Pre-Sandy

Wow, it's been a while since I posted but we are having the time of our lives!  After leaving the Norfolk/VA Beach area on October 25th we headed south traveling through the Outer Banks.  Of course this was all prior to Hurricane Sandy - although it would have been kinda fun to ride out the storm on Ocracoke Island (just kidding, not really).  Here are a few photos of our drive down Route 12:

I love the sky where it meets the ocean in this picture...













It was a very sunny, warm day so we cruised with the top down and pulled off the road every so often just to stick our feet in the warm sand, smell the sea air, and soak up a few rays.

To get back to the mainland we needed to take two ferries.  The first was a 40 minute ride from Hatteras to Ocracoke, the next one was a two and a half hour ride that one needed to make reservations for or chance not having room.  We got to Ocracoke around 6:30 p.m. and hungry so we decided to find a bed and breakfast on the island.  Our plan had been to have a nice dinner and get a good night's sleep, get up in the morning and tour the island and make reservations for the 11:00 Ferry to Cedar Island.  After getting settled in our room we started watching the track of Sandy and decided to get off the island before the rush.  We boarded the 7 a.m. ferry without reservations and learned that that the 11:00 ferry was entirely booked.  Wisely, others were getting to the mainland.  Here are a couple of pictures taken as we were leaving the port just before sunrise.

And, of course I can't resist today's favorite picture of Steve...

So this brings us to October 26.  The next few days are spent in Charleston, SC while Hurricane Sandy breezes by.  Oh, and we are thankful that family and friends in the path of Sandy faired very well with minimal damage and disruption.  More later.

F-18's, Firefighters, Beach Fun and Amazing Grace

After leaving our friends Kathy and Randy and our son Sean in Southern Maryland, our next stop was the Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach area where a couple of special events were planned.  Through my work, I met a couple of Navy fire chiefs a few months back.  When I told them of our road trip, they inquired as to whether we would be in their area.  Since our trip was to be an adventure, we added this stop and were promised the red carpet treatment.  They did not disappoint.

Our host was the district fire chief of Norfolk Naval Shipyard who picked us up at the Navy Lodge where we were staying.  Our first stop was Naval Air Station, Oceana.  We were introduced to the CO of the base who directed our host to give us the VIP tour starting with the air control tower's observation deck.  From there we had an eagle-eye view of the F-18's and the runways.

Here the N.A.S. Oceana fire chief is pointing out some incoming F-18's

He then drove us out to the flight line where the fire department's crash truck is positioned all day long. The firefighters do two hour rotations on the truck throughout the day.

We toured the entire base; however, I was not permitted to take pictures in some areas.  After we left N.A.S. Oceana, we were given a tour of the Norfolk Naval Hospital campus which is rich with history and sits on some of the most beautiful real estate in Portsmouth, VA.  We ended the day with a window tour of Norfolk Naval Shipyard and a walk-through tour of its fire station where Steve was presented with a few gifts

Here is Steve with our host and tour guide, District Fire Chief Steve White

And here is a picture with everyone who hosted us that day

We spent the next day at Virginia Beach.  Although I took several pictures, this one is my favorite.

After spending the day at the beach, we were able to get together with a high school classmate of mine and her family.  Beth and I reconnected a few years ago thanks to Facebook and have been following each other's lives using that medium.  When I was certain we were going to be in her area, I contacted her and she graciously offered to cook us dinner.  We spent several hours getting reacquainted, feasting on delicious appetizers, dinner and dessert, and being entertained by her granddaughter Grace.  I pirated this photo from Beth's Facebook and I hope she doesn't mind but I had to include a picture of this adorable little (almost) four-year old.  Grace played shy in the beginning but quickly warmed up to us.  Her creativity, beauty, stories, and pure innocence kept us enchanted all evening long.

Those two days were filled with adventure and memories, thanks to the help of our friends.

Southern Maryland Relections

The Pastor of the church that Steve, Penney, Kathy and I attend in California, Maryland always concludes his services with these words:

"You go nowhere by accident.

Wherever you go God is sending you.

Wherever you are God has put you there.

He has a purpose in you being there.

Christ who indwells you has something he wants to do through you where you are.

 Believe this and go in His peace, love, and power."

Steve and Penney came into our life at a very important time.  Kathy took a promotion to Pax River and traveled to southern Maryland on Sunday evenings and back home to me in North Carolina on the weekend.  Trying to find the right place for her to live during the workweek proved to be difficult and scary.  Finally Kathy told me about these wonderful people that she worked with who opened their house and hearts to her and offered her a place to stay, for a price of course :).  The very first time I ever met Penney and Steve I knew immediately that they were good, kind and loving people,  Whenever I had the chance to visit they welcomed me into their home like family.  Steve would constantly ask me if I needed anything or was everything ok.  They became great friends.  Their friendship made it much easier for Kathy and me when we decided that we both would move to Maryland.  The four of us have spent many hours together and traveled many miles on some wild adventures.  Our love for them continues to grow.

When we knew they were moving back to Maine we had mixed feelings.  But again, the words of that saying reminded me, you go nowhere by accident.  It was not an accident that our paths crossed.  My first trip to the New England states was to visit Penney and Steve and somehow they planned it just right so that we were there when their moving truck arrived and we helped move all that furniture into their mansion.  How Steve planned that I will never know.

What a wonderful weekend we have just experience with our friends as they graciously included us as one of the road trip stops.  The picture above was taken at Chesapeake Beach, Maryland.  The good thing about true friends is that we always pick up right where we left off and it doesn't seem like we were ever apart.  It is a beautiful moment when our wives are in the front seat driving and Steve and I are in the backseat singing Kenney Roger's song: "You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille."

Well guys, thanks for the great weekend and we can't wait until we take a train ride to Boston and meet up with you soon.

One more picture of the two lovebirds strolling the Chesapeake Beach Boardwalk.

The Virginia Days

While living away from all of our family has its downsides, Chris, Olivia and I (and of course the dogs, Raff and Axel) get to enjoy the anticipation, excitement, and genuine quality time on the occasions that we see our family and friends. This is especially true when Mom and Steve come to visit us in Virginia. I think I particularly enjoy it because the moment they walk in the door, after a few excited licks from the dogs, they are totally relaxed. In fact, they are so comfortable and relaxed here that it is not uncommon for them to stumble out of bed at 9 or 10 in the morning (I hear that this doesn’t occur much at home). Throughout our visit, we may find an adventure in the DC, Virginia, Maryland area, or just sit around unproductively, laptops in hand, watching movies, and conjuring up delicious, oh-so fattening food.  Whatever we end up doing, it is always a good time. The last (almost) two weeks have been no exception, as you’ve seen in previous posts.

Checking out the Virginia countryside together

Among the millions of things new mothers worry about, one thing I was concerned about was how Olivia would respond to family who she sees all too rarely.  This (along with 75% of the other anxieties) has proven to be an unnecessary concern. Within minutes of their arrival last Monday, she was so engaged with Mom and Steve, showing off her new skills, cuddling, flirting, and yelping for their attention if they happened to look away.

There is one thing that is unmistakable: the love that these two have for their grandchildren. I have always known it, but it wasn’t until Olivia’s birth that I really experienced it. By the way Olivia interacts with them, I’m certain that she knows it too. When Olivia looks at Steve, she doesn’t see any symptom of his EOAD. She sees someone getting down on the floor to play with her, making funny faces, and constantly ensuring that she is all right. There is no doubt in my mind that she feels his adoration in his tender touch. This innocence and unconditional love gives me a renewed faith on life.

Love from day one

While I would like to keep them here for the remainder of their trip, today we must send them off to continue their journey down the east coast. We wish them safe travels, beautiful weather, and so much love as they create life long memories over the next few weeks.

May you have fair winds and following seas!

The Beauty of Fall

We've been enjoying the colors of fall and mild temperatures in Virginia.  I went with Lyndsay today to get pumpkins wearing capris and sandals.  Wait, I was wearing capris and sandals NOT the pumpkins. Let me try again: I was not wearing pumpkins, I was wearing capris and sandals when we....  oh, never mind.

Summer is my favorite season but Fall is a very close second.  I love the colors and the smell.  I love the crunch of leaves beneath my feet.  I especially love the flavors of fall: apples, pumpkin treats, cider, etc.

When we began planning this road trip I knew if we were going to do it, it had to be soon.  I think the decision was made around June but being that we live in Maine, we were coming into the best time of the year to be in New England; at least in my opinion.  Summer is when we spend our weekends at our lake house.  It's where family gathers almost every weekend to enjoy everything that the lake house has to offer.  We generally begin our day with morning coffee on the deck overlooking the lake and we end our day on the same deck watching the setting sun.  We really don't move much from that spot throughout the day - maybe a few feet to get out of or into the sun depending on whether we are needing to absorb or escape the sun's rays, or going for a swim, tooling around in the kayak or for a ride on the jet ski.  The point is, the lake house is the only place I want to be in the summer.  This sunset picture was taken at the lake house by my niece Kiley.  It's one of my favorite photos of the summer.  This has not been Photoshopped or edited; Kiley captured the true beauty of the end of a beautiful day at the lake.

Once summer is over - which for us Mainers is early September - we begin to enjoy the changing season earlier than most in the country.  I decided that we weren't going to miss it; the road trip would just have to wait until after peak foliage.  I can't take credit for this photo; nor was it taken at our lake house but it truly represents the awesomeness of Fall in Maine.

You can see why we didn't want to miss it.  So, leaving just days after "peak foliage" became the plan.  What I hadn't thought of, however, is that we would enjoy the explosion of fall at each leg of our journey (duh, it only made sense).  Needless to say, there will be more pictures of Fall in future posts.

Lyndsay, Olivia, Steve and I went back to Old Downtown Fredericksburg yesterday to meander through the shops we didn't have time to explore last week.  I love taking random photos of things that catch my eye.  DISCLAIMER: I do not claim to be a photographer and these pictures were taken with my iPhone (although the 4S does have a great camera), so please don't be too critical of my lack of photo-talent and creativity.

I didn't purchase anything for myself but I did pick up a few things for some special little people (not in antique shops, however.)

Oh, and one last thing: we picked up a passenger along the way.  The little "bugger" you see on the wing of Lady Bug Girl "hopped" in my shopping bag and has decided to join us on our Road Trip.  Our (almost) 7-year-old grandson, Noah, decided to name him Jumpy.  Jumpy's adventures will be captured on film...wait, memory chip, as well.  I thought about giving him his own blog but that's just too much work.  So, introducing Jumpy...

Why Me, God?

As I sit here next to my husband reflecting on our Road Trip thus far and thinking about what the next few weeks will bring, I am reminded of a statement made to me by someone who doesn't know me very well.  She said: "with everything you have to deal with, you must lay awake at night and ask God, 'why me?'"  I was surprised by her comment and not knowing how to reply I simply said "It's not about me.  Steve is the one who battles this disease every single day."  I really haven't given her comment much thought until now.

WARNING:  Some may consider this post to be too deep, philosophical, expounded, abstract or whatever other verb you may want to put to it.  However, I now find myself pondering the thought and this post should simply be considered a musing.

Quite frankly, I have never even considered asking God "why me?".  Certainly not as a question posed relative to how MY life is effected by Steve's EOAD.  Steve lives with this disease every day.  He battles the effects of it courageously and never, EVER asks "why me?".  Even in the very early stage after the diagnosis, his first concern was of me - how I was handling the news and how I will "manage" it all going forward.  We've had many lengthy and painful conversations about our future - all too personal to share on this forum - but not once did he question the cards he'd been dealt and neither have I.

Today, however, I do ask "Why me, God?".  Why, God, was Steve put in my life to love me more than I could ever imagine being loved?  This man who loves my daughters like they were his own?  And why, God, am I so lucky that this man has a son who doesn't call me his step-mom but rather calls me his bonus mom (or B-ma for short), a daughter who is not related by blood to either of us but calls us her family, and why have I be given the friendship of a women who once shared Steve's life with him and who now would do anything for either of us?  Why, God, have we been given four wonderful children who love each other and us as if they were all born to us and who have chosen amazing people to share their own lives with?  Why me, God?

Why, God, have we been given four (so far) beautiful grandchildren who teach us to never forget how to enjoy the simple things in life?  And why, God, have we been given a family and friends who step in when and where they are needed to help carry us through this journey?

Why, God, have we been given an abundance of everything we need and even of things we don't need but that make our life so rewarding and fulfilling?

I may shed tears over the lost dreams Steve and I had for our future which may never come to fruition because of this disease.  I certainly morn the loss of the intellect of this man who has achieved so much in his life; personally and professionally.  But I am grateful for the time we do have together; for what Steve has given me, taught me and shared with me; for what we have achieved together; for the impact he has on my life.

No, I don't ask "Why me, God?".  Instead, I thank Him for the many blessings in my life.

Visit with our Nephews

We headed north to New Jersey this weekend to spend some time with Steve's brother Brian and his family.  We went to 2 of the 3 boys' soccer game and were able to celebrate Brian's birthday with him.

I love this picture of Steve with Brian and the 3 Boys in their soccer uniforms (L to R): Tommy, Michael and Brian.

We have always enjoyed spending time with these little guys and this weekend was no exception.

Here's one of the three of them being silly.  Steve is in there somewhere.  I love how Tommy is giving Steve rabbit ears.

A Hughes birthday cake favorite is Angel Food cake with chocolate frosting.  Christine didn't disappoint.  She even made cup cakes for those who didn't like the Angel Food cake.






This is the only picture I got that included my beautiful sister-in-law Christine.  Unfortunately, it ended up blurry; I think because of the light shining off Brian's head causing the camera not to focus 8^}.  In any case, I had to post this of the entire family.  I tried to compensate for the blurriness by attempting it in Sepia.

Thank you Brian, Christine, Brian, Tommy and Michael for the awesome weekend.  You are now a permanent fixture in our memory blog.

Time with family

We lived in Southern Maryland for 5 years; Lyndsay has lived 20 miles from old Downtown Fredericksburg for almost 3 years and until yesterday, we have never spent any amount of time there.  I quickly learned what we have been missing.  Lyndsay, Olivia, Steve and I had some time after an appointment so we spent it walking around enjoying a "step back in time". 

I love antiques and I love browsing through antique shops.  I think I could spend a week in old Downtown Fredericksburg and still not have seen all the antiques contained within the plethora of shops and malls.  Because we didn't have much time, I resisted the urge to enter these stores and just spent the time window browsing.  But rest assured, I will be spending a day there before we leave for the next leg of our trip.  

The fall decorations only enhanced the beauty of the scenery.    

There was a touch of modern as well: this lovely dress was in a shop window

I can never resist capturing a precious shot of Lyndsay and Olivia

That same night we met Sean in a town about an hours away for dinner and a few drinks.   Danielle (Sean's significant other) was not able to join us as she is finishing up her final semester at college.

We met at The Green Turtle in LaPlata where they have the best crab dip in Southern Maryland.  Some got a little loopy on a delicious concoction called Fruity Loop; however, not the two guys pictured here.  That's all I'll say about that. 

There is nothing in this world as fulfilling as spending quality fun time with family.  Wishing Heather, Andrea and their families were here as well.  

Sweet Olivia

The first leg of the trip was pretty uneventful.  The sun was brightly shining when we left the hotel which made for a beautiful ride along the Saw Mill Parkway.  We ventured off the parkway to a little town that had the charm and character of a New England village.  We stayed "the path" the rest of the way to Virginia and arrived at Lyndsay's around 3:30.  The remainder of the day was spent getting reacquainted with Olivia.

And I learned that she absolutely loves her bath.

Here's a picture of Steve from our day at Fortunes Rocks.

















At each of the stops we make we have decided to purchase a lottery ticket.  Perhaps one of them will be the lucky one and we can buy a new vacation home like this one:

The next couple of days will be spent relaxing and enjoying Lyndsay and her amazing little family.

Our bags our packed and we are ready to go...

I, a person who likes to plan and have everything go as planned, have vowed to be flexible and "go with the flow" on this trip.  If there is anything I have learned since Steve's diagnosis, it's to have patience at all times, to expect things not to go as planned and to not fret over the things that are outside of my control.  This new attitude was put to the test yesterday when unexpected and unexplained car problems threatened postponement of our departure.  However, I have also learned to read automobile manuals and was able to determine (well, actually, it was a guess) that the issue with the car was minor and likely everything would be fine in the morning.  I was right and with the help of my father, the problem was resolved.

Steve, Wayne and I were washing and detailing the car but apparently we got overly ambitious with hosing down the car and we flooded (??) the electrical system.  Upon reading the manual, it was the only explanation I could find given the panel indicator lights.  The manual explained that if the car is driven through a large puddle of water, the system can become wet and must dry in order for the car to operate.  Those of you who are car experts, forgive my layman explanation.  This morning, the panel indicator lights were off, so we hooked up the battery charger and after a while - all systems go.

Our planned departure was Monday, October 8, but following a strict itinerary is NOT in the plans.  So, with our bags packed, the important details taken care of and the car loaded we decided to hit the road this afternoon.

We made it as far as Danbury, CT before deciding to stop for the night.  This next picture is for Heather, Lyndsay and Sean and will become the topic of many future jokes, I'm sure.

Random comment of the day:  For the first time in several years, my siblings and I, along with our significant others, were together today with my parents.  We were celebrating Kiley's 14th birthday.

The Decision Has Been Made: We Are Going On An Adventure

This road trip has been on the "bucket list" for a long time; although not quite exactly as currently planned.  I decided, after facing the reality of the progression of Steve's Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD), to take a 9-week leave of absence from my job.  I knew - we knew if we didn't do it now, likely we would not have another chance.  So after a couple of months of planning, and with the support of my employer, family and friends, we will head out on our adventure in Steve's beloved Corvette on October 8, 2012.

Our plan is to be tourist to our beautiful East Coast.  We have a starting point, an ending point and several scheduled visits with family and friends along the way but we also look forward to exploring and deviating from our planned route as we go.  I will capture our experience with a video diary and we will use this blog to record our adventure.  If you come across this blog, either on accident or intentionally, please leave a message to let us know you were here.

Today, October 6 (Saturday), we visited our planned starting point: the beautiful Fortunes Rocks Beach in Biddeford Pool, Maine - just a few miles from our house.  We start our journey with a stroll on the beach with my brother Robin and his wife Sherry, my brother Wayne and his daughter Kiley.

The sky was hazy with peeks of sunshine, the temperature was around 70 degrees - a bit above average for October in Maine.  The scenery was incredible and the sea air was exhilarating.

During our beach stroll, we came across these rocks that someone placed in the shape of a heart and I couldn't resist the photo op.

The next picture is just a random photo of Steve's footprint in the sand.

So, after a wonderful start, let the adventure begin...