the weekend i ate...in boston.

one: the pictures are from my craptastic phone. i had my big camera with me, but i never used it. go figure.
two: we will not even discuss why - when i uploaded the pictures to my computer - that i labeled the folder 'boston november 2011.' um, the trip happened in october & it's not even november...yet.
three: enjoy!


earlier this month, my parents asked me if i wanted to visit my sister in boston. duh. of course i would! i love my sister. i love boston. {i would totally move there in a heartbeat if a) we could afford it & b) i could ever convince my husband, a.k.a. mr. "my body wasn't built for the cold"}. fall break was upon me. it was also columbus day weekend so my father had a long weekend, too. so, we loaded up their escape, said good-bye to my husband & kids and headed north. {mind you, this is only the 2nd time i've gone out of town without adam or the kiddos.}

{a view - overlooking the charles river - of downtown boston. it's not in the pic, but m.i.t. is to my left.}

i've been to boston quite a few times. the city never gets old. last year was my sister's first year living in boston. we visited her during the crazy post-christmas blizzard. it was a good time. she lived in fenway then. she lives in jamaica plain now. her neighborhood is so cute & i'm still thinking about the coconut almond chip ice cream i had at j.p. licks, but i digress...

boston. whether you get there by air or by car, there is so much to do & see.

if possible, my family almost always travels by car. good thing we do because we would not have been able to stop at plan b burger. plan b has nothing to do with boston {well, there is a location coming to boston soon}, but if you're going to be anywhere near central connecticut, then you must stop for a burger. seriously.

we got off the interstate in glastonbury to fill up the car & get a bite to eat. the buildings looked familiar to me {my sister used to live in both west hartford & wethersfield which are all within minutes of glastonbury}. i said to my parents, "plan b is around here somewhere." sure enough - after a quick phone call to my sis to confirm that we were indeed by the whole foods that was indeed across the street from plan b - we arrived at our destination. yes, my family uses restaurants & grocery stores as landmarks while traveling. to sum up plan b burgers in one word? YUM.

the rest of my trip was, of course, filled with food. and family.

my sister was in andover, nh with her husband at a high school football game {he works & coaches at a prep school in andover. my sissy lives & works in boston. yep, they have a long-distance marriage}. while we waited for them to arrive, i worked on some school stuff.  on saturday night, we ate a late dinner at basho. the steamed bun sandwich on the hot appetizer menu is to die for. {we will recreate that because a) we love pork belly and b) adam knows how to make the bao.}

on sunday, we got up & ate again! this time, we headed to chinatown and bellied up to the table for some yummy dim sum at our favorite dim sum spot in boston: china pearl.

after brunch {if you want to call it that}, we did some walking & shopping on newbury street. i never made it to the longchamp store {i'm sure adam's happy about that!}, but i did manage to try pinkberry {finally!}, browse in anthropologie, and do some shopping for my pups at audrey's and the fish & bone. also, no trip to newbury street is complete without a stop at newbury comics.

{hot. i know.}

the remainder of our sunday afternoon was spent at hmart where we - meaning me, my sis & her hubby - somehow convinced my parents to buy us $90 worth of korean {and other asian} junk...and a coca-cola.

on sunday evening, we had a reservation for dinner at koreana. my kids were NOT pleased that i was having dinner at koreana without them. my kids are little foodies and nothing toots their horns more than korean barbeque. so, being the good mom that i am, i texted pictures of all of the yumminess i was eating with captions like, "neener, neener, neener!" yep. sure did.

{yes, that's raw meat.}

korean barbeque is quite the experience...and quite tasty, too. if you're ever in boston, head over to the cambridge side & have a bite to eat at koreana. you won't be disappointed. promise.

so this trip wasn't filled with sight-seeing or exploring the city. instead, i ate, slept, ate, slept & ate some more.  it was quite relaxing and two days just wasn't enough. honestly, i wanted to stay longer.

if you find yourself heading to boston for any reason, definitely make time to see the sights. 

go see old ironsides at the charlestown navy yard. get pastries on the north end from mike's pastry {although i hear modern pastry might be better}. walk through boston common. follow the freedom trail. visit quincy market & faneuil hall. take your picture in front of cheers. have a sampler at the samuel adam's brewery. sit on the patio at the barking crab. stroll through chinatown. hitch a ride on the water taxi. go shopping at prudential center & copley place. navigate the t. visit the universities. visit fenway park.

seriously, there is so much to do in boston. you know, besides eat.

psst...just so you know, all of the places & things i linked? i've been there, done that. none of the businesses, services, etc. asked me to pimp them out or write about them.

i can't believe he turned this in.

this afternoon i was going through a small stack of papers that aidan brought home from school.  most of it was stuff done in class and old homework.  nothing too exciting.  but, then i saw it.  aidan had to conduct a travel interview & write a paragraph.  apparently, he interviewed himself.   

{written as aidan wrote it: grammar, punctuation & spelling errors included}

The longest trip I took is to Northern Virginia.  It was 4 hours my family saw a fawn and I farted.  We travled 240 mi.  We took this trip to get are 3 month old bosten tarier Buxton.  Buxton jumped on me and farted.

i am mortified. 

not only did he write about farting, but he also lied about how far he's traveled! apparently, his trip to mississippi wasn't memorable and i guess he already forgot about the time we spent in new hampshire last december.

i really hope he didn't have to share this with the class.

the granite state.

first of all, i find it very intriguing to know that at this particular rest stop in new hampshire, you can buy booze {tax free!} & lotto tickets...after you pee, of course.

{taken through the van's window as we drove down the highway}

after three days in boston, we drove to new hampshire.  

my brother-in-law lives & works in andover {while my sissy finishes her fellowship in boston}.  my b.i.l. works for the prep school that he attended, proctor academy.  he's also a dorm parent so he lives in the bottom half of the boys dorm...so cool.*  

anything & everything our family does revolves around food.  food & shopping.  we met at famous dave's in manchester.  after some bbq, we went shopping.  first at the l.l. bean outlet, then to eastern mountain sports & finally to the tanger outlets in tilton.  the lady in the coach store tried to entice me with an extra 20% off clearance prices, but i resisted.  i do love my banana republic jeans, though {$30 for $90 jeans?? yes, please!}.

if there is anything to be said about life in rural new hampshire, it's that you have to drive {and i mean d-r-i-v-e} to civilization.  we learned that the hard way one night around 9pm when we needed children's tylenol for malia.  note to self:  next time, bring some...huge mommy fail on my part.

other than eating & shopping, the kids got to play in the snow and spend time with the dogs.  moxie, the bernese mountain dog, and bruin, the newfoundland, are two of the sweetest dogs on the planet.  they also both believe they are lap dogs.  bruin & aidan became fast friends.

we watched "how to train your dragon" & aidan and uncle james played a little lego harry potter on the wii.  we also did our christmas with monica & james.  it's so hard living so far away from family {they used to live in virginia}, but it was lovely being able to share a portion of the holidays with them.

on our last night in new hampshire, monica & james took us to dinner at lui lui.  oh. my. word.  the food was ridiculously delicious and the portions were ridiculously huge!  after dinner, we drove to see christmas lights at a shaker village {the name escapes me & i didn't have my camera on me}.  that very same night i also managed to pass up on a pair of uggs that were 20% off and tax-free.  i'm both proud & ashamed of myself!

we left new hampshire the morning of new year's eve.  after six full days together i think all of us were ready to get home & sleep in our own beds.  we walked through my front door at 11:15pm...just in time for me to get settled and see NKOTB rock out with BSB {priorities, priorities!}.

---

*my b.i.l., james, is a phenomenal lacrosse coach.  phenomenal.
don't believe me?  then read this.

beantown.

aidan: "mom, christmas day is jesus' birthday."

me: "sure is! do you know where he was born? 

i'll give you a hint...it starts with a b."

aidan: "boston."

{1st row: dim sum on day 1, boston as we drove in}
{2nd row: snowy chinatown, boston common}
{3rd row: the view of downtown boston from our hotel room, dim sum on day 2}
{4th row: malia & aidan with their new bogs boots, a random chinatown pic}

with an impending blizzard creeping up the east coast, we decided to go full-speed with our post-christmas vacation plans and visit my sister who lives in boston, massachusetts.  originally, we were going to leave on sunday, december 26th, but after hearing that boston was expecting up to two feet of snow we decided to get on the road.  the kids & i packed up and loaded up my parents' van.  the five of us were on the road by 8:30pm on christmas day.  adam & frisco stayed behind.

it was already starting to snow as we were leaving virginia {virginia beach got over a foot of snow while we were gone!}.  fortunately, there was no traffic...i mean, who would be road trippin' on christmas?  only us.  we stopped for the night somewhere in new jersey after driving on the jersey turnpike for a while.  we all needed sleep.  sleep & a yummy cracker barrel breakfast.

although the drive was fairly uneventful, the weather quickly deteriorated once we hit the new york-connecticut line on sunday.  as we approached the city limits of hartford, we knew the rest of our journey would be slow & pretty damn difficult {in a front wheel drive vehicle}.  there's nothing like having a two hour commute {the normal distance between hartford & boston} turn into a five hour fiasco that involved:
1. unplowed highways {the plows were out but they were barely keeping up with the snow!}
2. numerous stops to beat ice off of the windshield wipers
3. driving at the top speed of 30mph on a stretch of road that has a normal speed limit of 65mph
4. witnessing several cars on the side of the road with their front ends totaled because they thought they could go 65mph
5. answering the question "are we there yet?" about fifty gazillion times

but, we made it. and boston was so beautiful as we drove across the charles river.  the city was quiet.  there was no traffic.  just snow.  praise the lord there was a whole foods behind our hotel because we were starving!  my sister met us at our hotel on her way home from work {she is a pathologist at boston children's hospital*}.  and, so, our three day adventure in boston had begun!

we spent our time eating dim sum in chinatown, riding the t, walking in blizzard-like conditions, wearing dirty jeans thanks to slushy snow, shopping at copley place & prudential center, chillaxin' in my sister's apartment in fenway & just loving every minute of each other's company.

aidan told me that he wanted to move to boston.  he is in love with riding the t.  he also said he wants to be closer to his auntie monica.  bless his heart.

after three days in boston, we loaded my sister in the van and drove to andover, new hampshire to visit with her husband, do a little more shopping, eat more food & play in the snow.

{tomorrow's installment will be about our time in new hampshire...}

---

*remember how i mentioned that my sissy works at boston children's hospital?  well, a few days before christmas we were g-chattin' and she said, "i just heard joey mcintyre singing with the boston pops here at work!"

seriously.

check it:


{source}

southbound & thankful.

i have been looking forward to getting away for a long time.

seriously, this has been the longest week ever.  but, working ten hour days will do that.

i hope that you all have a very happy & safe memorial day weekend.  remember that it isn't all about cookouts, flip flops & having monday off.  take the time to remember the very brave & honorable service men & women who have fought for our freedom and continue to do so each and every day.

i know i am grateful.  grateful & very thankful.

{all pictures are from our travels to hatteras island & ocracoke island, north carolina}

Where in the World Wednesday

happy hump day, y'all!!

it's that time of the week again:

you know the drill...post a picture of you somewhere in the world - here, there, anywhere you consider traveling. then, post the link on this week's post over at classy in philadelphia's blog. also, be sure to use the really cute WITWW graphic that feris made. oh, and then have fun viewing everyone else's pictures...it's like a virtual vacation {and you're meeting new bloggy friends & visiting with old bloggy friends at the same time!}.

this week, i'm posting a throwback...

just a pic of the kids & i from august 2004. we were on a week-long family vacay in hatteras, nc.

i miss those days when my kids were itty-bitty. in the picture, aidan was just over a year old & malia was 3.5 years old. it's hard to believe that next month malia will be n-i-n-e.

Where in the World Wednesday

it's that time of the week again!! you know - it's time for some fun with classy in philadelphia as she hosts yet another weekly installment of where in the world wednesday.

{i'm on my lappy top & i'm too lazy to download the WITWW icon...please accept my apologies!}

you know the drill. post a pic of you anywhere in the world...whatever you consider to be traveling. tell us a lil' bit about the pic and then post the link over on this week's WITWW post at classy in philadelphia's blog.

---

this week i'm sharing a photo of me & my sweetie. we didn't travel far in this photo...we were simply a few miles up the road from our home at the virginia beach amphitheater.

the date: august 15, 2007

the concert: dave matthews band

memories of the show are kinda bittersweet {wow, my hair was really light back then!}. these were the best seats we've ever had for a dave show {and we've been going since the 1990s} - 8th row orchestra. this was also the last concert that WE saw in which musical extraordinaire, leroi moore, played with the band. he was injured in an accident & was too fragile to play with the band during 2008's summer show and, sadly, many months before the 2009 summer show rolled around, he had passed away. but, don't fret...we're all still dancing with the groogrux king.

Where in the World Wednesday

it's that time of the week again {i took a break last wednesday}...

go over to classy in philadelphia's blog and participate in where in the world wednesday. it's super easy...just post a pic of yourself anywhere in the world - up the street, uptown, downtown, across town, across the world - whatever you consider to be traveling. then, be sure to leave the link in this week's WITWW post over at classy in philadephia's blog. easy peasy.

let's travel, shall we??

this week, we're going back to the year 2004. it was our first trip to cancun, mexico. the hubs & i were on the bus. drinking. heading to dinner with the fam at perico's in downtown cancun. {side note: i really miss those dragon sunglasses with the red lenses}

Where in the World Wednesday

It's Wednesday & you know the drill...

To participate, post a photo of you anywhere in the world...whatever you consider travelling to be...and write a little blurb about it. Be sure to post your link on Classy in Philadelphia's blog and, while you're there, check out other WITWW links, too!

---

Adam & I went to Mexico for the first time in 2000. We spent an afternoon on the island of Cozumel during a cruise stop. Since then, we've been to Mexico numerous times...mostly to Cancun & the Riviera Maya {and we always make a day trip to Cozumel}. Playa del Carmen is our favorite vacation spot and Adam & I love to go there whenever we can. This is a picture of us from our 2008 trip to Mexico. We were on a deserted beach at an ecological reserve near Tulum {and, no, we were not naked}.

---

This isn't normal 'par for the course' when it comes to WITWW, but I wanted to show you our view...


And, for some added fun, videos of part of our ride {the poor rental car!} through the eco-reserve...

Where in the World Wednesday

It's that time of the week...

You know the drill - post a pic of you anywhere in the world, write a lil' blurb about it, leave the link in a comment at Classy in Philadelphia & go check out all of the other WITWW submissions. Fun, fun, fun!

So, for this gloomy Wednesday's installment, I give you this photo:

This is us. On the kiddie log flume ride. At Hershey Park. Summer 2008.

Clearly, our daughter was less than thrilled to be on the ride.

Where in the World Wednesday...

I follow the Prep-E Girl's blog and she was talking about WITWW...what a fun idea! I have to play along!

Here's some info about Where in the World Wednesday -- who created it & how to play along:

Classy in Philadelphia is the brains behind the fun {I'm following her blog now, too! Yay!} Basically, if you want to participate, just grab the button above {you know, right click & "save picture as"...} and create a new blog post. In that post, put the WITWW button AND a picture of you somewhere in the world. Don't feel as if you need to post a pic from some fabulous vacay. I mean, seriously, next week's WITWW pic could be you getting ready to duke it out with someone over a Black Friday sale item. Seriously. It's called "Where in the World" for a reason. Besides, Black Friday sales ARE like an excursion. But, I digress...anyways, the photo can be from any of your travels...small, big, near, far. Then, you gotta go BACK to Classy in Philadelphia's blog & comment on her WITWW post & make sure you link back to her website in your comment so she can check out YOUR WITWW photo.

Ready? OK, let's play...

This is an old one! That's me & the hubs way back in 2002 {can you see the date in the photo?}. April 2002, to be exact...about a month & a half after we were married. Gosh, we were thinner back then. So much younger, too. Anyways, this is a pic of us {taken on a 35mm camera!} taken on the tender that took us from the Carnival Destiny to the port in St. Lucia.

Go play! Let's see YOUR "Where in the World" pictures...

I went to Mexico and all I got was...

• A really gnarly sunburn, but we lovingly refer to it as my racing stripe.
• A beer gut -- since I was only in Mexico for two days I figured that I would need to drink as many Leon beers as I could handle since I can't buy them here.
• The opportunity to BE SOMEBODY -- what do YOU know about Room 900? Yep...the Presidential Suite, baby!
• Some new friends -- East coast meets West coast and how about that random couple from Ohio?!
• A much needed vacay -- two days wasn't enough, but it did the trick!
• A pile of dirty laundry -- who knew I could go through THAT many shirts in a two day period?? Thank goodness I packed extra underwear, though...we didn't realize we would end up staying in Atlanta for two & a half days (so much for that 5 hour layover).
• A raging head cold -- and, NO, it's not strep. I do have good hygiene skills, people.
• A heat rash -- this is what sunburn does to me. Happy, happy, joy, joy.
• A dislike for discount motels -- thanks, Delta, for the fabulous accommodations...the Red Roof Inn in Atlanta was wonderful....NOT!
• Some great memories shared with great friends -- CALLATE!!

Pictures to follow....

Desperately seeking summer...

I am over the cold weather.
I am over the colds.
I am over wearing a jacket & wool socks.
I am over the dry skin & runny noses.
I am over cranking up the heat.
I am over my gas bill.
I am over warming up my car.
I am over the howling winds.
I am over the wishy-washy weather forecasts.
I am over it being dark by the time I'm home from work.


I am ready for some warmth of a different kind.
I am ready for road trips to Hatteras.
I am ready for barbeques & horseshoes.
I am ready for humidity (I think).
I am ready for long, summer nights
I am ready for flip flops & pedicured toes.
I am ready for fireflies.
I am ready for sleeping with the windows open.
I am ready for tulips & daisies.
I am ready for seashells & sand.


I am desperately seeking summer.

I'll take one vacation...hold the kids, please!

Adam and I go on vacation together every year. It's only one week out of the year, but it's OUR week. The week belongs to no one else. It's a time for the two of us to reconnect and rekindle our romance. We get to relax, enjoy each other's company and forget about the stress that comes with working, owning a home, being a parent, etc. We truly enjoy getting away -- just the two of us -- and we both feel that it does wonders for our relationship and our marriage.

Do I feel guilty for leaving the kids to take a week's vacation with my husband? No.

Should I feel guilty for leaving the kids to take a week's vacation with my husband? No.

I love my children, but I also love having that time for myself and the hubby. Trust me, if you work for your husband (as I do) you need all the reconnecting and rekindling you can get!

Don't be hatin'!

That's right.

In 18 days, I'll be here:

That's a picture I took from one of my last visits to the Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort. It's from 2005, so the hotel has changed a little bit since then. Adam and I spent one drunken night there this past September when we visited his father for the day since we were all in Mexico at the same time. While Adam and I prefer spending our days on the beach in Playa del Carmen (about 45 minutes south of Cancun), I am no dummy and will NOT pass up a free vacation -- well, mini vacation (we're only going for the weekend).

I'm excited about this impromptu trip. Adam and I just cancelled our March Mexico trip. We just couldn't swing it with work, finances, etc...well, we COULD, but work would have been the problem. But, like they say, when one door closes, another one opens and, in this case, when one vacation is cancelled, another one is booked! :)

I have a feeling that Adam and I will be heading south for a day while we're down there. We can't go to Mexico without saying HOLA to our friends in Playa del Carmen...not when we would be so close. I'm just excited to get away. The trip is just FOUR days after our anniversary (aww) and we'll be going with Adam's father (he's the best!) and our friends, Catrina & Fred (their first visit to Mexico ever!).

Yikes...I guess now it's time to do my water fast, exercise a little and figure out all I'm going to cram in my carry-on. :)

Me so sleepy...

I can't believe I'm already up -- it's just after 7am on a Saturday! I can hear Aidan in my room watching TV already, too.

I was in Elizabeth City, NC last night at ECSU tending bar at a Ducks Unlimited banquet.

http://www.dailyadvance.com/photos-and-video/see-photos-from-the-nc-ducks-unlimited-annual-membership-banquet-420120.html?slidshow=slideshowImage&slidNo=12 (I didn't realize there were pictures already! Ha...I can't tell you who some of these guys are by name, but I can tell who they are by their drink!)

It's my third year and every year it just gets better. Everyone is just so nice. The food is great -- catered by Kelly's from the Outer Banks. It's just a really great time!

Anyway, I usually just stay the night in Elizabeth City -- we have family there. But, this year, I had to drive home afterwards because Adam has to work today -- well, I should say IS working today (he left about a half hour ago). I woke up when he kissed me good-bye and now here I am -- wide awake. I guess there's no better time than now to go ahead and start my day. :)

Adding this to my library!

It's no secret -- Adam and I love Playa del Carmen, Mexico -- and I am sooooooo ordering this book:

http://playazone.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/recommended-reading-a-great-guidebook/

Anything and everything that can help make our March vacation seem closer than it really is is always welcome!

And, if you're thinking about making a trip to the Riviera Maya, then I suggest you check out this book as well.

Honey, I just found out...

I don't know about you, but those are famous last words in our household. It doesn't matter who says it, Adam and I both know that when those five words are spoken the news following is either going to be absolutely wonderful or really, really crappy. I guess in this case the news is wonderful for Adam and semi-crappy for me.

Adam found out today that he's fishing in the Mid-Atlantic Rockfish Shootout this weekend. Adam and I would both like to take this opportunity to thank his father for NOT telling Adam that he was entered into a fishing tournament. Adam only found out because the girl handling the registration and such called him today to confirm. Well, golly gee...I guess I know what is NOT going to happen this weekend...yep, that's right...the kitchen won't get finished.

Of course, Adam says to me today that the kitchen would not have gotten finished this weekend even if he wasn't fishing. Here I was thinking Rockfish season was over and done with...well, that was fishing in the bay and not the freakin' ocean.

Ah, well...I suppose the good news is that Adam is fishing on Friday which means that he'll be able to work on the kitchen Saturday. BUT, knowing my dear, sweet husband there will be some other fishing related excuse come Saturday. This is why, my friends, I find this news to be semi-crappy.

And they're off!

I kissed the kids goodbye and waved to my mother (a.k.a. Po Po or as the kids say "Paw Paw") as she backed out of the parking lot...they were off to Richmond to pick up my father who was on his way home from time spent in Mississippi.

They have been gone for about an hour and I already miss them!

Adam and I have been quite fortunate to have been blessed with quite possibly the world's greatest grandparents for our children. My parents do anything and everything for our kids (and us) and this includes keeping the kids for extended periods of time. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm passing off my children, but when long holiday breaks come about (like this winter break from school that doesn't end until the 20th of January) my parents step up and help us out.

Tomorrow, they will leave for Connecticut to visit my sister and her husband and also spend some time with the cousins who live nearby. I have heard rumours that my kids will get to play in the snow. How exciting! As for us...Adam and I will pass the time wisely, I hope! Aside from pouring ourselves into our work, it's my goal to get some work done around the house (i.e., paint part of the master bathroom), clean out the kids' dresser drawers, etc. We'll also be able to just act like carefree adults which is always nice to do every now and again.

I really do miss the kids, though. Ugh...and it's only been just over an hour! How am I going to last a few weeks?!

I'm feeling Luna Blue =[

Our December Mexico trip fell through...it was for the best, though. There's always next year, right?!

At any rate, I'm still feeling Luna Blue...those who KNOW will understand. ;-)

The Luna Blue is the small, boutique hotel Adam and I stay at when we are in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. We absolutely adore the owners, Tony & Cheri Head. We are treated like royalty when we are there. I miss it, I miss it, I miss it!

I was reading through Tony & Cheri's blog to see if anything had been going on. We missed out on a great art show benefitting the Peanut Pet Shelter last month. Adam and I fell in love with the tiled artwork done by a really gifted painter named Barry Launius (people "In the Roo" know him as Popeye). They also had a post about good places to eat while in Playa del Carmen...my mouth is watering thinking about the tapas at Las Cazuelas. My toes are longing to wiggle in the sand on the beach at Mamita's Beach Club.

Oh, boy...this December winter weather we're having in Virginia can take a hike...someone put me on a plane that is headed for Cancun and I'll take the ADO bus from there! It is my hope that Adam and I can plan a 2009 Playa del Carmen trip as soon as possible. My mind, body and soul need it!