Our international travel plans have us leaving out of Boston. We looked at booking a flight from North Carolina to Boston, but we decided to rent a car and take a road trip. It was about the same price to fly or rent a car, and we have a lot of friends in the Northeast, so it was an easy decision.
Our first stop was in Ellicott City, MD. My best friend from high school, Susie, and my best friend from College, Bernie, live about 10 minutes from each other in Maryland. I had not seen either one since before the pandemic.
We stayed with Susie and her family. Lucas and Henry go along well with her daughters, Rebekah and Rachel. It was rainy and cold while we were there, so we mostly hung out at her house. We managed to go for a walk, and we ate Korean BBQ. We also explored Ellicott City, which is adorable. We visited the free train museum. Built-in 1831, it is the oldest surviving railroad depot in America.
I met Susie at soccer camp the summer before our freshman year. We were in high school musicals together. Despite my lack of singing ability, I played Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, and the Jester in Once Upon a Mattress. Susie was Laurie in Oklahoma! and Princess Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress. I went to visit her in NYC when she was attending college there. She is my oldest friend. She is an elementary teacher now. Our busy lives mean we do not see each other as much as I would like, but we are still close, and I love her dearly.
Bernie and I were roommates in college. She dated my brother Seth in high school, so I knew her then, but we became good friends when living together. We took care of each other during those wild and fun times. College is when I had a colectomy due to ulcerative colitis. Bernie visited me in the hospital. She helped me so much during that time. Now she is a doctor and a mom and I am so proud of her.
We also drove to Kittery, ME to see our friends Jill and Declan. We met them in January of 2022 on the beach in Ecuador. The families we met during our time in Ecuador are amazing. We have been able to see most of them again this year. We were excited to get to Maine to see Jill and Declan.
They showed us around Kittery and took us driving along the beaches. It was cold, windy, and rainy, but still beautiful. Kittery is just a short walk to Portsmouth, NH, so we walk around there for a bit. We saw a gingerbread exhibit and window-shopped. We had delicious lobster rolls!! Jull and Declan are great hosts. We felt at home there. It was a short visit, but there were no tears because we will see them again in Bulgaria!
Michael’s high school friend Chris and his wife Alex live in Boston. They graciously hosted us for a few days. We tried our hand at candlepin bowling (I was the winner of the day!). We also walk around downtown Boston and went to the holiday market at the seaport.
The trip was a whirlwind, but it was fun. We love seeing our friends. We love visiting our friends and family, but we also want them to know they are welcome to come to see us wherever we are in the world (hint, hint).
