Well, now that you know how our week started it is only fair to shed some light on the rest of the week which was just fantastic. The McCann family reunion was a hit. I don't think anyone had a bad time. A big thanks to my cousin David, my Aunt AnnMarie and my Aunt Judy.
We stayed at Cheatheam Annex which is a military rec compound. They had lovely condos, houses and cabins for rent and my cousin David stood in line in the early morning to secure enough places for everyone to stay. We had a cabin and it was just great. Surrounded by trees and near a lake, we felt like we were in the mountains at times.
Tuesday we slept in rather late so we got a late start. We spent most of the day waiting for our luggage to arrive so it was rather uneventful until 6pm when the entire family got together. We hung out around the campfire, listened to the singing and guitar playing of Bill, Carter, Jimmy and others, ate smores (actually I think I ate an entire bag of marshmallows) and enlightened ourselves as to what has been happening in each others corner of the world. Keara and Kailei were both very shy to start so their interactions were limited to their immediate cousins.
Wednesday we drove to Virginia Beach which was just great. The water was a perfect temperature and although the waves were a little rough the boys (both young and old) had a blast body surfing. The girls went in and got mowed over by the waves but we were in nonetheless. Kailei enjoyed digging in the sand and Keara spent most of her time in the water. It was my favorite day of the vacation.
Thursday Kevin and Gary went fishing so the rest of us went to Jamestown. We meant my cousin and her family there (Sharon, Stefan, Kiernan, Maive, my Uncle Jack and Aunt Bernice) for a short while but then the kids got hungry and we split up. It was a very hot day and I'm not convinced the kids understand any of the historical relevance but they had fun climbing aboard ships, running through Indian tepees and walking through a colonial town. The kids got pretty tired in a short amount of time but we can say that we've been there at least.
Friday, Zeb watched the young ones and my sister, Mom and I got to go into Williamsburg for a nice lunch and a little shopping. However, this was the big night so we couldn't go far. Of course, since it was the official birthday party it rained. I could not believe our luck but it did pass over after a while. We took lots of pictures. We had a big picnic where each family brought there own food. They had pinatas for the kids and then we watched an amazing slide show of the family through the generations. So much time and effort went into this and it showed. We all received a DVD and I will certainly treasure it. Later we had cake and Nana was heard to say, "..that it was the best day of her life." That made it all worth it.
Saturday some folks went to the big swim park but Zeb played in a family baseball game and the kids went to the pool. It was another hot day so unless you were in the pool you really wanted to be inside. Some folks started their journeys back home so the numbers started to dwindle. Anyone who was left was invited to a pot luck dinner (which meant clean out the refrigerator) and we chatted until bed time. I really enjoyed this evening as well.
Sunday we had to check out and I believe my family and my mom and dad were just about the last to leave the place. We actually took off to Baltimore as that was where we were departing from on Monday. Mom and Dad took off to Ocean City to drop Mark off. When we got to Baltimore we immediately headed down to Inner Harbor which is a favorite of mine. We got to eat the famous Phillip's crab cakes and then we took a paddle boat ride at Kailei's insistence. It rained a little on us but we had fun and I think it totally made Kailei's day.
Monday we woke up bright and early and headed down to the National Aquarium. I LOVE this place and just had to get the girls there somehow. I was worried we might not get in but we didn't have a problem. We all had a great time. Right about lunch time we scooted over to the airport and headed for home. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
This vacation was truly great. I hope my girls appreciated it in some small way. I have so many memories growing up surrounded by the McCann clan. It was always a blast to be in New York and have such a big extended family. I love that we are a part of this big, crazy, lovable bunch. And although we might not see each other as often as we would like, this reunion was definitely worth the 18 hours it took my family to get there.
We stayed at Cheatheam Annex which is a military rec compound. They had lovely condos, houses and cabins for rent and my cousin David stood in line in the early morning to secure enough places for everyone to stay. We had a cabin and it was just great. Surrounded by trees and near a lake, we felt like we were in the mountains at times.
Tuesday we slept in rather late so we got a late start. We spent most of the day waiting for our luggage to arrive so it was rather uneventful until 6pm when the entire family got together. We hung out around the campfire, listened to the singing and guitar playing of Bill, Carter, Jimmy and others, ate smores (actually I think I ate an entire bag of marshmallows) and enlightened ourselves as to what has been happening in each others corner of the world. Keara and Kailei were both very shy to start so their interactions were limited to their immediate cousins.
Wednesday we drove to Virginia Beach which was just great. The water was a perfect temperature and although the waves were a little rough the boys (both young and old) had a blast body surfing. The girls went in and got mowed over by the waves but we were in nonetheless. Kailei enjoyed digging in the sand and Keara spent most of her time in the water. It was my favorite day of the vacation.
Thursday Kevin and Gary went fishing so the rest of us went to Jamestown. We meant my cousin and her family there (Sharon, Stefan, Kiernan, Maive, my Uncle Jack and Aunt Bernice) for a short while but then the kids got hungry and we split up. It was a very hot day and I'm not convinced the kids understand any of the historical relevance but they had fun climbing aboard ships, running through Indian tepees and walking through a colonial town. The kids got pretty tired in a short amount of time but we can say that we've been there at least.
Friday, Zeb watched the young ones and my sister, Mom and I got to go into Williamsburg for a nice lunch and a little shopping. However, this was the big night so we couldn't go far. Of course, since it was the official birthday party it rained. I could not believe our luck but it did pass over after a while. We took lots of pictures. We had a big picnic where each family brought there own food. They had pinatas for the kids and then we watched an amazing slide show of the family through the generations. So much time and effort went into this and it showed. We all received a DVD and I will certainly treasure it. Later we had cake and Nana was heard to say, "..that it was the best day of her life." That made it all worth it.
Saturday some folks went to the big swim park but Zeb played in a family baseball game and the kids went to the pool. It was another hot day so unless you were in the pool you really wanted to be inside. Some folks started their journeys back home so the numbers started to dwindle. Anyone who was left was invited to a pot luck dinner (which meant clean out the refrigerator) and we chatted until bed time. I really enjoyed this evening as well.
Sunday we had to check out and I believe my family and my mom and dad were just about the last to leave the place. We actually took off to Baltimore as that was where we were departing from on Monday. Mom and Dad took off to Ocean City to drop Mark off. When we got to Baltimore we immediately headed down to Inner Harbor which is a favorite of mine. We got to eat the famous Phillip's crab cakes and then we took a paddle boat ride at Kailei's insistence. It rained a little on us but we had fun and I think it totally made Kailei's day.
Monday we woke up bright and early and headed down to the National Aquarium. I LOVE this place and just had to get the girls there somehow. I was worried we might not get in but we didn't have a problem. We all had a great time. Right about lunch time we scooted over to the airport and headed for home. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
This vacation was truly great. I hope my girls appreciated it in some small way. I have so many memories growing up surrounded by the McCann clan. It was always a blast to be in New York and have such a big extended family. I love that we are a part of this big, crazy, lovable bunch. And although we might not see each other as often as we would like, this reunion was definitely worth the 18 hours it took my family to get there.
1 comment:
What a wonderful vacation. I'm so glad to hear things went smoothly after your unbelievable travel day to VA. Smores-Beach-Crabs-Family-Aquarium-Paddle Boats & more; lots of fun and I'm sure memorable for everyone!
Glad you all made it home safely.
xoxo
Britt
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