Just when you think you’ve got everything figured out, you break a nail. We are not being melodramatic. Promise. But it wasn’t one of us who broke a nail. Our poor little Ellie did. We decided we were not up to the task of pulling it off, so off to the vet she went the day we planned to go to Maryland to visit with family. Once that nail was removed she was 10 times better. Her grandma and grandpa (Chris’s parents) took good care of her and Oreo while we were away. There’s no doubt they both were spoiled.
So, we got a late start Friday, because life happens. Obviously. On the drive, we started listening to the Serial podcast and are hooked. We still have a couple of episodes left in the first season since we had technical difficulty on the way back home on Monday, but we can’t wait to finish it. Despite arriving later to the little cabin we rented, we had enough time to eat some moose track ice cream and play Cribbage. We like to eat moose track ice cream at a family style restaurant Jessica’s family has enjoyed for years. Since we wouldn’t be eating their this trip, we decided we still should indulge a little.
We visited with Jessica’s grandmother, Granny B. on Saturday, and had a nice long chat. One funny story. Granny B. ordered a pizza, and they asked for her name. She said “Barb” which is pretty unusual, and we had a chat about how someone she knows started calling her that. Otherwise, we didn’t think too much of it…until we got the pizza. They wrote, “Uh, Barb,” on the box! Too funny!
The next day we hopped over the MD/PA line to eat lunch with more of Jessica’s family, including cousins, aunts, and her Grandma Marge. We also got to meet the newest family member, M. Chris was told he was a natural. However, M was super chill, so no major baby skills were learned. It was a short visit, but we enjoyed catching up. Side note: We need to take more pictures next time. Jess is totally bummed we didn’t get any with her cousins.
We hopped back over to MD to have dinner with Leah, a friend from high school, and her boyfriend, Julien. It felt like no time had passed, and we had a great time chatting with them. Due to Chris’s rapid fire picture taking, Julien caught us laughing hysterically. That about sums up our whole dinner: hysterical.
The next day we treated Chris’s aunt, Sharon, to the Baltimore Aquarium. Despite living and working in the area for years, she had never been, so we told her we would take her on our next visit. And we did! Jess loved touching the stingrays and jellyfish. Sharon told us about some of her adventures overseas, including scuba diving in Jellyfish Lake and skydiving in Guam. Her and Chris enjoyed trying to identify all the fish and creatures. Jessica tried her best on the photo front, but the lighting wasn’t great. We all enjoyed the 4D movie and the dolphins. All 3 of us tried Shake Shack for the first time which had the best burgers and shakes. We wish there was one closer to us.
And then we made the long trek home and swung by to pick up Ellie and Oreo. They were worn out by the time we got home. Heck, we were too! When Chris left for work the next morning, Oreo wouldn’t even acknowledge him. She was stilled passed out.
We are hoping to make more plans to visit our Maryland and Pennsylvania family later in the year once we get Chris’s schedule. Already looking forward to it!
Recipe for Family 