Virginia
10th Anniversary
October 22, 2004
State of Virginia
City of Falls Church
The Falls Church
Our 10th anniversary. 10 years. How time flies! We decided to celebrate 10 years together by traveling back to Eric's hometown of Fairfax, VA where we held a wedding ceremony inviting all his friends from childhood, some of whom could not make it to the original wedding. We wanted to have a big celebration surrounded by friends and family, and that is exactly what we got. It was amazing!
Day One
We flew on a late night flight to Virginia with our son, Jackson (age 2), and stayed with Eric's mom at his childhood home in Fairfax.
Day Two
We slept a bit to catch up from the flight and left Jackson in the loving arms of his Grammy while we started driving to Lexington, VA for a few days alone together. We stopped at a little Civil War Museum on the way and then checked into the Brierley Hill Inn just outside of Lexington. The bed and breakfast was set on a beautifully manicured rolling lawn surrounded by huge trees whose leaves were burning with fall color. We had dinner at the Southern Inn that evening.
Day Three
We started our day with a unique and delicious melon soup as part of the breakfast at the Brierley Hill Inn before spending the morning walking through the town of Lexington. Our first stop was the Lexington Presbyterian Church in the center of town where Stonewall Jackson (our Jackson's namesake) attended church and ran Sunday school for many years. We then toured the Jackson House where Stonewall and his wife lived while he taught at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). We headed next to Washington and Lee University where Robert E. Lee was buried in an impressively carved crypt inside the Lee Chapel. His horse, Traveler, was buried just outside the chapel. The campus was stunningly peaceful with the changing leaves, the classically columned buildings and the quaint chapel.
We traveled to the Virginia Military Institute VMI and took a tour led by a cadet which was truly eye-opening because of the school's discipline, respect, hard work, and rigor. Every cadet we passed stepped aside and said, "Good Morning, Ma'am." From this military institute, the graduating cadets can choose their branch of service. It was from here that Stonewall Jackson trained and led cadets to Harper's Ferry before the outbreak of the Civil War. There is also a museum on campus that chronicles the history of the school as well as famous alumni including George Patton who eventually graduated from West Point and George Marshall, namesake of the Marshall Plan. We ended the day's sightseeing at the cemetery where the Jackson family is buried. There stood a large statue of Stonewall in the center surrounded by brightly colored fall leaves.
Day Four
Following another night at the Brierley, we drove to Natural Bridge which is the only natural bridge with a highway going over it. We saw George Washington's initials carved into the rock from when he surveyed the land in the early 1700s. The towering bridge was a massive structure to be sure.
After driving back to northern Virginia, we changed for the wedding, picked up our son, Jackson, and the rest of Eric's family, and headed to The Falls Church for our anniversary ceremony. The Falls Church is a historic church where George Washington was a member as were many other of our nation's founding fathers. Mr. Steve Gaskins and Mr. Jimmy Mitchell, Fathers of Eric's childhood friends and Godly men whom Eric admired, performed the wedding. There was lovely organ music. We sang Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Jackson sat with his Grammy and Aunt Jennifer during the ceremony. Almost all of Eric's local friends were able to join us. Our dear friends, Will and Allison Gaskins (and kids), got stuck on the freeway trying to get to Virginia and didn't make it to the church but made it for the dinner celebration at the Melting Pot. What an amazing dinner reception for everyone! The sweet fellowship lasted well into the night.
Day Five
Now re-united with our son, Jackson, we spent the day playing at Jennifer's house (Eric's sister) followed by more time visiting friends in the area like John Mark and Sandi Mitchell.
Day Six
We got back on the plane to Seattle with a little secret that our second son, Andrew, was already cooking and would be born in eight months.
October 22, 2004
State of Virginia
City of Falls Church
The Falls Church
Our 10th anniversary. 10 years. How time flies! We decided to celebrate 10 years together by traveling back to Eric's hometown of Fairfax, VA where we held a wedding ceremony inviting all his friends from childhood, some of whom could not make it to the original wedding. We wanted to have a big celebration surrounded by friends and family, and that is exactly what we got. It was amazing!
Day One
We flew on a late night flight to Virginia with our son, Jackson (age 2), and stayed with Eric's mom at his childhood home in Fairfax.
Day Two
We slept a bit to catch up from the flight and left Jackson in the loving arms of his Grammy while we started driving to Lexington, VA for a few days alone together. We stopped at a little Civil War Museum on the way and then checked into the Brierley Hill Inn just outside of Lexington. The bed and breakfast was set on a beautifully manicured rolling lawn surrounded by huge trees whose leaves were burning with fall color. We had dinner at the Southern Inn that evening.
Day Three
We started our day with a unique and delicious melon soup as part of the breakfast at the Brierley Hill Inn before spending the morning walking through the town of Lexington. Our first stop was the Lexington Presbyterian Church in the center of town where Stonewall Jackson (our Jackson's namesake) attended church and ran Sunday school for many years. We then toured the Jackson House where Stonewall and his wife lived while he taught at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). We headed next to Washington and Lee University where Robert E. Lee was buried in an impressively carved crypt inside the Lee Chapel. His horse, Traveler, was buried just outside the chapel. The campus was stunningly peaceful with the changing leaves, the classically columned buildings and the quaint chapel.
We traveled to the Virginia Military Institute VMI and took a tour led by a cadet which was truly eye-opening because of the school's discipline, respect, hard work, and rigor. Every cadet we passed stepped aside and said, "Good Morning, Ma'am." From this military institute, the graduating cadets can choose their branch of service. It was from here that Stonewall Jackson trained and led cadets to Harper's Ferry before the outbreak of the Civil War. There is also a museum on campus that chronicles the history of the school as well as famous alumni including George Patton who eventually graduated from West Point and George Marshall, namesake of the Marshall Plan. We ended the day's sightseeing at the cemetery where the Jackson family is buried. There stood a large statue of Stonewall in the center surrounded by brightly colored fall leaves.
Day Four
Following another night at the Brierley, we drove to Natural Bridge which is the only natural bridge with a highway going over it. We saw George Washington's initials carved into the rock from when he surveyed the land in the early 1700s. The towering bridge was a massive structure to be sure.
After driving back to northern Virginia, we changed for the wedding, picked up our son, Jackson, and the rest of Eric's family, and headed to The Falls Church for our anniversary ceremony. The Falls Church is a historic church where George Washington was a member as were many other of our nation's founding fathers. Mr. Steve Gaskins and Mr. Jimmy Mitchell, Fathers of Eric's childhood friends and Godly men whom Eric admired, performed the wedding. There was lovely organ music. We sang Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Jackson sat with his Grammy and Aunt Jennifer during the ceremony. Almost all of Eric's local friends were able to join us. Our dear friends, Will and Allison Gaskins (and kids), got stuck on the freeway trying to get to Virginia and didn't make it to the church but made it for the dinner celebration at the Melting Pot. What an amazing dinner reception for everyone! The sweet fellowship lasted well into the night.
Day Five
Now re-united with our son, Jackson, we spent the day playing at Jennifer's house (Eric's sister) followed by more time visiting friends in the area like John Mark and Sandi Mitchell.
Day Six
We got back on the plane to Seattle with a little secret that our second son, Andrew, was already cooking and would be born in eight months.