Sailing

Happy Birthday, Carolyn!!
For her birthday, we all took to the river for sailing and then to the Liberty Hotel for dinner and drinks!

To be on the river on a sailboat as the sun is setting is an amazing thing. Even though the wind was a little less than what Carolyn had hoped for, we thought it was lovely, and David and Carolyn even let Bryan and me give sailing a try!
After the sun set we walked over to the Alibi, The Liberty Hotel's restaurant and bar for dinner and drinks. It was a really hip place with yummy food. Apparently the hotel used to be a city jail and now it is just themed. The Alibi bar was totally jail themed with celebrity mug shots on the walls and coasters.
One of Carolyn's friends made her a tiny origami elephant for her birthday! How cute!

Happy Monday!

Stuck Indoors Again

So the first half of last week was pouring rain for days in a row and Martha and I literally resorted to spinning in circles around the kitchen island. As I realized I was going to lose our staring contest, I blinked and said, "let's go outside." Martha said, "it's raining." I said, "I guess you better get on your boots and coat and umbrella, then!" and we ran for the door!

We played outside in the pouring rain for a while before realizing how cold we were and retiring to the kitchen for hot chocolate...

Today is a different kind of being stranded. We are indoors today because it is too hot to be outside! (Everyone braved the heat for BTS, though... you'd be crazy to miss it!) But nowhere here has air conditioning which makes lounging indoors this afternoon (in our air conditioned apartment) that much sweeter. I just made a cake and plan to have a big scoop of ice cream right on top!

What's Prettier?

Preparing for a dinner party?

Or eating it?!

On the Menu: Southern Fare for our Northern Friends

Roasted Corn and Heirloom Tomato Salad

with homemade Green Goddess Dressing

Barbecued Shrimp and Cheese Grits

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Fresh Green Beans 

Sauted and Glazed Mushrooms

And Blackberry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream!!

The Air was Crisp Today

I sincerely hope this means that autumn is closing in on the summer. Autumn is my favorite season. My very favorite time of year!

Today was also a special day. It is our official One-Year-In-Boston-aversary! We've made it. We've made it through all the seasons. We've made it through many adventures. We've made friends. And most importantly: we've survived it all.
Here we are and here we'll be for a few more years to boot. That is God willing and the creek don't rise.

Spectacle Island

We packed up the kiddos, Tiffanie took a half day of work, and we went to Long Wharf to catch the ferry out to Spectacle Island. We had such a good day on the island. We played in the sand and surf and flew a kite with the skyline in the background!

(sea glass)

On the Dunes of the Cape

As I mentioned before, Bryan is in LA until the end of this week. So when I got the opportunity to go to Cape Cod this past weekend with a new friend and all her friends, I jumped at it!

I would highly recommend the Cape for a summer get-away! We had a lot of fun and I hope Bryan and I can go back together sometime!

I've never seen a horseshoe crab before this weekend and now I've seen dozens! They were everywhere! And SUPER creepy looking!

 I thought this end was the front for an hour until someone corrected me. (I thought those sharp things on either side were it's teeth!)

On Saturday night we all went to see the Counting Crows. I think I used to have their tape in the 4th grade... and don't pretend like you don't still sing along to "Long December" or "Mr. Jones" when they come on the radio! I wouldn't say I'm a crazy fan but they had an extra ticket and it was a really fun show so I'm glad I went.

The stage was a huge slowly revolving circle that spun for the entire concert. Not in a sickening way, though, luckily.

These are the girls I rode down with and it was his (Monroe's) family's house that we all (all 12) stayed at!

Hope you had a great weekend too!

XOXO

Chinatown

We went discovering last weekend.

I saw some people buying and eating these things up and down the street. They came on branches in bunches like muscadines. I just looked them up online and apparently they are called "Longans."

So I asked a lady selling them what they were and she responded in Chinese. After my confused look, she just gave me one to try.

Which I did and immediately regretted. Bryan agreed that it was pretty terrible.

So next we wandered into a Chinese bakery!

We took away a sack full of goodies.

The big pretty stamped one was kind of like a flaky pie crust filled with sweet red bean paste that was very crumbly.

The dumpling was Bryan's favorite. It had some kind of savory onion and herb inside with maybe pork too?

Then the sesame dumpling. It was like a fried cream puff, but instead of cream inside it was a smooth sweet red bean paste that was not crumbly like the first one, but tasted similar.

My favorite was the Don Tot, I think it's called. It was a little egg custard, not lemon- which is what I expected.

We also adventured around the Christian Science plaza and the Boston Public Library where we found a book sale! What a lovely day we had... hopefully there will be a lot more adventuring into some of the other local neighborhoods. Plus there's still a Bean Town Tour somewhere in our future...
For now, though, Bryan is having his own adventures in Los Angeles! Don't work too hard out there, Love! I miss you!

5K, What a Day!

We did it!
Elizabeth and I ran a 5K this morning. My first 5K ever... not only that, it's the first time I've ever run that far ever. I'd never run before the Boston Marathon in May but got inspired. So here we are!

My goals were 1) run the entire thing and 2) don't be last. Done and Done!

(who needs a trophy when you've got bananas?)

(133 & 134--- not last!)

And lots of our friends came with us to Salem for support!!

(and we love them even though this half of the crew walked up just after we crossed the finish line)

Then we continued BTS (Brunch Team Spectacular) in Salem:

(where I ate a blueberry pancake bigger than my head--- well ate half anyway)

(and where Nolan started out so excited for his breakfast)

(and where he ended so regretful for having eaten so much)

(and where Carolyn sketched out the before and after)

Then we found water and skipped rocks... because that's what we always do.

And who could ask for anything better?

I think the Traditional Gift is Wood

And as Laura so hopefully suggested: Bryan should have carved me an 8ft tall Native American totem pole for our 5th wedding anniversary... I'm not sorry to say "he did not."

We did, however, celebrate with dinner and a movie!
Dinner was delightful ~ we went to Ten Tables and had the four course chef's tasting menu with a wine pairing for each course! And then we were off to see Dinner for Schmucks which was funny and "slightly tragic" according to Bryan.

What a wonderful 5 years it has been! We try to have an adventure every day and more and more I feel we enjoy each other and the time we have together. On the walk home tonight he promised me 70 more married years... I'll hold you to it, Love, and expect each to be more adventurous than the last! You truly are my favorite one.

Rommel's Birthday Adventure