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Briana's First 36 Hours

By Melissa Markham on July 8, 2007 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, our weeks of waiting are at at end. Briana arrived Friday evening here in Virginia. Of course, like all well laid plans there are some glitches. We were supposed to leave home around 4:30 to pick her up at the designated spot about 1 hour away. As we were literally walking out the door, the phone rang and it was the regional coordinator. The bus had broken down in Pennsylvania and they were going to be delayed about 3 hours. So we stayed home, ate supper and tried to fill the time before we could leave.

It was delightful when we got to the designated spots. Several other families were already present. We visited and shared our excitement about our guests that would soon be arriving. There were 13 children on the bus and Briana was the third one off. We hugged her and jumped in the car. The first thing we did was call her mom so she would know that Briana had arrived safe and sound.

We made a pit stop by Dairy Queen for a milk shake and just to get to know our new visitor a bit. Then, it was headed towards home. She had questions for us. Like why did we want to host a Fresh Air Kid? Why did we live so far away? And our favorite..."I wonder who built all these trees?"

We got home around 11, gave her a tour and took her out to see the rabbits (she had been really wanting to see them). It was 1:00 A.M. when we got everyone asleep. (photos are in the rest of the article)

Saturday, Briana was up at 8 and ready to do everything at once:) Once we were all up, ready and packed, the kids and I left and headed for the Peaks of Otter. It was a beautiful day. We picnicked below Abbot Lake, then we went to the Nature Center so she could get an idea of the animals in the area. Then we headed out to Johnson's Farm.

The Johnson family lived at and worked this rustic farm between 1852 and the 1930s. The Park Service has restored the farm to represent a typical Blue Ridge Mountain home of the 1920s/1930s in the Peaks of Otter area. Costumed interpreters work the farm and offer discussions and programs daily.

It was a 2 mile round trip hike and we hung out at the farm for an hour or so doing stuff. Then we drove to town and spent a couple of hours at the Burger King playplace before heading home where the kids spent a couple of hours playing in the swimming pool. What a great first day! Below are photos of all the fun we had!