Peace, Love & Lobsters

Haha... so I am BACK from Boston- back with stories to tell and a refreshed look at life. Did you know a week in solitude (meaning no tv, internet, phone service, etc.) can do that to a person? For just about my entire life I've fallen asleep to a television and to be honest, I was terrified to go to sleep in dark silence... maybe because it would force me to think about things. Who knows, but for some reason the background of the tv seems to wash out any negative thoughts before bedtime. Negativity screws up your sleep... ANYWAYS, about New England!

SO MUCH FUN! The flight was awesome- very uneventful and short- just how I like 'em. We flew over Canada so I got to see Niagra falls from the plane which was pretty sweet. It looked like a giant whirlpool. We actually landed in Providence, RI. A small, lazy airport which was great because the last thing I needed were the lines and rudeness that Detroit metro has to offer. After we got our bags and weaved our way out the door and into my moms car, we were on our way into Boston. We stayed in Boston (downtown) for 3 days- it was awesome! I love cities :) I think I've talked about my obsession with airpots in a previous post but yeah, I love people and I love it when people are on agendas- thats usually what you find in big cities. LOTS of people in a hurry to get somewhere. And I love to be in places that don't sleep. We stayed in the Chinatown district the first night, which I loved- (we were RIGHT next to Tufts Medical). Boston is the perfect city- tons of history which always adds depth to a place, but completely modernized, and very clean. :) What a green city they are! The 2 other nights we moved on over to Cambridge (which is right across the St.Charles River). While in Boston, we saw all the touristy stuff and did a couple activities for the kids. (Alec & Maeve) We did the aquarium, the science musuem, we walked through the commons, etc. It was adorable because my grandma, who is from New England, knows Boston and all of its surrounding areas like the back of her hand. She was guiding us all over the place, telling us naughty stories of her drunken college days. She pointed out bars and would say stuff like "Oh Ashley! I've had many a martini there!" My personal fave. story was about how it used to be legal to drink and drive... we asked her, "So you were driving down the road with a beer in your hand?" And she said, "Well no, I didn't drink beer. It was probably a fifth of vodka." OH grams :)

We also took a drive up to New Hamp. to see my sis who is working at a camp in the middle of nowhere. It took about 4 hours to get there and I wasn't sure if we'd make it back. Those dang mountain roads are scary- I had to pop an ativan. (haha confession) But it was worth the drive- Meghan was in desperate need of some visitors and we got to see where she had been living for the summer. It was really beautiful and rainy and misty up there... It was so fresh and new feeling- I enjoyed it :)

The 3rd day we didn't do much Boston-y stuff. We pretty much took a walk, ate breakfast/lunch and drove to my Grandmas.
My grandma inherited her old house in Fairhaven, Mass. which just happens to be a quaint (very quaint) cottage right on the ocean. It was absolutely breathtaking- not the cottage but the ocean. I had been there as a kid, but I was so interested in all of that darn pioneer/plymouth rock crap that I missed out on the beauty of the ocean and the people. I LOVE the residents of Fairhaven- it was like being in the movie "Jaws" (which is a fave. of mine). I enjoy how they love their seafood, the Red Sox and the weather. Smile :)

We spent the week eating, sight seeing and reflecting- I say reflecting because after dinner there was absolutely NOTHING to do. There was one television but it was constantly inhabited by my little brother and it wasn't worth the fight to try and get him to change the channel off of "Hannah Montana." (haha soooo called him out on that one!!!! He's got a big 'ole crush on Miley!) Anyways, I was in this tiny room that had ceilings so low that I (yes 5"2) me hit my head on probably 4 times a day. But I have to say it was so peaceful at night, listening to my ipod and thinking of "things." I won't be specific about every thought I had- (not that my thoughts are very interesting... they're just my own I guess). I thought lots of Ryan and our relationship and the love sleeping next to me. It had been a LONG time since I had been away from him for that long, and I CRAZY missed him. I came to the conclusion that I couldn't be a single mom. And I prayed every night (oh yeah thats another thing- I got a long prayer in every night- undisturbed by tv or people) that God would never do that to me- make me a single mom. I thought about having more babies... I thought a lot about my parenting skills- what I want to improve on and what I think I have mastered. Patience is something I desperately want and NEEEEED. Especially with Maeve :) Sweet bugger- she is such a pistol. Constantly defying me and pushing the limits... and she is only 10 months old! Yikes. I thought how its funny that for almost 10 years I've been madly in love with the same person. And how I truly believe there is one person for everyone- God gave me Ryan so early and its been such a tough journey to get where we are today (not that we're in this perfect place) that I wonder why we couldn't have met later in life. But thats all water under the bridge... I thought about how when I got back I was going to be thankful for Ryan and what he does for me- rather I was going to make it a point to SHOW him how thankful I am for what he does for me. (I am not speaking pervertedly here either) Just "show" him by holding his hand more often, cooking his fave. meals more, and simply saying thanks. All of which, I had been slacking on.

The trip ended too soon and just in time- thats how I felt anyways. I wanted more, but I was SO ready to be home. I kind of took this weekend to relax and enjoy my hubby :) Its been awesome- I feel refreshed and refocused (HAHA emily) and ready to take on being a housewife and mother again.

Sometimes all you need is a little get away to throw things back into perspective.