The Most Magical Four Days

When you live far away from the place you call home (thanks, military life), family coming to visit you is just the greatest thing since sliced bread. In fact, I would rank it ahead of good old slice bread. It's just the best! I invited my little sister, Natalie, out to come stay with us for a few days and was like a kid on Christmas when she booked her flight!

Natalie is the middle sister in our family and one of my all-time favorite people on the planet. She and I overlapped at Texas A&M by a semester, and it was one of the best gifts I've ever received. I had never really gotten to spend a lot of one-on-one time with her before that, and man was I missing out. Getting her all to myself again (plus Parker, of course) for four days in Virginia was amazing. 

The four days were a whirlwind, so thanks to my trusty iPhone for documenting it all so well. 

We picked Natalie up from the airport late Thursday evening, so Thursday night was just hanging out and a little house tour. When we got to Parker's office, the first thing she wanted to do was try on the leather bomber jacket. She was fairly enamored with the flight suit and all of the uniforms, and it made me realize that seeing a man in a uniform isn't a daily occurrence for everyone. Sometimes I take for granted how cool these uniforms look, so I loved seeing Natalie light up when she saw it all. 

Friday, the adults (Parker) went to work while the children stayed home and played. We went on a little sister run with Jenny and treated ourselves to a Homegoods trip afterward. We found some fun decor for the house that I couldn't resist. I bought two Parisian-themed canvas paintings for my office that I am in love with, and I am so glad Natalie was there because I would have chickened out and left empty-handed without her. I need the extra affirmation!

Friday evening, we went to a local restaurant and then walked by the USS Wisconsin. The sun was setting, and it was beautiful outside. There was also a really neat memorial right next to it that we had never seen before. It held the last letters that different war heroes sent to their families before sacrificing their life for our country. Chilling, raw, and real.

Saturday was our big Williamsburg day! We knew Natalie would love Colonial Williamsburg, and it had been almost a year to the day since we had been ourselves. We toured most of the buildings, beginning with Governor's Palace, and just walked around the town enjoying the scenery. If you ever have the chance to visit Colonial Williamsburg, go do it! Everyone is in character and so well versed in the history of that time period.

We got to try some colonial coffee and hot chocolate (not quite what we are used to drinking in the modern day), and these two insisted on being proper, sophisticated beverage drinkers. They crack me up.

We got hungry for lunch pretty quickly and stopped at the same place Parker and I ate last year when we came for our anniversary. We remembered it was good and quick, and when you're hot and hungry, that's all that matters. Thanks, Chowney's Tavern. Parker's and my flatbreads were great and Natalie's pulled pork sandwich was to die for.

Next, it was time for the moment Mr. Parker had been waiting for. Being the woodworking enthusiast that he is, he was so excited to visit the cabinet shop. They make such beautiful furniture in there and don't have the luxury of power tools like we do now. That was a happy husband right there.

After we felt like we had covered Williamsburg, Parker treated us girls to a little outlet shopping. Williamsburg has a great outlet mall, and you really can't beat outlet prices. He's a great shopper and followed us around as we went into each store. We all scored a few little goodies, and then it was time to feed these bellies.

We headed to Dog Street Pub for a casual dinner of burgers and fries. It hit the spot and was honestly just nice to sit down and not move for a second! We finished the evening visiting Wythe Candy Shop. We basically winged the entire day, but ending with Wythe was the one thing we had planned from the get-go. They have amazing fudge, and I don't think there is any other justification needed. Natalie and I felt like we were in our natural habitat.

Nice photobomb, mister stranger 

Sunday, we took Natalie to our church and then went on a nice nature walk around our neighborhood before jumping into the pool. It was really relaxed, which was much appreciated after the previous day in Williamsburg. Jenny was also thankful to be included in the day's activities.

Monday, the adults (Parker, again) went to work while the children stayed home and played. We had nothing planned but were both perfectly content parking our rear ends on the couch and spending the majority of the day there. We rediscovered the first season of Pretty Little Liars, talked, and ate our leftover fudge.

We did go on one little walk, and to my delight, Natalie finally saw a peacock! Our neighborhood has 6 peacocks that just roam around, and I am always afraid they will be hiding when people come to visit us. We hadn't seen any up until Monday, so I was bummed that Natalie wouldn't get to see one. On our walk back to the house, we saw 3! That's a peacock win!

We did not want to say goodbye to this sweet sister. Jenny really loved having her here and slept with her every night. Jenny doesn't really hang out in the guest room, but as soon as Natalie moved in, she marched her hiney straight to that room each night and sat next to the bed, waiting for her invitation to snuggle our guest.

This post got a little lengthy, but I wanted to remember everything. Simply put, it was the most magical four days, and I will remember this visit for a long, long time. Two weeks later, Parker and I are still talking about how much fun we had. I am such a fan on my sister and so proud of the sweet soul that she is. Come back soon please!