Urban Hiking...

With my parents here visiting for Thanksgiving, Trav and I decided at the very last minute to take advantage of having someone to watch the kids and enjoy a night away. We headed up to Boston this past weekend after the holiday to do nothing more then some urban hiking. We walked the second half of the Freedom Trail in downtown Boston, which we had never been able to do. We enjoyed some coffee together, held hands and talked all while not having to corral our kids, break up sibling fights, or stop for multiple restroom breaks. It was a gorgeous, cold day which in our opinion is perfect for some walking.



~All the pictures below are of Granary Burial Grounds. This cemetary dates back to 1660. What is most significant about it though is that it is the burial site of many Revolutionary War partiots including Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Ben Franklin's parents, John Hancock and Peter Fanueil.



~Pennies and rocks are placed on top of burial markers as a showing of respect and acknowledgement.





~After the burial grounds we walked down to Boston Commons and Public Gardens in the center of downtown.





After a great day of walking we enjoyed Margarita's and horrible Mexican food in Harvard Square. Note to self and anyone else, there is NO good Mexican food to be found on the East Coast. I think we have pretty much given up on that. But what the food was lacking in the great company I was with made up for.


~It was great to get away and not have to be mom and dad for the day. I wish we could do it more often, but we will take what we can get.

This is our self portrait from the day!

Boston's Christmas Tree!

Thanksgiving Parade, Plymouth Mass

This past weekend we drove up the road just a few minutes to Plymouth Mass. This is the home of Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II and where the Pilgrims first landed in 1620. The weekend before Thanksgiving the town host a parade and festival celebrating the impending holiday. We took mom and dad up there to look around and partake in the festivities.

The parade was actually really great! Lots of marching bands, floats and even Santa Claus bringing up the rear. They had a New England food festival and Craft booth as well. We enjoying walking around the waterfront and downtown area. It was definitely neat to be in the area where all our history started roughly 400 years ago.

~Does mom look cold or what???



~Taylor and Dad on one of the parade floats



~This is the housing of Plymouth Rock. It you look inside past the bars you can see the rock.



~The parade route.



~Statue dedicated to women who have been of service to their country. I think that she beautifully depicts a Pilgrim women. Most pictures and statues of these early women never show them with expressions or smiles. They lived an extremely serious existence amongst their societies.



~We closed out the day with the very best cupcakes ever made! They come from a place out here called Cupcake Charlies and have been featured and won on the show "Cupcake Wars". I will miss these delicious, yummy things when we leave here someday.



There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American. ~O. Henry

Celebrating Life...

For the past 3 years I have wept, ached and shuttered at the thought that on Nov. 10, 2007 my Papa died. This was and still is the most devastating day of my life. He meant so much to me and I believe only a handful of other people on this earth can truly understand it. I can't begin to put into words how magnificent he was, words just won't do him justice. So, I have cherished my memories and the life I had with him and then have tried to scratch the surface of his greatness when describing him to my children. This year though, something is different. This year my tears seem a little less and my ache a little softer. I haven't even shuttered the last few days when I knew this day was coming. I attribute that once again to his greatness. He is telling me its ok to miss him and to be sad that he isn't here, but I think he wants me to do something different this year. So today, I am celebrating life. Life in general that is. Papa always told me death was a part of life and we are all plagued by it. Each of us weeps for someone, but at some point we have to accept it and find the positives. While I still find very little that is positive about him being gone, but today I feel like taking a big deep breath and smiling. I will celebrate my time with him, my memories and the legacy that he left behind.

His legacy...he would be proud of. Family was everything to Papa and he taught that to everyone he was around. For the most part, since his passing we as a family have respected his passion for family. We have supported one another, loved one another and been good to each other. There are always those times that we waiver or perhaps our family has seen turmoil, but we held our heads high, showed grace and moved on. That is what Papa would have wanted. I love my family very much, as each person has something to offer. I make an attempt to remember birthdays, milestones and special moments. I personally believe it is those little things that mean the most to people and I make an effort to extend my love to the people who are most important to me. It may not be every day or every week, but I am confident that the people in my family know that I love them, I think of them and I miss them. Papa would be proud of me and my efforts, this is one of the things he taught me. Family is everything. There is nothing before it and everything comes after it. So today will be all about his legacy, greatness and how worthy he was of being so loved by all of us

Don't get me wrong when I say that I would give up almost anything for just one more day with him. Funny enough, I don't think that would be enough though. That day would just leave me craving for another. I miss the smell of his Aquavelva, his funny gestures and his no nonsense views of life. I miss visiting his home in Texas and would love to take my children there to drink ice tea with him in the backyard while we listen to old country music. LIfe is about finding a way to carry on though and honor those who aren't with us now. I hope that Papa thinks that I am honoring him and I hope my family feels the same. If not, someone needs to let me know because I know he's watching. I would hate to have to face him someday, as we all know he would not hesitate to ask me, "What the hell I was thinking"!

Glenn Alexander
9/7/1925 ~ 11/10/2007
I love you Papa






~“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.”

Turning of yet another season...

This morning we woke up to a gorgeous day. I looked outside to see that everything was covered in frost. I checked the weather...a balmy 23 degrees. The kids left for school dawning beanies, mittens and layers. I came back home and grabbed my camera. The frost had kissed what was left of any foliage and it was beautiful glistening in the morning light. Winter is definitely on its way...







Last week our oven died. Our landlord was gracious not to attempt to fix the old one but replace it with a brand new one. Funny how even when its a house we don't own or an oven we don't own we ooooohhh and aaaaahhh over getting new appliances. So after a 5 day hiatus from indoor cooking (we had to grill everything) I was finally able to roast our pumpkin seeds. They turned out great. We love homemade seeds and I have a great recipe for them.