Mini-trip day 2

Day two of our Virginia adventure started in our hotel.  We had breakfast and since Claire didn't get out of class until noon, decided to hit up the gym.  At this hotel, it consisted of a small room with two treadmills, a bike, and an elliptical - functional.  Here we are pre-workout:

sleepy faces.

 At 12, we picked Claire up, grabbed some lunch at Sheetz (yay for gas station food!), and headed toward Bedford to hike at Peaks of Otter.  Peaks of Otter is a hike I did several times when I was in college.  It is so beautiful at the top, I really wanted to do it again.  I guess I had never done it this early in the year because I don't ever remember it being this cold.  There was frost on all the trees, which was really beautiful.  My camera phone + no photography skills did not capture it well.

frost up close.

Me and Brian under a frosty evergreen.

 In order to convince Brian to do this hike, I may have used words like "challenging" and also focused on it's shorter length ("It's only a mile and a half one way").  Maybe I should have said that it's hard and steep and there are a lot of stone steps, because this is what he looked like on the hike:

grumpy Brian.

Okay, he wasn't that bad.  Do you notice the water droplets in his beard?  The mountain was misty/foggy and Brian was warm, so condensation was forming in his beard - crazy.

The hike is definitely challenging and we stopped to take rests:

But the view at the top is totally worth it!  

See the frost on all the trees?

We all felt better about the hike once we got to the top and saw the amazing views.

triple self-portrait :)

 After making our way (much more quickly) down the mountain, we tried our best to get the mud off our shoes before collapsing in the car and heading back to Blacksburg.  We were rewarded with a gorgeous sunset on our trip back:

silly truck blocking my view.

We grabbed a quick dinner, said our goodbyes to Claire and hit the road back to Tennessee.  

Mini-trip

Rather than just go insane waiting for our final approval to be foster parents, Brian and I decided to enjoy this time and do some things that would be more difficult with a child.  On the agenda for February were two trips: one to Gatlinburg for a work conference and another to Virgina to see Brian's sister, Claire. 

I somehow didn't ever think to take pictures while we were in Gatlinburg.  All I ended up with was this:

The pool at the Park Vista - we didn't swim in it.

 That was last week.  Brian seemed to really enjoy the conference and I enjoyed the lovely accomodations.

This week, we planned to leave for Virgina as soon as Brian got home from work on Tuesday.  A hazard of being a paramedic is that you can sometimes be up all night - and Brian was.  So, we shifted a little and decided that I would drive.  I've done the drive to Blacksburg (and beyond) many times, so it was no big deal.  I put on some jams and serenaded Brian right to sleep.  Here's what our drive looked like:



sleeping Brian.

 


singing Teagie.

beautiful clouds and sun!

 We met Claire at Macado's, which is a very Blacksburg restaurant.  These days, there's one in Lynchburg, where I went to school, but Macado's is definitely more something I remember from my Virginia Tech friends (hi Evan, Marta, and Julie!)  After filling our bellies, Claire showed us around campus a bit.  We took a short walk at the duck pond:

In the gazebo.

In what Claire called the "best tree ever"

After that we had some more quality time with Claire.  She told us many stories of college shenanigans.  Oh and we had a close call with a tow truck - thank you college town.  Finally, we decided it was bedtime and went to our hotel to rest up for hiking on Wednesday.

For my Valentine

I've been planning an "I love Brian" post since his birthday last month, or for our anniversary (also last month). Of course, I'm a bad blogger, so I've let it go until Valentine's Day.

Dear Brian,

You know this already, but I cry when I hear "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry because it makes me think of you. It's about the cheesiest song in the world and certainly all the lyrics don't fit, but the beginning does:


You think I'm pretty

Without any make-up on

You think I'm funny

When I tell the puch line wrong

I know you get me

So I'll let my walls come down, down



When I was a teenager, and then adult, I spent a lot of time thinking about what would make me acceptable or worthy of love from guys. I made a lot of stupid mistakes (and was protected from a lot more). You were not the fix of that for me, praise God. Actually, God was gracious enough to let me work through some confidence/guy issues before I met you. About the time I had really begun to understand God's love for me and rest in that and be confident with others, you came along.

(As an aside to whoever's reading this: It drives me crazy when people say "it always happens when you least expect it." or "just relax! Stop looking and love will find you." I was definitely looking and dating when I met Brian.)

From the moment I met you, you made me feel desired, valued, pursued. I was so cocky after seeing you at church on Easter 2007. I knew you were hooked...I was too.

Brian visiting me in Atlanta (4/2007)

The weekend of my PSI graduation

 

Brian, it kind of blows my mind how great we are together. It sometimes drives me absolutely mad, but God so knew what He was doing! You're decisive when I like to keep gathering information. You're relaxed when I'm wound too tight. You coast, I plan. I worry, you reassure. I'm so glad you don't mind helping with the house - and that you don't mind the house being messy or the laundry staying un-done.

Lake house fun before the "real' lake house was built

At a wedding shower.

You're a hard-worker and a great provider. You are incredibly intelligent. And, I have to let the secret out, you are so compassionate and have such a beautiful heart. You're a great cook (which I thought would make me insecure, but it's turned out to be a relief). You hike with me. You love my friends and family.

hiking in Norris (i think)

I never, never, never in a million years thought someone else in the world (besides my family) would not just put up with but play along with my goofy, quirky, silly sense of humor. But here you are! Not only playing along, but adding in your own goofy, quirky, silliness. What a gift!

It seems like this month, as we anticipate God bringing a new little one into our lives, we are wrapping up the "just us" portion of our marriage.  I can't wait to see you as a dad - I'm excited about how great you're going to be. 

And since we are the king and queen of the self-portrait (maybe one day I'll figure out the timer on my camera), I'll leave you with a few more from our journey so far:

Now every February

You'll be my valentine, valentine

I love you, Brian Rozmus.  Don't forget it.
.