Weekend in Virginia Beach

A couple of weeks ago we headed down to Virginia Beach where my sister goes to school. It's about a 4 hour drive. Not terrible. The kids were amazingly good the entire ride home. Praise God! It was a fun relaxing weekend with family. We visited the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, ate a yummy lunch right on the beach (the restaurant had big windows with a great view of the ocean), and played in the sand. So much fun! Here are some pictures from our little trip:

Virginia Aquarium

Ryland's 1st Trip to the Beach

27 Days and Counting

Last night I listened in on a conversation the kids were having with their daddy. It went like this:

Ryland: "that car sad"
Chris: "why is the car sad?"
Emorie: "because it drove away from Texas"

Is that not the saddest thing you ever heard? I've been completely wrapped up in my own feelings that I hadn't thought about Emorie being homesick too. In 27 days we are leaving for a week in Texas. I think we are all very excited, including Ryland who just learned how to say 'Texas'. The countdown has begun!

Spring, Where Are You?

I started a blog entry on March 1st and never finished it or posted it...it is now March 31st! There's a clue as to how crazy March has been. I can't believe that 3 months of this year are already gone! And I know the year isn't going to slow down anytime soon. A look at our calendar shows no free weekends until June!

Ryland has continued to make amazing progress since his ear tube surgery. He has a new word almost every day! Even though I'm very happy we are all healthy now, things still seem a bit gloomy. I blame it on the weather. It snowed on Sunday. SNOWED! It's almost April and I know there is this season called Spring, but I have yet to see it this year. I now live in a place where it doesn't go from kind of cold to 90 degrees in an instant and I want to enjoy it. Emorie is learning about Spring at school by learning the phrase "in like a lion, out like a lamb". She informs me each day that it is raining (which has been often), "mommy, it's a lion day". I'm tired of lion days! I really cherished the two days we had in the 60's. Keep them coming!

One Year Stronger

We have lived in Annapolis one year now and sometimes I still feel like I just moved here yesterday. I'm still trying to find my place and fit in to a different culture than I am used to. I am still shocked at how unfriendly people can be sometimes. I just got yelled at by a lady at Barnes & Noble last week. Seriously, you're going to be rude at preschool story time?! If I hold the door for someone, they automatically assume that I work wherever we are. I guess that's the only reason to open the door for someone. On the brighter side, I love that there is no short supply of fun things to see and do. A year later, there are tons of places we have yet to visit. I have a list of places and we're waiting for the beautiful spring weather to come.


I have found many differences between Texas and Maryland over the last year. I think Texas is more family friendly. The public schools are better and Chick fil a family night is better. Haha! Life is so fast-paced here. Busy, busy, busy! Public transportation and urban housing is a way of life. Even the street names are different-Harbour Heights, Admiral, and Arundel on the Bay (weird right?) versus Saddle Blanket, Ranchman Blvd., and Mustang Dr.


I continue to be amazed at the cost of living here. I think it's crazy to pay what we do for groceries. I think it's double what we spent in Texas. More than $4 for a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread is insane. Restaurants are high as well and with a movie ticket costing $10.50 for ONE, a night out is over the top expensive (especially with a babysitter to pay). Houses are priced so high here and I wonder 'how can you afford one on a minister's salary?' It definitely is a gorgeous area to live in though. Each day that I take Emorie to school, I cross a bridge and see the gorgeous view of the bay and am reminded of God's amazing creation. What a blessing! This evening I saw one of those really pretty sunsets where you can see the rays of sunshine coming down through the clouds. It was the kind that reminds me that God is in control and I am here for a reason. Just beautiful!

Snow Day #527

I have lost count of how many snow days we've had this year, but all I know is that they always land on Tuesdays and Thursdays (the only days Emorie goes to school). Something that used to be a very exciting, but very rare occurrence has begun to ruin my life. Yes I'm being dramatic, but I'm REALLY ready for spring!

I know I've been MIA in the blog world...all you need to know is that in the last 2 months we've been consumed with snow and sickness. All 4 of us took turns being sick the entire month of January and I've spent countless hours driving to one doctor and then to another and then to the pharmacy...and then again the next week. Ryland got tubes last week and I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hooray!