Victory in the Commonwealth!

Yesterday, Chris made his first court appearance ever. He went in to fight a ticket he received a few months ago for running a red light on Massachusetts Avenue. The reason we didn't just go ahead and pay for the ticket was because the fine was $100 and our insurance agent estimated that our insurance would go up by $200. I definitely wasn't into that, so Chris scheduled a court date. It ended up not being quite as glamorous as I had hoped. I was hoping that it would be kind of like Judge Judy, but he basically met with a few other people in an office. Boring. Several of Chris' friends doubted that he would be able to get it dismissed, but he went in and plead his case and was found "not at fault". This is definitely a plus for the Commonwealth. I never imagined they would be so easy!

Would you stop at the cross walk where the cab is? Chris wouldn't.

I probably wouldn't either.

It's official! I HATE TO SHOP!

It has become increasingly clear throughout the last few months that I actually dislike shopping. I know this may come as a shock to most, because it even shocked me. I enjoy buying new things or coming across a good deal, but I do not, however, enjoy the act of shopping for something specific.

Let’s take for example the charity auction that Chris’ section held almost a month ago. It was suggested that everyone wear something red. Of course, I don’t own a red dress, nor do I have any red accessories. Therefore, we had to go shopping. We did this shopping the night of our 3rd wedding anniversary. What can be better than shopping on your wedding anniversary?!?!?! That was my initial thought. Unfortunately, we searched all over the mall and didn’t find anything suitable to wear with my black dress in red. Boo! I ended up painting my fingernails red in somewhat of a protest.

The latest shopping fiasco has included me trying to find a dress to wear to Laura and Robert’s wedding on May 31st. I started about a month ago, just to give myself plenty of time. I decided before even stepping foot out the door that I was willing to pay any amount, less than $300, to find a very cute and fun dress that was appropriate for the season. I have to tell you that I have gone to every mall in the Boston area and I ended up purchasing a cute but boring black dress from White House Black Market this past weekend. I am so annoyed. Argh! Just once, I wanted to be able to purchase a dress that I was excited about. I hate shopping!

It never fails that I get frustrated when shopping. I have a hard time piecing outfits together and I can never find what I want. Did I mention that I have been looking for a pair of new black shoes for work since last September? This shopping issue that I have is getting out of hand. I guess you could say that this is my desperate cry for a personal shopper. Maybe we can put the extra income that Chris will be making this summer toward that so that I don’t end up pulling my hair out.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

No, no, I don't actually want it to snow in May, but I wanted an opportunity to post some of our snow pictures from this past winter. So, here goes!

This past Sunday after church we had brunch outside at Grafton Street with our friends Teal and Laren. It was a beautiful day with a temperature in the the high 60s. The sun was beaming down and it was actually somewhat hot. This may not seem like a big deal to most, especially those who have been living in warm weather for a while now, but it has been a long while since we have felt warmth. This is not to say that we didn't enjoy our first winter in Boston because we definitely did. Although I do believe that spending the long, cold winter in Boston has made us appreciate warmer weather moreso than we did when we lived in Florida. So, in the spirit of the warmer weather, I would like to reminisce back to the colder months when snow was consistently on the ground and scarves and gloves and large jackets were a must.

I have to admit that I love snow, always have and always will. We weren't privy to much snow growing up in Georgia and we were lucky to get below 40 degrees in Florida in the winter. Needless to say, we were very excited when it snowed for the first time in Boston this past winter. I am not sure everyone else was as excited, but my own personal outlook on winter in Boston is that if it is going to be frigidly cold, then there really should be snow on the ground. Chris and I often caught ourselves just staring out the window watching it snow. While we are extremely excited about the warmer weather, we do look forward to another round of 30+ inches of snow next winter! Below are a few pics of the snow from Winter 07-08.

This is a pic from the first snow of the season. It was fairly light, but we didn't care!

One of the bigger snows of the season brought Chris and I out to play. Look how big the flakes are!

And play, Chris did. This picture is of Chris running and sliding down the snow covered street in his tennis shoes.

View from our balcony

I know what you're thinking....I don't get it either. Love ya honey!

Our Future Vacation Home

Chris and I spent the weekend of March 2-4 in Newport, RI. The reason for our Newport trip was because HBS has an annual ball there every year and Chris' section decided to make it a section retreat weekend as well. Chris and I didn't end up getting tickets to the ball, but we were okay with it because we saved $260. On Friday night, we had dinner at Jared Miller's parents' house, just outside of Newport. The house was AMAZING! They had 3 sitting rooms on the first floor. I would definitely live there! We spent the night relaxing and hanging out with everyone who didn't attend the ball.

On Saturday, we woke up at a decent hour and grabbed brunch with a few people at the Newport Creamery. I thought it a little odd to have breakfast in a place that is named for its ice cream, but the food was really good and some people even got ice cream to go. After brunch, we went on the first of our two mansion tours for the day.

One of the main draws of Newport, RI is the extravagant homes built by well-to-do families. They spent there summers here. We found it hard to imagine how they lived throughout the year if this is how they spent their summers. After you see the pictures, you will understand what I am talking about. We started the day off with a tour of The Elms, one of the many mansions in Newport. We did the behind the scenes tour, which took us into the areas where the staff of the mansion lived and worked. I have to say that their living quarters were definitely nice.....I guess it was the work that they had to do with the house that made it not so glamorous. Below are a few pics of the The Elms.

Chris and I outside the Elms.

The Elms

View from the top of The Elms. This is view that the owners of The Elms never saw because you could only access it through the staff living quarters. Too bad for them!

After completing The Elms tour, we made our way to the mansion of all mansions, The Breakers, formerly owned by the Vanderbilt family. This, my friends, is our future vacation home. LOL! One can hope, right? The Breakers got it's name because it is directly on the coast of RI and the waves crash up against the cliffs shooting spray high into the air. The house is immaculate and simply beautiful. It is definitely a must see in Newport.

The entrance to our future summer home!

The Breakers, our future summer home. LOL! Yeah right!

We spent Saturday evening with Section F at a local restaurant and bar. It was a very fun night with good food and good friends! I know Chris is going to miss his section this summer and next year!

Erin and I at a local Newport bar.

Things I should have posted about a few weeks ago........

Okay, so this is me trying to play catch-up again. I promise to be better about posting. Deja vu...I think I have said that before, haha! I guess I should actually put a link out there for everyone to read so that I might have someone telling me that I need to update.

Patriot's Day is a BIG and I mean B-I-G holiday in Massachusetts. I am pretty sure that it is a state recognized holiday where most people get the day off of work and school's spring breaks are scheduled during the week of the holiday. This is the day that the Boston Marathon takes place every year. People come from all over the world to run in the Boston Marathon. I opted not to take it off to save my vacation for a more appropriate activity, but Chris did meet me at my office and we walked over to catch part of the race. It was so exciting to see the runners around mile 23. Some were pushing forward as if they just started running and others looked as if they might fall out at any minute. We did see one guy who was pretty much being carried along by two people. It takes a lot of dedication for someone to commit to running a full marathon.....I simply could not imagine.

Chris and I also got to see Lance Armstrong, who ran the race this year. He didn't look like I expected him too. I always thought he was a very slim and short guy, but he was tall and a good size. I must say, he was very attractive! Magazines do nothing for him!

Our 3rd wedding anniversary was on April 23, 2008. We didn't do anything exciting nor did we buy each other gifts. We said during our ski trip that the trip would be our gift to each other and it was a great gift! It has been a great 3 years being married to Chris. We have had great experiences together so far and I know that they are only going to get better. I love you Chris!

Enough of the sappy stuff!

The weekend after Patriot's Day, Chris' Section F held a Charity Auction where proceeds went to Prize 4 Life and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. His section ended up raising approximately $48,000 with Professor matches. We won a brunch cooked by one of his sectionmates consisting of chocolate chip waffles and mimosas. Yum! I can't wait! Chris was actually responsible for picking and booking the location for the auction. He ended up getting a great deal with the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. I was so proud of the work he did. Maybe I should have let him do a little more of the wedding planning. Nah! Below is a pic of Chris and I at the auction.

Did someone get arrested in South Beach?

Laura Grosch is getting married soon and her bridesmaids and a few friends, including me, flew down to Miami to help her celebrate her last days of being single. It was absolutely incredible to get out of the cold weather in Boston and into the warmth of South Beach. We all flew in Thursday evening and left on Sunday morning, so we had two VERY good days on the beach. We even spent one night clubbing in Miami, which I have to say was not our cup of tea. We opted for a more low key evening the last night which was lots of fun. Below are a few pics from the trip as well as the pic of Laura being arrested by the Beach Patrol. Shame Laura, shame! LOL!

All of us at the beach on the first day!

Laura checking out the beach patrolman's ride

He told her not to do it! LOL!

Hanging out at the rooftop pool!

A cute pic of me, Lauren, and Elizabeth at dinner.

Everyone at Mansion night club!