a blog about raising a daughter with cerebral palsy and learning unexpected lessons along the way

Sunday, March 27, 2011

A Weekend Away

Wednesday's and Thursday's ordeal with the littlest Teaster left Rob and I feeling a little unglued and somewhat like zombies. We needed a break from reality so it goes without saying that our weekend plans for a stay in Virginia Beach couldn't have come at a more perfect time. We had been looking forward to this weekend for several months now as it was the 18th Annual 5K for Cerebral Palsy of Virginia. We headed out of town Friday morning and after checking into our hotel, we quickly made our way to the beach to cast away our stresses. The weather was quite chilly but Oia was just tickled to be there. It was a joy to see her roaming the shore, smiling the whole time.



Saturday morning was the 5K where we participated as Team Teaster. Unfortunately, we woke to horrible weather; wet, windy and cold. But regardless of the weather, the company was inspiring and it felt so wonderful to contribute to such a worthy cause for some very deserving individuals.


We may have been one of the very last few to cross the finish but we finished nonetheless and that's all that matters. Just very grateful to have a daughter who could cross the finish on her own two feet...


Later that afternoon, we took Oia to the Virginia Aquarium. I had hoped she would be more interested in the exhibits and sea life than she was - not sure if it was a vision thing, maybe the dim lighting made it difficult for her to see the marine life inside the tanks or perhaps aquariums just aren't her thing. Hard to say but I'm glad she was exposed to the experience anyways.







Since the weather was so cold, it pretty much forced us indoors for the remainder of our stay. To end our Saturday, Rob took Oia swimming in the hotel pool and she had a ball, squealing and splashing about the entire time.



Our family needed this brief escape from within the bubble of everyday life. It felt so refreshing to get away, even if it was only for two and a half days. A room with an ocean view and quality time has a family was just the medicine we needed.

9 comments:

  1. That looks like so much fun!! The pictures of Oia in the hat on the beach are beautiful! But why no pictures of the pregnant lady?

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  2. Phyllis - the pregnant lady is the camera hog, always BEHIND the camera. May need to work on that, uh?

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  3. We were so excited to take Harding to the Georgia aquarium when he was about Oia's age and were disappointed that he wasn't in to it. That picture of her in the shark is hilarious! Glad you guys had a restorative weekend away!

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  4. Glad you guys got to get away. Looks like you all had a great time. :) Great pictures of beautfiul Oia, as always!
    I find Hanna LOVES aquariums that have the bright black (blueish) lights in them. Maybe these were too dim for Oia like you said.

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  5. HI MO!
    LOOKS LIKE YOU HAD AN AWESOME TIME... OIA LOOKS LIKE SHE IS WALKING VERY WELL... I LOVE THOSE PICTURES.. NOW, AS SOMEONE ELSE SAID WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE MOMMY IN THERE SOMEWHERE!! :-)

    MELISSA

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  6. It sure is good to see y'all having a break, Mo! You have really been on my mind for the last day. Please know we are down a few states praying for you guys.

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  7. Is Oia asleep in the stroller? :)
    I'm glad you had time away.

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  8. Mo--I am sorry it has taken me this long to respond. I actually read this post last week as I sat in a hospital room awaiting an ultrasound and I am no good at commenting from my phone.

    Anyway, I know you are scared and worried about the littlest Teaster, but I wanted to tell you about my friend's sister who has all her organs reversed and who also has only three chambers in her heart. She was not predicted to live more than a week--they had actually picked out a burial plot, tombstone, and everything. She is now 19 and sorority girl at Ole Miss. She wasn't able to do sports because of her low oxygenation (blood mixes together), but other than that, she had led an extremely fabulous life. I am hoping that your baby doesn't have one thing wrong with her when she gets here, but take comfort in knowing that if something is amiss, they will be totally ready to address it. My thoughts are with you and the rest of the Teasters.

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  9. So happy to see such a wonderful weekend away for you all. I hope you felt refreshed. Oia looks like she had a blast.

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