Maryland.......Not Just for Crabs Anymore

I was nervous about meeting PC's family but it was all for not, as they were very nice and extremely accommodating. (And no I am not just saying that either to be nice.) I know some of them read my blog but I say it like it is and don't hold back on anything. So here it goes.

The drive was really nice and the traffic coming into the area was not bad at all. The pretty lights of DC were cool and we could see the Washington Monument as we drove in. M's house was located in this established area with huge trees and lots of flowers and it just looked like a peaceful place to live and raise a family. Her home was warm and inviting and her and her husband J were very sweet. I don't think we could have been fed anymore food than we had at her house. There was always an offer to make us something, get us something and I really hope my dress zips after this weekend. I tried to offer to help with food, clean up, etc. but was always turned down. She is definitely the hostess with the mostess. Thank you so much for the hospitality.

The kids loved the pool and they also have a basement with a pool table and there was plenty for them to do. We got in late Friday night or shall I say early Saturday morning. I felt bad that we might be keeping her up, but she sat at the table chit chatting with us for awhile.

Saturday M & J had a boat load of people over to the house for a BBQ. And the chicken was not the only thing being grilled. After answering all the standard questions about how we met, how he proposed and alike, I had to start the process of remembering all their names and matching them all up with the smiling faces surrounding me. I think I did a pretty good job.

After drinking a couple glasses of wine (liquid courage), I sat back and listened to them all tell their various stories. Unfortunately, the stories were all being told at the exact same time. And believe it or not, they all understood each other and could follow along quite well. It sounded to me like a steady buzz of bees and I tried my best to just pick one conversation going on and try to interject when I saw an opening. Kinda like getting into a double dutch game, you gotta watch and wait for an opening and just jump in and hope not to fall on your ass.

One of my most favorite moments of the day is when I looked over and say my son sitting on the stairs with "S" and he was taking the time to explain the inner workings of something TS had drawn. Now most of you think this is just a given, nice people do these things. But my son TS has Asperger's Syndrome and allot of people (actually most) just don't take the time to talk to him or try to get to know him. At least that was always the case with my ex's family and allot of people frankly. It was refreshing to watch them take the time to talk to my son and he was really loving the attention and it was very much appreciated by me.

PC's sister was very sweet and her daughter (who is 4 1/2 going on 20) was the most inquisitive child I have every met. You can carry on a real conversation with her and sit back in amazement at her sense of self and sense of humor. What a treat she is. I just wanted to wrap her up and take her home with me. And...she bought me a ring that said "love" on it and gave me it the moment she saw me. She showered me with all these compliments and each time I walked away I had a smile on my face.

Everyone treated us wonderfully and we enjoyed each and every one of them. They rock and I can't wait to see them all again in October at the wedding.

Saturday night PC and I took his sister and just the girls to Inner Harbor in Maryland and did this boardwalk type thing. There was a battle ship and a submarine and stores and street entertainers and we had fun. I bought an ornament for my collection and we went to the Hard Rock to grab a bite to eat and a drink.

The next morning we woke up early and went on D & S's boat or should I say ship. His sister and her daughter met us out there too. It was just awesome. What a beautiful boat it was. It had a mac daddy kitchen and bathroom and was really nice. She even had matching towels with little boats on them. All the comforts of a very nice home. The weather could not have been any nicer and the kids had a great time and I had a great time too. M came along too and we all got the chance to chit chat and had lunch on the boat as well behind Pat Sajack's house. We were the "HAVES" for the day and it was nice not being a "HAVE NOT". We took lots of pictures and I will post a few as soon as I get them. Thanks to D&S for their wonderful hospitality. It was very much appreciated.

The drive home was long and we hit traffic a bit but made decent time and aside from IAB's extremely stinky feet ( And I mean really bad) we had no incident.