Maymont, Richmond and the new house

It was a beautiful day here today.  Perfect for being outside. We were planning on driving over to Richmond to do some shopping and decided we needed to find somewhere to be outside too.  As described on their website:

"Maymont was given to all of us by James Henry and Sallie Dooley who lived here from 1893 through 1925. They wanted Maymont to be preserved so that new generations could enjoy it as much as they did.  It’s a special place where the man-made elegance of art and architecture is surrounded by the natural beauty of plants, animals, water and paths. Whether strolling through the gardens, touring the mansion, watching river otters play, petting a goat or picnicking on the lawn, Maymont is a gift of 100 acres given for all to enjoy.

And it's free.  It is a beautiful park right by Richmond and we had a great time there. We took a nice walk passing through the Italian Gardens on our way to the Japanese water garden where we could feed the huge Koi.  When we walked onto the grounds I immediately thought of the fancy gardens at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, UT.  This was very similar only much less "professional" (since there is no entrance fee).  It was really beautiful.  We enjoyed the gardens and then walked over to the wildlife preserve where we found 2 black bears, a bobcat, 2 bald eagles, owls, and hawks.  I really was not expecting to see any of these animals but especially the bears.  After enjoying that section we talked over to the children's farm but Lydia and Jared were pretty tired by then so we didn't take much time to pet any animals.  It was a great little outing and I am sure we will head back again next time we head over to Richmond.  

 These steps made me quite nervous but we all completed the obstacle course and stayed dry. 

 Japanese Water Garden

We stopped by Cafe Rio for lunch and were really disappointed. I had gone to eat there with some friends back when it opened in January and it was great but it was really not good at all yesterday. I normally love eating there but couldn't even finish my salad yesterday, boo!  We then went over to there outdoor mall where I did a little shopping and Jared and Lydia enjoyed the water features.  We were at the Short Pump outdoor mall and it is super similar to the Creekside mall in Utah so it kind of turned out to be like an East Coast version of a day in Utah.  We also stopped in Hobby Lobby so I could look at home decor for our new home.  

The house is coming along nicely.  We got the new carpet installed in the basement and it is super nice and soft and the painters finished up. It looks great. I was so nervous about the gray I picked out and it actually turned out to be exactly what I wanted.  The dining room and kitchen are done and they just look happy. The aqua is very bright so it took me a few minutes to decide it I liked it but I really do.  It's fun to see things coming together. We also did a fair amount of yard work yesterday.  The previous owners hadn't had kids living in the house for some time so the trails on the backside of the house were really overgrown and the super fun tree fort  had several layers of fallen leaves and branches that needed to be cleaned off.  Mark and I climbed up there to rake it up and filled 4 black trash bags and could have done a least one more but we were out of bags. We also cleaned up all the trash (beer cans and bottles, red solo cups... there were some good times down there) and Mark cleared a new trail for us.  We need to cut some branches down so we can have a clear sight line from the back of the house to the fort.  It is exciting to see it coming together.  I don't particularly enjoy yard work but it felt good to start these projects.   We went out and bought appliances Friday and ordered our new glass shower door.  So we spent a lot of money but are making progress!