And now......the rest of the story.
But I sure can't tell it in full because I waited too long to blog about it. Lesson learned! :(
On our first day without my hubby (who was doing business), we ventured to the big mall in Fairfax. It has most of the same stores we can find locally, minus a few (like H&M!), but we had a blast anyway.
Macie found "her" store and we found some really good sales on denim shorts that she needed.
We don't have any gelato places around our hometown (that I know of), so finding Piccomolo was a treat! We tried a mixture of Chocolate & Snozzle Berry. So delish. Just look at this cute little cup and spoon! I noticed that the bowl was sturdy so I kept it. I use it to put little snacks in for Ava. And it's dishwasher safe!
Bonus!
After we walked all over the mall (I think I'm in love with Pottery Barn Kids by the way), we ended up at one of my top 3 places to eat!
CHEESECAKE FACTORY!
I had to eat my fav dish...orange chicken. I wish... WISH... WISH we had a CF near by!
Macie didn't want anything off of the lunch menu, she wanted a decadent appetizer called Deep Fried Macaroni & Cheese.
Look at this thing!
Here's a peek at the insides. Ooey, gooey goodness! The total calories for this appetizer are over 1700. Ouch! Good thing Macie can afford the calories! She did share a few bites with the rest of us. She didn't even finish it. She brought it back to
the hotel and ate it later.
The perfect ending to this lunch was a big fat piece of Banana Cream Cheesecake. A person can't go to Cheesecake Factory and not get cheesecake can they?! I was shocked that none of my children wanted a piece for themselves (shocked and happy cuz the prices ain't cheap!). I ate a few bites of this baby and shared the rest with my dh later.
Back at the hotel.....
Shopping is hard work. Zzzzz.
And here is my "rip-off" of the day! Ever shopped at Fuzziwigs store? Might want to think twice before you do. Ava was getting a bit fussy, so I thought I'd just grab a small Dum Dum sucker to keep her occupied. You know what they are...cheap, tiny things that the bank gives to your kids when you go thru the drive-up window. Well.....
I go to pay for the thing and the lady tells me my total is....get this.....83 cents! Wha?! For DUM DUM?! Yes. 83 cents. I certainly hope Ava enjoyed it *sigh*.
So after we did all that shopping and eating, we took a little rest and went out to dinner with Rick and a business associate. We ate SO much food during this trip! After eating out every day for lunch and dinner, I was glad to eat the breakfast that was offered at the hotel each morning so that I could get unlimited fruit and yogurt.
During our stay, we were eating our breakfast and noticed breaking news that Senator Edward Kennedy had died. Being in Washington D.C. at the time, we all felt a little more patriotic than usual. It was kind of a sad day. We left the area before he was buried at Arlington though.
Next we headed to Lancaster, PA. Rick went ahead with a business associate and I drove with the kids. I figured it would be a long drive on unfamiliar expressways, so I wasn't looking forward to it, but it was a snap. The speed limit was low most of the way, so people weren't driving like crazy zoomers. I was expecting it to be like Chicago or San Diego, but nope, easy peasy. Plus, it was only a little over 2 hours, not even close to the 4 I had expected.
The first night in Lancaster, we ate at a family style Amish restaurant. We shared a table and food with another family. Molly & Ava are pictured.
(Please excuse my lack of photograpy skills. Not everyone can be H.A. ya know!)
Brycen & Macie with their fake smiles! They really hated it when I dug out the camera.
Dinner consisted of fried chicken, home made noodles and brown sauce (this was my favorite!) and lots of other side dishes. We had home made bread with different butters (like apple butter) and spreads. The idea of family style, is to pass the dishes around, sharing with the other family. There is no menu. We ate what we were served. Just like Mom used to make us do!
Dessert was peach pie, shoo fly pie and cracker pudding.
Ava with her Shoo Fly Pie. She and I were the only ones who actually liked the pie. I'm surprised because Rick usually likes most pie! It was sweet (sickeningly). I usually don't like molasses, but this was mild and delicious.
And here was the Cracker Pie. Made with soda crackers, sweet milk and coconut. The coconut made me NOT want to try this, but I did. It would be great without that ingredient. Ick.
Back at the hotel, the kids enjoyed the pool.
All and all, it was a nice trip. I really missed Jillian, but I plan to take her next time we do something as a family. I understand that she wanted to work and her job was new, but we made memories this summer. And memories with family are important, so next time, she will be joining us. Before we know it, the kids will be grown up and on their own. I want to make as many memories with them as I can before this happens.
And there you have it. A family vacation slash business trip. I promise to take more interesting photos next time. I guess I get to busy living the moment that I don't remember to document it good enough. Oh well.
Peace out!
7 Whaddaya have to say about this post?:
YEA for a blog post- and about a family vacation no less. Looks like you guys had a GREAT time!! Love the pictures- but none of you or Rick? ;)
What a blast! I bet you guys will remember that for a loooong time. Hope all is going well for Rick. It's so cool that he is taking the world by storm and that you get to go too...with your camera ready and shopping shoes on!q2qw (Ally says hi!) Can't wait to hear about even more of your trips in the future, girly! :)
It looks like you documented it pretty well to me! How fun! Ava looks just like Alivia in the picture of her with her pie to me. I'm glad you go to go Leanne! Are the kids going with you France too?
Hey We have 2 Cheesecake Facories close by our house. Come on down and we can make it a date night. I have never eaten a meal there just got some take out cheesecake twice and it was yummy. Washington D.C. is on my list of family vacations. I was hoping to do it last year but with such a big family we will need 2 rooms and hotel rooms there aren't as cheap as Orlando. I wish they had cheap vacation houses for rent like Orlando.
We need Rick to get some business in Atlanta so you can take a trip.
No pics of Rick & I, but there are a couple of us in the post before at the Temple. I don't like my photo taken. Not until I lose 50 pounds. :(
Nope, the kids aren't going with us to France. Not that I don't want to take them. It's just too expensive. I'm having a hard time justifying even ME going. It's a business trip after all. And speaking of business, Rick just sold the Smithsonian Institution *3* of his machines today! It's funny, while he was in his meeting, I was watching, "Night at the Museum, Battle at the Smithsonian". Har har.
And yes! I'd love to come to Atlanta and do go on a double date Gretta! I love CF and I'd jump at the chance to go again. So yummy. Even with the high calories. I guess it's nice that it's not close by where I live. I'd need to lose even more weight. Ugh.
Oh, and Gretta....we stayed in Fairfax at a very nice Comfort Inn and it's only about 20 mins away from all the action in D.C. and wasn't expensive at all. Yes, 2 rooms would be double, but it could always be worse. It's a great experience and I'm sure your kids would love it!
Sounds like a great trip. I know you missed having Jillian along, but unfortunately that's probably just the beginning for you. It's so sad when the family starts to have to go their separate ways like that, but such is growing up, I guess. Good job remembering all that!
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