We found a new bike ride to try out, the Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel. The tunnel used to be part of a railroad and has been under construction for the last 20 years. The tunnel itself is just under a mile long and so dark inside. At first Mark suggested we walk it because it would be so dark inside but I didn't think that would be as fun so we took our bikes. He was right, it would have been smarter to walk it first. The biggest problem was how many people had the same idea as us. We made the mistake of going on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it was so crowded. There are 2 entrances and both had full parking lots. We tried one then drove the few miles to the other entrance to find it full too. We decided to try the first lot again and it had cleared out enough to park and go ride. I did not expect it to be so popular. I talked to a friend about the tunnel the next day and suggested they go on a week day and they went and had it all to themselves. It was fun and also pretty nerve wracking to ride through. Near the beginning the tunnel slopes down on the edges for a good while so you don't have as much space to navigate and since it was our first time in the tunnel we weren't aware that it sloped down. While trying to avoid crashing into people who stepped out in front of me I had to veer off to the side and slid down the slope. Nothing happened but it was pretty stressful. My head lamp was super dim so I had to ride with my phone out and the flashlight on which is slightly awkward. Jared and I started out and got a bit ahead of Mark and Lydia so I was worried about how Lydia was doing. She also had a really dim headlamp (we didn't know it was dim till we got in that really dark tunnel) but was close to Mark the whole time and did well. It was a cool thing to go do and different from any other rides we have done. Next time we will go during the week and hopefully there will be less crowds.
It starts as exposed brick and then turns into the wall of the mountain they blasted through.
I have a few discussions with friends about things we can safely do this holiday season. So many events have been canceled or moved online and with good reason. Covid cases are going crazy here and its just the beginning of the holidays and winter hasn't even fully set in. We will just adjust and look at a lot of Christmas lights as those are the main things still happening. I know we can still have a magical Christmas season. We were able to make our own Light the World calendar with ideas from the official site and its been nice to do those. I wasn't aware you could make your own until a friend told me after church last week. Jared, Lydia and I chose the things we wanted to do on Sunday and the first week was a success. We've done an ornament each night from our 25 days of Christ set and I found a really simple nightly devotional from one of the hosts of "Don't Miss This" which has been perfect. We've made some Christmas crafts and treats. We will make it a fun month!
Reindeer donuts for a breakfast appetizer + new Christmas pajamas
Light the World Service: Toy lift, books to friends and holiday cards + small gifts for an assisted living facility
Jared Lydia and I picked out a gift for the Toy lift and then Mark and I dropped it off as part of our lunch date Friday. I am glad that we could still donate even if the activities were not available as they usually are.
One suggestion was to send a letter or book to a faraway friend. We have Jared and Lydia write letters to friends/family members every Sunday so we went with the book option. We chose to send books to some cousins in California and Arizona.
Masks were helpful in this situation as Jared (and Lydia to an extent) was definitely not happy with me. I wasn't that happy with him either. He and Lydia have been so physical and aggressive lately. They aren't doing it because they are mad at each other its just how they are choosing to play and it is driving me crazy. They are loud and always pushing and being aggressive. I had just gotten after them and basically told them to knock it off, that they were driving me crazy and making it incredibly hard to feel any Christmas spirit. I know I can always choose how I react and I have not been handling it well this week and hope to do better from here out.
Typically we go Christmas Carol at an assisted living facility each year. Last year we went and sang and then played Bingo with them on Christmas Eve which was really nice. As they are all on lock down this year I called ahead to see what we could do. She suggested a few simple gift ideas and cards so that is what we did. We spent Saturday morning listening to Christmas music and making cards together at home. It was really fun and festive. That afternoon we drove over and dropped everything off. I hope it brings some Christmas cheer to the residents.
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