Yes, Julie, they do still exist!

(...Our kids in Maryland - we got to go see them and they are all still alive and wonderfully well!) 

One more trip!  Nick turned twelve on Oct. 2, and that means he was officially old enough to receive the first office of the Aaronic Priesthood in our Church.  He had an interview with the Bishop in his ward, who found him worthy for the ordination.  We couldn't miss out on that very important occasion, even if it was all the way on the East Coast!

So Friday, the 11th, we flew out to Baltimore.  We got in late, the plane was late, the skies were shedding buckets of hurricane remnants, we waited forever for our luggage (soaked - but dry inside this time), it got later, and later and later.  At the car rental terminal, wouldn't you know it?  The car we had reserved was the ONLY one with lines - long, slow lines.  And then the car they wanted us to take was a Jeep with cloth (remember, there's a hurricane going on outside) and so we waited while they found something we felt a little more confident about staying dry in, and then Brent would turn left when I told him to turn right ...

It was dark, it was raining hard, our Garmen NEVER works in the airport vicinity for some reason ... anyway that's the long story of it.  By the time we got to the hotel, we were ready to just stay there, which was disappointing to everyone.  But really?  10 pm on a rainy evening is not a good time for people to venture out when they already felt just a little lost.

So, Saturday morning the rain had moved on.  The sky was still soggy looking so we packed umbrellas and we packed ponchos and took two jackets, as we joined Sean's family for a trip up to Baltimore's Inner Harbor:

Because the Marathon was happening that day, we chose to take the light rail into Baltimore instead of fighting to find parking spaces.  It only cost $3.40 (or something like that) per person roundtrip.  Made it very affordable!

Tabatha and Jake

Nick

Old ships in the harbor combined with modern day architecture - this was really great!

We were taking a National Anthem Tour of the Inner Harbor on this Cruise Ship.  Made it a little early so we took advantage of the time to take some family photos.

Boarding using the Boardwalk

Little Sean wasn't feeling very good, unfortunately.  I suspect the motion of the boat didn't help.

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Loved the murals on the sides of these.

And no photo can begin to capture how truly enormous these navy ships were!

 Below is Fort McHenry from the water.   Yes, it was closed at the time.  It is a national monument or park or something, so it was caught in the government crossfire.  But it was fun to see it from the spot that Frances Scott Key penned the words to the National Anthem.

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Love Jake's smile!

Jake learns how to steer the boat.

 There are about 50 more photos on FB.  You can see them here if you're interested:    Additional Photos on Facebook

Back on shore, our stomachs were all beginning to rumble a little.  A new addition to the area was Bubba Gump's and Sean's family wanted to give it a try.  I had wanted to go to one in Hawaii so I was all for it, and later Brent had to admit the food was actually pretty good.  Just not the prices...

This photo breaks my heart.  It wasn't long after this, however, that he was finally able to release some of that pressure and became his happy self again.

Love this photo of Sean and Linzy!

A smile, almost!

 While we were eating, there was a big commotion outside.  A PIRATE SHIP had drawn alongside the boardwalk and WATCH OUT! those cannons were loaded!!!   The boys all definitely agreed if we do a cruise again, this is the one THEY want to go on!

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The cute little ship the children's meals were served in.

These flowers were so colorful!  I had to take a picture of them, of course.

We were debating what to do after lunch, when this street performer started hawking his skills.  Other photos are on Facebook here.

Grand finale - yes, he was juggling a real bowling ball.

Resting feet.

Everywhere we went were people who had raced in this that morning.  It was still going on when we arrived, and as we waited for some of the racers to pass, one cute lady shouted out "Why, the .... , am I doing this?????"   It was fun to see the energy and dedication of these great runners.

It was also fun to see the historic ball fields (from the outside, of course).  This is where Babe Ruth very first played baseball, back when he was in the minors.

Here comes the train to take us back to Glen Burnie.  Brent is that mass of golden gray black hair on the left side of the photo.

 After a little break when Brent and I went back to the hotel, put up our feet and napped a little (because I got NO sleep the night before), we went to dinner with the kids.  The goal was the new Golden Corral that had just opened but when faced with an hour and a half waiting time, we opted to visit their family favorite:  Friendly's.  The idea of sundaes and milkshakes sold me in a heartbeat!

SUNDAY, Oct. 13, 2013

Sean's meetings begin at 1 pm so we had some time in the morning to visit with the family while Sean and Linzy had some other meetings they had to attend.

Sean Jr. has grown about 6 inches since we saw him during the summer!  He was much happier on Sunday.

Tabatha getting the cat to show off some of her tricks.

Tabatha loves to draw.  And she's very good at it.

 At Church Nick was sustained to receive the Priesthood and then was ordained in the Deacon's Quorum.  After Church I talked them into getting a photo with him and all the people who stood in on the ordination.   Of course, his Dad would have to joke around first:

Need to get identification from Sean for these people.  On the left is Sean Kohlhepp, their adopted uncle.  And the man just to the right of Sean is their counselor in the Bishopric.  The Bishop was out of town.  Sean did the ordination.

Buttercup, the cat

Brotherly love?  Not really.  Jake wanted the pad Sean was using.  I told him to give his brother a hug for the camera and this is what I got.  Yeah.

We had a great time in Baltimore with the kids.  Enjoyed the yummiest Swedish meatballs ever for dinner after Church, and then they sang happy birthday to both Nick and I and gave us each our own cake (well, mine were cupcakes) with a candle to blow out.  Dan called right then, so he got to join in on the singing.   Too soon, it was time to say goodbye.  Wish we could get back there more often!