Tubing in Gunpowder Falls

When COVID makes it hard to leave the state of Maryland..... you explore Maryland!

Yesterday, we drove an hour North to Monkton, MD to Gunpowder Falls State Park with two other families and went tubing!

Ready to go!

After renting our tubes, we hiked about 3/4 of a mile to the entry point of the Gunpowder River.

It took about an hour and a half to go down the River, but we had fun and decided to get out and do it again!

Ella cracked me up. She rode in my tube with me and she called herself "Worker Ella."  The water was pretty shallow in parts and sometimes we would get stuck or the current of the water would push us to the side.  She would get out and get us back in the current and then hop back in with me.  She pretended she was my guide and would say "how is your ride going?"  It was so cute!  Kept me laughing the whole time!

It's been > 90 degrees for 26 of the last 28 days.  So floating down a river with friends was the perfect way to spend the day!  Especially in an area of Maryland we haven't explored before.

Strom School, Sunflowers and Sailing!

I'll start out with the sad/hard news.  It was announced this week that the kids aren't going back to school this calendar year.... AT ALL!  At the very earliest, the kids won't be back at school until Jan. 2021.  That means, best case scenario, it will be 10 months - almost a full year!- that these kids haven't been able to go to school.  It makes me so sad.  Actually equal parts mad and sad.  Tanner said to me today, "Mom, does this mean they're not going to do the Fall Musical Review?  I've already gotten together with my 3 buddies and planned out our performance.  I'm going to sing "Danger Zone" with my friends who are going to do percussion, bass and keyboard."  Yes, Tanner, that's exactly what that means.  No Fall Musical Review.  No theatre. No Art. No Band. No to all the fun parts of being in school!

BUT..... I know it is up to Dave and I to do everything in our power to stay positive and keep our kids happy and mentally healthy and hopefully not fall too far behind academically!

So, with that said..... these were some fun things we did this week in the wake of hearing that hard news

Lacey lost her FINAL baby tooth!  The Tooth Fairy came to visit her one final time and brought her an extra special treat.

And then we drove an hour and a half south to the town of Chaptico, MD to Goldpetal Farms to see their fields of sunflowers and to do the sunflower maze.

We went with our friends, the Peterson family, which made it lots more fun!

Off to start the maze!

Let's go this way!

Hello, Sunshine!

My favorite little sunflower 🌻

💛💛💛

After we were done exploring the maze, we each got a bucket and got to pick out five flowers.

Lacey's candid shot of Tan.  

Lacey's sunflower selfie.

My friend Kim and I.

"Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." ~Nathanial Hawthorne

I think she's done smiling 😊

And then we wrapped up the day with Friday night sailing!

Dave stayed home with the girls, so I enjoyed a table for one with a view while I waited for the races to start.

And they're off!

It was a challenging night for sailing because there wasn't much wind.

But, alas they finished with a 3rd place trophy in hand! ⛵