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Birthday Trip to Virginia/Maryland, September 9 - 23, 2008
Not knowing when I was going to have enough time off for a long
visit with family and some friends, we decided to make the trek to
welcome in my 39th year! I never thought I would say this, but I am
really looking forward to my 40s. That has everything to do with
being happy - truly happy - for the first time in my life. I feel like the
dark veil that has covered me for all my life has been lifted and I am
seeing life for the first time in full color. Luckily I talked my Mom into
buying a new computer so I was able to keep up with the web site
while I was gone (but not posting it to advertise to potential thieves
that we were gone for two weeks). She really needed one - she
was using Windows 95 as an operating system! Anyway, I was able
to visit with my parents, sister, and also got to stay with Whipple for
a few days and see my friends Cynthia and Meredith. Delores got to
visit with her friends Michele and John in Bowie. Here are some pics
from the trip.
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.
Ma Kettle lighting the candles on my cake; balloons she had in the
front of the house to welcome me home.
You can hardly see the house I grew up in anymore due to the large
Magnolia tree; my parents' dog Roxy. She's a pain in the arse.
7 annoyed with me for taking her picture; hanging out with
Grandma.
Delores and Michele; an inside-out birthday cupcake and his friends,
made for me by Michele. How sweet of her! I felt special.
Michele's dog Bailey; a view from Quiet Waters park in MD, where
the Potomac meets the Chesapeake. We took Bailey swimming
there.
Michele and Delores at the park; me at the park.
Michele and Bailey; more of the park.
More images from the park.
Pa Kettle. Flowers and another balloon from Ma Kettle.
The below pictures are of me and/or Benjamin Rickman, Whipple's
son. I love this kid. And if you know me at all, you know I "don't like
kids." He is polite, respectful, has tons of imagination, and has loved
dinosaurs since he was one year old. I keep saying he is going to be
a Palentologist some day.
Me and Benjamin after a scooter ride; Benjamin and Nicholas.
Me and Benjamin; Benjamin feeding me a pretzel.
Me and the boys; Whipple reading.
Whipple and Benjamin.
Whipple and Glenn; Benjamin with a model of T-Rex.
A print Glenn's daughter bought for him that hangs in their kitchen.
I thought it was really cool so I took a picture.
The following pictures are from New Hope Church, where Delores
and I used to go when we lived in the area. They just opened their
new facility off Ox Road in Lorton.
Welcome directory; fireplace
where you can actually watch
the service from the comfort of the couch if you don't want to go
into the auditorium.
Large beverage station and area for seating (Seattle's Best coffee -
hello!); view from inside the auditorium, lower level.
Me and Pastor Rusty Coram; kids auditorium upstairs.
Video game kiosk in the kid's auditorium area. I didn't even get
pictures of the teenager's hangout! This place is amazing! I can't
wait to go back when we visit again in October.
Meredith (who I have known since high school and was my college
roommate at Bridgewater in '87) and Norah; Meredith, Norah, and
Niall. [Those are her kids, if that's not clear].
Niall and his trains. He loves trains. He has a couple of really cool
ones. I never knew how expensive those things are! Ouch!
Not knowing when I was going to have enough time off for a long
visit with family and some friends, we decided to make the trek to
welcome in my 39th year! I never thought I would say this, but I am
really looking forward to my 40s. That has everything to do with
being happy - truly happy - for the first time in my life. I feel like the
dark veil that has covered me for all my life has been lifted and I am
seeing life for the first time in full color. Luckily I talked my Mom into
buying a new computer so I was able to keep up with the web site
while I was gone (but not posting it to advertise to potential thieves
that we were gone for two weeks). She really needed one - she
was using Windows 95 as an operating system! Anyway, I was able
to visit with my parents, sister, and also got to stay with Whipple for
a few days and see my friends Cynthia and Meredith. Delores got to
visit with her friends Michele and John in Bowie. Here are some pics
from the trip.
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.
Ma Kettle lighting the candles on my cake; balloons she had in the
front of the house to welcome me home.
You can hardly see the house I grew up in anymore due to the large
Magnolia tree; my parents' dog Roxy. She's a pain in the arse.
7 annoyed with me for taking her picture; hanging out with
Grandma.
Delores and Michele; an inside-out birthday cupcake and his friends,
made for me by Michele. How sweet of her! I felt special.
Michele's dog Bailey; a view from Quiet Waters park in MD, where
the Potomac meets the Chesapeake. We took Bailey swimming
there.
Michele and Delores at the park; me at the park.
Michele and Bailey; more of the park.
More images from the park.
Pa Kettle. Flowers and another balloon from Ma Kettle.
The below pictures are of me and/or Benjamin Rickman, Whipple's
son. I love this kid. And if you know me at all, you know I "don't like
kids." He is polite, respectful, has tons of imagination, and has loved
dinosaurs since he was one year old. I keep saying he is going to be
a Palentologist some day.
Me and Benjamin after a scooter ride; Benjamin and Nicholas.
Me and Benjamin; Benjamin feeding me a pretzel.
Me and the boys; Whipple reading.
Whipple and Benjamin.
Whipple and Glenn; Benjamin with a model of T-Rex.
A print Glenn's daughter bought for him that hangs in their kitchen.
I thought it was really cool so I took a picture.
The following pictures are from New Hope Church, where Delores
and I used to go when we lived in the area. They just opened their
new facility off Ox Road in Lorton.
Welcome directory; fireplace
where you can actually watch
the service from the comfort of the couch if you don't want to go
into the auditorium.
Large beverage station and area for seating (Seattle's Best coffee -
hello!); view from inside the auditorium, lower level.
Me and Pastor Rusty Coram; kids auditorium upstairs.
Video game kiosk in the kid's auditorium area. I didn't even get
pictures of the teenager's hangout! This place is amazing! I can't
wait to go back when we visit again in October.
Meredith (who I have known since high school and was my college
roommate at Bridgewater in '87) and Norah; Meredith, Norah, and
Niall. [Those are her kids, if that's not clear].
Niall and his trains. He loves trains. He has a couple of really cool
ones. I never knew how expensive those things are! Ouch!
