So Winter seems to be hanging on as we celebrated the first day of Spring with a snow storm.
Tom spent most of the week in bed, recovering from whatever bug he caught the weekend before. He had to drag himself into work for a few days though since he was busy teaching a class.
Allison was busy enjoying her Spring Break. We felt bad though since most of her friends had traveled to Florida. Allison would probably have enjoyed a visit with her Aunt and Uncle and Grandma and Grandpa in Venice, FL, but actually we were a bit selfish and wanted to keep her home to visit with us. She managed to make good use of her time off though. She had a dentist appt and got her hair cut. She also enjoyed some outings with her roommate. They spent the day at the Baltimore zoo. They also saw the HS musical, Hello Dolly. That was actually Allison's first time at a school musical. (Looks like she had to graduate first). Even SCott managed to enjoy a school musical, West Side Story, with his friend's at their Catholic High school. And Tom and Allison enjoyed an evening out on the town, watching a movie and having dinner out while Scott and I were off on a Boy Scout overnight. Allison had hoped to take her roommate to DC to visit the Smithsonian and the National Zoo, but her roommate's mom did not feel it would be a safe outing for the two girls. Funny, I felt comfortable about Allison acting as a tour guide. I guess it is because we have been there so often and the kids know their way around the train stations and museums. I offered to take both girls on a field trip on my day off, but the weather was pretty nasty with sleet and snow and ice, so we opted to stay off the roads. It was actually worse down in DC. But schools stayed open in this area. Scott already has several snow days to make up at the end of the year.
So on Sunday, Allison headed back to school to finish up her Spring semester. So far she is happy with her classes and did well on her midterms before break. Although her accounting midterms were pushed back after break because of their snow days. So she has some work to catch up in that class. Meanwhile, the art teacher keeps trying to get her to change her major and become an art student full time!
Scott and I certainly had a busy Scout weekend. We have been looking forward to a trip to the Baltimore Harbor and an overnight on a WWII Liberty Ship-a floating museum. The SS John Brown was built in the Baltimore Harbor and celebrates 75 years afloat. The ship actually still runs and makes several runs down the Chesapeake Bay each year with a dinner and period shows, plus a fly over of WWII planes. Actors portraying The Andrew Sisters and Gen MacArthur entertain the guests during the day. The Liberty ships were built in the '40s to transport tanks, planes, weapons and Troops to Europe. So it is a big, floating warehouse. Scott and I arrived early Saturday morning and helped transport the food onto the ship as well as our own gear. The ship is docked in the harbor next to a empty warehouse which is used as a parking lot. As big as our ship was, the 2 new Naval ships docked on the other side of the pier dwarfed our vessel. We had 18 boys and 12 Adults on the trip. The scouts and the Dad's all slept on narrow bunk beds, 4 levels high. As the only girl in the bunch, I was able to get my very own "state room" complete with regular bunk beds and a bathroom. Saturday we spent the day on a tour of the ship. The boys also assisted with several service projects including using a crane to haul some trash off the ship and sweeping and mopping the decks. Plus they took a few classes in navigation and knot tying. The ship is run by retired naval personnel and volunteers. It is a lot of upkeep.
. The tough part was climbing all the stairwells(narrow ladders) to all the decks and pushing open the heavy doors between compartments. We stopped for lunch of grilled cheese and soup which we all prepared in the ship's galley. The tough part was running up and down the stairwells for water as the ship was still winterized on the lower decks and no running water. And the ship was cold! I was a bit spoiled as my section of the ship was heated. We set up tables on the 'tween deck high above the lower hold. A little spooky knowing we were standing on wooden slats and metal beams high above trucks and tanks. Dinner and dessert were served on the same deck and included garlic bread, meatballs and pasta and salad along with mud pie and a snack during a late night movie-Battleship. Scott and I were pretty worn out and took time out for a nap. We had to get up for an hour during the night to complete a Night Watch which is typical on ships. Scott took the 3am to 4am watch and I did the 4-5am watch. Fortunately the ship was pretty comfortable and quiet and we got some decent sleep-even with the threat of ghosts! Sunday morning we were up early and helped with clean up and packing after breakfast of pancakes and sausage. We headed home early as Scott had a busy day planned working on a school presentation for English class.
He also continues with boy scout meetings, confirmation catechism classes and working out with the track team or meeting with his video club after school. Plus he is getting ready to participate in the upcoming Robotics tournament near DC over his Spring Break.
On Sunday afternoon, I had to get cleaned up from our overnight as I was participating in a Girl Scout choir benefit concert for The National Federation of the Blind. The concert was held at a local 7th Day Adventist Church and included youth choirs from all around Maryland, including The Boys Choir of MD. Naturally my OT skills were put to work as I helped blind guests into the bathroom. I can't go anywhere without getting caught up in my work role! But I certainly don't mind helping. I am wired that way. Anyway, the concert was very nice and the kids did an excellent job. We did not stay for the whole event. I was falling asleep in the pew waiting to sing!
And before my big weekend, I was out with a few of the neighbor girls on Friday night at another high school fund raiser. This time it was a 50th Anniversary Dinner-The Viking Fest-held at a local church. Complete with catering from Outback Steakhouse, a live band and separate piano player, open bar and martini stand(I stayed away from there!). They were serving Vikingtinis which they concocted on their own. Also a silent auction, door prize raffles, 20/20 raffles, photo booth and wine grab bags. Since most of our neighborhood kids attend Mt Hebron high school, it really felt like a block party. At the last minute, the husbands decided they wanted to come, but the event was already sold out.
So the week goes on! Back to school and Back to work.
Welcome Aboard! The SS John W Brown Liberty ship
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