National Aquarium and more

Last Thursday I was off, once again, to the east coast- Babyland, Maryland. 

My daughter is named for one of my best friends.  My friend lives in North Carolina.  She and her daughter drove from North Carolina to Maryland to be with all of us.  My friend's daughter is eight years old.  My granddaughter is eight months old.  My granddaughter has cousins that are one and four but she had never been around an eight year old.  She loved the eight year old and the eight year old loved her right back.  The baby giggled and smiled and imitated.  On Saturday we all went to the National Aquarium.  It was amazing.

National Aquarium, Baltimore, MD

The jellyfish were my favorite.  Drifting effortlessly through the water with tendrils streaming , they look harmless.  Such a beautiful creature inflicts dire pain- sometimes death.  Very near the jellyfish display a video ran with personal testimonies of those who met with the ugly side of a jellyfish. 

jellyfish

At eight months old my granddaughter is aware of all around her.  If she hears something behind her that she cannot see, she will turn her entire body in an effort to find out what is going on.  She will lean and reach when one of her moms is nearby.  She has this gimme-gimme motion that she does with her right hand.  She leaned toward the tanks filled with sharks, dolphins and jellyfish with her right hand waving gimme-gimme. 

Granddaughter showing her mommy the jellyfish

Can we play?

When we came out of the aquarium, dusk was falling.  I snapped this picture of the Christmas decorations.  I love how the cars are whizzing by.  A frenzy.  This is how I've been feeling- a weekend out of town followed by a full week of work- this next weekend I'll be down at Papertrix.  Next week my son and his girlfriend will come in from North Carolina to join us for Thanksgiving.  Thankfully, I will only work Monday and Wednesday.  I don't seem to be able to get the same amount of housework done as I once could.  In the past I could bust it out.  Now, I have to have a plan and do a little at a time.  Each night I tackle a room in a major way.  I've cleaned the guest room, the living room and the kitchen.  Tomorrow night I'll clean the family room and tidy our bedroom.  Then just before they arrive, I'll clean the bathrooms and give the whole thing house a quick gloss over.  I will clean it in a frenzy.

The photo below is my friend that my daughter is named for.  We've been friends for over thirty-five years.  How I love this woman.  How I have always aspired to be just like her when I grow up.  She is a beautiful, classy lady.  She has nothing but love in her heart.  She loves my children like family.  And now she loves my grand baby.  Some think we look like sisters.  I take that as a high compliment.

Life is kind of frenzied right now, but just like a jellyfish, I float.  Sometimes gracefully, sometimes frantically, but I float. 

**Thank you to the reader who contacted my editor to get a copy of my magazine article.  Whoever you are out there- that was nice.