Weekend Roundup!

Hey everyone,

Boy, has it been one busy weekend! John and I just got home and I have yet to unpack, but as always it was a great visit.

Saturday: John and I woke early and packed the car. We grabbed a quick breakfast at Chic-fil-a and were on our way. The trip up was pretty good. We listened to the radio and talked. Sophie is getting better with trips. We arrived at the re-enactment around noon. We had to sign in and then take Sophie to a friend of the family's to stay overnight. We then returned to camp and John's dad and stepmother showed us our tent and gave us our gear to change into. This was my first re-enactment and it was pretty interesting. The first day (today) I felt pretty awkward and out of place. It got better over time though. Once we were changed, the guys went off to their duties and I and Lynell went to the campfire to meet the other ladies. There were two battles on Saturday, The Battle of Brandy Station and Battle at Hokes Run. There wasn't many people of my age group at the event, so I was very glad to meet another girl about my age. We walked around the Suttler's area, (tents--"little shops" with various re-enactment gear and stuff for sale. They also had mini concession areas as well.) We then returned to camp and talked around the fire some more. The guys returned and we headed back up the big hill---to the concessions area. We all got various concession food for dinner and I got some fried pickles. I was craving them majorly and they definitely hit the spot. :) I also tried cherry cider for the first time, it was unusual, but very good! Mark and Lynell decided to head to bed for the night so we parted ways. There were a few events going on, but John and I were running on about four hours of sleep. We decided to go ahead and get a good nights rest. We had two cots to sleep in, in a small make-shift tent. I wouldn't recommend these sort of events for people who are claustrophobic. It's a pretty tight space. All things considered, I slept okay. People of course were talking and getting ready for bed at various times, so that woke me up from time to time.

Sunday: John had guard duty, so he headed out early. I'm pretty sure it took me about two hours to get out of bed. It was sooo cold! I nibbled on a Nutri-grain bar and enjoyed some coffee and orange juice by the fire. The boys returned and we headed up the hill for brunch. We got fry bread---John's had sausage and gravy and mine had ham and swiss. John's was definitely better! We then had church service at our camp. The message was on Loving God and Loving our Neighbors.After the message we got to listen to some talented musicians in our camp play music, they played songs like Old Dan Tucker and Dixieland. The boys got ready for The Battle of First Manassas. Lynell and I packed all of our stuff and headed to their house. We had a nice talk on our way and enjoyed some snacks before the boys returned. John and Mark got back about an hour later, and we ate dinner. I was delighted to see Sophie safe and sound and playing well with their dog, Belle. (This was their first meeting so we were unsure of how they would react to one another.) After we got dinner, everyone got showers and John and I headed up the mountain. We got to see some of the changing leaves. We then went to a farmer's market. We got some small thank you gifts for Mark and Lynell and John and I got dessert. John got a fried apple pie and I got a 'possum pie, its a chocolate pie with cream cheese, whipped cream, and nuts. It was so good! I was thrilled to find a knitting kit and I'm going to attempt to learn how to knit. We will see how that pans out...lol. ;) Once we got home we said our good-byes (Mark and Lynell, had to leave early for work the next day) John and I watched a bit of tv and then went to bed.

I'm sorry I don't have our pictures yet. Lynell is getting them developed for us. I will post a link back here, when I have them up. :)

So that was our weekend, how was yours?

If anyone has any questions about the battles or re-enacting please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer. ;)

<3 Anna