Trip Recap and a Health Update

We’re back from our trip.  It was absolutely wonderful.  So nice to get away after A’s illness and the stresses of buying a house.  It was exactly what I needed.  And it was great to see family, spend time in the pool, eat amazing meals, and visit Washington D.C.  W was also perfect.  He was great on the plane and throughout the entire trip.

 

We arrived late Monday (6/30).  My uncle had prepared a crab quiche and beer soaked bratwurst for the non-seafood eaters.  He is an amazing cook and I always look forward to his creations.  I’m not a seafood fan, but felt I had to try the crab quiche since I was in Maryland. J  It was yummy.  There were also several delicious salads.  We caught up with family and got settled in.

 

Tuesday, W, A, and I headed to Washington D.C.  D.C. is about an hour from where my aunt lives and it’s probably my favorite big city.  I love all the monuments and buildings.  It was a long car ride for W, but he did well.  We decided to check out a couple of the museums.  First stop was the Air and Space museum.  I thought W would be more impressed, but he wasn’t really into the airplanes and rockets.  For me, the museum was a bit boring. :\  Not my thing.  Then we headed over to the American History museum.  About a 15 minute walk in the heat.  I liked this museum much better.  I absolutely LOVED seeing all the dresses worn by first ladies.  After that, we headed back to my aunt’s house and enjoyed some marinated chicken my uncle prepared along with several sides… mmm.

Wednesday, W, A, my mom, and I headed to a local petting farm.  It was adorable, but that day was so freaking hot.  A had to sit in the shade while we visited the animals.  W was a sweaty mess.  We thought the morning wouldn’t be so hot.  Wrong.  We stayed for a short time – long enough to see a lamb, piglets, horses, cows, ducklings, kittens, and W played in the corn.  When we left around noon, the heat index was 103.  Holy moly.  We spent some time in the pool.  That night, my uncle made some awesome hamburgers.  These weren’t your typical burgers.  He had purchased fresh beef from a neighboring farm.  Yum.  We also had corn on the cob, fruit, and more fabulous salads.  A perfect summer meal outside.

Thursday was a bit rainy and A and I were both tired.  We had been getting emails indicating that our mortgage broker needed further documentation to complete the “clear to close” for our new house.  Extremely frustrating.  We thought we had provided all the documentation and didn’t understand why no one had asked for it sooner.  Not to mention we were in Maryland and had very limited access to the necessary documentation.  The best part was, they needed the documents by the following day or our closing could be delayed.  Somehow A was able to obtain what they needed.  We relaxed, played in the pool, and ordered several gourmet pizzas for dinner.  They were delicious.  We also had gourmet brownies for dessert.  Yup, much of the trip was about eating. ;)

Friday was the fourth of July.  A got us tickets to the Cubs/Nationals game.  I love National’s Park and the seats were awesome.  W joined us and we had so much fun.  We walked around, I ate way too expensive nachos, we cheered on our Cubs.  After that, we headed back to the house where my uncle had prepared a taco bar along with sides.  This wasn’t your ordinary taco bar.  There was marinated steak, pork, ground beef, and fish to choose from, several salsas, and toppings.  Oh my.  It was heavenly.  There were also several desserts to choose from.  We didn’t see any fireworks and that was fine by me.

 

We also took walks, played with bubbles in my aunt’s massive yard, and ate most meals outside.  It was perfect and restorative.  I had a really hard time with A’s hospital stay and illness.  I was stressed and emotional.  I was trying my best to be a great mom, wife, employee, and also prepare for our move and our trip while keeping up with cleaning, cooking, etc.  I was trying to do all that while A wasn’t feeling well.  And I felt like I was failing at everything.  It was exhausting – emotionally and physically. 

It’s such a relief to have him feeling better.  It feels like a huge weight lifted.  I really hope we don’t experience anything like that for a while – or ever again.  AND the best news… A had a doctor’s appointment this morning.  His lung function has improved greatly.  He had the highest numbers he’s had in a while. J J

Now it’s back to work and preparing for our move.  But at least I’m in a happier, refreshed state of mind. J