Time is Flying!!!!!

Holy moly!  Days are disappearing!  Scott and I now have a departure date, and that has turned everything here up a notch.  What at the beginning felt like more than enough time to get visits accomplished, trailer repairs done, and things organized at mom and dads is starting to feel a bit rushed!  Breath.  Breath.  Ahhh....  O.K.  The kids and I took a magnificent walk with my mother the other day at Maudsley.  Cool breeze, slightly overcast sky, aromatic flowers and long winding paths.  Our dinner with Sandra was lovely.  We have plans later next week to meet up with her in the town Scott and I lived in when we were first married.  Should be fun to show the kids the little cottage we used to rent.
Yesterday we picked the kids up from Cathy's where they were coming off the high of sleeping over and being 100% completely spoiled.  On Wednesday, after we dropped them off we headed to Salem.  What a perfect day to walk the town.  Scott and I also used the time to reserve our first few nights at campsites in NH.  Our next big plans take us back to Nahant, where we have a few morning visits before we take to the beach again with the Goodwins.  Then lunch with Scotts uncle, bounce house weekend at my sisters, another trip to Nahant to visit with the Brown's, Cate sleeps over, we meet up with Sandra for dinner, and lastly have a big last night celebration supper at Gammy and Gampy's....  There are a few days in between that are still blank, but they are sure to fill up.  Phew!!

Beautiful, beautiful Maudsley.

My favorite picture so far this year.

Ahh...  what a comfy stone bench.

Headed back to the pool at Cathy's.

So good to see friends!

Now that we are relatively settled in, and my dad is moving towards "normal" Scott and I have begun visiting friends and family.  Meagan and Ellie came by on Wednesday for a night in Merrimac.  Ellie was our first ever overnight guest!!  On Friday the kids and I headed to Salem where we surprised their cousin Cate!  The kids all had a blast.  We took them to the pool, the three of them baked cookies, and Cathy and I were able to catch up while they played.  After some delicious order out pizza and a short visit with my cousin Tommy I took the kids back to Merrimac.  Then it was a day of helping around the house before we headed out again.  This time to our old town of Nahant!  We had not seen the ocean for a year, and boy did it feel good to breath that salt air!  The day was a perfect ten with the Goodwins!  A few hours at the beach, some hang around the house time, fabulous home cooked meal, and we were on our way.  Lots of plans are forming as we look ahead to the next few weeks in New England.  Sandra is on her way here now.  It has been way too long since we have seen her.  At least a year and a half!!

Like our new office?

Great coffee spot.

Fiona at work outside her huge fort.  This is her herb drying station.

Looking better everyday.

There is a basketball court in the woods here?!

Gammy has perfected the "diaper" shot.

Yay!  We are at Cate's!

Cate's dog Neptune really wanted to go home with me...

In our spot on Tudor.

Ethan made the jump off the wharf!  Fiona might next year...

Jessie, Ethan, Mimi and Fiona.

Awwww, sisters.

LOVE YOU!!!

Merriness in Merrimac!

Holy moly!  We did it.  In the beginning of the journey, the miles seemed to stretch so far ahead of us...I didn't even want to calculate the hours it was going to take.  Little by little we crossed the divide between "us and them".  Our first night was in Marshal, TX.  Second night in a state park in Tennessee.  Third night in an old school park in Kentucky.  Fourth night in an RV park that was like its own little town in Ohio, and then the BIG PUSH to the end of the driveway in Merrimac!  Yesterday was a bit of a blur.  We only had a few hours of sleep due to the fact that we rolled in at around 1 am.  Scott got to work immediately. Mowing the lawn, trimming trees, and putting up a gate that my mom wants in her garden.  Did I mention he also cooked dinner for everyone last night? (Super-Star!)  My dad is doing awesome.  He is walking all around, talking fine and eating meals.  What a relief!
Scott has scheduled a tune up for the trailer for a week from this Thursday.  We are going to get "Rolling Thunder" in mint condition before we hit the road again.  My sister and Ellie are headed up to Merrimac from Plymouth tomorrow.  We will get to meet their new dog Magoo.  Ellie will be sleeping over, and will be our first over-night guest in the trailer!  We are looking forward to reunions with so many friends and family in New England.  I am so grateful that my dad went through all of this just to get us back north! All joking aside though...I am tremendously relieved that he is doing so well, and feel in my heart that much of that healing was due to all the positive thinking from friends and family, and the many prayers said for his recovery.

Ohio.

Entrance to our last campground in Ohio.

Like our "old-school" GPS?

Yikes!  We caught the tail edge of this.

New York.

Ahhh...  Fiona feels right at home in Gammy and Gampy's front yard.

Time to get to work boys!

Fiona immediately built a fort with tree trimmings.

The kids helped Scott get some posts for the new gate.

Best slip and slide ever!

Hose water, dish soap, and winter sleds!

The gate going up.  My uncle Ken carved it.

Mom's beautiful garden.

Not a bad place to call home for a while!