And I've Never Been to Boston in the Fall

Two weekends ago Tim and I spent a Saturday in the city. For the first time it was a Boston adventure for just the two of us. I love these days, they remind me of the younger, funner, wilder, and free European days with him. 

So we utilized our Aquarium Membership (that's right friends we have an aquarium membership! Come visit!) and spent a few hours marching with the penguins. The best part about the membership is that we know we will be back. We didn't need to exhaust ourselves. So we saw a few shows and did a bit here and there but we barely scratched the surface. Muchas Gracias, you know who you are.

Tim and the swarms of children were super eager to touch the sting rays. I fear for my life with these creatures, and you want me to touch them?!? Ahem, no. I'll be climbing the tree in the corner of the room furthest from the tank thank you. I run from sting rays and snakes, it doesn't matter how thick the glass, you don't know if Harry Potter might be lurking.

520 pound Myrtle the Turtle? I'd pet her any day.

And there is always time in the schedule for a sea lion show. Do you remember when I saw the really awesome show last summer? Well this one was less orchestrated and more of a training, but amazing none the less.

Leaving the aquarium reminded me to try to take advantage of our city more often. We don't do that frequently enough.

We were wildly outnumbered by all the nuggets but we did not mind at all.

We left the aquarium and headed over the river and through the woods to old Ironsides we go! Tim, my history buff of a husband, was oh so kind enough to stay notified about the construction dates of allllll of the sites of substance. When you are talking about Boston, Massachusetts that list is at the very minimum the legnth of a children's novel. And it turns out that the USS Constitution was going to be dry docked for maintence for almost three years. Oh me oh my! And my martyr of a husband has been before but sacrificed his afternoon and his leg strength to rush us to get there in time. (As I type this I wish you could see my face, so much sarcasm could be lost here!) 

So we sprint-walked (Tim's legs regular pace) to get there for fear that we won't be here in three years and I needed to cross it off Tim's list for me.

I have to admit, I didn't hate it.

And, best day ever! We got there in time to only spend 15 minutes on the boat!!!

The museum however... After 20 minutes I found a bench while he did his thing for what felt like a full wash cycle in the laundromat.

Museums are fun and all but fall in this city; I'm obsessed!

My People

When Tim and I moved to Boston we knew we could count on two whole friends. And by this point in the season I've mentioned those two friends to death because our friend group has only grown ever so slightly. You guys, making friends is hard. Like really hard. I mean Orientation and Playfair and Freshman Retreat were the worst in that they were painfully awkward but at least everyone was awkward together. Now, as a working, married person, I didn't fully anticipate how uncomfortable and tiring it could be. That said, I am truly grateful that Tim and I came in with our two friends. It has eased the difficulty a bit.

Our two friends, one from each of us, had been some of our closest friends in our pre-Boston life. Steve for me, from CUA and Meredith for Tim, from ND. So I guess you could say that Meredith and I became friends by association or even circumstance. However, as it nears November, I don't feel like this is the case. Instead I have found myself wondering where she has been these past four years/ aka why the heck didn't she go to CUA?!?!! (Because clearly flying pigs before I would have went to ND). 

Tim and Meredith both write for a blog at Notre Dame. A few weeks ago she wrote a post about "her people" or even "my people" but mostly "His People." I laughed when I read the title because it is something that she and I had been casually whispering under our breath in awkward social situations for the past two months. I tend to say it when I am with them at grad school gatherings as the only one not into the idea of spending hours reading dense texts and spending two more years of my life thinking a six page paper was short... "These are not my people." Yet changing the phrase to assert that, though not an academic, I do have a place among Theologians, exclaiming, "You are my people!" Meredith and I have been in many a social situation where this sort of scenario has occurred.

Last, last weekend, Meredith and I spent the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend just the two of us. No Tim, no Steve (though they are great and I love them a lot). We went to the J.Crew outlet Columbus Day sale (and many more stores, don't tell my blog editor), for some local ice cream, to the Christmas Tree Shops (which blew my mind) and to see some absurd Lego creations. All day I found myself loving my husband even more for having the foresight to choose friends for himself that I would love and thanking God for Meredith, thinking... "my people."

Also, Meredith recently started a blog. It's much more eloquent than mine, you should check it out.

Retreating

Last week I went back down to the cape to lead a retreat. I've lead and attended many a retreat but this one was the first one I have ever done professionally. That makes me sound way more qualified than I actually feel, but really, I am not a professional retreat planner, and yet part of my job is planning 7 retreats in a year for middle/high school ladies. 

Anyway, the retreat went better than I could have hoped for; God's graces really are so good. And the location was a beautiful lodge within walking distance of the shore on the cape. The senior class was blessed to have such perfect weather and I was lucky to have such a welcoming class during my first retreat.

To My Most Loyal Reader:

Happy Birthday.

This post is dedicated entirely to the memories we've shared. I tried to limit the original obnoxious amount of photos and deleted a bunch including most that are already on the blog. See more of Ryan's and my adventures over the past year here:

One Fine Sunday, Headed Down South, Snow Day, Senior Retreat, Wintertime, Crowds and Doughnuts, FDB, Marriage Weekend, Luaupalooza, Senior Week 1, 2, 3, 4, Bacc Mass, An Interruption, Wedding 2, 3, 4

Ryan, I am so lucky to have you as a friend and it is killing me this year to not be celebrating our October birthdays together. If only Kansas weren't half our country away...

I cannot define my college experience without you. You are the person who constantly calls me to more. The person who would spend hours talking about the same things over and over again on full stomachs and camping chairs. The man who would drop anything, lose sleep any day if that meant spending quality time on Wednesday nights with best friends. The person who is always down for a wawa run and controls the music the whole way there. One of two people who taught me that it is not pretentious to hold people and materials to a higher quality. You are someone who can eat half a pint of Coffee Heath Bar Crunch before Shan and I even get a second spoonful. Quite honestly you're the person that taught me that drinking can be done responsibly and that the best conversations and the most opportune time to Evangelize tends to happen with a beer in hand. I'm laughing now just thinking that you bought beer based on the patriotism of the boxes and every food must pass the sniff test before it is qualified as Ryan eating caliber. My summer with you taught me how to cook, how to grocery shop, how to host, and how to be domestic. (Tim thanks you.) You challenge me every day to live out my own Magnificat. You push me always toward the stretch zone. You never let me settle. You don't put up with my crap. You reassured me that my leadership style is not, in fact, tyrannical despite my insecurities. You showed me by example what having an active prayer life looks like. God blessed my life by putting you in it and I love you. 

#letsbesaints

The rest of this post is entirely for your joy. 

Insert Larry's joke about a domepiece

Speaking of Larry

Harpers Ferry and the birth of Leadfoot Pennington III

Sara Bareilles

DJ Gabe and DJ Larry; Club America was born

FNE and Sarah...

Community Fun Time

Great Gatsby Dinner Dance 

Gabe and Games

 The next three pictures depict the Gilmore Girls Trifecta Friends

 ((For some sad reason I couldn't find a Green Wall Summer House photo...Sorry))

Love you forever. Happy Birthday. Hopefully mid-twenties show the same amount of joy and adventure as the early twenties.

Also, thanks for everything. My Life, My Sweetness would not actually be in existence without you.

Cape Cod

Just last weekend, we took advantage of an offer to leave the city and head to the shore. Steve invited Tim and me, Meredith, and his childhood friend Molly to head to his neck of the woods. (Also Ryan was invited and we are trying not to take it personally that he declined).

We left last Friday night after traffic died down and stopped for the night halfway into our trip, which, conviently, was the Imparatos home. I've talked about how generous and hospitable they've been to me before. This time Tim and Meredith were able to share in the experience, it really is an experience. Meredith blogged about it here. Remember the chickens?

Well Saturday morning, after enjoying breakfast by the fire, Tim got to partake in the shephearding in of the girls. He was on gate patrol.

And Meredith destroyed the competition in her "first time" pretending to be Katnis. Yeah, sure.

Tim is so used to my making him take pictures everywhere at this point that I forgot what it was like to coerce someone into posing... Steve quickly reminded me....

We spent the rest of our morning and early afternoon exploring the sights and views of Plymouth, which included a questionable trip to the Plimouth Plantation.

Molly enjoyed the petting zoo portion while I am fearful of any and all non-domesticated animals.

We spent some time with the Native American villagers and heritage.

Then we took the road not traveled at all to the Plantation portion.

Behold the secret lookout Steve discovered during his time as a Plantation intern.

It was an overcast day but who am I to complain for a day away from the city on the shore without rain?

On our way down to his family's cape house, we stopped at scenic locations along the way.

The first was Sandwich and these views and beautiful colors could get anyone excited.

Did you know that I don't own a CUA sweatshirt? Tim does, but not me. I do own many, many crewnecks of other universities, just zero of my favorite. I don't know why you would know that/ why I would ask/ who would actually care but it's been typed and regretfully I'm too lazy to delete it or insert something clever.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel throw down your accordians.

We climbed the tower to a great view once in Dennis and made an inside joke or two. Noted above. And I'm sure I'll get approximately 3 laughs from it. Worth it. (Not four because Steve would never actually read this).

Rain, Snow, Shine, or Overcast grayness; the beach calls for ice cream. And Steve forcing us to wear these hats for the rest of the weekend. I did convince him to let me take it off for Mass though. Small victories.

We stayed the night on Saturday at Steve's family's cape house. We had such a great cozy night dozing off to the Hobbit and a luzurious breakfast with Spanish butter. We are so so grateful to the Sullivan/ Imparato family for welcoming us and opening their lovely homes to us for the weekend.

The rest of Sunday was spent at a few different beaches ending with a picnic and swings.

Sunday was the perfect non-summer beach weather. Warm and sunny sweatshirt weather. The whole weekend was simply so relaxing and jovial. Until we hit a patch of traffic on the way back into the city, and I proved to fail at being a traffic luck charm. Broke my streak.

This is the man whom I love. This is the man who I married. And 6 years later Tim Kenney, the sentiment stands. 

P.S. I really like swinging.