Over Spring Break, our crew (minus the daddies, Boomer and Zack), headed north to West Virginia and Pennsylvania. My dad rented a 15-passenger van like with our last two trips to Florida, so we were pretty comfortable for the 6 or so hour drive. The kiddos really liked the van with its big windows and tall ceiling. Oh, and the DVD players! We pretty much allowed them unlimited screen time, and each kid took a turn picking out a movie. In addition to the comfy riding accommodations, the kiddos also really liked the tunnels we passed through in Virginia. We would all try to hold our breaths...which at least ensured a few seconds of quiet, until we reached the other side, and it was noisy again.
After arriving late afternoon on Tuesday to Clarksburg, West Virginia, we checked in to our hotel. We split up into two rooms, with Mom, Dad, Emmy, and Eli in one room, and me with the three Houstons in another room. We were not at the hotel long before heading off to have dinner at the Shorrs. In addition to Leigh and Ethel, we saw several other of their family members, too. It was great catching up with them, as they are some of my parents' closest friends. After eating dinner, we played some baseball in the backyard before heading back to the hotel for bedtimes. On Wednesday, we left the hotel around 9AM for the hour drive to Pennsylvania....or "Pencil-vania" as Emmy calls it. Until his teenage years, my dad grew up in a small town called Brownsville, and it is where Grandpa Bobby and Grandma Nancy always called home. Throughout my childhood, we made a few trips back to their hometown, and it was a special place with lots of memories and family. Sadly there are not many family members remaining, and after Grandpa passed away in December 2019 and then Grandma in July 2021, it was their wishes to return to Pennsylvania after being cremated. Just outside of Brownsville, heading up the mountain, there is a Methodist camp called Jumonville, with a large cross at the top of the summit. It was about a half-mile hike up a paved path, and at the top, there are beautiful views of the town below. The kids did a great job during the short hike. When we got to the cross, we were the only ones there, and we were able to spend a few moments remembering Grandma and Grandpa. My mom wrote down a few things ahead of time which explained death with Bible verses that the kiddos would understand. Although we had memorials in North Carolina after their passing, it was special to remember them in a place that they loved. The date was April 13th, so it was also special to be there on what would have been their 73rd wedding anniversary.
After making our way back down the mountain, we drove through Brownsville to see my dad's childhood home, the Little League field where he played ball, and the church he grew up in. We had lunch at Fiddles Diner, which is over 100 years old and a spot that Grandma and Grandpa went to often. We also drove through the Lafayette Cemetery, where several of my Bakewell family members are buried. Then it was back in the van for the return trip to West Virginia. The Kennedy kiddos were wiped out!
There was just enough time for a quick swim in the hotel pool for the three older cousins, while Eli took it easy in the room with Grandpa. Unfortunately Eli was not feeling well, and he had a runny nose and persistent cough during the whole trip. It did not help that his naps each day were in the van and not very long. We headed back to the Shorr's for dinner and remembered to take a few pictures this time. We took one photo with all the 'Leighs': the original Leigh, Lindsey Leigh, Alexander Leigh, and Emerson Leigh.
On Thursday, we made the drive back to North Carolina. In the days before and after the trip, we have enjoyed some time at home in Kernersville, with lady bug sightings...
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and who lives by believing in me will never die."
John 11:25-26
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