Adventures in Beantown

Wow! So much to catch up on! I'd start from the beginning but that would take much to get you up to speed. Instead, I'll start with my Mom's visit to Rhode Island.

Over her spring break, my Mom came to visit me for a long weekend at the beginning of April. I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to be able to pick her up at the airport because of the flooding in Southern Rhode Island, but none of the roads (no pun intended) were blocked. My mom's plane was right time (wasn't expecting that), so we had to stall a little before our reservations. I thought we should eat at an authentic Italian restaurant in Federal Hill, so we had a lovely dinner at Pane e Vino. Besides the fact that we were right next to the waiters' station (Mom has always had some bad restaurant luck), it was a wonderful, relaxing meal.

Since I took my Mom down to Newport when she visited before, we decided to head up to Boston for the day. I had been wanting to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum since a) I read about it in my '1,000 Places to See Before You Die' book and b) my friend Courtney said it was one of the most beautiful places in Boston (she goes to school in the city, so I trust her as an accurate resource). Ms. Gardner was an avid collector of art from around the world. Within several years, both her husband and father died, leaving her with almost $3 million dollars (this is back in the late 1800's- who knows how much money that equals now!). She used her money to build the museum and buy additional pieces to add to her collection. The only stipulation of the museum was that everything had to be left where she put it, even after her death. The second part of the "contract" was that there was to be a celebration on her birthday every year. (This woman was very particular. I don't know about you, but I'm not sure she and I would get along.)

My favorite part of the ISG museum by far is the courtyard. It opens up to all three floors of the museum. It is just as much a piece of art as the rest of the building- fresh flowers, marble statues, and a fountain, to name a few highlights. Above the courtyard is a ceiling made of glass.

The museum doesn't look like much from the outside... you probably wouldn't even notice that it was there if you weren't looking for it.

Here is a picture of the courtyard, although it is not my favorite. They won't let you take pictures inside (it was torture!), so this is the best one I could find online. Wouldn't this be a gorgeous place for a wedding?

There were paintings by many famous artists- this picture was done by Michelangelo.

"El Jaleo" This is a very interesting piece by Stewart. The painting itself takes up an entire wall- a small recess was built just to highlight this painting. It is much more beautiful in person- the fabric looks so fluid, and full that it almost reminds me of a wedding dress.

After several hours at the museum, we had a quick lunch after checking into the Park Plaza Hotel. When I was talking to my Mom before her trip, she realized two things 1) I had not spent the night in Boston and 2) I had never experienced room service in a hotel! If you haven't ever had a chance to use it before, I highly recommend using Priceline.com to find a last-minute deal on a hotel or flight. We were able to book a room for less than half of what we would normally pay if we booked through the hotel's website. Priceline allows you to select where you'd like to be (it even goes down to the neighborhood level in bigger cities like Boston, New York, etc), the number of stars of the accommodations, and the price you'd like to pay. If you have gone too low, it will come back and tell you to change some of your options. Otherwise, if all parameters can be met, the hotel is booked right away and it tells you where you will be staying. You have to be a little bit flexible, but it's definitely worth a try.

The Park Plaza Hotel- it was a perfect location... close to a T stop, Boston Common, and Paper Source (I swear I did not even know that it was less than two blocks away!)

Isn't it nice to know that there will always be someone to open the door for you?

On Saturday night, we stayed in to watch the final game of the NCAA tournament. I asked my Mom if she wanted to go to a sports bar or restaurant to watch the game, but she preferred to stay in and relax (fine by me!). When she was growing up, one of her favorite memories was ordering room service with her Mom. My Grandpa did quite a bit of traveling, and my Grandma would go with him from time to time. She was able to sleep in, read all day, take a nap, and, her favorite, order room service. :) It felt special to share something with my Mom that she shared with my Grandma.

On Sunday morning, we went to Easter service at the Park Street Church on the other side of Boston Common. I had done some research ahead of time (imagine that!), and it looked like a place that we would enjoy. It was a fairly traditional service, but it had one of my favorite ceremonies in the church- baptisms. There was a girl from China who was baptized- her story was very beautiful.

The church is actually a part of the Freedom Trail- it was founded in 1809!

After church was over, we took the T to get breakfast in Cambridge. I know, not exactly the closest place to eat, but there was a place that I didn't want to miss after I did my research (ha!) on the best places to catch brunch in Boston. There were a lot of fancy (and therefore, $$$$) places that were on the list, but another one caught my eye when I read that it was voted both "Best New Restaurant" and "Best Brunch" by several Boston area magazines. The Friendly Toast is not a chain (there are only two of them total- the other is in New Hampshire) and is kind of in a weird location (not easy to find by any means). Thank goodness they had an extra sign to guide you to the back of the building, or we never may have found it.

The Friendly Toast has a relaxed atmosphere, filled with 50's and 60's memorabilia. My chair had a green, metallic plastic covering the seat, and there was a small ceramic cow holding our salt, sugar, and pepper on the table. I had butterscotch hot chocolate with marshmallows (to die for!) and "Hansel and Gretel waffles"-- gingerbread waffles with pomegranate molasses and whipped cream! Mom had the "Drunkard's French Toast"-- French toast topped with a Grand Marnier and raspberry sauce. Click here to see more of the menu.

A picture of the inside of The Friendly Toast- it would have been a blast hunting for the decorations!

It doesn't look like it in this picture, but it was packed! Thank goodness we got there before 10:00 AM.

A picture of a magnolia tree in bloom in Cambridge

We drove back to RI on Sunday afternoon and took a long nap- all that running around made us exhausted. I had to work on Monday, but we did get to make dinner together on both Sunday and Monday nights. On Sunday, we had homemade pepperoni and banana pepper pizza, and dinner on Monday night was tacos with fresh salsa and guacamole and margaritas.

We got to the airport on Tuesday when I realized that we hadn't taken a picture of the two of us on my camera the whole weekend! (We had one taken of us in front of Park St. Church, but it is on Mom's camera.) To make up for it, we took the picture below while waiting for our flights.

Thanks for a great weekend, Mom!

Walk the Line

Happy Easter! Hope you were able to celebrate with friends and family.

On Friday afternoon, my Mom flew into Providence to visit for a few days. After I picked her up, we headed to Federal Hill, an Italian neighborhood in Providence. I wanted to take her somewhere nice to eat, but there are an innate number of restaurants, which left me cluelessly as to where to start. Enter Open Table.

Open Table is a website that allows you to look at restaurant reviews, make and cancel reservations online, and earn reward points towards dining at restaurants (not sure how this works yet, but I'll figure it out). Mike, a co-worker of mine who does quite a bit of traveling, swears by Open Table. He uses it whenever he's traveling to find the best spots without doing a bunch of legwork. I guess it's similar to Trip Advisor but focuses merely on food.

After looking at the options, I chose Pane e Vino, which was also recommended by a friend. We were a little early, and it looked a little empty... I get nervous if a restaurant isn't busy on a Friday night because that usually means it isn't very good! Turns out other people just got out to eat later. We had a lovely dinner- I had Caesar salad and Mom had halibut with olive oil, garlic, and cherry tomatoes, accompanied by the Italian version of a giant tater tot. Dessert was a warm apple tart with a small (it looked like they scooped it out with a melon baller... I mean, I know our portions in America are too big, but give me a break!) bit of vanilla ice cream.

We spent all day Saturday and part of Sunday in Boston- more to come on that later. (I know, I still owe you details of my trip with my Dad to Newport.) Tonight we made homemade pepperoni pizza Roth-style (friends of mine that first introduced me to pepperoni pizza with banana peppers- yum!) and watched "Walk the Line," the movie with Reees Witherspoon and Joaquin Phonenix about Johnny Cash. I didn't really know his story, so it was pretty interesting but it was too long- 135 minutes without anything blowing up seems like forever.

Hope you have a great week! Cheers!

Soul With a Capital S

After our grand food tour of the North End, my Dad and I took up Jim's recommendation on the best pizza place in the area- Regina Pizzeria. (This restaurant also came recommended by my brother who lived just outside of Boston for a summer.) We followed the directions and almost missed the place- the North End isn't that big but neither is Regina's.

It was a little chaotic and definitely noisy when we walked in- it reminded me of a cross between a small Italian diner and a mild version of an Ed Debevic's in Chicago. There wasn't a whole lot of order in the place- lot of shouts from waitress to kitchen to waitress across the room, people shuffling by each other through the narrow aisles. It was a good thing we were looking for pizza because that was the only thing on the menu. No salads, no breadsticks, no calzones. Just pizza. But I guess the best way to get good at something is to just make that one thing. The pizza was delicious... nothing you'd eat if you were on a diet, but they had the crust thickness to edge ratio down just right (thinner bottom of the pizza with a little more lip on the outside).

We got to Regina's just in time- when 6:00 PM rolled around, the line was already out the door.

After dinner, we headed off to Wilbur Theater in the Theater District of Boston to see Tower of Power. Originally from Oakland, California, Tower of Power is a funk and soul group that has been around for over 40 years. Not very many people know about them, but the ones that do tend to follow them around (I hate to say cult, so we'll call them "groupies," even though I don't think that is the right word, either). Tower of Power (of ToP, as they are often abbreviated) rarely come to the Midwest, so when my Mom saw that they would be in Boston, she jumped on the chance to get tickets for my Dad as a special present.

Here is a bit of the history on the theater from their website:

The Wilbur Theatre was built in 1914 by the Shubert brothers who named it for their friend and theatre manager A.L. Wilbur. It was built on the site of the former Winthrop School for Girls. The Wilbur was the first Boston theatre to draw its inspiration from American Colonial architecture rather than from European sources. It was designed by architect Clarence H. Blackall. To ensure authenticity, the porticos on the front of the theatre were copied directly from the 1837 Thomas Bailey Midrich House at 59 Mt. Vernon Street on Beacon Hill. This Federal Revival style is characterized by a quiet simplicity and intimate, almost home-like atmosphere. Architectural historian Douglas Tucci said of the Wilbur, "The auditorium is in its chaste way the handsomest of any Boston playhouse."

They didn't allow any photographs to be taken inside the theater (I hate this- can totally kill a blog post), which is shame because it is so beautiful. All of the original architecture is still intact. The building has lavish details such as filigree molding (is that a real thing?), a crystal chandelier, and a crest emblem with a gold "W" that I coveted the entire show. (FYI- for those of you that don't know, I am obsessed with monograms!)

There are three levels inside the theater- the top two had stadium seating that you would see in a movie theater today. We had seats on the first floor and were only about 30 feet away from the stage. It is a small venue (probably holds about 500 people), but they definitely pack you in like sardines. They had tables and chairs for seats on the first floor- bigger tables of 12 in front, and rows of chairs on the sides. The numbers of the seats were a little confusing, even to the staff. (I swear they had no idea what they were doing.) Not only did we get seated incorrectly (well, we actually sat ourselves), three other groups around us were put in the wrong seats by the ushers. Right up until the show started there was always some kind of commotion going on in our section about whose seats were where, what seats were extras, blah blah blah- it was hilarious.

Even if you wouldn't choose a funk and soul band to see in concert as your number one pick, Tower of Power is a great show if you love live music. You don't see a 10+ member band with a 5-horn section very often these days, and let me tell you, these guys can cook! I brushed up on some of the best of ToP the week before the concert- I mean, who doesn't love to sing along at a concert?

A picture of the sign outside Wilbur Theater

An old photo showcasing the interior

I probably took about 30 (illegal) pictures during the concert, none of which turned out. On top of that I didn't remember that I had a video function on my camera until the last minute of the concert when I saw a woman taping the show on her phone. I mean, I probably wouldn't make any money from selling it, but it would have been fun to have, especially since they were playing my dad's favorite song, You're Still a Young Man.

The best picture I got all night! Just a reminder that there's nothing like the real thing...

Click on the following links to experience a little ToP from your own home...

-Soul with a Capital S (my favorite)

-You're Still a Young Man (Dad's favorite)

-What is Hip (I love this video- it is from 1977! There are still 3 original band members playing today- isn't that amazing?)

-Diggin' on James Brown (Another crowd pleaser)

We definitely had a blast at the concert- thanks for the tickets, Mom!

More to come tomorrow about Dad and I in Newport...

La Bella Vita

Last Tuesday my Dad came for a short visit to Rhode Island. He had two tickets to see Tower of Power in Boston on Wednesday night, so I took half of a vacation day so that we would have time to explore the city. I've been to Boston more than half a dozen times since I've lived on the East Coast, but I knew that I probably wasn't the best tour guide.

If I ever need suggestions for places to see and things (and I am lacking access to a local authority), I turn to Trip Advisor. While searching for various to-do's in Boston, I came across Michelle Topor's Food Tours of Boston. After reading reviews and looking at her website (and a phone call to my Mom to be sure my Dad would like something like this- non-refundable tickets!), I decided that we'd give it a try.

On Wednesday afternoon, we met at the location described on the instructions. There weren't very many other people around, so I began to wonder if we might be the only people on the tour. Just then, our tour guide walked up and introduced himself. I recognized Jim from the pictures and descriptions of the tour guides on Michelle's website but thought that it might be creepy if I told him I already knew who he was. As it turned out, there were only 2 other people on our tour- a mother and daughter (maybe in-law?) from Virginia.

Jim started our tour by giving us a high-level overview of the history of the area. Before the North End was inhabited by Italians, a number of different immigrant groups lived there. As the immigrants became more affluent and prosperous, they left the area.

Our first stop was at Maria's Pastry Shop. From the outside, it doesn't look like much, but appearances can be deceiving. Maria's is a family business that has been open for 25 years, yet still remains largely unknown. Jim showed us the different types of Italian pastries that are made and what, if any, affiliation they had with religious holidays. Colomba, for example, is bread shaped like a dove that is made at Easter. This sweet cake is eaten for either breakfast or dessert and is topped with almonds and powdered sugar. After Jim explained all of the goods, we were able to taste biscotti (bis means "two" and cotti means "cooked"), marzapan, white torrone, lobster tail, sfogliatelle ("clam shell"), and amaretti. The amaretti is what Americans would refer to as a macaroon--this was definitely my favorite. (Note: I felt badly for the rest of the day for taking my Dad to Mike's Pastries an hour before the tour, since our tour guide pretty much said it was a commercial cop-out. Sorry, Dad!)

A picture of the amaretti cookies- yum!

Jim explaining the significance of the marzipan lambs that are made during Easter. Maria and her sister hand make the ears, legs, etc. of the lambs by hand- only the body comes from a mold.

Our next stop was Mercato del Mare, a relatively new (only 2 years old) seafood specialty shop that resembles a European market. They buy and sell local products whenever possible (i.e. sea scallops from Nantucket). You can regularly find halibut, salmon, tuna, calamari, swordfish, red snapper, haddock, and other varieties depending on the season. The owners are known for their home-prepared "heat and eat" meals for young professionals on-the-go.. lobster rolls, clam chowder, lobster bisque, and ready to grill tuna teriyaki.

A view of the case with the freshest seafood on the block

After the seafood market, we went to Polcari's Coffee, a general store specializing in coffee, dried legumes, spices, nuts, and hard to find items, including rose water, pomegranate molasses, and preserved lemons. Walking into this store was like taking a step back in time- even the scale that they use to measure your purchases is over a hundred years old. It is owned and operated by the 3rd generation of the family that started it in 1932. I learned some interesting facts- the difference between real and American cinnamon and how to roast your own coffee beans. I bought some Italian candy, dried kiwi, and dried lavender (it was only $1.99!!).

Sunlight can make even a barrel of nuts look lovely

Love these spice jars- so charming!

Because we had a smaller group, we had the advantage of being able to visit several of the smaller shops that larger tours can't fit inside. The next two stores are great examples.

Monica's Mercato is a small shop that carries all sorts of pastas, meats, cheeses, and other products imported from Italy. Across the street is a sister restaurant, Monica's Trattoria, which is owned by the same family. Fresh pasta is made daily and can be bought from the merchant shop. I'm not one for pasta, but even the lobster ravioli sounded delicious. The owners weren't expecting us, but they made prosciutto and cheese (don't remember what type) sandwiches on the spot. I also learned about the designation "D.O.P." D.O.P. stands for "Denominazione di Origine Protetta" and is literally translated as "Protected Designation of Origin." It is a certificate of authenticity from the Italian government that prevents "impostors" from selling their products, along with the promotion of quality and originality. For example, all Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses must come from a specific region of Italy.

A picture from Monica's- now you know what I mean when I say small!

Having a local guide you around town definitely provides opportunities that you otherwise would never have known about. Our next stop after Monica's would have been difficult to find, considering it does not have a sign or even a phone number. Albie's is a produce shop that visits the local markets every day and brings back the freshest fruits and vegetables to the North End. Unlike American supermarkets, you are not allowed to handle the produce yourself. When you walk into the store, you simply tell Albie what you would like, and he picks out what he thinks is best. In the spring, look for baby dandelion, fava beans, artichokes, and spring onions.

I just love that there isn't even a sign!

While we were outside of Albie's, Jim brought out some of the more interesting ingredients for us to learn about and try. We tried both fennel root and prickly pear. The prickly pear was my favorite- it tastes like a cross of a watermelon and a raspberry. The seeds are smaller than those found in a watermelon, so you actually eat them instead of spitting them out. If you like raspberry jam with seeds, than this fruit is up your ally.

A prickly pear! Try this 3 times fast: Peter Prangle, the prickly pear picker, picked three perfectly prickly pears.

Here is Jim explaining the difference between a boy and girl eggplant. Unfortunately, the male eggplant is preferred because it has fewer seeds. If you turn an eggplant upside down, you can tell the sex of the fruit by its belly button. Male eggplants have indents, while the females are flat.

The North End neighborhood has some gorgeous architectural details. Some of the town homes you see pictured below held up to 12 families. And if you think about it, a family in the early 20th century wasn't just one or two children. Jim pointed out unique details as we strolled from shop to shop.

The copper contrast is gorgeous- I can't imagine what some of these places are selling for now!

An eagle perched atop a windowsill

Our next stop was at The Wine Bottega. According to Jim, who has traveled and lived all over the globe, this is one of the most beautiful wine shops he's ever been in. This place was huge! Its focus is on discovering and sharing small production, hand-crafted wines. We were able to taste a sip of limoncello, an Italian liquor that is chilled and served in summer months. It is made from simple syrup, lemons, and high-proof vodka that is steeped for 80 days. Not exactly my thing...

This doesn't do the place justice- even the floors were beautiful! You weren't supposed to take pictures, so this one had to be done in secret without a flash.

Our last stop was at Salumeria Italiana, a fabulous little find that has been around for over 40 years. They import the cream of the crop from Italy- commercial and artisan pasta, polenta, rice, olive oils, capers, San Marzano DOP tomatoes, and a number of meats and cheeses. Jim also gave us a short lesson in this store. I had no idea that there were different types of balsamic vinegar. You have to read the label to find real balsamic vinegar- the first listed ingredient will always be "grape must." Americans apparently get fooled by marketing ploys that companies use- they simply color/flavor regular vinegar, which is definitely different than the real thing. We also got to taste and learn how to pick out olive oil. If you are a true foodie, you could have spent hours (and lots of money!) in this store alone.

This pasta was colored naturally- I wanted to get some to take to my Mom, but I know that it would not end up intact by the time I got it back to my apartment.

Dad and I in Salumeria Italiana at the end of our tour. You don't actually go that far, but by the end of the tour, we were worn out!

Again, I highly recommend this tour to anyone who's visiting Boston. It was the best way for us to learn about the hidden secrets of Boston's North End (without having lived there for ten years). Thanks for a great tour, Jim!

More to come on Dad's visit to Boston...

A Weekend With My Valentine

This past weekend I had a very special visitor! Nick flew into Boston on Thursday afternoon (he will do anything to avoid connections, and there is not a direct flight from Indianapolis to Providence) and I picked him up after work. In order to avoid rush hour traffic, we decided to eat dinner in the city. I took Nick to Newbury St, a popular shopping area in Boston. I was starting to get a little hypoglycemic, so we ate an early, casual dinner at Upper Crust (*love* their calzones!), followed by some window shopping in some ridiculously expensive stores.

I ended up going into work on Friday after much debate between the two of us about the underlying meaning and implications of me not taking a day off. From my point of view, why wouldn't I take the day off, and why didn't Nick want me to? His argument was that we would still be able to spend time together and that I'd have an extra vacation day to visit him for a 3-day weekend. In the end, I didn't take the day off for 2 reasons: 1. I had a lot of work to do in the office 2. I started to agree with Nick's point. He is going to China in April (*so* jealous!), so I won't be able to visit when I originally planned (he will be gone on his birthday, April 4). At least now I'll have the option of taking a 3-day weekend in March. (I hate it when he's right!)

When I had gotten home from work, Nick had flowers and chocolates waiting for me.

They smell wonderful! Fresh flowers are one of my favorite gifts.

As a combination Valentine's Day and birthday gift, I got Nick a new iPod nano! Apple offers free engraving (he wanted his full name and new e-mail address) and free shipping. The new nano shoots video, which will be nice for his trip this spring.

On Friday night, we went into downtown Providence. My co-worker, Alan, had given me a free pair of tickets to see the Providence Bruins game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Our tickets were in the luxury suite, which was more relaxing, and there were 5 other people from work watching the game. It wasn't anything fancy, but we had a nice time. Nick had never been to any type of professional hockey game (his last one was a high school game), so the opportunity for free tickets couldn't be passed up. After the game, we went out to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. (I know, I didn't take him to any local restaurants, but it was what sounded best to both of us at the time.)

Alan and his son, Daniel, who was so well-behaved for a two year-old

So upset that we forgot to take a picture of ourselves!

On Saturday, Nick and I made one of our wonderful homemade breakfasts. We had blueberry pancakes, fresh orange juice, turkey bacon (for me- it's not really my favorite, but I need the protein), and an omelet for Nick (complete with tomatoes, goat cheese, peppers, and onions- this guy doesn't mess around in the kitchen!) Nick and I make a good team- my pancake batter is better than his, but I always end up burning them, while he seems to cook them just right. We lazed around and watched some of season five of The Office that Nick had brought with him from Indy. Nick had never really seen the show when we started dating, so we began watching the seasons on DVD. When the fifth season came out, we vowed not to watch the new episodes until we could watch them together (Awww, how cute).

On Saturday afternoon, Nick and I drove to Princeton, Massachusetts to go skiing on Wachusett Mountain. This area is only an hour from my apartment and had night skiing available (we aren't always morning people on the weekends). There are 22 trails with a peak elevation of 2,006 feet. The weather turned out to cooperate, too- it was just above freezing and not too windy. I had not been skiing in seven years, so I guess I was what you call "rusty." However, for whatever reason, I didn't think I'd have that many problems, but I struggled a little more than I thought I would.

A picture of Wachusett Mountain at night

The trails at Wachusett Mountain

Nick had skied much more than I have, and I didn't want him to be bored by going on all of the easy trails. (He was such a good sport the entire time- it was so nice to ski together.) We started off on a blue square trail (medium difficulty), which didn't seem all that bad until about a third of the way down the mountain. I managed to have two major falls with my feet over my head both times. (At this point, I am laughing hysterically after my falls- I am sure that I looked like some sort of cartoon character tumbling down the snow.) After a couple of runs, I started to get the hang of it with the help of my ski instructor (that would be Nick). He was very patient with me, even when I got frosty with him (no pun intended) a couple of times. (I can take one piece of advice per run... e.g. I will focus on keeping my skis together this time, but I can't keep my skis together, keep my back straight, and look for soft spots in the snow to turn.)

Before our skiing adventure

On one of the lifts... we look like we are going to rob a bank!

Nick and I went inside the lodge at the base of the mountain to get a drink of water and find the bathroom. I went into the restroom and looked into the mirror to pull off my hat, gloves, and scarf. There was a woman who was cleaning up around the sinks.

The cleaning woman: "Is it raining outside?"

Me: "No, I just fell a couple of times."

The cleaning woman: "On your face?"

Me (laughing so hard that I could barely answer her): "Twice!"

I had gotten so much snow underneath my hat during my falls that my hair had become so wet that it looked like a bucket of water was dumped on me.

After our quick rest, Nick and I decided to try to find Bullock Lodge. Bullock Lodge is a small cabin about halfway down the mountain in between two black diamond trails (aka difficult) that serves hot cider and doughnuts, so you know that it was a high priority stop for me! We started down one difficult trail but not the right one- the trail that the cabin was located off of was closed shortly for grooming. I fell on the trail after about 200 yards, but after regaining composure, I did well going down the rest of the trail, well enough for me to even give a "woo-hoo!" scream. When we returned to the top, the trail to the cider house had been opened (another difficult trail). There is a split halfway down the mountain, and instead of going left, Nick and I went right. We spotted the lodge through the woods, and Nick quickly yelled that there was a path through the woods that we could use to reach it. I was in front of him (going way too fast, I might add), so I didn't have much time to cut over. I made it onto the trail, but because I was out of control, took a serious tumble about 50 yards later (It was more of a face-plant that a tumble). This fall hurt the worst of all... I felt my chest and face hit the hard, icy ground, and my left leg had a sharp pain. Nick helped me get up- no broken bones, but I was definitely banged up.

We made it into the cider house for our respite, and I was so glad to be there. Not only were the homemade cider and doughnuts amazing, the lodge was warm and inviting. A local farm, Red Apple Farm, makes both the doughnuts and cider- just thinking about them makes me hungry!

Not the greatest picture (my camera kept fogging up!), but here's a view of the inside of the lodge

We went down several more trails, and after one more serious head-over-heels fall, I was done for the day. I went inside to the lodge at the base of the mountain to warm up, while Nick did one more run on his own. All in all, it was a very successful (and fun!) day on the slopes.

Nick and I made dinner at my apartment on Saturday night- tacos, Spanish rice, and frozen margaritas (well, for me... Nick stuck to his wheat beer). We were thinking about enchiladas, but I had forgotten to pick up the sauce and chiles. I can only make a few meals that both of us like, and this happens to be one of them. Sometimes it is more relaxing to eat at home than to try to go out to eat, especially on holiday weekends. (Growing up, we would always try to eat at home for Mother's Day and Father's Day- it can be too crazy to even make the trip worth it.)

Nick had to be at the airport by 1:00 PM today (Sunday), so we took it easy in the morning (more pancakes!) since we had to leave by noon. I still get sad every time he or I leave one another (well, I get sad when anyone leaves after visiting me here, for that matter), but for Nick, it usually doesn't hit me until I get back to my apartment. All of the little things around my place start to have memories connected with them (why else would I have olives, Dr. Pepper, or Franziskaner in my refrigerator?). I've been doing really well the past couple of months as am working to "embrace" my experience here in Rhode Island, but there is a part of me that will always miss my valentines at home.

With a Little Help From My Friends

This week I was fortunate enough to have three very special visitors- it is always delightful to have friends visit Woonsocket.

On Wednesday night, I went out for drinks and desserts with Megan and Dave at River Falls. Dave was actually the pharmacist that hired me to work as a pharmacy technician six years ago. To this day, I still remember my interview in the counseling room over spring break of my freshman year of college. My friends and I had planned a road trip for the second half of the week, but I wanted to make sure that I had a job for the summer to help in my efforts to get into pharmacy school (and to make sure I wanted to be a pharmacist- how awful would it be if I had gone through six years of school and then decided I hated pharmacy!). Dave was the pharmacy manager, and Megan was the lead technician that worked at his store. I couldn't have asked for better examples than Megan and Dave for my first pharmacy experience.

Megan was a wonderful teacher- extremely patient, hands-on, and a good communicator, all while being positive. She made the pharmacy a great place to work- I can honestly say that there was not one day that I dreaded going in to work at that pharmacy. An early memory that sticks out is being amazing at how many patients' names Megan knew. She was always the first to address customers, even if she was in the middle of something- a lesson that I carry with me to this day. (People just want to be acknowledged!)

Over the last six years, I have worked in more than a dozen different pharmacies, and I have never worked with someone as compassionate and and passionate as Dave. He went the extra mile to ensure his patients had the best care possible. He would even arrive at work an hour early to have a one-on-one consultation with patients that needed help. I also respected Dave because he never asked his to staff to do anything he wouldn't do.... he'd ring out customers at the register, put away stock bottles, etc. While Dave was checking prescriptions, he would quiz me on side effects, counseling points, brand name, mechanism of action, etc. (this is all in my first two years of pharmacy school!). The pharmacy was well-run, thanks to Dave.

Along with Megan and Dave, there were a number of other outstanding pharmacists, technicians, and interns that I worked with at that store that helped me to be successful. I just finished the book, "Outliers," by Malcolm Gladwell- it tackles the question of why some people are more successful than others. In one section of the book, he talks about the effect that opportunity has on a person's success. Some people are just in the right place at the right time and/or know the right people. Of course, people who become successful still must work hard and take advantage of the opportunities provided to them, but the fact that they have had an opportunity for an experience that allows them to excel is a large contributor to their success. In some ways, I feel like I have had this advantage... I worked for Dave, who introduced me to Amy, who introduced me to Ron, who told me about this residency. Right place, right time, right people.

On Thursday night, Colleen came to spend the night with me. Colleen is one of Nick's classmates (well, former, she is graduating this year) that was in Bloomington with him their first two years of med school. There was a small group of them (less than 30 students), so there was a group of them that became very good friends. Colleen had an interview at Brown on Friday, and I was happy to offer up my place for a free place to stay. (If you are not familiar with medical schools, Brown has an *amazing* program- not only is Colleen smart, she has a lot of international volunteer experience, making her an ideal candidate for just about anywhere.) It's only about 20 minutes from Providence (well worth the drive to save $100+ if you ask me!), and it all worked out really well. She had to go to a dinner on Thursday night (I guess they want to make sure the candidates aren't completely socially awkward? I'm not sure), which let me finish cleaning my apartment before she got there. I hadn't really had a chance to sit down and talk with Colleen (we have hung several times but not really appropriate settings for an in-depth conversation). She was kind enough to let me pick her brain on quite a few topics- med school, surgery, my boyfriend, residencies,research, etc. Hope your interview went well, Colleen!

I was going to go out to dinner with Megan and Dave on Friday, but the group they were working with at the office was taking them to dinner at Foxwoods. I've yet to go there, but from what I've heard, it sounds nice. (Somehow gambling more than once this year just doesn't make sense financially- it's not very prudent.) From all of the whirlwind activity from the week, I was exhausted by Friday. I was planning on watching Sixteen Candles (When Debbie quoted this movie a few weeks ago, I looked at her like I had no idea what she was talking about- she had the movie at home and said I had to watch it to understand her generation.), but I never made it that far. I woke up the next morning on the couch with all of the lights still on in my apartment. Oops!

More to come on my adventures from this weekend!

We Survived the M.B.T.A.: a Weekend with My Mom

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post! Last week I was busy with what I call "maintaining the facade." My mom was on her way to visit for the weekend, so I was "staging my apartment" and making it as clean as possible!

My mom flew into Providence on Thursday afternoon. We went back to my apartment to relax for a bit, and then went to North Providence for dinner. For my birthday, Lisa gave me gift certificates to restaurants in Providence and Boston (a fabulous gift, by the way!). We used one of the gift certificates at an Italian restaurant, Pizzico. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and the food was delicious. I had barbecue chicken pizza, and my mom had risotto with mushrooms.

I took a vacation day on Friday, but we did go into work so that Mom could meet the people I spend the most time with at work. She got to meet Deb, Troy, Mike, and Alma; I also showed her a few of the things I've been working on, including my research project and some clinical reviews for our merchandising team.

After our tour, we headed down to Newport. The drive from my house to the southern part of Rhode Island was gorgeous. All of the trees are at their peak for changing colors... every shade of yellow, orange, red, and purple you can imagine. (Too hard to take a picture while you're in the car, though. It doesn't quite have the same effect.) It was a little on the cool side when we got there, but we are more of a cold weather family, so my mom and I didn't mind wearing a sweater (much better than being hot and sweaty!). We ate lunch at the Clam Jumper and walked around downtown Newport. My mom got me the cutest pair of cat eye sunglasses! (See below) I think I am going to wear them with a black dress to work on Friday in celebration of Halloween.

Aren't these adorable?

Cute idea: the Clam Jumper had Christmas lights in traps used to catch seafood

We also visited Aardvark Antiques, a unique salvage shop at the bottom of the ramp that you take to get to downtown Newport. I've always wanted to visit but never actually stopped. It is similar to White River Salvage in Indy, but they have a much larger selection of outdoor ornaments. They had every kind of statue you could imagine... animals (dolphins, bears, an alligator, birds to name a few), people (small children playing, jockeys, Roman goddesses), and ornament urns, columns, and vases.

They have all shapes and sizes of metal gates- I would love to use these in my house (well, I don't have a house yet, but when I do)

If I could have chosen one thing, this fountain would have definitely been it- I'm obsessed with lions

Here's Mom standing by a horse statue- it was beautiful and larger than life (literally)

There was a family of elephants (Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and baby bears)- I'm standing next to the Mama elephant

In the late afternoon, we went to tour the Breakers, one of the mansions on Newport. The Breakers was owned by the Vanderbilt family and used as a summer home up until the 1970's; it was sold to the Historical Preservation Society. The house is 138,000 square feet, has 70 rooms and 20 bathrooms, and the most beautiful sculptures, chandeliers, and marble tiling I have ever seen. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house, but again, I'm not sure my photography would do it justice. A couple of my favorite parts of the house included the monogrammed navy and gold china, the marble walls in the game room, and the giant staircase. My mom liked Mrs. Vanderbilt's room and the chandeliers in the dining room. Another very unique feature was the open air living room on the second floor that overlooks the ocean- it was used for entertaining.

A light post outside the Breakers

A view of the back of the mansion

This is the view from the mansion looking out to the sea

Friday night we rented the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Neither of us had been able to watch it when it first came out, and I am so glad that we picked that movie. The story was amazing- really makes you realize how lucky you are. If you haven't seen it yet, watch it tonight! I'm also thinking about getting the soundtrack, but I'll listen to song clips on iTunes before I buy it.

On Saturday we drove to Boston to shop at our one of our favorite stores- Paper Source! I had written down some addresses and information on which subway lines to take. However, I didn't write down directions on how exactly to get to our number one destination. I was planning on using my phone to get last minute directions but that is a little hard if you leave your phone at home! I was happily surprised when we made it with little trouble. (Don't be fooled, though- I did get us turned around more than once when we were walking around the city- oops! Sorry Mom!)

Even though we had never been an actual store, we have been shopping online at Paper Source's website for more than a year. They have absolutely adorable gifts, craft kits, and the one of the best selections in color and size of paper for making your own invitations. (Right now my mom is making invitations for Tammy's son's wedding, which will be next August. My mom is so creative and talented! I think she should start her own business, but we can save that for another post.) We had so much fun looking at everything in the store- we spent almost 2 hours there! I got a couple sets of cards and invitations to personalize, along with these "expression notes" I've been eyeing for some time now.

After lunch we went to another stationary store in Boston, Rugg Road, and looked at their speciality papers and invitations for ideas. We got on the subway to head north, but right after the doors closed, the signs changed to "Out of Service." We ended up having to get off at the next stop and wait for another train, which we only took one stop further. It didn't seem like it was worth it, but I'm sure we went farther than what it felt like. After the subway experience, we went into the North End for a cannoli at Mike's Pastries.

Their cannolis are amazing!

We also visited Kitchen Arts on Newbury Street and found unique cookie cutters and small fondue dipping stations (I'm not sure what the correct term is, but I know this isn't right. It is almost like a birdbath on top and a tea light goes underneath to keep the fondue warm. I am so excited to use it!)

On Saturday night I made dinner for my Mom at home- Greek salads, red pepper hummus with toasted Wheat Thins, and fruit salad with dates. Nothing to write home about, but I think we were still full from the cannolis! We also looked through a book we got in Boston- Paperie for Inspired Living. The author makes absolutely gorgeous invitations, but the best feature of the book is all of the practical tips she gives.

On Sunday morning, we slept in (worn out from our day in Boston!), and then I made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. We did a little bit of shopping in Nordstrom's at Providence Place Mall. If you are ever looking for nicer hair clips, barrettes, or headbands, they have a great selection. Although they cost just a bit more, the quality and designs make it worth the cost. After a late lunch, I took my Mom to the airport.

I am very thankful that I have such a great relationship with my Mom. It was so nice to spend time together, just the two of us, to catch up in person. We talk several times a week on the phone but that isn't the same as face-to-face. It did make me feel like more of an adult- it was my Mom's first overnight stay at one of her adult children's apartments/houses.

Thanks for a great weekend, Mom!