Virginia Highlights

I feel like I'd better get this all out of my head before I forget details!

I arrived in Richmond on a Monday night. As I exited the secure area of the airport, I see what can only be someone waiting for ME! A darling little boy, with the biggest grin, was wearing a packer jersey and a big foam cheesehead. I literally LOL and proudly told the people next to me, that little guy was welcoming me to Richmond. The whole Boo-family came to pick me up at the airport. What a charming clan they are! Mr. Boo even took my suitcase so I could blab to Boo without causing harm to others.

We arrived in Pleasantville after dark, so I could only admire the quaint holiday decor in the neatly groomed neighborhood. Boo's home is everything you'd expect-nicely decorated, spacious and welcoming. The room I stayed in even had the benefit of a tv, computer and exercise equipment. I don't even get all that at a hotel in my room. No, I did not use the exercise equipment.

I was welcomed with a big steak dinner and mmmmmmm, it was good. Boo & Mr. Boo grill some mean steaks on their big grill (I have grill envy). We stayed up to watch the Bears beat the Vikings (always a good way to end a night).

The next day we took a driving tour of a few interesting areas in Richmond. I got to see a gorgeous neighborhood of big old and new houses with some of the fanciest holiday trimmings I'd ever seen. I also got to see the hip and eclectic area of Carytown, where Boo grew up. We even got to stop for cupcakes.

That afternoon we prepped the OTCC recipe and played games with Conner (ok, the games with Conner thing was pretty much constant when at home).

Mr. Boo came home from work that night, informing us his buddies were playing group trivia at BW3s in a few hours. This excited me, so they kindly bundled the family up (the weather there was disappointingly cold) after dinner and hit the wing joint. We had a blast, while Boo impressed with her hockey knowledge and Mr. Boo impressed with obscure Bond tidbits.

STEREOTYPE ENFORCING HIGHLIGHT: A pretty young blond thang at our table grabbed a can of chewing tobacco and stuck a dip in her mouth. Boo and I both sat there in shock!

Back at home, the family indulged me with the Badger game (Champs Sports Bowl) for a bit, though I was the only one that watched it to the end. Boo kindly put the game on in my room so I could curl up in bed and watch the final quarter.

Our final day, we had a mission. I needed a t-shirt for my nephew from the new local minor league baseball team in Richmond: The Flying Squirrels. *giggle* They have a huge stadium. I was impressed. Richmond must love baseball.

We snuck naps in that afternoon, as that night we were having a girls-night-out! Boo was kind enough to take me to two of Richmond's brewpubs in some neat areas of town. Downtown Richmond was beautifully lit at night, with white lights perfectly outlining all the buildings in the skyline. We played some SUPER pathetic games of pool and had a great time.

I left on a rainy, early morning the next day, and was sad to say goodbye to Boo and her family. Her little Conner is such a charming, smart young man. He definitely is just like his mom.

Thank you, Boo, for everything. *smooch*