I heart MD

I’m a Marylander, born & raised.  Well, that’s not entirely true – I was born in Washington, DC.  That’s why I don’t feel too guilty telling everyone I meet here in Germany that I’m from DC – I was born there, after all.

I’ve learned to say “Washington” instead of “DC”.  Yes, we locals call it DC.  But people here just look at me with a puzzled expression until I say, “You know – Washington, DC.”  I’m always impressed when someone knows enough to ask, “The city or the state?”  The funny thing is, I think most people don’t realize that they’re not actually flying to DC, but to Maryland (BWI) or Virginia (IAD).  A lot of people have never heard of Maryland.

So, Washington has become my official hometown.  But my real hometown is Upper Marlboro, MD.  Sure, there’s not much of anything exciting there.  And the truth is, I think living abroad has made me a little more nostalgic.  I probably wouldn’t still be living in Upper Marlboro if I were in the US now.  We normally go to other nearby cities like Clinton, Waldorf, Bowie or Annapolis for fun. I went to college in Frederick. Most of my close family members live in Maryland, and we go to Ocean City on vacation every year.  I have a lot of friends scattered around the state, too.  My roots are in Maryland, and that’s why it will always have a special little place in my heart.

So when I found this on Etsy, I was too excited!  (The seller is called tru.che if you’d like to check out her shop!)

I thought about it for a few days (it’s normally more than I would spend on jewelry) but decided I loved it too much – what a special, unique piece of jewelry!  Plus, it’s handmade, and isn’t it important to support the little guy?  So I decided to buy it (thanks to my Gram’s Christmas gift of cash) and I went ahead and placed the order today.

I can’t wait!

And for those of you who come from other states, there are a lot more available on tru.che’s shop!  And she makes any state or country (or continent!), custom-made!

Still in Transit

T and I are still on our way to Hamburg as you read this.  I have scheduled this post for your enjoyment while I’m away.

Last week on vacation, we ate out one night at a crab house called Bahama Mama’s.  They had neon decorations, and among them were these bright orange crab silhouettes painted on the window.  I took a picture of our whole family in front of it.

So of course I had to put it all together in an animated gif.  Hopefully it’s not too fast and won’t trigger anyone’s seizures.  ;)

Good times in Ocean City

We just got back home today from vacation.  As is always the case with vacations, the week went by too quickly!  I would have loved to spend one more week there with everyone.  But we did a lot during our one week, and we enjoyed it to the fullest.  It was  really nice to hang out with my family, and even nicer because Tobias got to join us there this year.

My family has been going to Ocean City, Maryland, ever since I was 2 years old.  It’s a familiar place for me, but still just as exciting every year.  I love the beach.  We spent a lot of time out there this week.  And guess what?  I didn’t get sunburned at all this year!  If you know how fair-skinned I am, you know that’s quite an accomplishment.

Here’s a day-to-day summary with a few photos, if you’re interested.  Don’t be too jealous!