Christmas Light Lane Chaos!!!

The following are more pictures of Christmas Light Lane:

My sister's friend Brent, my sister Renee, and Aunt Julee posing in front of my parents' Nativity scene.
The Nativity scene my parents put up every year.

The Nativity again.

A random house on my street.

The cop cars that are located to the right of my house.

This is not the actual line to get on my street because the traffic flow was directed the other way. These cars are trying to get home.

The barricade blocking the street off.

Line of cars again.

This is the fun we deal with every year. It gets annoying, but people come year after year to see our lights.

Cops and Christmas Lights

As mentioned in my previous post, I live on Christmas light lane, which gets so crazy that it is monitored by the police. Tonight, my aunt Julee, sister Renee, and her friend Brent decided to take pictures of the chaos. Originally, this picture was suppose to be me in front of the barricade, but this cop jumped right in and took pictures with all of us. Earlier, we had feed them cookies.

Me and the cop....
My aunt Julee and the cop...

Renee and the cop...

My cousin lucked out and got a picture with two of them.

We had a blast with them. They do not have the most exciting job as they direct traffice and make sure pedestrians do not do anything stupid. Thanks for all you do!!! As I am tired and trying to go to bed, I will post more pictures of how crazy our street is tomorrow.

Christmas Light Lane, part 1

My parents live on Christmas Light Lane in Alta Loma. Each December the entire street decorates their houses and then thousands of people come by each year and either walk or drive down the street. It has gotten so crazy that the police patrol it at night. Getting to and from our house is not easy. Here are some highlights:
This house has a California Christmas theme. My sister and I love the pineapple.

This is the "Disney" house. That is Tinkerbell flying across the sky with the Disney castle in the background. The other characters they put up are Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Aladdin and Jasmine, and Belle and the Beast.

This is a picture of the street I took from Renee's car as we were driving down it. The street is littered with people, who you really cannot see and it takes like over 25 minutes to go less then one mile.

This house is brightly decorated. I liked it.

My favorite house is the "Nightmare Before Christmas" House. I will post more pictures of it later, plus pictures of my parents house.

Tis the Holiday Season!!!

Two days ago, I arrived back in California after four months of living in Boston. After experiencing cold weather, chilly windstorms, days of rain, and shortened days, I looked forward to basking in the sun. However, the weather from the northeast followed me back to California. My first full day back here it rained and was dark and cold. It snowed in our mountains and even in Las Vegas. It is crazy. They had to close down the El Cahon Pass because of the snow. My sister and her friend were worried that the I-15 from Nevada's stateline to basically our house may be closed, but it is reopened. She pitstopped in Vegas for some much needed In-N-Out. We have an In-N-Out date scheduled for some time later this week. It is our thing.

I am excited for the holiday season. Tomorrow, Renee, my mom, Laurel, Eli, and I are going to decorate our Christmas tree and the house. Holiday baking will officially begin this weekend and I only have a little Christmas shopping left. I am looking forward to next week when Julee and Aubree will be here. We always have a blast.

Boston Common Lights

Since I did not make it to the Boston Common tree lighting ceremony (stupid school projects), I thought it would be fun to go see the tree and the Common decorated. So this past Friday, John and I decide to venture out to Boston Common from Cambridge though it was freezing cold (John is a good sport). I am all excited, until we get off the train and we realized that the Common was not lit that well. I mean, my street, which is Christmas Light Lane in Alta Loma, CA has more lights. Also, this is where we saw the aforementioned Nativity scene. We were amazed that it contained Joseph and Mary, but no baby Jesus. We were confused. John suggested that maybe they had just put it up and still needed to add Jesus. I joked that maybe the city could not afford baby Jesus because they are having a budget crisis and that could explain the lack of lights. Here are some highlights:

I am standing in front of the Boston Common tree. It was not that big. The tree at Quincy Market, which is a few blocks over is huge. I saw it with my parents, but did not get a picture of it because it was poring rain. I tried to see more but school kept me busy.

This is the gazebo decorated. I did not take an up close shot because it was cold and John and I just wanted to get on a train and return to Cambridge. It was cold. Have I said that enough? Today, it is actually in the 40s and it feels so warm. Anything above freezing these days is warm.

Here is the Boston Common tree again, sans me standing in front. Some of the trees were decorated with lights.

Here I am trying to figure out where baby Jesus went. We came to the conclusion that we were probably suppose to imagine baby Jesus for ourselves. Also, I had a friend suggest that maybe he will not be put in their until Christmas Eve to symbolize his Christmas birth. John and I just found it funny. I am glad my dad chose to include baby Jesus in his Nativity because I could never convince Nathan and Laurel to portray a living Nativity with Eli. Just Kidding!!! 24 hours to California!!! Yeah!

What is missing from the Nativity?

Can you guess what is misssing from this Nativity? John and I went to see Boston Common all lit up on Friday night and found this amazing. Take some guesses and I will post more photos later.

One Class to Go

The semester is almost over. Today, I presented my poster on Mobile Visual Search in my second to last class. On Friday, I have my last class and then the semester is finished. Though I was suppose to present my archives paper on privacy, my presentation was cancelled. My professor wants to show us this movie and does not have time to have the remaining groups go. Plus, my class has discussed privacy issues at lenght in previous discussons. In archives, there is an on going debate over what information should be kept private and what information should be accessed by researchers. Unless, you are really fascinated by the subject, I will not bore anyone in this post with the specifics. Yeah! All I have to turn in is a two page report on my internship at the Lesley University Archive.

I love my internship. I helped process and arrange part of the Margaret A. McKenna collection. She served as Lesley's President for 22 years, before resigning two years ago. She serves now as President of the Wal-Mart Foundation. She is one tough lady. She worked originally as a civil rights attorney during the Jimmy Carter administration. After his administration ended, she ran the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe. Radcliffe is part of Harvard. In 1985, she left this post to become Lesley's President. At the time of her hiring, she was nine months pregnant with her second child. She changed Lesley for the better. Under her, they expanded their graduate programs and began a Ph.D. program. Lesley was started in 1909 as a school to train kindergarten teachers. While its emphasis is still education, it offers degrees in Expressive Arts, which is a type of therapy. She expanded their endowment from $1 million to 77 million and doubled their student population. It was interesting to process her records. I feel part of Lesley though I do not go there. So, if you see me in a Lesley sweatshirt, you will know why.

I leave for California in less than a week. I am excited to be back in the warmth as Monday here was described as an "arctic chill." Also, we get like 9 hours of sunlight each day. The sun rises at 7 and sets about 4. The other day I fell asleep at 3:300 and woke up an hour later engulfed in darkness. The darkness and cold tire out your body. On Monday, my whole house was asleep by 9:30. I think I feel asleep at about 8, while John and I were hanging out. He is a Saint because most night I go to bed by 10. I have become a morning person. Who knew. I am off to finally have some Christmas fun. Boston Common is all lit up. Pictures maybe forthcoming.

Pictures and other updates

The following are a few pictures I took before our Thanksgiving dinner. Mom is just goofing around in her picture. We ate at the Omni Parker House. It was very good.

Mom and Me

Dad and Me. I do not think Dad Like having his picture taken.

Mom and Dad. They are looking forward to eating. We had fun.

John surprised me with these flowers last week. They are all pink and purple and lovely.

Only three classes and one week of school remain. I can say i officially survived the semester. It was rough there for awhile, but I came through.

Just When I Thought...

School is almost over and I thought I was through my paper writing hell. Lets just say I have been writing research papers since the beginning of November. If you do not believe me, just ask John. He has been a saint through this process and he was probably not excited to hear that I had my research proposal returned to me for one last round of edits. Thankfully, my professor is making a great effort to make sure we understand how to write a research proposal. John has spent the last two Saturdays and a Monday helping me nail this thing. He is the best and has helped me much. I could not ask for a better boyfriend. (FYI-Last night he surprised me with beautiful flowers. They are gorgeous. I love them). I guess it is one last Saturday because I am not letting this thing just sit around. However, it should only take like one hour to fix. I felt like all the stress that was gone finally came flooding back. I had that one weak moment where I was like no more. Really, no more. I have spent over 20 hours writing this thing.

Enough complaining. My car is almost fixed. I am hoping to get it back before I take off to California in a week and a half. I survived my first semester of graduate school. It has been hard, but I love studying library science. I was sad when my internship ended yesterday at the Lesley University archive. It was such a learning experience as processing records is not as easy as one may think. To finish out the semester, I have to create a poster for a paper I wrote and present my archives' research paper. Plus, finish my internship report. I can see the light.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great this year. My parents came to Boston for the week and were real troopers. On Tuesday, they hiked around Boston in the pouring rain. I showed them where I interned and took them to an authentic Japanese meal. We wandered around Quincy Market and then headed back to the Cheesecake Factory so they could met John. Dinner went well. My parents and John got along well. My mom and John bonded over a shared piece of cake and the movie Captain Ron. It was great. John makes me so happy. However, he left the next day to spend Thanksgiving with his brother, sister-in-law, and nephews and niece in D.C. It was weird not to see him everyday.
So, I hung out with my parents. We ate lunch in the North End and indulged in Gelato. I swear that is the only reason Dad comes back to Boston. Just Kidding. On Thanksgiving, we ate at the Omni Park House Hotel. It was a buffet and the food was great. They invented teh Parker House Rolls and Boston Cream Pie, both which I tried. The rolls rocked. Afterwards, we went and saw the movie Four Christmases. It was good for some laughs. On my parents last day here, we did some shopping and just spent time together. I love them so much. I am glad they came and visited me. Also, I am glad John came back. Seeing him made the stress melt away.

Top 10 Things I am Thankful For...

Though Thanksgiving is 2 days away, I thought I would a top 10 list of what I am thankful for. Also, I challenge everyone who reads my blog to post their own list/feelings if they can:

10. Getting into Simmons and moving to Boston. I have enjoyed the benefits...

9. Umbrellas. When it rains out here, it really comes down hard.

8. Thermals and Flannels. They keep me warm on chilly days.

7. The Sun. I love its warmth.

6. The Gopsel. I love attending church and reading the scriptures. I do not know where I would be without the Gospel.

5. Family. Grandma and Granpda are two of the most loving people on planet earth. Julee, you are awesome. Not only are you a great aunt, but you are one of my best friends. Thanks for always being there. Aubree, I miss you. I miss seeing your creatioons. Keep on rocking. Debbie, thanks for always being there. My cousins...You are exceptional people, with loving hearts. I am grateful to have all of you in my life.

4. John. What can I say? Well, many things, but I won't embarrass you. Thanks for coming into my life. You truly make it better.

3. Nathan, Laurel, Eli, and my future nephew. I miss and love you guys. Congrats on the new house. You guys are great.

2. Renee. I could not ask for a better sister or best friend. I love and miss you. Thanks for always listening to my problems and for providing me with laughs.

1. My parents. I could not have gotten to this point in my life without both of them. Their love and support is unwavering. They are always there for me. Thanks for everything. I would list everything but it might go on and on for a bit. I love you both.

45 minutes later...

Sometimes taking the train to school is a nightmare and this morning was no exception. After switching trains at Park Street, as I have to take a Green line train to school after taking the Red line in from Cambridge, I hoped unto my train. The fabulous "E" line after letting two already full trains go by. It was about 8:30 and usually I am to school by 9 as my class starts at 9:30. We leave Park Street and make our first stop. I get off at the sixth stop on this line. Between this stop and the next, we stop. I did not find anything unusual about this as sometimes the train stops because it has to wait for the train in front of it to leave the station.

After we do not move for a few minutes, we hear the announcement that a train up ahead has broken down at the Copley stop, but that they were moving the train already. This should not take that long I thought. Then another annoucement that they still had not moved the train. We just kept standing there and waiting. Then the annoucements became on how it was now a "major" delay due to a disabled train. Finally, after 45 minutes, our train finally moved at 9:30. Luckily, i was only 30 minutes late to class along with some other classmates. Let me tell you though, a lot of guys gave up their seats for us girls so we did not have to stand the whole time. But it was not fun.

My Mom!!!

My mom is the best. I am thankful for all she does for me and for what she teaches me. She leads by example. For example, the other day I was asking her why should I remember to acknowledge peoples' birthdays when they cannot put forth the same effort in remembering mine. Why should I give them a gift or even a card? It would teach them a thing or two. I wanted to be that petty person, but she reminded me that I needed to rise above that attitude and be the bigger person, which I always end up doing. Much to my chagrin sometimes. She always practices what she preaches. Last night, Renee called to tell me that Renee Berry Snyder, a friend who she had a falling out with last year, practically invited every woman in our home ward to her baby shower except my mom. She invited people who did not even know her. My mom found out about the shower because people called and asked if she would come with them. My mom politely told them no, she could not because she was not invited.

Though, she was upset, rightfully so, as she has done much for Renee in the past like providing her with rides, food, and letting her jerk of a husband (he is one of the rudest people I have ever met) into our house without complaint, she felt slighted by Renee. Instead, of focusing on her anger, she went out and bought Renee a baby gift from Mozart's in Redlands. She sent it to her and did get a thank-you card in return. She was the bigger person. She always does this though. No matter how she feels, even if the person has not treated her nicely, she is the first to volunteer to help out or offer them her support. She knows the right thing to do. I love this quality about her. Though we do tend to complain sometimes, we know the right thing to do. We feel good at day's end as it is the Christlike thing to do. I love my mom very much. I felt horrible when I heard how Renee had intentionally not invited her. No matter how she feels about my sister, she should not take it out on my mom. My mom has been nothing but nice to her and has done so much for her.

Again, my mom has decided to look the other way and made the best out of an ugly situation. I strive everyday to have this attitude. It is about having a loving heart. She has the most loving heart. I am so thankful for that. I love her very much. Thanks for continuing to teach me how to be the "bigger person" by example even when I am so resistant to the idea.

The Saga continues...

Today, I attempted to get my car fixed. Luckily, I live right next to an auto repair shop. So I took my car down there and had it looked at. The guy who looked at my car was extremely helpful. He explained that my best option was to file an insurance claim and just pay my deductiable. He said that this tree branch did a lot of damage and it was possible that it did some unseen damage that he would not find out about until he could take a closer look at my car. He did caution me against further driving my car as it could cause more damage based on how my window was shattered. I have not even had my car for a year.

So, we went into his office and we called my insurance company. I gave them all my information and now I have to wait for them to send an adjuster over to look at my car and estimate the damages. It gets even better as they are storing my car for me to protect it from further damage. Out of this crappy blow I was dealt, I am dealing with very helpful people, who along with my dad, have helped me through this situation. They even offered to help me rent a car if i need one. Luckily, I live in a city where if I am without a car, I can walk everywhere or take public transportation. I do not even drive to school. Usually, I drive to church or to the grocery store. Lets just say I have not put gas in my car since mid-September. The situation is getting better. Now, i just have to shake this stupid head cold, which has taken all my energy.

Stupid Wind Storm

So this past week we have had rain on and off and on and off. Yesterday though with the rain came this horrible wind. Not only was it cold, but the winds were strong. They were leaves and tree branches everywhere. I thought my car was fine until I got to church this morning. (FYI-I had like the world's worst morning). Then I noticed that my small window on the back left side of my car was shattered. I could not believe it and feeling sick, all i could think was I do not want to deal with this and why did this happen to me? On further exploration, not only did my window shatter, but the stupid tree branch that hit my car dented the top of my car. I am sure dad was excited about both of my early morning phone calls home to him. But he was great. He told exactly what to do. I told Renee (as she and I are each other's sounding boards) that I wish they were coming tomorrow because they could help me, but I can handle it on my own. I know how. I guess self-reliability is good trait to have.

Realizing I could do nothing until tomorrow, I just felt completely exhausted. Combining this with feeling sick lead me to collapse into tears driving home. I just started crying, but my mom tells me that sometimes crying is good for us. It helps us feel better and I felt better afterwards and then again, after I cried on the phone with Renee. Oh, the crying. What this stupid wind storm did to me. I just realized that I need to let myself rest and that I am not superwoman. So, I have spent the good part of this Sunday just resting in bed. Sleep is good. It feels great. My body is saying thanks!!! Thank you!!!

On a more positive note, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. My parents are coming into town and I am excited to see them though I feel my parents are more excited to meet town then see me. I am thankful for so many things this year, but that will come in a later post.

The Best Surprise

Last night, we went out to celebrate my roommate Robin's birthday. Before we left to catch the T, we met up with John. He surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I had never been surprised with flowers before and it is an incredibly sweet gesture. I loved it. He is so thoughful and great and amazing. I am so lucky to have him in my life everyday.

"Finding Joy in the Journey"

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family."

This past week I have been reading the General Conference talks in the November Ensign. I really enjoyed this past Conference and I especially loved the talk President Monson gave called "Finding Joy in the Journey." I felt his words were what I needed to hear at this particular moment in my life, especially as I had just experienced some major life changes.

His talk focused on dealing with the changes in our lives. He said that "some changes are welcome; some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden...But most of the changes take place subtly and slowly." I openly welcomed the changes in my life as I moved from California to Boston and began Graduate School. However, with these changes came homesickness and 3,000 mile gap between me and my family. This is the furtherest I have lived from them for a long period of time. Instead of dealing on this fact, I embraced these changes. As President Monson said in his talk "time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching comes the changes."

All my changes have been good and come with great results. President Monson spoke of how this is our one and only chance at mortal life as oppurtunities will come and go. We need to make sure that we do not let important things pass by us, but embrace them. He said we need to "find joy in the journey -- NOW." Live in the moment now and embrace what life has to offer. I have tried to do this and like I said it works. I have made some wonderful friends out and I am dating a wonderful man. He truly makes me happy in every way possible and I am so lucky to have him. So lucky!!!

President Monson goes on to talk about how we will have to deal with stresses along this journey. He said that "we should not let them get in the way of what is most important--and what is most important almost always involves the people around us." This is true. When school gets to be too much or family issues come up, I try to focus on what is positive in my life. Usually, I call my parents and they listen to me ramble on and on. My dad once told me that his shoulders were there for me to cry on and I have never forgotten that. He always can talk me through anything. My mom too. She listens and provides advice and laughs. Laugther really is the best medicine.

One of my other favorite quotes from his talke was "Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows." Hopefully, I still have many tomorrows left. I think I do. I am finding joy in this journey and hope it continues. Joy brings much happiness and strenghtens our relationships with others. Also, we need to remember to express our gratitude towards the Lord for all he has given us. So in times that are rough or when changes occur, lets remember to find joy in our journey no matter how hard it may seem.

Home

It seems the colder it gets in New England, the more I miss my family. Actually, the more I miss the warmth of the California sun. No, in all honesty, I do miss my family each day, but I love my life out here in Boston. Aside my school work load, I have no complaints. I have a great boyfriend and good friends. What more could I ask for? I am really happy. John makes me reallly happy. I really am though I need to work on managing my stress better. But hey, that has always been one of my problems.

Tonight, when I called my mom, she was babysitting my nephew Eli. He actually talked to me on the phone until he decided his puzzles were more interesting. He told me "hi" and that he was "doing puzzles." He is too cute. I miss him. Before I hung up with my mom, he was counting Boston's paws for my mom and pointing out his tummy.

I am glad the election is over. Though it was exciting, I am glad we are finally moving on to hopefully better days. I'll admit, Obama's speech gave me goosebumps. I hope he can live up to his promises as I do with each new President. Now, I am off to find my emerging technologies paper topic. It is not as fun as it sounds.

Remember to Vote Today!!!

Just a reminder to everyone to remember to vote today. It is important that our voices be heard this year as our country is desperately needing a change. Remember, everyone's vote is important and counts. You can feel the relief knowing the Bush years are finally ending and that we can move on to something better.

On a side note, I am also exicted for election day as tomorrow I will awake and there will no longer be any John Sununu/Jean Shaheen attack ads running 24/7. There are running for Senate in New Hampshire, but we get their commercials in Boston. They are annoying. So annoying.

Peacemaker?

On Sunday, I had an interesting conversation with two of my friends concerning how our placement in our family forms who we are. Both Sarah and Jen said they were the middle child of five kids and I am the middle child of three. We all found that in this position as the middle child we fell into the role of peacemaker, which I found to be true. I am not a big fan of conflict and found that I do always try to smooth over situations. I do fit this role as peacemaker as did both Sarah and Jen. It is weird how our placement in our family reflects part of us.

Today, I had this same conversation with John. He agreed that he thought this was true, but he had a different role as he is the second of six siblings. Instead, we talked more about the role of the oldest sibling. He said the oldest always got the high praise and excelled at everything they did. I found this true. My brother is one of the smartest people I know. He deserves everything he has worked for and I am so proud of him, especially because of the the other things he did and continues to do as my older brother. He always was this great protector. He always looked out for Renee and I in some tough situations we were faced with growing up. He did not have to do this, but he did. I do not even know if I ever told him thank you, but I am. He is this great man as I am sure his wife would agree. He always gives it to me straight and tells me when I am overreacting. I love him very much.

After giving props to Nathan, now I have to praise my wonderful sister Renee. She is my best friend and one of the smartest people I know. She can read greek and latin. We have the best conversations about greek tragedies especially in an attempt to locate a story about a sister falling in love with their brother. It is an inside family joke, but we cannot name this greek tragedy. We find it funny. It is a long story. She is my best friend as I tell her everything and she can read me like a book. There are some days when she knows me better than I know myself. I could not ask for a better sister or for better siblings. I love them both very much. Also, I am glad for my sister-in-law, Laurel. She is a wonderful wife and mother and one of the most creative people I know. I am so excited that she finally has a house to put her own stamp on. I love playing Settlers of Catan with Nathan and Laurel because they get so competitive with each other. I think that is half the fun of playing it with them.

On a side note, I tried playing Rock Band today and I am addicted. John's roommate just bought it and we were playing it this morning. He was on the drums and I was playing horribly on the guitar. I had to force myself to stop or I would still be there playing instead of working on a paper for school. I have an incredible boyfriend. There will be more to come on that, including a picture which I am sure my mom is circulating to everyone.

Stake Conference and Mitt Romney???

This weekend is my ward's stake conference and tonight was our first meeting. It was held at the Belmont chapel, which is located right outside of Cambridge and across the street from the temple. So Rebecca and I find a parking spot and make it to the meeting right at 7 and they actually started on time. However, as not everyone could fit into the chapel and as their gym was located downstairs, they wired the church to broadcast the meeting throughout the building. Rebecca and I ended up down in the gym.

We got ourselves and were listening to the Stake President welcome us and all the sudden this group of people walk in. Mind you, our single's ward is part of a stake the includes the Belmont family wards. As the people part to find their seats, there is Mitt Romney and it was this surreal moment. I have seen him on television and in the papers, but there he was in person with his wife. He looked just as he does he television. He is well polished. I did not know what to think. His family has lived in Belmont for a long time so it did not surprise many people that he came to stake conference.

After I got over my shock, I nudged and told Rebecca. Mitt and his wife sat in the back. But as more people came in, the man sitting one seat away from me scooted over one seat so others could sit down. All of the sudden, I see Mitt Romney's wife sitting down three seats away from me and her husband was on the other side of her. I could not believe I was sitting four seats from Mitt Romney at stake conference of all places. How would have thought? Not knowing what to do, I texted Renee who told me to try and touch him. I reframed, but other members in my ward were having surreal moments too as we all traded notes after the meeting ended. I did not shake his hand, but he seemed very friendly. I am sure he is. It was cool. What can you say. The guy ran for President, but he still truly values his Mormon faith. John, my boyfriend for all those who do not know, told me that he knew some of his sons after I relied that whole story to him.

It almost made me feel a little bad that I chose not to vote for him as everyone thought I was crazy when I said John McCain would win the Republican nomination. Though we are both Mormon, that was not enough for me to chose to support him. Oh, well. I sat four seats from him tonight...

Letting Bygones be Bygones

Through previous posts I have touched upon a situation concerning my Aunt Amy, who confessed to me that she smoked pot, but did not want me to tell anyone, especially my mom. After much prayer, as I prayed and prayed, the spirit prompted me to tell my mom. I did and then Amy told my mom I had lied. It was horrible. I was so mad at her. I use "was" because I do not want to be mad anymore. In this journey to forgive her, it has lead to many hurt feelings and fights while exposing Amy for the liar she has always and will continue to be. But I have decided to let bygones be bygones with her though there is no promise of a relationship between us as of now. That is the next step. I am moving on. Hey, I would even spend Christmas with her though it would probably consist of Renee and I engaging in many pot smoking references and jokes. I laugh about it now. I even told Renee that I would not be upset if she wanted to hang out with Amy though Renee did not seem excited about that idea. Let me finally move forward and onward as things are going so well as of right now. I have many good reasons to smile back here in Boston...

Renee's Visit to Boston

This past week, Renee visited me in Boston. Here are some hightlights. Renee and I after celebrating her birthday. We are standing in a T Station. She can tell the hilarious story of what happened afterwards as it involved my shoe and a guy on the train.
I am standing in front of Paul Revere's grave.
Yes, that is the double hamburger Renee ordered at Bartley's Gourmet Burgers in Harvard Square. Yes that is a plastic knife holding it together. She only ate one of the patties and we are pretty sure she left the other in Urban Outfitters.
No, this is not the Coliseum, but Harvard's football stadium.
ONe of the few pictures Renee and I appear in together. Yes, I am that great of a picture taker. That is a bell Paul Revere made.

Fall in New England

Fall has arrived....Need I say anymore...Here are the photos I took to try and capture its beauty before winter comes...

MyPunchbowl

For my technology class, our recent assignment is to evaluate a webware site. I chose this social networking site called Mypunchbowl.com, which called itself the ultimate partyplaning site. I never really write about anything I use online because it seems all the same. I thought this already existed withe evite.com, but I was wrong. Mypunchbowl is the coolest party planning site I have ever used. You can design your own invitations through its newly implemented design studio, which allows you to use your own pictures or your can use one of their designs. You can change colors and fonts. You can poll friends for dates for parties and write down your party's checklist. I love it as it organizes your whole shindig. I used it to create an invitation for Renee's birthday. Plus, I love party planning, so I think this endeared me even more to this site. So check it out. It is easy to use, just register and you can begin planning your next event. People can even post on message boards. I love it. So all your creative types, go check it out.

Let the countdown begin...

I am so excited for this week. On Tuesday, my wonderful sister Renee will be coming to visit me as we have not seen each other since the middle of August. It has been awhile. I am excited to see her and hang out with her. Plus, on Friday we are going out to celebrate her birthday. It will involve Italian food, gelato, and the ballet with who knows what else. We tend to do the most random things, but have a lot of fun in the process. Just a few more days to go. It will be nice to spend time with family.

Also, I hope my dad makes it to his own deadline. He is an accountant and October 15th is one of his favorite days of the year. Well, it is one of his biggest deadlines of the year next to April 15th. He only has a few more days to go so and he will make it. He loves his job. I think you could only do his job if you really loved it. So good luck dad. You will make it and then just go have fun. I am sure mom would love it for you to take her somewhere nice. I love my dad very much. He is the best. He has always encouraged us to follow our dreams and understood the paths we chose to follow. He never has compared any of his children because he know we are all talented in our own ways. I love him very much.

Lately, I have been thinking much about forgiveness. I have been trying to forgive a certain family member, well Amy. I am done tiptoeing around this. She really hurt me when she tried to paint me as a liar to my parents after she told me she smoked pot. However, I have realized that by holding unto my anger towards her that I am becoming like her. Amy is a very angry person and that is why she does the things she do. I do not want to become that and live by my anger. I have seen how it affects othes. In coming to this realization, I have found that forgiving her does not mean I have to have a relationship with her. I just want to move on so we can all move on. But moving on will not involve talking to her or having her be part of my life. She has lost that right. We are done, we are through. I hope she realizes that she needs to make improvements in her own life if she wants family around. Her lies are just to toxic and hurtful. You are no more to me.

Oh the changing weather...

So the weather out here has been crazy of lately. As fall approaches, it rained for days on end and was incredibly cold. I think everyday though is cold as my circulation system still has not adjusted back to normal. Now for the next few days we are getting 70 degree weather with sunshine. it has been delightful...I guess this is one of God's last gifts before the snow.

More Rhode Island Pictures

Here are some more pictures from my weekend trip to Rhode Island. By waterfire, there is this tunnel of tiles that were painted by school children after 911. Most relate to the World Trade Center Towers and having hope. They were inspirational. This was my favorite tile...
This is a picture of the beach from Point Judith. Beyond, you can see Buck? Island. It might be Black Island. I need to double check with Robin.

Another shot of waterfire. Robin hanging with baby Sarah while we watched conference at her friends' house. It was a lot of fun. I am thankful for their hospitality as everyone was so welcoming and kind in Rhode Island. I am already planning my next trip back.

Waterfire

Waterfire occurs in Providence, Rhode Island. It is where they light bonfires on the River. It is beautiful. This is Robin and I standingin front of the river.
This is a blurred view of the fires. I spent like ten minutes trying to figure out how to take pictures on night mode on my camera. It was funny, but frustrating. This is a circle of fire that was light between two bridges. We walked around this whole area.
This is the river reflecting the fires. I tried my best to get the best possible pictures. Some more waterfire.

Narrangansett, Rhode Island

This weekend, my roommate Robin invited me and my roommate Rebecca down to her house for the weekend to watch General Conference. She lives a half hour away from Providence, Rhode Island in the town of Narrangansett. It is a cute little town situated on the beach and across the way from Newport, Rhode Island. Robin literally lives down the street from the beach. This picture above is of the Narrangansett Towers, which are spectacular.
Robin's parents were incredibly kind and sweet. After Rebecca and I got in on an evening train, her mother cooked us spaghetti and meatballs. It was delicious. The next day, we watched conference at their friends' house, the Smiths. They had four children who kept us entertained. Their youngest daugther, Sarah is two and could be Eli's future wife. Just Kidding!!! You never know. On Sunday, between sessions, we had a big pot roast lunch. it was good. I am thankful I got the chance to spend the time in Rhode Island, plus I got my hair done fore free. Robin's mom, Nadine cleaned it up by blending my color and cutting off all the dead ends. Robin and I are standing in front of the lighthouse at Point Judith, which is outside of Narrangansett. There are lighthouses everywhere.
This beach is literally in Robin's backyard. Across is the bridge you take over to the next island and beyond that is Newport, Rhode Island (think Breakers Mansion).
This is me standing on the beach. I just got my hair done and was enjoying my Saturday.
This is the mall in Providence. It is huge. Robin, Rebecca, Robin's mom, Nadine, and I had a girl's night out on Saturday. We ate at the Nordstrom's Cafe before going to see Waterfire, which you can see in this photo. Waterfire is where they light bonfires on the Providence River. It was neat to see.