Boomer and I just returned from a two-night getaway to celebrate our 13th anniversary. Leading up to our trip, I wasn't sure if Boomer would be well enough to go. I even joked that maybe I would have to go by myself! But luckily he felt well enough to return to work on Wednesday, and we left that afternoon. Thank goodness for medicine and prayers! It was about a two-hour drive to Roanoke, and we arrived around 5:30PM. After checking in at our hotel, we went to dinner at Lucky. The menu has three courses, and we each chose some different options so that we could taste it all. For the first course, I got the Autumn Salad (cranberries, pecans, bleu cheese, with a vinaigrette) and Boomer got the lentil soup. 2nd course: Brussels sprouts for me and trout cakes for Boomer. For our main course, we both got the shrimp and grits. Delicious! Our hotel was within walking distance of the restaurant, and it was a beautiful evening, if a bit chilly, to walk along all the storefronts decorated for Christmas. The next morning, we were again able to walk to the restaurant for breakfast. We ate at Scrambled in the City Market area. We both got the Star City Scramble, which included eggs, a meat (bacon for me, sausage patties for Boomer), a side (home fries for me, grits for Boomer), and choice of biscuit & gravy or a half-order of their popular vanilla French toast. Again, another delicious meal! We weren't in Roanoke long, but we sure enjoyed our time there!
From Roanoke, it was about a 1.5 hour drive north to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia where the Greenbrier is located. With the tagline "America's Resort," it is truly an amazing, sprawling hotel with shops, outdoor adventures, restaurants, a golf course, a casino, and other entertainment. There were times we really felt like we were in a Hallmark movie. We arrived around 1:30PM, and our room was ready, so after a quick stop to drop off our luggage, we headed to our 2:30PM carriage ride. Our driver Karl took lots of photos of us, which I greatly appreciated and Boomer endured with a good attitude :) We then went on a 30-minute ride around the resort and golf course. Karl shared a lot of history and tidbits about the Greenbrier. After the carriage ride, we returned to the check-in desk for the complimentary champagne which we missed our first time. We walked around the Main Lobby while enjoying our champagne and people watching. That evening, we had a 7:45PM dinner reservation at Prime 44 West, the steakhouse on the property named after the WVU basketball great, Jerry West. With a dress code outlined on their website, we changed out of our jeans and spiffed ourselves up to fit in with all the other guests. Beforehand, we got drinks in the main lobby: a Winter Spice White Russian for me and Apple of My Eye old fashioned for Boomer. We enjoyed our drinks by the fireplace and then made our way to the restaurant. I got the Jerry West Salad, with a 8 oz. Filet Mignon, and Boomer got the Karen's Caesar Salad (which was made table-side by our waitress) and the 20 oz. Bone-in Rib-Eye, and together we shared the famous lobster mashed potatoes, which were recommended by our carriage driver and also featured on the Food Network. Between the environment, the food, and the company, Boomer and I both said our dinner ranks as one of our top meals of all time (and most expensive!) After dinner, we took a stroll through the casino and watched the other resort guests gamble. No money spent by the Kennedys! The next morning, we had breakfast in the Main Dining Room, which again was top-notch. The time came for us to head home. Our 48-hour getaway had come to an end, but we sure packed it full with wonderful memories.
During our time away, Emmy and Eli had a blast staying at Grammy and Grandpa's. They made cookies, watched Christmas movies, made ornaments and other crafts, and were not missing Mommy and Daddy one bit. It made us smile to get these pictures of their fun times back in Kernersville.
The countdown to Christmas is on, and with only a few days left, it will be here before we know it! Here are a few pictures dressed up with Grammy at church and then a few pictures from Emmy's first basketball practice. She is excited to be on an all-girls team this year. They are the Cardinals, and Daddy is the coach again. At the first practice, there was a special assistant coach (not pictured): Grandpa. He stood in to help on that first evening, and he fetched and rebounded for the girls. The Cardinals first game will be in January. More pictures to come for sure!
And one more thing to share, I am another step closer to finishing my Masters in School Counseling. Last week, I wrapped up my 300-hour elementary internship at Courtney Elementary. My mentor gave me this "School Counselor" shirt as a parting gift, and funny enough, I gave her a very similar one! We worked very well together, and I am so thankful to have had such a kind, professional, dedicated mentor to learn from. I have about a month off over Christmas, and then my last semester will start on January 15th, with one final 300-hour internship at the high school. I intend to soak up this Christmas break with its brief hiatus from grad school. It has been a tough journey, and it is so very exciting to be at this point!
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