Enjoying the EC!

Here's a little pictoral update from the road... our trip back to Pennsylvania and Virginia has been a lot of fun so far!
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Here's Will, being totally stoked to find out a trip to Grammy and Papa's house means even MORE Thomas trains to play with!!


And Caitlin feels right at home playing the little artiste....


Making sugar cookies with Grammy and Auntie Emily...


Amanda was fortunate to attend a reflexology training seminar for two days with Mom.
Reflexologists have to attend courses like this one to maintain their certification, and Amanda jumped at the chance to get trained for the first time officially while Mom attended for certification.


More cookie factory adventures!


Finally on Friday, Justin got to fly into town after a lonely week as a bachelor. It was so great to be reunited, and we got to spend the next two days in the magical place where we met! Here's Justin reenacting that moment over 8 years ago of walking through these doors for the first time.


One of many pictures we took together that are very similar in pose and location to photos we took as young lovebirds between 2000-2002. This one mimics a predecessor taken on Conference Sunday, 2000!


In so many ways, SVU has not changed a bit. But, in other ways, the campus has experienced some beautiful changes and developments! Among the most notable are the addition of the new student ward chapel and the new student dorms (up on the hill).


Another reenactment. :)


Amanda wanted to go down in the basement of Robey to see the old mailboxes. While they had been renumbered, we still did our best to remember about where our boxes were.


Beautiful, beautiful entrance to the campus! We were amazed at how green the leaves still were for the most part... it's been unnormally dry in the east in recent years. Rivers were a lot lower than before. It's a hunch that the lower water levels are related to the late greenness of the trees.


Once upon a time, Justin painted Amanda's toenails in this very spot. :)


Justin walking across the front lawn. "Can you define the word 'path' for me, Mr. Cracroft?" Nice purse, buddy.


Oh, these hallowed halls... so much enlightenment took place for us here!


What a cute pair we make! SO fun to share a couple of days together sans children (thank you, Adams parents and sisters) where it all began EIGHT years ago!!


Our buddy Trent, on our way into Nick's for a little Italian grub...


Travis and Ericka, about to be parents (next month)!


The day was absolutely PERFECT for a football game... perhaps even a little too nice, if that's possible. We got a little more sun than planned, and Amanda dressed too warm... a perfect excuse to buy a new SV t-shirt!


Justin is the apple of Amanda's eye, for sure! :)


Yep! SVU has a football team now! They played a great game but had quite a battle with Frostburg State in the end, losing by eight points.


One of our favorite spots... the Parkway!


We made a new friend up there!


And his owner was sweet enough to offer to snap our photo for us! Thank you!


Seriously, this has to be one of the most beautiful roads in the world. The surroundings are so picturesque, and the road itself is smooth beyond compare with those velvety grass shoulders manicured on either side. Amanda agreed to come back with me in the near future for top to bottom ride of the entire thing... ON MOTORCYCLES!


So gorgeous!


Who's that cute gal?


We stopped at Otter Creek. There was this great gift shop-slash-restaurant there with one of the few campgrounds along the parkway. We enjoyed a sandwich/salad and a divine blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream! We want to come back with the kids for a little camping excursion someday!

Attempt at a reenactment on the James River Footbridge, but alas, we were a little too late when it came to daylight. Amanda told me that our original visit to this spot was one of her first moments when she knew she wanted to marry me. Lucky, lucky me!

That's it for now! We're now spending some quality time with the whole Adams crew in Lititz, and the weather couldn't be more perfect here! Sounds like our timing was perfect, with winter hitting early and in full force back home in SLC. Hmm... maybe we'll just stay?!?