Straight Trippin' and Days of Birth

Months ago, some stars aligned which allowed Aaron to get time off and for us to purchase tickets to California. We've been missing our friends, or family as they always seemed to be. Tickets purchased. Plans set forth.

Five days before we were supposed to leave I found out that my Grandfather passed away. In the next 24 hours our California tickets were cancelled, tickets to Virginia were purchased (thank you Mom and Dad), bags were packed and Grace and I (later followed by Aaron) were on our way to the opposite coast.The battery on my camera was dead, so I relied on my phone to take pictures

 Somehow on both legs of our flight out to D.C. I had an open seat next to me so Grace didn't have to sit on my lap. I was even able to eat an orange in peace. Unheard of.

 Pit stop for lunch in North Carolina.

 When we arrived we gathered with family both blood related and not blood related.

 It was the first time we met gorgeous Mae.

 This was a common scene throughout the week. Many trips were made to the airport to pick up the flood of family coming in town, and tying up ends for the funeral.

I didn't take pictures over the funeral. The thought to take them never crossed my mind. To be honest I couldn't get over my thoughts to entertain the "you should be documenting this" idea. This funeral felt so different from my Grandmother's. When she passed the shock and loss were piercing. The whole experience was sad. With my Grandpa the weekend had an odd sense of peace and completeness. He was back with his wife, he was happy. I kept waiting for the sad to strike, and it did. As his Grandsons walked the casket away from the church after the funeral it hit me hard. The end of an era, the end of my maternal Grandparents. And I sobbed. But just as quickly as the sad came, it left and I was filled, once again, with the peace. It was an interesting experience.

Aaron and I decided to stay in Virginia for my birthday, since we were planning on being in California then. So we extended our stay and partied hard. I rang in the big 2-5 by eating. Honestly, the day revolved around food.

Grace slept in until 9am, and when I went upstairs I was greeted with homemade waffles. No one makes waffles like my Mom, she has MAD waffle making skills. Did you notice the pecans? I'm salivating.

After quick shower, we headed up to Maryland because the D.C. area now has a Cafe Rio. It was a drive to get there, but worth every minute. Pork Barbacoa salad, DDP on tap, tortillas dipped in tomatillo ranch dressing. Are you getting hungry yet?

When we got back to my parents house, everyone crashed. We all took 3 hour death naps, Grace included. I'm guessing waffles and cafe rio combined can really knock you out. Later, Grace and I played outside and she was thrilled that Mr. Nutter was there to play with her. She carried him around and accidentally dropped him on the driveway. Poor Mr. Nutter had to go to the squirrel statue hospital for some surgery with high tech medical gear.

Then there was dinner. Jackson's. Complete with chocolate waffles and ice cream, and a plate that said my name on it.

If you think that the food related birthday celebrations ended there, you would be very very wrong. Please don't underestimate me. That super awesome Barbie bag was filled with 3 different kinds of m&m's. Plain, Peanut, and Almond. Thank you Matt and Ashley.

For my "Birthday Cake" I requested two things: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies and a candle on top. I didn't want to waste calories (even though calories don't count on your birthday) on a cake when I would much rather be having chocolate chip cookies.

Happy birthday to me.

I'm sensing a lot of jogging in my near future, but it was totally worth it. The Stringham's know how to party hard. Thanks for making my day so special. I don't feel like an adult, but saying I'm 25 makes it sound like I'm an adult. I'm 25. So weird.

The flights home were rough and the day after we got home Grace and I sent Aaron off to Utah. I'm still trying to get my brain wrapped around "normal" again, all while battling some serious sugar crashes (think birthday celebration) and exhaustion headaches. I don't bounce back like I used to, maybe I do feel old being 25.