10th anniversary jam.

10 years of wedded bliss.

Griff and I celebrated by spending, almost a week, sans children in Boston and Maine. Madelyn and Sawyer (and Sadie) spent the week with grandparents. We certainly missed them but knew they were well cared for and we had a great time.

Day 1.

Flight to Boston. Dinner at Eastern Standard.

Our dinner at Eastern Standard was outstanding -- possibly one of the best I've ever had. The atmosphere was cool, the service was excellent, and our food was delicious. We had full tummies and passed on dessert. However, our server insisted we couldn't leave without dessert and she delivered  a dish of custard with raspberries and chocolate.

We stayed at the Sheraton Boston in the Back Bay. The hotel was within walking distance to Fenway, Commonwealth Avenue, Newbury Street, and T stations. Once we parked the car in the hotel garage on Sunday afternoon, we didn't get it back out until we'd checked out on Tuesday morning.

On a side note, it is so much easier traveling without children. Wink.

Day 2.

Fenway Park tour. Freedom Trail. Afternoon swimming at the hotel. Boston Red Sox game.

We had the 900A Fenway Park tour on Monday morning. It was the PERFECT way to start our day. Other than the grounds crew, we were almost the only people in the park. Fenway Park is such a neat stadium with so much history and so many preserved artifacts. Even if you're not a baseball aficionado, I would recommend the tour.

Standing on Yawkey Way.

Original grandstand seats.

View from atop the green monster.

Our ballpark tour wrapped up at 1000A. We walked back to the hotel, sunscreen-ed up, and headed north to the T station. We picked up the T near the convention center and rode up to North Station. Our plan was to follow the Freedom Trail from the north southward.

If you are the least bit interested in United States history, the Freedom Trail is such an incredible experience. The red brick path insures you don't get lost along the 2-1/2 mile walk. It wanders from point to point through the various neighborhoods. In the North End, I truly felt like I could envision it 250 years ago before our country gained its independence. And, the fact that the settlers built all these churches and homes and meeting houses without the use of modern construction tools constantly blew my mind.

Street's a little uneven.

We capped off day one by attending the Red Sox - Orioles baseball game. Talk about a fun place to watch a game. The fans are so devoted. We now consider ourselves Red Sox fans.

Oh, and I figured out we walked a half marathon, logging over 25K steps. Whoa!

Day 3.

Breakfast on Newbury Street. Drove to Camden, Maine. Lobster roll for lunch. Sunset schooner sail aboard the Appledore II.

We stayed at the Lord Camden Inn in Camden, Maine. It was right in the center of main street and across from the harbor. Our room was on the fourth floor and we had incredible views. Both mornings, I watched the sunrise over Penobscot Bay. And, I didn't even have to get out of bed for it!

View from our 4th floor balcony.

Our first evening in Camden, Griff really wanted to go on "an old people cruise". I was wanting to hold off until our second day but caved and we went that night. We booked a sunset cruise on Appledore II. While it's true we were the only people under 50, other than the crew, that didn't matter. It was a 2-hour sail from the harbor out to wherever the wind blows you and back. And, Griff got picked to help raise the main sail. Thank goodness for our youth!

Raising the main sail.

Returning to Camden Harbor.

Sunset over Penobscot Bay.

Day 4.

Run from Camden to Rockport (and back). Walked the Rockland Breakwater. Lobster roll for lunch, again. Low key pizza and salad dinner from Camden House of Pizza.

According to Fodor's Travel, the walk from Rockport to Camden is one of the prettiest in the world. We did it from Camden to Rockport, and back, and can agree that Fodor's Travel was not lying.

Rockport's harbor was much quieter than Camden's although it was still fairly early in the morning. We saw the remains of lime kilns that were used 200 years ago when Rockport lime was harvested, processed, and loaded into windjammers to be taken to Boston or wherever lime was needed in construction. What's cool is the trains would pull up above and behind these, dump in the lime, it would get processed in the kilns, and then loaded into windjammers docked directly in front of them to sail off to wherever. The railroad tracks are gone and the harbor has been changed. Now there's a gravel road instead of water right in front of these but still...so hard to imagine!

After our run, we cleaned up and went to Rockland to visit the Rockland Breakwater. It's a man-made granite pier, built in the 1800's, that is 7/8 of a mile long with the Rockland Harbor Light House at its far end. Due to tides, the breakwater is only "open" from 1100A-200P. The walk out is a little disorienting but nonetheless incredible.

The lighthouse is W A Y out there in the distance.

Day four's lobster roll came from a little roadside lobster shack called Claws. The line was long but the food was worth it. This was my favorite lobster roll of our trip.

My future's so bright, I've got to wear shades.

Lobster PILED high. Yum!

Day 5.

Drove to Portland, Maine. Visited Fort Williams and the Portland Harbor Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. This was awesome. Walked around the Old Port in Portland, Maine, and visited Harbor Fish Market. Almost got pooped on by seagulls but - HA HA! - they missed us. Dinner at Walter's.

I had heard about Portland Harbor Light but I wasn't familiar with Fort Williams. Holy cow. Fort Williams -- what's left of it, at least -- is so interesting. The remains of the batteries and bunkers for placing and sweeping mines during World War I are still present and accessible. And, the cliff walk was breathtaking. It's hard to imagine axis forces trying to get access to Portland during this time but I read on one of the plaques that a U-boat was intercepted in Casco Bay...which is just around the corner from Cape Elizabeth. It really brings the world wars so close to home.

Seriously. This state is so photogenic.

Beautiful day.

Day 6.

Drove back to Boston. Flight home...FIRST CLASS.

We had a very full trip, both with activities and fun. It was so nice to be alone together. I realize those two words are in opposition but whatever. I ain't no grammar expert.

It was nice returning home and getting back into our normal routine. Grammy and Grandad and Honey and Poppie obviously fed Madelyn and Sawyer because I swear they grew while we were gone. Thank you for making our trip possible...and for feeding the kids.

Griff, here's to 10 years and many more. Thank you for choo choo choosing me.

Steamboat sillies

Sawyer aka Houdini escaped twice from his Pack N Play on Friday evening. One of those times, we are certain he had assistance from his older sister. As for the other, no one is quite sure or will admit to anything. On Saturday afternoon, he managed to get into the Pack N Play unassisted only to find himself stuck. Oh, Sawyer.

I never get tired of delightful decor of mountain condos. As is the stereotype, there was a lot of antique ski pictures, posters, and gear. However, this condo also had an equestrian theme which included a bridle, reins, and bull whip hanging on the family room wall and a friendly sign on the front door reading "Please wipe your hooves!" which we did. Sawyer was even so kind to wipe his hooves on the way out the door as well.

And, I almost missed this little beauty. Thank goodness I noticed it on Sunday afternoon so I could capture its essence.

One of the downstairs bedrooms featured denim bed spreads along with this fancy matching valence. Yep, handkerchiefs and jeans. Do you suppose this was found on Pinterest?

Children drinking coffee. NO, we didn't actually let them drink coffee but they did get to have their milk out of coffee cups each day.

On our gondola ride on Sunday, Sawyer literally had sweaty paw pads and left steamy handprints on the gondola window. He wasn't so sure about the whole thing. Luckily, he was able to relax a little on the way down.

All in all, I'd say we had a pretty good trip. Madelyn was sad to leave on Monday morning and return to the city. But, it was also time to go home to the rest of our family, including cats, and friends. Interestingly enough, Griff and I stayed at this same condo complex in August 2004. Hopefully it's not another 9 years before we return! Something tells me we'll be back sooner.

Stay classy, San Diego.

Last week, we went on our first family vacation as a foursome. We flew to San Diego on July 4 and enjoyed five fun-filled days. Below are a just a few highlights of our trip -

  

Parade, park, grilling, and fireworks on Coronado. Grandpa was right when he said that it doesn't get any more American than 4th of July on Coronado.

Paddle boarding and sand castle building at Glorietta Bay.

A great bike ride around the island (sans children).

More beach time at the ocean including sand castle building and swimming.

Hours of endless playing with cousins at Aunt Sandi and Uncle Jerky's house including dungeon master and sprinkler/hose fun.

LegoLand.

San Diego Zoo.

It was such a great trip. Even though we were all wiped out by the time we returned home, every minute was worth it.

Grandpa - Thank you for opening your home to us. After spending a few days with you, we can understand why you love Coronado so much. We look forward to coming back and spending more time together. Madelyn plans to learn to swim before next time so she can paddle board out farther with you.

Uncle Jerky, Aunt Sandi, Emery, and Camden - Thank you for sharing your stroller, car, and toys with us. I don't have to tell you how much fun Madelyn and Sawyer had with Emery and Camden. The dirty bath water and exhausted children each night was proof! Wherever your travels take you, we'll fondly recall all the fun we've had with you at Pipit Place.

Mother's Day 2010

And, she crawls

This week has been a monumental week in our house. Since last Sunday, our little Madelyn has figured out she can clap, wave, walk while holding on to something (ie. stool rungs, the wall, kitchen cabinets), and, finally, crawl.

I've begun following her around the house and plugging the outlets with safety caps as we go. The cabinet under the kitchen sink also has a lock on it now. Although, I'm not sure how long the lock will last as the "fun" thing to do is hang from the lock itself. It's only a matter of time before the weight of an infant/toddler hanging from the plastic is stronger than the plastic itself.

Hope you enjoy the wave. Please pardon the cough. We're all getting over a cold.

My new favorite picture

Thank you, tummy time.