Sunday Visitors

Yesterday we had our first visitors! Matt's cousin Diana, her husband and their two sons drove in for an afternoon visit. We enjoyed lunch at Gordon Biersch then had fun at the pool. Now that we live in the same state more fun visits are sure to ensue!

Washington DC

Last Saturday we made our first jaunt into the heart of DC. Nine dollars and 45 minutes after leaving our apartment we were excitedly walking on the mall. The Metro trip was relatively quick, easy & budget friendly. We walked and walked and walked and saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Capitol, White House, Jefferson Memorial, and the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Some of those things we only saw from far away, but we did see them! :o)

All He Could Eat

To help ease our way into being residents of Maryland (technically we're still Texans) we took a long and winding road out to a local restaurant known for their fresh blue crabs. At Cantler's we ate outside next to the water, watched the sun set and saw a storm roll in. I ate a shrimp & lobster quesadilla (again, we are easing our way from TX to MD) but Matt ordered all-you-can-eat hard shell crab. Three hours & 18 crabs later he had a full stomach and a better understanding as to why "picked" crab meat is so highly priced. Was a great local experience!

Two Weeks Later

My what a bizarre past couple weeks it has been! Not that anything particularly strange has happened, it was merely two weeks like none other we've had before. We mixed a lot of unpacking with some touristy things, but the prior 3 week road trip and Matt not starting his job until this Monday the 17th made for a very relaxed daily routine. We had fun, but it was a very looong continuous "vacation." We both agree that multiple hobbies will be a must if we retire. :o)

The big picture is... I have my phone charger back, the moving boxes are gone, most of our things have found a closet, cabinet or shelf to call home and we gladly greeted Monday as Matt left excitedly for work and we both felt structure re-enter our daily lives.

Here are some bullet point tid bits of information on the little things:

• We quickly discovered Whole Foods' buy 1 pizza get 1 free Tuesday special
• Have enjoyed the convenience of Target being right across the street. (Long shopping lists? No. Exercise? Yes.)
• Met a few neighbors at the apartment monthly Happy Hour.
• Met a few more neighbors later that day/night at 3:00 am on the curb during a fire drill.
• Have walked to dinner at Brio and PF Chang's
• Tried and really liked a Sunday school and church service here in Annapolis
• Attended the Sunday school's regular Thursday get together (dinner & Bible study at someone's home). Enjoyed it as well and are already thinking about stopping the church hunt all together.
• Bought and assembled more bookshelves. While in the checkout line at Ikea a girl Matt graduated high school with got in line behind us!
• Matt went out to dinner one night with three other fraternity brothers that live in the area.
• Have enjoyed not putting quarters into our washer & dryer
• Still trying to get the musty storage smell out of our clothes & mattress
• Every Friday evening the shopping center we live in hosts a small outdoor concert & we've enjoyed two thus far.
• Walked around downtown Annapolis on a Sunday afternoon and ooohed and aaahed over the multitude of restaurants, art galleries, shops and neat old buildings. There was live music too!
• Have enjoyed exploring shopping centers, the mall and driving around town with the beloved [moving-out-of-state-would-be-so-much harder-without-it] Garmin.

It's been a good transition so far and we look forward to the days ahead as we get back in touch with the real world!

Phone & Facebook FYI

1) For some unknown reason Facebook has kicked me off my network and I am unable to sign-in, read messages or do anything. No response from them on how to fix it yet. Any suggestions?

2) I left my cell phone charger at one of our overnight stops en route to MD and my phone is dead as a doornail. Feel free to give Matt's phone a call in the meantime.

So if you've tried to get in touch during the past few weeks and had no response, that's why.

Road Trip/Move Part 10: Annapolis, MD

WE'RE HERE!!!

Road Trip/Move Part 9: Richmond, VA

To kick off our two nights in Virginia we met up with our Waco/Williamsburg friends Scott & Bess for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen.  (Scott is one of the two Sing guys that stayed with us semi-long term in Waco).  Afterward we settled in with another aunt & uncle of Matt's (Tricia & Roy) and got some good visiting, bunny watching, coupon clipping, eating and downtown touring time in.  Downtown Richmond has earned a spot near the top of my favorites list.  Amazing homes, amazing memorials, amazing history.  

On our way out of VA we saw a sign for George Washington's birthplace... so we took a detour!  We could only spare a minor side trip, so we just went in the visitors center.  The park appeared to be a neat historical replica of the home/farm that was once there.  We did, however, see the memorial that was built where his birth home once stood and got a good view of the Potomac.

Road Trip/Move Part 8: Charlotte, NC

Our next stop was a couple hours down the road for a night in Charlotte to see more Robinsons!  We had a fantastic time visiting with Matt's aunt and uncle and their two amazing girls.  We had a fun dinner out, listened to music, caught up on You Tube videos, enjoyed a great breakfast in our PJ's and even got a little crafty with their Cricut paper cutter machine thingy.