Heading North

Today is the big day we have been waiting for and talking about for quite awhile.  We are heading north.

But first....

This message from our scale. 

I LOST almost 3 pounds this week.  I am pretty excited about that. I'm starting our big trip at 266.8.  It's really better than three because after I reported the weight last Wednesday, I actually gained another three that I didn't report.  Once the company left on Saturday, I got back to more regimented food habits and a bit more exercise.  That's always what it takes.

And now back to our trip...

This is a six week trip involving over 3,000 miles of driving and lots of time with family and friends.  Today we are making our longest single day's drive of the entire trip, up to Florence, SC, around 480 miles.  Tomorrow we are going to my sister Flyn's house in Dillwyn, VA, and Friday we will pull into the Rosens' house in Silver Spring for dinner on our way to checking into my sister Cindy's house for the month of May.

On Saturday we get to see Lowell and Emily and THE RING!!  We are picking them up to go to the Keter Shem Tov at Mishkan Torah to honor our friends, Saul and Phyllis.  While up there, I will get to see Lowell do his reading and buy lots of copies of his first published book, Draw a Circle, a collection of short stories.  We will also see him graduate with his MFA (Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts) from the University of Baltimore and have a Mother's Day Brunch with the newly engaged couple and Emily's parents.

But WAIT, there's more...

Mark saw the gastroenterologist yesterday who was recommended by our neighbor Maureen and our friends Barb and Al.  We liked him a LOT.  He renewed Mark's prescription for the protonic and scheduled him for an endoscopy and colonoscopy on June 11.  He will do both at the same time, so at least there's only one day for anasethesia.  Dr. Anwer cracked himself up when he said that we wouldn't know if he used the same scope or mixed up the scopes for the test "unless you wake up with a bad taste in your mouth."  Haha.  He cracked us up, too.  We are impressed with this new doctor.

And now back to our trip....

We have plans to visit lots of people: some colleagues from Pikesville Middle, some former students (Jon and Jen), my cousins Irene and Gary, and my friend Peggy.  I will play some Mah Jongg with my MT Mah Jongg Maniacs, see some new movies, attend an Oriole's game with Cindy and Ken, participate in Shavuot services at Mishkan Torah, and much more.  After Memorial Day weekend we are driving up to Herkimer, NY to visit Barb and Ron and see their new house on our way to a family wedding in Buffalo, NY and a visit with friend Ellen C. before beginning a four day drive home. On the way home we plan to visit my step-mother Jackie in WV and our friends Cathy and Tom in NC.  We won't sleep in our own bed again until June 6.

Mark and I are both taking our laptops, so there will be Facebook, emails, and blogs along the way. I have my camera packed, so there will be pictures.  This is quite a big trip.  I had best stop typing and get on with breakfast and packing the car to get this great trip started.