Boston, been there done that! WARNING: Picture Overload!

So, my third trip and hubby's second trip to Boston was June 9th for 5 days. 

We fly out early, so have the whole day with Kristen and the family.

Last November when we went to Quincy Market, Cheers was closed for a private party, and my

husband did not get to experience the atmosphere.

This time, we went straight from the airport to Quincy Market and went to lunch, at Cheers.

 Poppy reuniting with his boy!

That was about it and enough for us, since we get up at 3 to get ready and leave for the airport that is 

 1 1/2 hours away!

 We were going to be staying with the kiddos since it was Joey and Kristen's date night. Here the boys and Rosie tried to beat Kenneth up. I think they pretty well succeeded!  

They kept jumping on his stomach and I think it was Rosie that really had the "ok, I've got enough of this"

jump.  He asked them not to jump on his stomach anymore, and they didn't wrestle for a while.  Later he and the boys were upstairs and started wrestling again.  Once he came down it was all like, "Yeah, Ninja jumped on my jewels, so I'm done."  LOL  Ninja told him, "But Papa Cajun, I didn't jump on your stomach, I jumped on your lap!"

Sunday we decided to go to York Beach, Maine and visit the Nubble Lighthouse.

 On the way there we went to Woodman's to eat lunch.

Part of the movie Grown Up's was filmed here, where the kids want to get "chocolate wasted".

Even though I did not have lobstah, it was hands down the best seafood meal I've had and they definitely DO NOT skimp on portions.

After the Nubble we went to York Beach, and then the touristy part of York Beach.

 Left to right are: Hulk, Ninja, Rosie and Carter

Kristen, rocking her Avengers tee.  Can you tell by this photo that she is the leader and tour guide?

I was amazed at the difference in temperature from last June, when I froze my butt off and it rained almost everyday, to this June when it was beautiful weather and if not careful I could get sunburned!

The other thing that really amazed me was that the water temperature was no different from Tybee Island, GA a week before!  I thought that it would be much colder.

Monday we went to Wilson Farm and man, would we do most of our grocery shopping there!

Monday night we went to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill at Patriot Place, a very nice shopping center right by NE Patriot's Gillette Stadium.

We had such fun here window shopping and walking around.  Let me just tell you that the American Solider Burger was really good.

Kristen and Joey's neighbor, Bill

made the mistake of asking us to bring him home some leftovers. He asked the wrong people (Me, and the kids) Cause he got everything that wasn't eaten on anyone's plate.  I think we grossed him out pretty good, which of course, was a job well done on our part.

Here's what we did the rest of the trip:

 Hulk chasing his Mama with the water hose, which was funny until...

 He spotted me!

 Carter and Rosie showing off their suspenders and tiara that was our gift to them. (Of course, they picked them out themselves.) The boys got Lego's (what else?).

Hulk getting Poppy with the watergun!  Don't worry, he got me too!

 Taking Carter to Rainforest Cafe for an early birthday dinner.  (I personally think Kenneth just likes the place and uses any excuse to go!)

AND, going to Ninja's pre-school graduation!

Of course, Kristen and I took off to parts unknown (Burlington Mall, or Paul Blart's Mall as I call it) and let Poppy spend quality time with the boys, while the girls were still at school.

Yep, they were still at school until this past Tuesday!

All this and I have come home with a great case of Red Eye!

Yep, worse than pink eye (which I've had in the past) Red Eye.  It started last Thursday morning in my left eye, moved to my right eye Monday night (after the initial eye drop antibiotics failed).  My left is finally feeling better, but the right is still driving me crazy!

That would be an excellent post about conjunctivitis and the different kinds, but frankly, I've had my fill of it! This has been awful.  Not to mention, it's cost me 3 days of work!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

This is one of those blog hops that you participate in, not only by visiting and following other blogs, but by answering questions the host, Joyce  @ From This Side of the Pond creates.

1.  Summer officially rolls in with the Hodgepodge, for those of us in the Northern hemisphere anyway. What song says summer 2012 to you? 

Ever since I first heard this song it has been my summer anthem.  It resonates with summers from the late 70's and early 80's which was my carefree and prior to responsibility time as well as it does for today.

Get More: Kid Rock, All Summer Long, Music, More Music Videos

Plus, it just makes me happy to hear this song.

2.  What is the quintessential summer food?

Well, my first choice would be watermelon, but as Joyce had this as her answer, I'll use my second choice.

Homemade Peach ice cream. 

What else would you expect from a Georgia girl?

3.I've spent a lot of time traipsing up and down the NJ turnpike in recent weeks. Did you know the rest stops on the turnpike are named after people who lived or worked in NJ? Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, James Fenimore Cooper, Molly Pitcher, Joyce Kilmer, Thomas Edison, and Grover Cleveland just to name a few. Of those I listed who would you most like to have known and why?

Hands down, Clara Barton & Molly Pitcher.

Both were women ahead of their time, and both were not afraid to think 'outside of the box', way before it was cool.

 

4.   At what age did you move out of your parent's house and what prompted the move?  

Are we talking permanently or temporarily?  I was 17 when I moved to the college dorms.  I was 20 when I got married the first time and moved out and into adult life.

5.  What's more satisfying to you-saving time or saving money?

Saving money definitely, not that we are able to get ahead by much right now with the economy.

 

6.  Name something you think brings out the good in people.

 Ok this may be off the mark, but I'm gonna say working with people who are positive and smile all the time. This rubs off and is much easier to accomplish than being a grump, whiner and complainer.  Which is also contagious.  I try to be that person, but being the imperfect person I am I do have grump days.

 

7.   This last question comes to you courtesy of Kathy at Reflections...are you taking a vacation or staycation this summer? If so where are will you go? If a staycation is on the calendar have you made any special plans to fill the time? 

We have taken a vacation to Boston to see my daughter and her family.  I will fly up there again to have an adventure with her in late July to drive back down with the four kiddos.  I am blessed with a job and schedule that gives me 6 days off every 3 weeks.  I try to plan get aways for then, but it is not always possible.

 

8.   Insert your own random thought here. 

 I saw someone else use something they found on Pinterest and thought I have the best one for here on one of my boards:  Funnies.  

Apparently, this is more common than I and two of my other friends realized! 

I about cried tears down my leg when I first saw this!

Tybee Island

The end of May and first of June found my sister and brother in law here for a visit.

I was very excited since I haven't seen them since last October.

Karen is the sister I never had growing up and pretty well tolerates me picking on her brother, my hubby.

EXCEPT, when I make fun of his fear of heights.....then it's on! :)

Mike and his girls came and spent the weekend with us also, he hasn't seen is Aunt and Uncle in at least 5 years!

Saturday we packed up and headed to Tybee Island, GA to the beach, then to The Crab Shack to eat, and finally to Riverstreet in Savannah to pick up some pralines at Riverstreet Sweets.

Yes, even though I'm a big girl I still get bathing suits and still wear them in public (as opposed to just at my house).  This cute top came from WalMart this year.  I have a couple of black bottoms (skirt and shorts) that I mix and match with tops.

Sunday we cooked, Kenneth and Glynn BBQ'd ribs, chicken and sausage and Karen and I took care of the fixins and dessert. A dear friend, Cathy and my Mom came to enjoy food and fellowship!

Monday came too fast and we all went either went back to work or took back off for Louisiana (Karen and Glynn).

We still had a great trip coming up on the 9th.  We were heading back to Boston, (my 3rd and Kenneth's 2nd) for a visit with Kristen and her family.

You can find her blog here:

Our Crazy Bunch

MARCH, APRIL, AND MAY 2012

Here's What We've Been Up To

PART THREE:

March was pretty quiet around here.  Enjoyed the time watching the birds, squirrels and flowers begin to bloom.

We had some pretty nice weather so a lot of things bloomed earlier than usual this year.  The yellow plums bloomed out, then were almost wiped out by the winds that came in April.  Here are some pics from around the yard. 

April brought more flowers in the yard and Easter with the Mike and the girlies.

And a new addition to the family:

Bella aka Bellie Cat because she only would answer to that~

She was three months old in this picture (the day we adopted her).

Her favorite activities are chasing Kujo or stalking him and jumping on him unexpectedly and birdwatching from the screened porch.  

I think she has done Kujo a world of good, not that he would cop to that!

 This beautiful blue jay was not studying Bellie, much more interested in the food than her.

Kenneth took the girlies to a hunting club meeting where they picked blueberries and met an alligator named Wally.  Yep, a friend of Kenneth's has an alligator in his pond that they feed.

Mike bought himself a Harley, and for some reason my hubby loves to be photographed on a motorcycle.

He swears he doesn't want one though!

He took Mom and I out for Mother's Day!

And I impressed myself catching this bolt of lightening during a thunder storm. No oak trees were harmed during this photo op!  

All this and we managed to get the pool cleaned too!

JANUARY and FEBRUARY 2012

Here's What We've Been Up To

PART TWO:

Not much went on in January, but I did find an old Hummingbird nest in one of our oak trees.

 AND the blooming of Daffodils.

February brought Kristen and her family home for a visit.

Carter, Rosie, Kristen and I went for a pedicure:

 Then out for lunch at Olive Garden, where we got photo bombed by Rosie!

Mike's girlies got to meet Aunt Kristen and their cousin Carter for the first time.  He was taking them back to their Mom in Virginia the next day.

And what do true Southern girls do after a pedicure? 

They turn back into tomboys so that they can hang with their brothers.

Of course Kristen would think it hilarious to use the Boston Starbucks coffee cup I got last June....

 March and April aren't much better, but stay tuned.

:)