Update on the backyard

Well we're almost ready to put the stone patio down. Just need to rent a compactor and get to work. Hopefully we'll get that done tomorrow and I'll have pictures to post of my pretty patio on Monday. WOHOO! We're finally seeing progress. After the patio we still have a deck to build, which Jeremy thinks should go pretty fast once the posts are poured. Stay tuned.

Maryland

It was so nice to get away and relax in Maryland. Our flight left at 6:30 in the morning, so here we are at 5:30AM waiting in the airport. We arrived in Solomons around 11:30, ate lunch and Jeremy had to go straight to work. I explored the town while waiting for our room to be ready and then called the hotel shuttle to come pick me up. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool until Jeremy got back. Little did I know that's what I would end up doing for the next 4 days as well.

Here's a cool shot I took out the plane window. Oh yeah, first time being on a plane in 7 years.

Each night we went to some great restaurants with amazing crab cakes. I can't ever have crab cakes anywhere else now. Our favorite was Stoney's. I even found out they ship their crab cakes world wide. Too bad the shipping is $100. We'll see, I might spring for them later in the year. They were that good. They just melted in your mouth, and I wasn't a big fan of crab before, obviously I hadn't had the real thing.

Anyways, enough on my crab obsession. On Saturday we went to Calvert Cliffs State Park where we took a 2 mile hike to beach to search for fossils and shark's teeth. There were several kids there, it was hot, and the pool was sounding really good by the time we got to the beach so we walked around a little, took some pictures and then started the long walk back to the car.

We saw some lily pads along the way, it was pretty cool, I don't think I've ever seen them in nature before.

After cooling off in the pool a couple hours we decided to go to the Marine Museum and tour a lighthouse. It was pretty cool and we got to pet turtles and crabs and search for shark's teeth in kids area. This is a view from the lighthouse looking into the bay inlet.

Here's the lighthouse. It's called a screwpile lighthouse because they were screwed into the ground out in the middle of the ocean.

On our last night we went to Stoney's one last time and I ate as much crab as I could. Saying goodbye :(

-Marissa

Fireworks

I know I'm posting this a month late, but Jeremy got some great pictures of the fireworks so I thought I'd share a couple.
On our way to watch the fireworks. Heather, Jeremy and Derek.

Mini Vacation

We're taking a small break from the backyard to go to Maryland. Jeremy has to go for 2 weeks for work so I'm going the first 5 days and we're hoping to explore the area on the weekend. I'm pretty excited, of course I'm not the one working. I'm hoping to spend my days laying out at the pool and shopping! :) You can tell why I'm excited.

There's also some exciting news going on while we're gone. Jeremy's sister is having a C-section Wednesday, July 16, the day we fly out. We know it's a boy but I can't wait to see pictures and hear the final name they decided on. I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as I get them!

Side note on the backyard - we're hoping to get some of the major work done on the retaining wall this weekend so if that actually happens I'll post photos of that as well. :)

Jeremy's Birthday

I invited our small group over for dinner and ice cream cake for Jeremy's birthday. It was alot of fun. We had a Wii bowling tourney....guess who won! Of course the birthday boy. :) I so glad everyone was able to come over and can't wait to do it again.

Here's the wonderful ice cream cake.

On Monday, June 30, his actual birthday I took him to eat at Bacana Brazil, a brazilian steakhouse in Chesterfield. It was really good and we definitely got enough meat for months. Afterward we went to Faust Park and walked around the Butterfly House, which was already closed by the time we got there, but I think we'll go back. Anyways, below are some photos we took. They turned out really well, so I think right before the sun goes down is a great time to take pictures.