Williamsburg, Virginia Trip!

July 1, 2018

by saradwells in Family, Travel Post Comment

This week I have been so happy to travel to Williamsburg, Virginia to spend time with my parents. I LOVE Williamsburg. I was partially raised here; we mainly grew up and were based in Northern Virginia in a town called Vienna, located about 20 minutes outside of Washington, D.C. My dad graduated from the College of William and Mary Law School in Williamsburg before I was born and so Williamsburg was in my parents blood from the beginning of their marriage. As a result, they bought a second home here when I was about 13 years old and we traveled 3 hours south on weekends and holidays.

*^^^In front of my parents home in Williamsburg.*

*^^^Simon at my parents house. We had just gotten back from an evening walk and there were fireflies everywhere. It was the first time this west coast kid had played with fireflies!*

*^^^Simon and my parents at William and Mary.*

We often spent a few weeks at a time in Williamsburg during the summer break from school. I grew up running around historic Colonial Williamsburg and remember what life was like when this was a REALLY sleepy college town.

After my dad retired from the full time practice of law, he and my mom built a new house in Williamsburg, sold the house in Vienna and moved here about eight years ago for my dad to become a full time professor at the College. After they settled in, we started a tradition of me bringing one of my kids at a time to visit my parents for a week at a time. This year it was Simon’s turn.

*^^^Simon and my dad after class at William and Mary, Mason School of Business.*

It’s hard to pull older kids out of school during the school year, especially during high school; we had to wait until this summer for Simon to come. And summer in Williamsburg, Virginia (or ANYWHERE) in Virginia is a hot and humid affair. Thank goodness I know what to expect after living here for many years; being in Thailand last year really exceeded my ability and expectations to survive humidity!

*^^^Beautiful Bruton Parish Church, one of my all time favorite churches.*

*^^^This photo does not accurately capture how incredibly hot and humid it was.*

*^^^First time to Colonial Williamsburg for this kid.*

*^^^I love this photo that Simon took of me inside the old Courthouse in the Historic Area.*

Since we have been here we have spent time in the historic area, time on the college campus (where Simon sat in on one of my dad’s business law classes), shopping, trying out new restaurants, doing some cooking and baking practice with Grandpa, and lots of cross country/track training for Simon.

*^^^Naturally I had to put my kid in the stockade. It is a must-do tradition!*

*^^^Simon was a trooper on a really hot and humid Virginia day here in Colonial Williamsburg. We kept darting inside buildings, shops and exhibits in an effort to cool off.*

*^^^Simon and me in front of the Governors Palace. I bought my dress in Thailand last year at the night markets in Chiang Mai!*

*^^^Checking out munitions in the Magazine.*

*^^^Inside the Magazine. This was always one of my favorite buildings and exhibits when I was a kid so it was great to show it to my oldest on this trip.*

It is also a really special treat for me to watch my dad in action in the classroom as a business law professor. His students universally love him and they should; he is AMAZING at what he does.

We took some time on Friday night to go to an executive MBA social for the group that my dad instructs and it was really fun. We had met a few of the students earlier in the day in class and then had an opportunity to chat with them in a less formal atmosphere. Plus the food was good.

The photos of my parents below are my most favorite photos I’ve ever captured or seen of my parents. This is them at their best: laughing, loud, goofy. It was like 30 seconds of perfect light and they were both being silly so I’m glad I took photos.

*^^^My dad kind of looks like he is hitting the campaign trail for something…*

*^^^I think my parents should use this as a Christmas card 🙂*

I hate that I am 3000 miles away from my parents and really, the rest of my family. Being on the opposite coast is really tough sometimes and that’s why these trips to Virginia are so important to me. My parents are getting older and I want to see them and for MY kids to see them as much as possible. I’m really thankful that we were able to carve out a good chunk of time to come out here. PLUS! Traveling one-on-one with Simon has been great! We got to pretend he was an only child for the week and I must say, teenagers (especially when separated from the general family pack) are fantastic.

Thanks mom and dad for a really special, unforgettable trip to Virginia. Love you lots; be back soon 🙂