ONE LAST STOP!

“The party’s over….” Or is it!?!?!

On our way home, we had the blessing of going through Virginia Beach for four days – to enjoy the trailer, the campground, but most of all…to enjoy our family!!!

When we arrived at the Virginia Beach KOA (which, by the way, is one of the BEST campgrounds and we love staying there!), the weather was HORRIBLE! We had received an emergency alert on our phones about flash flooding – there was intense rain, wind and even a GALE warning on the weather channel for that area!! As we pulled in, the rain and wind was so bad that we had to just sit in the truck for about thirty minutes and wait for things to get a little better!  When there was a minute break in the worst weather, Leonard jumped out and ran in to the office to get us registered!

We then pulled into the campsite and had to sit in the truck AGAIN – it was raining so hard and the wind was so strong that it was almost impossible to get out and set up the trailer!  Finally there was enough of a lull in the torrential rain that Leonard was able to at least unhook the trailer from the truck!  But setting everything up had to wait…

We headed off to Leigh’s house to see her and those awesome grandsons of ours!  We love them!

Miles had to show us his BIG muscles! Here’s a first hand look!

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We were so excited to have four days in Virginia Beach – to spend with Leigh and Nolan and Miles – and also to go to the Blue Angels Air Show – again!!!  Just like last year, the air show took place while we were there!  What a fun thing for us to do, and also to get a little taste of what Andrew does for his career – flying an F-18 jet! WOW!  Every time I see one fly, I get emotional! LOVE THAT NOISE!

Last year’s air show weekend was especially exciting because not only were the BLUE ANGELS there that weekend, but the HELL’S ANGELS were also present – at our campground!  When we checked in last year, the lady registering us said “Just to let you know, the Hell’s Angels are here at the campground this weekend” – I obviously didn’t hear her correctly, because my response was “Oh, that’s okay, that’s why we are here!”  (haha) – she kindly corrected me and said, “no, not the Blue Angels, but the HELL’S ANGELS!”   I laughed and said “that’s fine”!  It was a great weekend and the motorcycle group was great – kind and friendly and we felt safe because they travel with their own security!  (In fact, the lady told us that we were in the safest place there at the KOA because of that!)

THIS YEAR IT WAS JUST THE BLUE ANGELS!  I have no idea where the Hell’s Angels were, but they weren’t with us!

One of the best things about coming to the Virginia Beach KOA is how much Nolan and Miles LOVE visiting and hanging out at the trailer.  They get so excited just to be there!

This year, every time Miles walked into the trailer, he would look at me and say “Gaga, I just love this trailer! It’s beautiful”!

The boys have a little routine we have when they come to the trailer – they get a snack (we always have good treats for them!) and they are allowed to watch “crash videos” – not REAL crashes of course!  It’s an animated YouTube video of vehicles made of Legos going up against super heroes also made out of Legos!  The vehicles would crash into the super hero and try to defeat it, and they would all fall apart – you can actually the Lego pieces falling as they crash!  Haha.

They watch the video and enjoy a snack at the table – we love this little ritual as much as they do!

Friday came which was air show day!  What a blessing to be right there on the Naval base, admiring these amazing planes – the newest ones, some vintage ones, and then of course the amazing Blue Angels!!  All of the bad weather had cleared out and it was a gorgeous, HOT day!  Leonard and I love the sound of JET NOISE!  It’s the sound of freedom!

I’ve included a few short videos to give you an idea of what it was like! Enjoy!

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On our last day, we decided to enjoy a day hanging out at the campground – this KOA has so many things to do, especially for children and families!  There is a pool with a lazy river, a bounce pad, many outdoor games, golf carts and bikes to rent, a free trolley that takes campers to the beach and back, food trucks, coffee trucks, and live music!  We love it there!

And the bonus is that, while swimming in the pool, we were able to watch the air show again because the jets fly right over the campground!  It’s across the main road from the Naval base, so it’s an added blessing for those staying there!  The campground was packed and at the pool, when the jets flew over, everyone cheered and clapped!!

After swimming, playing, dinner from the food truck (it was DELICIOUS!), listening to live music, and just enjoying the campground, the weather and each other, it was time to say our good-byes for this trip!  It’s always hard to say good-bye, and the boys always give us a big hug and say a big I LOVE YOU!

What a great ending to this journey we’ve been on since August 7^th when we pulled out of the neighborhood!  We wouldn’t change a thing, and everything went so well – God is so good to us and we are so thankful for HIS creation, HIS blessings and most of all, HIS protection as we traveled so many miles!  We are blessed!

Thank you to EACH of you for reading these blogs – for commenting and encouraging me through the comments, for taking the time to see where we go and what we do – it means so much to me!
I truly hope you have had fun coming along with us!!!

 

 

 

Until next time!