Civil War Reenactments and Unexpected Blessings

While staying in Louisa, we had the chance to attend a Civil War Reenactment of the Battle of Trevilion Station.  I have to say it was pretty cool!  Not the weather...it was pretty hot, but the costumes and the camp were impressively authentic!  The kids were gripped by the stories told by the lady at the hospital tent; she said they used to perform mock surgeries, but so many people passed out that they no longer do that!  The kids also got to sample some hardtack, though I can't say that anyone actually ate any.  In fact, it's a wonder anyone has ever managed to consume and survive off of such fare!  We stuck around for the battle itself, which was especially cool if you're into that sort of thing.  As we were approaching the battle site, the first cannon was fired, and I nearly jumped out of my skin!  Jake had just fallen asleep, but the cannon took care of that. :)  He wasn't bothered by it though, surprisingly.  In fact, he was wide-eyed and watched the whole event without any grumbling at all!  One guy's rifle shot perfect smoke circles...so incredibly cool!

We were all gripped by the discussion of the field hospitals.

The Union side--everyone there called them the "Federalists"

The Confederate Cavalry

The battle at its peak

The coolest thing about the reenactment was not the battle itself, however, but the family we met there!  There were a mom and five kids watching at the same spot as we were, but their littlest guy was frightened by the cannons and gunfire, so his mom took him further away from the action.  Being a fellow mom, I stuck around and kept an eye on her other four just because that's what I would hope another mom would do for me in the same situation.  Their kids struck up a conversation with us, and we discovered that they were also believers, homeschoolers, and their mom was originally from Pennsylvania just like Steve, and their dad was originally from South Carolina, just like me!

Phillip had already proclaimed his love for Genna before we got to our cars.

Meeting up with the Hubachers was totally a God-thing.  Their girls were the same ages as our two oldest girls, and their five year-old little guy was the ultimate gentleman with Genna.  They walked back to the parking area hand-in-hand, and on the way back home, Genna said, "He loves me, and I love him!"  Adorable!!  In fact, we all hit it off so well that although it seemed a bit unconvventional at first, when Shannon invited us over to their place, we all knew it was the right thing.  And it was!  The kids had an absolute blast together, and Steve & I easily connected with Shannon & Dwight.  In fact, Shannon brought the kids over to our RV park the next day for swimming and jumping.

The girls all made corn cob dolls

Jake had a blast with all the toys

All the kids together, but we didn't get any of the parents.

Their entire family was such a blessing to us!  The kids all shared toys with our crew and exchanged addresses with promises of letters!!  It was absolutely the right thing at the right time.  We all had the sense that God was letting us know that whatever the future holds, he will absolutely take care of us.  If he can orchestrate such a friendship in such a short amount of time, we can all rest secure in the knowledge that he will provide us with Godly friends wherever he leads us.  We miss you already, Hubachers!  Your generosity and hospitality were a-m-a-z-i-n-g!

All the kids at the campground, including their friend Summer.

Phillip and Genna.
  (I always thought the older ones would be the first to have boyfriends)