winter morning at the house. After we both came home, everyone ventured outside for some play time in the snow....including Rusty and Hilde. We received about 5 inches of snow that day....though you wouldn't have known it to look at our front yard by that evening. Dave and dad decided to launch an assault of snowballs aimed in our direction. Well....my sister and my mom took the brunt of the attack. I stayed on the sidelines and occupied the dogs. :) Here are my mom and sister prior to the battle.

My parents were born and raised in Iowa but for the past 30 some years, have lived in Arizona. When you live in Phoenix, you don't get to see a whole lot of snow. So....to wake up with snow covering everything....and for it to be still snowing....was such a treat for my family! Dad...being the go-getter that he is....walked in the snow and ice to Kroger (the grocery store) that morning while we were at church. When I asked him why he had done this, he said "To say that I had". Hahahahaha. Not only had he walked to the store and picked up some essentials (another bottle of wine, some white powder donuts, etc.) but he also shoveled our sidewalks.....and it looks like he had a blast doing so!

The rest of Sunday was spent in front of a lovely fire, watching "The Christmas Story", and of course....eating. The down time with loved ones was lovely and it was probably my favorite day of their visit.

The next day was a bitterly cold day. If the wind (which was awful) wasn't blowing and you stood in the sun, you were fine. With the wind and without the sun, you felt like an icicle. So, we decided to do "indoor activities".

Because over the past day and a half we had not nearly eaten enough....our first stop was lunch at Buzz & Ned's BBQ. A must for any visitor to Richmond and a special request from my family. After our tummies were full of succulent piggy, we went to the Tredegar Iron Works which sits on the James River and has a great display of Civil War items. The site is extremely informative and well worth the visit.

Afterwards, we took a quick peak at the James River across the way. And I do mean quick. I'm surprised you can't see teeth chattering away in the picture below. It was a bit chilly!

Our next stop was the Tuckahoe Plantation. This plantation was originally built in the early 1700's by the Randolph family....a very prominent Virginia family. But its claim to fame is that Thomas Jefferson lived here for seven years as a boy. I'm pretty sure my family thought I'd taken us on a wild goose chase in the beginning. I had a vague idea of the location of this place and then when we arrived, we were 40 minutes early for our scheduled tour with no place to be but.....outside. Fortunately, we had some random sheep and a beautiful golden retriever to keep us entertained. But even my feet were starting to lose feeling by the time we were let into the house. Here are the Harris girls....trying to keep each other warm.

And here we are in front of the back of the house. The house is designed in an "H" model. The front of the house is identical to the back and then there is a large common room connecting both sides of the house. The really neat thing about this place is that the current family who owns it, has owned it for 70+ years and actually lives there!!! As we passed through the common room with its Juniper Christmas tree....there were unwrapped presents under the tree....just like at our house. It was great to see such a historic place not just as a museum but as a place where people still call it "home".

We had planned on a trip to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens that evening to see their lights display. However, after our tour of the house....we all decided that we had had enough of being cold to the bone and so nixed that idea.

Their final day was a great day mainly because they didn't leave until 6 that evening so we had a whole day more with them. Julie had been to the Capital with Dave but my parents had not been so we took everyone there in the morning. The Capital was designed by Jefferson and is rather an impressive looking building...if I may say so. They saw where Robert E. Lee declared his allegiance to the Confederate States of America and a famed George Washington statue.

We then took the family to Hollywood Cemetery. Dave and I have been meaning for 4 years to visit this place but we have just never made it and boy....have we been missing out. It sits on a bluff overlooking the James River and is absolutely beautiful. Over 18,000 Confederate soldiers are buried here along with 25 Confederate Generals like Pickett and J.E.B. Stuart, John Marshall (Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court), President Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederate States of America) and 2 United States Presidents (Tyler and Monroe).

Sadly, it came time for the Harris family to go back to Arizona. We had a fantastic time with them and are blessed and honored that of the 5 Christmases we've had here in Virginia, they have been here for 3 of them....especially for a holiday where being with immediate family means so much to both Dave and me. I think that they like to visit Virginia though. :) We always say that we would love to move back west and be closer to family but....when you live in such an AMAZING state like Virginia....it makes it very difficult to consider moving back to an area where there just isn't the wealth of history we have here.

Anyway, we hope you and your loved ones had a most merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here is to a wonderful and joyous 2011!!!!