Double-Date Adventure

Friends, I am really, really behind on my blogging.   I am so thankful that there are no hard rules in the world of blogging. I am also thankful to have complete freedom in how I document (or don't document) our family happenings. Our blog is something fun for us to enjoy with our family and friends, not a burden for me to carry of always trying to being up to date!  So, what I have decided to do is I will try to intermittently fill in some of the gaps of the last few months.   It probably will not make the most sense chronologically, but that's okay! I am just excited to take the pressure off of myself of "catching up".  Already since writing this to you, the joy of blogging and chronicling our lives has come back!  So here I am, blogging about a fun event from today!

Today we had the fun of going on a double date with our friends Brian and Lindsey!  First thing we did was drop off the kids at Brian and Lindsey's house.  It was really great; we were super appreciative of Lindsey doing the leg-work to find a babysitter for all the kiddos. We were also super thankful for Brian's creativity! He planned the entire double-date extravaganza.  It was one of the greatest dates Brad and I have had in our nearly 10 years of dating one another.  It was filled with amazing friends, incredible food, and ADVENTURE we'll never forget. 

We started off our date with brunch at Founding Fathers.   Our friends had heard rave reviews about their brunch menu, so Lindsey reserved a table ahead of time - and a good thing too!  It was packed and the food was delicious.

I was the only newbie at Founding Fathers and LOVED every bit of it.  

We started with some appetizers (yes appetizers for brunch) with 'Uncle Buck's Beignets', with caramel, chocolate and raspberry dipping sauce.

Then our main course came and was consumed so quickly, we didn't get a single photo.  But we had yogurt with fresh and dried berries; Eggs Benedict over crab cake and English Muffins, in Hollandaise sauce; Pastrami Leek Hashbrown; Sausage, Mushroom and Spinach Scrambled Eggs.  Wow!

Then we drove over to Great Falls, Maryland for our 'adventure'.  We hiked the A portion of the Billy Goat Trail, a 3.5 mile round trip hike.  Afterwards, we found the hike described as being "strenuous, extremely difficult and dangerous terrain...  Be prepared for this trail.  Is is a very physically demanding. Scrambling over angled rocks, boulders, and climbing are required.  Beautiful views of Mather Gorge and river. Trails follow cliff along river. There are no shortcuts over rocks."  

Well good news everyone, we survived.  Here we are about to embark into the unknown.  Actually, Brian and Lindsey had done this trail before and were able guides.  We were thankful to be able to follow them, otherwise, I think Brad and I would have turned around multiple times.

I just told you my excitement of getting into the saddle of blogging again but Brad wanted to give his two-cents into our adventure today. (Especially because my commentary might cause the girls grandparents to worry that our crazy antics threatened to make their three precious little grand-daughters orphans today.)  But really, I do always love to read my hubby's captions, so here it is (with some added commentary from me): 

Brad: The falls were impassable to river traffic, so a series of lochs and canals were built alongside the river.  Here is an example of the type of boat that used to ply these waters.

Brad: Lauren encountered a SNAKE on the ground and gave a very loud yell.  We tried to do a post-encounter interview, but it just didn't do it justice.  Also tried to follow up on the snake - a small garden-variety kind - and you can just see him at the end of the video. 

Lauren: I have to say I do not appreciate my husband minimizing the SCARINESS of the garden snake. It was very frightening seeing a moving head with a slithering body right next to me while I was walking the trail....VERY SCARY!

Brad: Great views throughout the hike!

Brad: Another great view of the Potomac River.  At one point we came to a sandy beach, and Lauren touched the water.  She may be the first Holmes to enter the Potomac river!

Lauren: It may very well be true. I feel pretty special. Thanks honey. ;-)

Brad: The types of boulders we spent an hour and half clambering over.  Can you say SORE LEGS!

Lauren: YES!!

Brad: Lauren working her mojo in and around the boulders.

Lauren: I am not sure what "mojo" is?

Brad: Yeah, we are doing it!!

Lauren: Hooray! 

Brad: A great view of where we had been climbing from, alongside the Potomac River.

Brad: A small frog living next to a pond inside one of the boulders.

Lauren: Nothing to add here, except it was fun discovering all the different wildlife on the trail, with the exception of course of the snake! That was just SCARY! 

Brad: The biggest challenge was a 40 foot cliff face.  

Brad: A shot of the brave climbers!

Brad: While Lindsey and Lauren had finished the hardest part, Brad was left below to sort out how best to come around an inconveniently placed rock.

Lauren: My husband was my hero and wanted to stay behind me to make sure I was alright but then he ran into some of his trouble of his own.

Brad: But with great mental fortitude and physical endurance, he succeeded!

Lauren: That's right, sweetheart! :-)

Brad: Half-way point!  We could not quite get Brad and Brian's faced coordinated, as we did a few months ago: here.  

Lauren: Brad was ready for us to take the "short-cut" back. But our friends had absolute confidence that we could do it. So, Brad and I, encouraged by their vote of confidence, decided to press ahead with the arduous task of finishing the trail! 

Brad: We read that the trail we had just been on was 'dangerous' and includes sharp drops, jumps across open areas, and walking along rock ridges.  To be honest, I think it may be overstating the case a little bit. 

Lauren: Brad included this for the grandparents - the warnings are ALL TRUE! 

Brad: At the beach!  I had been wanting a beach vacation all summer, and we finally got it.  This 15 foot wide 'Southern Beach' of Maryland, on the Potomac shores was a nice resting point.

Lauren: The water felt amazing and I really wanted to jump in, but I restrained myself.  I didn't think it would be the wisest to have slippery shoes while jumping across rocks. It's not the best combination.

Brad: A rather large spider web up in the tree.

Lauren: Thanks for taking this photo, Brad!  You are the best!

Brad: A beautiful bridge across a small brook.

Brad: We saw some extreme folks who felt the best way to experience nature was barefoot.  That's right folks - they did everything we did, but without shoes!  

Lauren: So, maybe, it wasn't too bad after all! ;-)