Maryland

As most of you know, on May 15th, Landon, Anthony and I made an impromptu trip to Maryland. Unfortunately, the trip was not taken under the best circumstances. That morning, my uncle suddenly passed away. It was devastating news and we boarded a flight as early as we could to get home and be with family. Most of the trip consisted of being with family and all of the viewings and funeral. This past Thursday and Friday, we tried to make the most of our remaining days before flying back to Florida. On Thursday, my mom watched Anthony and Landon and I spent the afternoon in Annapolis. It was commissioning week at the Naval Academy, so it was great to see all the soon to be commissioned Ensigns and 2nd Lieutenants. Landon and I had lunch at Griffins (now, the Federal House) which is where we met 8.5 years ago. We spent some time walking around downtown Annapolis, then visited the midshipmen store on base to get some Navy apparel. We then spent some time walking around the enormous Annapolis mall. It's actually relaxing to shop without a screaming toddler - who knew!? Then on Friday, we went with my brother-in-law Chris, niece Amy, and cousins Nicholas and Michael to the aquarium in Baltimore. We had such a great time and it added a bit of levity to a very intense week. After the aquarium, we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and then headed home. Right before we got home, we made a stop at the local volunteer fire department. My brother-in-law is a fireman and a paramedic as well. It was really interesting to see the various vehicles and the kids loved running around in the station and climbing into the trucks. It was a great time. Here are some photos that I took below. Enjoy!

2009-05-23 Maryland- May