A Lame Vehicle

Pie was the absolute best vehicle I could think of to get my fresh blackberries and peaches into my tummy.

It was lunch, dinner, and dessert for me and Bobby today.

It just may be breakfast tomorrow morning, too.

Hope your week is just sweet!

The Berry Monster

The first summer Bobby and I spent together as a dating couple, we had made plans to go down to Ocean City, MD with his family.

We were so excited at all the opportunities we would have to be romantic and lovey-dovey with each other. I had been hyping myself up for weeks thinking about this trip! I always knew that Bobby thought I was beautiful, and I tried - with every ounce of myself - to keep it that way.

We drove down at night in his brand new Jeep wrangler (top down) and had been making plans the whole way down to walk down to the beach, drink some...sparkling cider..., and whisper sweet nothings into each others ears. Perfect.

Sorry guys, I know I've lost you. Just hang in there.

We arrived to the beach house after dark and, in an effort to lose those last five pounds before I let Bobby see me in a bathing suit, I had barely eaten anything all day. I was famished.

THANKFULLY, I managed to be ready before Bobby, so I waited patiently downstairs for him to head to the beach. My sweet and thoughtful (now) mother-in-law had bought fresh blueberries and left them out on the counter for people to nibble as they passed through. Everyone was asleep already, so I let my thoughts wander.

Blueberries are healthy, right? They won't totally ruin my diet this weekend. I slowly (and regrettably) justified what I was about to do in my mind.

I started eating - no, shoveling - blueberries into my mouth to satisfy my raving appetite. As I leaned in closer to get more berries into my mouth in a shorter period of time, I looked up to make sure no one was watching me...it was then that I saw Bobby. Frozen. In shock.

It was at that exact moment in time that changed the dynamic of my relationship with Bobby forever. At that exact time, I also realized that I looked like a complete fatty to my beloved (then) boyfriend. It was also the exact moment that I earned the nickname, Berry Monster.

To this day, I've never lived it down.

So this afternoon, a friend and I traveled up the road to a local berry farm to pick some blackberries. PYO was the acronym of the day (Pick Your Own). We picked, and picked, and picked and ate some, then picked and picked, and ate some more, then picked...

(Note to self: Dresses with any white on them are not appropriate attire for berry picking). At least I have smart friends...Allison wore all dark clothes so stains wouldn't be as noticeable. I took one for the team though, and attracted all the mosquitoes so she wouldn't get bit.

After traipsing through the fields of Southern Maryland, we stopped at a local produce stand.

When we got in the car, I felt so good about myself for bringing out the tree-hugger in me. We supported the local agricultural community, treated our bodies to hormone-free produce, and dug our feet in to the soil of this good earth.

And then I realized how beautiful this earth is. God has put us here to enjoy it, take care of it, and praise Him for His goodness. So, next time you're enjoying the great outdoors, take a second to revel in God's goodness and the beauty He's put here for us to enjoy.

Oh, and try not to let your boyfriend/husband/significant other see you shovel berries into your mouth when you think no one's looking!

SOMD Represents!

Who said that there weren't any jobs out there? Come to sunny (or not so sunny) California and fulfill your career's dreams! P.S. One of my friends is the cute girl with the short black hair! Way to represent, Pax River!

The Barn

This is my favorite barn.

Bobby and I drive past that barn every Sunday on the way to church. Every time we pass it, I always tell myself I need to take a picture of it. It's got beautiful composition, not only for the position of the structure itself in the middle of the field, the colors of the day and of its surroundings, but because of what it represents. A lone barn in the middle of the field (Melissa's goin' sappy, look out!).

As I'm slowly being given my dose of rural America, I have so enjoyed watching the people around me thrive on what they've built. So many families down here still live on "the family farm" and even if it's not a working farm anymore, their great-grandparents still live in the original house and have slowly sold bits and pieces of land to their eight children. Those pieces of land are rarely sold to outsiders, as this land represents the sweat equity, the American Dream, the family history. The land will probably be passed down to their childrens children, and then to their children. The American Dream lives on and the roots of family grow deeper and deeper. I think that's one of the things that I love most about the South (Maryland? South, you say? Why, yes! We are south of the Mason-Dixon Line!)... people have roots. There's still history down here - pride - and while the landscape of Southern Maryland is rapidly changing along with the people in it, the Tree still stands tall and provides a shelter for those who remain. There are a lot of things that just haven't changed a bit (for instance, the grocery stores. Just kidding).

So I might be over-romanticizing just a little bit... the people down here probably don't even think about those things. And those "locals" I always talk about? They are what make up some of these families. Most of the engineers, rocket scientists, Navy pilots, future astronauts, and circus entertainers migrate down here. Just kidding about the circus entertainers. Although, have you been to the County Fair?!

So when you come down here to Cali to visit us, remember to take in the country scenery, but be sure to avoid being hit by the deer. They like to scare the tourists.

Sightings from the Jeep

Last weekend, Joey (Bobby's kid brother) came to visit us in Cali! J-Bug is about 17, so it was so fun to have him down here! He's in the midst of college-shopping, so in an effort to get him to come down here, we took him for a drive to see Saint Mary's College of Maryland. The drive from Cali to SMCM is only about 20 minutes, but it's a beautiful drive, nonetheless.

Lucky me, the one with the longest hair, I got to sit in the back seat - the windiest seat Grace has to offer. However, I was able to capture some of the sights on the drive to the college. More of what SOMD has to offer (what the locals refer to as "Southern Maryland," kind of like LOL, or JK, or other net-speak)... I swear, no matter how much exploring we do, there's always much, much more to this county!

Hey J-Dawg. That's a great face you're making there. Just kidding. Be nice to Grace.


J-Money was wishing he was here... The Green Door. Ask any graduate of SMCM and I promise they've heard of this place. Please note that this bar is in the middle of a corn field and the only business between the college and Cali - in about 20 minutes (not really, but pretty much). Oh, and they also JUST put in a wood floor.


The buildings of SMCM overlook the river. I would never be able to pay attention in class.


This is the view from the building above...


Cool barn. We have lots of these outside Cali.


Old church in St. Mary's City (which consists of about 4 or 5 other old barns and buildings).


Pretty flower!

Family Matters

This weekend, Bobby and I had the pleasure of having my brother, Bennett, and his family come to Cali and stay with us! We had some nice times as we toured all over the county and had some relaxation time as well. I took a ton of pictures as all 4 of them are so photogenic! Mary Claire and Elle are the cutest little girls and are turning into such precious little ladies.

We headed over to Solomon's Island on Friday and walked down main street, got some ice cream, watched the ducks (and some jellyfish), and had some piggy-back rides. Friday was Jen's birthday, so we cooked out by the pool and ate a LOT.

Saturday was my Grandfather's 85th birthday party, so we drove up to S.P. for that (pictures to follow).

Sunday, Bobby and I took the girls for a ride in Grace with the top down! It was a blast, and so funny to hear how much they miss my brother's Ruby (Jeep Rubicon).

Anyway, it was so nice to see them as they drove all the way up from Raleigh! Killian also enjoyed the company... he's been sleeping since they left on Sunday. The girls played with him ALL weekend and he is exhausted!! Here are some shots from the weekend!

Bobby making Sloppy Bananas with Mary Claire.

Happy Birthday, Jen!

Bennett and the girls.
9 years, baby! They are so cute.
I love this picture! (Jen, Mary Claire and Elle)
I love this picture, too!
Looking for 4-Leaf clovers.Playground at Solomon's... too cute!

Solomon's Island

First of all, let me just say - WOW. One thing I love about living "down south" is being close to the water. Being a very proud Annapolitan (or Severna "Parkie"), I just love being by the water. The sunsets, the humidity, the breeze, the faint fishy smell of the Chesapeake... I love it all.

Tonight was an especially beautiful evening in Cali, so I decided to cross the bridge and head over to Solomon's to capture the glory. Oh, the glory it was. I don't think I've ever been able to capture a sunset like this before. Anyway, if you've never been to Solomon's Island or Southern Maryland for that matter, I highly recommend it as it does truly have its charms. Anyway, here are my shots from this evening... I hope you enjoy!

Our favorite restaurant in Solomon's, The Solomon's Pier.
The famous Tiki Bar. Every spring for its opening, they close down Solomon's Island and it's one giant Tailgate party in the street (yes, Solomons is only one street)!
Cute house.
Even the fire hydrants have pride - the Pax (Patuxent) River Bridge is on top (the same one you see in the first picture).
Cute little boat shack. If they sold live crabs here, it would totally fit.
Blue Heron on the river.


Our Lady Star of the Sea Church... the oldest Catholic Church in Calvert County. We've heard it's beautiful inside. An old barn sits right on the waterfront at the beginning of Solomon's, almost right under the bridge. There are acres of corn fields behind it, somewhat out of place, but beautiful!


Ready to come visit? We'd love to have ya'll down!

Seafood, Jazz and Sightseeing!

Hey ya'll! This weekend was a blast! My parents came down from Severna Park to stay with Bobby and I this weekend. It started out with breakfast on Saturday morning with a fabulous, new recipe for Blueberry and Orange-glazed scones and some good catching-up.

For those of you who have never been to Southern Maryland (St. Mary's County, in particular) in the summer, there is some event going on almost every weekend and most times, right by the water! This particular weekend, my Dad had bought extra tickets to St. Clements Island Museum's annual Seafood and Jazz festival! Eager to do something local, we agreed! We met up for lunch with my Dad's high school friend, who took us on a sailboat ride. Bobby had never been sailing before, but he did a great job "manning the jig" and yelling "tallie-ho!!!" to all the crew members. Just kidding... I have no idea what those terms mean!

So off to the seafood and jazz festival we went and it was phenomenal! I am not too familiar with many Jazz musicians, but these guys were great! The festival took place at St. Clement's Island museum, which is right on the bay (also known to be one of the first landing places in Maryland and used as a refuge from the Indians that roamed the Maryland shore). We took a fairy ride to the island and took some nice pictures of the light house, which was built in the 1800's, and also the cross, which was erected in the 1600's (obviously, it's a replica) to symbolize one of the first religious tolerance movements in America. Anyway, it made for some nice pictures!

We had some fried shrimp, hush puppies, slaw, some good beer and wine, and ice cream to top it all off!

The Jazz festival from the water...

St. Clement's Island Lighthouse.

View from the "main land..." St. Clement's Island in the distance.

Cute boat.

This is what 43 years looks like... Mom and Dad.

This is what 1 year and 2 weeks looks like... me and Bobby with the island in the background.