Since then...

Since we got back from Boston, we are getting settled into a new routine. I have class on Monday nights. It is nice that I only have class one day a week, but that also means all my assignments are due on the same day. I am trying to do a little everyday so it's not overwhelming. I am really liking my classes though. Makes me want to be a professional student!

A new semester has also started for work, so I have to get used to a new schedule! It will probably take me a couple of weeks, but over all I think I will like it better.

Our friends from church had their baby on Wednesday. She is so pretty. That means we'll be one family down on our Sunday night meals, but it's all for a good cause. (And no, it doesn't make us want one- just the opposite I think!)

We enjoyed watching State beat Vandy at our friends' house. Their little girl is obsessed with J. When we went to their house around Christmas, she gave J some candy. He figured she would want it later and just left it there. Well apparently, she really wanted him to have it and had been asking where J was for 2 weeks (while we gone to Boston.) She declared he must be on a date! Too cute. J did eat the candy during the basketball game. And she did manage to give me a candy cane, although I was instructed that J had to sit beside her during supper. "You can't sit there! That's John's seat," were her exact words.

Last weekend we rented Moneyball and the Ides of March. I really liked both, but J wasn't a fan of Ides. Gotta love RedBox!

We have also implemented a cleaning schedule. Since between work and school I sometimes neglect the house, we came up with a few things we do each day. While our house is never Mamaw or Kate Kate clean, it is much improved day-to-day. And I admit this is weird, but I love steam mopping. I simply cannot believe how much filth is on the floor!

We also tried a new recipe this week. I found it in Coupon Kitchen. J's friend at work introduced him to it. I have found that it is a great resource! Healthy meals on a budget! We have tried 2 or 3 meals from there and liked them all. And it helps us introduce something new into our standard routine of meals.

J borrowed season 1 of Supernatural from a friend at work, so we are planning to watch that this weekend (along with a basketball game, of course.) Glad it is warm outside. Today it reached 71! Love it! Too bad we still have 2 months of winter to go; who knows if we can keep the mild temperature trend.

Boston Tres

Sunday- was FREEZING! We wanted to make sure we stayed inside as much as possible. The wind chill was -11!

We headed to a coffee shop J and I found Saturday. We had a quick breakfast before heading to Cambridge.

Hot chocolate and Cinnamon Honey Latte at The Thinking Cup

We hopped on the T to Harvard Square. If I hadn't known I was on Harvard's campus, there is no way I would have discovered it really. It is kind of like Duke and Rhodes with its buildings.

Searching for a T, we stopped here!

We then stopped by MIT for Bubba to get a shirt, only to find all the bookstores closed. We then went to Trinity Church for a [free] tour. It was beautiful inside and out! It was very ornate. Everything is hand painted.

Then it was time for the library tour, which is just across the courtyard. I searched on the website and found the free tour and was so excited! See where this is going? No mention that the library would be closed on Sunday for MLKJ day. We were so disappointed! But this meant we could eat a real lunch. We had California Pizza Kitchen, then headed to Boston College. It was a LONG ride, but it was cool to see another campus. And Clark wanted a shirt or hoodie since MIT didn't pan out. Then it was back to the hotel to relax before heading out for supper.

After a detour, we finally got to Jerry Remy's at 6:55 for our 7:00 reservation. (Good thing we had one, too. It was packed! Bostonians love the Giants apparently.) The hostess tells us that our reservation isn't until 7:00 so we can come back then. Um.. we were 5 minutes early. We just stood and waited... and watched the game. There were tvs everywhere! Amy said there were even some in the bathroom. The fans were really loud, and it was hard to hear ourselves think! I guess we can say we have experienced a sports bar atmosphere now. Don't think I want to again though! After supper, we called it a night.

Monday, J and I headed out to Beacon Hill. We ate breakfast at The Paramount. Delicious!

Banana Caramel French Toast. Literally melted in my mouth.

We wandered around Beacon Hill and the Public Garden. We even met C&A there.

Acorn Street

Cheers

J Ice Skating on the pond. It completely froze while we were there!

And then we were off to Baltimore then to Raleigh!

Boston Part II

We met up with C&A at Quincy Market. J and I shared swordfish kabobs, Clark had a Greek something, and Amy had some amazing mac n cheese. There were 2098765789 options. Only slightly exaggerating.

 After a quick lunch, we continued following the red brick path. It took us to Paul Revere's House. Built in the 1600s and still standing! Crazy!

We took a quick detour to Mike's Pastry. Seriously Awesome Cannolis. Didn't know how good they could be. No surprise, mine was peanut butter; J's was chocolate dipped. (I'll let C&A tell you what they had, but I do remember!)

Enjoying cannolis!

Copp's Hill Burying Ground

Then onto the USS Constitution...

And then Bunker Hill...

For some reason, we decided to climb all 294 steps to the top. J and I had been walking since 9:15 that morning. It was 3:30 or 4 when we got to Bunker Hill. I thought I was going to have a heart attack on the way up. So. Out. Of. Shape. I just hoped I would pass out so someone would carry me down. :)

View from top of Bunker Hill Monument

We took the T back the the Boston Common and walked through the Public Garden.

After a little rest, we headed to Legal Seafoods. I had some awesome Mahi Mahi. J had shrimp, scallops, Blueflish, Tuna, and Mahi Mahi. So. Full. We decided it was too cold to go anywhere else, so we called it a night. We watched the Patriots games from our hotel room... well J watched. I slept.

Boston Part I

We had a great (although COLD) time in Boston.

We met Clark and Amy in Philadelphia and we flew into Boston together. We managed to figure out our way around on the T and male it to our hotel. Somehow, J and I got upgraded to a bigger room, but C and A didn't. :( Turns out they were the lucky ones. We had psychotic neighbors that woke us up every morning at 1:30 and yelled profanities at each other. Joy! The last night, the hotel manager stepped in.

Anyway, after a quick change of clothes we were off to Cafeteria Boston thanks to a Groupon! We got there early, but they seated us right away. We shared spinach artichoke dip and calamari. I had a messy, but good burger. J had hanger steak. We topped the meal off with apple pie. So glad we had the Groupon because it wasn't worth how much they would have charged. We walked around a little before deciding it was too cold and going back to the hotel. Thankfully, our hotel was 1 block from the T station.

Saturday morning, J and I headed out for the Freedom Trail. We stopped for breakfast at the Thinking Cup. We had pastries and hot chocolate. So yummy! We started at the Boston Commons and started to follow the red brick path!

Paul Revere's grave marker

Marking First Public School

Old State House

Boston Massacre Site

After getting through over half of the sites, we met C and A for lunch and Quincy Market and we went together to finish the trail....

Starting Off the New Year!

We started the year off asleep.. well, I did. J managed to stay up until midnight.

This weekend we had a movie marathon. We watched The Help, The Change-Up, and Super 8. The Change-Up was pretty horrible, but we enjoyed the other two! We also started the hunt for dining room furniture. Not sure how much closer we are, but we don't really have a time frame for getting one.

We went to a friend's to watch the boring national championship last night. I have class on Mondays from 4:10-9:55, but I got out at 5! I know that won't happen again. We had a good time, even if the game wasn't that fun to watch.

Boston this weekend! Looks like it will be cold- low 30s and upper 20s for the highs. We're not too worried since we did fine in NYC last year. We are getting excited about it!!!

Not much else going on here... Hopefully I can post about Boston soon after we get back!