One of our friends in Raleigh moved back home to Illinois this spring after getting engaged last fall. We miss her, but were excited to go to her wedding on July 2nd in Danville, IL. When we looked on a map to see where Danville is (how many people know where Danville is??) we saw that it was not far from Cincinnati so thought we should drive to the wedding, and stop in Cincinnati on our way. It was only a 13 hour drive - no problem!
We left Saturday morning, and drove to Beckley, WV. Beckley and the surrounding area is a great place to be outdoors, if you are 8 or older. Rafting, biking, and hiking are big in this area, and we found that there was not as much to do for an almost 2 year old as we thought there would be. We made the best of it and hiked in the New River Gorge where we saw lots of rafters on the river below. We all went on a helicopter ride - a first for the whole family, and we toured a coal mine. Colby was a little scared at first on the helicopter, but after a minute or two we were looking at the cows and trees on the ground below. Steve had a much more exciting ride at higher speeds, and with wind gusts. Colby handled the coal mine really well too. I thought he might get a little scared of the dark, but he enjoyed riding the "train" and looking at the rocks. But Colby's favorite part of WV was probably the hotel pool and sleeping with mom and dad since he wanted nothing to do with the pack and play.
After two nights in WV we drove to Cincinnati. We wanted to go back to visit Cincinnati Children's hospital where I had surgery to correct the TTTS in May, 2008. It was hard to be back since the last time we were there we had so much hope for both baby boys. The staff was super sweet, and very glad that we stopped in for a visit. Colby is the picture of health, and a happy, active almost 2 year old which was fun for them to see. While in Cincy we went to the zoo, a Red's game, spent time at the riverfront park, and took a riverboat cruise. Again, Colby's sleep was a challenge, and we spent some time on the highways during nap time, but it was a fun place to visit.
After three nights in Cincy we drove to Danville for the wedding. What a fun weekend. We got to visit with some friends who also moved away from Raleigh, to Oregon. They have a son who is the same age as Colby so it was sweet to see them play together. We miss them too! Again, the hotel pool was a big hit with Colby, while the bar was a bit more fun for mom and dad ; ) The bride and groom not only had a beautiful wedding, and fun reception, but also organized a tennis tournament, which Steve won! Sadly, we had to leave the festivities and drive 13 hours home. We made it back to Beckley, WV for the 4th where we attended sort of a mini fair. It was pretty interesting, and I'll just leave it at that. Colby watched his first fireworks that night, but I don't think he enjoyed them. He was a bit scared and kept wanting to go "back" to the car. Monday was back to home sweet home, and Colby's crib!
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