The Stubbs Take the East Coast: Evans, Georgia

Our next stop was to see Hilary and Jake - the other third of our family-away-from-family in Germany. Hillary and Jake, Maggie and Trey, and Tyler and I spent most weekends and holidays together during our time in Germany. Unlike Maggie and Trey though, we hadn't had the opportunity to see Hilary and Jake since we tearfully parted ways in Germany, more than three years ago.

Since we last saw them, Hilary and Jake became the wonderful parents to two sweet girls, Ava and Nora. It was wonderful to finally meet them, and see our children play together. Sometimes it's unfathomable how much can change in three years, and at the same time, it was like nothing had changed at all.

We jumped in bouncy houses, ate real southern BBQ, grilled, walked along the Savannah river, and quickly caught up on the last three years.

The Stubbs Take the East Coast: Washington D.C.

Our first stop along our road trip to Tampa was D.C., where our friends Maggie and Trey, and their adorable kids Camille and Walter live. Trey and Maggie quickly became our family away from home while we were stationed in Germany. We’ve remained close since we left, and were able to see them on each our visits to Colorado over the last few years, as they were conveniently stationed there after Germany. Now they’ve moved to D.C., which we sort of love, because it’s just a day’s drive away, and we can get in serious time catching up. We’ll be back…

Though we only stayed for two short days (which was cut short thanks to our eventful drive), we were able to fit in plenty of catching up, watching the kids play, and a trip to downtown D.C. (my first ever) where we saw the Pentagon, White House, and the Museum of Natural History, among other landmarks.

 

We pre-arranged their marriage a very long time ago. I'm so glad things are moving in the right direction.

We were lucky enough to catch the very end of cherry blossom season.

 

"Late night" PB&Js.

The Stubbs Take the East Coast: A Rock Hits the Car

Tyler, Jackson, and I loaded up the well-traveled Explorer, and hit the road. Our final destination was Tampa, but we planned to stop with friends along the way, both to make the trip more manageable and fun, and to see close friends we hadn’t seen in a long time.

Our first stop was D.C., where our friends Maggie and Trey, and their adorable kids Camille and Walter live. The drive to D.C. was fairly uneventful, until just outside of Baltimore, when a large piece of steel and asphalt came right through the windshield between Tyler and I, landing just between my left leg and the center console. The best we can figure is that the truck in front of us kicked up a piece of the road. To say someone was watching out for us was an understatement, as the first, panicked words out of my mouth were, ”THAT COULD HAVE KILLED ME!”

Somehow, despite a car covered in shattered glass, a rearview mirror dangling from a giant hole, and a crying wife and child, Tyler kept his cool and took the next exit. He found a gas station, and pulled over so we could verify Jackson was okay, vacuum up glass, and call the insurance company. It didn’t take long for us to realize we were in the worst possible area of Baltimore. The insurance company assured us that they would be sending a windshield replacement company to replace the windshield (remarkably, that was the only damage), but it would take several hours for them to arrive, and a couple more to finish the job. Of course.

Thankfully, Trey rushed (as quickly as one can during rush hour in the Baltimore/D.C. area) to us, where he patiently waited and made sure we all made it safely back to their home. All-in-all, this could have been so, so much worse. We still can’t believe how fortunate we were that this was such a minor setback.

More on our visit with Maggie and Trey in the next post!

 

Pre-rock-in-windshield.

 

Post-rock-in-windshield.

 



 

I'm Glad I'm Yours

Dear Jackson,

"There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart." -Washington Irving

In celebration of Mother's Day (a few days late), I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on the very best parts of being your mama.

Being yours means splashing in puddles and pointing out every last airplane, big truck, school bus, and train we come across. It means tackling every slide at the park (as a team), pointing out the colors of, well, everything, and playing chase. It means tickles, giggles, and games.

Being your mom means evening cuddles, late-night snacks, morning kisses, and unprompted "I love you's." It means jumping, climbing, and "ring around the rosies." It means puzzles, painting, and coloring. It means splashing in the bath, and curling up under blankets. It means building forts and then destroying them.

It means watching you grow and learn at heart-wrenchingly fast pace and it means aweing over the wonder in your eyes.

Quite simply put, to be your mama means everything to me.

Thank you for showing me the tender, wild, crazy, exciting, and loving side of boyhood. You are my greatest gift.

Love forever,

Yours

Countdown to Deployment: Date Night #4

We did it. Four weeks, four dates.

For date night number four, we headed to Armory Square in Syracuse, a super-hip, bustling downtown square jam-packed with great restaurants, bars, and entertainment. Because spring temperatures were finalllllly making an appearance, we were lucky to grab a table on the patio at the Blue Tusk (they seem to specialize in all things pork and beer - you seriously can't go wrong).

We ordered sandwiches, beers, and (obviously) a cheese platter. It was super-simple and incredibly delicious.

We decided to make a mad-dash to the nearest movie theater to sneak in a movie. I can literally count on one hand the number of movies we've seen in a theater since Jackson was born. When we snag a rare date night, we would usually rather spend our time actually communicating (you know, without interruptions from the little human we created). Because we were squeezing in a good amount of dates this month, we felt good about getting a movie in.

So that wraps up our month of dates. Now we'll be settling for Skype and phone dates.

 

(I know, I'm so funny)