MaryJo and Angie's Visit

We just had the pleasure of entertaining some guests this past weekend. It has been a while since we've had anyone out to visit, so it much welcomed. Adam's mom and sister came out here for their first time, so we had A LOT of things to cram in this trip. We started off with dinner at Pizzeria Regina and followed it up with ice cream cake (yum!) for Angie's birthday! Happy 20th!

The following day we pretty much walked Boston from one end to the other, taking in all the sights. We started off at Fenway and made our way down Newbury St (buying some shoes along the way). The walk was gorgeous as all the tulips were in bloom - spring has definitely sprung in Boston! Then we checked out the Commons and took a breather on a park bench to people watch for a while. After that we headed to Faneuil Hall and watched some street performers (and bought some more shoes!). From there we walked through the North End and had some gelato. We went to Top of the Hub for dinner that night to enjoy some good food and drinks, but most importantly the views!! I love it up there. To cap off the night we headed up to Giggles Comedy Club on Route 1. There were 4 comedians - 2 guys and 2 girls - and I must say... these were the best female comedians I have ever seen! I laughed my butt off! We will definitley go back there again.














The next day was HOT at our house, so we ventured to the North Shore to go to the beach. It was Angie's first ever trip to the ocean - so fun! We went to Salibury Beach to enjoy the sun... only problem was it disappeared the closer we got to the beach. It was a good 20 degrees colder by the ocean than when we left our house. There wasn't much sun bathing going on as I was using my beach towel for a blanket! We ate lunch by the ocean and then made one attempt at taking a plunge into the Atlantic. I think Adam and Angie got about shin deep before they couldn't feel their toes and decided against it. The water was probably about 50 degrees... BRRR! After that we went to Gloucester and Rockport - two little fishing towns on the coast. They really liked Rockport... it has a bunch of little shops and cafes - almost looks like a movie set! That night we beat and spent the evening at our house watching movies.












One interesting thing happened while they were here - you may have heard it on the news? - the main water pipe that brings treated water from the reservoir into Boston burst over the weekend. Over 8 million gallons of water per hour gushed from the pipe and left 27 counties around Boston without drinking water. We were put on a "Boil Water Order" meaning any water you drink, cook with, brush your teeth with, wash your dishes wish, etc. must be boiled first. Good thing we were going out to eat for most of our meals! All the bottled water was sold out in every store so we were stuck boiling gallons and gallons of water... mostly for Kenzie, I never noticed how much she actually drinks each day! Hopefully they get that pipe fixed soon!










Angie and MaryJo left this morning... we would have loved for them to stay longer. The time flew! We had a lot of fun showing them around the city and giving them a little taste of our lives out here. We can't wait for the next visit! Kenzie was especially sad to seem them go as she lost her playmates while we were at work! =) Thanks again MaryJo and Angie for coming to visit! We will see you again this summer when we are home!

Adam left for Minnesota tonight as well. He had to go back to Winona to get his house rental certified... that has been quite the task lately! He is also going to a Twins game at Target Field while he is back and I am VERY jealous about this. I will have to work that into one of my trips back this summer. So, this week it is just me an Kenzie holding down the fort. I am actually looking forward to a little ME time. I have a lot of homework and final projects I need to work on for school. Hopefully I will squeeze in some time to paint my toenails and do a little shopping as well!

Hola Mexico!

We just got back from a vacation to Mazatlan with my family. Between work, midterms, and life in general, it was awesome to escape for a while. I was in much need of a little rest and relaxation... plus, it was great to spend time with my family for a week!

We used my parents' timeshares for the week which was very nice. Since we had two rooms they gave us a Penthouse Suite... I could live with that for the week! =) I could also live with waking up to the panoramic view of the ocean every morning off our balcony. How I love vacations! We stayed at the Pueblo Bonito in Emerald Bay. It is located in the "New Mazatlan" on a secluded part of the Pacific Coast, which made our daily walks on the beach very peaceful and calming. The resort was really nice. It had sort of a Roman thing going on with the architecture and statues. I enjoyed exploring the resort area and taking pictures all week. We had a ton of iguana sightings at the resort... they were everywhere! The pool area was beautiful with its sparkling blue water and palm trees galore. We spent most of our time lounging in the sun by the pool all day. Give me a good book and a bucket of beers and I am content! I had three books packed in my beach bag and managed to get through two of them... "Rachel's Holiday" by Marian Keyes and "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein (I recommend both if you need a good read!). Adam was a bit more restless wanting to surf, body board, go for walks, basically anything not involving sitting on a pool chair. Maybe we can do more of that on our next vacation!

































We made the adventure into town every night for dinner. My all time favorite places are still Gus Gus, Panchos, and the Ristorante Villa Italia. Gus Gus has a great bar with karaoke to entertain you through the night outside after dinner. Panchos is right on the ocean. There I ordered the Molcajete... we had seen it on menus all week, so I figured I better try it. I had no idea what I was in for! It was a cast iron bowl filled with meat, chunks of cheese, peppers, onions, and a red sauce heated to the temperature of molten lava! It was piping hot, but very good.





Also, we had to get the Senor Frogs experience in before we left. There is nothing that screams vacation more than Miami Vices by the yard and balloon hats! We had a bit of fun with our balloon hats this year. I combined all 5 hats to make one SUPER hat. It was quite the hit with our neighboring tables. And hey, at least I know I can always fall back on making balloon hats in Mexico! Travis decided to wear the SUPER hat all the way back to our hotel. The funny thing was, no one even looked twice about it. That night we had beers on the patio when we got back. I curled up with the comforter and was out within minutes. Do you think they wake me up, tuck me in, etc.? Nope! Just put the balloon hat back on me and call it a night.























We ventured to the Pueblo Bonito in town one day to walk on the beach there and have a little more action. The beaches in town have a lot more going on... Especially Easter weekend! Who knew Easter was such a big party... it was like a Mexican Mardi Gras! Apparently, they all give up alcohol for lent and then figure Friday is close enough. They celebrate all day on the beach and then move the party to the streets at night. There were bands - like tubas, trombones, saxaphones, trumpets - at street corners on every block. People were drinking in the streets... Adam made friends and scored two Tecates. They would drive their cars up and down the strip, pulling over in the middle of traffic to mix another drink in the trunk, and then get back on the road. There were bands in the back of pickup trucks... there were also plenty of M16 toting policemen in the back of police trucks as well. It was quite the experience!



















Needless to say we had a lot of fun and good times with my family. I was sad to leave at the end of the week. It was Adios Mexico and back to reality... and one things for sure - reality bites!