Melissa and Eric both celebrated milestone birthdays this year.
Melissa’s birthday was on the 23rd, which was a Monday. We (my mom, Aunt Diana, Keri, Melissa, and I) celebrated by going to a cabin in Warm Springs, VA from the 20th through the 22nd. Originally, we planned to go to the Jefferson Pools (natural hot springs) while we were there, but we ended up getting about 15 inches of snow and the whole town shut down. The snow was absolutely beautiful.
At first I wondered if we would get a bit of “cabin fever” because we were snowed in, but my mom and Aunt Diana planned many fun indoor activities. Keri and I went for a walk in the snow that was picturesque and beautiful. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of DC and embrace the beautiful winter weather. On the drive down to the cabin, we stopped at the neatest consignment shop, where we tried on funny hats, and I fell in the love with the cutest dog.









Eric’s birthday was on the 15th. To celebrate, we went to Luray Caverns and The Apple House on the 14th, and then we had a birthday dinner on the 15th. Luray Caverns were neat. It’s been many years since I’ve been there, and I absolutely loved the tour. Our trip to Luray actually inspired one of my posts on the Faith Friends blog. For the birthday dinner, I made pork loin in the crockpot with a new recipe. I am including the link to the recipe here so I will always know where to find it. I would probably cook the pork loin for less time and add more water to the crockpot because it was a little dryer than I would have preferred. However, I would for sure try it again.