Our Much-Needed "Staycation"

Usually on long weekends like Memorial Day I try to plan a trip somewhere fun to explore. But we had been so busy up until now, and with my father-in-law still in the hospital, we were afraid to venture too far from home. I was a little bummed about it until I came across this idea of having a Staycation - an at-home vacation, where you take advantage of the fun stuff in your own backyard that you haven't done but have always wanted to do. What a great idea!

We started off the weekend by staying home on Friday night and grilled a nice dinner and enjoyed eating outside in the beautiful weather - and to my surprise, Wyatt ate it with us! We had friends over on Thursday night so we were snacking on some leftover veggies from the veggie tray I had made. Wyatt surprised me by eating an entire carrot and a few bites of green pepper! Then he downed an entire piece of grilled tilapia and ate some of the pasta salad! For a moment I wondered if Tommy had picked up the right child at daycare! These are not foods he has eaten in the past. I was so impressed!

On Saturday we loaded up the Highlander bright and early and headed toward Richmond to visit the Metro Richmond Zoo. It was wonderful! The zoo was never one of my favorite activities as a kid, but I love it as an adult. Wyatt thought the monkeys were hysterical as they were swinging around in the cage. It wasn't long before he was "ooh ooh"-ing and "ah ah"-ing like the monkeys and jumping around imitating them!

After the Zoo we stopped by "Donald's" for some fries. Wyatt loves their french fries! After lunch we went to Grandma's for Wyatt's nap and Tommy visited his dad at the hospital. Then, Tommy and I took off for our night out on the town! This was very exciting for me because Tommy planned and implemented the entire evening! Scoring major bonus points from me! First, we checked into the Wyndham hotel and got all gussied up. Then we headed to the Hanover Tavern for dinner and a play. The Hanover Tavern was built in 1791 (yes, I said 1791 - you read that correctly!) and was recently renovated. It has an amazing historical background and played a big role in WWII.

We ate an amazing meal (Tommy's steak was quite possibly the best we've ever had) at Michelle's, the restaurant inside the Tavern, and then saw the play "I Ought to be in Pictures," at the Barksdale Theater there onsite. It was wonderful!

Sunday morning we both got to SLEEP IN! And not just sleep in, but sleep THROUGH the 6 a.m. hour when Wyatt typically calls for us! I didn't wake up until 7:40 a.m.! And what could make a morning more complete than enjoying a nice toffee nut latte (me) and hot chocolate (Tommy) together with some danish and coffee cake at my favorite locale, Starbucks?

After that, we spent some more time at the hospital and then had a late lunch/early dinner with Cindy and Jake at Kitchen 64, this cute, funky little restaurant in Richmond that reminds me a lot of the Cafe in Ames. As close as we're going to get, anyway! This is quite possibly my new favorite Richmond restaurant, and I'm sad we haven't discovered it before now!

Back at home in Quantico on Monday, we decided to explore the Prince William Forest Park via bike. Tommy loaded up our bikes and Wyatt's bike trailer, and off we went. This little treasure is just about a mile down the road from where we live and, as it turns out, is a beautiful park run by the National Park Service! Unfortunately, we didn't properly scope out the park before hopping on our bikes, and we ended up riding a 5-mile stretch of the steepest, hilliest part of the forest. It was not what I would call fun. My butt hurts a lot today. However, after we called it quits we took the scenic drive and discovered a beautiful, nearly flat area that we would love to return to and spend a day riding. Maybe next time!

So, I would consider our Staycation a huge success! We accomplished a lot while spending some quality family time together and still accomplishing our overall goal of spending time with Tommy's dad. Tommy also spent quite a bit of time mowing several of his dad's properties yesterday to help him out.

How did you spend your Memorial Day weekend? Leave me a note!