weekend recaps | MA, whales, red sox, & a mini-reunion!

Happy Saturday!

These past two weekends have been rather eventful–and although this weekend isn’t over yet, I thought I’d share some fun photos about the neat things I got to do.

But before that–I want to encourage anyone who is a social media junkie like me to be sure you check in on Foursquare at Starbucks as many times as you can between now and Sunday, June 10th.  Every time you check in on Foursquare, Starbucks will donate $1 to help fight AIDS (up to $250,000; in the US & Canada).  This is part of the (RED)Rush to Zero–because by 2015, there could be no babies born with HIV/AIDS.  

Social media has lots of pros and cons, but I love to see the neat ways that it can be used for good.  This is such a great opportunity to help the world in the easiest way possible.  Personally, I live so close to a Starbucks that I can check in from home…so I’ll be doing that quite a bit over the next few days.  At least I’ll be lying for a good cause. :)  I’m always trying to find little ways to help out in my community or in communities across the globe, and this is a little way to help that will add up to a BIG help if everyone is on board.  So go grab a coffee and check in!

Anyway–so back to my weekend recap (which seems so unimportant compared to what I just talked about…).  Last weekend Dan & I went to visit some friends of his that live in the North End of Boston.  My family is originally from MA and we have all spent time working in Boston at one point or another, so it is always fun to revisit the city.  I will always love Boston more than NYC (sorry, New Yorkers!).  I just love that it’s a somewhat small city with a ton of personality, and so much history.

We decided to do something a little different: we went on a whale watch with Boston Harbor Cruises! I hadn’t been on a whale watch in years, so I was really excited.  We had a great view of the city as we headed out to the ocean…

It was about a 3-hour venture, and we got really lucky because we saw TONS of whales!  I believe all of them were humpback whales (or at least the majority were).  At first they were all on the other side of the boat, so I couldn’t see much, and I didn’t want to move from my spot in case I missed something on our side of the boat.  We eventually saw a bunch of whales in the distance on our side…but then, as everyone else was looking toward the front of the boat, I glanced towards our side and yelled “OH MY GOD” as a group of whales surfaced right next to the boat–so close we could see them under the water!

Moments like these made me wish I had a telephoto lens…maybe someday when I’m rich!  At least I got some photos of their cute tails.  Yes, I just called a 40-ton whale “cute.”  This is how my world works.

On the way home, Dan and I stayed on the top deck.  The boat was moving so fast that you could lean into the wind at a 45 degree angle and not fall!  We had lots of nerdy fun with that. :)  Not to mention the wind was so crazy that my hair was horizontal the whole time. :)

I couldn’t stop laughing! :)

I snagged this pictures of a lonely little sailboat.  I really like this picture.  I think because it’s so peaceful.

After that, we got to go to the Red Sox game! :)  They were playing Tampa Bay.  Nothing happened for the first 6 innings, so it went by really fast.  We wound up having to leave before the game was over because we wanted to eat something before going out with friends, but later we found out that they won!  I’m not a big sports person, but being from Massachusetts, you pretty much have to root for the home team. :)

The next day we went to Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester, MA.  It was such a nice beach–I had never been!  There was a food stand and bathrooms, which is always a major plus at a beach.  Not to mention they also sold Choco-Tacos…which are one of my greatest weaknesses. :)  The only thing was that there was SO much pollen in the water.  And being a girl who is allergic to everything in nature (no, really…I just had my first round of allergy testing done and the nurse said she’d never seen someone react to EVERYTHING before…), I decided to just walk through the water instead of diving in. :)

So, fast forward to this weekend!  On Thursday night I had the honor of going to my old high school English teacher’s retirement party.  This man inspired SO many students in his time teaching.  I learned so much from him–not just about books and writing, but about life and how to navigate during the hard times.  He taught me the value of the little things in life, and showed me that, as Martha Washington said, “The greater part of our happiness depends upon our dispositions, not our circumstances.”  I could have easily become an angry, jaded person after all I had gone through in high school, but because of his classes, I came out a positive, loving person who finds something to smile about every day.

Of course, it was really awesome to see some old classmates and teachers, too!  Here’s a picture of me with some old friends and two of my favorite teachers–the man of the evening, and my chorus teacher!

The next day, before heading home, I stopped by one of my favorite places in the whole world: Newburyport, MA.  It is a goregous little town right on the water, with tons of interesting shops!  I was sad that Oldies Marketplace was closed–it is heaven for nostalgic folks like me. :)

I had to swing by two of my favorite shops.  The first was Ganesh Imports.  They import all kinds of goods (clothes, instruments, jewelry, etc) from all around the world!  They appeal to my inner boho/hippie chick. :)  I snagged a really cute dress, earrings, and a fabric that I will be using to make some clutch purses/purses when I have time to sew.

I stopped by Cafe di Siena for some tea.  I just love the teapot/cup combo that they use–I want one of these at home so badly!  Here I’m enjoying Yogi’s Pomegranate Green Tea.

Before heading back to Connecticut, I had to indulge in my favorite meal of all time: Grilled cheese, french fries, and chocolate milk from the Agawam Diner in Rowley, Massachusetts.  Anyone from the Essex County area simply refers to it as “The Ag.”  This place has been family owned & operated for quite some time, and traveled around a whole lot before finally settling in Rowley.  In my opinion, they have the most perfect grilled cheese sandwich ever (on white bread–YOU HAVE TO GET IT ON WHITE BREAD).  I have had/made my fair share of grilled cheese sandwiches, but there is just something about theirs that is unbeatable.  I don’t know what it is, but I’d rather eat it than ask questions. :)

this is heaven on a plate.

I got back to Connecticut soon after that, and then on a whim, Dan & I decided to go to Bushnell Park for the Black Eyed & Blues Festival.  We indulged in some excellent BBQ and beers provided by Black Eyed Sally’s.  It was such a fun night, with some great bands!  I had the pulled pork sandwich, a Red Hook pilsner, and a Kona Wheat–all of which were fantastic.  Dan had the chicken skewer, a Drifter ale, and we shared the chicken & sausage jumbalaya.  I was pretty much raised on blues & BBQ, so this was a pretty awesome way to spend a Friday night!  Next year I want to plan it out so that we can invite a lot of friends and make it an even more fun night!

After such a great experience, I’m planning on going to the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, which is July 20-22.  Same idea as the blues festival, but with jazz instad! :)

Whew…that was long.  Haha.  Normally my weekends consist of either extra events for work, or recuperating at home–so it’s been really neat to have two weekends full of doing different things!  But for now…it’s time to relax on the couch before heading to the gym.  The rest of my weekend will consist of cleaning and working–so it was nice to relive the fun parts. :)

weekend | vacation comes to an end.

Alas, as they say…all good things must come to an end.  Back to work tomorrow.  The next few weeks are going to be very hectic–I have my thesis defense, two final papers to write, a final to take, and then I have to get the final version of my thesis done, get it professionally bound, and submit copies to the university library.

Luckily, this weekend was really nice.  On Friday Dan & I spent some time at Mohegan with friends, which is always a good time, especially when balloon hats are involved.  Not to mention I left with more money in my pockets….a whole $6.80! :)  Better than nothing!  Gambling a little is fun, but a wise man named Kenny Rogers once told me, “you gotta know when to fold ’em.”  Preach it, brother.

Saturday was a great day on three counts:

1: My basil is sprouting!  After only 3 days!  Which is exciting.  I’ve grown basil before so I know it’s usually pretty excited to grow and be eaten by me.  I also found one tiny lavender sprout this morning…now I’m waiting for cilantro & rosemary to hop on board and soon they’ll be planted outside.

hi there, basil! you're gonna be delicious when you grow up!

2: My cat is a cutie and posed for these pictures.  Usually he’s crafty and either runs away or makes weird faces, but I managed to snap a few cute ones Saturday morning.  His eyes are usually a really bright blue (he’s a cream point siamese), but when it’s dark out he gets what I fondly refer to as his “cocaine eyes.”  I’ve never seen anyone on cocaine (nor to I desire to), but I image this is what it looks like.

cocaine eye cat!

…at least this one captured his nice eyes. :)

awww. and yes, those are my bright teal fuzzy pajama pants.

3: I went thrift store shopping!  I only do this once in a great while because otherwise, I’d go broke.  Yes, go broke in a thrift store.  That is how much I love it.  I found a cute striped cardigan, 3 great pairs of shorts, a headscarf, and 3 dresses.  When I saw two of the dresses, I head my mother’s voice in my head saying, “These are great for teaching!” Haha.  I wasn’t sure about the third dress, because someone ripped the lining out–but I can wear a slip underneath and it should work.  Plus, it’s pretty cute!

head scarf! :)

I also found some other random fun stuff, like a cute small hand painted vase and an old bottle with a neat label!  I promise I’m not a hoarder, but I couldn’t resist these two.

It's hard to see in this picture, but it's a nice deep green color.

I’m probably the most excited about some of the fabrics I found.  I love looking in the “linens” section to see if there is anything I can use for a new sewing project.

The blue one was a shower curtain, and the floral pattern ones were short curtains.  I plan on using both to make purses since they are very sturdy fabric and are already lined.

I love this bold pattern.

pretty floral pattern!

I’m really psyched about this last fabric–first, it is mustard yellow. Yay!  I’m pretty sure I want to make it into a skirt.  I think it’d be cute, plus I love that color as a skirt.  It’s a lot of fabric, so if I have leftovers, I may try to make a cardigan or something.

mmm...mustardy.

And finally, I found this skirt.  It fits perfectly, but it goes down to my ankles…and I’m way too short to pull of the long skirt look…or maxi dresses.  Which makes me sad, but, y’know.  You do the best with what you have, and my 5 feet and 6 inches works for me most of the time! :)  SO, I am going to hem this skirt to update it.  I’ll be sure to post pictures of the before and after once I get around to it.

...to be continued, skirt!

So that was basically my weekend!  Last night we made some delicious lentil soup and salmon–brought to us by the queen of cooking, Ina Garten. :)  Tonight we’re trying a spicy pulled chicken in the crockpot…which reminds me that I’d better get to the grocery store if we want to eat this tonight!  I’ll leave y’all with a picture of a pretty house & pretty trees we saw on our afternoon walk yesterday.  We are lucky to live in such a pretty area!