Late June update

Hello Friends and Family!

June is coming to a close and it seems like time is just flying by. I have not taken my camera to work yet but I will soon and add a couple of pictures of the ambulance that our team transports patients in. On the job front while I enjoy my employment at the University of Virginia I will be applying for a job as a firefighter/paramedic with the City of Charlottesville. This job, if I receive an offer, would be a significant jump not only finiancially but would be a better fit for me. So keep your fingers crossed and I will keep you all posted on my progress. Anna is enjoying being at home with May while I am not enjoying the prospects of night shifts and being on call a job is a job and we have yet to figure out how to grow money. Anna somehow squeezes in a few hours here and there with her job at "creciento juntos" a NGO here in town that allows her to work from home. Big news on the Brother Joe and Sister Leah front...they have received a referral from their adoption agency and will be traveling to Ethiopia sometime soon to bring back their newly adopted 2 month old boy! Check out their blog http://montsweeney.blogspot.com/.

More updates and pics soon.

Love T&A&May

A new Twins fan! This was my shirt about 28 years ago maybe May will get to wear it during the World Series!

Anna and May went berry picking last week...we now have five pounds of raspberries in our freezer.

We took May out to our local CSA farm to do a little weeding and watering and picked some carrots, beets, potatoes, and greens.

The chickens were very curious about May so I took her out of her bouncy seat, she can play with chickens when she gets a little older.

Ryan and Gerald checking out the child hammock that Ryan made. Thanks Ryan, she loves it. Below is a video of the hammock in action.

Mid-June update

Hello Friends and Family,

All is well with the Sullivan clan. Our summer projects have begun with the installation of a quintessential element of home improvement, a kegerator. Anna's papa has been busy with drawing up home improvement schematics for our house which involve a skid steer, ditch witch and forty to fifty gallons of elbow grease. Anna has been going through loads of baby clothes given to us by friends and family and while many of the clothes are adorable we have found that two hundred onesies and eighteen rain jackets are a little more than we need so we've been donating some items to the local salvation army. May is getting more and more active, raising her head, squirming, babbling and experimenting with countless facial expressions. We are beginning to learn what May's grunts, sighs, smiles and furrowed brows mean or, more accurately, what bodily function is imminent. The video below is what generally happens when May is hungry.

An early fathers day gift. This was the fridge we used to have in the kitchen and is now an addition to the ever growing man cave.

We didn't think that May would like being strapped down in a car seat but she seems to like it.

Anna B and May B.

Lizzie holding May and Laurel looking on at a little house dinner we had last week for Lizzie who headed up to New York for the summer.

Anna and May sorting through baby clothes.

Nap time is very important.

May, the world cup and the USA not being trounced by England.

May with a onesie that Anna made.

May Bird Sullivan

It only took us four days to name her, May Bird Sullivan. Bird is a family name on Anna's side and while she was born the first day of June we both liked May a lot and we're having some fun with some nicknames. Maybe a little too much fun.




For all our Nebraska friends and family it looks like you will be meeting May at my brother Pat's wedding in October. Can't wait to see you all!

I was talking with Daniel (Anna's papa) the other day and he was asking me if I was keeping track of this experience through some sort journal and I thought that this format would be a good place to do that, so here it is. I have started back at work with the University of Virginia Neonatal Emergency Transport team and feeling a bit of stress about leaving Anna and May at home but our friends and family here have been fantastic, stopping by to deliver delicious food, visit and help out around the house. The good thing about my job is that I fulfill my work requirements in three days and tend to have the rest of the week off. The bad news is that I keep thinking I'll come home one day and she'll be riding her bike around and I'll wonder where did all the time go, an unfounded concern as I'm sure I'll at least see her walk first.

It should be an action packed summer for our little family. On the docket this summer is a kitchen remodel, solar panel installations, new front porch and maybe a new back deck with a donated hot tub from Daniel. Our little garden should be kicking out tomatoes and hot peppers soon. Our fig tree from Ryan made it through the winter so we'll have a few figs later this summer. Also, it looks like Joe and Leah will be going to Ethiopia sometime in July to pick up their adopted child, more on that the more we find out but May seems excited about a cousin.

I'll try and upload a few more pics sometime soon of May and our house projects. All is going well with kiddo and mama.

Take care and talk with you all soon,

love

T&A&May

Baby Girl Pics

Hello Friends and Family!

All is well. Baby is feeding, sleeping, and pooping like a champ. My folks and Anna's are thrilled to have a granddaughter. She is cute, peaceful, soft and smells good. Her yawns and sneezes kill me. More to come.

Getting her footprints.

About thirty minutes after birth.

Aunt Leah, thanks for being there Leah your help was much appreciated.

Alison with her first granddaughter.

Kirby and Mary Claire with their first granddaughter.

We've got a couple names in mind and after tonight we should have a name for her.

Love T&A

Baby Girl!

She has finally arrived all 9 lbs. 2 oz. of her. Labor was about 12 hours long with an intense final hour ending at 9:30 this morning.

Pictures to come soon! and a name.

April and May

Hello Friends and Family!

No baby yet but it should be anytime now. Anna is having more and more contractions throughout the day and night so it seems that her body is getting ready for the big day. When that will be we are not sure but I'm thinking that this upcoming week we will be meeting our new addition. We'll keep you all posted.

Not ours. Bowen is taking a little nap he is the son of Katherine and Russ, good friends of ours.

Anna picking strawberries in our backyard, we've picked about a hundred so far and no signs of them slowing down yet.

Spreading a little mulch and more importantly, looking good doing it.

We took advantage of some state and federal stimulus funds and bought a new refrigerator and washing machine.

Anna insisted on carrying the refrigerator in the house.

A birthday party for Gabe and Lizzy over at Jessie's house, this was a while back but I thought it was good pic with the lights hanging from the laundry line.

Anna with the Handworks crowd who helped in the making of the baby quilt in the middle.

A whole bunch of tie-died onesies and baby outfits that where made at Anna's baby-shower. They had to be rinsed out in our tub. She'll be a well dressed hippie.

March and April

Hello Friends and Family,

A few pic's below showing my little brother and his fiance visit to Charlottesville. Also Anna, Leah and her hubby Joe and me on our trip to Atlantic beach to hang with the Dolan clan.

Down with the messy mulberry tree and all of its poison ivy!

Kirby and I with Brian Mutchies old chainsaw, it still works!

Kirbo! we're glad your back and safe.

Kirby and Jenna on the banks of the Moormans river.

Anna in a baby swaddling thing my mom made. Thanks mom.

Joe, Leah, Anna, and I in our front yard prior to the 5 hour car ride to North Carolina for a fun Easter weekend trip on the beach. A yearly trip we all relish.

Meg and Jeff and Atlantic Beach, NC, thanks for putting us up and showing us such a good time!

Anna in Meg and Jeff's front lawn in Beaufort NC, we played a rousing game of Easter day street tennis, the neighborhood enjoyed it about as much as we did.

Anna and Mama Montgomery in the Montgomery's backyard.

April 10th wedding of Graeme and Nicole, here's a pic of the preacher, Graeme, Nathan, David and me in one of my dad's old suits. It was a beautiful day for a wedding, with great live music from the HoneyDew Drops, Horseshoes and friends, we all had a blast.

The lovely bride Nicole flanked by her parents.

In other news; we've been looking at houses in Charlottesville and just placed a offer on a house about four blocks away from our current house. The house is located on a much quieter street next to a park. Hopefully, the owner will accept the offer and we'll be able to move in before the baby is born. It will be quite an experience to move into a newer house with a baby on the way. I've applied for a new position as a paramedic with a Neonatal Emergency Transport service with the University of Virginia Medical Center where I currently work as a communications dispatcher in the Emergency Department. Anna has been doing great and is on her 35th week of pregnancy. Her work with the NGO Creciento Juntos has been busy but she is enjoying it. Leah and Joe are awaiting news of their imminent adoption of an Ethiopian child. Daniel and Alison (Ma & Pa Montgomery) are busy with spring plantings and the construction of a green house.

Hope you all are enjoying the spring weather!

More blogs to come soon!

Love T&A.

Updates coming soon

Soon, we'll be posting our AT video highlighting the trials and triumphs of our 5 month hike.

Now for a little update on what Anna and I have been up to.

Anna has been working part time with Creciento Juntos (growing together) a Latin American outreach group that is part of a local NGO. At least one of us is keeping up with our spanish skills! Since the weather has been agreeable she's been getting dirty outside with various plantings but noticing that her ever growing belly is making some tasks difficult. If you haven't been informed Anna is 31 weeks pregnant with our first child, a girl! The due date is May 13th and please, hold on sending pink clothing as we have been inundated with pinkness.

I'm half way through another semester at a local community college and still on track to transfer to the University of Virginia sometime next year. I am working part time in the emergency department of University of Virginia's medical center specifically with medical communications talking with helicopters and ambulances and informing the appropriate parties of their imminent arrival.

These are exciting times for us and our soon to be family and we'll be more consistent with updates of these times on our blog.

We hope that the spring time is treating you all well.

Love,

T&A&...(Nora, Gertrude, Claire, well, we just haven't decided yet)

making headlines

Last week I wrote a letter to the Daily Progress, our local paper, about the need for health care reform. Low and behold, they printed it!

Here's what appeared in the paper yesterday:

Reform insurance; add new option

In 2000, at the age of 21, I had a rare form of ovarian cancer. I was incredibly fortunate to overcome the disease in good health and without debt. At the time I had health insurance through my parents’ employer, and the bills were minimal. Without that coverage, I would now be in debt $50,000, or, worse, I would have been denied care, and I would not have survived.

Aside from the cancer, I have no health problems. But now, nine years later, fully recovered and with less than a 1 percent chance of the cancer returning, I am virtually uninsurable. I am lucky to have insurance through my husband’s employer, but so many other Americans do not have this option. Healthy people like me are denied coverage and the medical care they need because they are a financial liability to the insurance companies.

Our system is not set up to make health care affordable and accessible. It is not set up to promote prevention or early intervention. It is not set up to offer the greatest care to the greatest number of people. It is, instead, set up to profit insurance companies.

President Obama’s plan for health care reform will make it illegal for insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, to drop coverage for members when they become sick, or to cap the amount of coverage they can receive. For myself and my fellow Americans, I desperately want these changes.

Additionally, I want a public option. I want to walk into a doctor’s office and receive care without worrying about the out of pocket expenses. I want, and I trust, the government to manage my health care. They do a great job with our public schools, our military, our policemen and firefighters, our mail. Their intervention will enable every American to receive the medical attention they need and deserve.

America has the best medical schools in the world, the best doctors and nurses, and the most cutting-edge technology in medicine. Let’s give our people access to these wonderful resources. They are dying without it.

Anna Sullivan
Charlottesville, VA

Interestingly, here's the headline that made today's front page: ‘Hands Off My Healthcare’ tour makes local stop

This article honored the 50 some people that attended a rally held in Charlottesville yesterday to oppose Obama's health care reform plan:

"Many in attendance Wednesday held signs and cheered as speakers talked about their concerns over health care reform. Ginger Kohr, who brought her daughter to the rally, said she was concerned what the plan will do for her daughter’s future. '[With the national debt] she is not going to have the same standard of living that we have now and that bothers me,' Kohr said."

Well, Ginger, I sure hope your little girl doesn't get sick between now and her debt-free adulthood.

In England, France, Canada, and just about every other educated nation in the world, you can go to the doctor's office, receive timely and thorough care, and walk out without paying a dime. Yes, their taxes are higher, but they are healthier, they live longer, and they don't go bankrupt for having cancer, giving birth, or getting in a car wreck.

Maybe we should talk about spending what we pay in taxes now on health care instead of wars, but that's another letter.

It was the wettest of times it was the best of times.

We've finished, Kaput, done, end-o-rama or however else you'd put it. It was an utterly exhausting and exhilarating challenge, and I for one am truly glad that I'm no longer walking twenty miles a day with thirty pounds upon my shoulders; I think I can speak for Anna on that account as well. We completed our climb up Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the AT, on the 10th of August and are currently settling back into our home and life back in Charlottesville, Virginia.

It was a wet and wild ride during those 5 months in the woods and we would like to extend our gratitude to all of our family and friends who helped us along the way. Mamacita aka Alison Montgomery, your skill in dehydrating tasty foods and then sending them to odd locations was the envy of our trail companions. Because of you we truly ate better than any other hikers. Jessie and Sunny, Graeme and Nicole, Jeremy, Ryan, Evan and Kates, Anna O., Alison (mamacita), Leah (big sis), J. Ben Ranz (rhymes with Hands) Kirby (papa scoutmaster) and all our other friends and family who hiked with us on the trail, your smiles, conversations and laughter kept our souls happy (even though it rained all the time). Thank you.

Enjoy the Pics and Thanks again to all that made this journey possible.

A new sign this year.

A cow moose about forty feet off the trail.

Pop, Anna and I right before the hike up Katahdin.


A nice little lake in the Hundred Mile Wilderness and that is real sunshine on our faces.

Love T&A.

August 10: Mt. Katahdin, ME

2178.3 miles.

WE MADE IT!!!!!!!

August 9: Rainbow Lake, ME

2152.0 miles.

Holy smokes. So close to the end.

I oscillate hourly between feeling thrilled -we're about to accomplish the greatest goal we've ever set for ourselves, and heartbroken -this great journey is coming to an end.

We're camped on the shore of Rainbow Lake, one of the hundreds of pristine, still lakes in the wilderness of Maine. Last night we feel asleep to the haunting call of the loons, we woke up this morning to the sound of absolute quiet.

We pushed ahead the last few days, setting ourselves up to do an unprecedented easy two ten mile days before summiting Katahdin. Alas, in typical T&A fashion, we're now thinking, 'oh, well why not just do one more 20 mile day and summit tomorrow?' That's been our m.o. the whole trip -push ourselves to the limit so we can take a break later, then skip that break later and keep pushing.

There's no right or wrong way to do this trail, and our way got us this far. But, if I were going to do it again, I think I'd take six months instead of five to complete it -more days off, fewer miles each day, more afternoons hanging out by a lake or on a summit or in our tent listening to the rain, more moments to pause and enjoy the beauty along the way.

Though we've had no shortage of beautiful moments. Yesterday a few hours before sunset, we were following a stream uphill and came upon a wide, shallow lake where a moose was feeding. She was in the middle of the bog, head under water for 15 seconds at a time eating huge gobs of whatever grows at the bottom of bogs. She saw us sitting there watching her and kept right on eating undisturbed. What a beautiful sight. A few weeks ago Tom and I came to the top of a hill and into a clearing, and a little fuzzy dog trotted up to our feet. When it heard Tom's voice, it bolted into the grass and disappeared. It was a coyote pup, probably just a few weeks old. Three days ago I watched a bear walking through the woods. It didn't see me and was headed right in my direction. I let it get pretty close -about 30 feet or so from me, then let it know I was there, at which point it wheeled around on its hind legs and barreled back into the woods. I almost wish I had just let it walk by me -but then some people do get eaten by bears here and there, even the shy black ones.

I'm not trying to say that I want to move in with a den of wild animals, live naked and never return to civilization, just that it's beautiful out here. We're surrounded by quiet, simple, breathtaking beauty. And I'll miss it.

August 5: Gulf Hagas Mtn., ME

2100.6 miles.

I am exhausted. I don't think I've ever been so worn out in my life.

We've entered the 100 miles wilderness, less than 80 miles to go to Katahdin, and we're giving it our all. The miracle of it is, tomorrow I'll wake up and my legs will move. I know that even as beat as I am right now, I'll sleep, and in the morning I'll stand up and walk, and enjoy -yes, still, enjoy- hiking through these mountains another day.

August 2: Bald Mtn. Brook, ME

2041.6 miles.

Whew! A 19 miles day through the mud of Maine is no easy thing. And we're dragging poor Ben Ranz along through it all. He's come to join us for a few days on the trail going from Stratton to Monson, and he's hanging in there like a champ -actually, I think he's doing a lot better than we are.

With just 130 miles to go we can practically smell the finish line, and we've been pushing ourselves to the max to get there on August 11th -five months from the day we started. Looks like we'll make it, but there will be no breaks for us until we reach Katahdin.

Only nine days left of this great journey. I'm starting to get nostalgic before it's even over. I know how much I'll miss this life, its simplicity and ease, the beauty of the wilderness, and the one enormous challenge before us each day -to keep on walking.

August 1: Pierce Pond, ME

2023.1

I met Tom Sullivan eight years ago today and loved him instantly.

He's everything I could ask for in a partner -caring, adventuresome, generous, capable, hardworking, good looking, and fun. I feel at ease when he's in sight. I miss him when he's not. Just want to tell the world how grateful I am to have him in my life.

July 25: Baldpate Mtn, MAINE!!!!

1915.5 miles.

Well, the first 20 miles of Maine have proven to be just as torturous, maybe even harder than the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Talking to mom the other day I mentioned how much more difficult the trail is up here -really nothing like the rest of the AT. She asked what I meant -how is it hard?

Until we got to this part I couldn't envision why it would be so tough either. Today I thought of a way to visualize it -even better actually, a way to let our friends experience the trail for themselves. So, here it is: a re-creation of the AT in southern Maine during the wettest summer on record. You'll need a staircase, but most of you can do this at home.

First, fill a wheelbarrow with dirt. Get out the garden hose and make that dirt into mud. Pour the mud down the stair case, and fill up a few tubs with mud, too. Place those on the stairs in such a way that you couldn't possibly avoid stepping in them. Next, find some big, cumbersome objects -a dish washer or a copy machine maybe- and place those on the stairs (they may tip over, that's fine). Then grab some canned goods, broom handles, rolling pins, cookie sheets, whatever is on hand in the kitchen. Toss those down the steps. Now bring the hose inside, lay the nozzle at the top of the stairs, and turn it on.

Okay, you've got your own personal Appalachian Trail, and you're ready for hiking. Starting at the bottom, go up the stairs, up and over the cumbersome things, through the mud and running water, around the obstacles. Mind you don't slip or catch your foot on something. When you reach the top, turn around and go back down. Repeat for ten hours.


That's pretty much what we did today.

July 24: Cascade Mtn., NH

1887.3 miles.

Took a serious writing haitus there -almost made it through New Hampshire without stopping to reflect. Due in part to losing our book a week ago (got it back yesterday through a small series of miracles and kind people), but mostly it was those big and bad White Mountains that had us spellbound and -day after day- plain freakin exhausted.

What a phenomenal place the Whites are. We dropped our pace to 15 or 10 or sometimes 8 miles a day so we could take it all in, take the side trails to the lonely summits, take our time ascending and descending the long, sheer slabs of stone that stood between us and a reasonably secure place to stop and catch our breath. Everyone said this place would be a hard hike -I had no idea they were serious, that "hard hike" would apply to us, too. We've crossed hundreds of mountains, walked over 1800 miles, and are in the best shape of our lives. I thought, "how hard could it be?"

Hard. Awesomely, agonizingly, beautifully, hard.

And now, the Whites behind us, we'll walk into Maine today. For months people we encountered along the trail and in towns have asked us where we're headed. "Maine," we've always replied -confidence growing in that response with every state line we crossed. I guess we'll have to be a little more specific from here on out.

July 20: Gorham, NH

1859.0 miles

Whoa.

These mountains are HUGE.

We've heard about the White Mountains of New Hampshire since we began this trek. People on the trail talk about them like some mythical beast that's gonna eat you. You hear things along the way like, "oh man, this is the steepest climb on the trail -except for the Whites of course." Or, "dude, the rocks in Pennsylvania are the worst! Except for the rocks in the Whites. Those are actually the worst." Or, "you think this is tough, wait until you get to the Whites."

It's no joke. These hills are bigger than life. And we are right in the middle of them.

Yesterday we summitted Mt. Washington, the second highest peak on the trail, and the location of -as the sign at the base of the mountains puts it- the worst weather in America. Sure enough. It was crazy up there. The peaks here are well above tree line, and there was no refuge from the 80 to 100 mile an hour winds whipping us sideways. One wrong step and you could easily break an ankle, so at times I scrambled across the jagged boulders on all fours. The clouds were so thick we could barely see 20 feet. And that was a nice day up there we hear.

Coming down Washington, we followed the rocky ridge of the Presidential peaks for 15 miles or so, said hello to Mr. Adams, TJ, and James Madison, then ducked back down into the trees, sad to lose the spectacular 360 views, but a little glad to be back on the familiar trails of mud and roots and rocks. That was some tough walking up there.

People ask us all the time what our favorite part of the trail has been. This is it. Right here. Rugged, agonizing on the knees, and hard to breathe, you'd have to be crazy to drag yourself up these hills. But I love every beautiful bit of it.

500 miles to go!!

With five hundred miles to go it finally feels as if we are approaching an end to this journey. We are now in Vermont only two states left after this one, New Hampshire and Maine, and then back to...more work, play, family and food that is already hydrated. Just a few pictures to document our journey.

Sunfish pond in New Jersey.

Always a helpful sign on the AT.

Always Hungry!

Yes! Bears! in a zoo on the AT at Bear Mountain in NY.

This was on Mombash Mountain in NY, if you look really hard you'll see the NYC skyline. We went to NYC for two days and hung out with our PC Bolivia friends Kates, Evan and Anna O.

Anna O., Anna B and Kates in Brooklyn.

Our first swim in a long time.

Boy did it feel good. This was at Upper Goose pond in Massachusetts.

Anna on Upper Goose pond.

Snack time, PB and whatever it'll go on.

Into Vermont!

Haven't spotted one yet but here's a moose track.

Sometimes we fall down.

Hiking buddy

Another hiking buddy.