Please come to Boston for the Winter...

This song "Please come to Boston" plays in my head every time I think about Boston. Granted the lyrics are Please come to Boston for the springtime... but I feel like changing it to Winter, makes more sense for my latest adventures.

This summer after some emails back and forth in which I was asking Jamie about the summer fair she worked at in high school, she wrote back and said:

"I miss you. A lot. When are you going to visit Boston? I should con you into visiting me in the dead of Feb or something since you are one of the only people I know who likes the cold"

Well she didn't have to do any conning.. I was ready and willing to come in February... the colder the better in my book. So book a flight I did. For February 17th, about as smack in the middle of the dead of February as one can get.

Jamie is an amazing photographer. She took some simply wonderful pictures and also played paparazzo, snapping photos and action shots like it was her job.

Friday we ventured into Boston, but only after driving by Harvard.

I wish my parents had taken me there when I was little so that I could have been diligently striving my whole high school career to get in. Beyond beautiful. I alas did not take a picture.

She took me to the Public Gardens and I think I should have warned her that on vacations I turn into an Asian Tourist and snap pictures of landscapes like.... well, an Asian Tourist.

We had to get a picture with the ducks... and of course pictures of Jamie's little ducks...

Bryson put on a splendid ice skating show for us... Bryson also might be the world's most sweet, kind hearted and tender little soul. His little raspy froggy voice makes every thing sound adorable.

And the Queen of Sass, Miss Eliza with a Z, made a stunning turn as the most darling little girl you have laid eyes on.

It boggles my mind to know that our Founding Fathers walked these streets or sat in the different church pews that we saw. It felt like hollowed ground to me. It actually was some sort of testimony builder. It just furthers my knowledge that Heavenly Father had a plan and that America was destined to be the free and marvelous country that we live in today.

I am grateful for the inspired men who came before us and all that they lived and died for.

George... which is a name on the comeback... watch out Aiden, Ethan and Jacob.

Can't you just see Paul Revere cruising down this street, cobblestones and all?

Or better yet, maybe you can picture me hailing a cab...

(Courtesy of Jamie Cook)

As luck would have it was Iwo Jima day and they were having the most wonderful military parade complete with bagpipes playing Amazing Grace at the State House.

Now maybe I have seen The Town or The Departed one too many times, but to me that was the essence of Boston.

(Courtesy of Jamie Cook)

After that we made our way passed thousands of historical sites:

I posted this one just for Jamie who could not have been more pleased to see GREENERY abounding!

The other great thing about hanging out with Jamie was that she loves working out as much, if not more than I do. I was so happy that she was able to get me a guest pass so that we could work out Friday and Saturday. It makes me think it's ok to eat nachos when I work out...

And eat nachos we did, at this darling little place called The Brick Alley Pub & Restaurant in Rhode Island.

Before though, we strolled through the Vanderbilt's summer "cottage", The Breakers.

It really was like out of a movie. I could have stayed in the house for days I think just wandering and exploring and learning all about the family that lived there.

Here is an aerial view from the water that I found online.

Unreal.

After that we took a little drive along the coast and saw some of the most beautiful modern day "Summer Cottages"

Here is my future home, as you can see it is still under construction...

I am hoping it will be ready for me by the time summer rolls around.

The boat I'll use to gather and catch all the seafood I won't eat at my summer lobster bake.

One of the truly wonderful things about spending the weekend with Jamie is that she is very well read and knowledgeable about foreign and domestic affairs. We had hour long conversations about everything and anything.

My most profound statement in talking about the book Guns, Germs and Steel, was when I said, and I quote

"Africa has been around for a long time...."

After which I am sure I made a face like this...

(Courtesy of Jamie Cook)

See I totally could have gotten in Harvard....

Some of the truly wonderful things about this weekend were as follows:

-I felt like I had a roommate again. It has been so long since I got ready to go out in a shared bathroom. It was nice to do our hair and just chat.

- Jamie's husband Dan I think should be in the running for husband of the year. You could not ask for a better provider, father, and husband. He let me steal his wife away for the weekend and watched the kids so that we could have fun days out.

-Jamie is the best story teller and it was great to be able to just chat and listen to all of her wonderful stories.

-I am pretty sure that if given the proper tools and instruments Jamie and I could collectively:

get paid to critique people... as well as their blogs.

It's an art form that only a few have mastered.

-Jamie is also a wonderful and patient mother. Our last real day to day interactions(light years ago) usually consisted of her being very passionate about one thing or the next and being very boisterous about it.

So to hear her speak in the most kind, gentle and loving voice to her children was something I was not prepared for. She is the model of calm.

-I feel so blessed to have her as my friend and I cannot wait to go back and visit her!!

I'll leave you with some killer paparazzo shots... they sum up the essence of this trip...

Walking

(Courtesy of Jamie Cook)

Knee-Slapping Laughter

(Courtesy of Jamie Cook)