Virginia Beach Racecation- Part 1

 

Day 1

 

Day 1 started out with me making the 1 1/2 hour drive to Julie's house. It was probably the worst part of the day because I was so excited/anxious to just get on our road trip together! It felt like I was never going to get there. I set the cruise control so I wouldn't get stopped, cranked up the radio and just tried to enjoy the drive. Once I made it we quickly transferred my stuff into her car and hit the road!

Introducing Fonda the Honda!
 Note: Julie was the only one running 26.2

Julie did a great job getting Fonda ready for the trip!

Destination.... Virginia Beach!

 

We were both very giddy on day 1 and the trip was filled with conversation and lots of laughs. The radio was not used at all and each new state brought more and more excitement!

 

Only our second stop for the day.
As soon as we exited the car Julie ran up to complete strangers and asked them to take this picture for us!
I actually think we scared them a little:)

Yep- that is a map! People DO still use them:)

 

  And that is how we made it all the way to Lexington, KY! Yep... we went "old school" and used a map instead of breaking out the GPS. We were pretty proud of ourselves for managing to get around Chicago (and all of the tolls that went with it), Indianapolis, and Cincinnati. When we got to Lexington, KY we were ready for a break and some food. We found ourselves a great deal on a hotel and grabbed some Subway to take back to the hotel. After eating we decided that our legs needed to stretch so we explored the hotel and were surprised to find this.....

a huge pool area

and a partial basketball court

We decided that we were too tired to bother going back to the room to change so that we could come back and use any of it. We headed back to the room to get a good nights sleep so we could be on our way bright and early for day 2.

Day 2

We got up fairly early and took advantage of the breakfast buffet that the hotel offered, took a few pictures, and were on our way!

Adventures in waffle making

Our Lexington, KY hotel

We were excited to see flowers... too bad that they got snowed on overnight.

Bring on Day 2!

Our travels for day 2  included more fun! Up/down the mountains and in/out of snow, plenty of conversation, lots of laughs, stretching at rest areas, and some snacking along the way. West Virginia couldn't make up it's mind what the weather should be. We were very giddy once again because at the end of the day we would arrive at our destination!

 

 

Julie's new pre-race fuel?

Scenic view of the mountains

almost there!

 At the end of the day we arrived in Yorktown, VA where we would be spending the first three nights with my brother-in-law and his family. They were amazing and we are so grateful that they welcomed us into their home for those few nights!

 

After unloading our stuff, getting settled, and cleaning up a bit they took us to a wonderful Mexican restaurant for dinner. After we were finished eating my niece said, "Sweet Frog" and almost immediately Julie and I smiled at each other. I am not sure how we knew what it meant but we did. We agreed that it sounded good so after dinner they took us to Sweet Frog for dessert. It was a wonderful self-serve frozen yogurt bar! Thank you, Allison, for suggesting it and introducing us to Sweet Frog!

 

Day 3

 

Our first full day in Virginia started out with a short run around the neighborhood to stretch our legs. After riding the previous two days in the car it felt really good to get our bodies moving again. The weather was beautiful and we were excited to see all of the signs of spring!

 

time to run

ready to get moving

 

Flowers were blooming all over!

After getting cleaned up from our run we headed out to explore the area. After high school Julie lived in the area for about 2 1/2 years and I visited her a few times so we had to check out some of the "old stomping grounds".

 

Buckroe Beach

Finally at the beach!

ShamROCK on!

After exploring the area, doing a little shopping, and enjoying an amazing cupcake at a little specialty shop we headed back to my brother-in-law's house where they were making us an amazing dinner. While dinner was cooking my sister-in-law, niece, and her friend took us to Yorktown to see the sights. Since it was the "off-season" the shops weren't open but it was fun to see the area and spend some time with Donna, Allison, and Amaya.

 

Once we got back to the house we ate and spent time visiting. Allison made us a special cake (made in the microwave) that she learned how to make in school. I have to say it was really very good. I need to make sure to get the recipe for my boys to make it. After spending more time visiting and catching up it was off to bed to get ready for another day of exploring!