IT REALLY WAS EXCELLENT...

My adventure. And if I don't tell all about it, PJ will think I forgot.

NO WAY!

I still can't believe it's already happened. Sometimes I wonder if it was just a great dream. You know how some dreams are so good you feel bad when you wake up?

But I have pictures,

And stories,

And a blog where I can show and tell :)



Oh, for those of you who don't know, PJ calls me Jake.

Here's a new blog post you can visit sometime to see why.

Hope you have a cup of something and a few minutes....


Wednesday, November 10th, I boarded an airplane and headed east. Now this isn't something normal for me. The first time on one was 15 years ago. Short flight to Tucson Az. This time I would leave SLC at 12:20 pm and arrive in Baltimore about 6:30 that night. There's a 2 hour difference in time so it was dark when I got there. I saw water below but didn't know it was the ocean till someone told me. And all the lights! I was like a kid at Christmas :)
 
I tried to act cool and all knowing as I left the plane and found my way to the baggage place. I was instructed by PJ to look for a man wearing a florescent pink ball cap. That would be her honey, Stu. As I turned the corner, there he was. At least I hoped that was him, he had the pink hat on :) I asked and he said yes, he's who I'm looking for. Then he said something so sweet and flattering that I felt quite comfortable riding two hours with this awesome dude I'd never met before:)

We drove a ways then stopped to eat. I'm not much of a seafood person so when he said it had the best crab cakes.... But I'm game. And what a meal I would have missed if not. Crab cakes, fries and Hush Puppies! Y.U.M. But I had no idea what other delightful meals were in store for me while I was at PJ's. If you've read her posts you know Chef Stu is amazing!

The best part of the whole trip was pulling in the driveway and seeing PJ for the first time. Can't even describe how good her hug felt. We'd formed a close friendship through blogs, emails and phone calls. But to finally see, touch and feel that special bond. Felt like for a lifetime; like coming home...
 I also met Journey, Krue, and Struck... 3 of PJ's babies :)
We talked and talked until we realized how late it was, she showed me my room, (if you missed it, take a peek AT THIS POST ) and I slept like a babe :)

Thursday morning, after meeting PJ's other babies Snickers and Reeses. And the three cats, Baby, Atticus and Murray,  PJ and I went for a ride. She wanted to share one of her favorite Antique stores... BEANS :) And she was right, lots of fun things to see. We giggled at the memories some of the items brought back. Then I saw something I needed. Ya, NEEDED! A bracelet. Hearts made of nickle. Good heavy weight and totally me! So it went on my wrist. Along with three others that called to me..'we wanna go too!' I mean, I had to take something home from Delaware, right? And it couldn't be PJ.... I'll show them to you someday.

Later, I met her awesome friend and helper, Marilyn...aka Merlyn and for good reason. She's quite the woman. Takes care of PJ's mom, the house and PJ! She's funny, clever and so lovable! (she even washed my clothes!!)Then I met Nancy Ellen, Pj's mom. What a special spirit this lady is. I felt such warmth just from her hug. She found a fast place in my heart too. As did Shirley, PJ's sister. You've heard quite a bit about some of their sister conversations on PJ's blog. Believe me, it's all true, and we hit it off just great. She's a hoot!

Chef Stu fed us homemade chicken soup for lunch. Talk about comfort food. And the rest of the day was spent talking, sharing stories and getting to know more about life in Delaware. Dinner? OH, never have I had such wonderful Shrimp Scampi...E.V.E.R! Really, Stu is incredible! I need to clone him :)

Friday was another treat. PJ, Shirley and I drove to Rohobeth Beach. I've seen the Pacific Ocean but not the Atlantic. I loved it. First thing they said was they'd never seen such high waves there. Shirley said they were doing it for me:) All I know is I had such fun walking in the sand and bubbly water. PJ loved that the sand was wet and she could walk down to the tide coming in. She hadn't been able to do that for years.  Then we went to their favorite store there. Gidget's Gadgets. And it was for sure full of gadgets. Toys from a few decades back that made us say "Hey, I remember this!" Then Shirley and I sneaked into a chocolate candy store..hehe. The ride back to PJ's was spent story telling and giggling :) The chef fixed an awesome Roast Pork dinner and I lulled the rest of the night full and sassy...

Saturday was spent sharing more stories, having Belgian Waffles for breakfast, leftover Scampi (my request) for lunch and even sitting in a hot tub! A first for me too...really :) It was funny feeling bubbles trying to creep up the tight polkadotted pants I had on... you would have laughed at that site :)
Dinner was to die for Tuna Steaks and Butternut Squash Risotto. (spelling?) Oh my....can't say enough about Stu's cooking.

Sunday was Thanksgiving! Well, at PJ's anyway. Stu fixed a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. PJ said she wanted to have Thanksgiving dinner with Jake. See what a special lady she is. We had a great time talking and laughing with everyone, which included all the important people. PJ, Stu, Shirley, Merlyn and Nancy Ellen aka mom. Really touched my heart. Later that night Shirley and I watched Grey's Anatomy, after being silly while cleaning up the kitchen :) The only sad part of the day was knowing I'd be leaving.....

Monday morning. After having the most touching five days with a family who made me feel like I've always been a part of, eating some of the best tasting food in my life, laughing myself silly, telling stories, sitting in a hot tub, and falling in love...it was time to load up the suitcase and head back to Baltimore to catch a flight to Boston. Chef Stu aka The Source, drove us through the foggy morning, pointed out all the landmarks that I missed on the first ride (it was dark remember) helped me find my way into the security line at the airport and gave me a warm hug before driving back home. The one full of special smiles, silly stories and souls with huge hearts. The one full of memories I'll keep in my heart for always...

Why do the fun times go so fast?

Why are good bye's sad?

Why can't I clone Stu?


Ok here's some pictures. After reading about my adventure, you should be able to tell who and where they are.

I'll tell my story of Boston soon.

Let's do Christmas first :)









See ya Yesterday...One Tomorrow at a Time.