Well, it’s the end of the summer and I’d love to tell you about some fantastic vacation we had, but instead, your daddy has taken a new job which means we’re leaving Minnesota. AND your big brother Brandon finally had his wedding ceremony with Maureen. A lot to cover in this episode of Campbelltime.
We drove to Wisconsin which took a lot longer than four hours, since you wanted to used the bathroom, eat and at one point, pull over to see the moon. Though it was rough on you, it was rewarding because at the end you saw Mimi and Doc. We all turned in for what we thought would be a nice night of sleep, but at 2 am the hotel fire alarm went off and you were carried down seven flights of stairs in your jammies. Mimi had her jammies on too, so you weren’t out of place.
The next day we started very early and visited with Mimi and Doc before the wedding. Daddy had to leave to do some “wedding stuff” with Brandon, but you finally arrived and saw the ceremony in the hot weather but very beautiful location, Monona Terrace. You were a little cranky because of the temperature, but you did enjoy the reception where you ate cake, met LOTS of people and got to dance.
On our way home, Mommy drove because Daddy stayed out a little late with Brandon.
It was another long journey, but this time we stopped so you could blow off some steam in a mall play area.
On the following Wednesday we all went out to Maryland to find a new house. Not only did you behave VERY bravely during a three day, multiple property search, but you were an absolute trooper with all the train, car and plane trips we had to make.
On Wednesday we landed in Baltimore, MD and immediately rented a car to drive to the realtor’s office. We were there for awhile and JUST when your patience was about to crack, we went to the Extended Stay America in Columbia. It was a nice room, more like an apartment, and you slept like a champ on the big bed. We had to buy new pillows though, because mommy likes having her own.
On Thursday and Friday we went all over the area to see houses and townhouses. At one point, we even had lunch with daddy’s new work mate, Paul Manion and you told him his last name was “minion”. You also got to see a VERY fat hawk on the ground at the realtor’s office. We thought it was stunned by flying into a window, but a Dept. of Natural Resources person said when hawks eat a lot, they don’t fly for a while. So we left it alone.
We also saw a rainbow which startled you a little, but soon you were enjoying it.
Speaking of the realtor, her name was Concetta and after two days in the car together, you really latched on to her. You even asked daddy at one point to “Call Concetta Heird!” We weren’t sure if you confused her with a family member or just let us know you’d adopted her as one. She did a great job of helping us find what we HOPE is our next home.
On Friday evening we ate at a place called The Judge’s Bench in Ellicott City. It was very much like a London pub, so both mommy and daddy were happy there. The little downtown area was nice and was established in 1772, before our country was even a country! It was around that same time that Mommy’s relatives were in New York from England. But that’s a story for another time.
After all that running around, we finally decided to take a breather and get to know the area a little more. We went to Washington, DC where we met a man daddy met in London. His name was Stevie and he was VERY nice to us, letting us go up into the radio show studio where he was a producer. Mommy was thrilled because it was the Bill Press Show and it’s one of her favorites.
Later, we went to the National Mall, saw the WW II memorial, was a passive participant in the March on Washington 50th Anniversary and went to the Lincoln Memorial. Daddy got a little emotional because you are the same age he WAS when the first march happened in 1963. We talked to you about Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln, but I think you were just too hot and tired to appreciate any of it.
Later that night we drove to Annapolis and had dinner with an OLD friend of daddy’s. He is a Senior Chief who works at the Naval Academy named Stephen Jolly and daddy was the one that put him in the Navy. He was funny and you really liked him. He took us out to eat Lebanese food, your favorite so far for the week.
After SUCH a long day and weekend, you and mommy crashed while daddy did a little more work and was involved in some drama he’ll tell you about when you get older! We woke up on Sunday and flew back to Minneapolis. Before we left, you played at the toddler area of the Baltimore Airport and had a blast.
You were such a champion on the airplane too and so we went for ice cream BEFORE dinner. You earned it.
It’s going to be a crazy next two weeks because we’re moving, so our next Campbelltime might be written in Maryland.
It's Campbell Time! 