Foto Friday

Today, FRIDAY January 28 is going to my first Friday participating in the "Foto Friday" event that I discovered on another military wife's blog.  Click HERE if you are interested in participating yourself, or if you are curious to find out more about what I'm actually doing.

Each week will have a theme, and this week's theme is Reflections.  Usually, I'll pick a photo from the past week, but since I didn't have time to prepare, I'm going to share one from the past.  This one happens to be one of my favorite photos of Kerriann.  It was hard to choose just one Reflections photo from this day because we have SO many adorable ones of her looking at herself in this mirror.

Patty's Return to HK

Monday was a very sad day for the inhabitants of this house... it was finally time to say goodbye to Patty as she left to return to Hong Kong.

We knew this day would eventually come, but I still can't believe how quickly the last few months have passed by.

By this time, she is safely in Hong Kong, but we are still missing her very much, especially Kerriann!  She has been asking for her throughout the past few days, and we can tell that she really notices her absence.  Living with her as a roommate has been great since November and the house is just too quiet now.  We miss and love you Patty!!!

Fort Monroe

So, I almost forgot to share one of my favorite stops on our trip, Fort Monroe!  I think it was my favorite because I miss being on/near/around an Army post so much!  I felt right at home having my military ID checked as we went through the gate, and then as I drove around post passing the commissary and PX while I searched for the historic Casemate Museum.  If you want to learn more about Fort Monroe, and its historical significance click here.  It's really very interesting, but would be a lot for me to explain!

It took me a few minutes of searching to realize that to enter the museum and fort section of post, you had to pass over the moat through a tiny tunnel in the wall.  For safety purposes, there was a stop light directing one way traffic through the four different gates...

 A little history...

 "Freedom's Fortress"...

 The inside that held the Casemate Museum... really creepy... especially for those of us with claustrophobia out there!

 A random pet cemetery was placed on the top of the fort's walls...

 Confinement where former Confederate President Jefferson Davis was held for two years...

 I thought this was really neat!

 The Ruth Window...

Yorktown and Jamestown VA

On the final day of our mini vacay to Virginia, Kerriann and I explored Historic Yorktown and Jamestown, VA, where our first stop was the Yorktown Battlefield...

Of course there was nothing too exciting to see, it was MLK Day so the museums were deserted...

We also made a quick stop at the Victory Monument, also in Yorktown...

Next, we took a scenic drive on the Colonial Parkway which was BEAUTIFUL and led us straight to Historic Jamestown...

There was REALLY nothing to see there!  They had a museum and some outdoor attractions, but nothing was up and running... we'll definitely be making a trip back to check it out...

So we ended our historical weekend with Jamestown's scenic 3 mile island drive... it was so gorgeous... lots of beautiful and unique trees... but also kind of creepy out in the woods alone!  I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting the area!  Can't wait to go back and get the complete Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown experience again with Kevin once Kerriann is a little older!

Wordless Wednesday

While Daddy's Away

So far, so good!  Kerriann and I are surviving our first Daddy-free weekend in a long time.  Kevin has drill, and we decided not to join him this time.  We thought of going to visit my family in WV, but decided against it because of the snow (that hit every other part of the east coast, not Potomac of course).  With the highs in the low 20's this weekend, we're hunkering down and enjoying a quiet couple of days inside.  Kerriann doesn't seem to mind one bit, she was really enjoying her toys in the living room this morning, and I was enjoying watching her!

Pulling out every single toy in the basket...

Admiring her mess!

Preparing breakfast for Dolly...

 Turning the speakers on for a Taylor Swift dance party...

 Watching a little tv...

Buckroe Beach

After a quick trip back to the hotel for lunch and a nap, Kerriann and I set back out to explore Buckroe Beach which was right in Hampton, VA.  

It was FREEZING along the water, but I really wanted to check it out because I heard that there was a nice playground and I knew Kerriann would have fun running around. 

  Sadly, there was no playground, but Kerriann still enjoyed getting out on the sidewalk.  

She also loved watching this little girl and her puppy chase the birds...

Of course, I had to stop the people watching for a few minutes to try to get her to sit still for a few touristy pictures with the beach in the background...

Oh and we can't forget the little lighthouse...

After a few photo ops it was just too cold to stay on the beach any longer... Kerriann didn't agree with me and fought the whole way back to the car... but once we were all buckled in we were off to our next sightseeing destination!