Coming to and End

We have one week left of our stay here.

We are beginning the packing process, and getting in as many beach days as possible.

Last week Cora had her Senior Portrait Session at sunrise in Ocean City.  I was told to go stand "over there", and not to interfere.  I had brought my camera, so I took in the view.

Sunday, the 25th we went into DC for a Nationals game.

Cora was very excited to see her friend, Lauren, and spend time with her at the game.

Monday, Cora's Austrian Visa came.  WooHoo!!!

We've rented a surfboard a few times in the last week, and the boys have been trying to figure it out.  There were a lot of spills and falls, but there were also a few successes.

This week we packed some more and took most of the furniture back to the furniture consignment store.

We're hoping to get in one more beach visit this weekend.  Then Monday through Wednesday we'll be in DC experiencing Independence Day.

Friday morning we'll all be packed up and ready to drive back.

Some days have been long and there have been some personal struggles and growth, but the time as gone really quite fast.

There's a lot that we haven't seen and done, but there is also so much that we have seen and done.  As I look back at posts and photos, it has truly been a great adventure! 

Thanks for Reading -Jessica

Here and There

June 8th the kids had their last official day of school at Salisbury Christian.  Phil and I feel very blessed for our kids to have had such a good experience at school out here.  Athan's grade had a picnic the last day.  I walked with him into his classroom after to gather all of his remaining things.  He walked right up to Mrs. Hudson with a big, big hug and lots of tears.  He was crying, she was crying, the assistant teacher, Mrs. Douglas, was crying, and I was crying.  He had a good first year with "real school".

The 9th the kids and I drove to Jersey City, NJ via the ferry.  It wasn't any faster.  It actually added time to the trip, but it was a very pleasant experience.

Phil wasn't able to fly in to meet us until Saturday afternoon, so after we got to our hotel in Jersey City we went over to Manhattan.

We enjoyed some fries from Pommes Frites at Washington Square Park.

We then made our way to Battery Park.

Our first stop was the SeaGlass Carousel.

The boys did a ride.  Cora and I enjoyed the experience of just watching.  I could have sat and watched this all night.

If you're ever in the area, it's a must see.

We then walked down to enjoy the sights.

Ok, the last picture of the kids was set up.  Cora wanted a serious kind of photo.

We walked North a bit to view the Freedom Tower and the 9/11 Memorial.

 The next morning we slept in, then ventured our way back over to Manhattan.  We tried to get to a store.  First we got onto the wrong train, then we finally made our way to the store, only to find it closed.

We then made our way to Tompkins Square Park to eat the lunch we had packed, then we headed back to the hotel to meet Phil.

After a short rest at the hotel, we were Yankees Stadium bound.

 Sunday we got going late, had ramen for lunch together, then we dropped Phil off at the airport.  He returned to Colorado, and we headed back to Eden.

We almost made it home and the alternator went out on the van.  Fortunately our neighbor, Tara, rescued the kids and AAA rescued the van.

The week before our neighbor, Buck, helped me install a new tire stud on the van.  We've definitely been blessed with good neighbors!

Monday we went to Assateague State Park.  I just purchased a year pass and it's already paid for itself.

Our spot was inspected, snacks eaten, and then taken over for a nap by the local "wildlife".

That night we drove to Wallops Visitor Center to watch the rocket launch, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate.

Tuesday we were back at Assateague, but this time with our snacks better secured.  We again drove to Wallops that night, for again a no go on the launch.

Wednesday, the 14th Cora had her Visa appointment at the Embassy of Austria in DC.

This Visa thing has caused me so much stress.  There is so much paper work for this adventure, and I don't fully understand a lot of it.

We were late to our appointment due to two Metro issues.  It was very hot and humid, so we all looked terrible after walking 3/4 mile in a hurry to get there. Then I realize in the mass of paperwork I have with me, that I forgot the actual Visa application.

New application filled out, and they ask for forms we didn't even know we had to have.  The man is amused that Cora is homeschooled.  He's more amused that we don't have any government permission to do so.  It's not going well.

Finally, I think we make progress, pay the fee, and we're off.  I'm just done with the day, but we drove all the way into DC.  We eat our lunch in some random park, then we take the metro back to the van.  I just cannot focus and make the most of the day.

That's a whole lot on that one experience, but it was a lot for me and Cora.

Good news: I just found out yesterday that her Visa has been approved!  

Thursday, the 15th I had my last day at the hospital.  

The nurses had cake, pizza, and one made spring rolls too.

A very nice card, and a gift bag of local goodies.

Late Friday night Phil got into NYC.

Saturday the rest of us were NYC bound.

This time it was for a Mets game.  I figured if the game was on Long Island, that we should just get a hotel on Long Island.......I figured wrong.

It was under the river and through the buildings, weaving through traffic, circling the block, and a 6.5 hour drive in total.  No parking at the hotel.  I dropped off the kids, Phil handed them the keys, and we left to go park the van a mile away.

A train ride back, a quick freshen up, and train ride to the game, and we made it.....an hour late, BUT we made it!

The game was a good experience.

The next day we voyaged back over to Manhattan.

Cora wanted to see Times Square again.  I think she'd be happy just sitting there and taking it all in all day.

I wanted to see the model boat sailing, so we took the subway and a long walk through Central Park.

We walked over to Pastrami Queen to grab a couple sandwiches.  We have slowly come to realize that these kind of places are not made for family dining.  So we took the train back over to Long Island, walked down to the river, and there ate our late lunch.

The view was well worth the hassle.

After enjoying all of that, Phil headed back to the airport to go back to Colorado, and the rest of us were home bound.

This time, it was a different route.  Driving 50mph on Staten Island is so much better than that Manhattan Island driving stuff!

 Yesterday we were back at the beach.

I rented a surf board for Obi and Gavin to try.  They were overruled by the strong South to North current, but I think it was a very good learning experience for them.  We will try again Thursday.

 Today we were invited by a family we know through school to their place on Deal Island.  I had to pass, but the kids went to enjoy the day.  I needed a day to just rest and get caught up on some details.  I'm pretty sure the kids are having a great time.  I've already been sent a photo of Gavin knee boarding on the bay.

Thanks for catching up with us!

-Jessica

June 6th

The 21st of May we went to Baltimore as a family to enjoy an Oriole's game.  

On the 24th Gavin and Athan had their last lacrosse games.

It was a good experience for both of the boys.  Gavin took a lot of hard hits during the season, but kept coming back for more.  Athan for sure wants to continue the sport back in Iowa.  

Gavin was being extra teenagery his last night, so I didn't get the photos I wanted.  Athan's hair that poked out of his helmet kept Phil and I laughing.  If you've know Athan for a while, he often has hair horns.  The club the boys played in offered an equipment rental program for everything but the stick and mouthguard.  It really was great to be able to explore the sport.

That weekend we had some large cardboard boxes, so Gavin decided they were perfect for air soft practice.  Gavin was the only one with safety glasses (prescription), so Athan and Obi improvised.

At least they're using the playground for something.

Saturday we did some more crabbing.  We started in Crisfield this time, and had a new experience with the DNR.  

It was really very loud and crowded with some disrespectful kids, so we went on to our other location.

We got 23 keepers!  We cleaned them up and saved them for our dinner guests coming Sunday night.

Sunday night my sister and her family arrived.  The kids were excited to be out of the car.  The adults were excited to be out of the car.

Monday we all headed to Chincoteague.

We climbed the light house, enjoyed the view, then headed to the beach, with a stop for ice cream at Island Creamery on the way home.

 Milena had a tumble and got wet.  I considered it my auntly duty to capture the moment.

It was just fun to watch Karver experience the ocean for the first time.

Milena even spent some time with Uncle Phil.  Based on her Skype reactions to him, we weren't too sure how she's react to him in person.  As you can see, they got along well.

The day started off a bit chilly, but then the sun finally appeared.

Tuesday we all drove into DC.  Our first stop was a tour of the Capitol.

 

It was neat to see what we did see.  However, it was a lot more time spent preparing for the tour than the actual tour.  But, now we can say we've done it.

Our goal for the remainder of the day was to hit as many of the monuments and memorials as possible.

I think/hope we did a fair job.  

The most fun for my kids was getting Karver to see the image on his penny.

Our last stop for the day was a nice view of the White House.

We stopped at our usual Applebee's in Easton on the way home.  I chose to add some extra length to the trip by locking my keys in the van.  😒

Thank goodness for AAA, but it was still a long wait.

Wednesday Phil returned to work.  The rest of us slept in a bit, took the morning slower, then we were off for a day of crabbing.

We started at our favorite spot.

When we got there, I had a quick panic if we could even crab on Wednesday.  (There's strange rules)  

After a call to the DNR, we were good to go.

We then drove down to Crisfield.  Some were crabbing on the dock, and the rest were enjoying the warmer, still waters of the bay.

Although we only ended up with 4 keepers, everyone still enjoyed the day.  

Thursday morning the kids went back to school.  I offered to watch Karver and Milena, so Chad and Stacey went to Ocean City to enjoy the morning by themselves.  I picked up the boys early from school, and we all met at Assateague about 2.  Phil even skipped out of work a bit early to enjoy the beach.

Friday morning the Olson's began their journey back to Iowa.

Saturday, the 3rd Cora had to be at the school for graduation duties in the afternoon.  That evening Phil, Obi, and Athan did a 5k at a local brewery benefiting Coastal Hospice.

Running is Obi's thing.  However, he hasn't been able to get much running in.  Phil had a good race. 

Athan actually finished 2nd place in the 13 and under group.  Obi finished 3rd in the 14-19 age group.

The brewery had made some rootbeer special for this event for the minors.

We have decided to stay and experience July 4th in DC. 

As Cora said, "Life's pretty neat when you can normalize trips into DC." 

I'm sure this will be a holiday we will not forget.

We are planning to leave for Iowa on the 7th.  Not sure yet if we'll do it in one night or two.

That puts us at just one more month here in Maryland.

The kids finish up school at Salisbury Christian this week.

This brings up a large mix of emotions.

Please pray for peace and unity as a family as we navigate through this transition.

  

Thanks for reading!

-Jessica