We departed for Maryland after Nate's cast was removed on December 28th. We got a later start than we planned, but arrived at my mom's by 7 PM. We enjoyed Ledo's pizza for dinner; one of the things we miss the most in Ohio. It was a whirlwind trip, to say the least.
On Friday afternoon, we went to Crofton and stopped for a few minutes at our old house and caught up with our old neighbors: Bob, CeCe, Josh and Jessie McRobie. It was great seeing them, but we had to travel on to meet Nate's mom at Crofton Park so the kids could get some exercise and fresh air. Nana is fond of saying that kids aren't house plants so as long as they're bundled up, out they go! The kids enjoyed the playgrounds, swinging and throwing sticks into the pond. Juliana got a little too close for comfort a couple times, but managed to avoid landing in the drink. We went back to Joan's house to exchange gifts and relax for a bit and then we met Charles (Nate's step-father) at the Outback where Joan treated us to dinner. Joan and Charles were departing for a wedding the next day so it was an early evening. We were able to get the kids to bed on time and visit with my mom, Gerry and Gram before bed.
On Saturday, my mom took me to get a manicure and pedicure as part of my Christmas present and I enjoyed the pampering and subsequent pretty nails, which included a snowman on one pinky nail and a candy cane on the other. When our nails were dry, we picked up Nate, the kids, Gerry and my grandmother and headed to Ma's Kettle where my grandmother treated us all to lunch. From there, Nate, the kids and I went on to Crofton Park (again) where we met my friend, Maria, and her daughter, Ryleigh. Kathryn remembers Ryleigh from when we lived in Maryland and was very excited to see her old friend. I enjoyed catching up with Maria and the kids, once again, had a blast at the park. After about an hour, we parted ways and headed for Nate's dad and Beverlee's (Nate's step-mother) house. We enjoyed a nice visit and the kids had a good time playing with their new treasures. Next, we all headed to EJ Landings, where we were treated to dinner. At said dinner, we discovered that a round table is ideal for young diners. In individual seats, the kids weren't able to lean on us, put their grubby hands on us, lay in our laps, etc. We enjoyed our meals and went back to the house to play for a while longer before parting ways.
Sunday brought my brother, Rich, his wife, Anna and their girls, Becca and Isabel and my step-sister-in-law, Kristy, and her girls, Sydney and Kayla to my mom's to visit and exchange gifts. We had a good time and the kids played together well. We relaxed a little in the afternoon and prepared for New Year's Eve. My friend, Alex, and her boyfriend, Mike, arrived around 6 to hang out for a while before we headed to dinner at Alex's friends' house. Joyce and Andre were wonderful hosts and we had an amazing dinner followed by a rousing game of Charades. The girls won, of course, and it was a very fun night.
Monday brought our return to Ohio and Tuesday marked the return to our normal routine including work for Nate, school for the kids and Body Pump class at the gym for me. Wednesday, I rode the bike for an hour and 20 minutes to the tune of a little over 13 miles and 460 calories. I was so engrossed in the end of my Harry Potter book, I just kept going and peddling faster and faster as the book got more exciting! Alas, I finished the book later that day, but am on the lookout for more exciting tales to push me through future workouts in similar fashion!
Thus, concludes the story of our latest visit to Maryland. I'm hoping to have time to see more friends when we're in town again. Stay tuned for a recounting of our trip to Orlando. I'll get to it eventually! :)
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