Aboard Astraea

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Florida to San Diego

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After Florida we hit the road to Norfolk, VA for a Ferring family gathering. On Saturday Natalie’s Aunt Martha arranged a glass blowing trip to the Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio. It was free for veterans that day! It was fun to work with molten glass and make a Christmas tree ornament.

Rolling in the pigments

Rolling in the pigments

Blowing the hot glass in to the ball shape

Blowing the hot glass in to the ball shape

The completed ornament

The completed ornament

The whole Ferring Family congregated on TIm and Martha's front porch in Norfolk, VA

The Ferring Family congregated on Tim and Martha’s front porch in Norfolk, VA

Sully and Elena with their Great Grandparents, Ted and Joan Ferring

Sully and Elena with their Great Grandparents, Ted and Joan Ferring

We left Norfolk on November 10 and headed up to Natalie’s Aunt and Uncle’s in Madison County, VA.

Tractor Riding with Uncle Derald Saying Hi to the horses

A hike in the woods with Uncle Derald and Aunt Tammy

A hike in the woods with Uncle Derald and Aunt Tammy

Next we headed back to my parent’s house in PA for another visit and Sully got to play in the snow. He nailed me with two snowballs from about 3 feet away.

Playing in the snow at Nana and Pappy's

Playing in the snow at Nana and Pappy’s

Sully caught his first snowflake on his tongue during our trip

Sully caught his first snowflake on his tongue during our trip

That weekend we went back to Nicole and Karl’s for another family get together.

Chilly down by the river in Harpers Ferry, WV

Storytime with Aunt Lizze

Storytime with Aunt Lizze

A family feast at Nicole and Karl's house

A family feast at Nicole and Karl’s house

Storytime with Grammy Kitchen time at Nicole and Karl's

After leaving Nicole and Karl’s we stopped by my Grandma and Grandpa Kraft’s in Hanover, PA. Aunt Lisa and Grandma made a traditional PA Dutch meal called Hog Maw. It’s a sausage and potatoe dish baked in the oven. The different thing is that it’s baked in a pig’s stomach! Yes, you can eat the stomach and it tastes porky and chewy. I helped install their new DSL router and we got a surprise visit from Aunt Luann.

We made it to the end of our trip and back to my parents house just in time for my birthday. We celebrated by having Chinese food. I was lucky that my sister got released from Ft. Dix for her new Army assignment in Pittsburgh, PA. Best of luck to you Lizze in your new job!

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Sully helped put on the candles

Sully helped put on the candles

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Happy 30th birthday to me

Happy 30th birthday to me

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The tradition for my family is a rainbow colored angel food cake. My mom makes it the best.

The tradition for my family is a rainbow colored angel food cake. My mom makes it the best.

When it came time to pack up the car to go to the airport I knew we had too much stuff so we borrowed Grandma Ness’s SUV and just barely packed all our stuff in the back in bags and cardboard boxes.

Wow. During our travels we saw almost everyone in our families! We put over 6,000 miles on the new tires on our 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R and slept in 12 different beds. It was an exhausting 5 week trip but well worth it. Thanks to all our friends and family for the hospitality over our long trip! It was great to visit, but we had to go back to the boat.

When we got back to the boat we hauled down Lizze's yellow ribbon we flew for a year and a half while she was in Afghanistan

When we got back to the boat we hauled down Lizze’s yellow ribbon we flew for a year and a half while she was in Afghanistan

Our first night back we visited with our boat neighbor, Claudia and her beautiful newborn girl

Our first night back we visited with our boat neighbor, Claudia and her beautiful newborn girl

Sully was very gentle with the baby

Sully was very gentle with the baby and will be a good big brother in the future

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