For months we’ve fretted over what to do for our fourth wedding anniversary getaway. Thoughts of New York City, Washington D.C., the Outer Banks, Baltimore, etc. passed through our minds on multiple occasions. Friends around us can attest to our inability to make a decision regarding this trip – like it was some monumental life-changing decision or something. Sure, you can ask us to move across country and we jump on board immediately, but plan a very short vacation, no way.
The time to finalize our plans stared us in the face and as the decision was made, it felt almost natural, organic if you will. We decided on visiting Richmond and Reedville, Virginia.
Not glamorous, I know, but we had specific reasoning.
Richmond: I wanted to do two things in Richmond and two things only, so a future lengthy trip wasn’t really necessary. The two things – visit Sally Bell’s Kitchen with Travis (I previously visited without him) and Hollywood Cemetery, a historic, gorgeous resting place for three Presidents that overlooks the river.
Reedville: Home of my absolute, all-time favorite Uncle (actually, great Uncle) and Aunt. My childhood memories of Uncle Herb’s business trips to Oklahoma City are some of my favorite. With only 4.5 hours of highways between us, I’m embarrassed to say that it has taken us to long to visit. There is so much that I can share regarding my Uncle and Aunt that I will save it for a separate, dedicated post.
On Thursday, we woke up a bit late after a long night of work and drove the short three hours through the winding highways of North Carolina and Virginia to Sally Bell’s Kitchen. As I mentioned, I visited here previously and haven’t stopped thinking about the macaroni salad since. Since Travis is a lover of mac salad, I knew it was something I had to share with him. The “lunch box” is perfectly portioned with a sandwich (we chose the salty ham), salad (mac, of course), deviled egg, a cheese cracker and a “cupcake”. The cupcake originally brought me to Sally Bell’s, but the simple, pleasure of a perfectly proportioned box brings me back.
Next up – Hollywood Cemetery. This is a cemetery surrounded by what feels to be a little bit of a shady area. Seriously, houses flank two sides of it, the river another and the highway the last. Driving up to the entrance sort of feels like a lesson in how not to either get shot or how to low-ride. Once you enter the gates, it is like a majestic remote park. Roads winds up and around every bend. Burials are most prevalent from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. The ornate headstones and plots will take your breath away. It is something that everyone should see once.
After our jaunt through Richmond, we opted to stay the night in a local hotel to sleep off our exhaustion. The next morning, we were off to Reedville. It was two days of glorious water views, historic memories, hilarious stories, wakeless sleep, amazing food and good-for-the-heart comfort and love. I’d share more details, but honestly it was such an amazing trip that I’m still emotional to not be there. I don’t know if it was having to leave them or having to leave the technology –free vacation, but tears have run freely and my mind is constantly thinking of ways to return, soon.
I’m calling it a vacation-hangover and I’m happy to get back on the wagon, or off, whichever it is. Turns out that the decision to visit Richmond and Reedville was life-changing.
