New York

Got myself out of Massachussetts and down to New York to visit Aunt Joyce, Uncle Bobby and Scott. They were wonderful to tour me around including a day at the beach. Which unfortunately went poorly due to being bombarded by flies. We were forced to move poolside away from the nipping flies and enjoy some sunshine and cocktails. Lets just say we quickly got over the change in plans







Also made it into NYC. This city is a lot of fun! We wandered around quite a bit and saw several different areas. Starting off with some time in SoHo



While touring around the city we stumbled across a photo shoot for a Tiffany's commercial. Will have to watch for it this winter



Saw a few relatively newer places in the city including Eataly a market place with a variety of restaurants and shops. We then ventured over to Chelsea Market where we had a delicious lunch. After lunch we walked the High Line, an old railway track that has been converted into a green space.



The High Line was featured in one my recent Nat'l Geographic magazines so it was fun to see it.



We then made our way over towards Rockefellar Center. Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse so were forced to seek shelter and couldn't tour around this area as much as we would have liked





Saw Times Square from a distance



Ended the trip by catching up with my friend and one of my original Boston roomies at a bar called "House of Brews". The bartender told me that I was a lush and offered me a beer on the house. Thought this was really funny. I'm sure my mom is going to be really proud : )

Northern AZ

Returned home for a week to soak in the beautiful summer weather of Northern Az. Had a wonderful time. I did not take a lot of pictures on this trip. But do have a few to share with you. One of my closest friend for the past 17yrs tied the knot. I relied on others for pictures at the wedding but do have one. This is behind the Elks Lodge, where the ceremony took place, looking toward the San Fransico Peaks



Kristall flew in form Portland,Or to spend the week. Robbie seemed happy to see her again.

We spent a day in Sedona curing our hangover and soaking in the creek. The weather was beautiful and even though we just opted to go to Red Rock Crossing it wasn't overly crowded.



We had a wonderful time. Catching up with old friends and hitting up some of our old hangouts. The weather is beautiful in Boston today but it just can't compete

Rochester, NY/Niagra Falls, Ontario

Another friend has entered into her "dirty thirties" and we decided to celebrate the big 3-0 with a girls trip to Niagra Falls.



Weekend started in Rochester,NY where she lives. Super cute apartment. Wish rent prices were the same in Boston. Met a bunch of her friends and had a fun night drinking wine/beer and munching on hors d'ouevres (holy crap I'm probably not even close with the spelling of that word. Hope you know what I mean).

The weather was of course cold and snowy, it being upstate NY in Feb. Which meant that exploring the lakes, falls etc was not on our to do list for this trip, but we did make it a Rochester staple... "Dinosaur BBQ"




We then headed to Niagra Falls for a getaway. Just us girls : )



It being the off season we were able to get a great deal on an amazing hotel suite complete with jacuzzi tub, fire place, 2 california king beds and a 2 for 1 deal at the steak house- Yum!!!



Of course we did also manage to get a glimpse of "The Falls" although not as easy in the winter to do. Still they looked amazing this time of year and I'm happy I was able to see them with all the snow.






It was interesting reading about the people who attempted to go over the falls in a barrel. The bravest I'd say is the lady who brought her cat!!!

Portland, ME

After living in the Boston area for the last 6mos, I figured it was time to venture out and explore more of New England. Of course, some may question my sanity on heading north during the winter. Fortunately, my friend Jen was willing to brave a trip to Maine in January and go do some sightseeing with me



We took the Concord Bus line which in under 2hrs got us there. I'm impressed with how close things are here. The ride was smooth and if watching out the window, seeing the small towns of new england or the occassional ice fisher wasn't keeping your interest they also played a movie (Toy Story 3).



When we arrived in Portland one of my co-workers Larry came and toured around us. Yes, he lives there and yes he commutes to Boston for work! It was great to have our own personal tour guide. We went to lunch at local pub called Gritty McDuffs and sampled some of their in house brewed beers. Larry was quite the history buff and very knowledgeable about the city. This was a great city and I'd love to go back and explore more especially once it is warmer out.

Blue Hills Reservation

Last week I managed to get out the "city", thanks to one of my coworkers and their car, to explore some of the Blue Hills Reservation area. Our original plan was a hike, but the area we looked into ended up being more of a walk around a pond (Houghton's Pond). Even though there were other people it definitely felt like a mini escape from the city. Next time we'll have to research and plan a more intense hike. I'm thinking a hike with the fall foliage would be spectactular. After our strenous "hike" we headed into Canton, a nearby town, for some grub and beers at a local pub. Fun way to end the day watching a Patriots game with the locals, enjoying good food and a few cold ones. Overall a great day!

Washington State

Man, I feel like I am just zig zagging back and forth across the country- AZ to MA to WA back to MA. I headed out to Washington for one of my bestest friend's weddings. The ceremony was in a beautiful location near Snoqualmie,WA at her parent's cabin. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, but everyone had a good time.


The reception tent. A lot of work went into making this place look fabulous and it did!


One benefit of rain is that you end up with this beautiful, lush, greenery.


Reid, Meghan's now husband, built this arbor for them to stand under while they got married. We were all impressed!

We went to Pike's Market for floral arragangements for the wedding. The flowers looked great and we had a lot of fun picking them out.







Of course along with making the venue looked great came making us ladies look fabulous too. We headed in early, on wedding day, to a salon to get beautified.


The Bride


Jenna the maid of honor getting her make-up done


All done! That is all hairspray. They slicked the sides back and sprayed my hair straight up!


Amy


Meghan and her parents. Who would guess that this girl spent her summer chasing pygmy rabbits in Montana : )



Having not started my new job I was able to see some other friends and enjoy some extra time in Washington. I made it to Tacoma to visit the Grays and tried some of their favorite local hotspots including a delicious hot dog from Red Hots. We went into Seattle one day, toured around and even added our own contrabution to the gum wall.





I even made my way back up to Bellingham to see my friend Melissa, her husband Brian and their newest edition, Riley. It seems like another life ago that I lived there. It was great to catch up!


Melissa, Riley and I at Bob's


Bellingham Harbor and the sun has decided to make an appearance too!


The house I use to live in. Not sure who picked out this color scheme, but honestly, I am not digging it.


Whatcom Falls

I had a wonderful time visiting my old stomping grounds and seeing friends. This state truly is beautiful. I have to admit though I was happy to leave those gray skies and head back to some sunshine.

Brookline,MA

The big move... I am happy to report that I have successfully completed my move across the country, largely in part to Kate, who helped to keep me sane and motivated while I was unpacking and decorating my new space. She was a huge help.



Seriously, it was great to have her. The place looks great. I think my roommates were impressed.






I am loving my new location. There is so much to do around here. I am starting to get out and explore some of it. All I have to do is walk out my front door and there are restaurants, stores, even Trader Joes is just a few steps away. There is even a Farmer's Market, every Thursday, with an amazing selection just up the street from my home. This picture is me, in front of the door to the building I live in.





Along with unpacking Kate and I also had a good time exploring Brookline. There is a reservoir only about a mile up the road from me, lots of delicious food, plus my roommates were nice to take us to some of their favorite spots. We even tried some dance and yoga classes.







Kate and I also made it into Boston. Which is a very convient and quick "T" ride. We did a lot of walking and saw Fanueil Hall, Boston Commons, The North End, Harvard, and China Town/Theatre distict which is where my work is. It's amazing how convient and easy this city is to get around (At least without a car)


Not sure where the professional hookers enter


Love that there is a low clearance warning on this door



I'm working on getting myself settled in and into a routine here. I know it's never easy going to new place, but so far this move has gone smoothly. I am enjoying my life out here and hope that some of you will come visit me some time.