Today I woke up at 5:30am to take the cat to Harrisonburg for a "cheap fix" (aka neuter/vaccine clinic). I was supposed to meet Tara (my BFF) and Elan (her baby) in Staunton (our halfway point) but she ended up with a flat tire (boo). So, I turned cracked eggs into omelets and went to Staunton anyway. I am so glad I did. We had an awesome day.
When we arrived in Staunton it was not even 9am, and everything, except my favorite coffee shop in Staunton, was still closed. So I grabbed a medium coffee and we went exploring, Isabel on my back, and Anastasia's hand in mine. We went to the old train station which was really neat and that took us to some stairs that went up to a rusty bridge across the tracks which ended at a path up a hill to a lookout spot:
And pictures cannot do justice to the amazing beauty and feel of Staunton. Maybe it is my infatuation with old Virginia towns. Maybe it is the 1920s feeling. Maybe all of that, and the cloudiness that surrounds this town every time I visit. But today, with my girls it was pure magic.
And what is a little magic without the best toy store ever? Have I mentioned Pufferbellies before? Yes? oh, well I am mentioning it again because all the hype of FAO Shwartz means nothing to me compared to this sweet little shop:
Isabel had similar sentiments. A future shopper indeed... there just aren't enough hands (or enough money in her mama's wallet) for everything.
I picked up a couple wooden boats that were supposed to make a debut in the girls stockings and then we headed to Five Guys for lunch. Yum. Their french fries are a heart attack in an overflowing styrofoam cup. And the styrofoam cup starts to shrivel under the heat of the greasy fries right out of the vat of peanut oil so I am sure there is a little cancer thrown in there too.
The kids thought it was awesome since we never eat fast food. We had half a bag of fries leftover (if you have ever had Five Guys you know why!) and we figured we would share the heart-attack/cancer grease fest with some ducks at Gypsie Hill Park.
Last time we went, there definately weren't swans. I love swans! They were just amazing and much bigger than I realized. They really liked the fries. I liked the grease ripples oozing out of the fries into the pond. I hope the fish aren't dead tomorrow. Isabel had fallen asleep and slept in the nearby car. Anastasia and I started racing leaves in the creek under the bridges: 
The leaves kept getting stuck, and inspired by Susanne's post (heck, I think I even got the same exact boats), I gave in and whipped out the boats for some serious racing. It was so much fun! And then we woke up Isabel and went to the playground for an hour or so, went to get the cat and everyone fell asleep. Even, I think, the groggy, violated cat. I realize that I had a nice time spending time with the girls because most days I am too focused on all the little things that have to be done. Today I had 7 hours to kill... and we savored them!
The kids thought it was awesome since we never eat fast food. We had half a bag of fries leftover (if you have ever had Five Guys you know why!) and we figured we would share the heart-attack/cancer grease fest with some ducks at Gypsie Hill Park.Last time we went, there definately weren't swans. I love swans! They were just amazing and much bigger than I realized. They really liked the fries. I liked the grease ripples oozing out of the fries into the pond. I hope the fish aren't dead tomorrow. Isabel had fallen asleep and slept in the nearby car. Anastasia and I started racing leaves in the creek under the bridges: 
The leaves kept getting stuck, and inspired by Susanne's post (heck, I think I even got the same exact boats), I gave in and whipped out the boats for some serious racing. It was so much fun! And then we woke up Isabel and went to the playground for an hour or so, went to get the cat and everyone fell asleep. Even, I think, the groggy, violated cat. I realize that I had a nice time spending time with the girls because most days I am too focused on all the little things that have to be done. Today I had 7 hours to kill... and we savored them! 
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