Greetings from Baltimore!

Greetings from Baltimore! I apologize both for the mass e-mail and if you haven't heard from us; moving is a bit overwhelming. Also, we don't have internet yet (Gary, don't look so mortified), but we are making do.

Here's a recap of what's been going on: Romi and I had an uneventful but loooooong drive to CA, the horrors of which we quickly forgot in the excitement of seeing everyone. We received amazing hospitality (thank you again Austin for so kindly giving up your bed). We played and ate with Gludts, Dinsdales, Bermans, and a slew of Shiffletts. We took a few meals outside while we could and appreciated a last long look at the “correct” ocean.

As Romi and I visited and enjoyed loved ones' company, Rob, Joel and Penny made great time across the country (even if if did take them forever to cross Texas). They drove 2300 miles with only one speeding ticket and are still friends...a miracle! Romi and I flew to MD on a direct flight out of LAX. Once again, he was an amazing traveler. We jumped in our rental car and relied on the GPS (not easy for me) to get us to Daniel and Miriam's, who made us feel welcome as we once again invaded their home. On Tuesday we picked up the keys to our new home, did some shopping and spent a truly lovely afternoon with our Chuckle Cousin, who so lovingly fought traffic both ways from DC to make sure we weren't lonely on our first day (a real act of loving kindness Suzanne!). Rob, Penny and Joel arrived Wednesday morning, and our belongings came by in a big old moving truck shortly after that. Once Joel got the lock squared away, we headed downtown to Fells Point for lunch and a bit of sight seeing. We spent the first night in our new home with pilfered blankets and pillows on a variety of air mattresses. A bit like camping, but at least we were home!

We may be living amid a myriad of boxes, but we love our new house and are settling in. The house here is completely different from our home in Tucson, yet we fit in the space well (even the kitchen). The move went fairly well (Kim, we had very little breakage and all of the china made it!). The basement has proved to be the biggest challenge: nothing fits down the stairs. And by nothing, I mean nothing. We couldn't get the mattress, dressers, washer or dryer down there, so we are working on a new game plan (mainly involving Ikea furniture which can be constructed down there). As a result, Romi has inherited the queen mattress, which is quite a bit of space for someone three-feet tall. (Not that it matters anyway, since he's still sleeping in our bed.) After way too much hard driving and even harder work, on Friday Joel headed safely home to Hallie while Jodi and Steven headed up to help us (the five hour drive took 10 hours, poor things). Romi is in heaven with his Aunt JoJo and cousins to play with while Rob and I scramble around, trying to make our home habitable before he leaves tomorrow for Texas. Romi and I have great plans for next week, including visiting his new school, taking the train to DC, and unpacking more boxes. He's holding up well, although he misses Tucson and everyone and everything in it (as do we).

We hope everything is well with all of you. Call, write, e-mail...we miss everyone!

Much love,

Kelley

507 East Lake Ave.

Baltimore MD 21212