Piptures from the Road 11/18:

 We have learned to start our roadtrips early in the morning, hoping Pip will sleep for the first 3-4 hours. We left St. Aug at 4:00AM with Pip happily snoozing in her car seat. To be honest I also slept in the back seat the first leg of the trip. We stopped in Florence, South Carolina for breakfast. On the road, McDonald's oatmeal and a large coffee suit us just fine. We try to stop every two hours, usually at rest stops along I-95. We pack a cooler and snacks so we do not have to stop for lunch. Traffic was minimal on Sunday and we ended up pulling into Reston, VA at 5:00 PM Sunday night. 

Mr. R. would like me to point out that we would have made better time if I had not insisted on a Wawa coffee stop in Stafford, VA. I am unapologetic about this stop. I needed coffee, Pip needed a soft pretzel and because we were both appeased the rest of the trip was peaceful and uneventful. 

 We were lucky enough to have dinner with my BFF, Nicole's, parents Sunday night and then we crashed at the hotel. In her 18 months here on Earth Pip has stayed in 6 hotels and girlfriend loves them. She is a big fan of the corded phone, the jet whirpool tubs, the big windows, jumping on the beds, and the ice machine. She has also been known to chat-up guests in the elevator and princess wave to the hotel staff as we come and go from the lobby.

This kid, oh does she make me laugh!

Home Again!

Thanksgiving Roadtrip 2012 was a total success! We drove 1400 miles, our little Scion now reads 111,111 on the odometer, we saw our favorite people, drank Wawa coffee daily, and stored up as many hugs and memories as our hearts can hold. It was bittersweet saying goodbye, but are grateful to never be more than a phone call away from the ones we love. Also... it felt amazing to sleep in our own beds on Saturday night. I will return soon with a full recap, but until then here are a few of my favorite photos from our time away. 

A Piper airplane hat! 

 Family dinners, stories, and lots of tractors...

The Republicans in front of the Philadelphia skyline.

 Crush from Finding Nemo!

He lives on the 3rd floor of Adventure Aquarium.

 To Pip, there is nothing in life better than the swings!

 Sweet Cousin Jonas!

Pitman Doughnuts with Pop-pop.

Decisions, decisions...

A bulleted (yet still Thankful update):

November 13: Thankful for Best Friends who make surprise visits and help out with bath time and story time. Nicole you will forever be the Lunt to my Cheeseburger. We miss you already!

November 14: Thankful nights off from grad school and commitments. Mr. R. has been incredibly busy with work and school and while he does a great job balancing all that is on his plate, it's nice to have him all to ourselves once in a while.

November 15: Thankful for students who love science, embrace challenges, and make me want to stay in the classroom.

 November 16: Thankful for my crock-pot. It prepared dinner while I ran around packing, washing, cleaning, and making lists for our trip. Tonight's dinner is a spin on a recipe that has been making its way around pinterest. Ham slice, dried white beans, and 32 oz of chicken broth placed in your crock-pot for 8 hours on low. I add another 16 ounces of chicken broth and stir in a bag of kale and cook for one more hour. So good!

November 17: Thankful for a change in plans. Mr. R. and I were supposed to be in Charleston right now. But we made a last minute decision to give ourselves one more night at home before taking off for   our Thanksgiving 2012 road trip. I love that he saw how tired I was and made the decision that I knew I should have made all along.And a pre-emptive thankful for tomorrow, We are ever so thankful for Miss Rita who is house sitting and taking care of Simon and Sophie in our absence. We know they will be spoiled, loved on, and not miss us at all!

This is the darkest timeline...

For you community fans out there, Mr. R. is joining forces with evil Abhed for the darkest timeline. He even has the goatee to prove it.

 In truth, Mr. R. took a couple of weeks off from shaving and was sporting a beard for the past 10 days or so. He shaved off his scratchy face on Saturday, but not before I snapped this picture.

And for those of you who don't watch Community, you are seriously missing out!

Thankful 11: for Miss Rita

She loves Piper like she is her own. She gives Mr. R. and I peace of mind when we are not home. She knows our house like the back of her hand. She loves the pups. Miss Rita is exceptionally kind. She is always thinking of others. She gladly takes Piper to the library, the playground, and the carousel. She thinks nothing of an afternoon of arts and crafts. She plays tea party and reads the same book 40 times a day. Saturday night she gave us a night out and as a surprise she brought a balloon bouquet for Pip. The balloons represented Pip's newest obsession , princesses! As we walked out the door for date night, Pip didn't even miss us. That is how good Miss Rita is. She is family!
And we could not survive without her.

Friendsgiving 2012

Tonight we celebrate the birthday of one of my sweetest friends. Kristin is the kind of person everyone needs to have in their life. She is kind, thoughtful, funny, brilliant, and prayerful. She was one of my first Florida friends and even when our time in Florida is a distant memory I am sure we will still be great friends. She is just that awesome! 

 Rachel turned her house into a Pottery Barn catalogue. Lots of twinkling lights, lanterns, hurricanes, and handmade quilts. Everyone made their thanksgiving favorites and we toasted glasses of apple sangria under the stars.

It's nights like this where I reflect on how lucky I am. A belly full of thanksgiving favorites, a glass of wine, conversations that make you belly laugh, sweet little girls who hold hands and run around the yard and exquisite friends!

Thankful 10: Thankful for a date night!

On Thursday a sweet friend offered me symphony tickets. A quick email to Mr. R. to see if he was free followed by a call to Miss Rita to see if she could watch Pip and a date night was ours! I have blogged before about the importance of date night. We try to schedule a date night at least once a week, but since Pip has come along, most of our dates have been at home. 

A date night out of the house is reason for celebration. It's a chance for me to reconnect with heels, my little black dress, and my husband. Have I mentioned how amazing Mr. R. looks in a suit?

The Jacksonville Orchestra was wonderful. The program was titled Ravishing Rachmaninoff and while I know very little about this Russian composer, I loved his compositions. The orchestra was joined by the Jacksonville Chorus and they were fabulous as well. The symphony combined with dinner out and a little wine is the equivalent of date night amazingness around here. 

On a side note, Miss Pip is in love with the TV show Little Einsteins. The shows premise is to give toddlers an appreciation for fine art and music. They feature a new artist and composer each episode. The show also teaches music timing. You will often hear Pip mimicking the words Allegro, adagio, retardando. Last night as I was reading the symphony program those same words appeared next to each movement. It made me think of my girl and how someday we will take her to the symphony. 

I am so grateful to sweet friends, awesome baby-sitters, date nights, and the ability to take a night off from parenting, but still miss my girl at the same time.