Birthday Weekend in Laurel

Leaving at 12:25 for the 3 1/2 hour trek to meet Easton, I can hardly wait. They’ve given him the nickname Squishy, and I can’t wait to squeeze him.

Thankfully, we had little traffic and started across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel around 1:30. Wind made the waves choppy, but we didn’t feel it in the trailer. As we pulled up to the toll booth, I decided to do a time-lapse video, filming at 30x its speed; the 23-mile drive took just under thirty minutes and made for an entertaining clip.

“I’ll ride my bike over as soon as we get in, and Ron can feed the dogs and stuff.” I texted Laura our ETA, wanting to see Easton soon. We arrived at 4:45; I went inside to check us into site C-31 at Trap Pond State Park, one of our favorite destinations.

Within minutes, I had my chores done for set-up and unloaded the bike. One of the joys of the Atlas, it makes setting up camp so much easier because we carry less. A smaller boot for cargo means paired-down accessories. The grill we had with the Crusader took up too much room, so the smaller one now takes up less space, weighs little, and doesn’t break my back getting it out of the trailer.

By 5:00, I mounted my trusty steed and headed to meet Laura while Ron finished his chores and had a beer.

Arriving at the McFarlin/Lambrose homestead, I found Easton napping, but we peaked on the precious boy. CarolAnne showed me the stars illuminating his ceiling at night and the lullaby she plays when she feeds him.

While Easton napped, CarolAnne filled me on the first weeks of his life. Her labor, the emergency C-section, how the epidural didn’t work, how the family got to meet her son before she did. My sweet CarolAnne, once the baby I held in my arms and napped with on my chest, has her baby boy. I loved hearing her talk about her journey as a mother, one she’s handling well.

And finally, I got to meet and hold Easton, a beautiful boy who fills my heart with joy. His tiny features, gorgeous navy blue eyes, and head full of hair instantly made me smile. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to cuddle long, deciding to go to Suicide Bridge Restaurant for dinner; we had an hour’s drive to make it before it closed at 9:00.

Along the way, we watched the sunset over Larry and Stacy Whaley’s house and Shannon, all staff at Narrow Way Church, where the McFarlins and Lambroses attend, as do we on our visits. Larry shepherds the flock, Shannon leads worship, and Stacy supports them both in their ministry.

“Because it’s so flat, the sunsets here are amazing,” Laura said as the light faded. She showed me pictures of the gorgeous sunsets she captured, and I saw her phone saver. Taken from the front porch of their rental home after their house burned down, she coupled it with a prayer that touched my heart. And now, I also have it as a phone saver to remind me to keep my heart and mind turned to the Lord and His will for my life.

“You would expect it to be higher, wouldn’t you?” Laura said as we started to cross the bridge.

Suicide Bridge has a reputation for people jumping into the rapid current below and drowning because of its strength.

We enjoyed a delicious filet mignon and crab imperial meal paired with our favorite drink, merlot. I discovered I got to share in Easton’s first dinner out. Ron had steak and shrimp, which he thoroughly enjoyed with his Dogfish Head beer. Mike stuck to one drink, Jack and Coke since he had to drive. Laura raved about the Orange Crush, CarolAnne allowed herself one Bay Breeze, and Troy settled for a Modelo, all happy faces as we celebrated Squishy!

How my 55th birthday ended:

With Ron lighting my bike ride home from one of my oldest and dearest friends’ houses after meeting her new grandbaby.

I felt like a kid again, riding my bike to her house like we did as teenagers.

My heart overflows with love after a wonderful day!

Laura texted me as soon as Easton woke Saturday morning. As soon as I finished updating the blog for my birthday I hopped on my bike for morning cuddles.

Daddy took over when I had to go to the bathroom. Such joy watching them together.

Watching Troy and CarolAnne with their little bundle of joy made my heart smile!

“I was thinking a boat ride would be fun,” Laura said as the relaxing morning dwindled and the afternoon began.

Riding back to the campground, I took a short nap while Ron showered, then off to the boat we went.

Sunday morning I slept until 7:00 before the dogs wanted out. Ron slept a little later, enjoying the black out shades and fresh air coming from the open window.

After my quiet time and outlining my devotionals for November, I had time for a quick ride around Trap Pond on the Bob Trail, a 5 mile loop. About two miles in I saw a black snake, sprawled across the trail, but didn’t get a picture. Looking back at it, I saw the two female joggers and prayed he would move before they came up on it.

Perfect weather for a quick jaunt around the pond.

On the way to Laura’s for church, we hit a squirrel on our bikes, a first for both of us. The varmint ran into my front tire as we exited Trap Pond, just passed the camp store, then ricocheted into Ron’s tire, riding slightly behind me. Thankfully, when we looked back, we saw the critter scurrying away, unharmed

Narrow Way had a special outdoor service with baptism. Finishing their series on the Beatitudes, they had five people who dipped their old lives in the water and came up new creations in Christ.

CarolAnne and Easton watched from afar with Jess and Brinley.

And Mike and Laura introduced us to the Roadtrip Rocker, something I have a feeling we will soon purchase.

Cape Henlopen‘s bike trails became our Sunday afternoon plan. Picking up lunch at Nectar, we arrived just after 1:30. Unloading the bikes, we headed out to find picnic tables to sit and enjoy our food.

“Bang!”

Less than a minute into our ride, we heard what sounded like a gun shot.

“Was that you?” Mike asked Laura as she came to a stop behind us. The smile of derision on her face answered the question without words.

Turning around, we headed to the Bike Barn for Laura to get a rental and have lunch. With only an hour before the shop closed, we had a short ride, before calling it a day.

On the way back to Laurel, we stopped by the Crooked Hammock in Lewes for a drink, one of only three locations. Middleton has one and the third, in Myrtle Beach, we visited a month ago on a work trip for Ron.

Babysitting Easton ended our weekend. Cuddling with the little man topped off a perfect weekend!

At 7:08 a.m. I snapped a “til next time” pic as we passed by on our way to Rt. 24. Thank You Lord for the wonderful memories we made within the house’s walls. God bless them, now and forever.