Travel Back to Campbellsville

Sunday, October 25, 2015 - Campbellsville, KY

After saying good-bye to everyone Mike and I headed back to Campbellsville.  Normally it would take us about 11 to 11.5 hours to get back.  We just follow I-64 to Lexington, KY.  I did not turn on the GPS because I figured we have driven this route enough times we would not get lost.  :)  Well...I-64 and I-81 come together for a while, then I-64 splits back off.  Well about 15 miles out of our way we realized we missed the split.  We were busy just talking and weren't paying attention.  That added 30 more miles to the trip.  But it was a beautiful fall day.

I still did not turn on the GPS thinking we won't do that again...  :)  Later in drive I-64 and I-77 come together in West Virginia for a while.  Well...we missed the turn and ended up going south on I-77 instead of north.  We did not realize it until we got to exit 1 in West Virginia.  We turned around in Virginia!  This detour was a total of 80+ miles.  This time I turned on the GPS and left it on for the rest of the trip.  :)  Evidently we don't pay attention to road signs anymore!

We finally arrived back home in Campbellsville around 9:30pm.

It was another wonderful day!

Happy Birthday Ami

Saturday, October 24, 2015 - Norfolk, VA

 Good Morning Ami!

Once it was time for the party to start we gave each of the kids a balloon.  They seemed to enjoy that.

Jess had cupcakes and arranged them as a 1.

We attempted to put a birthday hat on her, but she was not interested in having it on.  :)

Now it was time to eat the cupcakes.

Ami really enjoyed her cupcake.

Now it was time to open presents.  This first gift was a baby doll from George and Paula.  She really wanted this doll and really wanted Papa to get it out of it's package!

Once she got the baby doll, she was not very interested in any of the other presents.

We did get her to open her other presents and even play with the other stuff, but she did not want to give up her doll.  :)

Then she was back to playing with the baby doll. 

After the party Mike, Mike, Alex, Avander, Josh and Jake all went to the RC store down in Virginia Beach.  Jess and I relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful weather and Kim and Bre headed for the store.  It was a very nice afternoon.

It was another wonderful day!

Playing in Norfolk

Friday, October 23, 2015 - Norfolk, VA

When we came in we said hello to everyone.  :)  Michael J's family arrived early evening on Thursday.   Mike and I were exhausted and after saying hello we headed for bed for a couple of hours. 

The kids were given a mask to color and seemed to have a great time.  I was sitting across the table from Alex when Ami came to see me.

I asked Alex if I could take a picture of him and this is what I got.  :)

 But I did get this one.

Avander was to busy to look up.

Gracie always likes coming to Jess's and she found her favorite spot.  I think it makes people that are walking by a little nervous, but she never has tried to jump over the fence.

Just before dinner Ami was eating her snack and she decided to share it with Papa.

After getting Ami ready for bed she was sitting in Papa's lap licking one of the masks.  When she pulled it away from her face she had red ink all over her face.  :)

It was another wonderful day!

Travel to Norfolk

Thursday, October 22, 2015 - Norfolk, VA

Right after Mike got off work we headed for Norfolk.  We were on the road before 6:00pm.  It is a 10 hour drive as long as you don't make any stops.  We arrived in Norfolk around 5:30am, but we knew if we went into the house the dogs we bark and wake everyone up.  So we decided we would have breakfast.  We found an IHOP not too far from Jess's house.  I sent Jess a text message to let her know we were in town and to let us know when people were getting up.  We took our time eating and finally left IHOP around 6:30am.  We then went to WalMart to walk around, but we were very tired after driving all night, so we parked out front Jess's and waited for a text message.  :)  Around 7:30am Friday morning Jess, Ami and Avander came out to let us know they were up.  :)

It was another wonderful day!

Hiking

Sunday, October 18, 2015 - Campbellsville, KY

After Mass this morning we went to Winters Hall at Campbellsville University for their breakfast buffet.  It is amazing the number of people that come here after church services.  The buffet is really good.

When we got back Gracie and I went for a hike while Mike went over to the flying field to fly his planes.  Close to the trail head the trails are very muddy, mostly because of the horses that also use the trails. 

But once you are past the mud the views are beautiful.  :)

It was another wonderful day!

Abraham Lincoln

Saturday, October 17, 2015 - Campbellsville, KY

This week has been the usual, get up, go to work, come home have dinner, relax, go to bed and do it all over again the next day.  :)  Well I still have to walk Gracie too.  Last night we went down to Jan and Dale's campsite for enjoyment around the campfire.  Donna and Joe joined us.  They are staying at the state park.  We had a really nice time.

This morning Mike and I decided to go up to Hodgenville, KY to go to Abraham Lincoln National Historical Park.  We have passed this park numerous times over the years on our way to and from Lake Cumberland.  We never stopped because we just wanted to get to the lake or home.  :)  It is only about a 45 minute drive away and it is a beautiful day, so off we went.

The visitor center is very nice and they have a movie of the young life of Abraham Lincoln.

Then you walk out to the memorial that has been built next to sinking springs.  Inside the memorial is the house he lived until age 2.

To the left of the stairs are some stairs that go down to the sinking spring.

The Nancy Lincoln Inn was built to give visitors a place to stay while visiting the area.  Currently it is not open.

After we left the park we headed into town and went to the Lincoln Museum.  This is not part of the National Park system, but it was a nice museum.  Prior to going in we checked out the town circle, which is dedicated to Lincoln also.

In the museum we found this proclamation the Lincoln declared in 1863.  It is something we need today also!

In case you can't read it, it says:  "We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has grown.  But we have forgotten God.  It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins...I do by this my proclamation, designated and set apart Thursday, the 30th of April, 1863 as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer...that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high."

Next we went to the house at Knob Creek where Abraham Lincoln lived until he was 7.

The little building on the right side of the picture is the boyhood home.  The bigger building was an Inn, but it is not open right now.  In fact this is the first weekend this location has been open since last year.  They did some upgrades to the property and it looks really nice.  :)

It was another wonderful day!