Hangin' with the Fam

This past Saturday, my mom and brother and sister came down for a visit. Victoria and Zechariah had back-to-school clothes shopping money burning holes in their pockets and my mom's birthday was coming up (hers was Monday), so it was a perfect time for them to venture down from the mountains to the "big city." :)

I love when they come to our house. Vic & Zech were born when I was 13 and 14, respectively, and so by the time they were getting to an age that we would be able to interact like brothers and sisters (rather than me changing their diapers and chasing their little asses around so they didn't run out in the street), I was gone off to college. Add to that the fact that they live several hours away, and I missed out on really experiencing life with siblings. So now when I see them, especially in overnight visits, it just makes me all giddy inside. We spent Saturday night eating Mexican food, then lounging around the house doing a lot of nothing--playing Nintendo (the ORIGINAL), looking at stuff on the internet, watching the Olympics... oh, and the BEST part: getting back rubs from our Mama!! (And our Mama gives GOOD back rubs!!) I really cherish that time with them.

Sunday was shopping day. Of course Vic & Zech have very different shopping styles--Zech wants to get it over with and has a very set style, so he pretty much collects variations of his 3 staple items (t-shirts, hoodies, jeans) and he's done. Victoria, on the other hand... the aspiring art teacher... lover of all things fashion... inheritor of shopping gene from our mother... that girl could seriously shop for 24 hours, sleep for 2, and then go all over again. My mom and Zech had to head out so that Zech could get home for a good night's sleep before his governor's school orientation Monday morning, but Victoria was staying over to visit VCU on Monday, so Bryan and I were left to carry around her bags as she flitted around the mall. We definitely stayed until just before the mall closed, and I definitely fell asleep in the car on the way home. And Victoria will definitely be a certified fashion plate when school starts this year. :)

Sunday night we decided to take Victoria out for a little stick shift practice. She has had her learner's permit for a while, but pretty much every time I talk to her after she has driven with her dad, she is in tears over what a jerk he has been about her driving skills. So even though she *knows* how to drive, it was pretty good practice for her to have someone calm and collected like Bryan to show her how to do it properly. And let me tell you, that man could be a driving instructor. He did such a great job, and was so patient and explained things so well. I was impressed. By the end of the night, Victoria was well on her way to being a clutch master. :)

I christened Monday "Take Your Sister to Work Day," and Victoria came with me to work for a while before we headed over to the other campus at VCU for a tour. It still boggles my mind that she is going to be a SENIOR this year and will be going to college next year!! It was fun to walk around the campus with her and see her reaction to it all (overwhelmed much?). They gave us a voucher for her to eat free in the dining hall, so we headed there for lunch. When we handed the cashier the voucher and she looked at me and said, "Oh, are you the mom?" I about died. And then later, when the girl doing the School of the Arts tour asked me if I were applying to the school as well, I was resuscitated. :)

The School of the Arts tour was pretty awesome, even though we were both worn out by that point. I have never seen so many different art machines and tools and supplies and mediums (media?). Victoria was pretty excited by it all, and I think is pretty sure now that this is where she wants to be. It's not an easy school to get into for art, so I am keeping my fingers crossed for her, and hoping she spends some time on her portfolio this fall!!

After a couple more hours in my office, we set out for Charlottesville to meet up with my mom, and my family weekend officially ended. The house was certainly quiet when I got home. Can't wait for them to visit again!