Brightly Blossom

Fun and Games

2012-01-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

One thing that I love about being back in Utah is getting to see my adorable nieces and nephews all the time. My mom always cooks Sunday dinner for us, so we gather at her house weekly. These little men are the cutest things. I could seriously just sit and watch Ganon for hours... he makes me laugh and laugh with how excited and full of energy he is.

Monday, after my women's volleyball games, my parents and I went to Subway for some eats. As I left, I realized I was so close to my friend Amy's house, so I stopped by to say hello. She made me watch the rest of Once Upon A Time with her and got me hooked on that show. Then she nonchalantly asked me if I wanted to make some pudding. How did she read my mind? ;)

Tuesday, I was able to test random knowledge with some of my favorite peeps at trivia night. Something that we liked in Boston and found out they actually do it in SLC too! We came in fourth place! That sounds impressive until I tell you there were only five teams. At least we didn't come in dead last. ;)

Just a little share of my workplace. I made those snowball decorations for our Christmas party and had to keep a few for my office. Also notice the cookie fortunes (which I seem to collect) and my dolls from Bolivia (nod to my heritage). And... I work in Excel all the time. My team will tell you that I'm obsessed with it. I'm not... completely, but, you really can do such amazing things with it. ;)

Friday, my friend Nancy joined me at the U of U Red Rocks gymnastics meet against USU. Really, no competition... the U has Olympians on their team. Amazing to see the things they can do with their bodies.

Saturday, I helped my brother Patrick with his move. When it was time to say good-bye, Ganon was so adorable saying, "come see me again." Love that little man. He just melts my heart.

Welcome 2012

2012-01-08T16:32:00.002-07:00

I know I have been MIA for a while. I plan to still go back and post some highlights from the last year and a half, but for now, just moving on. I also started a new thing my friend at work told me about: My365. A picture a day for the year on my iphone. Just be warned I may or may not post something for every day... ;)

I rang in 2012 at a mid-singles party at Noah's. I have to admit that I was not looking forward to it. I haven't been to a giant event like this in years, wasn't sure I would know anyone besides my friends, and they can be torturesome. Fortunately, I had a fabulous time. I ran into a bunch of my Boston friends and we brought out all our retro moves on the '80s dance floor. I also ran into people I knew when I lived in Salt Lake five years ago... great surprises. It has been a long time since I had so much fun at a dance.

The next night I helped my friend Amy put together these animal print panels for her African-themed living room. We just stretched material and batting over frame pieces. Not too hard and they add the finishing touch to the room.

I had to go back to work on Tuesday and when I came home the light and fan were on in my living room. Can I just say creepy? I walked around to peek inside the windows, then called my friend as I walked in to make sure no one was waiting for me inside. It turns on with a button, so I must have brushed against it that morning. Still weird. I've only had one other freak out since I bought my house. I came home late one night to discover I hadn't closed the garage that morning... and no, I don't lock that inside door. I had also just heard some bad news about a friend being attacked and I was in tears going inside. The perks of living alone.

Thursday was the first night of a co-ed volleyball league I'm playing in with my friend Destin. I don't know why, but just in the last couple of years, it doesn't scare me to play defense against strong hitters anymore. I think it suddenly clicked how to read hitters and I can anticipate where the ball is going a little better. Anyway, our team is off to a great start... we won all four of our games!

Mollie, my old roommate in Boston, is passing through town and I was able to go to dinner with her Friday. So good to see her and catch up on our old friends. AND we had yummy Italian (my favorite) at Macaroni Grill. Bonus!

Saturday was Russian Christmas so... С Рождеством! My friends and I used to have breakfast when I was living in Boston and came home for Christmas (seemed to be the easiest time for us all to get away from our families), so that's what we did yesterday morning. Yummy omelets and hash browns.

In the afternoon, I watched my nephews for a few hours while my brother packed (they're moving next week). Ganon wanted to play "hide-seek" but every time I said, "ready or not, here I come," he would come running out of his hiding place. After a few of those, I decided to make him look for me. Sometimes he would come straight to me, but if he didn't, he'd start asking, "Char-Char, are you? Char-Char, are you?" So cute to hear his squeal when he found me. :) My nieces were there for pizza dinner and we played a Disney Music game. I love getting to spend time with my family.

Back in the Motherland

2010-07-26T22:24:00.003-06:00

I arrived safe and sound in Moscow yesterday. I was able to see my Russian companion from my mission, Sister Gorbunova. She conveniently moved to Moscow two months ago. Miracle, right? After a quick stop at home, we went to Red Square and some of the sites around there. I will post more later, but just wanted you all to know I was safe. :)

More Beach Time

2010-07-22T15:59:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite things about not working is being able to go to the beach during the week when it's not so crowded. I also need to take advantage of living near the ocean before I'm back in Utah. I'm so glad Mollie is a fan of the beach too. :)

Seuss Sculptures

2010-07-18T15:58:00.004-06:00

On the way to Palmyra, James mentioned that not only was Theodor Geisel, Dr. Seuss, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, but there was a sculpture garden dedicated to him there. Of course, I begged for us to stop there on the way back. So fun to see life-size characters, especially Sam from Green Eggs and Ham, my favorite book when I was little.

Palmyra Port

2010-07-18T14:58:00.002-06:00

We camped overnight in the fairgrouds and this was the sunrise we awoke to...
We tried to go to a diner for breakfast, but apparently we are early risers and they weren't open yet. It did help us stumble onto this pond and dock on the Erie Canal.

Next, we decided to go to the Sacred Grove while it was early and there wouldn't be many people.
We ended up staying for a long time, walking all around, reading the Joseph Smith story and singing. I loved the peaceful feeling there.
At the Visitor's Center, we found a sculpture of Joseph Smith that James' uncle made. He actually has a very artistic family that has made many art pieces for the Church.

Trina met up with us at that point. She grew up in Palmyra, and was a great tour guide. We went to the top of the Hill Cumorah...

...grabbed some lunch at the cute cafe we'd try to go to earlier that morning...

...and toured the Grandin Printing Press, where the first edition of the Book of Mormon was published...

...before Trina took us to her favorite ice cream joint. I told you she was a great tour guide. ;)

Hill Cumorah

2010-07-17T15:57:00.005-06:00

Some friends and I drove to the Hill Cumorah Pageant this weekend. When we were nearly there, we spotted this beauty of a truck. The kid was totally nice and told us he special orders these tires from the military. He even let James climb in for a picture.

At the pageant, we ran into Hugo and Trina, who both just randomly happened to be there as well. I made everyone try salt potatoes. If you are ever there, get some... they're delicious.

I attended the pageant once before, in 1998. Many things have changed, but the Spirit was the same. Amazing. Below are Lehi at the Tree of Life and Alma at the Waters of Mormon.

Houghton Pond

2010-07-15T15:56:00.002-06:00

My cute friend Sharla and I decided to go for an adventure yesterday. While driving through the Blue Hills, we stumbled across this pond. It was a little chilly for swimming, but it looked like a fun place to have a picnic activity.
So fun to catch up with this girl!

Freedom and Fun

2010-07-11T15:55:00.004-06:00

Thursday, we finally finished the Freedom Trail. Ethan didn't love this part of the trip, but I hope he learned something he will remember. The humidity and hot weather probably didn't help. :)

My stubborn Ethan. ;)

The interactive museum at the USS Constitution Naval Yard was a big hit.

Here you tried to balance on the mast like a sailor would. I don't know if someone would be trying to throw you off like Jess did, though.

On Friday, we finally went to Six Flags... the thing Ethan had been looking forward to all week. Probably all summer. ;) He was in roller coaster heaven.
We all got some henna tattoos. My first ever. So fun for summer.

We ended the trip, Saturday, with a little New England original, candle pin bowling. The pins are straight instead of round, and you get three little hand-sized balls each frame. Our scores were not very high... it's harder than it looks.

I'm so glad you came to visit, Ethan and Jess. Love you guys!

Red Sox Nation

2010-07-08T15:53:00.003-06:00

We went on a tour of Fenway! It was super interesting and fun... the tour guide didn't like the Yankees for some reason. ;) We got to go allover, into the press box, the super expensive club seats and of course, the Green Monster.

The bar here is made from the lanes of the bowling alley that used to be there.

That afternoon we took a Duck Tour...

...and Ethan even got to man the boat.

We ended the afternoon by meandering through the Public Garden and starting the Freedom Trail.

Waterfront

2010-07-06T19:53:00.001-06:00

Today we went to Plymouth, saw the Rock and toured the Mayflower II. We also ate lunch at a little cafe on the waterfront that my mom loved when she came last year.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Nantaskett beach in Hull. Ethan thoroughly enjoyed himself and it felt really good to cool off from the heat.

Whales and Witches

2010-07-06T15:52:00.006-06:00

The next morning we woke Ethan up bright and early again. Our first order of the day was a sweet deal I snagged on Groupon to go whale watching from Gloucester.The weather started out cloudy, but ended up being gorgeous. We saw three different kinds of whales. My favorite is when the tail swing up. They actually do that to help propel them down. Afterwards, we had a seafood lunch and drove around Gloucester. This was my first time there as well and I think it is adorable.

Apparently the jet lag makes 6 a.m. even earlier. We tired this boy out!

Luckily, Ethan had been looking forward to Salem, so we were able to revive him with the promise of witch sightings.

Good thing Ethan isn't afraid of anything!

Life and Liberty

2010-07-05T15:51:00.003-06:00

I had so much fun sharing the Boston Fourth of July with my family. We rode down bright and early to hear the Declaration of Independence reading from the Old State House, then followed the parade to see the festivities in Faneuil Hall. Jess brought some fun tattoos for us to wear.

We headed over to the North End to see the USS Constitution afloat, which was preceded by a spewing fireboat.

Since we were already there, we did the Freedom Trail sites in the North End. It was so boiling hot that day, at this point Ethan begged to run through the shooting fountains. I think it cooled him down enough to endure a few more sites around Quincy Market.

That evening, we headed over to the Cambridge side of the Charles to watch the fireworks. Jess and Ethan made friends with the cute toddler near us. She was tackling Ethan to give him a hug.

The fireworks were spectacular as usual, as were the Boston Pops. These fireworks were pretty neat how they floated down like ghosts.

Happy Independence Day!

Ethan in Boston

2010-07-04T20:50:00.002-06:00

My nephew Ethan got his turn to come visit me in Boston this year. Just like with Preston last year, Ethan came to get a preemptive dose of American history before studying it in school. He came with his mom, Jessica, my sister.
For his first day, we started off in Lexington, visiting the Green and touring the three homes there.

We saw the cutest ducklings following their mom all around the neighborhood.
Next, we went to Concord to see the Old North Bridge and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, then Ethan ran over to Walden Pond for a little dip.

Goodbye ASCOA

2010-07-01T19:20:00.000-06:00

Well, folks, I did it. I've decided it is time to go leave Boston and today was my last day at ASCOA. I worked here for exactly three years, to.the.day.

Brian, Gretchen, Cody, Rob, Me, Michelle

They were kind enough to get an ice cream cake as a farewell.

Sweet Denise, my admin in South Carolina, sent me these beautiful flowers.

I am sure going to miss the friends that I have made while working for this great company.

New Stake Center

2010-06-28T10:31:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, I was able to attend the new Cambridge Stake Center dedication. We have always had to borrow the Boston Stake's building or broadcast Stake Conference to the multiple buildings our wards met in. The Stake Center is 36,000 square feet and even has underground parking, a valuable commodity in Cambridge. As an aside, it was so nice to be in an actual LDS chapel for a meeting. We've been renting space since the fire at Longfellow Chapel last year. My ward will actually be moving to the Davis Square chapel until the Longfellow Chapel is completed. The LP wards will be sharing the Stake Center with the family wards that meet there.

Yellow Night

2010-06-22T09:28:00.003-06:00

This month's movie night revolved around the color yellow. We had pineapple, lemonade......grilled ham and yellow cheese......corn on the cob... ...yellow squash casserole...

...and a yummy yellow soup.We then enjoyed the old Jimmy Stewart movie 'You Can't Take It With You.' As usual, delicious food, wonderful company, and good times all around. :)

B: Miriam, Nancy, Bishop, Suzanne, Ruby, Michelle, Nate, Daryl, Charlotte, F: Jarick, Emily

Nod to Mr. Rogers

2010-06-21T09:29:00.006-06:00

Do you remember that classic clip on Mr. Rogers about making crayons? Well, my friend Cristi informed me that you can actually go to the Crayola factory in Easton, PA, so that is just what we did.

The number of crayons made... constantly increasing.

We played and did crafts in the attached Crayola museum. Lots of fun stuff there.

The next factory on the list was in Hershey, PA. Who knew there were so many cool places in Pennsylania?

My favorite thing on the ride/tour of how Hershey's chocolate is made was the singing cows.

Funny story... after leaving Hershey, we headed to NYC. After putting the address into my GPS, it showed us the route, but didn't show an arrival time. Very unusual, so I tried it again. Same thing. No arrival time. I checked a page of the travel directions and the highway looked right, so I figured there was just a gliche. Luckily, Cristi noticed that we were going towards Pittsburgh, ie, the wrong way. Finally, I realized that the setting to "Avoid Toll Roads" was checked, causing the GPS to route us around through Ohio and then up through Canada to get us to NYC. There wasn't a time showing because we weren't going to get there that day... or the next for that matter. ;)

We spent the night with Cristi's awesome friend, Jessica, in Harlem. We ate a little Indian food in Ghandi's Cafe then had a little frozen yogurt for dessert.

We attempted to go see a movie on the battleship Intrepid, but the security guards wouldn't let us on, even though there was only a little bit left of the movie.

After church on Sunday, one of Cristi's friends invited us over for his family's Father's Day tradition. He made breakfast: first, omelets with spinach, mushrooms, carmelized onions, seven Italian cheeses, and red, green, and yellow bell peppers; then stuffed french toast filled with strawberry jam and cream cheese on cinnamon swirl bread, topped with powdered sugar and a strawberry. It was definitely a delicious gourmet breakfast. On the way back to Jessica's, we passed an open fire hydrant, water spewing into the street. Of course I had to dance in it. :)

As we were leaving Harlem, these boys egged a car just as we walked by, making me jump. Punks.

"How he lived, and toiled, and suffered"

2010-06-13T11:50:00.005-06:00

After skydiving, four of us decided to have breakfast at Henrietta's Table inside the Charles Hotel. Jason had the fantastic idea of sharing different items, which I love because so many things always sound good on a menu. We shared cinnamon cranberry french toast, eggs benedict, and an omelette. It was all delicious. I love being able to spend time near Harvard Square. I am usually only in Cambridge on Sunday, when I can't really enjoy all the fun shops and restaurants.

On a whim, we also decided to tour Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's home on Brattle Street. This house was actually General George Washington's headquarters for a time during the Civil War. There were little nods to George and Martha in many of the rooms. All of the furnishings and decor are original to the Longfellows (except for tapestries that had to be replaced), which is so unusual for historic homes.

Isn't the portrait of the three girls adorable? Longfellow described his three daughters as "grave Alice, laughing Allegra, and Edith with golden hair."

Henry spent most of his time in this room.

The second story window affords a view of the Charles River... or at least it used to. The Longfellow's owned all the land between, and Henry made sure that nothing could be built between them, which is why that park is there now. Can you see the orange construction going-ons on the left side of the picture? That is where our church that burned down last year is being rebuilt.
One of my favorite things about the house is the double staircase. One on each side of the house, connected at the landing with this beautiful window. I'm sure the kids loved to play there.

That evening my friend Cristi came over to watch a movie and she introduced me to the Purple Cow. Have you ever heard of it before? It is like a root beer float with grape soda. It was yummy. You should try it.

10,000 Feet

2010-06-13T11:43:00.002-06:00

I did it again. I jumped out of a plane in the sky. This time the papers I had to sign even more boldly explained the dangers of skydiving.
We were scheduled to go the week before, but there was too much cloud cover. In order to jump, you have to be able to see the ground from the plane. This week, we had to go super early to fit in before the other groups, but the timing was perfect. Although it was cloudy, there was enough of a break to jump, and the clouds made for beautiful scenery.

This is my tandem buddy, Ron. The first thing he said to me was, "Are you nervous?"

When I explained that I had done this before, he disappointedly asked, "you're not even scared?" All the way up in the plane he kept saying things to try to make me nervous. "It's only my second time jumping." "The serial number on your chute is 000013." "We're good as long as you don't hear a beeping noise" (when the altimeter beeps). All I could do was laugh, because surprisingly enough, I wasn't nervous this time. Last time, I was wicked nervous, but this time it was just fun. Ron offered to spin me until I threw up, so we did a few turns and different things that I didn't do last time. I also didn't get a video this time, so I was just able to soak it all in instead of making eyes at the camera. The one downside is that the harness is not really fitted for my body, so when the parachute opens and then floating down, my thighs were a little bruised and sore from holding all of me up. So worth it though.

Here are the jumpers that day, including my old bishop.

Skipper or Crew

2010-06-12T11:55:00.002-06:00

I had my first sailing lesson last night! My ward had a sailing activity at the MIT boathouse, where we learned the concepts of sailing. There is actually more technique than you would think. After a rainy week, the weather ended up perfect and beautiful.

This was my sailing partner Alex. I admittedly let him be the skipper the whole time and I was the crew. So I technically didn't really steer the boat at all, but I did ease and trim the mainsheet AND I had to dodge the boom whenever we changed direction so that it didn't hit me on the head. :)

We finished up the night with some delicious barbeque. Such a fun night!

Spring Blossoms

2010-06-06T13:44:00.003-06:00

Just had to share a pic I snapped of one of my favorite flowering trees here.

I love how the flowers on this dogwood only grow on the top of the branches. Happy spring!

Plymouth Waterfront

2010-06-05T09:39:00.003-06:00

My roommate Pat came down to the south shore with me yesterday so that she could visit a school. After I finished work, I called up my friend Trina and we decided to have dinner in Plymouth. I think it is the most adorable little town by the water and wicked old. This was Pat's first view of Plymouth Rock:
We had dinner at Lobster Hut, which was one of Bethany's favorites, then strolled along the coast.

It was a very pleasant evening.

Memorial Day

2010-06-01T07:45:00.002-06:00

I am such a fan of long weekends. I honestly wish I had three-day weekends all the time. It is so nice to be able to recover from the weekend on Monday instead of going to work all day. ;) You can also do so much and still feel relaxed.

Friday, I went to see my friend Emily's new pad in a town further north of Boston. It used to be a warehouse, so has a fun feel, but still really nice. We had delicious pizza and watched a movie.

Saturday, I had lunch with my roommate Pat. We just walked down to Brighton Center and ate paninis at a cute cafe with outdoor seating. I love that it is getting warm enough to enjoy being outdoors.

Monday, Memorial Day, Cristi and I met up with some friends near the Charles to play some volleyball. Idario has an awesome outdoor net. We recruited some guys walking by with a volleyball to play with us. They were friends from Mass Art. It made it a fun game. :)

Achoo!

2010-05-27T07:47:00.003-06:00

For the last few weeks, every time I get in my car it is covered in a thin film of yellow pollen. As I start to drive away, either in the morning or after work, the pollen particles blow away. It actually looks pretty cool, reminding me of those sand frames with water and bubbles that you could flip over and watch filter down. Anyway, last night it rained and this is what the parking lot looked like this morning: The rain gathered the pollen into pools. Can you believe how much of it there is? It's a good thing I don't seem to be allergic to it, otherwise I'd be constantly sneezing.

All Done

2010-05-24T10:50:00.004-06:00

Saturday morning I took the train back to San Diego so that I could go to Kim's graduation as a Nurse Practitioner.

Although the views were amazing, I was almost late when the train stopped for a while. Any time there is an earthquake greater than 5.0 the tracks have to be inspected for damage. Luckily it didn't take too long and I made it in time.I sat with Karen, her friend Catherine, and Dan and his parents. Cheryl was home with Karen's baby as she'd seen the commencement the night before. Congrats Kim!We drove around the gorgeous campus, then headed to nearby Old Town for dinner, where we met Kim's friends, Vivien and James. After eating at the same place I ate with Amy a few nights before, we walked up the street to the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center.It was pretty high-tech, with Harry Potteresque moving pictures and different rooms representing each leg of the journey. James volunteered to sport all the gear the soldiers carried.

I also got to try panning for gold.

Exhausted, we went to Kim and Dan's beautiful home, where I was finally able to see Cheryl and little Sam.

Kim's family is just so warm and loving. I'm so grateful the timing was perfect for me to be able to see them!

Conferences Conferences

2010-05-22T10:49:00.004-06:00

Highlights from the conference at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego:

Mexican food with Gretchen, Michelle and Kara. Kara is hilarious and asked Ed, our server, if she could call him Jose. Ole!
Meeting my old friend Kim for breakfast Monday morning before meetings started. Delicious fresh strawberry pancakes.
Found out the Dublin project I had been working on forever finally closed!
Beach Blanket Bingo (old Frankie & Annette movie from the '60's) party at Tom's house.

The directions are always incredible.

Singing waiters and a live band entertained us. Mike did a little of his famous dancing.

I got to see the administrators for my centers, Denise in Greenville, SC...

... and Kara in Frederick, MD. We're sporting the party favor sweatshirts.

Felt earthquake in my hotel room, Tuesday around 5:30 pm. Being on the 11th floor, the entire building swayed and made me dizzy. This is the first time I've felt an earthquake, even growing up in Salt Lake City.
Padres game with Rob, Michelle, and Jeff. Very entertaining to sit near Giants fans. Didn't compare to a Red Sox game, though.

Highlights from the ASCA conference in Anaheim included hearing from Ben Stein of Ferris Bueller's Day Off fame (he's really an economist!) and a surgeon who was really quite inspiring. I would elaborate, but my notes are packed in a box somewhere right now. ;)

Happiest Place On Earth

2010-05-20T12:27:00.003-06:00

I LOVE Disneyland. When I found out there was a free day inbetween the ASCOA conference in San Diego and the ASCA conference in Anaheim, of course I bought my ticket to the happiest place on Earth.

So Wednesday morning I took a train to Anaheim, affording amazing ocean views. A real conductor even punched holes in my ticket. I hadn't been to Disneyland in five years (just a few times to Disney World), but I still knew it like the back of my hand. ;)

I spent the morning in California Adventure, so I could go on Screamin' and Soarin'.

One new thing is that different Disney characters are now in Small World. Their little Small World faces are so adorable.

I tried not to be really creepy since I was by myself, but made some friends with some in line for the rides. It was just fun to get to talk to kids. Don't get to do that so often in Boston.

The rides are so much fun and I even ran into the Russell's who grew up in my neighborhood in Utah. I sure love this magical place!

Ugh for May Gray

2010-05-19T00:26:00.004-06:00

This spring our ASCOA conference was held in San Diego, so of course I headed out a few days early to play a little. My friend Amy was also kind enough to fly out for the weekend. As I flew into California and started walking around, my heart just felt at home in the West. Such a comforting, good feeling.

Little did I know that Amy was having flight drama, with a cancelled flight and no more direct flights that night. Luckily, she was able to find a connection in LA. She even met an Australian world traveller on her flight to make up for the hassle. Dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory made us wonder if our server was from Texas or had an alternate lifestyle. After dinner, we encountered some interesting folk walking around the Gaslamp Quarter. Fun part of town.

Saturday started with a yummy breakfast at the Broken Yolk Cafe, followed by a major shopping spree at Horton Plaza. I'm not a big shopper, so I tend to buy a lot all at once instead of a little at a time.

For lunch at California Crepes, I ate the best guacamole and salsa I've had in a long time. Mexican food is not the best in the East. After exhausting our pocketbooks, we returned to the Hard Rock hotel where we stayed and tried to go to the pool to soak up the sun that had peeked out between the clouds. I seriously thought we stepped into MTV Spring Break. There were people everywhere and not an empty chair to lay out on. After standing there awkwardly for a moment, we returned to our room.

That evening I was able to try Pink Berry, which my cousin Jenni always raved about when she lived in Cali. It was rather delicious.

After Amy got a haircut, we took the trolley to Old Town for a little Mexican Food. We got to the stop and got off, but couldn't see Old Town, so we jumped back on the trolley. Unfortunately it was the last stop, so the trolley went back the other way. We had to ride down a stop (which was in a kind of scary area) and back before finally making it there. Old Town is adorable, though, so it was worth it.

The next morning we took the early ferry to Coronado...

...entertained by the little girl pointing out the banana boat. Her friend wouldn't let dad take the size sticker off her pants because it was pink.

Walking off the ferry, we discovered that there had been a race across the bridge to Coronado that morning and the place was crowded with runners. After a healthy breakfast of cupcakes (chocolate cheesecake with chocolate chips) and bagel sandwiches, we set off to walk to the other side of the island.

One nice gentleman set off his car alarm when we stopped to take pictures of flowers. Nice, dude. At least the pics turned out. ;)

We arrived at the Hotel Del Coronado, but unfortunately the gray fog didn't burn off like it had the day before. We walked around the shops and drank some hot cocoa just waiting for some sunshine but it never came.

We decided to sit a while on the beach anyway before heading back. I'm die hard when it comes to tanning. ;) Thanks for coming to play that weekend, Amy!

Mommy Love

2010-05-10T07:46:00.005-06:00

I was asked to speak in church for Mother's Day and wanted to share a little of my love for my mommy...

Me and my mom, in front of the Boston temple

As a little girl I thought my mom was the most beautiful woman in the world. I loved to draw her black hair, brown eyes, and red lips. She's only 4'11", which I didn't realize was short, because everyone was tall to me then. My mom was born in La Paz, Bolivia. She lived there until she was 18 years old when she and her identical twin sister came to America to attend BYU. Their whole family converted from Catholocism when she was 16. She had actually met my dad, the last week of his mission serving in La Paz, and he was also attending BYU. Two years later, she was married and now has three daughters, one son and nearly eight grandchildren. My mom is very talented. She's an amazing cook, knits, crochets, sews Halloween costumes and an amazing blessing dress for her granddaughters that will be an heirloom. She is incredibly gifted with children and can make even the rowdiest boys behave. To be honest, I am not best friends with my mom. We are very different, the least of which that she is a night owl and I liked to be in bed by 9 pm when I was in high school. Despite all our differences, I love my mom dearly and know that she loves me.

There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be "full-time moms," at least during the most formative years of their children's lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else. (Elder Russell M. Ballard, April 2008 General Conference)

As a little girl, my mom could wrap me in her arms and I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of love and completely safe. I knew my mom loved me, because she didn't make me eat vegetables. I hated "green" as a child. She always supported me at every concert, awards ceremony, and volleyball game. I would light up when I saw my mom there. I knew my mom loved me, because she loyally wrote me a letter every week on my mission, even though my letters came less often with the pouch in certain areas. I knew she loved me, because she prays for me. The last while, it's that I will get married, but I remember how touched I was to know she prayed to Heavenly Father on my behalf.

What a wonderful thing you have done as mothers. You have given birth and nurtured children. You have entered into a partnership with our Father in Heaven to give mortal experience to His sons and daughters. They are His children and they are your children, flesh of your flesh, for whom He will hold you responsible. You have rejoiced over them, and in many cases you have sorrowed. They have brought you happiness as no one else could. They have brought you pain as none other could. (President Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2000 General Conference)

My mom taught me to value education. In 3rd grade, if I didn't finish my vocabulary lists, I was punished, too harshly in my opinion, but I learned that it was expected that I finish my homework. In 6th grade, I had drawn some pictures in pencil for my science food chain assignment. My mom made me get markers and color it. When my teacher handed back papers, she held up my assignment and chastised the rest of the class for not putting more effort into the assignment. I would have been included, if not for my mom. I'm sure the other kids didn't appreciate my mom that day, but I did. She always encouraged me to do and be my best. She went back to college when I was in junior high and I saw how hard she worked. It was a good example to me.

My mom also taught me the importance of family. When I was growing up, she only had her twin sister nearby, in Orem, but almost every weekend one of our families would make the hour drive. My abuela lived with us until the rest of her family came to America. My mom always took care of her, and still does. She visits or talks with her almost every day. With our Latin blood, I remember some heated arguments, but I always knew that family stuck together and no one else could say anything bad about us, without incurring the wrath of all of us. I learned about my Bolivian heritage from my abuela. She taught me Spanish. I remember her always singing and playing with us, my favorite songs being arroz con leche, and waking up the wolf (lobo, lobo). She would dance in the kitchen, waving a dish towel to substitute for a handkerchief. I am so grateful for my mother and grandmother this Mother's Day. I hope that I can someday love my children just as much and teach them all that I have been taught.

Lilac Sunday

2010-05-09T20:13:00.000-06:00

Apparently this was my year to get to attend all the things I'd missed out my last two years in Boston. Mother's Day is also known as Lilac Sunday at Arnold Arboretum. It is the one day a year that picnics are allowed on the gorgeous grounds.

Cami assembled a fun group to enjoy delicious sandwiches, salads, and fruit.

Joanne, Cristi and I in our Fall, Winter, and Spring gear. It may have been a little cold that day.
We laughed all the way out of the arboretum, singing, dancing, and spinning...

Wicked Good Concert

2010-05-06T09:25:00.003-06:00

Idina Menzel performing with Boston Pops? You better believe I was there! I have been a fan ever since I won the Wicked Lottery five years ago and saw her perform as Elphaba from the front row.

My friends Christine, Alison, and Rachel came along.

While all of her songs were amazing (I loved a lullaby she wrote for her son), the highlight of her performance was definitely Defying Gravity.

After intermission, we participated in a little Beatles Rock Band sing-a-long, with live accompaniment by the Boston Pops. So fun to sing Yellow Submarine. :)

They concluded with a little Fourth of July preview. Gotta love Boston Pops!

Science and Sailing

2010-05-02T17:22:00.007-06:00

Joy and Jake graciously left me two passes to the Museum of Science that they weren't able to use when they came to visit. I somehow waited until the day they expired to use them, but my good friend Rachel was able to come with me.

We started off with a little electricity show... loud and awesome.

See that stripy black and white cone? Well, when you look at it straight on...

...it looks like this (THINK):

My favorite was an interactive exhibit about what makes people who they are. Loved this fun shadow camera.

This little tidbit was interesting to me and totally made sense. The closer people live to the equator, the darker their skin is, and the reverse, the farther away, the whiter their skin is.

This fun display let you choose how far on the spectrum you are for five different traits. Each affected a song (pitch, tempo, beat...) that represented your unique personality.

The next morning Rachel and I went sailing with my friend Sharla and her fiance Ben, who is a member of Community Boating. I don't have any pictures because I didn't want to risk getting my camera wet, but it was such a fun, relaxing ride. Thanks a bunch, Sharla and Ben!

Pretty Flowers

2010-04-27T09:22:00.002-06:00

Since I came to Boston, I have been dying to go to Art In Bloom at the Museum of Fine Arts, commonly referred to as the MFA (which caused me to ask my roommate, Katie, last year who Emma Fay was). For the event, florists create pieces that interpret select works of art. The last two years, I was out of town for work conferences. Luckily, this year I was in town and able to go with my visiting teachees. Here are some of my favorites:

This is my sweet friend, Sharla, and me. (I somehow didn't get pics of Erin, Cristi, or Mollie.) Wouldn't this be an amazing wall in a house?

It didn't have a floral interpretation, but this art piece was incredible to look at.

I wish I could have spent more time at the museum. I loved it!

Weekend Update

2010-04-26T13:44:00.008-06:00

On Saturday, I went to a bridal shower for my friend Rebecca. Unfortunately I am going to miss the actual wedding because I will be in Russia. The wedding will be held in the Public Garden right in the middle of Boston, and I'm sure will be amazingly beautiful. Sorry to miss it Rebecca, but big Congratulations!! Here is the bride to be and her daughter Maddy.

One of the games was to create a wedding dress using garbage bags, paper towels, and crepe paper. My group did the one on the left. I was pretty proud of our long train. Guess which dress won. Yep, the one on the right. Can you believe they made it look like a real dress?

That night was this month's installment of Color Night, brought to you by the color BLUE! We enjoyed the main dish of delicious chicken with blueberry salsa.

Here is our crew, all in blue, after enjoying Mary Poppins. Holly even figured out we could paint our lips blue with the Almond Joy Pieces.
On Sunday, I was able to attend the baptism of my friend, Idario. He is from Brazil and was seriously golden. From the first time Idario came to church with his friend Stephanie, he was the most active person in the ward. I loved hearing his story about his journey and the things that fell into place in his life to bring him to the gospel. Welcome, Idario! You make a great addition to the ward.

Patriot's Day Battles

2010-04-20T11:00:00.008-06:00

My Year 3 of Patriot's Day started out with another little sleepover. I guess you can still call it that even though there wasn't much sleep involved. We were up and at 'em at 3:15 a.m. to watch the Reenactment on Lexington Green. We did a little huddling to stay warm that morning.Favorite thing I overheard that day was a man to his fellow reenactor, "Well, we lost again." :)

Couldn't quite get the timing right on this year's jumping picture.We did, however, enjoy a fantastic breakfast at a little cafe in Concord, thanks to Karen's recommendation.

After a little nap at home, I went with my roommates to see the Boston Marathon. The last couple of years, I went into work after the reenactment, but decided to take the day off for this one. We stood near the finish line and it was definitely moving to see people running across, completing what I'm sure represented a lot of work. The crowd was so supportive of everyone, especially those who looked like they were struggling. It was one of those time you feel like you're part of a community, even though everyone around you is a stranger.

So admire the military folk who ran in full gear, including packs.

Another Little Trip

2010-04-18T17:52:00.006-06:00

The threat of waking up early the next morning for a day trip didn't stop me from playing on Friday. I went to a movie night at Kalynn's place. They even set up a real screen with a projector to watch "You Can't Take It With You" with Jimmy Stewart. Classic movie with plenty of good clean laughs. You really should see it if you haven't yet.
Saturday morning, I headed to the Big Apple with my friend Emily. We have both been to NYC several times, so wanted to do new things. We started out at the Central Park Zoo. I didn't realize how small it actually was, but it did provide some good photo ops.

Red Panda

I loved watching the penguins speedily swim by, leaping out of the water. Fun, fun animals.

Funny story about this snow leopard. As you can see, in this spot, you are separated from the snow leopard by only a thick pane of glass. Of course there was a crowd gathered since the leopard was so obligingly showing himself. A small girl toddled up to the glass and put both hands and her little face right up to the leopard. As soon as she did this, the leopard came at her with both giant paws and teeth glaring to maul her. She got a little frightened, and I'm sure her parents were grateful for the glass. I'd never really seen an attack that closely before and it really was rather frightening. I think at the zoo I forget how wild the animals are.

This was my first springtime in New York. Love the tulips that remind me of the tulips around the Salt Lake Temple this time of year.

We then saw a matinee of Chicago.It was super fun, although a little more risque than I thought it would be. The actress who played Roxie was amazing and the music was fantastic.

We headed to Grenwich Village to walk around a bit and had dinner at a place called Moustache, which served Middle Eastern food.

We probably would have stayed a little later, but the weather was rainy and cold so we headed home. It was a fantastic day-trip though. Love love NYC!

Quality

2010-04-10T12:44:00.001-06:00

We get almost daily FedEx deliveries at work, so I often get to chat with Dave, our delivery man. This is one of the highlights of the day because he is such an interesting person. He has a huge garden with several kinds of every vegetable and beautiful flowers. He raises chickens (which provided the delicious fresh eggs above that he brought for me and Mike) and keeps bees to make his own honey. He will ice fish in the winter, catch sharks in the summer, do other hunting in season, and said that next he wants to become a really great diver so that he can learn to spearfish. He is a foodie, so he makes delicious meals with all of his fresh ingredients and "eats like a king." Even with all of this, he still finds time to cultivate relationships with friends and family (he always has "access" to or what I would call connections for the things he needs).

Dave told me that it is all about time management, using your time to improve the quality of life. He grew up poor, but not wanting for anything because his dad was the same as he is, and now his sons are following in his footsteps. It really makes me stop and think. A FedEx driver isn't the most glamorous job in the world's view, but it allows him to do the things that make him happy. Dave says that even though he doesn't have all the "things" other people have, he always has something interesting to occupy his time, so he doesn't notice. I appreciate his point of view and hope I can make my life more fulfilling like he has.

Music To My Ears

2010-04-07T15:21:00.005-06:00

I like listening to music while I work. Fortunately my office mate doesn't mind and one of us will usually have music playing. He also doesn't mind when I sing along, which I have been known to do on occasion. Not me, right? ;) Well, yesterday, I decided it was an '80s music day and we were rocking out to The Cars and Tiffany, when "Total Eclipse of the Heart" began playing in my Itunes shuffle.

"Great song, turn it up," was Mike's response, to which I was happy to comply. When I started belting out the lyrics, Mike chimed in with his saucy falsetto. I asked him why he was singing like that (I'm not just mean... we tease a lot in this office).

"What are you talking about? That was beautiful."

I got a great laugh out of it. As I write this, I realize it is probably not as funny when you don't know him or the way he said it. Just trust me, I'm still chuckling about it.

By the way, the weather around here is still amazing. 90 degrees today! I had to go to Cohasset to get my inspection sticker on my car, so enjoyed a beautiful drive through the South Shore. I love living so close to the ocean. It makes me happy to see the sun bouncing off of the water. I guess I traded in the mountains for the ocean by coming East. The South Shore is rather wooded and after turning inland, I saw signs of Spring everywhere. Some of the bushes have bright yellow leaves. Daffodils are blooming. Trees are starting to turn green and flowering. I love the magnolias, but also noticed a new tree today... weeping cherry trees. They're just little guys, but have the white cherry blossoms streaming down to the ground. Love them. Spring is definitely my favorite Boston season.

Spring in My Step

2010-04-04T07:40:00.004-06:00

It was EIGHTY degrees outside yesterday and today promises to be beautiful as well. This is the part where I wish general conference was available on the radio so that I could listen to it outside. As it is, I had to settle for sitting next to an open window with the sunshine on my face. The thing that stood out to me throughout the different talks was the importance of doing the daily things to keep you strong and able to receive inspiration from the Holy Ghost.

After conference was over, my friend Cristi and I decided to go to the Public Gardens in hopes of seeing springtime flowers. There were only a few magnolia trees in bloom and some daffodils. It was nice to be outside anyway though... especially without a coat!

Guess what we found in the bottom of one of my favorite statues (that is a fountain)? A crutch! You would think that someone would actually miss that... or maybe it is evidence of a crime... or maybe I've been watching too much CSI and Bones.

The Make Way for Ducklings were all decked out in their Easter bonnets. Adorable, right?
I also did some grocery shopping last night and made an impulse purchase. I couldn't help it, though. Don't tulips just say Spring?

I also made an amazing discovery. The last hotel I stayed at had a little bag with earplugs, lavender mist for your linens, and this:

I put it on after waking up at 5:30 a.m. and was able to sleep in until 9:00 a.m. I know this doesn't sound very late, but this was huge for me! I don't remember the last time I slept past 7ish. Apparently, my body is very sensitive to light. It may have something to do with the fact that I stare at a computer screen all day long.

I also wanted to share this picture that gave me a good laugh this week. :)
By the way... I realize I'm behind and am still going to try to catch up the last four months. You may want to check below this post in the future. Thanks for reading... and please leave comments! :)

Trade

2010-04-01T21:20:00.004-06:00

I traded in my Murano (dubbed Liberty by Bethany) for this Altima. I know, I already miss her. BUT, this little Altima gets such better gas mileage... and I made sure to get the same features as the Murano. My behind will surely be appreciative when the cold weather starts.

Green Night

2010-03-29T08:26:00.003-06:00

My bishop's daughter Emily invited us over for dinner and a movie night last month and we decided that it needed to be a monthly tradition. This month in honor of a certain holiday, the theme was the color green.

The menu included pesto pizza, green salad with avocado, cucumber, green peppers, limes, and to drink a spinach smoothie. It was actually really good... can't really taste the spinach with the other fruit, but gives it that green color and you get the vitamins.

Please excuse the iphone pictures.

Good Day Sunshine!

2010-03-21T13:58:00.002-06:00

The Saturday weather forecast was beautiful, so the roommates and I decided to go for a little day trip. The chosen destination was the Lizzie Borden house. Those of you not from New England may not be familiar with Lizzie's story, but a popular playground rhyme is written for her.

Lizzie Borden took an axe

And gave her mother forty whacks.

When she saw what she had done,

She gave her father forty-one.

Her house is now a museum during the day, or bed and breakfast at night. Yes, you can actually sleep in the room where her (step)mother was murdered. My mom actually wanted to come here because she watched the Travel Channel show that ranked it number one of the nation's most haunted houses.

In the parlor we saw the piano Lizzie played. If you look closely, the song displayed here is called "You Can't Chop Your Poppa Up In Massachusetts."

Framed here, you can see the police photograph's of her father's body. If you look closely here, you can see blood splatters on the wall/ceiling behind his head.

We had to reenact the scene, since the original sofa is still here.

The owners were delightful and so excited about the house. While waiting for the tour to start, they showed us a tv special made about the house and shared scrapbooks of all the news stories written about the house. They also sell all kinds of memorabilia, including a Lizzie doll. A ghosthunter was actually there that day and would be staying that night to record for a tv show. I appreciated the humor here.

We walked upstairs into a bedroom where our tour guide told us that next to this bed was where they found her mother's body. The couple of people who happened to be standing right there literally jumped out of the way. Kind of a creepy feeling.

Another framed police photo.
That was actually the only creepy thing that happened. I'm sure the house feels different at night or when it's not so sunny. Or maybe I just don't get spooked easily.

Another reason we headed down to Fall River was to go to the Ugly American, as seen on the Phantom Gourmet. It was a fried food fest. Their specialty is the cheeseburger seen here smothered with melted cheese all around the patty.

We also enjoyed fried pickles, fried sweet potato, fried zucchini and fried Oreos and Twinkies for dessert. I'm surprised none of us had a heart attack.

After all that eating, we went to my favorite beach for a little walk.

Gotta love the sun!

Green?

2010-03-17T19:01:00.001-06:00

I forgot that it was St. Patricks Day today.

It is really quite tragic, because I had actually been excited to celebrate Boston style this year. For some reason, I thought I still had a few days and was wondering why we did a special

Irish/Latin jig in my Zumba class last night. Apparently catching up at work after being on vacation took it's toll. Luckily there is some green on the shoes I wore that day. I bought these sandals in Puerto Rico three years ago.

Bethany and Mike talked me out of the sandals that I really wanted to buy that day. They had a pointed toe that curled up with leather stamping on that piece. They also had bells on them. They would have been awesome. I thought they would go along well with the belly dancing skirt I had in Jordan that year. Oh well... these will do. ;)

Nephew's Opinion

2010-03-16T21:26:00.002-06:00

Tonight I got a text from my sister who is with her family in Disneyland. It had this picture attached and said:

I like the one in red, cuz she looks like Charlotte. Love, Julian
(my four-year-old nephew)

Yes, apparently my nephew thinks I look like one of the wenches in the Pirates of the Carribean ride. That's a compliment, right? She IS the hottest one. ;)

Georgia On My Mind

2010-03-14T11:12:00.011-06:00

After my quick trip to Utah (made even quicker by the fact that I had to work for half of it), I flew to Atlanta, Georgia to meet my friend Kristie, who had spring break from medical school in Nashville.

Kristie picked me up Tuesday night, we had a quick dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, then saw the 'Valentine's Day' movie. Funny side note... we parked in the underground lot under the mall with an entrance that had several glass doors around the escalators. When we tried to go in the door was locked, so we had to go around to the other one. When we left and tried the same door, it was locked, so we had to go around again to the other door. I'm convinced the security guard in the booth nearby totally locked us out/in, because I saw him looking at us and laughing. The movie theater was weird, on one level to buy tickets, then another to go in. We totally got lost in the parking lot, but it was okay, because of Kristie's mad Nascar skills.

Wednesday, we started off right by working out (Kristie is training for a half marathon) polished off with omelettes. It was a rainy, rainy day, so we headed to the aquarium. When we walked in, the man insisted that there were no maps... so we asked him where to find everything.

We pet sharks and rays and anemones. The otters were hiding both times we tried to see them but the beluga whales did come out to say hi.

I loved these little eels that reminded me of Ursula's garden in The Little Mermaid.

One of the highlights was the ginormous tank that held tons of fish, sharks, whales and rays. Our favorite was the manta ray named Tula who likes acrobatics and swimming upside-down.

We visited an amazing Shark Attack! display, but unfortunately no pictures allowed there. A couple of tidbits that I learned... sharks have seven senses and there are some sharks that eat their brothers and sisters in utero. Crazy.

We had dinner at a lucky Italian find called Brio: Tuscan Grille. The food was amazing and the place was empty because of how early we got there. This made the waiter very attentive... almost to the point of spying on us... he heard everything we said. ;)

On Thursday we visited the Martin Luther King Jr. National Park. We started in Freedom Hall where I learned that Ghandi was one of Dr. King's inspirations. (Side note... while looking at a document in this room about Ghandi, a boy asked me if I was looking at the Emancipation Proclamation. What?! Do you think it was a bad pick-up line or ignorance?)

We also explored rooms about Rosa Parks, and MLK and Coretta. Outside we saw their tomb, the eternal flame, the church where MLK preached, and a Kunte Kinte statue, then saw a movie in the visitors center.

Next we walked past the shotgun houses to a tour of the King home, joined by a group of college students from Penn State. Our tour guide was mostly blind... I think I heard him speak at a Fourth event in Boston three years ago. He did a little bit of weird acting out of things the children would have said. Oh and earlier at the visitors center he was sitting at a desk, and I walked up looking for a map. He said nothing and I walked away complaining to Kristie that he didn't help me when I was obviously looking for something. Oh wait... he's blind. ;)Kristie somehow got bird poop on her ticket, but thought she was in luck. The tour guide took our tickets at the beginning but said he would give them back to us at the end of the tour. Unfortunately, she got the same ticket back. :)

We made a quick stop at the Jimmy Carter library/presidential center...

...before driving to Hilton Head to spend the rest of the week. Funnies: Kristie saying "ew!" about a banana peel. I got a little or maybe a lot scared by a spider in the car and Kristie may have had to exit to try to kill it. We ate dinner at a Cracker Barrel and played a peg game on the table with napkins 'cause it was pretty nasty dirty. We saw a million police cars on the drive before finally arriving at the resort. Kristie stepped on a frog on the way in, but we washed off in the swimming pool and hot tub.

On Friday, we had breakfast at a diner on the island. The french toast was made with giant bread and we sang jukebox songs. Next we drove into historic Savannah and hopped onto a trolley tour. It loop-de-looped around the different squares in the city, showing us the beautiful homes. The bluish-gray color of this one is called "haint," which Kristie realized is the color of her eyes.

Many of the squares contain a fountain in the middle. The water of said fountains was dyed green for the "second" largest St. Patrick's Day festival in the country.

We loved this half taxi/half police car. Would you hail it down for a ride? How do you make sure which half you're riding in?

After the tour we walked back around the city to get a closer look at things. This was a dugout used during the Battle of Savannah of the Revolutionary War. I never realized that war stretched so far South.

This was Juliette Gordon Lowe's house at the time she founded Girl Scouting.

We also walked through some churches...

...and a cemetery. The headstones were displaced during the Civil War, so if they were unable to figure out where they go, they were placed around the wall here.

This is the balcony where the Marquis de LaFayette addressed the people in 1825.

Spring was a little late this year, so we didn't get the full splendor of the gardens in the squares. There were a few trees in bloom though.

As we were walking, we had to pass through a mob of policemen and couldn't figure out why they were out in mass. Then we came upon a 5K at City Market. People in Savannah really get into the holiday.

We enjoyed a little gelatto, were denied entrance to Paula Dean's restaurant (apparently you need reservations), then watched the adorable kid's run.

We ate at the Italian Restaurant, and watched Sherlock Holmes on pay-per-view at the hotel. It was a long day, so we were ready to relax the next day.

Saturday, we spent at the resort... walked on the beach... ...saw tons of sand dollars... ...took a little nap, then went to a spa for mani/pedis and massages. Bliss.

We came back and ate Frosty's on the hammock.

We ended our last evening with running/workout, dinner, and more hot tub/pool time. A movie called 'Daddy's Little Girls' was on tv, which coincidentally is set in Atlanta.

Sunday, Kristie drove me back to Atlanta and she headed back to Nashville.

We did remember that it was Pi(e) Day, so we had found these little pies at the grocery store to celebrate with. Go 3.14!

Thanks Kristie for a fantastic Spring Break. Love and miss you!

Legacy

2010-03-07T10:13:00.005-07:00

I was able to go home to Utah for my grandmothers ninetieth birthday party. She has lived an incredibly full life and left quite the legacy.

Here are five of her six children with spouses...

...half of her twenty-six grandchildren...

...and about half of her more than twenty-five great-grandchildren.

My dad's side of the family is spread out across the country, so I don't get to see them very often. It was wonderful to catch up. I also hadn't been to Richfield in years. I have so many memories of playing there as a child. It is crazy how much things have changed. It's not such a small town anymore. I'm so grateful that I was able to be there.

Hakuna Matata

2010-02-21T10:21:00.004-07:00

My friend Dmitriy went home to Russia on Saturday. We had one last sushi fest on Newbury Street and a walk through the Public Gardens. It has been fun (and challenging) trying to remember my Russian. It is also different trying to have conversations about things other than religion. ;) Dmitriy works very hard and dreams big. He will do great things in his life. Good luck!
Saturday night, I was able to go see The Lion King with my friend Dave. Disney does incredible things. The costumes and scenery were unbelievable. The music is so much fun too.

Also this weekend, my friend Becca, who is getting married, asked me to come try some hairstyles for her daughter Madeline. I think it turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

Carnaval

2010-02-13T19:35:00.013-07:00

As if we weren't cold enough in Boston, a group of us decided to make a little weekend trip to Quebec City in Canada. It was Carnaval time and Valentine's Day weekend, so perfect timing. We left Friday night, stopping at the Methuen Family Restaurant for dinner. Yeah, enough said. The random comment award was for, on seeing a road sign, "I hate driving through moose." :)

Our first stop on Saturday morning was at the Hotel de Glace, which was celebrating their 10 year anniverary. Can I just say amazing! The only other ice hotel is in Sweden, with this one being the largest igloo in North America. The rate to actually stay the night is $300 - 400 for a plain room or $600 for a suite, with the most expensive room being $1000, but you get a private sauna. Before you go to bed for the night, you first get yourself really hot in the sauna, then crawl into the sleeping bags rated for -30 degrees C. The temperature does stay at -4 or -5 degrees C inside, regardless of outside temperature. You need to sleep in synthetics (or naked... I hope they're cleaned) to keep the air inside the bag warm.

Charlotte, Mollie, Leah, Rachel, Alison, Sarah, Camber - We asked this older gentleman who spoke French to take the picture... it took a few tries to figure out where the button on my camera is, then discovered it was on the video setting. Oops!

All those people are gathered around a SLIDE! which yes, we all tried out. Snow clothes are actually quite slippery and we zoomed down quite quickly.
The ice they use doesn't come from the river or lake, but is made in a factory and shipped to the site. For the decorative ice, osmosis is used to remove all the impurities from the water and make the ice clear. It is then shipped in big blocks that are used to make furniture like this.

This is the beautiful chapel in which they have around 35 weddings each year. Because the building melts every year and is not permanent, they can only have government officiaters, not religious. This means that most of the weddings are gay weddings.

There is even a nightclub at the ice hotel, serving drinks in what else but shot glasses made of ice. At least you know your drink will be cold.

The lights used are LED lights so they don't give off heat. Some of the rooms have fireplaces. Great to keep you warm, right? Wrong... they would melt the building, so they are double insulated to not give off heat. Just for ambience. Many of the rooms were decorated with different themes and were so fun. This one was my favorite, with ocean animals sculpted into the walls and underwater looking lights to complete the feel.
Next, we headed to the actual Carnaval. A lot of people were there braving the freezing temperatures and there were actually long lines for everything. We did see some fun ice sculptures, then went on rafting... you know, like sledding but in a giant raft.

I love this picture of us waiting for the raft. Mollie's hair was caught by the frigid wind just at the right second. It was cold on top of that hill!

This is an ice castle. Cool, but not so exciting after the ice hotel.

Parking was scarce and traffic was pretty heavy, so we ended up getting separated from the other car and had lunch on our own. (Just as a side note, portion size in Canada is so much better. My meal was actually the right size for one person and it cost less. It took a second to not feel cheated when the food looks so much smaller on your plate, then common sense settled in and it was fine.) We ended up finding eachother at the carnaval, but they had already done the carnaval, so we split up again deciding to meet later. Darn expensive international cell phone rates! It is times like this that I wonder what I ever did without a cell phone. I can't believe I went all the way through college, being very socially active in a sorority, without the ability to call anyone away from home. So crazy! Anyway, we were freezing very soon and were ready to leave, but had to wait to meet up with the group. Brrr!

For dinner that night, we decided to try poutine, which is a specialty in Quebec. We found a place called Ashtons and headed over to try it out. My Canadian friend told me that it is the ultimate comfort food. Little did I know that she thinks its gross. French fries and cheese curds covered in gravy. Would you try it? I actually didn't think it was bad. ;)After dinner, we made a pit stop at the local grocery store, Loblaw. I'm pretty sure the owner's name is Bob. Arrested Development anyone?

The next day we walked around Quebec City. It was seriously so charming, with a European feel. I loved all the cobblestone roads and stone walls and bridges.
We had delicious crepes for lunch. We needed another French treat before heading back to Boston. I didn't realize how many people in Quebec only speak French. There was a little bit of a communication gap there.
Thanks to my friend Rachel for planning this trip for us!

The drive home was pretty exciting. My right front tire kept losing air, so we had to stop several times to fill it up. Slightly worrisome. Also, when we drove up to Canada, it was well into the evening and slightly snowy, so there weren't really any police on the road. On the way home, it was early evening, but felt later because it gets dark so early in the winter. I got pulled over, but was hopeful that Mollie's skills would be able to talk us out of it. She is usually able to, unless it is a female cop. Guess who came to the window? Yep. Bad news for me.

Refinement of Polished Societies

2010-02-07T11:10:00.005-07:00

Thanks to Winston, who, although recently married, still organizes a Pride and Prejudice ball for the singles wards. Costumes optional, but we had a good group show up.

Someone who attends MIT secured this lovely hall for us to dance the night away. Although not technically the right time period, I pulled out my Elizabeth Swan dress. Close enough, right? Keira Knightly played Elizabeth in both Pirates and P&P.

I was out of town the last time there was a dress-up ball (for which they actually had a live band). So glad I was able to enjoy this one!

Communication Error

2010-02-02T01:08:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago, I met a Russian boy at church. He is here studying English for four months. One night, he asked his Chilean roommate to help figure out why the wifi on his laptop wouldn't work. This roommate is very good with computers. Unfortunately, both of their English skills are limited, but luckily I happen to know a little Spanish and Russian. Can I just say it was a little bit confusing for my brain? Translating Spanish to Russian and vice versa was not easy... especially about computers when the computer's operating system is in Russian. Not something that really comes up in any of my casual conversations. There were several points when I was speaking the wrong language to the wrong person and got nothing but blank stares from the person I was talking to and laughs from the person I wasn't talking to. It reminded me of trying to talk to my Bolivian abuela in Spanish when I got home from my mission. Words would come out in Russian and she would just look at me funny. When I studied German in college, before I knew Russian, words would come out in Spanish. I think my brain only switches between English and Foreign Language... which is why they all get jumbled up.

We tried several different things to fix the computer with no luck. In the end, there was like an on/off switch on the bottom that needed to be switched. It was that easy. Go figure!

Jack's Place

2010-01-24T11:07:00.005-07:00

My dear friend Sue is leaving Boston soon. In all her Boston years, she'd never been to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, so we decided to go as a little goodbye to her.

Pat, Me, Sue, Mollie

Some of my favorite displays were actually about Jackie. Look at the adorable cartoons she drew in her scrapbook.

Here is one of her dresses. I love her classic, elegant style.

This is Rhonda and me in front of a piece of the Berlin wall.

You know, even though I'm not a Democrat, I think that JFK was truly inspiring. But let's face it, he would probably be the most conservative Democrat in Washington right now. He did so much in such a short time that he was President, from the Space Program to the Peace Corps. I think this quote sums up well.

Elephant Walk

2010-01-23T09:51:00.005-07:00

My company decided that since the holiday season is so busy, our annual holiday party is held in January after all the rush is over. This year, we went to the Elephant Walk on Beacon Street. They serve an interesting combination of Cambodian and French food and have adorable elephant decorations everywhere.

It's nice to have social time away from work and always good to see the wives and significant others.

The food was terrific, but dessert is always the best part. Love the little elephant cookie. :)

Socialism

2010-01-19T11:08:00.003-07:00

My sister referred me to a survey panel a couple of years ago. The gist of it is, you get points for surveys that you take, then trade them in for great rewards... like the nano ipod Jess got for her son. (If anyone wants in on it, let me know and I can send you a referral e-mail.) As part of this panel, occasionally they'll send me products to try for a month and then tell them what I thought. I've done a facial moisturizer and this week I received a shower cream. This is the packaging it came in:
When I opened the box at work, Mike saw it and it bothered him a little. He likes to play devil's advocate in our mostly politically conservative office, and will often tout more liberal points of view. After seeing this non-descript, homogenous packaging, though, he changed his mind. He told me that if he ever started saying socialism or communism was a good idea, all I had to do was pull out this shower cream and he would concede. Can you imagine if all the products on a shelf at the grocery store looked like this? Or if there were only one product to choose from in the first place? No thank you!

Presidential Failure

2010-01-18T15:37:00.002-07:00

When we heard that President Obama was coming to Boston for a rally for Martha Coakley, my roommates and I decided to try to see him after church... we tried to be inconspicuous, since we're really Republicans. ;) On the other side of the street were rallyers for Scott Brown.We got off the train at North Eastern and saw the beginning of the line, then after half a block, how it snaked around this plaza...... then down this block......then around the corner, down one side of this street and back around the other side......and a little bit around the corner again, where we were finally able to get at the end of the line. Needless to say, we didn't get in to see Obama, although we may have seen his limo drive by. ;)It was a little too cold to be standing out there too long in nylons and heels anyway.

Chopped

2010-01-16T09:23:00.001-07:00

I had a Groupon at a fancy salon in the Back Bay, so I decided to go with a short style again. This was the cut I loved that my hairstylist in Utah, Melissa, gave me five years ago. (If she were still cutting hair, I would schedule appointments with her whenever I was home... but alas, I have had to do without her amazing skills since she moved to California at the same time I left for Boston.)

This is how it turned out. So fun and sassy. I know I'm going to miss ponytails though.

Welcome 2010

2010-01-01T11:25:00.005-07:00

When I got back to Boston from my Christmas trip, all of my roommates were still gone. So I was home... alone... all by myself. So I spent much more time in my pajamas watching tv, 'cause at least then I could hear people talking. After the second day, I tried calling some friends who live nearby... but they were also still out of town. On the fourth day, it was New Year's Eve, so I tried reaching out to even more friends, but by 7 p.m. still hadn't found anyone in town where I could tag along. I resigned myself to ringing in the New Year alone, maybe even already sleeping... which I haven't done since I was little. Just about then, I got a call from Daryl, who had not been planning on celebrating New Year's Eve, but he and his roommate were willing to go to a movie. Aren't they sweet? We decided on The Princess and the Frog at Boston Commons. I got there a little early and walked around the park a bit. I had been feeling tired of the city... the hassle of parking, the terrible winter weather, not having any friends... It's funny, though, because every time I actually go into the city (working on the South Shore affords me little city time), I fall in love with it allover again.

People were walking all around for First Night Boston. Some were a little tipsy, but everyone seemed happy and excited. I could feel the energy in the air and it made me smile to just be walking through the park, listening to the live band playing at the grandstand. It was a good New Year's Eve.

I do have to show you the sorry Christmas lights in Boston:

They don't hold a candle to Temple Square!

Home for Christmas

2009-12-28T15:33:00.005-07:00

My first Christmas in Boston, two of my friends had flight trouble and were not able to get home for Christmas day. Since then, I realized what a pain winter flying in New England is. It is unusual to have a flight without delays, but this year something even worse happened. My flight was cancelled! The one day it stormed that week was the one day that I was supposed to fly out. Of course, they started cancelling flights the day before when it hadn't even started snowing yet. Typical. Luckily my roommate Tristan noticed they were cancelling flights and let me know. I called and was able to get on another flight the next day. BUT, I was supposed to get there early Sunday morning and instead got there late Monday night, so I really lost two whole days at home. On the bright side, though, I was in plenty of time for Christmas. We did, however, have to reschedule our family party from Sunday to Wednesday, which my sister was personally upset with me over the whole week. Like I purposefully bought a ticket for a flight (in July!) that would be cancelled.

Good times were had once I was home, although I had to try and cram in a lot more in less time. I had a fun little get together with some old Alpha friends.
Jessica's family has three birthday's the week of Christmas. We celebrated Kevin's on Christmas Eve. My mom and abuela also made the traditional Bolivian New Year's soup. So yummy! The kids opened their one gift, which was pajamas, of course.

Christmas morning, my parents and I opened our presents... ...with Patrick, Hilary, and......their little man Ganon. It was his first Christmas and he was still learning the ropes of unwrapping things, but was so excited for all his gifts. I coudn't believe how big he'd gotten!We also saw Jessica's kids and went to see Jodie's girls. We found out that my grandma Turner was going to be alone on Christmas, so Kevin and the boys made an early run that morning to pick her up. It was really good to see her... it had been since before I moved to Boston.

The next day we celebrated Julian's birthday with his party. That little guy is so adorable. Somehow I manage not to take too many pictures when I'm home. The time just seems to fly by and I never get to see everyone that I want to. It was a merry Christmas, though, all the same.

Christmas Goodies

2009-12-22T15:18:00.001-07:00

We get all sorts of deliciousness in the office at Christmas time. I just had to share a couple... this came from our COO who lives in Florida. Delicious Florida oranges and grapefruit creatively arranged in a Christmas tree.

This gingerbread house is from our neighbors in the building. Ginger Betty's is a client of theirs and I have never tasted such delicious cookies... their soft ginger snaps drizzled with chocolate. Mmm. Bethany went to their shop and said it is adorable. If you're not in the Boston area, you should order some. Really.

Birthday Tricks

2009-12-18T14:56:00.002-07:00

I appreciate my office mate making me laugh. He was trying to catch this orange in his mouth and luckily let me capture this. :)

We let him pretend that he was victorious, you know, since it was his birthday and all. Hope it was a great one!

New York, New York

2009-12-06T10:28:00.005-07:00

To round out Mollie's birthday week, we took a little day trip to the Big Apple. I was so excited to see the Christmas displays on Fifth Avenue. My favorites were the Bergdorf Goodman windows.This one was amazing... everything was suspended at 90 degrees, and the king is even pouring tea!

This one reminded me of high school art class when we drew those wooden bodies.

A trip to New York is not complete without seeing a Broadway play. I found out Bye Bye Birdie was showing from a fun blog I read, (No) Sex and the City. I loved the movie with Dick Van Dyke when I was young and was excited to see Natalie in it. Luckily I was able to find some great tickets. The show was amazing! So much fun and a great cast. Kim's little brother was especially hilarious.

The next thing we set out to do was ice skating at Rockefeller Center, something Mollie has always wanted to do. At this point I should mention that it was raining that day... all day long... and it was cold... winter cold. We were sharing an umbrella, but the wind was not helping us stay dry. We headed over there anyway, and waited in line to be let into the rink. Have you ever been completely soaked and freezing cold? Well, staring at the big slab of ice and watching people fall down and come up even wetter did not make us too excited to skate on it. After much debate, we finally realized we would be miserable in ice skates and decided to come back some other year for ice skating. We did see several proposals under the giant Christmas tree though.
We also decided to skip the delicious cheesecake we were going to get and headed back to the car to get out of our wet clothes as much as possible. Mollie was a trooper and drove us home through a blizzard, getting us home safe and sound. Definitely a fun and memorable birthday adventure.

Roomie Birthdays

2009-12-02T14:54:00.002-07:00

Two of my roommates have birthdays this month. Mollie's mom sent her special brownie mix and adorable candles. That day, we had less than two hours between the time Tristan and I got home from work and Mollie had to leave for service she does each week (even on her birthday... isn't she dedicated?). In our haste, we didn't let the cake cool long enough before we put in the candles. We couldn't figure out why they kept leaning, until we pulled them out. Oops! Please tell me someone else has done this...A group of us also took Mollie to Fire + Ice the next day. You get to put together your food and watch them grill it in front of you. Way fun atmosphere and great food. Afterwards we saw New Moon. Love those vampires.

For Pat's birthday, we went to a Thai place on Newbury Street. She loves exotic foods and this place didn't disappoint. Happy birthdays girls!

Brotherly Love

2009-11-29T10:29:00.009-07:00

For Thanksgiving this year, Mollie and I were both without a place to go, so we decided to head to Pennsylvania to enjoy Thanksgiving in Amish country. We started out in the village of Intercourse (great name, right?)...
...and walked around the different shops. My favorites were the amazing hand-sewn quilts and the iron works. Next we went on a buggy ride, featuring a covered bridge.
Love the buggy roadsign!
Don't hate me for cutting off this picture, but the buggy is kind of bumpy. I thought these girls were adorable, though.We headed over the restaurant that we have made reservations at for dinner. It had been under Amish restaurants when we searched online. When we walked in, though, it was not at all what we expected. We were thinking some cozy little old-fashioned diner. What we found, was a crowded almost cafeteria-like modern restaurant. The food left something to be desired, including our first course of fruit cocktail from a can, mashed potatoes from a box, and sweet potatoes drizzled with maple syrup. The bread was delicious, though, as was the pie. At least they had good baked goods. There were a lot of elderly couples there, as well as some interesting younger families. We just couldn't stop laughing about it.

The next day, we spent in Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love. Mollie and I were so excited to discover that the city is actually on a grid! It was so nice to be able to get around without staring at the map the whole time. I loved visiting all of the historical sites.

I was a little surprised at the size of the Liberty Bell. I always imagined it would be larger. I was also sad to know that the story about the crack that I learned in Elementary school is a myth.

Independence Hall was one of those places where it was incredible to imagine walking where such great men had walked before.
This is the room where the Declaration of Independence was adopted and the Constitutional Convention was held.
We enjoyed walking around Philadelphia, seeing the famous sites. There was also a really cute Christmas village set up with things from all around the world.

In the afternoon we drove to nearby Valley Forge. This was the 1777 - 1778 winter quarters for General Washington's troops during the Revolutionary War.

For dinner, we had to go get a famous Philly Cheesesteak. It was a little like the Seinfeld Soup Nazi. If you didn't know what you want and order quickly, you endured the wrath.

We ended the night with a little face mask and some TastyKakes, an original Pennsylvania brand.
The next day we headed to Gettysburg and did a driving tour of the park. I actually don't think I'd ever read the entire Gettysburg address before, and I came away with a new respect for Abraham Lincoln.

So many battlefields and so many lives lost here from allover the country. I don't think I've ever seen so many memorials in one place.
This is the Gettysburg National Cemetery, organized in semicircles around a monument. Each state had its own section for its fallen soldiers.

Our last stop before the drive home was the David Wills house. This is the room Lincoln stayed in and finished writing his famous Gettysburg address.

Pennsylvania is a beautiful state and there is nothing like a good road trip!

Dancing In Heaven

2009-11-17T09:20:00.001-07:00

When we were little, my sisters and I had certain videos with movies taped from HBO that we would watch over and over again. One of our favorites was Girls Just Want To Have Fun. A classic, right? Still contains some of my favorite dance moves. Well, the movie was on t.v. the other day, so I got a little nostalgic and decided to find the soundtrack. Maybe I don't have the best search skills, but I couldn't find it available to buy anywhere. So sad. I did find a different version of this song and listened to it like a hundred times. Doesn't it make you want to dance? Bonus points if you know the scene this plays in. Go Janie and Jeff!

I Love Bermuda

2009-11-16T11:34:00.009-07:00

On Wednesday the rain started pouring down and didn't leave for the rest of the week. Joy and I decided it was a good day to go to the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute where we could be inside. Titanic artifacts were on display. Crazy to think about all the people on that ship.

We were able to be in a simulated shark cage. The shark coming up and banging the cage actually did give us a fright. That would definitely be a rush to do it for reals.

These heads show the shrinkage factor from going down to different depths in a submarine. Why doesn't that happen to people?

This is the Tucker Cross which Teddy Tucker recovered in 1955, from the Spanish ship San Pedro which sank in 1595. When it was transported to a facility in 1977, Teddy unwrapped it to realize that the original was stolen and replaced by a replica!

It was a very rainy day, so we just headed back to the hotel. That pink pole is the bus stop. Pink poles go away from Hamilton and blue poles go toward Hamilton. They were hard to recognize at first when walking about.

The next three days I spent in the conference for work. After the first day of meetings, our boss treated our Development team and us to the nicest restaurant on the island. Yummy, fancy food. Jeff did have to squeeze into the back of a taxi though. The curse of being tall. ;)

Joy got to spend the day roaming the beaches and taking pictures. Isn't Bermuda beautiful? Too bad I didn't get to spend more time on the beaches. Oh well. It did rain every day while I was working, so the timing couldn't have been better.

Friday night, our company had a Calypso White Party. Requested dress: white with a calypso flare (explained as a splash of bright color). I somehow managed not to take any pictures, but there was an amazing amount of fresh seafood and a live band for dancing. Good times.

The conference ended around lunchtime on Saturday, so I organized a group to go on a Glass Bottom Boat for a shipwreck tour. We were in the Bermuda Triangle afterall. Surprisingly, after a while you can't really tell the difference between a rock and a boat underwater, because all the anemones and ocean life covers them up.

We also spent a little time snorkeling. There weren't very many fish, but plenty of sea cucumbers and different types of anemones. It is actually against the law to remove these. Our captain told us about a guy who tried to hide one in his shorts... yeah, he didn't realize that they sting. Oops!

Another interesting story... the green turtle population was nearly extinct in the 1800's because they were hunted for food. They tried to bring turtles from another country, but didn't realize that turtles go back to the place they were born to lay their eggs, so that didn't work. In the '60s and '70s Bermuda tried again by bringing thousands of turtle eggs from Costa Rica and burying them in the sand. Many of them hatched, however, the sex of turtles is determined by the temperature of the water. Because the water in colder in Bermuda, they were all born males. Ironic, right?

Sunday morning, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before heading home.

I highly recommend visiting Bermuda. I absolutely loved it there. Maybe it's a sign that I need to move to a warmer climate. ;)

Dolphins at the Dockyards

2009-11-11T14:50:00.002-07:00

Tuesday was an exciting day. Joy and I got to play with dolphins! We went to the Dockyards to the Bermuda Maritime Museum where the dolphins live.We watched them jump and do tricks.

We got to spend an hour meeting the eight dolphins. They like to play, so we were told to be really excited and have lots of energy. Here I'm feeding one a fishy.

This one blew snot on my hand. Ew!

This one even let me hold her.

Joy started a water fight with these two boys.

Dolphins are such beautiful creatures!

Afterwards we walked around the top of the fort. Great views, but sheep live up there, so we were dodging their little pellets everywhere.

We also spent some time looking at the museum. We had the place almost all to ourselves.

This room boasted amazing floor to ceiling murals depicting Bermudian history.

A cruise ship docked there that day. The other two girls that swam with us came off of it. I need to go on a cruise sometime. Can you believe I've never been on one?

Another amazing day in Bermuda!

St. George & Rugby

2009-11-10T10:13:00.007-07:00

Monday we slept in all the way until 8 am before taking the bus to Hamilton and having breakfast at The Spot. We rode the ferry to St. George, which stopped at the Dockyards on the way. It was a high-speed ferry and quite windy. The ride was pretty choppy. Enough so, that water splashed from the front of the boat all the way over the top to hit us in the face in the very back of the boat. Mmm-hmm. Refreshing salt bath.

Once in St. George, we saw the Unfinished Church...

...and Tobacco Bay, where some swimmers were having a lot of fun.

Next we walked and walked and walked in the heat to Fort St. Catherine.
The view from the top is amazing... and we got to play with big guns and cannons. ;)

Underground was a maze of tunnels, with plenty of storage space for their weaponry.

The lights were placed in the walls, sometimes in the middle of the wall so it would light rooms on both sides. Genius!

Good thing I noticed this sign, but Joy certainly didn't need to.

We weren't looking forward to the long walk back to St. George, so we actually had a cab come to get us. The driver was the deputy mayor and sang us a song... "I was born in Bermuda, eat your heart out..." He would stop in the middle every now and then and say, "why you laughing?" At one point he asked if we were "waiting for New Year," apparently we were moving too slowly. It may have been my most entertaining cab ride ever.

Back in the city, we decided to ride the bus to see the other lighthouse on the island. We realized that the bus only ran every hour and we didn't feel like waiting that long... so it was basically a bus tour of the lighthouse. We got a pretty good shot, eh?

The funny thing is, we probably would have had time to get off the bus, but all of the clocks on the buses are completely wrong, neither of us had a watch, and with the time change, we thought it was much later than it actually was. One funny thing about the bus... see this sign?

Joy and I both independently sat and thought it looked like a wise man putting something into a trash can or the like. Only when we started talking about it did we realize it is food. :)

We rode back to Hamilton and tried to go to the Bermuda art gallery, but it was closed. We ended up just having dinner at the Pickled Onion. The name sounded so gross, we had to try it. They definitely have interesting names for restaurants there. The food was actually pretty tasty.

Normal business dress includes Bermuda shorts. Love it!

Next we went to the rugby tournament. We ended up getting there pretty early, but that meant we got our choice of seats right at mid-field. The temperature dropped, and we started freezing, but luckily the rain stayed away. I resorted to buying a fleece jacket, which was luckily half price because it was from the year before. Joy just used the shorts I had brought with my swimsuit. :)

First, we saw Argentina get slaughtered by New Zealand. I was loving that they did the haka before the game! Here they are in a scrum.

The second game we saw was Canada vs. South Africa.

We had some fun people sitting by us. One American guy in front of us had no idea what was going on. I knew the gist of the game (which I learned from Lisa, whose brother played for Utah), so tried to impart my limited knowledge. Luckily, the British lady sitting next to me knew the game upside-down. She told us how she'd been going to games since she was seven years old (she's probably in her sixties now) with her dad, and ended up marrying a rugby player. Now they traveled allover to see matches. We also had some tipsy loud boys sitting by us for a bit. They were quite hilarious. I loved the accents. I seriously loved seeing these games. Rugby is so much more interesting to watch than football. They actually play more than they huddle.

Welcome to Bermie

2009-11-09T16:44:00.003-07:00

Can I just say that Bermuda is amazing? Islands always seem to have a laidback feel to them. Every person we met was so friendly, strangers chatted freely with us everywhere we went. Our taxi driver gave us a tour on the way to the hotel. He "may" have two children, four total. This was a far cry short from the eighteen kids in the family he grew up in. Wow! When I was amazed at the beautiful color of the water, he told us they dye the water blue every day. He also told us about how the white roofs on the houses capture rainwater to be reused in the house.
This is the Fairmont Southampton hotel where we stayed.

When we walked out on the balcony of our room, we saw this amazing view of one of the two lighthouses on the island. That day we took it easy with a little ride down to the hotel's private beach. We saw a bunch of athletic looking men walking around the hotel, only to discover that our hotel was hosting the players in the international rugby tournament that week. We met a couple of Argentina's players on the trolley who met up with more of the team down at the beach. The water was C-O-L-D and very salty. We were pretty much the only ones in the water. I loved the perfect white sand. That night we had a little nail painting fiasco and watched Strictly Ballroom on my laptop. I was exhausted after staying up all night to pack, so we were in bed by 8 pm. :)

On Sunday, we were excited to try the Bermudian breakfast buffet at the hotel. Apparently, we went too early to get that part, so our breakfast as pretty non-Bermudian. We took the early ferry across the bay to Hamilton so we could catch a bus to church. Dai, the captain, let us take turns steering the boat.

Bermuda is actually very Christian. The city was pretty dead on Sunday with many businesses closed and the buses don't run very often. Although it made us a little late to church, I thought it was pretty awesome. We did see this parade of sorts with marching band. Not sure what is was for, but fun to see.

When we arrived, we were delighted to find out that the ward was having its Primary program. This little girl showed us, with a little shake, that the hand motions for Book of Mormon Stories are quite similar to the Macarena. Her mom was trying to coach her from the row in front of us, so the girl scowled at her, but angelically grinned when dad turned to look. The only other interesting event was some man came in late and was wandering around the stairs at the front of the chapel in the middle of the meeting. There were rooms back there, but still pretty strange.

After the meeting we went next door to see the caves, Crystal Cave and Fantasy Cave. There are miles of connected caves under Bermuda. Many of the connecting passages are so narrow, though, that you would need to remove your scuba tank to get through them.

Crystal Cave has a floating walkway down the length of it. I haven't been in a cave with so much water before. This cave was the inspiration for Fraggle Rock. Can you just see the Doozers building down here?

Most stalactites/stalagmites grow only one inch every hundred years, but these hollow straws grow six inches every hundred years.

One of our guides told us he drank too much the night before. We had an interesting conversation with the other, though. He is a member of the National Caves Association and went to a cave in New York called Howe's Cave which he quite enjoyed. I had no idea such a group existed.

We got on a bus and asked the driver to tell us when we reached our stop. After a bit, he told us it was the next one and then made us ring the bell before he would stop. Do you think they're monitored or something?

There are wild chickens allover Bermuda. As we walked into the parking lot at Spittal Pond, one of the chickens found a piece of food and twenty chickens were chasing it around and around. We laughed so hard!

The cliffs near Spittal Pond are exactly what I would choose for my Thoughtful Place if I were Pooh. The waves crashed and exploded high against the rocks. Very mesmerizing.

A rainstorm came up so we didn't spend too much time walking around the actual pond... besides it was kind of stinky.
Back in Hamilton, we wandered through this lovely park, searching for somewhere to eat (remember how everything is closed on Sunday?).

We finally found the Penny Hog where we enjoyed steak, eggs, and cajun potatoes with a barbeque hollandaise sauce. Delish!

We were just in time for the beautiful sunset on the ferry ride back to the hotel. Dai saved our seats and invited us to go on his boat on his day off. It slightly reminded us of Darrell. The hot tub was calling to us back at the hotel, which we shared with a mildly drunk and entertaining couple. There is also a cat that must live by the pool which kept an eye on us.

Amazing View

2009-11-03T13:55:00.003-07:00

Sunday ended up as a more traditional family day. Stake Conference was held in a hotel near Copley Square. (Our stake hasn't had a stake center, with stake conference in the past being broadcast to the several chapels. There is finally one under construction and nearing completion.) This is the church where the evening session was held Friday. For dinner, Jake grilled some steaks and Joy's cousin Darin, who goes to Harvard, came over to join us. It isn't very often that I get to have a sit-down family dinner, so I really enjoyed and appreciated it. We also had yummy chocolate fondue for dessert... an added bonus. When we took Darin home, he took us to the deck of his building to see the city.
Next, he took us to the roof of the building. We had to climb some scary ladders... ...but the view was worth it.

Sadly, Joy got sick on Monday and Jake had to go home on Tuesday. Jake and I did meet up with some friends for trivia night at a restaurant/bar on Monday. My contributions to the team included identifying a Rainbow Brite Halloween costume. Yes, I am an '80s child.

So glad you were able to come visit Jake!

Boo Day

2009-11-02T08:07:00.009-07:00

Though she doesn't really know why, Joy has wanted to go to Maine since she was little. To help her check this off her list, we decided to take a little day trip on Saturday, guided by my kind friend Rachel who is a native of Maine. Our first stop was the Portland Head Light. I seriously love lighthouses.

Jake touched the Atlantic Ocean for the first time! He didn't want to swim though.

We tried and tried to get this picture of us with leaves in the air, with plenty of laughing. This is our best attempt.

After lunch in Old Port, we headed over to the Freeport outlet mall for a little shopping. Do you love this giant boot at LL Bean?

The stores were all doing trick-or-treating so there were adorable kids (and adults) running around in costumes. Way fun! We also went into Wicked Whoopies for some whoopie pies.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the New England charm of Maine.

That evening we decided to go to a haunted house, you know, with it being Halloween and all. We headed to Gloucester to the Castle of the Damned. The parking is a little ways away, so they shuttled us over in this spooky school bus, complete with creepy music.

Now, I've been to my fair share of haunted houses, but I have to say that this was the scariest ever. In Utah, they usually try to make some old warehouse look like an old castle. Well, this really was in an old castle, complete with a little cemetery.

They had a more realistic approach to scaring us, which was a little freaky, but luckily we didn't get too startled because we were at the back of the group they sent us in with. Jake did manage to get a rise out of all of us as we came out of the house and across a bridge. He was pretty proud of himself for that one.

We ended the night with some delicious fried dough. Happy Halloween!

Visitors

2009-10-31T06:49:00.004-06:00

Joy and Jake came to visit!! Joy and Jake came to visit!! :) I had a sign waiting for me at the airport when I picked them up on Wednesday. We immediately went to the Barking Crab for dinner...

...where we devoured a huge platter of crab legs. I always forget how much fun I have with these guys. I think I had a sideache from laughing so much. I unfortunately still had to work during the day, but Joy and Jake went to Salem on Thursday and had quite the adventure. We had fun making dinner that night though.

Friday night, I dragged them to the adult session of Stake Conference because... a) Elder Ballard came to speak to us and b) it was being held in the Trinity Episcopal Church at Copley Square. It was a beautiful building in which to hear an apostle of the Lord. Elder Ballard spoke about developing the ability to live close to the Lord so that you can be spiritually sensitive and in tune with the Spirit. Take the time to talk to the Lord and listen. Learn to hear and respond to promptings. Don't let opportunities pass you by. That is definitely something I needed to hear and remember.

We enjoyed a crowded train ride home that night. Being with good friends can even make being jostled about on a train fun. It was also some good people-watching with a group singing along to a ukelele on the train, and plenty of Halloween costumes.

Changing Colors

2009-10-26T13:54:00.003-06:00

Mollie and I enjoyed the beautiful Sunday afternoon weather with a little stroll through Mt. Auburn Cemetery, always a great spot to enjoy the fall colors.
I love climbing the tower and looking out over the whole city. You can see the temple on the hill in the distance.

Playing Dress-Up

2009-10-25T13:54:00.003-06:00

Next weekend an Education Conference is being held, so the traditional Halloween parties were held a little early. I chose to be Princess Leia. She has been one of my favorites since I was a little girl.
My roommates were Peter Pan and a cute cowgirl.

Some of my favorite costumes included a shark and victim...

...Dr. Horrible...

...and a bank zombie (keeps coming back to life).

Fall Festivus

2009-10-21T11:40:00.007-06:00

This week I was lucky enough to have two friends, who moved away this year, come back for a visit. Denise and Kristie! :) We decided to have a Saturday filled with Fall fun and declared it Fall Festivus. We started off with apple picking in the morning.

Kristie, Rachel, Mollie, Amanda, Denise

Funny story about this next picture. Kristie walked up to the board first. When I followed, I hit my head on a board I didn't notice that she hadn't needed to duck under. Ouch! It's a pain being tall sometimes.

I love road signs! This one, on a muddy, dim, tree-lined street, rivaled the gems we saw in Ireland.

I decided to share this with Michelle, whom I went to Ireland with. :) Her comments:

Where exactly did you go apple picking? Is it a warning that the children have balance issues and put their hands up in the air saying ‘Oh, no! Please catch me!’ as they trip and fall? Or are they gifted with super-human flying skills and you need to watch for them on take-off?

Because it was later in the season, most of the low apples were gone. They gave us this nifty little apple picker on a stick. You needed to get this plastic toothed crown around the apple and twist (the proper way to pick and apple) until it fell into the little sack.

Here is Mollie reaching in to pull out the apple.

Our bags of loot. We raked them in!

After filling our bags with apples, we took a little tractor-pulled wagon hayride.
We played a little hot potato (pumpkin) game. Denise ended up with it and got to take it home.

Next our Fall Festivus of All Things Fall took us to a cranberry bog. This isn't the one we toured, but this bog was gathering the berries that day.

We toured Flax Pond Farms. They don't gather their berries by flooding, but flood it later in the year to protect the cranberries from freezing during the winter. A machine rakes through the vines, gathering the berries. A helicopter actually comes to carry the cranberries away.

This is the tool that was used before machines. Can you imagine covering that huge field with one of these? Hard, hard work.

Our group met up with Trina and Jeffra. It was just a little cold and windy outside, so we quickly moved the tour inside.

They demonstrated how they used to sort the cranberries. First, you dump the crate of berries into a sort of strainer, which will blow out the debris of leaves and twigs. The berries are then carried up to the top of the sorter.

I learned that... good cranberries bounce! This machine has panels that you can set at certain heights, so if the berries are good enough, they'll bounce over and pass through to the next stage. They can sort out different grades of cranberries this way, depending on which panel they make it past.

The cranberries come out of the machine where someone will sit and feel them. They pull out the soft ones, and set aside the white berries for white cranberry juice.

Next, after a little hot chocolate to warm us up, we headed to a Finnish sauna. It was a little crowded, but the hot steam felt so good. There is also a lake outside to jump in when it got too hot. Nice to go back and forth between the two. We ended the night with some yummy Italian food. It was a great Fall Festivus day!

Acadia Camping

2009-10-11T17:32:00.006-06:00

I love camping, but don't necessarily have all the gear, but I jumped on the chance to go when my friend Emily invited me to join them in Acadia. She and I drove up Friday afternoon, getting there around 9:30 pm. It was pouring rain for the entire drive and didn't let up. We agreed to set the tents up since the others wouldn't get there until late. I was so grateful that I had stopped at Wally World to get a $4 poncho. One of the tents we used (not Emily's) was the oddest shape and took us over two hours to set up. The other we got up in 15 minutes. The tent did keep us nice and toasty warm that night, though, even if it was a little damp inside. Everyone made it safely, although we didn't find out one car did until the next morning. They got there so late they just slept in the car.

Saturday was a fun-filled day. We started off with a little kayaking around an island. It was still windy, so the water was pretty choppy. The water splashed over the edge of the kayaks a few times and we came away a little wet. We didn't get to go out as far as they normally do, but it was still gorgeous.

Eric, Emily, C, Julie, Sean, Christina

Next we headed out for a little drive around the park, stopping at Sand Beach. It was a very peaceful place to sit and watch the powerful waves rolling in.

Raphael, Emily, Michelle, C, Christina, Sean

The sand dunes here were gorgeous, reminding me of Anne of Green Gables, with the swaying grass (which actually was poky and hurt!). Michelle and I got into a little fight with the cattails. I came away looking the worst, though, since I was wearing black fleece.We raced up to the top of Cadillac Mountain to be able to see the sunset. The leaves were at their peak for Autumn colors and the sight was glorious.

We had dinner at a fun diner in Bar Harbor called Route 66. The deco was awesome, including a pink cadillac, roadsigns, and funny license plates.

Unfortunately we didn't get any smores that night as the firewood we had was wet. We tried diligently to get a fire going, but in the end it didn't last long.
Emily and I took the scenic route home. I loved this display in one of the small towns we passed through.

Acadia was amazing. I can't wait to go again!

Fun at Work

2009-10-08T13:55:00.004-06:00

Since I spend most of my time at work, I thought it would be fitting to share a little bit of the fun that we have. Because we spend all day sitting at computers, sometimes we have to get a little creative.

First, this little goodie comes courtesy of Mike, who often keeps us laughing. Bethany is an avid Kansas University Jayhawk fan and proudly displays the Baby Jay and Big Jay mascots on her desk. After some teasing the day before, Bethany arrived to find this:

"WE WILL NOT CALL MIKE A LITTLE SISSY BOY AGAIN" signed Jayhawk and Lil' Jay

Bethany and I like to do simple art projects. This one was inspired by someone we encounter at work who gets some crazy schemes in his head. We have dubbed him Wiley and Bethany occasionally lets out a howl in honor.
Sharing an office with someone five days a week, you get to see all their different moods. In Mike's case, he had so many that we named them: Misha, Mikey, Mickey, Michael, Miguel and Mikalek. We created this chart, with adjustable arrow, so that everyone knows which personality is present on any given day.

We have treats out in the hallway and Peanut M&Ms is one of our favorites. Somebody left the bag on the table with ONE m&m left inside. We thought it was Mike, though he never confessed, so Michelle left this note on the bag on his desk:"We saved the last one just for you!" We have since had several discussions about the proper number of items to leave in a bag without taking all of them. ;)

Writing this reminds me of the fun things we did at IHC. Lara and I would take turns writing stories on post-its passed back and forth over the cubie wall. I would throw the stress ball around with Jeremy and Ryan. The best was when we tried to scare Jeremy with a spider on a fishline strung over the lights. Our execution was a little off, but it took quite some planning.

You need to have a little fun at work, right?

Trains and Museums

2009-09-28T19:49:00.007-06:00

As a charter Disney Visa holder, I was notified about their A Christmas Carol Train Tour. I wasn't that excited about another remake of A Christmas Carol, but getting to go on a train and for free? Count me in. I dragged Mollie, Sue and Rhonda along, and it was actually really interesting. A model of Big Ben under construction.

Isn't Marley scary?

The actors actually acted out the scenes before they were animated. They wore these suits and had black dots allover their faces with sensors for the computers to be able to animate every little expression.

This is the animated version of the bodies before they put clothes on them.

After the train tour, we got to watch a special 3-D preview with clips from the movie. It actually looks like an awesome movie. I can't wait to see it now.

That day was also Free Museum Day, sponsored by the Smithsonian, with museums allover the country participating. After a quick lunch at Wagamama (my first time there, unique food but really good) in Harvard Square, we headed over to the Harvard Natural History Museum. We started out with their famous display of glass flowers.

I couldn't believe how realistic and detailed the flowers are. They didn't look like glass at all, but as if they were soft and would bend if you touched them.We also enjoyed all the animals from allover the world...

...dinosaur fossils......an awesome color display showing how animals use color...

...and rocks and minerals.That night I watched the Relief Society Broadcast on my laptop at home. I may or may not have fallen asleep during the last talk. Good thing I could watch the rest later. Thank you internet.

360 Degrees Tour

2009-09-23T11:39:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite all-time bands is U2. I heard that they are great in concert and have always wanted to go. I unsuccessfully tried to get tickets whenever they came to Salt Lake, but luckily they did two shows in Boston this tour, so I was able to get tickets. The stage was amazing, built to look like a spaceship.

They played all my favorite songs, but... the sound system was AWFUL! Take it from me, do not ever go to a concert in a football stadium. You could hear the echo from across the stadium, so the music was just jumbled. Maybe if you're on the ground you can't hear it, but it was pretty much a bust where we were sitting.Bethany and I still had fun and sang along as best we could. We brought our work prize blankets to keep us warm. The nights have definitely gotten chilly. We did enjoy yummy Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which is similar to In-N-Out.

Don't worry that it took us an hour to get out of the parking lot (which we had to pay $40 to park in) and another two hours to get to the freeway. This was after I'd spent three hours sitting in traffic that morning because I realized I left my computer at home when I was halfway to work. Gotta love Boston traffic! I still love you U2!

Ward Campout

2009-09-21T17:50:00.003-06:00

The ward campout this year was held in New Hampshire once again. I was hoping it would be held in Vermont, like the first year I was here, but I guess I'm going to have to plan my own trip back there. My car full of Me, Mollie, Pat, Sue and Amy Beth arrived Friday night just in time to enjoy a dance around the campfire. They actually played some fun old school goodies like Jump by Kris Kross ('cause I'm the miggidy miggidy miggidy mac daddy).

Saturday we enjoyed a little ride to a nearby town for some reinforcements, then some good kayak time on the lake, and basking in the sun. My friend Sue convinced us to take a little dip in the lake even though we didn't bring our suits. That evening we enjoyed a Broadway Cabaret talent show and smores around the campfire. I also got to play (and win!) a round of Ticket to Ride, always a fun game.

Testimony meeting around the lake on Sunday was beautiful as usual. Luckily, we made it through the weekend without any rain. There seem to be a ton of new people that just moved to Boston, many coming straight from Provo/BYU. I have to admit that I feel a little bit disconnected from all of that now that I'm in a different ward. That's probably a good thing. ;)

Hallelujah!

2009-09-14T11:50:00.002-06:00

My fortune cookie today read: Followed by my view on the drive to my new Bishop's house for dinner:

Rather appropriate, don't you think?

Teasing

2009-09-08T13:27:00.001-06:00

My new roommate Mollie actually went to beauty school and has this awesome tool for backcombing. Do you like my new do?

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-08T08:45:00.007-06:00

I would not call myself a big sports fan. I don't know when the teams are playing, who they're playing, or feel a constant need to know what the score is. I do, however, love attending sports events. I think I got my first taste of this in college at the U of U football games where there was often standing room only. There is just an electricity in the air when that many people are all in one place, rooting together with anticipation that their team will be victorious. Fast forward me to Boston... seriously a great place to be a sport's fan. Everyone here loves their teams and there are plenty of them. I have been to see the Red Sox and Celtics, and on Thursday I finally saw my first Patriots game.It was a preseason game, so the stands weren't quite full. I couldn't believe the amount of people there anyway, though... incredible. I couldn't imagine when the stands are full. We were near the top and had to go about a mile up this giant switchback ramp.
The three of us rode the special commuter train to the stadium, so we had to hold out until the end of the game. Fun times. Football means that fall has officially arrived!

On Friday night, Mollie and I went to the Killers concert. We had a blast singing/yelling along with all the songs.They had some awesome stage effects... and Brandon Flowers wasn't bad to look at either. ;) There was a ton of energy. Great concert!

I started moving last Monday and am still in the process. I moved all the way... next door. It's funny, though, it still takes as much work to box everything up even though I didn't move far. I did hire the Russians again and one of them was the same as last year and he remembered me. It's probably not too often that he gets Russian speakers not from Russia.

I spent my day off this Monday cleaning out the attic so I have a little storage space. (My new apartment doesn't have as many closets as my last apartment.) Doesn't that sound fun?

Goodbye

2009-08-22T21:06:00.007-06:00

This month meant a lot of changes and goodbyes. Sadly, I've had to say goodbye to many of my close friends this summer and now it is Katie's turn to leave. :( I'm going to miss...
...that little gleam in her eye when she wants to have an adventure...
...her incredible cooking skills of fancy things that are "so easy" to make...
...Saturday morning cartoons and Sunday comics...
...her love of crazy roadsigns like this one (CAREFUL CHILDREN BREAKDANCING)...
...her extensive knowledge of movies and art...
...the way she kicks down doors...

...and her love of good lines. ;) Thanks for being such a great roommate Katie! I feel like I learned so much from you and we had so many good times together. Good luck in England!

I am also saying goodbye to the apartment we lived in together. I thought I would finally share pictures of what my room looked like. It is really supposed to be a dining room, so my room had this cool built-in cabinet.It also meant there was not a closet, so I used this wardrobe. That is the color the walls used to be. After painting the whole rest of the house, I was too exhausted to paint the wardrobe too.

So long. Farewell. Auf wiedersehen. Adios. Dos vidanya. Ciao. Goodbye!

The Island

2009-08-17T11:10:00.008-06:00

My dear friend Jenny Faith lived on Nantucket for a summer a while ago, so I jumped on the chance to go with her to the island for my first time.
It had rained the night before, so when we got on the ferry, we had to dry off our seats... with these flimsy napkins from the little cafe on board. You know, the kind that disintegrate as soon as they see water? Above are Tristan, Mollie, and Katie, with Jenny below. I found out that Jenny is a talented cartoonist. One really funny thing happened on the ride over. This dude was walking by with orange juice in one hand and apparently didn't realize that boats aren't always steady. It lurched and the orange juice flew allover this poor innocent man sitting there. Sad, but hilarious.

These pictures are for Angie - it's the home of Nantucket Nectars!

Jenny showed us her favorite place for smoothies... ...which we thoroughly enjoyed.

We wandered around and saw this cute little street market. There were so many beautiful things that I wished I had a house to decorate. We tried to see a sand sculpture contest, but there were no sculptures to be found. Just roped off areas with not even a mound of sand. Sad.

We headed off ot the other side of the island next, which has better beaches. I was there to witness the first time that Jenny swam in an ocean. Woot! Katie is such a good motivator at getting us out to ~~endure~~ enjoy the cold Atlantic waves.It was so nice to just have relaxing bask-in-the-sun time.
Love the hydrangeas!
Another beach that was covered in seashells......with this adorable lighthouse.

I love this weathervane, a nod to the whaling that was big in Nantucket.I know this is a horrible picture, but can you see the couple walking behind us? We ran into quite a few wealthy New Englanders in the typical uniform. Tristan wondered if there was a parade. ;)

Mollie and I were the only ones who couldn't seem to fall asleep on the ferry ride home. I entertained us with this drawing. We were so tired that there were plenty of giggles. Don't I look good with green eyes?

Thanks to Jen for being our tour guide. Nantucket is amazingly beautiful and has such a quaint feel to it. Fun, fun day.

On Sunday, there was a big combined meeting at church for an announcement. There were two 25+ (or grad student) singles wards for all of Boston. The small change was realigning the boundaries to match the different stake boundaries. The big change was creating a new ward for everyone in both wards who is 31+. As you may or may not know, I turned 31 on my birthday two weeks ago... just in time, right? I have to admit, I had to talk myself into liking the idea, and may have been close to tears during the meeting. Not only did it make me feel a little old, but I am going to miss my bishop and all the friends staying there. Not that they'll be further away, I just won't get to see them as often.

That night, my new friends Daryl and Jarick invited me (and Katie) over for a late birthday dinner. Daryl found out I love Italian food and Jarick served in Italy. He made some amazing pasta with homemade sauce. It was an amazing meal, food-wise, as well as good company-wise. Afterwards, we sang songs around the piano, which is something I used to do with Joy all the time and miss a lot. Both of these boys are in my new ward, so that made me feel a lot better and even a little excited for the new ward. I also can't complain about getting to extend my birthday celebrations just a little longer. ;)

Historic FHE

2009-08-11T20:44:00.005-06:00

My friend James lives in the basement (old servant's quarters) of the Historic Shirley-Eustis House and invited us all over for an exclusive tour for FHE. This was the mansion of the Royal Governor (British) William Shirley and the only one left still standing in the U.S.

I'm a fan of winding staircases.

When they were restoring the house, they moved a piece of furniture in this room and could faintly see the original design of the floor. They left that piece untouched. The style of that time period definitely did not shy away from bright colors and loud designs.

This is the view of the front yard.

The ward members who attended in the grand entryway.

One of the bedrooms.

We played a rousing game based on the hymns. You had to sing a line of the song based on a phrase, word, or theme. My team won, of course. ;)

Quincy Revisited

2009-08-10T14:05:00.015-06:00

This weekend got off to a great start. Molly, Katie, and I had dinner at Applebee's on Friday night. It was such a lovely evening that we sat outside on the patio. About midway through our meal, we became aware of an altercation in the parking lot, as the lights of several police cars began swirling. A little while later, right after the police let this dude go, he goes up to a guy in his car about 50 feet away and smashes his window. S - m - r - t, smart! About this time we realize we are going to miss the beginning of a movie and head out. Unfortunately, a police car is blocking my escape. I ask the kind sir, if it would be possible for me to leave. He says that they shouldn't be there too much longer. Oh... okay. He then pauses, thinks for a moment, and proceeds to tell me a story about a conversation he had. The punchline being about how a policeman takes out the trash. After he delivered his joke and got my courtesy laugh, he moved his car for me. Very sweet. :)

The movie we saw was Julie & Julia. It was quite delightful and inspired me to learn how to cook better. Does anyone want to give me a good cookbook? ;) Katie observed that it was not a very well-made movie but had a great story about good, inspiring people... as opposed to 500 Days of Summer which was very well-made but about horrible people.

On Saturday, I returned to Quincy, where I lived during my first year in Boston. Somehow, I had never been able to tour the John Adams sites. In my defense, I tried a time or two, but they are only open during the summer. Boston honestly seems to shut down in the winter. Anywho, Katie and I picked up Amy Beth and then met Bethany in Quincy. Here is the first home we visited... ...which is next door to this home. Bethany had a little mishap inside this home, which she will write about for us soon. The homes are very much like pioneer homes on the inside. Basic wood, huge fireplace, simple furniture. They told about political meetings being held inside this home. It is awe-inspiring to stop and think that you are standing in the same place that great men have stood in.
The Adams lived in Europe for awhile and upon looking to move back, found out this mansion was available. They'd never been inside, but agreed to buy it. Isn't it beautiful? When they got here, they found out that inside wasn't much larger than their last home. They ended up adding on two more wings in the back. This was Katie's favorite part - a separate library. It was filled with books from floor to ceiling, with those cool rolling ladders. There was also art by one of Katie's favorite painters from that era. One painting was only half done, because the British men wouldn't pose for the painting. It was of the signing of the treaty that ended the Revolutionary War... which they lost.This is the carriage house. Does that remind anyone else of Clue (Deluxe)?We decided to find a few other things Katie read about online, while down in lovely Quincy. This is a cairn marking the hill where Abigail and John Quincy watched the battle of Bunker Hill in the distance. Next we went to Moswetuset Hummock, an important place for the Native Americans from whom Massachusetts got its name. It was a beautiful, peaceful day, so we sat a enjoyed the water, while Katie did a little reading.That night, Mollie and I went and chose paint colors for my new apartment. Yes, I am moving again. More to come on that later.

This week's Sunday cartoon (oh how I will miss those when Katie leaves) was inspired by the events in Quincy. We got to ride a trolley to the different sites and Katie was sliding about. I mentioned to her that if she just planted her feet, she wouldn't slide (sometimes I can't help but state the obvious). Little did I know that she enjoyed sliding.After church, Katie made a yummy pizza in the barbecue, then we headed off for dinner at one of the bishopric's houses, the Walker's. We hadn't been there before, so we left a little earlier than necessary. That was okay, though, because we passed a little park and decided to stop. Katie and I took one look at the swings and decided to swing as high as we could. I don't remember the last time I swung, but there is something so incredibly liberating about flying through the air on a little rubber seat. You know, sometimes I just have to play like a child. Too bad my nieces and nephews aren't close enough to play with so that I don't look quite as silly. ;)

Wilton Falls

2009-08-04T19:44:00.006-06:00

This weekend I went on an excursion to New Hampshire, planned by my friend Rob. First, we stopped at Vale Cemetery and found the grave of the Blue Lady. This haunted grave has a blue light that rises from it and then sinks back in.Next, we went to Wilton Falls for a little swimming. I couldn't believe how strong and forceful the water is. We climbed all the way up and around the falls. I had so much fun, although it was a little scary. I made it all the way up though, with just a little urging.We checked out another spot, but didn't jump in there (not quite as exciting as the falls). On the way, we couldn't find the turn-off and kept changing directions. I'm sure it was entertaining for the people we kept passing by. After that stop, we headed out. We were starving, so we had dinner at the first pub that we passed. The marquis stated "bikers welcome" and several Harleys were lined up outside. It was an interesting experience. My burger was burned, but the onion rings were great. Rob then decided that we should head over to Kimball Farm for some ice cream. He also thought it would be a good idea to race... until I smoked him. I should have been a racecar driver. ;) It was a fun, fun day.

On Sunday, I stopped by my friend Natalie's Shark Attack party to start off Shark Week on Discovery Channel.

Do you love her decorations? She also had amazing treats, floaties and visors to wear. She seriously has the best parties. Reminds me of Natalie (Ashby)'s awesome parties we had in college... like the Headless Chicken party or decorating a cake like a British flag. Good times.

Best Month of the Year II

2009-08-01T18:41:00.006-06:00

25th - This was Victoria's last Saturday in Boston, so we decided that we needed a little beach action. We went to Nahant to enjoy the beautiful sunshine. (As an aside... Victoria read out loud from a book for one of her classes. It was called So Sexy, So Soon and talked about the bombardment of images children are exposed to by the media. I would recommend it for all you parents out there.)
We also did a little kite flying. I absolutely love kites! Way too long since I had flown one.As a last effort to enjoy the best of Boston, Victoria and I headed to Cambridge to try a sandwich shop called Darwins and have L. A. Burdick's hot chocolate. Both are excellent, by the way. We then went to our friend Rob's house for campfire fun... guitar playing, singing, smores. He also has a hammock... ah, the joys of a real house and yard.

26th - After church, I felt like being outside, so Victoria joined me for a walk at Arnold Arboretum. We were there for the best of the yummy evening sunlight. Victoria brought along her butterfly net... which can also be used for frogs.
I love this picture! Right as I was clicking this shot, Victoria caught sight of a butterfly overhead. She looks so excited trying to catch it with her net. We also ended that evening playing some card games. It was about this point that I realized that I need more sleep than I have been getting.

27th - Victoria invited me to come to a Red Sox game for her last night in Boston. What a way to end her time here. They won, of course. I already miss Victoria, though.

28th - In honor of the three of us with birthday's that week, my friend Brian organized a group to go to Kimball Farm for a celebration. We enjoyed KFC (perfect for a picnic), a little volleyball, delicious angel food cake with berries, and delicious Kimball Farm's ice cream.

We also got a little crazy on the bumper boats.29th - For my actual birthday, I had thought about having a party, but most of my closest friends decided to either move away from Boston, or be out of town. Luckily, Katie was still in Boston, so she and I went to see 500 Days of Summer. It was actually artistically amazing with some really funny parts. The story made me a little sad, though. For some reason I still expected it to have a happy ending, even though they tell you there won't be from the get-go.

30th - I came home intending to get caught up on stuff, but Katie convinced me that we needed to try a Thai food place recommended by a friend. It is called the Brown Sugar Cafe

and was quite delightful.

31st - Free Friday Dance Lesson learning the Argentine Tango. It was seriously so fun. I need to dance more. A great end to a fantastic month. :)

It's My Birthday!

2009-07-29T18:58:00.003-06:00

I love my birthday for many reasons... one of which is all the delicious treats. Katie made me Joanne's fantastic sticky buns (recipe from Flour Bakery) for breakfast, and a delicious family recipe birthday cake with a secret ingredient. It was so moist and served with plenty of whipped cream (my fave!).When I arrived at work, Bethany brought an amazing chocolate and peanut butter (my favorite combo) cake covered with crumbled Reese's. One of my favorite administrators that I get to work with also sent me these incredible chocolate-covered strawberries from Shari's Berries. My cute neighbor Katie also brought me this adorable cupcake.
So fun! Thank you everyone for all the yumminess and thinking of me on my special day.

Best Month of the Year I

2009-07-25T18:29:00.004-06:00

July is the best month of the year. Not only is this the wonderful month that I was born, but it has also been the sunniest month here in Boston this year. I managed to keep myself pretty busy almost every single day this month. The fun holiday and week with my family were followed by...

15th - a free concert at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. The Landmarks Orchestra performed pieces by Italian composers. Victoria and I just laid back and had fun people-watching. 16th - Japanese Lantern Festival (see previous post)

17th - I learned the West Coast Swing at Free Friday Dance Lesson, then I went and saw the new Harry Potter movie.

18th - Katie and I attempted to go sailing for free... but the line was too long. We did enjoy a nice walk along the waterfront and around Quincy Market.That evening Molly joined us to go see the sand sculpture contest at Revere beach. This is also something I did my first month in Boston two years ago.

19th - My neighbor Emily M. had a fun birthday party.

21st - I put highlights into Victoria's hair and made yummy brownies for Bethany's birthday.

22nd - Victoria and I went to institute for the first time this summer. It is so great to have a spiritual boost in the middle of the week.

23rd - I went to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum for the first time. Jenny Faith informed us that it was a free community day, so a bunch of us headed over there. Amazing collection and beautiful house!

24th - More West Coast Swing at another Free Friday Dance Lesson, then Victoria and I dressed up to go to the Top of the Hub restaurant. Delicious fancy food eaten at the top of the Prudential Center, with an amazing view. We kindly told our waiter that we don't drink, after he kept recommending wines with our meal.