Real men do laundry. - Erin Brown
Love this guy!
Friday, December 21, 2012
"Just Us" Christmas
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu
Christmas is a busy time for our little family. Both of our work schedules are pretty hectic, we have a few holiday parties, and then the actual holidays are spent with our families. A few years ago, we started carving out some time for a "just us" Christmas where we open our stockings and gifts together. This year, we ended up moving this up quite a bit since we are flying out to Seattle a few days before Christmas Day.
Garrett and I both left work early and came home to start the "just us" celebration. We started with appetizers and stockings.
We then moved on to the presents. Baxter was very confused, but eventually decided that this was a pretty awesome weeknight activity.
We finished up with a very nice dinner prepared by Garrett - steamed mussels and clams, green beans. and crusty bread. Delicious!
Merry Christmas!
Christmas is a busy time for our little family. Both of our work schedules are pretty hectic, we have a few holiday parties, and then the actual holidays are spent with our families. A few years ago, we started carving out some time for a "just us" Christmas where we open our stockings and gifts together. This year, we ended up moving this up quite a bit since we are flying out to Seattle a few days before Christmas Day.
Garrett and I both left work early and came home to start the "just us" celebration. We started with appetizers and stockings.
We then moved on to the presents. Baxter was very confused, but eventually decided that this was a pretty awesome weeknight activity.
We finished up with a very nice dinner prepared by Garrett - steamed mussels and clams, green beans. and crusty bread. Delicious!
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Good Grief
Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you. - John Green
The massacre in Newtown, CT was devastating - truly unimaginable. It has been interesting to see different reactions from friends, co-workers, and on various media outlets. But it has also been really frustrating for me. I have seen the shooting blamed on guns (or lack of guns), God (or lack of God), mental illness treatment (or lack of), etc. It seems that we are all willing to quickly write this off as due to something (or not due to something).
As if this grief is collective. As if we all lost children. As if we have a right to take something as deeply and absolutely personal as the heartache or anger or sadness or confusion of a parent and make it our own. And find a convenient solution for it.
The closest thing I have to losing a child is losing my mom when I was in high school. It's not the same, I know. As I slowly dealt and continue to deal with that loss, I have blamed the doctors (all of them); family who healed too quickly; anyone who did anything known to cause cancer...smokers, tanners, etc. This is my right, she was my mom. She was not your mom. She was mine. My grief. Make a casserole, remind me of a story, just let me talk, but don't take away that thing that is uniquely mine.
This is a heavy post, but I needed to write it out. When tragedy strikes, it is not our job to make it as if it never happened. Our job is to learn from it and to support those most impacted. We are all sad and hurting as a community of people, but we are not the victims.
My biggest lesson is that life is short. Unexpectedly short. And we should hold the ones we love close. These are two of the furriest, most loving guys I know.
The massacre in Newtown, CT was devastating - truly unimaginable. It has been interesting to see different reactions from friends, co-workers, and on various media outlets. But it has also been really frustrating for me. I have seen the shooting blamed on guns (or lack of guns), God (or lack of God), mental illness treatment (or lack of), etc. It seems that we are all willing to quickly write this off as due to something (or not due to something).
As if this grief is collective. As if we all lost children. As if we have a right to take something as deeply and absolutely personal as the heartache or anger or sadness or confusion of a parent and make it our own. And find a convenient solution for it.
The closest thing I have to losing a child is losing my mom when I was in high school. It's not the same, I know. As I slowly dealt and continue to deal with that loss, I have blamed the doctors (all of them); family who healed too quickly; anyone who did anything known to cause cancer...smokers, tanners, etc. This is my right, she was my mom. She was not your mom. She was mine. My grief. Make a casserole, remind me of a story, just let me talk, but don't take away that thing that is uniquely mine.
This is a heavy post, but I needed to write it out. When tragedy strikes, it is not our job to make it as if it never happened. Our job is to learn from it and to support those most impacted. We are all sad and hurting as a community of people, but we are not the victims.
My biggest lesson is that life is short. Unexpectedly short. And we should hold the ones we love close. These are two of the furriest, most loving guys I know.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Eager Beaver
In all worldly things that a man pursues with the greatest eagerness he finds not half the pleasure in the possession that he proposed to himself in the expectation. - Robert South
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Garrett so excited to open his early Christmas gift! |
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One of Garrett's early gifts. The other is a Baxter ornament, but my picture wasn't great. |
Garrett has rec league basketball games on Monday and Thursday nights which is why he is shirtless, I promise. His Monday night league is with co-workers through TripAdvisor and his Thursday night league is with a friend/co-worker, Dan, through BSC (Boston Sports Club). Garrett has really enjoyed playing basketball, but his ankles are beginning to rebel. Hopefully another surgery is not on the horizon!
Monday, December 17, 2012
O Christmas Tree!
Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peach and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. - Calvin Coolidge
Christmas is in full effect in Boston with trees decorated in the Boston Garden and lights lining many of the iron fences in front of the brownstones. At our apartment, the tree is up and the gifts are wrapped! Garrett was a Christmas Sherpa and carried a 6 foot tree on his back about half a mile to our living room.
One of my favorite memories growing up was getting a new ornament from my mom each year. It was so fun putting them up and remembering the years by the ornaments - the year I was born, high school graduation, etc. Garrett's family has a similar tradition of annual ornaments and we will see those when we head over to Seattle at the end of the week. Mine are all shoe ornaments - I miss those beauties!
We always carve out a little time for a "just us" Christmas. This year it will be on Thursday night. We are planning to leave work right at 5pm (an early night for us these days) in order to get home and enjoy a little holiday celebration. Details and photos to come later!
Christmas is in full effect in Boston with trees decorated in the Boston Garden and lights lining many of the iron fences in front of the brownstones. At our apartment, the tree is up and the gifts are wrapped! Garrett was a Christmas Sherpa and carried a 6 foot tree on his back about half a mile to our living room.
One of my favorite memories growing up was getting a new ornament from my mom each year. It was so fun putting them up and remembering the years by the ornaments - the year I was born, high school graduation, etc. Garrett's family has a similar tradition of annual ornaments and we will see those when we head over to Seattle at the end of the week. Mine are all shoe ornaments - I miss those beauties!
Garrett and Baxter in front of our tree! |
We always carve out a little time for a "just us" Christmas. This year it will be on Thursday night. We are planning to leave work right at 5pm (an early night for us these days) in order to get home and enjoy a little holiday celebration. Details and photos to come later!
Kids in the Kitchen
Don't ever question the value of volunteers. Noah's Ark was built by volunteers; the Titanic was built by professionals. - Dave Gynn
As a way to build more of a network in Boston, I joined the Junior League and am involved in a program called Kids in the Kitchen (KITK). It is focused on teaching 6th grade girls at Boston Renaissance Charter School about healthy eating and exercise. I used to work with similarly aged girls in Seattle through the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club's cheer program and, for some reason, I think they are awesome at this age.
I joined the group late, so I've only been to two events. The first was a field trip to a local farm where we learned about where food comes from and were able to pick radishes that were going to be donated to a local food bank. The girls live in the city and many had never seen a farm before. They were hesitant at first, playing it cool by being disinterested, but eventually got really into it.
The second event was a capstone class where we discussed what the girls had learned. Key takeaways were learning the difference between "sometimes foods" (sweets, fried food, etc) and "always food" (lean protein, dairy in moderation, fruit, veggies, etc.). The girls made poster-board collages and presented them to their parents after serving them a healthy lunch that they made. There were lots of hugs and "I'll miss you"s as the day wound down. This group of girls has graduated the KITK program and there will be a new batch of young ladies in the spring.
As a way to build more of a network in Boston, I joined the Junior League and am involved in a program called Kids in the Kitchen (KITK). It is focused on teaching 6th grade girls at Boston Renaissance Charter School about healthy eating and exercise. I used to work with similarly aged girls in Seattle through the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club's cheer program and, for some reason, I think they are awesome at this age.
I joined the group late, so I've only been to two events. The first was a field trip to a local farm where we learned about where food comes from and were able to pick radishes that were going to be donated to a local food bank. The girls live in the city and many had never seen a farm before. They were hesitant at first, playing it cool by being disinterested, but eventually got really into it.
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Picking radishes at the farm |
The second event was a capstone class where we discussed what the girls had learned. Key takeaways were learning the difference between "sometimes foods" (sweets, fried food, etc) and "always food" (lean protein, dairy in moderation, fruit, veggies, etc.). The girls made poster-board collages and presented them to their parents after serving them a healthy lunch that they made. There were lots of hugs and "I'll miss you"s as the day wound down. This group of girls has graduated the KITK program and there will be a new batch of young ladies in the spring.
Christmas Parties
At every party there are two kinds of people - those who want to go home and those who don't. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other. - Ann Landers
Garrett and I both had our work Christmas parties this past week. In order to prepare, I went to get my hair done in the Back Bay. As I was walking past the library, I heard a commotion down Boylston street and this is what happened:
It was a gloomy, rainy day, but this immediately put a huge grin on everyone's face. I love how strange situations make friends out of strangers.
The TripAdvisor Christmas party was on 12/12/12 this year in the State Room in downtown Boston. It is a really impressive facility that has panoramic views of the city. We had a great time catching up with friends and meeting a few new people. Garrett really does work for a great company and you can tell that people are genuinely happy to be part of the organization.
AppNeta's party was employees only, so Garrett was left on his own Friday night. Our party was a Boston Harbor cruise on the Seaport Elite II ship. It was really fun to see everyone dressed up (our office is very casual) and ended up being a fun night. Apparently some shenanigans ensued at the after-party, but I luckily missed that. I was most definitely tucked into my bed with Baxter and a book by 11pm. I might be 80 years old.
Garrett and I both had our work Christmas parties this past week. In order to prepare, I went to get my hair done in the Back Bay. As I was walking past the library, I heard a commotion down Boylston street and this is what happened:
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Santa Speedo Run 2012 - Boylston St. |
It was a gloomy, rainy day, but this immediately put a huge grin on everyone's face. I love how strange situations make friends out of strangers.
The TripAdvisor Christmas party was on 12/12/12 this year in the State Room in downtown Boston. It is a really impressive facility that has panoramic views of the city. We had a great time catching up with friends and meeting a few new people. Garrett really does work for a great company and you can tell that people are genuinely happy to be part of the organization.
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View from the State Room |
AppNeta's party was employees only, so Garrett was left on his own Friday night. Our party was a Boston Harbor cruise on the Seaport Elite II ship. It was really fun to see everyone dressed up (our office is very casual) and ended up being a fun night. Apparently some shenanigans ensued at the after-party, but I luckily missed that. I was most definitely tucked into my bed with Baxter and a book by 11pm. I might be 80 years old.
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Danielle & I on the cruise |
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Boston Harbor at night |
Thanksgiving & Ogunquit, Maine
Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. - Oprah Winfrey
We moved to Boston on Halloween Day 2011 and moved into our current apartment in mid-November. We were in the midst of cleaning and organizing, so Thanksgiving kind of sneaked up on us. We ended up putting down the mop and sponges for an hour to enjoy a quick dinner together. It was, shall we say, not the best Thanksgiving we have ever had.
This year, Garrett decided that Thanksgiving was going to be AWESOME this year. He decided to host and invited a group of our favorite Seattle ex-pats over for some football and, afterward, dinner. Everyone brought a couple dishes and Garrett manned the bird. We went with a brined turkey and it was delicious - essentially fool proof. Ryan and Timory contributed some tasty Brussels sprouts and, the winner of the night, a sweet potato casserole that would give any triple chocolate cake a run for it's money. Brian and Sheleeza brought homemade biscuits and a green bean casserole. I think everything was extra amazing since each person was only responsible for one dish, so they really made that dish special. It was a really fun night! We are very thankful to have these guys in Boston.
On Friday, we headed out of town with Ryan and Timory to the great state of Maine, or "Vacationland" as it is known. Southern Maine is known for some amazing beaches and very cute coastal towns, including Kennebunkport which is the Bush family's summer estate.
We stopped at a mountain on the way up for a short hike before arriving at our final destination - Ogunquit, Maine. It is a predominantly gay, wealthy, beach area that boasts a beautiful beach, great restaurants, and many local artists. We returned to an inn that we enjoyed last year and were not disappointed! Key highlights from Ogunquit:
We moved to Boston on Halloween Day 2011 and moved into our current apartment in mid-November. We were in the midst of cleaning and organizing, so Thanksgiving kind of sneaked up on us. We ended up putting down the mop and sponges for an hour to enjoy a quick dinner together. It was, shall we say, not the best Thanksgiving we have ever had.
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1st Thanksgiving in Boston |
This year, Garrett decided that Thanksgiving was going to be AWESOME this year. He decided to host and invited a group of our favorite Seattle ex-pats over for some football and, afterward, dinner. Everyone brought a couple dishes and Garrett manned the bird. We went with a brined turkey and it was delicious - essentially fool proof. Ryan and Timory contributed some tasty Brussels sprouts and, the winner of the night, a sweet potato casserole that would give any triple chocolate cake a run for it's money. Brian and Sheleeza brought homemade biscuits and a green bean casserole. I think everything was extra amazing since each person was only responsible for one dish, so they really made that dish special. It was a really fun night! We are very thankful to have these guys in Boston.
On Friday, we headed out of town with Ryan and Timory to the great state of Maine, or "Vacationland" as it is known. Southern Maine is known for some amazing beaches and very cute coastal towns, including Kennebunkport which is the Bush family's summer estate.
In front of the Bush compound. No one came out. They must know we're Democrats. |
We stopped at a mountain on the way up for a short hike before arriving at our final destination - Ogunquit, Maine. It is a predominantly gay, wealthy, beach area that boasts a beautiful beach, great restaurants, and many local artists. We returned to an inn that we enjoyed last year and were not disappointed! Key highlights from Ogunquit:
- The 5,000 gallon saltwater hot tub at the Gazebo Inn
- Unexpectedly enjoying a show tunes sing-a-long at The Front Porch while enjoying some pre-dinner drinks
- A long stroll on the Ogunquit beach as a storm rolled in
- The Marginal Way walk on a sunny (but cold!) morning
Jumping for joy (or to warm up) on Ogunquit Beach |
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Another at Ogunquit Beach - we look like Stormtroopers |
Along the Marginal Way walk - the beautiful Atlantic Ocean! |
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