Here I Go!!!

So today is my last official day of hotel living as tomorrow I can officially move into my new place. Yeah!!! I am actually looking forward to cooking myself some meals and unpacking all my stuff as I am tired of living out of a suitcase. I am adjusting to living out here in Boston. It was weird to get past the feeling that I was not getting on a plane to go back to Southern California anytime soon. Instead, I am settling into a new home and I am beginning to make new friends. Everything is good. I even lucked out on a gym membership as someone in my new ward needed to transfer hers to someone and I snapped it up. No starting fees. Yeah!!!!

I was dreading having to take a class on Saturday, but thankfully Simmons added another section of the class I was taking and now I have it on Tuesday. Things could not be working out for me better. Why can't every aspect of my life be this easy and simple. Sometimes, I get tired of the challenges, but I keep fighting. Sometimes I think I keep fighting because I feel like others do not care if they hurt my feelings. I think this is why I have greatly struggled my feelings about my mom continuing a relationship with Amy. I know my mom cannot cut her out of her life, but I refuse to act like Amy did nothing wrong or that I even like her. I spent too many years pretending to like her as she continued to lie to my family. Amy painted me as a liar when all i did was tell the truth, which is a concept foreign to her. However, I know my mom loves me and believes me. That is what I hold onto at day's end. That love and support even when it confuses me some days. I am resolved to move one. I am moving on as Amy no longer merits a place in my life or heart. Forgiveness will come eventually, but it will be on my own time and at my own pace.

I hope all is going well for everyone on the West Coast. Mom and Dad, I love you both so much. THanks for everything you continue to do for me everyday. Nathan, Laurel, and Eli, Good luck on the house search. I hope everything is going well with the new baby. Give Eli my love. I love all three of you very much. Renee, you are the best sister and my best friend. I love you so much. Thanks for always being there. Thank goodness for cell phones. Julee and Aubree, I miss and love you two very much. I hope all is going well. Keep rocking out!!!!

If I do not post that much this week it is because Grad School has finally begun. The hard work begins, but I am very excited.

Love you all!!!

Breakers (Vanderbilt Mansion) Newport, Rhode Island

This weekend I went with a few people from my new ward out here (Emily, Chris, Chris, and Jared) and we drove an hour and half to Newport, Rhode Island where there are many beautiful mansions. The most famous is the above pictures Breakers, which was build in 1895 by the Vanderbilt family. It was modeled and decorated after 16th century Italian Renassiance palaces. However, you could not take pictures of the inside which was ornately decorated to the hilt. Just think marble, mosica tiles, a fountain under the stairs, 70 rooms, and 23 bathrooms.

This is the view of Breakers as you enter the gates, yes the gates. It is called Breakers because its backyard overlooks the ocean where the waves break. When we visited, the weather was kind of rainy.

Remember, when our playhouses consisted of Fisher Price. Not for the Vanderbilts. This was the children's playhouse, which was basically a two room house that included a kitchen (including stove and china) and a mini piano and fireplace.

This is part of the backyard of Breakers as this was taken from what you would call the backporch. It is very green.

Emily took this picture of Chris, Jared, Chris and me. We are standing in the backyard and you can see the ocean in the background.

This is a sideview of the house. One the bottom floor is the music room and above it was Alice Vanderbilt's bedroom, the Queen's room.

This is the backside of Breakers. On the second floor where there are six open windows in a row is a huge patio that has a mosiac floor. We are standing above the ocean on the Cliff Walk.

This is another picture from the Cliff Walk. It just shows the ocean and more of Newport. Mansions are to the right.

Another shot of Breakers backyard.

This is a shot of Newport from Breakers. A funny story. Someone was throwing a huge party over on the other side as you could hear the music as it travelled over the water.

More Pics!!!

This is the Massachusetts State House. Its dome is made of gold. The State House is located right above Boston Common.

This is the Boston Common. It is really beautiful and you can buy any t-shirt or piece of fried dough here. But it is fun to walk through as it was founded in 1634.

This is Boston Common again. In Boston, you find performers everywhere from the streets to the subway stations. Many people like to play their guiter and sing. In the Public Garden, I saw a man playing a mini piano. You never know what you will find, but it is interesting to see. Most just want some money and others just want to entertain you. Today, these men were impersonating Michael Jackson in honor of his 50th Birthday. The guy in the front was breaking into the Moonwalk.

This is Quincy Market and is the beginning of a huge marketplace. If you go into the building you find a huge food court with offerings from pizza, chineses to pastries. It is all good, well it all smells good.

This is a continuation of Quincy Market as it includes many shopes like the Gap. Yeah for buy 2 bras get 1 free. There are many shops but I am hating shopping lately. I gave up after wandering around and gave Renee a ring. She was much more fun to talk too then to shop. I miss you Renee!!!

Here is me in all my glory sitting in Quincy Market. I just cut my hair again and was tired after running around Boston all day. I picked up my student I.D. card and finally found a good coat.

Tomorrow, I am off to see the Vanderbilt mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. I will take plenty of pictures.

Love you guys!!!!

Pictures of Simmons, Boston, and the Hyatt!!!

These are pictures of my new school Simmons. It is not that big as it is composed of five buildings, but it is beautiful. It is located right in front of the Harvard Medical Schools.

This is a picture of downtown Boston, which I took from Cambridge, which is on the other side of the Charles River. The CITGO sign you see in the distance is where Fenway is located. The building to the left is the Prudential Center, which has a cool mall in it and is where you can sign up for Duck Tours. I will post a picture of a Duck later. They are those old WWII vehicles you can tour Boston in.

The Hyatt has been my temporary home. I move into my apartment on Labor Day!!! It is not as glamorous as one many think to live in a hotel. You miss home cooked meals and get to know everyone who works here.

New Camera Means Pics are Coming!!

Exciting News!!! I just purchased my first digital camera today and now I can begin taking pictures. I finally bought one because I do not have Renee or Laurel to take pictures that I can steal from them, but it is a good investment. Let me know if anyone has any requests.

Santa in August?

Yesterday, as I was walking through Harvard Square, a Santa Claus darted passed me. Wandering what was going on, I saw that he was begging for money as his sign read that he needed money to get back to the North Pole. That was new one. Hopefully, he returned his claus suit back to the costume store in time and used his money to pay for it. Some people just need to be creative to earn money. What can you do?

Life is going good. Today, I walked my but over to the North end of Boston to enjoy a little authentic italian gelato. Vanilla and Strawberry. it was good and if you do not believe me, ask my dad who eat their last week while him and my mom were in town. I think I worked it all off on my walk to the train and then from my walk from the train to my temporary home at the Hyatt Regency. Hotel living is okay, but I cannot wait to move into my new home. Tomorrow, my roommate Rebecca and I are going to get are hair cut and hang out. We both only have a few days left until school starts. I will be a student and she will be teaching high schoolers. Both Rebecca and my dad served their missions in Milan, Italy. What are the odds of that? Venturing back to the hotel, I walked through the MIT campus, which is beautiful. It is situated right by the Charles River and has many old buildings that are beautiful, but Harvard is more beautiful as nothing beats it brick buildings. I am working on getting a camera so I can post pictures, especially because this Saturday I will be visiting the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. I am excited and hopefully I do not try and hide for the night in one of them.

I hope everyone is doing well. I love you all!!!

Monday's Musings!!!

Today was good. I spent the majority of it running around Boston, well mainly trying to get this immunizaiton shot, which I eventually got. While trying to find Simmons Health Center I gave myself a little tour of the Harvard Medical Schools, which are beautiful buildings. When school starts, I may spend some time over there looking for eligible doctors!!! Who knows!!! A girl can dream. After completing that, I went over to the Shops at the Prudential Center, which is this mall located on the main floor of the Prudential Center. I did some shopping, well kindof. I invested in one sweater as I am building up my winter wardrobe. I hate shopping by myself lately as I cannot seem to make any decisions now that I have more choices. It can be frustrating. I think I should hire a personal shopper or just focus more on the tasks at hand. Shopping should not be stressful, luckily my venture to the Gap that afternoon proved more successful as I bought two new shirts and tried on some coats. I was told that ear muffs might be a good investment to survive the winter.

Tonight, I went to my new ward's first family home evening. Usually, I tend to shrink into the background, but I forced myself out of my normal comfort zone and introduced myself to as many people as I could. It was a good evening as we ate ice cream from this place called Herrell's at Harvard Square. It was good. Then we went over to the Charles River and had a lesson while eating ice cream. After I chatted with more people and found out that if I am willing to dish out the money, I can get my hair done at one of the best salons on Newberry Street, but it is not worth $300. I just need to find someone who will do a good job so no Vidal Sassoon at the moment. I am gradually adjusting as each day gets better and I feel more comfortable being here. I love it here as I feel like I am at home and everyone I met is so nice and helpful. I hope everyone in California or whereever they are is doing well. I miss you guys. Come visit if you get the chance.

3,000 mile adventure

So I realized how sad I was in my first post as that can be contribute to my waning homesickness. So last Sunday, I left with my parents for a 3,000 mile across the U.S. to Boston. I drove my Prius while my parents drove a rented white Suburban full of my stuff (FYI: Moving is the best cathartic experience as I finally got rid of stuff I did not need anymore). We spent the first night in Flagstaff, Arizona and celebrate my mother's birthday at Outback. It was a blast. The next day we drove to Amarillo, Texas. Did you know that for every exit you pass in New Mexico there is a Stuckey's/Dairy Queen? Well there is but we did not make a stop at one. From Texas, we decided to drive to St. Louis, Missouri. We almost made it to St. Louis as we stopped in Lebannon, Missouri. Let me tell you, that Vegas is not the only place where there are adult video stores. The moment we entered Missouri, every exit advertised adult video stores. That night we ate at Sonic in Springfield, Missouri.

From Missouri, we drove up to Mansfield, Ohio though our original goal was Cleveland. As we went through St. Louis, we got to see the Arch. It was awesome. I also got to see the stadium where Peyton Manning played. From Mansfield, we made the 13 hour drive through northern New York to Boston. Let me say that Lake Erie is beautiful asit Northern NEw York as it was all green. We ate at Bob Evans, which was good. When we finally made it to Boston after 10, we checked into the Hyatt on the Charles River in Cambridge and collapsed. I called Renee and asked her what would be the perfect meal to have that broke all the rules of my diet so I partook in pizza and a vanilla milkshake. It was heaven.

I woke excited to be back in Boston. I felt home. I really did. I took my parents to lunch at Legal Seafood proceeded by some shopping at the Shops at the Prudential Center. From here, we went to check out Simmons College. My school is beautiful. I am officially a Simmons Shark and I cannot wait for school to start. Next, we stopped at Harvard as I had to show my father this beautiful campus. From here, we went back to the hotel and relaxed. We had dinne that night at La Piccola Venezia in the North End of Boston. It had great Italian food as we ate and then had some authentic gelato. The next day, Saturday. We drove out to see the Boston temple and drove through the town of Belmont. We had lunch at this great pizzeria. We also walked around Concord and went back to Cambridge where my dad moved all my boxes into my new place. I will send my new address to all those who want it and if I forgot, my mom has it.

What can I say about my parents. They were troopers from the 3,000 mile drive to taking me to Boston. They are the best. I am sorry if any of my actions frustrated them as I realized that they are the reason I am here and that I can do this. I miss them and they have not even been gone for 10 hours. But I am okay and they can visit anytime they want.

I am really blessed to have them and a great brother, sister, sister-in-law, nephew, Aunt Julee, and cousin Aubree. You guys are my rocks. I love you very much as you always supported my decisions and loved me. So i have one request, if you are reading this blog, everybody is going to be getting a Simmons t-shirt or sweatshirt. Let me know your preference and size. I am going to invest hopefully in a digital camera and put up pictures of my school, new home, and anything else I can.

School starts in a week. I realized that I am going from a conservative school, BYU to a liberal arts school. It should be interesting. Also, I go from a cougar to a shark. I love you all. Peace out!!!

Boston, So Far...

I have decided to enter the world of blogs to keep my family and friends updated on my life in Boston/Cambridge. So I have officially been in Boston for four days living it up at a hotel until I can move into my new place. I am blessed to have wonderful parents who have given me this amazing opportunity. They have left back for California and their departure was not as easy as I thought it would be. Still 25 and still gets a little homesick. I just need to get through this adjustment period. School begins in a week and I am very excited. I have many things to keep me occupied, but there is a tiny part of me that wishes I had asked my mom to stay just a few extra days. I can do this. I can as this is where I am suupose to be. I will update with pictures as soon as I get a camera. Maybe that can be Laurel's excuse for coming to visit me as I need someone to take pictures. Just Kidding!!!! I love my family very much. Do not forget about me.