Today is a great day

Today is a great day.  Brandon started his new job today with his entire schedule booked with new patients.  Lauren has school and Elle had preschool this morning.  I was able to drive around our new car.... a 2009 Honda Pilot... while running errands.  I think it's way too nice for us! However, I'll just say I have been driving around my 1994 Honda Accord for 10 years, and it has 195,000 miles on it.  It was time for a change.  I was also able to visit my grandma for a few minutes and talk to my parents on the phone.

The laundry is done and the kitchen is basically clean, so I'm going to go read Twilight (yes, I am joining the rest of you) for a half an hour or so before picking up Lauren.  Oh yeah, Elle is napping right now.  It is so quiet.

We are unpacking!

Well, we made it.  After a week of Southern California with the Ferney family reunion, a short-stay in Las Vegas (can't wait to tell you about staying at the Trump hotel), and a week in Idaho, our things arrived from Boston and we are unpacking.  

I registered Lauren for school on Friday, and she starts next Monday.  Where did the summer go?!  We also made it to church on Sunday to meet our new ward.  We felt very welcomed and look forward to meeting our new neighbors.  

Today the girls get to visit with our friends from California (Hannah & CiCi) that have since moved to Heber, UT.  We are so happy to be reunited and closer to them!

I have MANY things to post about..... to catch up on the last month.  Brandon bought a new camera, so I've got to orient myself with the thousands of pictures (literally thousands).

I've got to do the dreaded grocery shopping now.  

We will be disappearing for awhile

Well, the big move will happen tomorrow! We are flying to Southern California to meet up with the Ferney family for a reunion and to have a vacation. We will be spending time at Disneyland and in San Diego. I think I'll be able to relax and look forward to this trip as soon as we step off of the airplane in California. Until then I'll be stressing about one thing or another.

After our vacation in CA we plan on driving to Utah and Idaho to visit my side of the family. We will be able to move into our new place in SLC around 8/15. So it doesn't look like I will be blogging for quite awhile. But please check back once we get settled. Wish us luck!

Leaving Boston

Well, our year in Boston has almost ended. On Friday movers come to pack our things and load them on to the moving truck to take them to our new home. Another phase of our life is over. We have purchased one-way tickets and fly out on Saturday.

Things that I will not miss about Boston:
1. Our 2 bedroom apartment with old appliances, a tiny kitchen, musty smells, no light and crazy neighbors.

2. Okay, so just one crazy neighbor. Sadly, an older woman is taking care of her husband who's health is failing. He has dementia and really needs constant care. While she waits for an opening at a facility to care for him, she tries to do so. But I have to say, she is failing. Our apartments share a wall, and we end up hearing yelling and language that I would prefer not to repeat. She has told me that she wishes he would die. What a sad situation!

3. Winter in general was difficult because it was COLD and because of parking and driving, which leads me to.....

4. Parking and driving around Boston. We basically know specific routes, so don't ask us to drive anywhere else without a DETAILED map in hand! The street signs are rarely posted and street names change from one block to another. Anyone moving here must have a GPS! Did you know that Boston roads used to be cow trails that they eventually paved?

5. Too many pot holes! (They have recently repaved certain roads, thank goodness)

6. Walking approx. 100 steps to our parking space. From our apartment door, out of the building, around to the back of the building where we park, it is a long way to carry groceries and Elle sleeping.

7. There are no fish tacos... at least the way we were used to them in CA

(I'm trying hard to think of three more things.... I don't want to complain, but this will be my only pessimistic post)

8. There have been no young adults in our ward, so getting babysitters for the weekend evenings have been difficult. Brandon and I haven't gone on a date in a LONG time.

9. Renting is expensive and we have no yard for the girls to play in.

10. I can't think of anything else right now..... but #1 can count for more than 1 reason.

BUT HOW CAN I SERIOUSLY COMPLAIN ABOUT BOSTON?! WE HAD A GREAT YEAR. WE WERE ABLE TO SEE AND DO SO MUCH! WE WILL MISS REALLY GOOD FRIENDS, AND WE WILL MISS GOING TO SEE NEW THINGS AND NEW PLACES AROUND THE CITY.

Newport, Rhode Island

One place that we have been meaning to visit is Newport, Rhode Island.  We wanted to fit in this daytrip before we moved, and we were able to make the 1 and 1/2 hour drive to Newport on Saturday.  I was really excited about this day.  

Newport is a beautiful historic town on the coast of RI (the ocean state).  It is known for the amazing mansions built in the late 1800's and early 1900's and for yachting.  The International Tennis Hall of Fame is also in town.  

We ate lunch at "The Black Pearl," which wasn't that great, but was in a fun location on the wharf.  It came recommended, so maybe we ordered the wrong things.  
One of the mansions we visited was "The Breakers."  This was the summer home of the Vanderbilt family.  We weren't able to take photos inside, but if you can imagine, think Versailles in the US.  Amazing!
The "home" is located right on the coast.  This view of the home is the back facing the ocean. 
Here are the girls at the second mansion we visited, The Elms.  

I loved this tree on the grounds, and the photo B took.  This may be corny, but I can't help but think of geneology trees and the many branches this family would have!

We had another fun day.  I wish we could have spent another day there.  Sadly, our camera ran out of batteries, so we were limited to the photos we took.  I think Brandon secretly wants to get back there to take more photos.  Maybe there will be more to come....

Budding Scientists

The girls and I, along with our friends the Griffiths, spent a fun day at the Boston's Museum of Science. This was our first trip to this museum, and sadly probably our last.

I was afraid that the museum would be too adult for the girls, but we all had a fun time. Lauren especially loved the exhibits. We spent time at the dinosaur exhibit, the weather wing, the theater of electricity, the soundstairs, and many more rooms filled with scientific wonders.

Cape Cod with the Hendersons

We took a trip to Cape Cod a few weeks ago with some friends from Boston.  We loaded up their van with the seven of us and drove to see the beautiful scenery, eat some yummy seafood, and play on the beach!

Michelle, Daniel, and Logan are in Boston studying at the New England Conservatory of Music (okay, just Daniel, and boy is he a talented jazz musician).  They invited us over to their home for dinner our very first Sunday at church.
We stopped at Mac's Seafood for some fish & chips.  This place is located right off of the beach and is a "must do" stop along the coast.

Ooh la, la.....  Logan enjoyed a chocolate brownie for dessert.  We had a few laughs over his French-looking mustache.

At the beach we found three interesting creatures.  Can anyone name them?  The first is a Horseshoe crab... it looks prehistoric to me!  The second was a fun catch to find and trap in our bucket.  The third was so small!  It was a hermit crab finding a home in a snail shell.

We had a great time.  The weather was so perfect and the girls had so much fun playing in the water.  Lauren made it home with a bucket of shells to remember her day at the beach.

Beautiful Elle

I love this picture of Elle taken this summer at the zoo.

Last Day of School

Lauren's last day of school was June 20, about two weeks ago.  We had an amazing school year!

We will always have fond memories of Mrs Nichols, her kindergarten teacher.  I hope that her tattoos won't leave a lasting positive impression on Lauren.  :)  Honestly though, she was such a great teacher and helped Lauren love school.  It was a great way to start her academic career.

Lauren's class was very diverse.  I hoped she learned that people are all alike despite how we look (I am still working on this lesson).  Lauren was the only blond haired blue-eyed child in the class!  A few of her classmates were moving back to their native countries this summer... Hadrien to France, Jacapo to Italy, Ayaka to Japan, and Lauren to Utah.  

Strawberry Picking

A group of our ward friends met for playgroup a few weeks ago at this picturesque farm in North Andover, MA.  Smolak Farms allows people to come at the height of berry season to come and pick your own strawberries.  The area was just beautiful.  There was also a bakery, ice cream stand, and playground for kids.

Our playgroup included kids 4 years old and under (Elle is in the middle).  It was a cute group.  This picture reminds me of the beginning of "Little House of the Prairie" as the girls were running through the grass and Carrie falls down.  Memories!

Very fun day.  I wish we could take a day trip to pick raspberries.