WayfaringStrangers

It was supposed to rain today. Behn and I had a tiring work week and we decided to take it easy and stay in all day. We were going to sleep, watch movies, maybe do some spring cleaning. But when we woke up (at 7:30! so much for sleeping in), it wasn't raining. We made breakfast. Still no rain. We went on the front porch to check out the birds on our birdfeeder- it was actually getting sunny! So we decided to DO something instead of sit around all day, as planned. We grabbed our trusty "Washington and Lee Outings Club" manual and picked a hike. We packed some sandwiches and set off! We drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and pulled over next to the trailhead of Bluff Mountain. The entire trail up to Bluff's peak is the Appalachian Trail (AT), and was really well marked. It began very steep and eventually leveled off some, until just before the summit. It was an amazing hike-not too long- and with quite a reward at the top. Absolutely amazing views: the Appalachians to t...

Behn and I just went on an after-dinner walk to get some decaf coffee. We failed to remember that nothing in Lexington is open past 7 p.m. Oops! Gotta love small town life. So now we're brewing some java at our very own Trader's Coffee Shop :)

Hey all, this is Behn. It's been a while since I've posted on here. The month of February has been a very busy one. Work in the Rockbridge Regional Library System has been busy of late. A book club for boys 8-12 has started in the Buena Vista Branch, which I now manage, and the headquarters in Lexington. The book group has been formed in order to encourage reading among boys, who statistically are behind girls when it comes to literacy and reading levels. The name of the group is Guys Read!, and was inspired by John Scieszka (author of The Stinky Cheese Man et all). The group has met twice so far, with three boys attending each time. I'm confident that it'll continue to grow. We also upgraded our system database yesterday, which has gone more smoothly than expected. Overall I enjoy working with my coworkers and serving the patrons. It has been a great experience so far, a new and exciting challenge. A couple weeks ago Megan and I were able to drive up to De...

Sorry we haven't been blogging! The work weeks just fly by. I would have blogged last weekend, but these two troublemakers were here ;-) They came because I found them dates to the VMI winter formal. They had a lot of fun and we loved having them around. The weekend before, we were in Delaware visiting family and spending time with these people (among others): It snowed A LOT. It was this special little girl's birthday. Actually, it was a month before her birthday but we had fun celebrating it all the same! This is Harper's Ferry on the way home from DE. It was really pretty.... ....but is it spring yet????

Last weekend we had the privilege of our friends Kiri and Brian coming to visit us again. Last time they came it was autumn and we hiked House Mountain. This time it was cold, dark and snowy. I was a little worried about what we'd find to do. Kiri and Brian (and Behn and I) prefer to be outside if possible. It was really dumb to be worried- I should have known we'd have an awesome time no matter what the weather! We enjoyed lots of good food, played games, laughed, played in the snow, and watched movies. Thanks for visiting guys! We love you!

Kiri and Brian are here for the weekend, and it's snowing. So cozy! The cold, dark days of winter are flying by. It can be rather bleak this time of year, and I am already anxious for spring, but we have so much to be thankful for. Even though we miss being able to spend more time outside, we've been keeping busy with lots of other fun things. Last weekend was my birthday and Behn and I went to Maryland to visit the family. It was a great weekend but all too short. We had a lovely breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Cathey and Behn and I spent a lot of time catching up with everyone and laughing with them. I love my family so much! Behn and I are also helping out with Navigators, a Bible study for VMI cadets that our church hosts. It's great getting plugged in to our community and spending time doing something other than serving our own interests. It really helps break up the monotony of the work-week to be spiritually boosted on Wednesday nights. Where would we be without C...

Behn and I just returned from a little getaway in Staunton, VA, which is about 40 miles north of Lexington. We decided to go up there to see our new favorite band, the Fitzmaurice Band play again (we saw them in Nov. at The Purple Fiddle). Then Behn suggested we make the trip a little getaway, since we could not even remember the last time we went somewhere that wasn't to see family. Up scenic route 11 we trekked, and had lunch at the wonderful Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant (thanks for the gift certificate, Mom and Dad Trader). Then, with an afternoon before us, we decided to check out the Museum of Pioneer Culture. The exhibits were quite impressive, and my history-loving husband and I enjoyed learning about the challenges and struggles our European ancestors must have faced when coming to the New World and the Shenandoah Valley. After that we shopped a little bit (taking advantage of some of the stores in Staunton that Lexington does not have...which is just about all of them), and ...