Honeymooning Adventures

All week we have been seeing peanuts from The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg in the various shops we’ve been browsing as we explored nearby towns.  Adam and I just finished off the can of Salted Caramel Honey Roasted Peanuts we had purchased our first night here as a late afternoon snack.  That’s how I know this honeymoon vacation is nearly over; we had been nibbling on the peanuts here and there throughout the week and now the can is empty and in the trash and my mind is thinking ahead to having to pack up our belongings and hitting the road to drive north back to Ohio.  This week went by so quickly…just like the wedding last weekend!  I can’t believe we’ve been married for six days already!  I hope this summer slows down as we settle into the new house and fall into a routine.  At some point eventually I will need to focus on schoolwork and prepping for the fall semester but all I want to do is relish this time with my new husband, enjoy the sunshine, and play with the pup.  Ha!  I guess all will happen in due time.

Looking back over all that we were able to see this past week, we spent all of Tuesday at Busch Gardens Amusement Park thanks to the generosity of my older brother and his wife where we walked and walked and walked as we rode all of the roller coasters!  I was so glad I had purchased a pair of shoes from the Nike Outlets (thanks Ash!) since I had forgotten to pack sneakers.  Lesson learned…I will need to always keep a pair of sneakers and socks in Adam’s car like I do in my car..haha!  Neither of us has been to this Busch Gardens location and we both enjoyed ourselves.  Adam enjoyed the greenery and vegetation while I liked the various animals we saw that lent a zoo-like feel to the amusement park.  We “traveled around the world” Busch Gardens-style as we entered and exited different country regions within the resort.  We learned that back in the olden days, if a man threw an apple at a gal, he was proposing marriage to her.  Boy, am I glad that custom is not still around and Canada is known for having the highest number of people who eat cheddar cheese (perhaps I’m a Canadian at heart?) and Spain is credited as creating the first lollipop.  My favorite country of the park was of course, Ireland, where I bought a shamrock charm (thanks Patrick!) that came from the same company where my Claddagh ring came from that my parents had purchased for me in Jim Thorpe, Pa at an Irish gift shop.  Adam and I also enjoyed a pint of Bold Rock Apple Hard Cider (mmm!!! ) that took the edge off our thirst for it was a sunny 90 degree day.  After 8 hours of playing (how appropriate…my niece and nephews were with us in spirit!) at Busch Gardens we were more than ready for dinner! 

We headed over to “Food for Thought” that had been recommended by a couple friends and we were not disappointed.  I loved the quotes and inspirational sayings that were displayed along the walls and the service was superb!!  It turns out our waiter had spent a couple years in California right after college!  When he found out we were on our honeymoon, he promptly declared dessert would be on the house which made our strawberry and banana crepe taste that much sweeter!!  My favorite quote from that night was from Ralph Waldo Emerson (who coincidentally had a birthday this past week!):  “What lies behind us and before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”.  I love love love this quote!  It reminds me of redemptive mercy.  Why dwell on the past or worry about the future when you can only control the here and now…control may not be the right word….maybe just live in the moment.  Focus on what is happening in the moment, amidst others and ourselves.  Yes, I’m sad the honeymoon is coming to an end and it’s time to return to the “real world” but fortunately, Adam and I have only (God willing) just begun and I’m excited about what the future holds.  I can’t wait to sleep in the new house for the first time and to be reunited with Dusty Shamrock.  We have a summer to make the house into a home, to get the thank yous written, to prepare for the new school year but instead of thinking of all those things right here right now, I need to focus on the fact that in a half hour Adam and I get to go to the Blue Talon Bistro (thanks Mark and Liz!!) for our last dinner in Williamsburg for now.  What lies within us is the love and grace thanks to God that will helps us to overcome any challenges or bumps in the road that may come our way.  There will be other vacations and new places to explore in the future but I’m also super excited to live the everyday living with my best friend under one roof.  No more saying goodnight at midnight or 1am as I drive back to the house I was renting.  No more figuring out which house Dusty was going to stay at that night.  No more having to drive to each other and coordinating schedules.  Will figuring out chores and making grocery lists be as exciting as planning out a vacation itinerary?  Will cutting the grass and doing laundry be as fun as visiting historical sites and learning about the events of centuries ago?  Probably not but I think there is a different kind of joy and togetherness that can be taken from the mundane and household routines.  Again, all that matters is what lies within us.  I’d like to take that concept a step further and say not only what lies within us or among us and others but also what matters is what we do with it.  How can we inspire others or help to make a difference for the good of others?  For some, it may be as sharing a smile with a lonely stranger or it could be the time you take to interact with a toddler as a young mom tries to figure out how she’s going to pay for the car’s repairs at the mechanic shop.  In any event, let’s all strive to demonstrate how what lies among us or within us can help to make the world a better place by focusing on the positive contributions we can make. 

On Wednesday, we took a bit of a road trip by riding down Colonial Historical National Parkway to Yorktown and then to Jamestown before returning to Williamsburg.  This was a quiet and relaxing day that involved riding a trolley through historical Yorktown and down Main Street where we enjoyed a video tour as we rode the trolley, snacking on some new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors along the York River as we people watched, and looking at the outdoor exhibits of the museum by the Wind Mill of Yorktown.  In Jamestown, we enjoyed the visitor’s center, a brief informational video, and learned more about the original 13 colonies as well as information on the state flags and states as they entered the Union.  In Williamsburg, we visited Williamsburg Pottery (a huge complex of pottery, lawn ornaments, picture frames, and other home décor) and the largest Yankee Candle Store I had ever visited.  Our car has been smelling really good these days thanks to the “Sun & Sand” air freshener we purchased (for only $2!!) there.  The friendly woman who checked us out recognized my 717 area code and shared that she used to live in Hanover, PA.  We had a lovely conversation with her about York and Hanover before leaving for dinner at the Captain George’s Seafood Buffett Restaurant that had also been recommended to us. 

The seafood buffet was amazing!!  There were 80+ items on the buffet that resembled parts of a ship.  The desserts were stationed near the indoor lighthouse and the lighting was the perfect accent to complete the experience of feeling like you were actually on a ship.  However, I disliked the smell (again…it was a seafood buffet so there is really no getting around that!).  I tried things I never had before and discovered I really really really liked the sautéed mushrooms (go figure!) and mini hush puppies.  Of the seafood, the salmon was my favorite though.

Once we returned to the resort, we went straight to the Colonial Room (the activity room) to enjoy a talk given by “Ben Franklin”.  The actor was engaging and drew us in to Ben’s story.  I had no idea his mother was one of the Folger girls (from Folgers Coffee) and was reminded of long forgotten facts I am sure I learned in elementary school about the prolific inventor.  Adam and I continued to relax after that segment when some jazz music was played on the piano.  Fortunately, we made it back to our room as the first few raindrops fell.  We enjoyed the thunderstorm that followed from our dry cozy room.  It rained all throughout the night but we were okay with that for we had had beautiful weather during the whole time here to that point.  Thursday morning, hot and humid, found us at “Southern Pancake House” for breakfast before we hit the road for Virginia Beach (a little over an hour’s drive away from Williamsburg).  There are SO many pancake & waffle houses here in Williamsburg!  We had a lazy and quiet afternoon at Virginia Beach before we met up with Dan and Sue, family friends who happen to live in the area.  They welcomed us into their beautiful home then took us to a historical charming restaurant/conference center/hotel called, “Founder’s Inn” that reminded all of us a little bit of Heritage Hills (where the reception was last week)!  Once again, the service, food, and sangria were perfect!  Thanks to Sue and Dan for a fun night in Virginia Beach. 

Once Adam and I hit the road (literally and figuratively) to return to Williamsburg last night, I just had to take him to his first WaWa gas station.  He is with me in liking Sheetz more but we definitely still enjoyed the caramel cheesecake smoothie we shared on the way home.  We unexpectedly drove over a curb (remember those bumps in the road I alluded to earlier?) that landed us at a mechanic first thing this morning.  Where did this curb snafu happen?  Well, none other than near Cleveland Road in Virginia Beach….(the new house is located on Cleveland Avenue!!).  Another fun little twist is that there is a garage right outside our resort (smack in the middle between a senior center and a school) so we didn’t have to travel very far at all to have the car repaired to ensure a safe ride home to Ohio before we can have the car looked at again.  The people were very friendly, courteous, and fast!  We would definitely recommend The Auto Clinic (TAC) for any car issues while visiting Williamsburg, VA. 

After the repairs, we headed over to the Williamsburg Salt Spa upon the recommendation of a friend.  Thanks once again to my Dad’s military discount (yay Air Force!), we were able to enjoy a 45 minute session of sitting in the Salt Room.  This was quite a unique experience of sitting in a zero gravity chair (it felt like a regular lawn chair) in a room that was decorated to look and feel like a cave.  At the end of the 45 minutes, my lips tasted a little like salt and I even had a small piece in my sock (you weren’t allowed to wear shoes in the cave) that I kept as a souvenir.  I enjoyed the salt scrub soap in the bathroom and also purchased some bath salts for the new house.  Along with Adam and me, there were two older gentlemen also reclining in chairs in the salt cave during our session.  One snored and the other coughed and let himself out of the cave twice so I was never able to completely fully relax during our session.  I’m not sure I would do it again but it was a fun experience to try out once.  If I didn’t have sunburn from yesterday’s beach trip, I would have suggested a massage since I think Adam and I would have enjoyed those more even though I’m not much of a massage person. 

So, here we are, on our last full day of the honeymoon (boohoo!!) but I’m excited about tonight’s events.  We’re heading back to Colonial Williamsburg for an early dinner at Blue Talon Bistro (thanks Mark & Liz!) before we walk off all the calories (I hope) during the Ghost Tour tonight where we’ll hopefully learn more history and have a spooky good time!