Annapolis!

A couple of weeks ago, the kids were down in Orlando hanging with the family.  Jeff was able to take a few days off from work and we headed to Annapolis.  Our 3 days together can best be summed up as "We had a map, but no plan!"

Jeff with his map.

Jeff and I are uber planners!  It is so not like us to go anywhere and not have every hour figured out.  We had in the back of our heads a few things we were interested in doing, but for the most part we winged everything!  I have to say, this new way of traveling was liberating. 

We stayed at The Westin.  What a beautiful hotel.  We parked the car on Monday morning and didn't get back into it until Wednesday afternoon.  Our preferred mode of transportation was WALKING!!  The weather was beautiful (high 82 degrees, no humidity) and the miles flew by.  There was a free shuttle offered by the city that did a loop starting at our hotel.  We did take that once on Monday and another time on Tuesday.  But for the most part, we walked upwards of 6 miles going back and forth each day. How wonderful!


Monday night, we had dinner at The Chart House.
We managed to score a table up front and could watch the boats
and sunset. 



Did the Naval Academy Tour. 
We saw the famous "lunch formation" drill with the Plebes.
 

Our tour was supposed to be an hour, 15 minutes long.  Oh lucky us!  We got a retired Naval Doctor who gave us our tour.  He LOVED to talk.  After close to 2 hours, I started walking in front of him as we made our way to the next building.  Jeff said to me, "Robyn, you can't walk in front of the tour guide!  You don't know where we are going."  I replied, "I'm trying to move things along.  This tour is getting ridiculously long.  I feel like the Freshmen class is going to graduate before we are done with this tour!".

Sunset cruise in Annapolis on Tuesday night.

After dinner one evening.

How beautiful!

 

I love traveling with Jeff.  We do well together and have a lot of fun. Our 3 days together were delightful.


Some fun things along the way:

These "works of art" / Birds were scattered around the city everywhere.  I took a picture of a few of my favorite.  Each one had a different theme.

YUM-O!
I can't finish this blog without a few words about the food. 

I found this place, "Miss Shirley's Café" completely by random the night before we left.  They offer an unbelievable gluten-free menu.  Needless to say, I enjoyed the food so much, we went there for either breakfast or lunch 3 times over our 3 day visit.   The restaurant was right around the corner from our hotel.  Maybe that's why I loved staying at The Westin so much.  :)

AH-MAZING!  Gluten-free Cinnamon Danish Pancakes. 

About 8 years ago, I read about this place called "Potato Valley Café". All they do are baked potatoes!   It was located in Annapolis and I knew someday I might even get to go there.  The time had come!   

My potato "Before"

My potato "After"  

 

Funny sign seen in a bar window:

My new motto (picture taken at the Navel Academy):

Love this!

My Zen place.

I've always enjoyed walking.  But since the beginning of May, I've now been doing it with such consistency that I can honestly say it has become my thing.  I average about 5 miles a day.   I find it to be a great, natural stress reliever.  I wake up each morning and figure out when I will be able to fit a walk in at some point that day.  It's the thing I find myself looking forward to more and more.  It's my "me" time.  I crank up the music on my iPod and take off.  One of my favorite locations to walk near my house is around this lake.  It is very peaceful. 

I have no desire to run anymore.  I just am enjoying walking, taking in the scenery and letting my mind wander where it wants.  I don't hear whining or the crazy demands of my 5 year old.  I can just be.  I can actually walk for miles and miles and miles if the conditions are right (a light breeze, not too hot, low humidity, plenty of water, a fully charged iPod, etc). 

One of the best things about walking is that you can do it anywhere!  On my girl's weekend, I did 5 miles each morning and on Saturday, we did an additional 3.5 miles in the evening.  When I went to Orlando, I successfully started each day with a 4.5 mile walk (with the exception of Wednesday, when it rained most of the day).  And in my trip to Annapolis with Jeff, I averaged between 7 and 12 miles daily.  We parked the car at the hotel on Monday morning and didn't get back into it until Wednesday afternoon.  How wonderful to use our two legs to get around town. 

I love going for a walk, just because.  Not because I am in training for anything or because I don't have another type of transportation.  But simply, just because.  It can turn my day completely around.

Some of the cooler things spotted during my walks:

These little guys were cute.

 

When I started my walk one morning at my mom's, I counted 11 hot air balloon launching.
So pretty!

Watching the sunrise over the water in Annapolis.  How beautiful!

Little Miss Attitude!

Sam is 5 going on 17.  She is full of attitude from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.  It is obnoxious and beyond insulting how she talks to us. 

Sam has this self-entitlement mentality that has you questioning just how she is making it to live to see another day.  She is bossy, sassy, and full of demands.  I do everything I can to not slap her silly.  I very calmly tell her, "I will not be talked to like that.  I deserve more respect."  If we are at home, I add, "Go to your room until you can be nicer."  If we are in public, I do my best to ignore her until she realizes she won't get any attention from me with that despicable behavior. 

Here's an example of Sam at her "finest":

Scene:  We are at Epcot with my mom and Jim.  We've been there for about 30 minutes and did the Nemo ride.  We are now headed to The Land and come across the film about the environment.  We ask when the next showing is.  It is playing again in 9 minutes, and the movie is 20 minutes long.  We decide to go in and sit in the waiting area until they open the doors of the theatre.

SAM (obviously not happy):  I AM NOT STAYING HERE!  I AM LEAVING RIGHT NOW. AND MOMMY, YOU ARE COMING WITH ME.  I DON'T WANT TO WAIT FOR THIS.  I DON'T WANT TO SEE THE MOVIE.  I DON'T LIKE MOVIES!!  I HATE WAITING.  I AM LEAVING RIGHT NOW.  BYE!  MOM, COME WITH ME NOW!!!

Sam realizes this is not working, and tries a different angle, still screaming.

ALL YOU DO IS ASK IAN, "WHAT DOES IAN WANT TO DO?"  YOU SAY, "IAN, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO?"  YOU NEVER ASK SAMANTHA, "SAMANTHA - WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO?  DO YOU WANT TO WAIT FOR THIS?"

I AM NOT WAITING ANYMORE.  I AM LEAVING NOW! 

Because I refuse to go with her, Sam does not actually leave.  Fortunately she is not one to walk off by herself.  Whew!  Good thing she hasn't found out that I would have to go chase after her.

Everyone around us now is laughing at Sam's tantrum. She continues on like this for the next 8 minutes until it is time to open the doors. 

Scene:  Doors to the theatre open.  Everyone starts walking in. The crowd waiting to sit is very light.  It's easy for us to have our own row and not worry about scooting down to make room for others.  Mom, Jim, Ian and I all take a seat.  Sam refuses to come down our row to sit.  She has her arms crossed and she is very angry. 

Sam refusing to sit with us.

Finally, the lights go down and the film starts.  Sam runs to her chair and begins yelling about how she doesn't want to be there.  She says the music is too loud.  She is not comfortable in her seat.  She is making quite the ruckus.  My mom gives her a Swedish fish to get her to be quiet.  It works and we make it through the 20 minute film.  Then its time to go to the next thing.  And her attitude about  where we are going starts all over again.  It's enough to drive a person bat-sh*t crazy.  You go through your day just waiting for her mini explosions on what she doesn't like and how everything is unfair to her. 

I met with a psychic during my girl's weekend with my friends.  I asked her for advice regarding Sam.  She said she will be growing out of most of her troubling behavior around age 7.  I can last another 2 years, right? 

A not-so-good-day for the beach

While I was down in Orlando, we went with my mom and stepfather to the beach for the day.  We loaded up the car with everything we'd need (plus, the kitchen sink!) and headed to New Smyrna Beach.  It is approx. a 1.5 hour drive each way.  No one minds the drive, because when we get there, it is well worth it.  My kids and I LOVE the beach and easily can spend hours upon hours enjoying the sand and surf. 

We took Jim's new car to the beach.  We made sure to bring a change of clothes for everyone so that no one was sitting in wet suits in his car on the ride home.  Jim asked for us to be careful with tracking sand in his car too.

As we are on our way, we notice the dark sky and a little rain shower.  It's well known that in Florida during the Summer, you get a quick shower and then it is over.  The sun will come out and you can proceed with your plans.  The last thing you should do is turn around and go home. 

We stop at Subway on the way, pick up sandwiches for everyone and a few minutes later, we are one the beach.  Within 10 minutes, we have the car completely unpacked and our stuff is set-up by the water (umbrella in the sand, 5 chairs, cooler, boogie boards, sand toys, sunscreen, and mom's big bag with all her essential stuff that she is never without).  We are sitting on the chairs and begin eating our lunch. Ian is the first to comment that he feels a drop of rain.  My mom says to him, "let's just keep eating, the rain will pass by." 

Bad move on our part.  Ha!  Before you know it, we are drenched!!  Completely soaked through. The rain is coming down something fierce and the winds have now kicked in.  It is getting really bad out - monsoon like conditions.  We went from a sprinkle to a torrential downpour in like 5 seconds flat.  Ian and Sam take their subs and make a run for it to the car.  Mom puts one hand on the umbrella to keep it from blowing away.  Only the wind is stronger than her and she is in jeopardy of blowing away with it.  The remaining beach chairs have all fallen over and are now headed on the fast track towards the ocean.  Jim and I are scrambling to gather all our stuff and bring it back to the car, which is a good 30 feet or so from where we set up.  If its possible to get more soaked than we are, we've accomplished it.  The umbrella my mom is still clinging to has turned itself inside out now.  We are mess!

It takes us 4 or 5 trips running back and forth from our beach set-up to the car.  We manage to contain all of our stuff and help rescue mom from the situation she is in holding on to the umbrella.  We seek shelter in the car and finish eating our lunch.  There is sand everywhere in the car.  And, to make matters worse, the seats in the car are soaked.  We are so wet, you could wring us out.  Oh my!  We weren't even at the beach for 5 minutes, before we completely trash Jim's car.

Knowing Florida and the Summer rains the way we do, we wait out the storm.  After about 15 minutes, the sun is shining and we head back out to the beach.  This time we leave the umbrella and cooler behind and bring the rest of the stuff with us.

We don't make it more than 10 minutes before the whole scene repeats itself again.  Seriously, we all make a run for it and hide for cover in the car again.  Now the car is even more wet and sandy in the inside.  It's not looking good.  But, still we are determined to have our day at the beach and wait it out.  After another 10 minutes, the rain has stopped and we ventured out again.  This time we leave the umbrella, the cooler, the boogie boards and 3 of the chairs behind.  We are getting more efficient at packing up the stuff and making a run for it.

Unfortunately, we don't make it another 15 minutes before the 3rd wave of storms hits.  Still not discouraged, we wait out this storm too.  When we go to set-up our spot again by the water, we are now down to 2 chairs.  We do add in the sand toys after realizing the kids are having fun playing.

By the time we get to the 4th set of storms, we've been there a total of 2 hours and we are ready to call it a day.  We are beyond the point of it being ridiculous.  Funny enough, there are many people around us who stayed and did the same as us.  Typically, you get only one storm and then the rest of the day is good.  This was unusual. 

We all found the situation very humorous, with the exception of Jim.  He was in shock over what his car looked like.  It was not pretty.  Jim did a great job of presenting a good front, but inside I knew he was freaking out like a little girl.  When we got back home, I helped him clean it out and vacuum up the equivalent of about 2 gallons of sand, some even mixed in with water to create a thick, sticky mud.  Ugh. 

As I was putting Ian down to bed that night, he said to me, "This was the best day ever!"  It will definitely be one we remember for a very long time.

Definitely not a beach day.

The lifeguard is all bundled up.  When do you typically see that in July in Florida?

In the short time we were out of the car, the kids made a friend named, Jake.

It's a great day to fly.

Never in a million years did I think I'd be able to write this blog entry.  But, here goes.  On Monday, July 22nd, I flew with my 2 kids to Orlando.  It went well.  Really well.  Like the kind of greatness when you think at some point something bad has got to happen and you are just waiting for it.  But nothing bad ever came.  Like ever.  The three of us acted like we were completely normal.  From start to finish, Ian and Sam were rockstars.  I have nothing else to write or even say about the experience.  There is no story here to tell.  :)

iPad for each kid, full control of what to watch on their own tv, and JetBlue = Happiness.

I enjoyed a great week with my family. As planned, I left the kids down in Orlando and flew back by myself on Saturday.  This coming Thursday, I'll fly back and get the kids.  Jeff and I are looking forward to spending a few days in Annapolis while the kids are away.

It's hard to believe we have only one month to go until school begins.  Let the countdown begin!

Size Small? Really?

Last weekend I went away for a few days to Solomon's Island, MD with some of my girlfriends.  We had a great 48 hours.  On our way out of town, a few of us seeked out the one and only retail shop that sold clothes.  We had no idea what kind of store we were walking into, but we were women on a mission and as long as shopping was involved, we were game. 

The store we stumbled upon was like nothing I've ever seen before.  There was women's clothing everywhere!!  It appeared to be a house with many rooms (all on the main floor) that was converted into a boutique type shop.  The clothes seemed to be color coordinated and grouped together.  It was big-time sensory overload trying to take it all in.  You could literally be in the same small room for 20 minutes and still keep discovering new items.  Some clothes were piled on top of each other, some were on hangers, and others were artfully draped on various arm chairs.  There weren't more than 2 or 3 of each item, and if you were lucky, your size was one of them. 

The clothing was unique and you felt compelled to keep looking through each room to see what treasures were within.  Since the clothing was a little on the pricey side, all four of us spent more time in the 50% off room than any of the others.  I went into this store thinking I shouldn't be shopping...it was ok to look, but I really didn't need to buy anything.  However, when we moved into the main room where the register was located, it was then while my friends were paying for their purchases, that a dress spoke to me.  It was really pretty and quite different than the usual clothes I wear.  I am not a person who usually wears dresses.  More than anything because I don't easily find dresses that look good for my body type, which can best be described as short-waisted, round and lumpy. 

It didn't take long for encouragement from my friends telling me to try on the dress.  There was only one small hitch, it was a size small.  I wasn't even born a size small.  There was no way it was going to fit.  This was silly to even consider trying it on.  But, hey, when your friends start encouraging you, it can become a very persuasive voice.  I joked that if this dress fits, I'd be wearing it on the drive home. 

Guess what?  It fit!  And not only did it fit, but it looked good.

Now, I don't foolishly think that I am actually a size-small wearing girl.  Hardly!  I am positive that this dress was miss-sized.  The label in the dress and the tag itself both said "Small", but again, its hard to believe that I would ever fit in something actually a size small. 

It didn't take long to convince me to buy it.  Heck, just knowing it said "Small" in the dress was enough to make me start taking out my wallet.  I think this could be a new marketing move, put the size "Small" in more upscale clothing and watch the bigger-size women flock to buy it. 

The card attached to the dress described it as "An everyday dress".  I could easily wear this dress every day, just knowing I am walking around in something sized "Small."   Isn't it great how your mind can play with you like that?  So when you bump into me around town, and I wearing the same thing over and over again, just know that I do have other clothes in my closet, but none are a size small. 

I didn't wear the dress home, but I did wear a smile on my face for the 1.5 hour drive back to NoVa. 

Heard and Observed #44

Jeff to Sam (as he is putting her down to bed):  Samantha, tomorrow is Mommy's birthday.  Please do your best to be a good girl and be very nice to Mommy. It is a special day.

Sam (whispering to herself):  Please no, please no

Jeff:  What?

Sam:  Please no Great Falls, please no Great Falls.

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We were driving in the car with our friends talking about dance class and all the various things having to do with that.  Sam is listening and decides to contribute to the conversation.

Sam:  Well, my dance class used to be a prison.

It was very, very funny.  And very true!  Sam took dance classes at the Lorton Workhouse, which back in the day, used to be a prison.  How funny that she remembers this.  And if anyone didn't know where Sam took dance, they'd think she was making this up.

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Jeff and I went for a walk one evening.  He had a particular route in mind. I had no idea where he was going and hadn't gone this way before.

Me to Jeff:  Ok, I will follow you, but I want to be in front.

It was only after this came out of my mouth, did I realize how absurd it sounded.

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