The Blizzard of 2016

Muphy's Law of the Military, as I so lovingly refer to it, began in full effect just 3 days after we said goodbye to Mike.  It states that whatever can go wrong, (while the military member is deployed, TDY, on 24s, on nights, on shifts, etc) will go wrong.

When we returned from Great Wolf Lodge, the kids went back to school and I began to prepare for Winter Storm Jonas (aptly named) which promised to bring historic snowfall to our area. 

I thought this would be a fun way to measure the snow.  It turned out to be not as impressive, because I neglected to realize that our backyard is under the cover of the trees, which of course, mitigated the snowfall accumulation.

Saturday afternoon the snow let up for a few hours and we got outside to play/shovel for a bit.  Then the snow started to fall once again and we headed inside for hot chocolate.

Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful.  We got out with the rest of the neighbor hood and began to clear the driveway.

We also headed to our neighborhood snow hill.  Sunday sledding was a bit rough because the snow was SO high and SO powdery.  By Monday it was a bit more packed and the sledding was easier/better.

 

The first 3 or 4 days were filled with excitement and snow fun.  The kids ended up being out of school for the entire next week.  We got out and about by Wednesday though.  The "excitement and snow fun" had worn off by then.  

Great Wolf Lodge and Another Goodbye

Just a few weeks after we returned from Houston, Mike (and our family) got ready to move to Florida for yet another military school/training.  

Mike's going away lunch as he leaves the 7th IS.

 

To send Mike off in style (and the make it less sad?) we took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge.

See?  Less sad.

 Ok.  Maybe a little sad.

God must have known we needed a little extra time to say goodbye because just minutes after the kids and I got on the road for home, Mike called us to say he was having car trouble.  We turned around, got the car to a shop, and spent the afternoon at Great Wolf while it was being worked on.  Then, we said goodbye for real, and headed home.

New Year in Nashville

On our way back to Maryland from Houston, we spent a couple of nights in Nashville, to celebrate New Years Eve.

We made a quick stop at the Bass Pro Shop.

 

This was a fun photo op at the Visitor Center.  Jonas is the guitarist in the back.  Ezra is the front man (obviously), and Judith is a beautiful back up singer.  

We walked around Honky Tonk Row.  This was in front of the main stage and the music note that dropped at midnight.

 A McDonald's truck was there giving out free lattes and hot chocolate.  We may or may not have stopped by more than once.

 We made sure to hit a Hard Rock Cafe we had not been to before.  It was right next to the main stage.

Southwest Airlines was also giving out free stuff and had a photo booth with props.

Judith and I got cowgirl hats.  You know,...to blend in.

 A quick stroll down the Music City Walk of Fame.

 

We went inside the Country Music Hall of Fame and there was a lot to see without actually purchasing a ticket!

 Music Row was especially cool to me. I've never had musical aspirations, but being there among all the studios made me feel like I could just walk in, record a song, and have a #1 hit.  I can only imagine how that vibe and energy affects folks who really have dreams of making it big!

We couldn't visit Nashville without seeing the Parthenon.

 

The Grand Ole Opry was a little disappointing to me.  It was really hard to find and get to.  It seemed tucked away behind the Gaylord Hotel (which WAS super cool), and the mass mall complex of Opry Mills.  I didn't really know the history of how it moved from where it started at the Ryman Auditorium to the commercialized venue where it is now.  Had I done my research my expectations would have been different and maybe I would not have been disappointed.  It was still cool to see it though.  (Once we finally found it...)

Not wanting the kids subjected the craziness of Honky Tonk Row on New Years Eve, we went back to the warmth and comfort of our hotel room for a few hours.  Then we loaded up, drove back downtown and sat in the parking lot of Nissan Stadium directly across the river from the main stage to ring in the new year.

 

We really loved Nashville!  It had a really unique feel.  Seeing as how it's almost exactly half way between Houston and Gambrills, MD, we're sure to visit again!