BEST.DAY.EVER.

MORNING:
Found a church in nearby Chester. After greeting the greeters and sitting down, and woman came over to greet us again :o) After explaining our situation - that is we are passing through trying to determine where to live - she sat and prayed with us spontaneously! It was such a blessing to have the start of our let's-find-a-place-affordable-to-live search prayed over so earnestly, the very day we are beginning it!

LUNCH TIME:
Stopped by Petersburg to begin visiting this area. Walked to the tourist information center, which stated it was closed. However, the door was ajar, and I - being adventurous and in desperate need of a map - pushed it open! The 83-year-old Lucy Smith had come in early for her shift at the tourist center because she still didn't have power after Irene! There was another couple there, who are from Roanoke (and gave us some "neighborly" advice as to where to live), and after she gave us a tour of the visitor's center, she volunteered herself to get us a walking tour of old town Petersburg! Just as we were about to leave, another group came in.... which included a member of our old home church! (Kim) It was impressive. Here are some walking tour pictures!!

She always would stop in the shade at every spot! These were old warehouses converted to apartments.

After the walking tour, we ate lunch at "Hiram Haines' Coffee House" - a coffee house frequented by Edgar Allen Poe, and in fact he spent his honeymoon right above it in what used to be an inn. Restored by writers, it was simply an enchanting place to eat. Plus it doubled as a "used" book store - extra bonus!

AFTERNOON:
We visited our cousin, Jon Lentz, at Liberty University! We are still grinning from ear to ear with the joy of seeing him at his college, getting a tour of campus (which is very different from the colleges we attended), hearing of all his experiences and thoughts from being an RA, and meeting his friends. Family is such a blessing, and it is such a blessing to have participated in this young man's life from infancy until today, and witnessed his continual growth in Christ. Wow. It was VERY hard to leave! We took so many pictures, I'm going to have to add another blog post for them :o)

NIGHT:
We are now settling into a very nice hotel we found a deal on, and considering going for another late night swim. :o) I absolutely LOVE traveling with Jon, exploring new places, and meeting new people. It is such an exhilarating and enlivening experience. I'll cherish it always.