Saying good-bye...

...to our beautiful piano.  We won't have room in the new house for this, so we sold it yesterday.  The good-byes begin.

Scenes of moving

My childhood teddy bears ended up looking like they were laid to rest in a casket.  Danny and I had a good laugh over this one...

Took a much needed break one night to go have dinner with Matt and Maria.  We ate at a restaurant that had traditional, Baltimore food - oysters and crab cakes and lobster rolls - YUM!

During the last week we have had to nurse Indy back to health after he ate something that caused him to be a very sick dog for a few days.  

I went over to the Damascus Library to see it one last time.  It was the library we had gone to all the years of homeschooling and while the kids were little.  I hadn't been in years.  I walked up to the front door, only to find that it was closed until one.  It was 10:30.  I took it as a sign that sometimes seeing things "one last time" isn't always the emotionally wise choice, and sometimes it's better to remember things as they were.

So I took some pictures of the outside and the lobby, and peeking in the window.

And this last picture says it all.  Poor Danny has worked so very hard...

Flight Lessons!

 Jacob started flight instruction today and actually went up in and flew this airplane!  So amazing that in just a couple of hours he could be flying the plane, obviously not completely alone and obviously he didn't land it, but still to be put in charge during the flight.  Amazing.  He hopes to possibly get enough hours to do a solo flight before he goes back to college, but meanwhile getting prep for a big test he has to take in a month (Air Force Officer Qualifying Test).  Good luck to Jacob!

Got his first entry into the pilot log he will use forever. Or until he fills it up...

Hershey

We took a short trip up to Hershey Pa to go to Hersheypark for a day and then wondered why we haven't been going all these years as it was so much fun!

 Chocolate covered banana (in case you were wondering)

So all three kids are in this picture!!  On a technicality.  Ryan is inside the pod. hehe

Jacob in the pod doing battle as a Star Wars pilot

Food.

 After an hour at the arcade, this is what we walked out with!  haha

Happy Birthday to Me

Celebrated my last birthday here in Maryland with the family.  Started out with a beautiful, thoughtful card and gift from my parents - a wonderful, inscribed journal to write in thoughts and memories - something I will cherish and pass on to my kids.  

We headed to Baltimore to have dinner at P.F. Chang's, and go to a performance of Cirque Du Soleil!  Both were wonderful, and as always, I am in my "magical zone/ happy place"when my whole family is together.  I could look around at all my tall, handsome sons and snuggle up to my beautiful sweet girl, and it was good. Very good.

Dinner was fun and delicious, and Baltimore's Inner Harbor looked peaceful.  Very unlike what the world saw of the riots on tv recently...

Cirque Du Soleil was FANTASTIC!!

Jimmie Cone in the Firebird

We went to Jimmie Cone tonight in two cars.  It was kinda cool to follow Danny in his Firebird and see it on the street.  Another Maryland item checked off the list...

Bittersweet Days

So, after just ten days (five showings) our house sold.  I am not surprised at all that someone would fall madly in love with our beautiful, homey, unique, cozy house.

Meanwhile, Jacob and Hannah have been spending a lot of time with their friends Emma and Robert over the summer... this is a foursome that I will be sad to break up.

And Hannah is finishing up some of the paintings that were requested before we leave.  This cat is for her grandma.