Cape Cod & Boston, MA

What a weekend!!! Trey and I had the BEST weekend in the Cape and Boston. It went by like a flash but we sure did pack in as much as we could. We had so much fun seeing all there was to see and I loved all the history of the area. We were so sad to leave Sunday night, but as they say, all good things must come to an end. Can't wait to hopefully go back one day.

DAY 1- Plymouth, Cape Cod (Falmouth), Martha's Vineyard

We started our morning at Plymouth Rock- site where the Pilgrims landed and had their first Thanksgiving.

The Rock they hit was encased behind these pillars.

The Mayflower II (replica of the actual ship the pilgrims sailed on from England).
Entering Cape Cod- about 10 minutes before the downpour (boo)

We stopped at the BEST seafood restaurant in Falmouth before heading for the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. I got to try some Clam Chowder for the first time and it was absolutely delicious! Apparently- Trey says it's the best he ever had. We were dreaming of that meal the rest of the weekend. Nothing in Boston quite compared.

Welcome to Martha's Vineyard! Too bad the weather didn't hold up for us. We could tell it would've been a fun place to visit.
Downtown area in Vineyard Haven.


There wasn't really that much to do in town since it's off season (and was rainy) so we just strolled the shops and stopped for some coffee before heading back to the ferry.
Mocha Mott's was apparently voted the best coffee in town.... Perhaps because it was the only coffee shop in town? Hmm... I'm just sayin. But- it was good!
The clouds slightly broke up for us right before we got back on the ferry. You can tell this is beautiful place when the weather's right.

DAY 2- BOSTON!!

We started off our morning hopping on the Old Town Trolley Tour that conveniently picked us up right across the street from our hotel in Back Bay.
First stop- TREY's highlight of the weekend... Fenway Park! (we have a ton of pictures b/c Trey literally took 50 pictures in the hour we were there.


Trey loved being in the press box.
Sitting in the Green Monster seats




Boston Common
We saw some protesters getting ready to head to the Occupy Boston sight (ugh)

From Boston Common it was off on our Walking Tour of the Freedom Trail which highlights all the major sights from Boston that led to the American Revolution and its first battle at Bunker Hill.

First on the Freedom Trail- a stop at Granary Burial Ground - the resting place of such giants as Paul Revere, the victims of the Boston Massacre, Samuel Adams and John Hancock.
Tomb of the 5 victims of the the Boston Massacre. Yes- they considered 5 people a massacre.
Old South Meeting House- where the colonists met to hear speeches and get ready to revolt against the British. It was here that colonists got riled up after listening to Sam Adams and headed to the port to dump tea into the Boston Harbor in protest of taxation without representation... aka Boston Tea Party.
Old State House- the headquarters for the British leaders and site of the Boston Massacre
Paul Revere's House
Bunker Hill Monument- site of the first major battle of the American Revolution. The British won, but the colonists fought back valiantly and caused serious damage to the British troops proving they were serious about their fight for freedom.
View from the top of Bunker Hill (294 steps! quite a feat at the end of 8 hours of walking around the city- we were exhausted at the end)
So... after leaving Bunker Hill we treated ourselves to a drink at Cheers. We forgot our camera that night but we ended up eating dinner in the North End (Their version of Little Italy) in a delicious Italian restaurant. Then we headed to Harvard to see how the Hah vahd kids party. We were so exhausted from our crazy day though that we only ended up having one drink in a bar and headed back to our hotel. Disappointing, I know ;) Man, those Harvard kids look so young! It was funny though because Trey and I kept looking at people getting off and on the subway on our way to Harvard and would speculate whether they were students or not. Some you could just tell right away. Then some we'd look at each other and just give a look as if to say, no way!

DAY 3-

Our last day we tried to do as much as we could before heading to the airport. So much do see, so little time!

First up, Harvard Square... reminded us of North Campus on UGA

My picture got mixed up but our last stop stop of the day before racing back to the airport was a stop at the U.S.S. Constitution "Old Ironsides"- survived over 40 battles during the War of 1812. Pretty neat.
From Harvard we headed to JFK's Presidential Library right outside of Boston. It was pretty impressive and so pretty right on the water. Definitely glad we made the trek out there.

From JFK we headed back to Boston Harbor to catch a Harbor Cruise. The cruise was included in our Old Town Trolley Tour ticket and took us to the USS Constitution. Seeing Boston from the water just gave us another reason to love this city. It's amazing. They really have it all there.

And that's all folks. Until next time... hmmm, Asheville, Charleston, Thailand? We shall see.

Birthday, Shower, Tailgate, Dinner Club, Retreat, oh my!

What a fun/jam packed/exhausting weekend! I feel like I'm just now sitting down for the first time since I got home from work on Friday night.

The craziness all got started Friday night with dinner and a night out in Buckhead for Trey's birthday. We met up with some friends at Cantina off Piedmont then headed to Fado with some friends from the neighborhood. We had such a good time hanging out with everyone and dancing at Fado. Though we were in by 12:30 (I know- not quite the crazy college kids we once were... and it felt soo late! ;), it was a night to remember.

Trey and the group toasting to a birthday shot

Laura, Jay, Ryan, Stephanie, us

Getting a little crazy

Then Saturday, Trey had an early morning tennis match (didn't pull off a win unfortunately), we ran a bunch of errands to get ready for tonight's dinner club and our upcoming Halloween party and it was off to Jen and Justen's for a tailgate to watch the college games. Unfortunately we could only stay a little while because it was off to Buckhead again for me to go to my cousin Ali's baby shower.

Her friend threw her a shower at this really cute restaurant just off the main strip where all the bars are in Buckhead, called Mosaic. While it was pricey, it had such a cool ambiance and we all had a great time sitting outside in the very European feeling table they set up for us under the trees and string lights. Definitely a great spot for a romantic dinner one day.

Me and Ali

Today, Trey and I had our first meeting as team members for the upcoming Christ Renews His Parish retreat that will take place in February. We participated in the retreat last year and had such an amazing and spiritually renewing time and were so thrilled when we were asked to help out with next year's retreat. Though we have 2 meetings a month on Sundays for the next few months I can tell it's going to be a very rewarding experience and I'm already looking forward to the next meeting.

Then tonight, it was our turn to host our friends for dinner club. Good times were had by all and our breakfast for dinner idea seemed to be a hit. Love spending time with all our friends at what has become a special monthly tradition. It's hard to believe we've already been doing this for 2 years.

And with all the fun this weekend- I think both Trey and I need another weekend to recover from the weekend ;)

We better relax in the next few days because it's off to Boston Thursday and God only knows Trey will have me running around that city next weekend too. We can't wait!

Fighting for Issac... the Marist Way

“The Marist Way” is a phrase I am growing to understand more and more as a young adult. Driving back onto my high school campus this afternoon I felt as though I was witnessing this phrase in action. It’s a phrase about the lessons we all had instilled in us as students at Marist. Those are to be true disciples of Christ, instruments of His mercy, called by a “gracious choice” to do His will, possess an ardent love of neighbor, and follow the footsteps of Mary by placing our trust in God in all that we do.

These lessons require discipline to live by in a world where every day stresses pull us in different directions of despair, anxiety and frustration, but life is so much sweeter when we adhere to them.

A few weeks ago an email went out on the Marist alumni listserv petitioning all in the Marist family to prayerfully consider finding God’s grace to make a choice and help save the life of a 10^th grade student, Issac del Valle who is battling a second round of T cell leukemia. http://brookhaven.11alive.com/news/news/83154-fighting-isaac-teen-seeks-bone-marrow-donor-beat-leukemia The email asked anybody who was able to get tested, to do so in order to determine if any of us would be a match for Issac’s best chance of survival, a bone marrow transplant.

I had no idea who Issac was, but watching his video from 11-Alive, who has partnered with CURE for cancer to find a match for Issac and sponsored the drive today at Marist, I couldn’t help but feel compelled to action. How could a child this young suffer through what most of us could only find unimaginable?… and twice at that matter!

And then, I realized the petitions for help were specifically targeting anybody between the ages of 16 and 60 of mixed Hispanic and Caucasian descent. I immediately felt God’s presence telling me to try and help. Trust me, I am NO saint (at all ;) and would love nothing more than for the match to be somebody other than me, but placing my trust in God I felt that if the roles were reversed wouldn’t I want someone to help my family out. I knew I would go get tested.

But this post today is not about me and my choice, but rather about what I witnessed when I stepped into the Centennial Center gym today. There were hundreds of people milling around doing everything they could to save a life. It’s the ardent love of neighbor that I mentioned earlier that I witnessed. I truly felt at home in a place I had not stepped foot into in a long while and I felt blessed to be a part of the Marist family knowing fully what that meant as a product of the school.

Over the past year I have participated in many Marist alumni events from the Emmaus retreat which brought me back to the faith centered direction I had in high school to the many networking breakfasts and dinners held at the Buckhead club. One theme resounds at all of these events and it’s the Marist Way. It’s a feeling I can’t quite put into words of simply knowing people care and you always have a supportive family that will guide you through life’s ups and downs. It is hard to even believe that I can still feel that sense of community at Marist events and functions nearly 10 years after I left that campus.

When I was testing today, Issac and his parents walked into the gym tailed by 11-Alive cameras documenting his every move. If you didn’t know his story you’d just think he was the happiest little kid. It really brought tears to everyone’s eyes to see the glow of appreciation on his face as he waved and thanked everyone for being there.

I think there's something special about living the Marist way that all of us can benefit from. I pray Issac does find a match and I pray that he lives a long and fulfilling life cancer free. Something tells me that one day he will look back as I am doing now and appreciate the message behind the phrase living “the Marist way.”

If you're reading this, please pray for Issac and his family that they may overcome the difficult challenges that lie ahead of them in the weeks to come.

Painting Night at King & Spalding!

I had been looking forward tonight for a week. My office hosted a Dip n Dab style night for us to paint after work and it was so much fun!! They provided us with the canvases, paint, brushes and our partner even threw in wine and cheese for all who came. The only thing was- you had to do the painting without instruction. Everybody brought their own pictures to inspire their painting and away we went. The staff attorney who coordinated the event brought his artist wife though who was available to help if you wanted it- no help needed here ;)

I have to say this was my favorite work social so far!

My painting on L... and my inspiration on R (obviously)

Me and Liz ... just another day at the office :)