The Nana and Papa Post

Last weekend I was treated to a ticket to go back to Virginia to spend some time with Nana and Papa who where visiting from Scotland. It was great to see them as well as the whole family again. In typical Nana and Papa fashion I was the spoiled grandson and as I type my face is covered in Malteasers and my desk has Airwaves and Tablet strewn across it’s surface. We also went out to a lovely dinner to the Oliver Garden with Ali and Bob, as well as Lel and Craig who are both in town too. It’s a real shame they missed Stefan by a few weeks though as I know they would have loved to see him too. Has a nice chill session all together under the tiki-bar as well as had a nice dip in the pool before having to head back for work on Monday. Nana and Papa will be staying over at Ali and Bob’s next week continuing their vacation, which is nice (they where at Mum and Dad’s last week). That’s the plus side of having all your daughters in one place I suppose. Good thinking guys!

The 50th Anniversary Post

Made a surprise trip up to Virginia last-last weekend to be present at Nana and Papa's 50^th wedding anniversary. It was a lot of fun to surprise them and spend some quality time with the family. We had a room reserved at Dante's in Great Falls which is a very nice unpmarket Italian restaurant with a terrific atmosphere. Andrew, Craig and Lel were there, as well as Ali and Bob. And with Jake and Sam out of school at the moment for the summer the whole family was there sans Stefan. It was a shame that he couldn't be there (he's in the second stage of paramedic training in Texas) but he managed to time a phone call during the dinner, and have a few words with everyone at the table, pass-the-phone style. Sarah his home at the moment too so it was awesome to get to see her (and her current ailment).

Got to see Lel's new apartment in Reston, which is very nice, and got a trip in to Potbellies soon after my flight touched down with Andrew (DOUBLE MEAT) and Craig. Jake and I caught Spiderman 3 again at Tyson's (much better the second time) and got to spend some brotherly time together which as cool. And I met with Jev, Kev and Alex at Champs and the Tap Room for a few beers to catch up. Had to bail on a lot of plans due to very limited schedule and no vehicle access, but I'm glad I got to fit as much in as I did considering.

Sunday, the Hunt's had a graduation BBQ for Sarah and Melissa so the whole family headed over there for some good grub. It was nice to get to see her family again and spend some more time with her.

The Clermont Retreat Post

This week Nana and Papa along with Lel and Craig came down to stay in Cromar’s Clermont house for a week. The plan was to move some of Lel’s furniture up to her new place in Virginia via U-Haul. They left this morning. It was great to get to see everyone and hangout. Its funny how fast I fall into ‘vacation-mode’ when visiting that house. Crazy to think it’s been 7-months since I was living there. Seems much longer for some strange reason.

Craig and I caught Spider-man as well as hit the local comic book store on “Free Comic Day” which was a holiday I had never heard of before. We snagged loads of free stuff and got some awesome deals on some Spidey/Venom comics (I’m in that sort of mood these days it seems) and got to meet Bob Rollings, the creator of the Little Archie comics. Personally I had never heard of the guy before but he was announced to us as ‘the living legend’ by the cheery store clerk when we arrived. ‘Living’ was a bit of a stretch… the guy barley seemed to know where he was and had an attendent spell everyone’s name for him so he could do autographs. But either way, an unexpected bonus to meet a quasi-celeb and snag a limited edition autographed comic at the same time. Even if it is Little Archie.

During the week we got in a few trips after work to Carrabbas and Outback Steakhouse which was terrific, and I had everyone over for dinner chez-Jamie one night which worked out pretty well (and heavy on the Wii). Spent the weekend relaxing up at Cromar’s and hanging out. Loading the table and boxes into the U-Haul was a bit of an adventure in itself but we manage with little fuss and sent them on their way up to VA. My kitchen is now finally equipped with plates, bowls and glasses for more than two people thanks to some generous donations from Lel and Nana and Papa, which gives them the title as Best Guests Ever. It was great to see them all, and I’m looking forward to surprising Nana and Papa in a few weeks by showing up at their 50^th Anniversary party. Shhh don’t tell them.