Trip to Maryland

On Saturday morning the kids and I drove down to Maryland. Originally, I had planned for us to stop at Lake Tobias, which is a zoo (with a safari ride) that is about half-way between our house and my Dad's house. We haven't been there in a couple of years, and I had coupons, but since we went to an animal park on Long Island earlier this month, I decided to skip Lake Tobias. I found something cheaper to do that was about 15 minutes from my dad's house (also pretty much en route). It was advertised as a hands-on history playground at the Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, Maryland. We didn't tour the mansion, as that cost extra. It only cost $2.50 for each child and adults were free for the playground. It wasn't worth any more than that in my opinion, plus it was really hot out (in the 90's) so we didn't want to spend hours outside. We stayed there for about 90 minutes before arriving at my dad's house. It was the fourth time we have come to the house since my Mom passed. The first time was for the funeral, and there were LOTS of people in the house. The second time was in August

when Yvonne and I were sorting through my mom's clothes and such. The Towfighis and Maurice were here then. That visit I made it through the Sunday School class, but I had a meltdown and skipped out of the worship service. The third visit was at the end of October with just the kids and I and Grandpa. I definitely felt Mom's absence more keenly that time. This fourth visit has been with the kids and I plus Grandpa and Uncle Maurice. We hadn't seen Maurice since Christmas. This was the first time since August that I had been in their church. I attended a class where Maurice was teaching on Philippians. That was very special as it was the first time I ever saw him teach. During the worship service I kept reflecting back on the last time I was in that sanctuary was Mom's funeral, but I didn't cry. After church on Sunday we had lunch at home eating food I had made that morning before we left for church. Then we visited the Goddard Space Center, where we spent about 90 minutes. It's free to visit that NASA visitor center. The kids were each given a special pair of glasses to use

for the solar eclipse next month and also some UV beads. Both days we played board games with Grandpa. I won at Apples to Apples Junior, Nadia won the game of Life, and Grandpa won Bubble Talk.

This morning I got up bright and early because the Pirate Adventure in Annapolis was having their annual $5 day. Tickets are usually $18.95 each, but once a year they are $5 each. Naturally it's a popular event. They start selling tickets at 8:00. I wasn't sure how early I needed to get in line. I was aiming for 6:30. I actually got there at 6:45. There was already a line, but it didn't seem crazy long so I thought I was sure to get a ticket. The first person in line though bought 45 tickets (a whole sailing). Yikes. They have six sailings a day, and by the time they go to me they were selling tickets for the 5th sailing (3:30). The person right in front of me had arrived at the same time I did. The person in front of her had arrived at 6:10 so no one came in between 6:10-6:45. I have no idea how early the ones in the front of the line arrived. The two people after me also

arrived around 6:45ish, and they were buying a lot of tickets (the one woman wanted to buy 40). I don't know if she actually was able to buy 40, but I am sure that all the other people in line behind her didn't get any tickets. In other words if I had shown up 5 minutes later than I did, I don't believe we'd be doing this Pirate Adventure today. I am very grateful we got our tickets, and I'm glad at least it wasn't the 5:00 sailing as that would have put us home really late. We are to show up at 3:00 for face painting and such, and our ship should return at 4:45. Grandpa is joining us, but he's going to drive separately so we can leave right from Annapolis. Hopefully the rush hour traffic around Baltimore won't be too awful. That's why I would have preferred an earlier sailing, but I would have had to show up before 6:10 to accomplish that, and it's a 30 minute drive to Annapolis from my Dad's house. We are planning to return in November, and that will be our first trip down after he's remarried. Maurice will be back in Texas at that point. My Aunt Tina asked for a picture of my dad and I. Maurice took the one on the bottom with his iPad at Friendly's on Saturday night. I was taking a picture of my dad and the kids outside Goddard on Sunday afternoon when another visitor offered to take a picture of all five of us. I am thankful for that. I remember how sad I was when I discovered it had been decades since a photo had been taken of my mom and I (aside from big group pictures). Ever since I made that discovery last summer, I had it on my mind to get a picture with my dad and I, and it finally happened.