The Annual Conference of the Gentlemen of the Railway Board

I hinted, a while back, at a surprise event that was in store for the family this month.  Well, now that it has happened and everyone is safely back, I can divulge the secret that Dave and I have been keeping since February.  :)

Dave took the boys.....BY HIMSELF....to Cass, WV for 3 nights/4 days!!!!!!!!!!  All Hail Dave!!!!

Before we get into their beyond magical trip, I'll regale you with what I did during that time.  Given that I was 35 weeks pregnant, I was not allowed to go on this trip with them.  We knew that would be the case back in February when we planned this surprise.  My doctor prohibits me from traveling over an hour away from my hospital after 36 weeks.....and given how close I was to 36 weeks and the fact that Cass is 3.5 hours away....in a remote portion of WV....I was not going to chance it.  :)  So I stayed home.

Let me tell you something: this house is not meant to be that quiet.  It was seriously like a morgue in here.  The quiet seemed to permeate every nook and cranny in the house and at night, especially, it was down right eerie.  Not even a whole day had lapsed when I was ready to have my Gentlemen of the Railroad Board back.  :)

During their absence however, I did have a little fun.  I met different friends for breakfast, dinner, dessert, and some afternoon shopping. The not so fun part? Besides the unnatural quiet?  The one night where I had actual contractions for three hours.....and they were 3-4 minutes apart.....and there was no possible way of getting a hold of Dave had it been actual labor.  That was lovely!  (said in a very sarcastic tone) No...it wasn't.  I was in full on panic mode.  Never mind that I had 2 doulas (both dear friends) checking on me multiple times a day.  Never mind that my neighbor across the street was checking in on me.  With every contraction, I was praying to God to delay, delay, delay.  No Dave....and my parents had just left for destinations abroad for 3 weeks....it was not a good night.  But, since I'm writing this without any announcement of the birth of Sven, you may surmise that the contractions stopped....which they did.  Phew!!!!

That was my week.  But let's get to the real point and interest of this post....the Gentlemen of the Railway Board's tremendous week in Cass!!!  You might recall hearing about Cass before....for good reason as we went 2 years ago and then again last year with my parents.  The boys had been resigned to the fact that they weren't going to go this year in light of Sven's impending arrival.  But Dave, God bless him, really wanted to put something wonderful and happy in their minds in a summer that promises to be filled with a lot of baby stuff.  And boy, did he ever accomplish his goal!!!

As is normal in our house, we didn't utter a word of our plans to the boys until 6am the morning of departure.  We find it's best to keep them in the dark until the very last minute.  They were both confused by the fact that I wasn't going with them....and I guess Jakob constantly said "I miss mommy"....but I think by the time they got to the traditional breakfast stop (Cracker Barrel in Staunton.....Jeffery ADORES the CB), they were fine.

Upon their arrival into Cass, they were immediately greeted by the Shay #2 (who all boys, including my dad, rode on twice last year).  It was a good start to the trip.

They got settled into Cabin #326....our home away from home the previous 2 years as well.  Dave says the boys, especially Jeffery, just took control of the town.  They went in and out of the cabin at will, raced up and down the boardwalks, made friends with a marmot family, and just got to be little kids!  

The following day was their big trip on the steamies to Bald Knob, the second highest point in WV.  This was the big trip for everyone last year (including my mom and me) and at 5 hours, round trip, it is a great excursion.  

After our excursion last year on the Shay #2, my dad bought Shay 2 hats for both himself and Jeffery.  It has been a favorite hat of Jeffery's ever since.  I had packed it for him to wear on this day....which Dave made sure he did.  It was just pure luck that the Shay 2 pulled their excursion,  yet again, that day.  As they were enjoying some exploring time at Bald Knob, they were checking out the locomotive when the engineer (Danny) noticed Jeffery's hat.  He told Jeffery to climb aboard....into the cab....all because he had the right hat on.  :)  (If only my dad had been there too!)  Dave says Jeffery's smile went from ear to ear.  He sat up there, in the cab, talking trains and Cass with the engineer and the fireman for almost 10 minutes.  And then.....THEN.....the engineer let Jeffery pull the whistle three times to call people back to the train so they could depart.  Oh.my.goodness!!!!!!  If that didn't just cement Jeffery's passion for trains, I don't know what would!  :)

 On Thursday, Dave arranged for the boys to tour the repair shops....a new opportunity at Cass that we've never done before.  They had a great time seeing almost all the Shays Cass owns.  Dave says keeping tracking of Jakob was difficult.  While Jeffery stayed right next to Dave and followed the rules, Jakob kept wandering off....in the repair shop....to watch the men in action.  Dave kept finding him, our little Jakob, standing between two HUGE steam engines, watching men weld and do all sorts of repairs.  You watch.....these boys could very well own The Greenbrier Valley Rail lines one day!  :)  Jeffery would, of course, be the front man.....and Jakob would be working on the trains.  Hahahaha.

Dave had planned for only one train excursion this trip.  But when they got done with their shop tour, they saw the Shay #5 pull up to pick up passengers for the 1:30 excursion to Whitaker Station (a logging camp that takes 45 minutes to get to).  Well.....!!!!!!  Dave has always wanted to ride on the Shay 5 as it is the oldest Shay in existence.  How could he pass up this opportunity?  He couldn't....so he surprised the boys with tickets for the ride.  Thankfully, they had sweatshirts on as it was raining and cold....and thankfully the concession stand at Whitaker was open so they could get some lunch upon their arrival. Dave says that trip was magical as it rained and rained and the clouds were low and everything was just so beautiful!

All too soon, it was time to come home.  Goodbyes were said to 326....and to the depot....and to the Shays.....

....and home they came.  After going it alone for 4 days, Dave was thrilled to have me to tag team parenting with again.  After 4 days of silence, I was relieved to have my men back.  After 4 days of unforgettable experiences, the boys were delighted to fill my ears with all of their amazing stories.  And they are already planning for next year's trip....which they assure me will include me and Sven!!!!  :)  (The picture below shows all 3 years)

So.....HAIL TO DAVE!!!!!!  :)  Were it not for him believing that this was totally possible, the Annual Conference of the Gentlemen of the Railway Board would not have convened this year.  It helps that we have very well behaved (for the most part) and cooperative little boys.  But really....this was truly a trip to remember for the boys and it just simply wouldn't have happened had Dave not had the love and patience for his boys to do this on his own.  What a gift he gave them.  What memories he will forever have of his time, with just his boys, at Cass, WV.  :)