Family's Boston Visit, part 1: Red Sox, Freedom Trail, and Maine!

For my graduation, my family came to visit met in Boston. I was so glad that my parents, Nathan, Laurel, Renee, and Lewis were able to come. We had to so much (though I may have walked them to death). They were such troopers. And I think Mike's Pastry really misses Nathan. My parents arrived a few days before my siblings. They stayed at this hotel that is right on the Charles River on the Cambridge side. We had fun. My parents came and toured the John F. Kennedy library where I work and that night my dad and I went to a Red Sox game. Though it is May, the weather was 40 degrees and so cold. My dad was glad he bought a Red Sox sweatshirt because it helped keep him warm. It was one of the craziest games I had ever seen as the Blue Jays pitcher walked five players in a row and my dad realized he had played baseball in college against the Blue Jays first base coach. My dad was also like a teenager emailing his friend on his blackberry that he was at the game. He rocks!

The view from my parents hotel room!

The famous Green Monster at Fenway!

The Red Sox starting pitcher, John Lackey (a former Angels pitcher)

My dad and I!

My dad riding the t. He and Renee both ride the train the same way.

When my siblings and their spouses arrived, I took them for a tour of Boston. We did most of the Freedom Trail but then it got hot and we were tired. Plus, my dad that morning decided he wanted lobster, specifically lobster from Maine. So that afternoon we drove two hours to Portland, Maine and most of us, well Nathan, Laurel, and my dad had lobster.

Renee, Lewis, and I taking pictures of each other. Yes, we are that cool!

Nathan and Laurel taking a break.

Nathan, Laurel, Lewis, and Renee standing in front of the Paul Revere statue behind the Old North Church.

My parents at the Maine restaurant we went to for lobster.

Lewis and Renee

Nathan and Laurel

The lobster.

The coolest graduation gift ever!!!

I received many wonderful graduation gifts, including a beautiful charm bracelet from my parents. However, Nathan and Laurel got me an amazing gift. One that I cherish very much.


Yes, that is really a a felt Mr. T bookmark. I love it, especially because I love the A-Team. I grow up watching the A-Team and am so excited for the upcoming movie. Thank you Nathan and Laurel. It makes me smile every time i see it and use it. I especially love the gold beads used to reflect his jewelry. Nothing can top how awesome this bookmark is. You know you are all jealous!

I Did It!

I have officially graduated and have my Master's! It was an amazing day and so beautiful. I graduated down by the waterfront and there was not a cloud in the sky. Rain had been predicted for the day. My family was there and cheering me on. This picture is courtesy of my roommate, Annie. There will be more forthcoming and more posts about my family's visit to Boston and how I exhausted them by walking them to death. Actually, Laurel adapted quite well I must say.



Thank you all for your love and support. I would really like to give a big thanks to my parents. If it was not for all their love and support I would not have my master's. My mom like to joke that parents should be awarded a degree and I agree. Thanks to them I have gotten this far. They have never let me down. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is as much yours as mine! I love you lots. Now I am off to show Renee and Lewis more of massachusetts. There is witches in our future.

Love
Janae

Reflections...

I do not know quite how to begin this post or if it will even make sense, so please bare with me. The end has finally arrived. After two years, which now seems like it just flow by, I have completed my Master's. At the moment, I just want to shout "I'm Done! I Did It!" followed by some cart wheels. Then I remind myself, I have never been able to do a cart wheel and I do not want to hurt myself by attempting this feat. I feel such a mixture of emotions. I am happy and excited and every happy emotion you can even imagine. I just want to cry tears of happiness and tears of joy.

Getting this degree has not been easy. I feel like I have faced every struggle possible. I know the Lord gives us trials to test us and to make us stronger. I use to laugh that God continually gave me trials because there was something big coming around the corner I had to weather and these trials were preparing me for it. That was not his purpose. He was making me stronger with each one. He saw where I was weak and sent me on a path to fix that. Like he says in the scriptures, the Lord will make "weak things become strong." He has done that for me and I see that so clearly now as my eyes are now fully wide open. But at the moments when things were hard, I did not look at it this way. Now that I can reflect on it, I see why they were there. It is funny how things work themselves out.

Through these trials, I have also learned to overcome many fears and stand strong. I have feel like I have passed the ultimate gut check. This past Sunday in Relief Society, we talked about making decisions, which I thought was meant for me. We discussed what President Monson said about decision making and it really resonated with me.

He said "I urge you to not take counsel of your fears. I hope you will not say, "I'm not smart enough to study chemical engineering; hence, I'll study something less strenuous." "I can't apply myself sufficiently well to study this difficult subject or in this comprehensive filed; hence, I'll choose the easier way." I plead with you to choose the hard way and tax your talents. Our Heavenly Father will make you equal to your tasks. If one should stumble, if one should take a course and get less than the "A" grade desired, I hope such a one will not let it become a discouraging thing to him. I hope that he will rise and try again."

I love how he began by talking about not giving into our fears. It is so easy too. This is why I feel like I have had the trials in my life. They have shown me that I have nothing to fear. That I am strong and that there is nothing that I cannot do. In these past two years, I have done many things I never dreamed in a million years I could do. I moved 3,000 miles away from my family. I built this whole new life and bettered myself. I can build and manage databases, talk about the hardest class I have even taken, but am so grateful I did. I no longer want to run away, but embrace what comes my way.

Tulips!!!

Spring (fingers crossed) has officially arrived in Boston. This weekend has been gorgeous so far. It is in the 70s and just warm and sunny! Today, I decided to take a walk through the Boston Public Gardens because I had no real school work to do. Everybody was out and walking around. I noticed in the Gardens they had planted tulips. Enjoy!








The following picture is for Renee. When walking through downtown, I spotted two Ferraris next to each other. They are beautiful!