Anyway, just a quick update on us. The trip is going pretty well. We are weary, but hanging in there. We are in Baltimore right now. Williamsburg was fun and this stop has been great as well. We left North Carolina on Tuesday at lunch time and then traveled to Williamsburg. It wasn't a very long trip - about 3 1/2 hours. We spent all day Wednesday in Colonial Williamsburg looking around. Mat and I were there before when we were first married and lived in Baltimore. It was fun to take the kids. Well, fun to take Arlington anyway. She really had a great time. She is so curious and loves to learn. She is going to be a history buff like her dad I think. We got there about 9am, when it opened and spent the whole day there until about 5:30. Finley was the worst behaved, of course. She isn't a fan of the umbrella stroller. She wants to walk every where. That was fine for awhile, but then she wanted carried. If we got tired of carrying her and want her to ride, she would pitch a huge fit. She was really tired, and took an early nap and slept for 1 1/2 hours. After that, she was a little better behaved. Cainan was great, but he only took a 30 minute nap. That was a first! But he did just fine - I was surprised! The kids had a great time watching the horses and the cows and all the animals. Arlington loved looking in the shops and watching how they used to make things. She loved the clothes and the dancing, etc. she had a great time. She also picked a ton of "flowers" (aka weeds) and made a bouquet. It was cute. Around 5pm everyone was tired so we left and had dinner and came back to the hotel. We stayed at a nice hotel and were glad to get back and rest. All the kids were asleep by 8:30. I am looking forward to them going to bed at 7:30 like normal once we are settled!
Anyway, Thursday we got up and did some laundry and got the car packed to go. We had an early lunch at the "Colonial Pancake House" because Arlington loves Pancakes more than life. After lunch we started our drive to Baltimore. It was a 3 1/2 hour drive, and we didn't hit much traffic. Just the usual stuff around the beltway around the Washington DC area. That area is never without traffic no matter what time it is! The kids were asleep in the car before we left the parking lot of the Pancake house. They were exhausted!
We got to Baltimore and our hotel is WONDERFUL. We are staying at a Hyatt Place. It is neat. The rooms are huge and there is a 42 inch flat panel TV. It is pretty awesome. It was a welcome site for these weary travelers. We had dinner at our favorite North East (and California!) restaurant - Red Robin. After dinner we attempted the swimming pool again. It was FREEZING- even though it was indoors. But the kids didn't care. We didn't go far in with Cainan. As soon as he saw the pool he started crying. So I just sat on the stairs with him and let him splash and that made him happy. Finley was not happy - even though she was basically blue - when we had to get out. She cried when she realized that what came next was bath and bed. She was just so overtired. She wouldn't stay in the tub. I would put her in and she would immediately get out. It was pretty hysterical. She was so upset and crying, but we couldn't help but laugh because she went over the top. Once Mat held her in place so I could wash her off, I got her off and wrapped her up in a towel and she calmed down. Wow - psycho baby.
Today was a pretty fun, busy day. We now wish we would have scheduled another day here so we could do all the fun things that Baltimore has to offer. Maybe when the kids are bigger we will come back. Mat and I lived here for 5 years, so it brought back a lot of memories walking and driving around. We went to see where we used to live. They "paved paradise and put up a parking lot". Our old apartment complex is now a fancy school. :) And right where our apartment was -is a parking lot. We loved that apartment - it was great! This hotel has complimentary continental breakfast, so we had that and then headed out. Our first stop was our old jobs. I worked at Johns Hopkins Children's hospital for about 3 1/2 years before we left, so I went to visit some of my old co-workers. It was nice to see them! We have been gone for 7 years, but most of them still work there. The floor looked the same. I was a nurse on the floor with children who are 6-11 years old. It was a great floor. I had fantastic co-workers and friends. There is NO HOSPITAL like Johns Hopkins. They are second to none. I would work there again in a minute. I have worked in several different hospitals since I left and none are even remotely close to being as good as they are. Anyway, after visiting with them, we went to visit Mat's old lab where he got his Ph.D. He had a nice time visiting where it "all began" and the kids spent time running around in an open court yard while he did.
For lunch we had hot dogs off a vendor off the street. Arlington thought that was great, and I believe that is the best place to get a hotdog! :) We got our lunch and took it with us in the car and drove down to the Inner Harbor. This is the place to be in Baltimore. All the "touristy" stuff is there - the aquarium, the science center, the Children's museum, shopping, restaurants, etc. It is a lot of fun. When we come back, we will plan more time to take the kids to all of those great places. We walked around while the babies napped in their strollers and Arlington went on a few ships and in the submarine (or "undership" as she called it). After the babies were done with their nap, we headed out of the city and a little north to my friend Christina's house. Christina and I met when I first started working at Hopkins - she is a nurse as well. We have kept in contact over the years and even met each other in Disneyworld last spring. It was great to see her and her kids. She has three boys - 8 years old, 4 years old and 2 years old. They are very sweet. We spent about 1 1/2 hours at her house visiting and letting the kids play with each other. The kids didn't want to leave - they had a blast. It was nice to catch up and chat. I am glad I am going to be closer to these ladies - hopefully we can see each other more often.
We opted for fast food for dinner tonight because we left Christina's kind of late. It is 9pm now and the kids have been asleep for awhile. Everyone is tired. Tomorrow we are on to Mat's cousin Jon's house in Philadelphia. It is only 2 1/2 hours from here. Before we go we are going to lunch with two more of my old Hopkins co-workers/friends - Sara and Gina. Can't wait!
Here are the pictures from the beginning of the week on top and then below it - from Tuesday until today. I want to explain one picture below. It is the statue of Jesus that resides at Hopkins. That statue is a huge part of Hopkins history. There are only two of them in the entire world, and Hopkins has one of them. The statue was cut from a single block of Carrara marble and shipped to Baltimore in the 1800's, where it was pulled by a team of horses up Broadway Street to its permanent home at Hopkins. There is even a book "Here is My Hope" about inspirational stories because of this statue. Anyway, Jesus foot is "shiny" because the tradition is to come there and pray and think, and then rub his foot as you do. You will notice in the picture below that Jesus arms are pointing down. When the statue was made, his arms were pointed up to the sky. But due to the fact that there was no cooling system when it was shipped to Baltimore, the arms fell and pointed downward - extending his arms to all who come through the doors. You won't go five minutes without someone stopping at this statue to rub his toe, say a prayer, give him a wave. It is powerful to watch.
Enjoy the pictures. I won't be posting again until probably next Saturday because I may not internet access again until after we are settled and the cable guy comes next Wednesday. See you then!
1 comment:
Hey, I had Red Robin the first time in Seattle and we have them in Houston now too. They are everywhere!
Glad the trip is going as well as can be expected. Soon it'll be a memory and you'll be in CT. Stay safe!
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