We made it!

We are officially in our new home…for the next few months. We drove through Pennsylvania and the land was starting to get greener and greener. By this time we started driving on little highways and they were gorgeous. Trees were landscaping the streets and there were so many colors out! (Which if you are in Utah reading this right now, sorry to hear about the snow you just got!)

We stayed in the beautiful town of Chambersburg and saw on the news that we were a warning area for severe thunderstorms and tornados. GREAT! And with all the news lately about tornados ripping up towns and all, we were a little frightened, but don’t worry Mom, we didn’t see much action. Just a feisty thunderstorm that night, but that was it.

Thank goodness too, because the next day, we spent in Gettysburg about a hop, skip and a jump away. WOW! It was incredible. Call me weird, but as we drove into town and saw the battlefield, I got goosebumps. I felt like I was on sacred ground.

This is Carl and I hanging out with Lincoln in front of the Gettysburg Visitor’s Center.

Yep, I’m the mean mom that left her child up by the sign, so I could get a picture of him. He’ll appreciate it one day.

We paid $10.50 for tickets to a 20 minute video about the Gettysburg battle, and then a Cyclorama Video that was about 20 minutes long, and the museum. This is a picture of Carl and Preston in front of a cannon in the museum. The Cyclorama was really neat and helped bring it to life, as did the movie. Then we went on the auto tour which was fascinating. Well worth the trip. We heard that the best way to do Gettysburg is to go super early and hire a Park Ranger to drive your car and take you on a tour for $55. However, with a young child, we weren’t making it there anytime “early.” Just a little FYI for you guys.

Along our auto tour, we saw monument after monument…

After monument. There would be a monument for “this state’s brigade” and “this state’s brigade.” And some were HUGE! What an intriguing part of our history. I was interested in the medical side of the battle, and then when I saw what they had to go through…I wasn’t as much! How unbearable!

Altogether, it was an unforgettable experience. I wish we could have gotten more pictures…but alas my camera died. Sorry.

After our time there, we drove on to…

Gaithersburg, MD, our new home. What a fun place to be. Not to rub it in our anything but Carl and I were in shorts today and went on a walk among the beautiful flowers and azaleas and the leaves on the trees! Oh how I love spring. Our home is great and perfect for our needs here.

That night we met up with Preston’s new boss and his wife. They were about as hospitable as they come. Immediately, they felt like long lost friends. We drove around town and saw where Preston will be working this summer, the best shopping areas, parks, restaurants, etc. Then we all went out to eat and just enjoyed the night. What a joy it will be to get to know them better.

The following day, we were able to spend with…drum roll…. EMILY! We are SO happy to be so close to her and basically want her to live with us all summer. We walked around town and talked about summer plans…and of course, little Carl had to show off his new ball skills to her!We can’t wait for the fun summer ahead and all the adventures that will come. Yay for internships!