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By Simon

A written/audio blog of my 6-day Easter vacation in Virginia!

Day 1 (4.5.26) | Easter Sunday dawns!

Access the audio here!
Creatures of the forest…happy Easter Sunday! Christ has risen and defeated sin and death for good. For vacation, I’m visiting my sister at her college in Virginia, and thought I’d do a little daily blog on this website! Above I’ve attached an audio bite you can listen to as well.

Today was magnificent! I woke up to the vibrant sun cascading into the cottage over the lush mountains. I took a nice warm shower, got into my suit, and drank a smoothie. Then we drove 2 hours to a Catholic parish and attended mass. It was beautiful! In Catholicism, statues are veiled for all of Lent. Seeing everything unveiled again was like the light at the end of a tunnel.

A priest from our home parish had been relocated to this parish, so we were hoping to see him. Unfortunately, he was very busy; Easter is a huge day for priests after all!

Then we went to brunch. But it wasn’t your ordinary brunch. It was at the grand “Hotel Jefferson”, built in 1895. It was insane!! I had biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit, carved prime rib, and carrot salad.

Yah. Insane.

Fancy hotels make me feel so good; the elegant bathrooms, the deluxe scent, and the exquisite chandeliers. It makes me feel so fresh! There’s nothing better.

On the car trip back, I talked with the family; it was a good, cozy conversation. I missed my sis, and I didn’t even know it. That’s a memory I’ll never forget.

Once we got back, I changed. And now here I am writing this on an oak table, looking out to the view below, listening to my sister play the guitar and sing! What a day!

I’m hoping tonight the fam is going to watch a veterinary show.

Today was definitely a day of memories I’ll never forget. Thank God for Easter!!!
Access the audio here!

Day 2 (4.6.26) | Monday...and the family arrives!

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Creatures of the forest…it is Easter Monday, and Easter Monday it is.

I woke up this morning on the right side of bed! Life seemed about as cheery as it could be; have you ever had that feeling? I also slept in…so that helped.

I got ready, took a slow, steamy shower, and went outside onto the porch. A cool breeze hit me. The view was beautiful!

Since the other family arrives today (cousins, aunt, and grandfather), I blew up a new aero-bed and moved my suitcase upstairs to a nice living room cove; I’ve attached a picture below. I hopped into some khaki pants and a bright green polo and jogged about 3 blocks to the church on the college campus.

Walking in was majestic…especially considering it was a college chapel! It could have the title “cathedral”; the cross architecture, ornate stained glass, and a beautiful organ. Mass was excellent; the priest gave a brief sermon on the importance of accepting what God has called you to do.

Afterwards, we got into the minivan and drove to the amazing, perfectly-named city of…Berryville! And it definitely fit the name. As we drove through, it felt worn and old, but warm and cozy. We ate at an organic burger-and-shake place called “Homespun”. I got cookie butter ice cream. It was exceedingly delectable!

With heavy stomachs and light hearts, we drove home, dropped my sister off at the dorm, changed, and met her back at the campus.

She took us on a chilly walk down to a dock on the Shenandoah river! It was so fun; we hung out, prayed, and just had a good chat. My sister showed us all the bluebells, which are in full bloom right now.

After the walk, we headed back to the AirBNB.

By the way, AirBNB stands for “Air Bed-N-Breakfast”...I thought you should know…just in case you didn’t. Sorry…back to the story!

After about 30 minutes, the cousins arrived! Finishing a 9 hour drive feels better when you can hug your family, and that’s what we did. We played ping-pong, talked, and looked at baseball cards. Then we all said goodnight…a southern goodnight…and headed up to bed! (;
Access the audio here!