Day 2: Allergies STINK!

This morning, I woke to hacking, sniffling, wheezing and groaning. MGR didn't sleep at all last night, allergies being the culprit. I felt so bad for him! While I was giving him his weekly allergy shots, the boys' mantras rang through the cabin, "What are we going to do today?", "Are we going fishing?", "Can we go swimming?" Heaven help me!! I had to run away.....literally. I ran / walked a hilly couple of miles, little in distance, high in incline! That was just what the doctor ordered.
Thinking the van was the trigger for MGR's allergies, I spent 1/2 hour (and $1.50) vacuuming out the van at the Quick Stop. Meanwhile, his meds kicked in and life was improving.
Took a two minute drive-thru tour of Stanley, VA. We couldn't blink, as we'd miss the sights! Luray offered a little more in terms of commerce. We were greeted at the Visitors' Center by a sweet girl named Martha. She was very knowledgeable about what was happening in the area. She told us about the Luray - Hawksbill Greenway, a walking / biking trail that encourages people to be greener and healthier (yeah Luray!). I then forced my family to suffer though a trip to the local health food store, where I had the herbologist mix an aromatherapy concoction for MGR's allergy issues. It seems to be helping a little. We'll see. A little more shoppping topped off our day in Luray (song anyone?).
The highlight of my day was having family portraits done. No, we did not visit Sears. Our dear friend, the photographer for our wedding, came to the cabin and took pictures. He was so good to JOR and SRR and the boys returned the favor. Who would've thought that SRR would focus for SO long? They had lots of fun with JS, and I think he had fun with us. Watching and participating in the "photo shoot" made me take a second or two for a gratitude check. Good meal (an old-fashioned burger cookout), good friends and great family. When JS departed, the four of us sealed our family bond with a jaunt to the hot tub. What an awesome ending to the day! Although allergies put a damper on things, life is still good! Time for a mojito!! Until tomorrow....