Embassy Suites with a sense of humor

I have pictures of two more Embassy Suites door knob hangers. I thought perhaps they just used the same ones and swapped them out every few months throughout all Embassy Suites hotels. But I found out when we were staying there in Louisville the hangers were completely different. In fact, the first one we had said one thing, and so I took a picture. Then I went to my mother-in-law's room and saw that hers was completely different, and so of course I snapped a shot of that one too, and swapped hers for ours. The kids were asking why I traded with her-I told them it was because I wanted to get a picture of it-and then I just never traded back.

But for whatever reason, this morning, Olivia took Grandma's back and replaced ours with its original. Kind of funny. She was very proud and excited that she had 'tricked us'. Everything with her is "Tricked ya!" Like when you say "Olivia did you go potty?" And she says yes, but you can tell she still needs to go. And you confront her and she says "Tricked ya!" Or when she says "I feel like I'm going to throw up" (which freaks me out!) and then you press her and she says "Tricked ya!" She hasn't quite learned the difference between tricking and outright lying. Maybe some day...

Anyway, here are the latest creative door knob hangers from the Louisville Embassy Suites. I think I like the second one better...though when you've got four kids in the room with you...it really just means you're sleeping and sleeping only!! Either that or the children have locked you in the closet and are running wild in the room.

Chill out man, it's just a toll booth.

Here's my problem tonight. I found the above picture because I was too scared to take a picture of the actual State Trooper that tried to kill us at the toll booth. First off, I hate toll booths. The list of things I hate is getting quite extensive.

Toll booths make my blood pressure rise. I'm convinced of this. I would drive out of my way to avoid a toll booth. We had two tolls driving through Virginia. Now, my mother-in-law warned us about them in advance and we had the cash needed for them. HOWEVER, when we went to Richmond on Thursday, we had NO idea there was going to be a toll. Surprise, surprise...a toll...

This was no ordinary toll either, at least not for people naive to all things toll booth related. When you live in an area where there are no tolls on the roads, it can be very nerve-wrecking trying to make sure you have the right amount of money and that you are in the right lane (let alone knowing where the tolls are located!). Unfortunately for us, Kris and I were NOT in the right lane. We realized this after it was too late to just easily pull over to the correct lane. We wound up in an 'exact change only' lane, and we did not have 70 cents on us or anywhere in the van. So what choice did we have? We had to back up and switch lanes.

Now, while Kris is doing all of this, paranoid as I am, I notice everything. And I can see that there is a State Trooper standing guard, hands on his hips, watching us, VERY closely. He continues to watch us back up and proceed to get in the right lane.

I am not kidding you. When we were lined up for the correct lane and approaching the booth itself to pay, the trooper reached his right arm back behind him and held his hand steady, waiting to pull his gun out and use it if necessary. It was frightening and ridiculous at the same time! What did he think we were going to do? Drive through the toll booth, refusing to pay 70 cents? We had the money, just not the exact change.

I understand that he was doing what he was assuredly trained to do. However, we're in a silver minivan with obvious out of state plates. In Missouri, you have to have a license plate on both the front and the rear of the vehicle, so we obviously were NOT from Virginia. And any good cop should be observant enough to notice our license plates. So what is a family in a silver minivan with out of state plates going to do? Blow up a toll booth? Somehow try to 'sneak' by and avoid paying a meaningless toll? C'mon! Be aware. Notice what is going on around you. But seriously...putting your hand on the butt of your gun ready to draw at any moment?

In the words of Abbey, 'Home Sweet Home!'

Our journey ended much as it began. Cold and rainy. I am so thankful that the weather was gorgeous while we were in Virginia though, and I am hoping the forecasted snow misses St. Louis tonight.

It was wonderful seeing our beloved city of St. Louis again.

The kids are all happy to be home and Olivia has already asked to go to bed. Granted, it is only 10pm here but her poor little four-year-old body is on Eastern time still...I'm pretty sure almost every night though she has asked to go to bed. She's 'out like a light' so the saying goes. Tonight is the last night the kids will get to stay up well past their bedtime. Tomorrow night...it's back to 7pm bedtime for all children in the Bishop household.

I do have a couple of others things to write, specifically pertaining to our vacation but I wanted to go ahead and get this one completed. Primarily because this is what was on my mind right now.

We are ending our vacation with pizza/movie night. We're finishing up the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, At World's End. Here's to hoping for a smooth transition back to our chaotic family life. I'm ready to get back into some sort of routine, and I know at least 2 of my children that NEED to get back to that routine.

What a DEAL!

From time to time Kris and I allow our favorite mechanic to change the oil in our cars. Other times we just go by Valvoline or Jiffy Lube. Granted, it is cheaper to do it ourselves...but well, it takes time and is annoying. So we choose to pay for it. The air filter on the other hand, most of the time we just pick that up from Walmart and change it ourselves. $10 or so and it's done. So it makes sense that in an effort to gain new business, a company would offer a free oil filter with the purchase of an oil change. But this?

FREE OIL CHANGE WITH YOUR OIL FILTER???? Is it just me or is that a really GOOD deal??? We didn't need an oil change OR a filter, but it was quite tempting! Also, is it done out of the trailer?

An unreasonable fear of bridges

I hate bridges. I tolerate the ones I am used to, going in between IL and MO. This vacation though has shown me more bridges than I care to see in my lifetime. I do not know when the fear began...I just remember having the fear when I was a sophomore in high school, when I went on a mission trip to Panama. It's been a long time since that trip, but I can still remember cowering in the seat of the bus we were on, avoiding looking out the window! I can't be sure that it took a good 10 minutes to cross by bus, but I really think it was at least a 10 minute drive across. Here is a picture of *that* particular bridge. I'm citing it because the page says something about using the picture but being sure to cite it, or give credit. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Centenario1_(1).jpg)

Once, I think I was only 16, I was with my dad and drove him to somewhere in Kentucky. I can't remember the details of why or where, but I know that we crossed a bridge from Indiana into Louisville KY. And I was scared and I remember my dad waking up to me crying and I don't remember it being a pleasant experience. I blame it on the bridge!

When Kris and I were dating, he found out the hard way that I didn't like bridges. He thought it'd be cool and romantic to take me across a bridge that goes into Alton IL. Granted, the bridge is a sight to see, especially at night, but what Kris had in mind and what transpired was not quite what he pictured. It wasn't awful, but he learned quickly that I did NOT like bridges. See how pretty it is...from a distance???

Whenever we go anywhere, I tend to get a little anxious on new bridges (i.e. bridges that are new to me). Yesterday, to be nice and let Kris work on a website he was wanting to create, I volunteered to drive. I drove through part of West Virginia and Kentucky. Do you know how many bridges I had to drive over?? SIX. Six bridges of various sizes and heights. After about the third one I made him take a picture of one of the bridges.

I wasn't thrilled. Knowing we would be approaching Louisville, I opted to let him drive again when we returned to the car after getting gas. All was well and we made it to the hotel in one piece fortunately!

Today however was...interesting...and I am not too happy with my husband of 10+ years. Even if it isn't really HIS fault. I still blame him!

After checking out of the hotel in Louisville, we decided to go to something called Falls On The Ohio, which is neither in Ohio nor Kentucky. It is across the Ohio River, in Indiana. Bridge #1 for the day:

I thought surely this will be the last one before we get to Missouri. We went from Kentucky into Indiana. It seemed to make sense that we would continue in Indiana to Illinois and the onto Missouri. That, however, is NOT what happened. Kris accidentally (maybe?!?) went the wrong direction, which took us over THIS bridge:

You see, this bridge took us back into Kentucky. It then stood to reason that in order to get back the direction we needed to go to get home that we would have to cross YET ANOTHER bridge. While it wasn't immediate, within 10 minutes we were faced with this:

So Kris was in a little hot water with me today. I really, REALLY don't like bridges!!!

For my friends Shane and Jen

This is a picture that I posted on Facebook, but I felt that it was 'blog-worthy', especially since I don't know some of you through Facebook to begin with. You see, apparently not everyone in the world is able to get high-speed internet. Charter and AT&T might suck (while I can't speak for AT&T, Charter is on my 'I hate you because you never work' list), but at least we have the ability to get high-speed internet in our 'neck of the big city'. 'Neck of the woods' didn't seem quite appropriate given where we live, though it does fit my friends Shane and Jen. They live out in the middle of nowhere, almost quite literally! And they have the unfortunate, dreaded, out-dated DIAL UP! Can you believe that? People really do still have dial up. So my husband, knowing that I love signs and knowing how much we like to tease Shane and his SLOW internet connection, pointed out this sign to me. It was so important that I actually got out of the car at this intersection (thankfully there was no one behind me) so that I could get a picture of it. So if you are still a dial up sufferer (or annoyed with Charter or AT&T), give Kevin a call.

No Parking? But I didn't know...

So we're driving into Gordonsville, VA, nearing the resort. And off to the right, I see a No Parking sign on the side of the road. And then another. And then another. And then another, and then still another. I believe in the small stretch of road there were at least 10-15 No Parking signs all just about a car length away from each other! We were driving so I wasn't able to get the best pictures; so I held the camera out the window and just started snapping pictures as we drove by them. It doesn't do justice at all, but after the dead deer on the side of the road I wrote about previously (after a sign warned no animals were allowed on the interstate and we realized they mean business!) there was NO WAY Kris and I were going to park there just to take a picture! If they kill deer for daring to enter the highway, what will they do to humans who park where they are not supposed to?

I missed the first couple of No Parking signs and I know this really doesn't show you quite how ridiculous it was, but it will have to do.

Here are a few more (though I don't know how or why the text has turned blue here):

And some more:

A couple more:

And I know it is hard to see, but just a little farther down the road, yes that is one more No Parking sign.

I think perhaps the oddest thing about all of this is that there are no houses here. There are no restaurants or businesses, no scenic overlook nearby. So why would you need to park there and why is this absurd amount of No Parking signs there???? Wouldn't it have been sufficient to just put up ONE sign that said "No parking on the shoulder"? If I were a tax payer in Virginia, I think I'd be a little annoyed that my money was going to pay for such useless, unnecessary No Parking signs.

Signs

What would my vacation blog look like without pictures of signs? I have no idea! Here are a few I saw at a restaurant last night. Unlike the others I usually post, I really liked these!

We went to a place called The Hornet's Nest for dinner last night. I'm not impressed with any of these little 'dives' here in and around Gordonsville. The food has been sub-par to say the least. However, I really liked the atmosphere at them. The first one with its saws and other tools (weapons) hanging from the ceiling threatening to kill you, and then this second one with it's sarcastic signs that really just suit my personality!!

I'd love the have this sign posted in every room of my house:

This one is just something I'd like to wear around every day!

And this one I had to get because when I was growing up, my mom had this plaque on the wall in our bathroom that said "Our aim is to keep this bathroom clean. Your aim will help!" However, this one takes that sign to a whole new level and it just really made me laugh!

Pictures of me...this is a rare occasion

Here are a few pictures of Kris and I (and a kid randomly thrown in from time to time) on vacation, either together or separate. I usually hate being in the pictures but I am trying more and more to overcome that. Some of these the kids took and didn't do too bad!

Above taken by Kaleb; below by Olivia

Another taken by Kaleb:

I think Kris told me to 'smile with your mouth closed' here...this is how it turned out.

Dinner in the 'torture chamber' I wrote about previously, which I also forgot to mention that I would have probably preferred the torture to the food. It was so NOT good!

Taken during our day without the kids getaway.

You know, I usually hate ALL pictures taken with me in them, but I am actually starting to like this one (above). It helps that there have been a lot of Facebook comments about it--maybe I am starting to see myself a little differently...maybe. It's been a long road and I know it isn't over yet with regards to my own self-loathing issues but step by step I am learning to maybe start to see myself a little bit how other people see me. I know that the distorted image I have in my head is NOT what everyone else sees...now if I could just consistently believe that myself!

My handsome husband, who looks a little angry here, though he would contend that he is indeed smiling.

Enjoying some kid-free time in the cabin. Not *that* kind of kid-free time...get your minds out of the gutter! I am trying to get more and more pictures of us together because as I look back, there aren't that many, primarily because I used to hate being in them!

This one I had to include. We were at my parents' house, on our 2nd day of vacation and this is a picture of Kris asking me for my receipts. He likes to enter in those receipts...and it always makes me laugh--because I know that when he is in a mood to check the finances, he will be right there to make sure he has all of my receipts to enter in!

Restaurant OR Torture Chamber? You decide.

Having the entire day to ourselves, Kris and I decided to try out a new restaurant. We were originally going to The Melting Pot, but those plans changed when we realized we'd have to drive farther than we wanted to, just to get there. *Plus we have a couple in St. Louis if we really felt the need (and had the money) to go!

So we wound up at a little restaurant called "Silk Mill Grille".

You can't go wrong with a restaurant that serves steak, right? WRONG! The atmosphere, while somewhat horrific, was very interesting, with items from the 50's/60's/70's on the walls and hanging down from the ceiling. What I found most interesting, as well as frightening is that the majority of these older'original' pieces of 'art' or decoration were weapons. Kris and I felt, in a small way, that we were in some sort of torture chamber! Axes in the wall, saws hanging down, etc...it was weird!

Mixed Signals

We have gone into 'town' (Gordonsville) two different times now. We keep passing this house that has a ton of what some people would call "Jesus" signs. Not those green and white one that you can spot on 50% of the lawns in St. Louis. Just signs that say 'We must be born again' or 'Real men love Jesus'. There are also several different sizes of crosses through the yard. It's like a lawn over-decorated with gnomes and flamingos, only this one is crosses and signs encouraging people to follow God. See below:

What I really found interesting about this is how 'inviting' it seems, as far as proclaiming that we all need God. And yet, as you approach the entrance to the driveway for this home, this is what you will see:

That's right...take a closer look:

I'm just saying...I don't know whether to feel like they want to keep people out, or they want to encourage people to accept Jesus. I just thought with the amount of "Jesus" stuff, their driveway wouldn't seem so uninviting!

Here I Am Again

I haven't been extremely busy the last two days; I just didn't want to bore you with things that weren't...well...interesting! Not that that has ever stopped me before...

Today Kris and I spent the day together, just the two of us. Cindy and Dean took the kids to Monticello today and they had an excellent time. They were so excited to go and learn about Thomas Jefferson. Abbey came back and said "Thomas Jefferson didn't have a middle name!" I said "He didn't?" And she said "Yeah it says so on this paper!" and then she held the paper up in my face. It was so cute-it was a little fact sheet about Thomas Jefferson. Apparently there was a lot to do and see there because Cindy left with the kids just before 10am and they all stayed there until it closed at 5pm! They soak in that history in ways that I do not remember doing and I am so thankful for that.

Kris and I on the other hand took a nap in the morning and then we went to Walmart. It's a tradition for Kris and I, as corny as that might sound. It started on our wedding night and anytime we go out of town, we tend to migrate towards Walmart. For whatever crazy reason, this is fun for us. We bought little gift bags for the kids with cheap (BUT FUN) toys for the kids to occupy them on the drive tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are going to Belle Isle. I had stumbled across it when I was looking for something semi-close by for us to do as a family. Then when I was going to 'map' it to see how far away it was, I found out that it was actually almost 3 hours from here!! But we had heard it had a suspension bridge that you cross to get to the island and that it has portions of ruined buildings, one of them being prison that held Union soldiers. Thankfully I decided to look it up again tonight, only to find out that I had actually been looking up the address to Belle Isle STATE PARK. These two places are NOT the same!! At all. Belle Isle State Park (which I had been looking up tonight and thinking it sounded boring) IS almost 3 hours but the actual Belle Isle I wanted to see was only 1 1/2 hours from here! What a pleasant surprise!!! It's actually located in the heart of downtown Richmond. You walk across a suspension bridge (though it looks more solid than what most of you are probably thinking and I am thankful for this!). The bridge is actually directly beneath the Lee Bridge. This led me to look at what else was around the area and there is The Museum of the Confederacy there in Richmond. Some of you know that we went to Gettysburg last year with the kids over spring break, so I think that this will be a great place to go with the kids. They really do love history and I am excited about taking this trip with them. Can't wait to get out there and get some pictures and just have a fun day with our kids.

Katherine the Composer

I have had a few posts in the past about Katherine and her artistic side. This is another post dedicated to the artistic styling of the one and only Katherine Grace Bishop. My heart is swelling tonight with love for her. Last night she had a very hard time falling asleep. She had taken quite a long nap in the van before we got to the resort, not waking up until 6pm. Naturally, she could not fall asleep at 9pm, or 10pm or even 11pm. We finally let her get up and finish watching Temple Grandin with us. Well apparently even after we went to bed she still could not fall asleep. I didn't find out about this until this morning.

Katherine came up to me (I was of course sitting in a chair with my laptop in front of me, as it is a part of my body!) and asked if she could sing a song that she wrote. I was in the middle of something so I had her wait a few minutes, so that I could give her my full attention.

She explained to me that she wrote it herself because she couldn't sleep last night and it helped her. So she sang it to me (FROM MEMORY I MIGHT ADD) and I was just so proud and I asked her if she thought she could sing it in front of the camera. I also asked her to write the lyrics down so that I could of course post them on here. She titled the song and everything! So cute...and if you listen to the lyrics, you can see that Katherine has a deep love for God and a very real understanding of why Jesus came to earth.

The video is sort of dark because it was night and the lighting isn't great in here. The lyrics are posted below the video.

We Will Praise Him
*written and performed by Katherine Grace Bishop, age 9, on March 14, 2010.

Verse 1

Jesus died on the Cross to save us from our sins,
All those nails felt worse than needles or pins.

Chorus:
And that's why we give Him glory, glory, glory
'Cause He's so holy, holy, holy
And we will praise Him, praise Him, praise Him
For all of our days

Verse 2

They killed Him even though He was an innocent man,
No one can do miracles but Jesus can.

Chorus

Verse 3

They wrapped Him up and in a tomb He lay,
He rose from the dead after three days.

Chorus

Verse 4

Now that you know the story of the Cross,
You know that Jesus is the ultimate boss!

Chorus (2x)

Temple Grandin

Claire Danes as Temple Grandin



The 'real' Temple Grandin



A few weeks ago Kris and I were watching The Colbert Report and Claire Danes was one of his guests. She was promoting a new movie she was in, called Temple Grandin. When we heard what it was about, we were both left longing to see this movie. It's about an autistic woman (based on the life of Temple Grandin)who overcame many obstacles and a cruel society and has led an amazing life. It was riveting...I couldn't take my eyes off of the screen the entire time, for fear I'd miss something. I wasn't sure how I felt about Claire Danes in this role when I first saw previews for it. But let me assure you, 10 minutes in you forgot you were watching Claire Danes and she really became Temple Grandin. It was an amazing performance and an extremely well-written script.

If you know anyone with Autism, or just want to understand Autism better, watch this movie. When Temple Grandin was 4 and diagnosed with Autism in 1951, they suggested she be institutionalized for the rest of her life and her mother was told she had a form of infantile Schizophrenia. How limiting our society and medical professionals were in the 50's. There wasn't much understanding of Autism at the time, and so the 'professionals' assumed that parents of autistic children just weren't nurturing their children and that is why they behaved the way that they did. Unbelievable. Can you imagine being told that it was YOUR fault that your child couldn't talk or interact 'normally' in social settings, when you'd done whatever you could to help them succeed? I'm thankful there is so much knowledge out there now about Autism. This movie is just another step in the right direction towards showing the world how intelligent and FUNCTIONAL people with Autism can be. Unlike Rain Man and I Am Sam, which are both good movies for becoming more aware of people who are not 'like us', Temple Grandin is based on the life a real woman who accomplished incredible things in her life! Obviously there are different sides of the spectrum and some people will be higher-functioning than others. I was fascinated by this film and recommend that you see it.

Times

It's been a long time since I posted a song on here. Unfortunately, I can't find it on YouTube. The video that is there is blank and doesn't play. BUT, you can listen to it here:

Times - Tenth Avenue North

The catch is that you have to create an account to listen to it (I just realized that(sorry!) and can only listen to the whole song one time without purchasing it (though it is totally worth purchasing!). I don't know if you can find it online anywhere else. I have the lyrics listed below. Amazing song. The first part is from the perspective of us...sinners...who feel lost and alone. The second half is what God says to us in those times, how HE responds and loves us in ways that we will never fully understand. It is a very powerful song. If you have a chance, listen to it while you read the lyrics. I hope that you are blessed by it, as Kris and I were today.

The song is called "Times" by Tenth Avenue North, who will actually be touring with Casting Crowns next month; they will be in St. Louis on April 2 and I am hoping that Kris and I can get tickets to the concert. I like Casting Crowns, but it's Tenth Avenue North that has some of the most profound lyrics that I am looking forward to (hopefully) seeing/hearing!

I know I need You
I need to love You
I love to see You, and its been so long
I long to feel You
I feel this need for You
And I need to hear You
Is that so wrong?

Now You pulled me near You
When we're close I fear You
Still I'm afraid to tell You
All that I've done
Are You done forgiving?
Or can You look past my pretending?
Lord I'm so tired of defending
What I've become
What have I become?

I hear You say "My love is over, it's underneath, it's inside, it's in between the times you doubt me

When you can't feel the times that you've questioned 'is this for real?'
The times you've broken, the times that you mend
The times you hate me and the times that you bend
Well my love is over, it's underneath, it's inside, it's in between, these times you're healing
and when your heart breaks
The times that you feel like you've fallen from grace
The times you're hurting
The times that you heal
The times you go hungry and are tempted to steal
In times of confusion and chaos and pain
I'm there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame
I'm there through your heartache
I'm there in the storm
My love I will keep you by my power alone
I dont care where you've fallen, where you have been
I'll never forsake you
My love never ends, it never ends

WOW...

The Cabin-Shenandoah Crossing

First things first:

We have internet. It isn't ideal...we *have* to connect through our phones, but since we are in the mountains, we were worried that our phones wouldn't get strong enough signals to connect to the internet-I'm glad our worries were unfounded.

I need main level laundry.

I need more than one bathroom in my house.

OK, now that we have that out of the way...we are HERE! We all made it safe and sound. The cabin is nice--very rustic, just like you would expect a cabin to be! The 'resort' has more of a camping-type feel to it and the kitchen/dining room remind me of an old farmhouse. There are quite a few pictures on this post, primarily because the kids crack me up with how they organized everything. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of Kaleb's room, as he is staying in Grandma's cabin. I'll try to go over there tomorrow to see if there is anything of interest worth photographing.

One thing to note: in Abbey and Livvy's room, Abbey has a picture frame she got that she just loves. Katherine helped her find a picture to put in it, and when you see the picture, I just think knowing a little background information would be helpful. I don't know if I have written it here or not, but Abbey is very particular about who she loves. She loves God and Uncle Brandon the most. Then she loves herself, and then she loves everyone else. So the picture in her picture frame should come as no surprise to anyone. Oh and she also has a mirror right by her bed, probably so she can see herself and make sure she still looks beautiful!

Lunchtime laughter

Kris and I are travelling with Abbey and Katherine today. They've been pretty quiet. There is a HUGE difference NOT having Olivia in here with us! That girl talks NON-STOP. Kat and Abbey are pretty quiet and occupy themselves well. We stopped at Applebees for lunch. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I didn't see this sign first-I'll blame it on being tired. But I am thrilled that Kris saw it and pointed it out. You guys know how much I like to find 'odd' signs and write about them. I'm not going to tell you what store we saw this sign on--you can guess and we'll see if anyone gets it right!

My first thought upon reading this was "Um, no thanks. I have enough of my own." Well of course Kris and I were laughing about this sign and talking about it with the kids. My second thought (as we were far away at the time we saw the sign) was "I wonder what the fine print says." So of course I had Kris drive us over so I could get a better picture of it. So, tell me why they put SEE STORE FOR DETAILS in ALL CAPS and then directly underneath it they repeat it, yet without the emphasis of ALL CAPS? Seriously...frazzled mothers out there...if you need a place that will give away your children for you, I know where you can go!

During the course of our lunchtime conversation centered around this 'interesting' sign, Abbey somehow found her way to the following statement: "Mrs. Smith told us that when we have kids they are going to be just like us." I told her that was exactly right! So she asked me how she was like me. I told her that when I was a little girl all I wanted to do was get married and have babies and that is how she was like me. Then she started being silly and proclaimed "I'm going to sell my babies!" Kris informed her that was illegal. We then proceeded to have a conversation about selling babies and Abbey told us that she was going to have a garage sale to sell her babies and she would sell them for $1. It's good to laugh and besides being absolutely adorable, Abbey is the best when it comes to bringing laughter and absolute joy to our lives. Don't get me wrong...the others bring much joy too...but there is just something about the way that Abbey talks and thinks and just *is* that just light up any room she is in. She is truly living up to her name: Father's Joy.

When we got back on the interstate after lunch, Kris saw a sign that said "Pedestrians, animals, and bicycles prohibited." So we were joking around about what they do about the animals, seeing as how animals can't read and we're in the mountains, where animals will be abundant. I kid you not...within less than a minute we saw a dead deer on the side of the road. I guess they are pretty serious about enforcing those rules! Seeing that, I definitely will NOT be walking or cycling on Interstate 64!!!

Kris is perplexed right now. He's musing that he keeps seeing signs that tell him Virginia (which we have just now entered) is monitoring his speed with all types of different devices (radars, aircraft, etc...), but he has yet to see an actual speed limit sign! Seriously...what is the speed limit here? We're 7 miles into VA and can't tell if it is 65 or 70.

On a side note, Abbey just randomly asked "When we come back from spring break, can I go to the dentist?" Yeah...I love that girl!