Little facts from Baltimore...

Useful/less things I’m learning here in Baltimore...

The Civil War was also fought in the Mediterranean Sea by ships like this one that we explored in our Inner Harbor. Huh?! Also, I think it would be really cool and really challenging to cook good meals for 100+ people in the kitchen we saw on the submarine on that same trip downtown.

There is a difference between a plantation and a factory, a la 1800. Five minutes away is a factory where the plants and livestock were raised to feed the slaves at the ironworks in the late 1700s, early 1800s. A factory grows what it needs for the workers, a plantation grows more to sell. This house is bigger than Mt. Vernon and Monticello, and also a whole lot closer to us and free.

Maryland was neutral during the Civil War, as I learned from a Civil Warm re-enactor here. But the southern part of the state favored the south, and the northern, the north. Neutrality was good for the government in DC, and also for a skinny state stuck in the middle.

B&O Railroad stands for Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. One of the first railroads in the country, started in the 1830s. And the first rail cars looked more like stagecoaches on wheels. The people on top would often get hit by flying embers.

Big school districts are kind of obnoxious about their red tape. And heat, rain, or one quarter inch of snow will close schools for at least a few hours in Baltimore.

Maryland’s flag is the only state flag with a coat of arms in it. Kinda funky looking, but kind of cool.

Cardinals are much more common than orioles here. Am I in Illinois still?!

Watching the sun rise over the ocean is fairly blinding compared to watching it set over the ocean.

The Appalachian mountains are actually more beautiful and vast than I expected, even to me (CA mountain snob) and John (CO mountain snob).

You can go up inside the Washington monument in D.C. (I haven’t yet though). There’s also an older monument to Washington here in Baltimore.

Cool stuff, eh?

a quick look back...

December flew by, the first half spent busier than ever with new friends here, and the second half busier than ever with a house full of John's family. Both wonderful! John, his brothers and Dad, and the girls spent New Year's Eve day in Washington DC, leaving me to the first quiet and solitude I can remember during the entire year. Here's what the silence brought to mind, as I thought back over a remarkable month, fall, and year. An epically long post with 31 things I'm thankful for. Enjoy :). (Cutting and pasting has messed with my format, but I'm just going to pretend I don't notice!)

1. Silence for the first time in weeks to collect my thoughts. Ahhh, peace and quiet.

2. 2. A big, big house with lots and lots of room. Plus a big, big yard. For hosting lots of family.

3. 3. Stomach stuffed full from a skillet breakfast that IHOP would die for.

4. 4. Silence in the house. Sleeping babies.

5. 5. Abby’s giant sparkling eyes and toothless smile that cheer me up. Always willing to help with a smile, especially with her baby brothers.

6. 6. Rachel’s LOUD belly laughs and hollers that help us take life up a notch every day. Long blond hair and legs growing longer every day. And reading!

7. 7. Baskets of clean laundry folded on the floor.

8. 8. Being at peace with the messes that I can see in every direction in my house.

9. 9. The furnace clicking on.

10. 10. Bigger paychecks, so balancing the bills and savings is less pressing and less depressing, especially in winter.

11. 11. Danny and Jimmy, strong and healthy enough to climb up almost everything, to bang pans loudly, and to make a serious addition to my grocery bills.

12. 12. The babies making each other laugh.

13. 13. John on the floor with 4 kids climbing happily all over him. Bringing home (bigger!) paychecks. Listening to me. Moving me around the country. Throwing me on the bed any chance he gets.

14. 14. Brothers-in-law to make us laugh louder and more often.

15. 15. Mother-in-law visiting peacefully and doling out love and presents to all. Free dates!

16. 16. Father-in-law hanging around. Having random discussions about religion or politics or whatever that are easy and interesting.

17. 17. Skyping with my own extended family, all of them, for a glimmer of my own family over the holidays.

18. 18. Boys sleeping through the night. Enough energy for me to run a bit again, cook a little, play a little.

19. 19. Views of the hills and so many trees out my window.

20. 20. Touring new things around the area. Time in Baltimore/on the east coast to explore.

21. 21. Dates with John to the doughnut shop and Panera.

22. 22. Not a thought given to work for two weeks.

23. 23. Girls having fun with their relatives.

24. 24. Ticking clocks, humming refrigerator, passing traffic. Sounds that were strange 5 months ago and are now “home”.

25. 25. Friends waiting to call up after the holidays. No one was waiting 5 months ago.

26. 26. A little bit of sun peeking through the clouds. Zero snow on my sidewalks.

27. 27. An impromptu visit with friends from far away.

28. 28. A husband, children, and in-laws that give me such a sense of belonging and family. And eat the food that I make them.

29. 29. A refrigerator, cabinets, and kitchen permanently bursting with food.

30. 30. Thought-provoking and civil discussions about nihilism and religion. Bible stories told a little bit differently that keep me thinking.

31. 31. The end of this year. Babies turning 1, exploring and loving Baltimore, moving to Maryland with jobs, a summer with Dad and Leslie in California, 7000 miles, John graduating, house selling, Danielle helping, money in the bank, Abby thriving at a new school, Rachel learning to read...

Beautiful, bumps, and boxes...

Yet another beautiful weekend here in Baltimore... We explored yet another new trail near by, and Abby quickly declared it the best hike that our family has ever been on. It was absolutely beautiful, this weird mix of golden brown leaves on the ground and spring-green leaves still on tons of trees. With glimpses of the reservoir, hills, creeks to cross, Abby (again) commented that she felt like she was in a fairy land. Very cool.

In other big girl news this week, I've been coaxing, bribing, encouraging the girls to get out riding their bikes over the hills and through the bumpy sidewalks of our neighborhood. Abby does fine, Rachel needs the coaxing: "When you see a bump, pedal faster, faster, faster!" As opposed to freezing up and toppling over at the speed of a snail, that is. It struck me how it is counterintuitive to go FASTER when we see challenges ahead that we know will shake us up. And yet, just going for it is really the only way to get through sometimes. In fact, it's often quicker and easier when we don't slog through the difficulties.

Besides bike riding, the other life lesson that seems important to me lately is teaching the girls how to talk to God. Sheesh, what a task to even think I can undertake! This time, Rachel is the one who comes along easily, busting out words and gratitudes like a fish goes through water. Then again, she talks and talks loudly almost all day to anyone in the room. With Abby, it's been more of a puzzle to help her find a way that she is comfortable communicating. Turns out that free form out loud discussion isn't her thing. Sometimes it's writing, and it's always following some sort of pattern. I'm learning to be more flexible and creative - who cares "how" you communicate, as long as you're talking, you know?! (I read this interesting article yesterday about a woman who scribbled her prayers on paper and stuck them in a "God box" - that was her way of praying - kinda cool.)

And that's what is new with me this week! Soaking in the beauty of the woods, learning to hurry up a little towards the challenges ahead, and maybe starting to stuff my prayers into boxes.

P.S. These little guys are way into grabbing/chewing/holding each other's hands lately. Even across backpack carriers. It simply reduces them (and therefore the rest of us) to complete giggles. So great.

Planting is required for blooming

Bloom where you're planted, the saying goes. I've tried my hand at blooming mums this fall.

The first one, I left in the pot from the store, set it in a bigger pot on the porch, and promptly watched it shrivel up and die while I forgot to water it.

Still determined to come home to blooming mums every day, I sprung for another one (OK, three). But I knew where to find help keeping these ones alive. The good old soil and sky. They went straight into the dirt in front of my house, where they can soak up water out of the ground and out of the sky. No more relying on only me and a tiny little pot of sandy soil. And they're still blooming!

My little mum experiment reminds me that before we bloom in our lovely new hometown, I can't over look some serious planting: getting out deep in the local dirt, being exposed to the elements, soaking up life from many directions.

Happy fall!

How babies are kind of like sunrises

I love watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. It sinks, sinks, colors the sky beautifully, and then it is gone. And I just stare out at the ocean through the entire thing.

I got to see it rise over the Atlantic Ocean for the first time this past weekend.

It was my first time out to the Maryland coast, one of those little adventures that John and I are addicted to yet sometimes loathe until it's happy hindsight. You know, stressing to get out the door, arguing over how to get there and who sucks at directions on the fly (that would be me) and being constantly overwhelmed by the large size of our family and the big work of our little guys that crowds out so much else.

But we did squeeze in some fun between eating, sleeping, eating, and sleeping. The girls and I hustled out a block to the beach, hoping to catch the sun rising, and I was thrilled to get there with no sun in sight. The girls fiddled around in the sand while we waited and waited for the big moment, watching the horizon get just a little brighter. And then suddenly, this big brilliant light burst out of the water, and it was so bright that I COULDN'T WATCH IT ANYMORE! So much for the peaceful gazing I'm accustomed to at sunset.

And then, I realized, babies are kinda like ocean sunrises. You wait for it, wait for it, and then BAM it's brilliant and beautiful and blinds you all at once and you go bumbling through the rest of the day (or life?!), glad that it's there but unable to soak in all the greatness until, well, sunset?

(And, babies or sunrise, it turns out having a camera to capture what you can't see at the time comes in kind of handy too :)).

Patience

As we settle slowly into our newest version of life, I'm being reminded in bits and pieces how long it takes to be at home. For instance, there is no such thing as FIND A GREAT FRIEND NOW! It will take many chats at school, visits to the playground, dinners with church families, conversations over the bushes with the neighbors before we have any great friends. I came across this little story as I was reading last night, and it really helped put things into perspective for me.

It's from Stones for Schools by Greg Mortenson (sequel to Three Cups of Tea), about a man building schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"In Chunda, a conservative rural village in Baltistan, it took eight years for us to convince the local mullah, an immensely cautious and pious man, to permit a single girl to attend school. Today, however, more than three hundred girls study in Chunda--and we take great pride in the fact that they do so with the full support of the very same mullah who once stood in their way. His change of heart affirms the notion that good relationships often demand titanic patience... As any wise village elder will tell you, anything truly important is worth doing very, very slowly."

Eight years?! Three hundred girls, with the mullah on board?! Very, very slowly? (I don't do much of anything that slowly.) Wow.

Good relationships are incredibly important to me. Being in a new place reminds me of that. I want them with new friends here, I want them with my old friends, I want them with my extended family, I want them with my husband and kids. Am I willing to wait? This man Greg was, and the outcome for an entire village and its girls is amazing to me.

This story made me realize that I don't really take the "eight year plan" or the "1000 cups of tea" plan when I think about good relationships. I hope for and expect GREAT BIG MOMENTS, deep and meaningful talks, laughs, tears. I feel disappointed and discouraged, like the relationship isn't going anywhere when those big moments (nearly always) fail to happen. But that's a totally warped perspective.

In reality, every bit of conversation, every sip of shared hot chocolate, every step walked together adds a layer to what can be a good relationship. Love is patient, I'm reminded. Patience is a perspective too, I think, often improved with age.

If good relationships are really important to me, then I guess I might as well demonstrate that by going about them very, very slowly. Love in action will simply be a thousand or million small moments shared with those around me.

Time for tea, kids!

I'm curious what you've learned about patience - have you experienced a relationship or event that you are so glad you worked at and waited for? How long have you been investing in time with someone? Will you inspire me?!

Oh, the adventures we'll have!

(The coolest sundial I've ever seen - times around the world!)

Our family loves big adventures. You know, the 7000 miles road trip variety. Moving to Baltimore promised to be Our Next Big Adventure. Wow, look at all there is to do just downtown in our own city! And Washington DC, just a mere hour away. National parks, the Atlantic Ocean, the big cities, the historic monuments, oh my! I devoured maps and tour books in anticipation.

I literally fear that even if we live out the rest of our days here, I will never finish all the Adventures that I'd love to have within a day of Baltimore.

But oh, how babies seem to scale our plans back to reality. Free time between the twins' naps and eating really amounts to about two, two hour chunks of time a day. This summer in California, we did one whopping hike in five weeks that was outside of our city. It was a good reminder to enjoy the things closest to home.

I should have known that lesson would come in handy here in the land-of-so-much-to-do. Sometimes the big adventurer in me needs to be reminded to first soak in all that there is to do and all the people that there are to love all within 5 minutes of me. So my reading has been scaled down from Frommer's "National Parks" books to Frommer's "Delaware and Maryland" to "60 Hikes within 60 miles of Baltimore". And in that last book, the hike that is now on my to-do list is one mile from house. Living in an area so full of natural beauty, history, culture and new people, it's been a little challenging to scale so far down, but two screaming boys have a way of keeping me in check!

Yes, some day, oh the adventures we'll have on our new coast. So far though, I'm pleasantly surprised nearly every day with the adventures we're finding in our own backyard or a few minutes drive away.

Last but not least, in our very own backyard.

Brain dump!

Here are some things that have flitted through my mind as we settle in to our new home, in no particular order and with no particular eloquence!

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We're getting the hang of living in a gated community. Indoor gates that is, which are a necessity when you live in what might be the split-level capitol of the world. Some days it feels like the gates are almost more hazardous to the rest of us than the stairs are to the boys. I really enjoy having some extra indoor space, but as expected, I am completely incapable of keeping up with any sort of neatness. So happy that we don't have to "show" our house any more and so thrilled to be renting and ignoring the housing market.

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The boys are getting more fun all the time. I declared the other day that they might actually be more fun (51%) than work (49%) for the first time. John begged to differ, and said that instead of 99% work they might now only be 90% work. To all the naysayers that said just wait until they crawl (or walk), I LOVE that they can get where they want, and eat almost all table food, and are starting to sleep through the night together.

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It was odd to send John off to work after a long summer together. Just when I was feeling comfortable fending through each day with 4 kids and learning my way around the grocery stores, it was my turn to start work. And then a few more days, and Abby was off to school. Unfortunately there is more to life than mastering grocery shopping! Every week seems to remind me that there is yet another challenge to face. But at least we didn't all start back to work/school at once...

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On making new friends... I was remembering the other day that most of my Champaign friendships were formed and deepened out of desperation -I need a substitute sitter for work tonight, I just had a baby, I have to run a twin to the hospital. The thought of encountering emergencies like that when we know no one is daunting. But then I remember, well, that's when I may make my best friends! (Side note: If only for me, be nice to those desperate people you meet!) Less painful friend-finding option for the busy parents - take the twins out. Everyone talks to you.

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Hills. I love them, love running up and down them. John, not so much. I guess that's my hilly CA upbringing and his flatland IL upbringing coming out. I hate them for taking the kids on walks though. It's a series of mini-heart attacks as they go coasting down on their scooters. Bikes I won't even allow. So for now, we have to commute for bike rides.

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Well, that's it for today... Hello to all our "old" friends and family out there!