December 26

With Andrea/Dylan and Julia/Matt/Grayson still here, we drove to scenic Annapolis, about a half hour away. It's so pretty on the water, but it was really cold!

                                            Grayson was so patient with the cold.  What a trooper!

Walking through the Naval Academy grounds thanks to Dylan's military ID.

We looked in shop windows and stopped for some hot chocolate.

                    Andrea and Dylan celebrated that night at a favorite Indian food restaurant. 

  And, Dave and I watched Grayson so Julia and Matt could have a pre-anniversary dinner celebration, since their 6th anniversary was the next day.

Christmas 2020

We were happy to have Andrea and Dylan here in Maryland for Christmas!

Julia, Matt and Grayson were also here and got a nice pic out on our deck Christmas morning.

                                  Julia is sporting the custom scarf I crocheted for her. :)

Santa even made a showing.  Daniel's family joined us again for dinner and to spend the day together.

We're grateful to have so much of our family with us this year!

 

Christmas Eve 2020

We were fortunate that Andrea and Dylan could fly in from Utah to be with us over Christmas. Most of our family traditions are on Christmas Eve.  This year we made our gingerbread houses that day.  We mostly like to visit and eat a little candy.  :)

Julia, Matt and Grayson live an hour drive from us, but they stayed over a few days to be a part of all the festivities. Daniel and his family also joined us. We had a yummy plant-based dinner.

Dave kept a fire for us so we could enjoy a cozy, rustic setting.

 

We sang Christmas carols and read the Christmas story.

We continue a plant-based Danish tradition of eating rice pudding for dessert.  The person who found the whole almond received an almond chocolate bar. (The traditional gift is a marzapan (almond paste) pig. :)

Birthday/Thanksgiving trip to Utah

Dave and I flew to Utah on my birthday.  Andrea and Dylan picked us up at the SLC airport, and took us to their apartment in Orem.  

We scheduled a pottery making class for that evening, and all four of us made a pot.

That night Andrea had gone all out to make a beautiful vegan cheesecake.  She and Dylan gave me some lovely gifts.  I was featured in her social media story that day. :)

The next morning Dave and I, along with Andrea and Dylan  met a old friend of Dave's for breakfast, who he hadn't seem in over forty years. We had a great time catching up with him and his wife.

We continued our drive down to St. George, Utah to visit my mom and Craig.

We took a scenic walk behind Mom's house, as well as checking out some red rock and desert gardens.

We also had the best 'tea party' ever.  We dressed up with some of my Mom's old crazy stuff and prepared lots of little finger foods, and bought a cake. Even Craig, Dave and Dylan joined in, as it was also a birthday party for Andrea. 
Andrea and Dylan drove Dave back to the airport, while I stayed another 10 days with my Mom, and helped her organize things in her house.

Claire's birthday #5

                                  Dave and I visited Claire and her family on her Halloween birthday.

                                                     She loved her cake.


 

Enjoying beautiful Fall weather!

 

Pennsylvania Rendezvous

We found a great place in Pennsylvania that is midway between Dave and I in Maryland, and Kara's family in New York. Julia is in nearby Virginia, and drove up with us for a weekend getaway.

Our hike down to the waterfalls.

Chilling at our rental home

 

We made our way through the corn maze.  It was a beautiful day with amazing views from this large, rural farm with pumpkin patches, a hayride, food and games. 

September Birthdays

 

We celebrated Dan's birthday, and then Elliott's at our house in September.

Happy Birthday, Dave!

For Dave's birthday we went to our favorite local vegan restaurant, Great Sage, where they had outdoor dining.

It was a really pleasant night with some great food, and the best company!

 Back at home, Dave led me in a rendition of  'Happy Birthday' before we ate the homemade plant-based carrot cake. [We let some candles represent decades. :) ]

Sunflowers in Fulton

 At the old Yeager farm in Fulton they planted sunflowers this summer.  They had a maze and other fun activities there.  It was so scenic, and just a mile away from us.

National Zoo with Kara's Family

 

Kara's family drove through after their beach trip to North Carolina.  I drove down with them to the National Zoo in Washington DC.  It was hot, but a fun excursion.

Miss Ava  :)

It was great to be with their family again!