Adults in the Summer Time

It's especially fun to be grown up this month. I just finished takning the AICP exam (American Institute of Certified Planners). It's the culmination of a masters degree and a few years of professional experience. And...It's more letters after my name! (Well, I get the test results in August). It was nice when A called it the equivalent of the P.E. for my career. Don't tell the planners, but I don't think it even compares to the rigorous exam that engineers take. Anyway, it was a momentous day for both A and I as professional adults. While I was answering multiple choice questions for post name letters, A was on his first business golf outing! Yup, swingin' at little white balls and shmoozing with the clients, just like a big boy! Sometimes, this being an adult stuff is kinda fun!

In celebration of no traveling for work, and no studying for exams, A and I have continued to enjoy adventures. We took ourselves for a quick camping trip last weekend to Otter River Campground in northern central MA and hiked Mt. Monadnock (the most hiked mountain in the country). We both suffered from sore legs, but had a great time climbing. It felt great to be out in the fresh air working up a sweat alongside great views of the New England scenery.

This past weekend we continued our fun with a trip to Hull, MA. We visited the local kite store and purchased some kites! We hung out on the beach for the afternoon flying Opie and Boxer (our kites). Opie (the tie-dyed octopus) flew really well! Boxer (the pyramid shaped box style kite) needed a little help getting into the air. We clipped Boxer onto Opie's line and let Opie take him up! We felt quite proud of our solution.

We're enjoying the start of summer and looking forward to many more mountain/camping/hiking/beach adventures!

Springtime in Boston

Did I mention how much I love Boston in the springtime? The tulips in the public garding are beginning to bloom! The weather is warm, perfect for walking! I hope that today represents a typical spring / early summer day for us. This afternoon I walked from work, through the public garden, down Newbury street and stopped in for a haircut with my favorite stylist. After that I walked up to Kenmore (with all the Red Sox fans), and straight on through to Coolidge Corner. Nope, no tix to the game for me. At Coolidge Corner, I stopped in at Trader Joes and picked up some spinach (for salad), ground beef (for burgers) and foccacini bread (also for the burgers). I walked from TJ's up over the hill, saw some beautiful cherry trees along the way, to home where A was waiting with the charcoal and the grill! We grilled up some yummy burgers (using a meat rub for flavor in the patties), and sat on the porch enjoying the nice weather. We had spinach salads with cranberries, pecans, and goat cheese (the Britta Special). A nice breeze mixed in with the heat from the coals felt wonderful!

I love springtime in Boston. According to mapmyrun.com the walk I did this evening was 5.03 miles! Now, I'm going to online school to study for the AICP exam.....

Boston Weather (again)

Just when I get sick of it, it changes to something gloriously fun! I arrived back in Beantown from Louisiana at lunchtime today. It felt like a warm, yet crisp, spring day. The sun was shining and I didn't need a jacket!

I reflected on how much fun the weather cycle is. At the end of Fall, I looked forward to snow and the beautiful winter that New England brings. The fun of wearing pink snowboots and shoveling snow is welcome after the leaves have fallen and things begin to look dreary. A few weeks ago, I was begging for winter to end and today, Spring has sprung! I will enjoy the beautiful flowers and the perfect walking/running weather. Then, it will get hot! and I'll look forward to the cool days of Autumn. Ahhh, the seasons of New England. I truly enjoy them.

Why is it that I think of GREAT April fool's jokes in December, but can never remember them when it's time to use them?

Happy April Fool's Day!

The tulips are starting to sprout out of the ground in the Public Garden! Cherry trees are blossoming in DC!

I'm ready

I'm ready for spring. Conveniently, according to the calendar, it has arrived! To celebrate the first night of spring we ceremoniously removed the electric blanket from the bed. Yup, a momentous occasion.

I've given up on scarves and gloves completely, but am still wearing a winter hat outside. This morning, I walked by the little fish pond in front of a house in our neighborhood and noticed it had a nice layer of ICE over it, so the temps are still cool.

But, I have hopes that it will actually feel like spring sometime soon because last week it felt like spring in DC. Just last Saturday, I was strolling the monuments in the sun wearing short sleeves. Here in Beantown, I'm looking forward to the tulips in the Public Garden!

SNOW!

Enjoying a beautiful snow storm today! (of course, those people who drove cars this morning, are not so happy..., but me with my pink snow boots and no pressing need to drive am loving the weather!)

With the expected 6 - 8 inches, I'm planning to resurrect Fred.

Giving & Gaming

A and I gave blood Friday evening! It felt good. Not the needle prick, per se, but knowing that I was helping someone. I hadn't given blood since I was back in Sacramento. It's such a simple thing (not for everyone, I understand) that doesn't take much time, that I can do regularly to help people in need. The fun part of our experience was that the blood drive was on the campus of MIT in the student center. We reminisced of our college days. A was amazed that there's a whole university of engineers right next to his work. The blood taker lady did a good job. No bruising!

Our weekend following was nice and mellow. We purchased a new strategy board game for our collection. It took us 3 hours to set up and read the instructions for Axis & Allies. We took a break after that for lunch and a walk. We played into the wee hours of the night. I had some lucky roll of the dice and the Axis powers were conquering victory cities right and left!