Store loyalty - gone

I do things now like shop at Rite-Aid.  Things like this make me feel like I'm in a foreign country.  In Chicago, there is a Walgreens on every corner.  I have to drive 10 miles to get a Walgreens!  Here in MD, Rite-Aid is everywhere and I've finally come to terms with this and now find myself reaching for the Rite-Aid add and ignoring Walgreens because I know I won't bother to drive there.

On the plus side, Rite-Aid does have some pretty good coupon deals!

Things just got nuttier

So one of the things about Baltimore that continues to astound me is the love people here have for the Ravens.  Now, I love football and I'm a huge fan of the Chicago Bears - but I genuinely think that Baltimore may be losing its mind.

I was at the grocery store today and saw a can of 'Old Bay' Seasoning (which I believe may go in every dish here) that was in a full-on Ravens label.  You could barely recognize it as Old Bay.  I forgot to take a photo.  rats.

However, this past weekend we were at Ace and chanced upon these lovelies.  Really?  Trash cans?  I'm telling you there is no store, shop, or public place that you won't see something for sale with a Ravens logo.

On the plus side, I did find a Matt Forte jersey at Good Will for Schatzi for $2.  Score!  

summer

Today as I was cutting cantaloupe I found myself thinking about Mimi a great deal.  Mimi was my mother's mother and for some reason, the smell of the cantaloupe reminded me of her and her home.  Most likely because cantaloupe is such a summer fruit (and one of the few that can be grown in the midwest) and we made such great memories in Lake Geneva during the summers.  I am fortunate that cantaloupe is one of the few things my son will eat consistently, so we have plenty of it around this summer.

Speaking of summer, Baltimore has had an interesting summer of record amounts of rain and cool temperatures.  This means we haven't gotten to use our pool nearly as much as we would've liked.  But, I just checked the weather for the next few days and we have mid-80s and sun predicted (we'll see how long that lasts).  I hope Auggie doesn't mind staying close to home this week - because I'd like to get some pool time in!

We went on our first hike in a Maryland State Park this past weekend.  We took an easy hike, about 1.5miles along the Gunpowder Falls River to a little swimming hole.  The day was perfect, cool temperatures and no rain.  On our way out, Auggie heard a bird chirping and asked me "What's that noise?"  I told him it was a bird singing a pretty song and did he have a birdsong that he liked to sing?  He said yes and tried to make a warble-y sound.  It was adorable, only to be topped by him skipping the rest of the way along the trail, swinging his arms over his head singing "dance, dance my birdsong.....dance, dance my birdsong".  I wish I had video, but Felix had my camera and was up ahead on the trail :(

Auggie goes back to school two weeks from tomorrow.  He is soooo looking forward to it and I am soooo thankful that he is.  Hopefully I can finish getting the house in order once I have a couple hours a day of 'free time'.

Liquor? I barely know her!

You can only buy alcohol in Maryland at liquor stores. Also, they aren't open on Sundays. Felix and I were looking forward to a nice glass of wine tonight, but we were denied.

So, how will I begin a drinking problem if I can't buy booze at my local grocery store? How does one bring a toddler into a liquor store at noon? This will take some serious logistics. Or I will need to find a bar that doesn't frown upon children in tow ;)

On the plus side, we drove by auggie's new school today and it looks absolutely amazing. He should be starting a week from tomorrow. I think he is going to love it.

Movers come tomorrow! Zoo was today.

Unemployed

I don't have a job. Surreal much?