Over the past few years, three of my four siblings have ended up living in Virginia less than 30 minutes from each other. The last time I came up to visit was in 2017 when my brothers were sharing a house in Suffolk. Fast forward two years, my sister is now living nearby in Norfolk with her husband and my three nephews!
I planned this trip with my Aunt Darcy and cousin Alley, who flew in from Michigan. We ended up meeting in the Charlotte airport and catching a connecting flight together to Norfolk! Our trip was only for three nights and we were most interested in spending time with the family, but my aunt planned a few opportunities for us to see the sights too. It was nice not to be the planner for a change!
The first night we got in late and everyone was sleeping except my older brother, Dan. Alley and I stayed up chatting and drinking a few beers with him, Ghost, and Dracula until after 3am when we finally called it quits and retreated to our air mattress for a few hours of sleep.
On day two we hung with the kids watching Lion King and living out my childhood dream of snacking on fruit snacks and goldfish. It was great. And check out that smile on the newest addition to the fam, Alex!
Later that evening we went to The Mermaid Factory where I watched my nephews and the more artistically inclined members of my family paint mermaids and turtles. Seriously, some of them turned out so cool and although I missed getting a picture of the final product, Colton was definitely the most creative...
Afterwards, we went out for a CRAZY 3-hour family dinner, but it was a blast. We were either our server's favorite table, or his worst nightmare. By the end, we were all wearing glow-stick jewelry.
We had all planned to see the Christmas lights on Virginia Beach after dinner, but by then it was so late and my sister had to get her two youngest boys to bed. Darcy, Alley, and I scooped up Colton and hit the beach to see the lights at the Merry Mile. The display definitely made my top 3 list of holiday light shows, and it was pretty cool to drive down the Virginia Beach boardwalk at night!
Day three we got a little touristy and checked out all things NASA at the Virginia Air & Space Museum. For someone who isn't typically super into museums, I have to admit this one was pretty cool. The best part for me though, was watching my nephews play in the exhibits and even pilot a plane.
There is a pretty cool observatory on the top floor to check out as well. You know I am always about a good stair climb and lookout! We definitely tired everyone out by the end of the day.
We decided to make tacos family-style at my sisters place and have a pretty relaxed night for our last day with everyone. Nights like these are always my favorite when visiting with family. We kept it casual and drank a few beers standing around in the kitchen and laughing over dumb shit we did as kids (and adults). I also got some cute pics of Alex with a post-tub combover.
Our last morning in town I did a crazy thing and decided to go for a 3-mile run in 30 degree weather. Florida, you were missed. I almost threw up but definitely felt better being a little active after eating gold fish crackers and fruit snacks all weekend. To top it off, my little brother made me my favorite french toast just like he used to when we were kids (it's the bomb). He won't let me post any pics of him but here's his cute dog, Titan.
I miss and love my family daily, but I have to admit that flying back into 70 degree weather in Tampa wasn't too bad!
Until next time, fam. <3
December 2019
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