Day trip to the Grand Caverns

There is so much to see and do around here. Since Brandon only gets one day off a week, we've decided we want to do something fun and special on those days instead of just bumming around at home. It helps that I'm home the rest of the time to get chores/errands done so we don't have to lose time doing those when it's his day off. A couple weeks ago for the day off we went to the Grand Caverns, just 40 minutes northwest of us. There are a LOT of caves/caverns in this part of the country...this one wasn't too big or deep but it still had some pretty impressive formations and boasts itself as the oldest "show cave" (meaning open to the public I guess?) in Virginia. Soldiers from the Civil War would go down there and hold meetings or sermons in the case of Stonewall Jackson. Others, managed to hold parties and balls down there, complete with live music, food, dancing and everything, lit only by torches and not nearly as accessible as it is today. It was beautiful and very interesting. Here's a few of the pictures that managed to turn out:

This stalactite formation is called the Manhattan skyline. There's a reflecting pool directly below, so when you look into the water, it looks like you're viewing a city of skyscrapers from above. Pretty cool!

This one's called the Sunflower. The blossom is what's called a "shield" formation, but the way it turned out, plus that there's a "stem" coming down from it really makes it look like a flower!

Wavy formations on the ceiling!

One of the "angel wing" formations...there are quite a few. 

It's amazing how much beauty is all around us, we only need to see and appreciate it!

Yesterday for the day off, we went up to the temple. We had some time afterwards to go to the Visitor's Center, which is almost as big as the ones in Salt Lake! It has a ton of exhibits, as well as a beautiful exhibit of some sculptures of Christ by Angela Johnson. I guess these ones are the smaller versions, and the larger ones are a garden exhibit. There's also a theater that shows the church movies (currently the Joseph Smith one) and it's actually larger than the one in Salt Lake at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building! We had hoped to see Brandon's former stake president and his wife there, since they are new Visitor Center missionaries, but they were out. We'll have to catch them next time! Before we went home we had Cheesecake Factory for lunch...yum! Going to the temple is an all day event, but so worth it!

In other news, I am now the assistant Relief Society Secretary...I put together the monthly newsletter and I translate our meetings for the Spanish sisters. It's a little tricky since it's been awhile that I spoke Spanish with regularity, but I'm getting better and really liking it!

Brandon finished his first rotation and now is working on the General Medicine service. It is very busy, but he sees lots of different cases and is managing many patients at once. It's a big step from student to intern physician, in that responsibility is multiplied by at least a factor of 10, but he's getting adjusted and hanging in there. I'm so proud of him and all he's able to do at work then come home to be with me and help get our home in order for the arrival of the little one in October. Can't believe it's so soon!