i love homeruns!

jeremy's brother chris came to boston for a quick visit, so yesterday
we spent the day showing him the city. we also took a boat ride in the harbor. i love boat rides!

the highlight of our day was catching a red sox game.

we arrived early so we could wander around the stadium and take lots of pictures.

jeremy took his mitt so he could catch any fly balls that came our way. some were pretty close!

i bought a souvenir cup to get free refills the whole night and to remember the fun.
fenway park only turns 100 once!

we had nice seats (12 ROW!! thanks chris!) and the game was amazing!
there was a lot of fun action - 3 home runs (2 even over the green monster),
an awesome diving catch; the weather was perfect (no need for sweatshirts);
and the red sox won! it was GREAT!

i love this town!
and i really need this poster.

mint green

i acquired another pair of colored pants over the holiday weekend

as well as a free shirt (gotta love those coupons and sales!).

just for the afternoon

today jeremy and i headed north for about on hour to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

what a cool little place! we walked around the historic downtown, checked out the little shops, grabbed dinner at the Friendly Toast, and enjoyed the creamiest ice cream ever at Annabelle's (which was voted top 10 ice cream in the US by yahoo... it was goooood!). we also visited New Castle and fell in love with the houses. anyplace we visit becomes our new favorite. can't wait for more day trips to explore more of New England!

ten minutes

just ten minutes up the road from us is breakheart reservation.
it's a cool forest complete with a paved loop, tons of marked dirt trails, and a freshwater beach.

we found a green caterpillar! and we are sure it is the green squiggler reincarnated.


i want to row a boat on that water soooo bad! or maybe jeremy can row and i can enjoy the ride.

strawberries and cream

tonight for dessert we were a little ambitious and took on a Strawberries and Cream Angel Food Cake Roll.

although it was absolutely delicious, this recipe is not for the faint of heart. it's full of WAY complicated stuff and lots of steps. well, it seemed complicated to us. jeremy and i conquered a few firsts today. first time separating whites from yolks, first time attempting angel food cake, and first time rolling a cake.

we eventually pulled it together and i know it looks pretty amateur... but it is dreamy good!

recipe and superior-looking cake roll found here.

green squiggler

this afternoon i was looking out the window enjoying the beautiful weather about to start on some homework when i decided indoors was not where i wanted to be. so i gathered the essentials: articles to read, highlighter, keys, phone, and a water bottle, and kissed my sweet boy who was taking a nap. the entire way plodding down the stairs in my flip-flops i was thinking how nice it would be to lay on a blanket in the grass, rather than on the stiff metal bench i originally had in mind. of course i was undecided on whether or not to return for the blanket until i reached the very bottom of the stairs. then i decided it would really be worth it to have the blanket, so i turned around to climb back up to the fourth floor (feel the burn!) to retrieve it. i kissed my sweet boy again, offered him a nap in the great outdoors which he sleepily declined, and ventured out into the sun.

i lounged about and read on my colorful quilt all about health care, liberation psychology, being a radical therapist, and a post-capitalist world (that's what happens when you take Radical Social Action). while i was thoroughly engrossed struggling through the second article some small moving object to my left on the blanket caught my eye. it was a lime green caterpillar squiggling on over towards me with great speed. squiggling might not be the correct term for how he was getting around, but i feel like it fits. i got the little guy to climb on my papers and i put him back in the grass to my left and watched him romp around in the grass blades. i read a little bit more before i realized i was way more interested in the green squiggler. i found him making his way towards me again so i gathered the little green buddy, looked him in his green green eyes, and considered taking him home as a pet, but figured he would like the wild better, so i gently set him in the grass to the right of the blanket this time so he could continue on his journey without my interference.

fast forward to the fourth and final article i needed to read through. i was contemplating just heading inside and saving the rest of the reading for tomorrow and happened to look over to my right just as a brown and red bird was lifting her head out of the grass with... the bright green squiggler dangling helplessly from her brown beak. no doubt it was him. my green little friend. he was a goner. he would have been much happier being alive even if it meant living in a mason jar of wilting greenery and sticks. he could have morphed into a beautiful butterfly right before my very eyes. but instead he was an early dinner. how tragic!? it all happened so fast and just as i was realizing what was actually taking place, another bird swooped in next to the killer to see or maybe steal her winnings and she raced off to the trees to enjoy her feast in solitude.

poor little buddy.

sometimes i take pictures of other people

i took family photos for this good-looking bunch over the weekend.

aren't they the cutest!? see more here

6.214 miles

i just signed up for a race when we will be in utah this summer. a 10k race to be exact. wanna join?!? i signed my little brother up, too, (with his consent, don't worry), but i didn't register the hot husband. jeremy is on the fence about running 6 miles, especially at 6 in the morning, so we skipped him for now. i keep telling him he will have to be up to cheer for me, so he might as well run with me. it would be way more fun and he would get a cool shirt (i hope it's cool!). so if you see jeremy around... pressure him a little bit, would you?

i haven't been the most dedicated runner of late. i run maybe once a week these days... but i am playing loads of tennis and when i play tennis, i count it as my workout so then i don't run. not sure how helpful that is because "loads of tennis" won't prepare me to run six miles. so i think i better get into some sort of training mode. i'm sure i could run 6 miles at this point (i ran 4 last week... once), but i want to enjoy the race, not just limp, crawl, or tumble over the finish line.

so here's to running a little more... 9 weeks to go until race day!

hair impaired

i am hair impaired.

what does this look like you ask?

oh i don't know... how about the same basic hairstyle everyday: hair down with the bangs pinned back.

i would post a whole bunch of pictures to prove my point, but in almost every picture on here i have my bangs pinned back, so consider the point proved! i just can't do my hair. i think i can blame this on being the only girl and being quite the tomboy when i was younger. i wouldn't let my mom put anything fun in my hair and we always kept it shorter because i barely let her brush through it. i was never one to spend time on my hair and i guess i am still like that. i can manage to curl it into cool waves occasionally and coerce it into a side braid for a few meager hours... but besides that i only know how to pin back my too-long-and-still-attempting-to-grow-out-bangs with a bobby pin. and boy is it getting OLD... but i don't like them in my face! sometimes i will add a little twist as i pin back the bangs to pretend that i am somewhat skilled in the hair department, but when a twist is my version of getting "fancy" then we know i need help. i can't even braid the poor hair out of my face. i attempted again and again with no luck the other day until my arms felt like they were going to unhinge from my shoulders and just drop to the floor. so i ended up just twisting them back... yet AGAIN. this french braiding thing sure feels impossible though. i understand how it is supposed to work, yet i cannot do it. but practice makes perfect right? i guess i will have to keep practicing and maybe some day i will nail it. that would be a miracle.

summer time

oh glorious summer time!

jeremy and i each only have two classes this
summer term and we are loving it.
(his go until the end of june and mine go until the middle of july.)
suddenly we have loads of free time and not
much studying to do. the weather even cooperated
today, so we played tennis for 2.5 hours!
when was the last time that happened?!?
it was so much fun. we are playing again tomorrow
morning because we don't have to be anywhere
on fridays for the rest of the summer.
woot woot! the pool opens in just over a week
and i can't wait to thoroughly enjoy the sun
while i read for my classes and hang out with my buddies.

this summer will be a long and lazy one...
and i will be enjoying every minute.

20 minutes

i discovered a new workout today and 20 minutes was all it took for me to become thoroughly sweaty and exhausted. most of the sweaty-ness may have been due to the crazy humidity we are experiencing (which makes me a little bit nervous for the next few months), but i feel like i earned some of the sweat, too. the new workout was:

playing with a jump rope.

who knew it could be such a great workout? even after the first minute i wasn't sure if i was going to last. now, i didn't jump rope for 20 minutes straight... no way! - maybe some day if i keep working at it, but not for my first time. i jumped for a minute then marched in place for a minute and repeated that until i hit 16 minutes and then to finish it off i jumped 4 minutes straight to make sure i was really exhausted.

it was a great quick workout and after doing some internet searches it turns out that most of cyber space agrees. i may be doing this every week to switch things up a bit. maybe next time i will try doing squats or lunges during the resting minutes. anyways... it was exhausting, fast, easy, and i only needed one thing: a jump rope!

it's back!

my blonde streak! YAY!

last night my friend (who is also a professional in the hair department) gave my hair a little trim and dyed my blonde streak again. i love everything about it!

it's a family affair

video chatted with my entire family tonight, including the missionary in thailand.

i love them!

Day 7

Picture of the Day
from our adventures

We had a picnic dinner in the beautiful weather.

We also... enjoyed the German pancakes Jeremy made for us, wrangled the three year olds at church, took naps, read books, knitted, opened Mother's Day presents, planned our next trip together, and we get to talk to our favorite missionary in just a few hours. It has been a relaxing day after our busy busy week of sight-seeing.

and mom...

Happy Mother's Day! I'm so glad we could spend it together.
Thanks for making life so fun. We are always having a good time.
I sure am lucky to have you as my mom. I can't wait for the girl trips in the future.
Thanks for the wonderful things you have taught me. I love you!
xoxo, your favorite daughter

Day 6

Picture of the Day
from our adventures

We enjoyed a scenic boat ride in Boston Harbor.

We also... bought a cute swimsuit, shared another cupcake at Sweet (this time a banana split one), followed the red line of the freedom trail to old houses and cool churches, moseyed around the North End and bought cannolis and macaroons at Mike's Pastry, crossed the bridge and hiked to the Bunker Hill monument, bought some lemonade from two neighbor kids in Charlestown, glanced at the USS Constitution (a big ship), walked around Chinatown for a cultural experience, grabbed some grub downtown, and then headed home.

Day 5

Picture of the Day
from our adventures

We checked out the old buildings and greenery at Harvard.

We also... broke a phone in two pieces, went out to our favorite local dive for breakfast, spent some quality time at the temple, purchased an iPhone (too bad my phone wasn't the phone that broke - happy mother's day momma!), ventured around and ate dinner at Harvard Square, and enjoyed some fantastic people-watching on the red line.

Day 4

Picture of the Day
from our adventures

We saw our first Red Sox game!

We also... slept in from yesterday's late night, treated ourselves to some Kane's Donuts (yum!), spoiled our hands and feet with manicures and pedicures, tried out a new cookie recipe, did some napping, knitting, and reading, sang with the crowd during the 7th inning stretch and at the bottom of the 8th, and had Fenway Franks at the game for dinner.

Day 3

Picture of the Day
from our adventures (in NYC)

We saw The Lion King on Broadway. AMAZING!

We also... wandered around the streets and ran into the Naked Cowboy, had a delicious lunch at some irish pub that was just perfect, did a little shopping around Times Square, found the most incredible crepe shop and shared a banana, strawberry, and nutella crepe, and endured the bus ride home that was stricken with various unfortunate events so we got home 2 hours later than we expected... but hey, can't win 'em all.

Day 2

Picture of the Day
from our adventures

We stumbled upon Castle Rock amid the mansions in Marblehead.

We also... took a look at Revere Beach, drove up the beautiful coast taking scenic picture stops along the way, walked around the quaint town of Marblehead and were amazed by the mansions on the beachfront, ate lunch at Salem and ventured into cute shops and haunted cemeteries, had dinner in the North End, and headed home to gear up for our fun in NYC tomorrow.

Day 1

Picture of the Day
from our adventures

We wandered through the Public Garden, est 1837. So beautiful!

We also... saw the finish line for the Boston Marathon, walked around the Boston Public library, moseyed around Newbury Street and Comm Ave, took a look at the man-powered swan boats in the Public Garden, walked around and to the top of Beacon Hill, enjoyed a snack in Boston Common, glanced at the gold dome state house, followed the red line of the freedom trail to some old Old OLD cemeteries, shared a lemon raspberry cupcake at Sweet, looked at some old churches where important rebellion meetings were held, saw the sight of the Boston Massacre, ate lunch at Quincy Market, took the subway to Simmons, and then got Jeremy's small tour of Tufts. It was a beautiful day out... so we had to conquer a lot!

she's here!

HOORAY!

and we are gearing up for a week of serious sightseeing!

for jeremy

here is my mother's day wishlist sweetheart.

am i a mother? no.

but here are my four great reasons of why i am allowed to make a mother's day wishlist:

1- i'm married, which is one step closer to motherhood.
2- i will have children eventually.
3- the birthing process is frightening.
4- being pregnant post-blood clot with a blood mutation
is especially complicated (shots twice a day! painful!)

and don't forget... if i get a present for mother's day, you get one for father's day.
although i don't think you get as excited about presents as i do.

anyways... here are some ideas:


a maxi skirt, some delicious chocolate,
a book, or a pinata (you know i've always wanted one).

1st year: DONE

i left my last day of classes with a meaningful star fish, a box full of nice notes, and a mixed wave of emotions. i'm super excited for the summer, but it is so sad to say good-bye to my incredible teachers and classmates! in my last class of the day we all stayed an extra 30 minutes... nobody wanted to leave. yeah we are NERDS! or just a bunch of good good friends. i better see them around next year.

i still can't believe that i am in grad school. i am living my dream. :) it sure has been a lot of reading and writing! i have read thousands of pages of books and articles and i wrote 32 papers this school year. 32. yeah i counted. each paper has seemed hard and impossible while writing it, but conquering and turning in those papers feels GREAT! it sure helps if the grade i get corresponds with that feeling, too.

my field placement has been quite the learning experience this year. i have been totally out of my element working with these teenage boys addicted to drugs. TOTALLY! i have a whole new vocabulary when it comes to drugs and i have never heard so much swearing in my life. but really, i have met some great kids that are so motivated to change... they are inspiring! i can't believe what some of these kids have had to live through... my heart aches for them. i have learned a whole bunch about addiction. some of my clients were beyond challenging and some were downright delightful to work with. i have learned so much from my co-workers, too. they are wonderful people that have helped me along, especially my dear co-intern tiffany. she is the BOMB!

my first year has been everything i hoped for. it really has! i loved my classes this year and my challenging field placement. my teachers and co-workers are amazing and i have learned so much. i have been stretched and challenged, and i have grown in many ways. this is an amazing experience! i am so glad i am doing clinical social work and doing it at simmons college. what a great program!? i have met some great great people that will go on to change the world!! i feel so honored and blessed to be calling these people my colleagues. i have also made some awesome friends this year that i feel i will have for a lifetime.

i have put a lot into this year of school, but i am walking away with so much more.

green

guess what?! i got another sweet deal!

...on these fun pants i wore today. aren't they fabulous?! they are khakis so i can wear these beauties to work. and they are soooo comfortable. the light orange pair may be next if coupons and rewards keep coming my way.

oh boy do i LOVE colored pants.

so want to hear the deal? i just love to share. the pants were originally $50, i had a 40% off coupon for one regular-priced item (which took $20 off the price), and then $30 in gap rewards which made them completely free! so i threw in a shirt (not pictured) which was originally $22, but on clearance for $9 and was an extra 30% off. so the whole ensemble was $6.26. oh yes! jeremy was with me and witnessed the awesomeness of the event and was totally floored.

i must say... my momma taught me a thing or two about shopping.

done and printed!

i just finished my last paper. boy, this feels good!
tomorrow i go to classes (mainly to celebrate and eat food with my buddies) and thursday is my last day at my internship and then i will have completed my first year of grad school. i will definitely write more on the subject, but for now... i can't believe it!

i'm off to play some banangrams with the hot husband and be completely care-free.