We're Back

We are back from our cross-half-country trip with our two month old son. Brave, you may say. Or completely insane. Either way, we have lived to tell about it.



I won't spend a lot of time going into specifics, but here was our basic trip:

Monday, left South Carolina and drove to Richmond, Virginia. 6 hour trip took 8 hours. Not bad. Tuesday, left Virginia and drove to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Stayed with Christian's aunts and uncles in Lancaster and York, PA. Left PA Saturday morning. Drove two days to Springfield. Stayed with Dan and Jeannie for a couple of days (ate very well), and then stayed with the Fenders the remainder of the week (ate well again). We left Saturday morning and made it back to SC by Sunday afternoon.

It was great to visit family, and we were even able to introduce Lukas to his Great Grandmother Stoeckle. Pennsylvania is beautiful. I had only been up there in the winter before. Summer time is great. They grow the best sweet corn I have ever tasted. We also invested in an Amish handmade quilt. Christian's aunt had a quilter she had used, so we didn't end up in one of the tourist shops. It is really cool.

Springfield was a whirlwind. We had so many people to see, but it didn't seem like we spent enough time with anyone. To top it all off, Christian was (and still is) sick. That put a damper on things. We did get to drop in on our old neighborhood's annual block party. Boy were people surprised to see us. We also went on a tour of a new chocolate factory in Springfield. This lawyer started it himself. He contracts directly with the farmers and they grow and harvest the beans to his specifications. He then processes the beans and makes the chocolate. It is very good. Almost like a cooking chocolate, so if you are a milk chocolate fan, it may not be for you.

Since we've been back, I've just been enjoying every minute I have with Lukas. We went in for his two month checkup and he is up to 15 pounds 4 ounces and 23 inches long. Big boy. Anyway, I start back to work next week. I am doing half days for the first week, then I'll go back Tuesday-Friday. Let me tell you, I do not want to. I am against sending him to daycare with every inch of my being. Unfortunately, the numbers are not adding up for me to be able to quit. We are going to try me going back for a couple of months and see how much we can get paid off (student loan, car). Maybe by the end of the year, I'll be able to stay home with him. Does anyone have $15,000 laying around that they would like to contribute to the "Keep Lukas Home Fund"? Ha Ha.

Well, it sounds like Lukas has had enough of Christian, so I better see if I can help.