A Village Raising A Child (or Two)

June was a busy month of finishing school, saying goodbyes, and having fun in Virginia before we headed to Home Leave and then off to post. 

We have really loved being in Falls Church. It is a cute little community and offers so much that we enjoy. We all have some amazing friends in the City and loved spending time with all of them. Both little Muggles loved school and will miss the friends they have made both at Church and school. Our last few days in Falls Church were filled with parties and goodbye meals with all those we loved. 

As just a few examples of people we learned to love in Falls Church, I wanted to highlight Soon-Mi--the piano teacher for the kids. And the other person is a long-time Falls Church resident, Dick Doyle. 

These two were so AMAZING at their piano recital. They played songs that were so advanced. Sometimes it is interesting to sit and listen and be completely amazed at how cool it sounds! 

Soon-Mi was a perfect teacher for the kids. She came to our house every week and shared her talents with all of us. She would bring us Korean treats and we all loved listening to her sing along as the Muggles played. She was perfect for helping the kids improve their technical music skills, but also increase their love for playing! (it took me several times to find her--we tried out several other teachers and it was NOT great). We will miss her. 

We spent plenty of time at the parks around Northern Virginia too! Again, something we will miss when we are gone. 

Now Dick Doyle...he and his wife are always at the Falls Church Farmer's Market selling beautiful furniture that he has made. He and his friend are retired and they take trees that have fallen over in the area during storms and make statement pieces out of the wood. I have always admired them and decided that it was time to buy one. 

I found a table I loved and it needed to be fixed a bit. He took it to his house and had it repaired in a few days. I went back with the Muggles to pick it up. Dick was kind enough to let us have a tour of his wood shop. He even allowed these two to use some of the machines! 

I could tell that he was a retired teacher because he was so patient with the kids and let them try everything. It was fun to be there with him. It was truly a highlight for the kids. 

This guy loves to collect coins (thankfully, because I hate coins). He was so excited to turn in his coins and get bills the last day we were here! 
 

As we head on to the next adventures, we know we are going to miss our friends and loved ones in Fall Church. Thankfully, technology allows us to stay in touch with them. We have been so blessed by so many people. Soon-Mi and Dick are just two examples. 

She was so excited to do her final project on Harriet Tubman! I was happy because Harriet has always been a hero of mine since I was in elementary school!

Drive Through The South

 

We had an odd weekend where all of us were free (for those of you with busy families at the end of the school year, you know how unusual this it). We decided to head south! We drove from DC to Florida. It was fun to make it to 3 States we have not traveled together as a family--South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. 

We loved seeing all of the different aspects of nature in these three states. It was a bit crazy in North Carolina though--it had started to rain so hard we slowed down to 8 miles per hour and the wipers could not keep up. Everyone on the road following in a slow single file line until it cleared up! 

One of our favorite stops was Savannah, GA. It has long been on Lady Hiva's bucket list, and we made it this time. We all loved seeing how they have invested so much into bringing the old homes in historical Savannah back to their glory. 

We made our way past two cemeteries. We have long had an affinity for old beautiful cemeteries. 

It was nice to stop and walk through the Historical Forsyth Park. It was a perfect evening to enjoy the trails, the historical fountains and the manicured gardens. 

The massive shade trees over the roads reminded us of parts of New Orleans. 

Look at thsi photo bomber. Just seconds before she refused to be in a photo with us, but as soon as she realized we were taking a photo despite her protests, she tried to jump back in! HAHA

Another big part of our journey down and back was Buc-ee's. We learned about Buc-ee's from our Disney Facebook groups. People all post about stopping there as they drive to Florida. Buc-ee's is a Texas based petrol station. But it is MORE than just a petrol station. Think Maverick and Wal-mart combined. It is HUGE and fun. We stopped at 4 four them them as we traveled. They had the cleanest bathrooms and good food! 

I am so glad that our children have just learned travel is part of their lives. They spent 12 hours each way in the vehicle. But we put on Harry Potter, they stretched out and slept, and we stopped every so often to explore something. It was such a fun weekend trip. (We might all have fallen asleep at work and school on Monday! HAHA)