Beautiful Boston

Ohhh Boston, where do I even begin? Boston & I got off to a rough start, mainly because I thought I could survive 2 plane rides and numerous public transportation trips without Dramamine....I was wrong. It was storming in Cincinnati when I left at 6 in the morning, causing almost the whole hour and a half plane ride to have horrible turbulence. It felt like I was on a roller coaster, and I cannot do roller coasters. I finally made it to New Jersey (Newark) and I was not feeling too hot. FYI Newark airport is disgusting. A short 45 minute plane ride to Boston later, the pilot announces we have arrived in Boston, Massachusetts and are descending. My stomach couldn't take it anymore, so I puked all over my jeans and my purse....(I am so embarrassing). Honestly, I don't think anyone around me noticed, thank god. The girl next to me was sleeping and the other woman had headphones it. I'm sure you're thinking, why didn't you use the puke bag? I TRIED, as gross as it is to admit this, it just projected out of me. Needless to say, I made my entrance to Boston, with puke and all. But I did feel much better after that! Lesson learned.

My friend Kacie met me in the airport, and so kindly put me on a 15 minute shuttle bus ride, then 3 subway trains....then we FINALLY arrived to her apartment. The Boston airport is way outside of downtown Boston. I was just happy to get out of the subway and be on the ground with fresh air. Once I relaxed a bit in Kacie's adorable little brownstone, I started to feel better, so we headed out for lunch and explored the city. Check out the following pictures to see the rest of my trip!

 That mural appeared on the building overnight, no one knows how it got there...

 Childhood memory: The Suite Life of Zac & Cody ^^^ That is the hotel!!

 Central Park or Boston Public Garden? I was in heaven, the leaves were so pretty and this park was beautiful. I could've stayed there all day. Boston really does feel like a mini New York, now I see why there is so much rivalry between the two cities!

George Washington doing his thing.

Beacon Hill--my favorite part of Boston. The cobblestone streets and side walks won me over, but Kacie did make a valid point, cobblestone streets are all over Boston. However, these brownstone row houses are adorable and each one has so much character. Life goals...

Beacon Hill is no joke, we got our workout that day.

 Cheers! (the TV show)

 There was a few loose cobblestone bricks on the sidewalk when we were walking around Beacon Hill and I joked that we should steal one as my souvenir. I'm a bad influence.Well, when no one was around I picked one out of the side walk and stuck it my purse. Yes, that is probably some sort of crime since these bricks have been around for 100s of years. But anyways, we thought it would be cute to keep it in Kacie's apartment and have everyone that came to visit her sign the brick! She thought it was "dirty" so she stuck the brick in her dishwasher, I joked that I was appalled because she washed away years and years of history. It is crazy if you actually think about how many people have probably stepped on that brick.

The Harvard Yard. Oh how I loved Harvard. It really is a beauty. The strangest thing was all of the tourists. Kacie & I agreed that we would actually hate going there because everyone just walks around your campus and gawks at it. The groups of people in the picture above are not "prospective student tours," they are just tourists, like us. You could tell who the real students were and I have to point out that I mainly saw men...

 Harvard Library. Besides Beacon Hill, Cambridge was my second favorite place we visited. The town of Cambridge, in addition to Harvard, is actually really cute. It is outside of the city so it has a more relaxed feel but still has the old character. I now have a super sweet Harvard sweatshirt..legally blonde?

So I decided I can't walk and take pictures at the same time. This was some "frat" house or in Harvard's world it is a club.

 Back on the subway...

 Even the bars are old pubs, I loved it! Boston doesn't mess around, the bars were packed at 9pm and by the time we left at 11:30pm this street was full of lines just to get in!

 Midnight Raunchy Improv Show!! Hilarious!!!

 Holocaust remembrance path. Those glass sides were full of tiny numbers...so sad.

Faneuil Hall

Another one of my favorite places--the harbor. Boston is such a unique city, it has the downtown busy city feel but in a few minutes you can be relaxing by the ocean. 

I only almost lost my hat like 3 times...I think Boston is the real windy city.

Finally got my seafood fix: lobster roll & shrimp cocktail!

 The freedom trail

THE MOST DELICIOUS CANNOLI EVER. I officially know what all of the hype is over. Ever since I have been back in Cincinnati I have been trying to find a place that makes then and can't find one. Why did I not discover this on my first day in Boston??

As much as I loved Boston, I decided I could not live there for two reasons: 1-it is SO expensive, 2-I hate public transportation, something about riding underground freaks me out. Despite those two things, I had such a blast in Boston, the weather was absolutely perfect, I was able to explore and see a lot of different areas & enjoy some excellent food! I will definitely be back!

Far from Nashville...

I took a weekend trip up to visit Shelby at her college a few weeks ago. I was excited to see her & her new apartment, but Terre Haute, Indiana....well, there is not much going on. We deiced to take a day trip to Nashville, Indiana on Saturday. The small town was about 2 hours south of Terre Haute, and someone at work told me it was a mini Gatlinburg, just without the mountains. So my expectations were high and we decided to check it out!

 The drive was SO pretty! It was the perfect time of year to drive down some country roads. When we finally arrived to the town, it was packed! (the people there were very interesting...and thought this place was the best place ever) I think everyone in Indiana and Kentucky decided to visit that weekend. After finally finding a parking spot, we decided to walk around. The sidewalks were so packed you could barely move. The old buildings/cabins were so neat, but once you have been in one country store, you really have been in them all. Not to mention, Shelby hates tourist shopping, so it was pure torture for her. Therefore, there was not much shopping for us. I wanted to pick up a bottle of wine, but the two wineries were packed and you had to do a wine tasting first before buying so that didn't happen. 

The visit was short lived because, quite honestly, it was too crowded, the stores weren't stores we were interested in and it started to rain...We stopped at this brewery for lunch but were told that it would be 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours to get a seat so we went up to the bar and had crappy salads and breadsticks because that was all they offered. We did stop at Indiana University's campus on the drive back, it is beautiful!!!! All in all, the drive & catching up with Shelby was the best part and next time, we will be visiting the REAL Nashville. Although Nashville did not live up to our expectations, it is always fun getting out to explore! 

Birthday!

October 9th was my birthday! AND it was my first birthday away from home. I worked the whole day so it didn't really feel like my birthday. However, my coworkers spoiled me at work with presents & cupcakes! I also was lucky enough to have all of the directors sing to me while I stood their awkwardly, it was great...

The weekend before my birthday, my dad and Shannon came in town to visit me and celebrate my birthday a bit early. We had such a nice visit, despite the freezing cold weather and rain! (I tried persistently to convince Shannon to go to Xavier)

How cute is my dad for bringing me a cake?! I didn't realize that if he hadn't brought a cake, I wouldn't have had one this year! I was loving the week of leftovers!

I had saved a present my mom had got my to open on my actual birthday so I would have something to actually open, so I got home from work and opened it. It was weird. The whole day felt off and made me really homesick. Thankfully, my sister, Shelby, came to Cincinnati that night to spend the weekend with me.

I went out with a few friends that night for some delicious Mexican food, and a bit too many margaritas...after 3 hours of margs, guacamole, tacos & FREE CHURROS, we were feeling adventurous so we went up to Mt Adams. Grace & I tried to get Shelby (who is underage) into a night club, but me trying to convince to the bouncer did not succeed. So, we headed to a little bar we knew didn't ID and sat outside by the fire and had some drinks. It ended up being the perfect night!

Thank you to everyone that mailed cards! I love getting mail so send more!!! :)

Life Update!

Since I've been MIA for a while, I figured I'd give you all an update on what has been going on in my life!

Work has been super busy! We are opening up an Alzheimer's wing in my building and I have been very involved in the whole project management aspect of opening up the unit as well as residents that would be appropriate, design, staffing, etc. The actual physical construction/demolition just began this last Monday, yay! November is also Alzheimer's awareness month! I have also been doing all of the hiring for my building so my days are filled with interviews.

Mom & Shelby came in town for Labor Day weekend. Yes, we all stayed in my studio apartment...It was so nice to have them visit. We shopped and ate some delicious food! Family, food & shopping--what more could you ask for?!

Exciting things coming up:

1. Flight to Boston-Booked! In November I will be going to Boston to visit my friend Kacie who moved there for grad school. I am so excited for this trip! Not only will this be the perfect time of year to explore the east coast but it will also be so nice to catch up with Kacie. This trip will also be my first time flying/traveling alone...so it'll be an adventure.

2. My Birthday! October 9th is less than a month away! I usually aways make a trip back home for my birthday since it fell during my university's fall break, but not this year. It'll be my first birthday I actually celebrate in Cincinnati, so that'll be different. My dad & Shannon are visiting me the weekend before my birthday and Shelby is coming in town the actual weekend of my birthday so at least I will be able to see family! 

3. CHRISTMAS!!! It is no secret that I am obsessed with Christmas. It is my favorite time of year. Therefore, I am already so excited that it is 3 months away. I am just enjoying that it is finally starting to feel like Fall here in Cincinnati. I am loving the cooler weather.