I know I have only been around for six short years , but I think growing up in West Virginia is the best ! My brothers , Cavan and Kieran , and I get to spend our time exploring the woods around our house and playing in our new ground house — a treehouse but on the ground — that Daddy built , swimming with Mawmaw and Pawpaw , exploring our new family farm and , of course , helping take care of the horses with Nonna and Poppa .
Since my last note , we have had a lot of fun ! Last May , the Hamilton side of the family went to Gatlinburg , TN , for our first family retreat . During our visit , we went gem mining , explored Ripley ’ s Aquarium of the Smokies , spent a ton of time in the pool and drove go-carts at The Track .
In June , I had the chance to attend Big Kick Soccer Camp at our church , River Ridge and FestivALL and had a blast . In July , I got to go to my first horse camp at Coventry Woods , and I can ’ t wait to go back ! We also took a short trip to Columbus to visit COSI and so Mommy , Aunt BeBe and Nonna could buy some architectural salvage for the 1210 building .
In August , we took a day trip with Nonna and Mommy to see an Immersive Disney Animation show in Columbus . We ran , danced and sang our hearts out ! It was fun to have a quick trip before we started the new school year . I started
kindergarten and the boys started three-year-old preschool . This is my brothers ’ first year , and I love getting to drop them off in the morning and playing with them and their friends before class .
In the fall , we took a weekend trip to Pittsburgh for more architectural salvage and to take in the sights at the zoo for the Asian Lantern Festival . We had a blast at Halloween and enjoyed extra family time at Thanksgiving . We also had a fun-filled Christmas , but I still didn ’ t get to stay up to watch the ball drop on New Year ’ s Eve .
For spring break this year , we continued our search for architectural salvage with a trip to Lexington , KY , and a visit to the Kentucky Horse Park .
I am looking forward to more adventures in the coming year , including a week at Oglebay in Wheeling for our second family retreat . If you can think of any must-see West Virginia travel spots , be sure to let Mommy know . Until next time ! •
XOXO , Quinn Nicole
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE