Virginia Visits Virginia, Part 1

Ever since Virginia was born, we've been waiting patiently to take her to her namesake state.  So when the judge that Thomas clerked for in Lynchburg announced he was having a reunion of his clerks, we jumped at the chance to take little V to Virginia.  We planned a whirlwind weekend, leaving on a Friday and returning on Monday.  I managed to snag us seats on United for $283 roundtrip, so it was a travel success story as well.

We arrived late Friday night into Charlottesville airport and drove the one hour trek down Route 29 to Lynchburg that night.  We made an obligatory Chick-Fil-A stop along the way, of course.  After a glamorous night at the Holiday Inn in Lynchburg, we had a great Southern breakfast the next morning and then went to meet the Homiller family for a playdate.  

Lucy and Will Homiller attended UVA law school with Thomas and me years ago, and have two little ones who were just the right age to be Virginia's playmates.  Virginia and Frances (almost 5) hit it off right away, and little George (3) tagged along for all the fun.  The Homillers were so sweet to come all the way to Lynchburg (Lucy's hometown) from Richmond (where they now live) to meet us.  We visited a great park in Lynchburg with the kids, ate lunch at a restaurant by the Lynchburg River, and then the girls went to the Children's Museum, Amazement Square.

At the park:

Silly kids playing at the park:

Fast friends:

"Snowboarding" to a motion-based video game at Amazement Square:

UVA buddies and their little girls!

After our great playdate, it was off to the reunion dinner for Judge Norman Moon.  Virginia was one of the few kids in attendance, but she hung in there pretty well, with the help of some iPhone games from one of the clerks who was a mom herself and whose iPhone was well-stocked!  Everyone got a kick out of her insisting on taking the group photo of all of Judge Moon's clerks, and she continued to snap photos well into the evening. 

Judge Moon and all of his former clerks:

 Virginia took this photo of us -- not bad!

Thomas with Judge Moon: