Moving. And Maryland.

No matter how many times I do it, or how carefully I plan for it, moving always just flattens me. We have a good rhythm now, in which we send the kids to North Dakota so Seth and I can handle the miserable logistics and fighting and cursing and urges to commit large scale arson that accompany military moves.

But this time was even worse. Since the government wasn't moving us, we paid double rent for a month and spent the entire time (Sainted Jayne and kids included!) cleaning and dragging possessions to the new house 45 miles up the road (which, in DC traffic, takes upwards of an hour and a half, each way, sometimes.) I got zero time off to accomplish this, so it was a late-nights-and-weekends ordeal to boot. Newly retirement-eligible, I considered the option at least 1000 times per day. (These photos are of Seth and MG Al Pepin, our friend who is also the commander of MDW, moving a massive gun safe themselves on a Saturday. And of our last night at the Lake Barcroft house, having takeout on the stairs.)

The kids did eventually get an upper midwest respite (I visited on weekends) and I did eventually escape the Pentagon. 

After they graduated and said sad goodbyes to our Bailey's Elementary family, that is.

We visited the world's largest buffalo, acted terrible with second cousins, and (I) officiated a wedding. As one does.

I squeezed in a work trip to Israel, and the kids wrapped spring soccer.

And then, after a harrowing month+ and a truly awful move saved only by Jayne, who did the lion's share of shelf-building and hunting gear arranging, it seems we lived in Maryland. With a heck of a front yard.

We lucked into a terrifically "us" neighborhood on the river with a fenced-in yard and an easy commute. We are enjoying summer and being "Marylanders." 

I started the new job at CYBERCOM, which is wild. There are no pictures of that since everything is classified (which sounds obnoxious, I know), but I have an easy commute and I get to come home to this!

The Ryans came to visit for the 4th, and helped hang pictures. 

Also, there was tubing and pyrotechnics.

Seth and Tony went to Vegas to play in the World Series of Poker.

Jayne and I spent my only two days off between jobs with a race to the Delaware beaches. With an extra kid and a pirate adventure, because why not.

And now that we are basically settled, after frenzied unpacking and the requisite one million trips to Target, we have already almost blocked out the moving trauma (which is the only reason you can convince yourself to move again, ever) and are about to take on the next completely non-relaxing summer activity: we are headed to Disney. Wish us luck.

May is ALL the Holidays.

I turned 43 this month, a celebration wedged in between work trips and soccer games, because May is quite frankly madness.  I had dinner with old friends in Charlottesville, and made it home in time for tacos and family (read: dancing in restaurants) time before racing off to another course.

We celebrated Mother's Day with allthemeats at Fogo de Chao in DC,

and Finley and I made a whirlwind trip down to Carolina Beach to see friends who are family, in from Germany.

Longsuffering Grandma Jayne tried to one-up my zoo debacle last months and survived a farm field trip in sweltering weather,

and Seth graduated with his MBA from Georgetown (also in sweltering heat) after two long years of hard work. We are all so proud. 

We had a lake blowout for Jayne's birthday (May is literally chock full of holidays), 

and even celebrated Norway's National Day at DC's only (!) Scandinavian restaurant. In our batman capes, naturally.

And Seth and I cracked the code on anniversaries (thanks, per usual, to Jayne), with a just-us overnight getaway to a resort, followed by a pool day (complete with cabana rental) including what Finley told us was "the best part of your marriage- us!" Indeed.

In a major break from tradition, and possibly out of sheer exhaustion, we didn't grill a single thing for Memorial Day weekend. We did make it to the (lake) beach a few times, acutely aware as we are that our magical Lake Barcroft days are numbered,

and Arlington, for the same reason. We have loved being able to swing by frequently with Finley and Ford, so that they have an easy familiarity with one of our nation's most beautiful places, and what it means to all of us. Memorial Day was no different- we popped by before the crowds with coffee and flowers to visit one of our favorite low-traffic sections.

And then we spent Memorial Day as most Americans do, at an overcrowded water park with friends,

followed by a pool at which tidal waves were created by bad acrobatics. Par for the course (but a nice break on a summer dominated by job transitions and a largely DIY move.)

On that note, we (hallelujah!) secured a stunning rental house on the Severn River in Maryland, where the kids will still have easy water access and my commute will remain un-horrible. It was a major relief in a market this tight, and we are grateful even if we are dreading the actual move.

I'm working late, and June 1st hits in about 45 minutes. I am beyond grateful to have survived May! And asking for any good karma you can spare for the wild month to come.

Our Baby Turned 6, and I Survived a Field Trip.

If March was a blur, April made our heads spin. We hit the ground running after Spring Break. Seth was in Texas for his MBA capstone, so Ana & Ata bailed us out for a week. It was too busy to snap many photos, but they did #allthedcstuff and we were grateful.

They fled just in time to avoid all the birthday parties, one of which inexplicably included ice skating,

and luckily April & Gunnar showed up just in time to cover down while Seth had an infection and Finley snapped her humerus in half jumping on the trampoline.

We are two-for-one ER customers, if nothing else.

We celebrated Easter and the return of Jayne & Tony,

Earth Day,

and Ford's birthday (one million times.)

Including with the "Rocky" themed boxing party of his dreams,

which required not nearly enough liability waivers, and an alternate activity for poor Finley.

And, with our baby now 6 and our big girl sadly on the sidelines, we finished up the month with so many soccer games and a few one-handed life saber fights,

a Korean BBQ goodbye to Grandpa,

milking our injuries,

and a field trip to the National Zoo experience I would literally not wish on anyone, for any reason.

And now it's May....!