Road trip to Virginia

Early in September we took a road trip from Tennessee to Virginia for the wedding of one of Terry's good college friends, Justin. We were lucky enough to stay at the home of one of our grad school friends Kerry. Kerry and his wife Sarah just moved to Virginia when he finished his PhD and took a position at James Madison University.

They have a lovely home in hilly and rustic Staunton, VA. We enjoyed coffee in the homey downtown area, pizza from the local "it" spot (rosemary and grapes!), and capped off the visit at the semi-famous Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant and Bakery. A no-nonsense waitress takes our order and gently tolerates our requests for some substitutions (you can almost see her thinking "y'all aren't from around here"). We all take her advice and order the biscuits and gravy. It does not come served with a Lipitor, but probably should. Terry and I each get a piece of pie to go, because the pie is, after all, what this place is really famous for (see the cookbook).

Apart from galavanting around darling Staunton, we went to the wedding at the University of Virginia chapel, and then the reception at a stunning Virginia vineyard. While we were out at the wedding, Kerry and Sarah watched Liam. Both of them were totally charmed by the little man's magic. He, in turn, was a big fan of the chicken noises Kerry could make. That one was good for silly giggles for several days after we got home.

On Saturday we went to a tailgate in one of the historic UVa gardens, and then a football game. A good time was had by all, and when we got back, it was the first time I'd walked into our house in Nashville and had that gut reaction, "ahh, it's good to be home."

Wearing Dad's Vandy hat to keep the sun out of Liam's face, eating on the drive to Virginia.

Erin & Terry take on the wedding reception at a gorgeous Virginia vineyard, while grad school friends Sarah and Kerry watch Liam.

Erin with her best friend from childhood, Jenni

Terry gets funky with the man of the hour, Justin

All decked out in UVa gear, in front of the historic Rotunda

We stop off for tomato soup at one of Terry's college haunts.

Father and son kick back at the pregame tailgate hosted by the bride and groom. We take the opportunity to pose a sleepy Liam. No babies were actually harmed in the making of this photo.

Cheering on the 'Hoos.