We'll all float on....

I am a list maker. Post its. Old receipts. Planner. Basically whatever I can find, I will write out the things I need to do on a daily basis. There is something super satisfying for me, at the end of the day, turning to my list and (on most days) seeing that I accomplished all I set out to do in a day. Currently, I am overwhelmed ("you can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed, can you just be whelmed?") with the massive quantities of things I must accomplish today, before I head to Phoenix for the rest of the week.

1) Teleconference @12:00
2) Laundry- all inclusive folding, putting away
3) Pack
4) Print boarding passes
5) Get Mc's clothes picked out for the rest of the week- not like I don't trust Mark. He usually can match up some cute shorts with various tops, but it's fun for me.
6) Shower- Whoa...#6 on the list but some days, it doesn't even make the list. Don't judge.
7) Run
8) Hit the park with friends- I have been in Utah since Feb and seriously, have friends that I saw more when I lived in Arizona.
9) Barnes and Noble to purchase "Mocking Jay"...need it for the plane.
10) Wrap up my work week

Mark has been in Detroit since Monday so it will be great to spend time with him tonight before I leave for the weekend. I am excited to get back to Phoenix and to spend time with friends. I still miss it every now and then.

The mornings are starting to cool off which means Fall isn't too far off. I haven't lived in a state the has "seasons" for a long time so I am excited for the leaves changing, the smell in the air and Halloween!

Well, plenty to do. Asta Utah! Here I come Phoenix!

All dressed up.

And this my friends is why I love my daughter. She is super stylish- always wanting her "dudes" or her "gasses", fluffy shoes, and some hair accessory that doubles as a bracelet or "pee-ey" (pretty). We have our Toy Story shirt accented by the "Toy Story 2" case as she intently watches "Toy Story 2"- don't judge the mullet- she just got out of the bath. Lastly, her swim getup. She is so much fun!

Boston- the finale.

There was so much to see and do in Boston- definitely get the Trolley 2-day...we got to see a little bit of everything! We left the hotel early in the morning and didn't come back until late at night (except for those two days where I came back after breakfast and took a nap). On Sunday, we were pretty much Zombies and tired #1 from the two hour loss from the time change #2 Power vaca-ing it up for four days.

I was obsessed with the architecture and how quaint all of the buildings were. Planter boxes on almost every window, bright paint and shuttered windows. The Tremont Temple which had amazing brickwork. There were little streets that had rows and rows of Victorian Homes- most of which are historically protected and have remained true to the period even down to the metal knockers on the door.

Of course there was Cheers- burgers and fries weren't really on the menu any night so we never ate there but, still cool to walk by every morning on the way to breakfast.

Thursday we hit the New England Aquarium. For you Utahns, this is no Utah Aquarium. This was a three story indoor Oceanic Wonderland. This was the tank that ran right through the center of the entire building. The shape of the turtle (to the left) that doesn't look very impressive- in real life, this is Myrtle an 80 year old turtle that has lived at the Aquarium for FORTY years and weighs 560 lbs. She was amazing.

On our travels, there was this little building, coincidentally named "The Littlest Bar". I want to live in a building like this. There were little metal stars all over, the fire escape, again, said planter boxes. So cute.























Friday, Jim and I ventured to the Museum of Natural Science while Mark and Deb conferenced it up all day. We walked ALL the way which made for interesting adventures. We met up with a dude from Holland who was in the US for the first time and also on his way to the Museum. On the way back from the Museum, a couple dudes wheeling a dead body out of the hospital. Wish my camera was at the ready but that was one of the highlights of the day.

Petrified Lightening (below)- where lightning strikes the ground and is so hot it makes glass. The lightening show was awesome! Think a large guy who kind of looks like the comic book guy from the "Simpsons" in a life size birdcage shooting electricity through it....good times.







Mine and Jim's thermal body scan. Very "Predator"esque.














They had birds, seashells, animals, books, "how it works"- we spent three hours at this place. Well worth the money for all that we got to see.





Mark and I on an ass. The guy taking the picture thought he was hilarious with all of his "ass" jokes. Boston Harbor- we took a little cruise out during a beautiful day. The ocean smelled great and it was just nice to look back and see the city we were staying in. Made me really wish I knew how to sail.



Fenway--not really a "mecca" for any of us but still cool to be there while a game was going on and see all the hustle and bustle and $40 parking.


That is the last of the posts about Boston. We really had an excellent time and I am really excited to go back someday.

Ride, Ride, Ride that Pony

A break from the Boston posts to document Mc's first pony ride. My sweet mother-in-law and I went to lunch @ Gardner Village and had to bribe Mc to leave her shoes on so she could ride the pony. She LOVED it. I thought I was going to have to hold her on. Nope. She just chilled as Daisy walked her around (glad for that so I didn't have to trudge through the poo to keep her from falling off). We also hit the petting zoo- full of the usual goats (both small/cute and the large/ugly variety), llamas, pigs, sheep, a dog that could have eaten Mckinley whole ,and bunnies. It was tragic for her to leave all these fair animals to go home to a nap.

Today was just a good reminder that I am truly blessed to be able to work from home so I can go and spend time during the day with my little girl. She is growing too fast and I am glad I get to be here for all of it- including the two time outs we had this week for hitting and the poop smeared crib from Tuesday. Gotta love the Terrible Twos.

Boston- the history.

Having lived in Utah most of my life, six years in Arizona, and not having traveled to many states, Boston held something magical being the birthplace of our country. The coolest thing was being surrounded by "Old Boston" and "New Boston". There was city and then you walked a few steps to a church that was built in 1690.

The statue, that is Samuel Adams. Yes, the man famous for beer. What we didn't know, the man on the beer bottle, that isn't Sam Adams. That my friends is Paul Revere. Apparently, Samuel Adams wasn't much of a looker and unfortunate as he was, had palsy. That didn't make for good advertising, or good statues so, this isn't' really what he looked like. Most of the paintings aren't super accurate either. I guess that was a bonus, if you had qualities you didn't like, have the painter leave them out or commission someone else that looked better to stand in.

This is Mark and I in front of the "old" Statehouse (not to be confused with the "new" statehouse in coming posts). Right where we are standing is the place where the Boston Massacre began. We also learned that really, that whole thing was a big misunderstanding. Notice the lion and the unicorn on top, this was a building built for the King of England on a street once called "King Street" but since our freedom, changed to "State Street". Queen Elizabeth has looked over the balcony and also many of our Founding Fathers.

This was really going to be in the "sites" post for Boston but it is history AND a site so I added it here. Most nights, we were close enough to walk to lots of cool old streets. One night in particular we decided to hit the streets on Beacon Hill. While walking, a local who lived in these magnificent homes, pointed right behind us to this house. This, is Sen. Kerry's, Boston home. I guess he is only there about 10 days out of the year but what we didn't know, this used to be a church. Sen Kerry lives in what used to be the nunnery (coincidence?).

To the left, Acorn Street. The same local told us about this street or we would have never found it. Made famous for being in movies but also, the original cobblestone streets. Side note, the people that live in these homes pay for the parking spot in front of their homes-$80-$100K and you have to shovel your own snow.

"May the youth of today when they visit this old house be inspired with the patriotism of Paul Revere". A plaque outside a graveyard that is smack dab in downtown Boston. The biggest headstone in the joint (the one that our tour guide said was quite "phallic") belonged to John Hancock. Paul Revere who was a humble man...opted for the small one with the flag.

George Washington on his noble steed. This was the statue in the Boston Common. Just picturesque with the city in the background. Actually quite a reputable president.


The USS Constitution. This the oldest commissioned Naval boat in the world. I believe, the tour guide said this ship has had 300 victories. It was huge but I couldn't imagine living on this with hundreds of other people.


The history of our country was humbling. We saw so much and highly recommend NOT paying to walk the Freedom Trail. Just look for the dudes in pirate costumes or red coats and follow them :) Next post- the sites of Boston.

Boston- the food.

So, I figured I should probably do the posts on Bean Town in sections since I have so many pictures and tend to be a little long winded. Believe me, you will thank me for it later. Yes, I decided to do my first Boston post on the food. Being self proclaimed "foodies", we were particularly interested in sampling some of Boston's finest and Jim and Deb were happy to oblige. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip seeing as how a good lobster is hard to find in Utah.


Wednesday night and our "last supper" on Sunday night @ SkipJacks-We had Boston's famous Lobster Roll. What is a Lobster Roll you ask? Think mounds of Lobster meat piled on a grilled roll, unadulterated by mayo and other condiments. Just a little sauce, some celery and buttery, sweet, New England Lobster.
Jim and I took the advice of the Concierge and discovered The Paramount on Beacon Hill. We ate breakfast there every morning. The blueberry pancakes (fresh, juicy blueberries), omelets, orange juice, chocolate chip pancakes and even the home fries, were amazing. Mark and Deb had conference eggs and cantaloupe and soon joined us in the breakfast ambrosia known as The Paramount.











Legal Seafood- Two spirited thumbs down. Not really for food but for service. I sampled my first Cioppino which wasn't too bad but they had this pay @ the table system that really moved the restaurant down in class. The food was sort of overpriced and not really worth a second mention.

Finale- By the name, you would think they specialized in PRIMO desserts. I ordered a $10 creme brulee, although tastey (scroll to the section on "Mikes") there was something left to be desired.

Emack and Bolio's- Weird name. Amazing. Funny story, started by two pro bono lawyers where they would let musicians come and play when the bars closed @ midnight. The lawyers did some work for some homeless dudes and told them about the bizz they wanted to start so the homeless guys asked to have it named in their honor. History aside- behold... the rice krispy treat cone filled with Chocolate Mousse ice cream. So great- we dined twice.

The Parish- Tasty sandwiches that are each inspired by a different chef in the city. Steak and Mushroom was awesome.

Kingfish Hall- Not only was this a Todd English (famous chef) restaurant but came recommended by a newsman we chatted with. Mark had the Lobster Mac & Cheese (heaven), Deb- tempura lobster, Jim- steak, Me- seafood linguine. It was great! Smack dab in Quincy Market and had secret hidden bathrooms that prevented me and Deb from waiting in line for 45 mins.

Mike's Pastry- Heard about this gem from both the crappy waitress @ Legal Seafood (sorry crappy waitress) and also the newsman. This was the ultimate. First off, Hanover Street is also called "Little Italy"- it was one of the first places we heard REAL Boston accents and saw lots of people that could have starred in Jersey Shore. This was the line to get into Mike's @ 10:00 at night AND the cannoli. Aren't they beautiful?

And obviously, Mark enjoyed them immensely.

So basically, in a nutshell, Boston and it's food presentation exceeded our expectations. Stay tuned for the next post of Boston!