March 2022 Happenings

March is always a weird month for me - I keep thinking that it's going to be nice and warm all month but then sometimes, we still get snow!

But first... Snow PATROL!  No snow for us on this night, except this awesome band (we did get a little rain though!)

I didn't even realize Iain Archer, who worked with Gary Lightbody previously in the band Tired Pony, was going to be opening up for Snow Patrol! He even performed I Am A Landslide off of their 2010 album The Place We Ran From. 

But then... Snow Patrol!  Iain Archer filled in for Johnny McDaid on piano!

The only song I absolutely wanted to hear was Crack the Shutters, which is (in my opinion) one of the most romantic songs EVER - just a song about two people who love each other on a simple morning before they get out of bed.  I just love that Gary wrote an entire song about something simple that happened in real time in about 3 minutes.  That sort of style reminds me a bit of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" --  Here's what I'm doing, and it's not very exciting, but it's real, everyday life!  Of course, Snow Patrol played that and all of their other best songs!

Oh another thing I did in March is go back to the office.  Thankfully it's only one day a week ... but look!  I finally have a window!  It sure beats those days of working in a windowless room in a basement at The Weather Channel!  Of course... I just face a brick wall, but STILL!

It's definitely an adjustment going back into the office - particularly being back on the train after almost 7 years.  Thankfully my office is close to South Station (for now, until we move to Cambridge next year) so at least I don't have to take the orange line like my days at the State!  There is a new food court across the street from my office and I saw a champagne vending machine in there!  Well this is certainly dangerous!

This isn't MY exact cube but if I walk down a bit, they have a nice view of South Station and the Greenway.

Although I didn't get any pictures of it, Chris and I went to have lunch with our former boss Rich one lovely day in the North End at our old favorite, Ernestos.  I snapped this one of Marshall Street in the city on my way back from lunch.

Oh right, it's still March.  THERE'S the snow.  Thankfully we didn't get a whole lot in the month of March.

Also in March, Natalie and I got to go see BTS - Permission to Dance live in Seoul at the movie theater!  It was so awesome to be able to see it with other Armys.  It wasn't *quite* live - it was delayed by a few hours because of the time difference AND the sound quality at Patriot Place was horrible - the sound kept dropping out (so we could only hear ourselves singing badly) but it was still a fun experience.

Sometimes I do not even KNOW about these boys.  Tae is peacocking here???  Jin is wearing RJ on his head! They were so funny!

After the concert, me and my girl went to Tavolino in a blizzard for some dinner. When we left and walked to the car, I'm not even kidding- the snow was pelting us so bad, even my warm blooded Natalie said, "This is the coldest I have ever been!"

Although they only did one concert in the actual theater, they also had an online viewing of the other two concerts they did in Seoul.  Thankfully we got to watch those from the comfort of our living room with our Army bombs and coffee - it was SUPER early in the morning as these were actually live!  Todd thinks we are crazy!!!

I SEE YOU SPRING.

Natalie also finally started figure skating!  Todd took her to get some skates so she didn't have to rent them every Sunday when she goes with her friend Kaavya for lessons.  

One morning, when I was walking Grant to the bus stop, I heard an airplane that sounded really low.  We are sometimes in the Logan flight path, but generally the airplanes are up to maybe 15,000-20,000 feet by the time they are over us - and this airplane was super low. It was so low that Grant said, "That's a Delta plane!"

So I followed it because obviously that isn't normal, and he never got above 5,000 feet according to the app. I still don't know what happened but it basically came out, turned around right over us and landed safely at Logan about 40 minutes later.  I watched my plane app and it finally took off again around 2 pm.  That's a long day for those folks!

Ski season also came to an end, and there was a ski banquet at TJ's here in Ashland.  Natalie got the superlative for friendliest skier!

Of course she did.  I wouldn't expect anything less!

With any glimpse of warm weather, it always gets us thinking about traveling.  Natalie and I have been missing Germany a lot, and I wanted to see what the prices were for tickets out of Nuremberg (like, what would we be doing for spring break this year?)  You know... just $12 round trip from Nuremburg to Sarajevo and $12 round trip to Rome.  You can be a big spender and spend $13 round trip to go to London!  People always wondered how we traveled so much in Germany - THIS is how!

Lastly, Warren and Carole got to spend a few weeks at Helen and Gordie's place in St. Petersburg in March.  They met up with my mom at Guppy's for some lunch! Aren't they the cutest? We have cute moms!!!

And we're on to April!

February 2022 Happenings

 I always feel like once we plow through February, we are definitely on our way to spring!

Well... one thing is for sure, we have plowed our way through peanut oral immunotherapy!  I just love this picture that Todd took of Grant. Look at that! I spy some Reese's Pieces on his table!

The graduate! He no longer has to go to the hospital for his treatments and now enters the maintenance phase of the immunotherapy, which he does at home by eating peanuts, peanut M&Ms or other pre-approved peanut products.  Can you believe it!? This kid, who had a terrible reaction to ONE peanut butter Ritz cracker when he wasn't even 2 years old - has come so far and I'm so proud of him for continuing the treatment, even when he didn't love it.  Thankfully he never had a bad reaction during the entire in-hospital treatment, which I think helped him to continue - because the drug that he took each day (Palforzia) was pretty gross (according to him) and did not mix well with anything except a mushed up banana. But he did it!

Ice.  Yes, we had some icy conditions in February!  Totally unrelated to peanut treatments!

Finally, Todd was able to just give Grant three peanut halves - something he doesn't hate, and takes willingly each night without a fight.  "Grant, come eat some peanuts!"  Now there's a phrase I never thought I would hear!

The Olympics started in February, too!  Could I love the German skaters anymore???? These are my people!

Todd and the kids went skiing (a few times) - one day in particular, they went to Ski Ward again and the clouds were insane.

All of my babes on the lift to the top.

The kids are ready to go!  Skiing is so much cheaper when you actually own the gear!

Natalie and Grant getting in some snow time at Ward.

I try super hard to keep walking through the winter, but sometimes it's hard here in Massachusetts.  We actually had a bit of ice this winter, which we don't normally get past December.  But we had a few warm days in February and things started to melt.  When they did, I spotted some water flowing downhill beneath the ice!  It looked super cool!

There was the threat for most of the month that Putin and Russia were going to invade one of our favorite countries, Ukraine.  Natalie is sporting the hat that Grant bought in the little market by St. Andrews church in Kiev. In the end, Russia DID invade Ukraine and it's been a terrible mess there ever since. I'm so angry and saddened by all of it.

Todd and I also went out for a nice Valentine's dinner at Bocado in Wellesley for some tapas and wine before he took me to see the latest J-Lo movie, Marry Me.  Totally dumb, and I don't know why but I love J-Lo movies (except Gigli... no one liked that one!)  He's such a trooper!

Ha ha, I just wanted to include this picture of Grant, Kelsey and AB walking down the street outside of our house one day.

Natalie prepared some tasty (not pinwheels) bow ties for our Super Bowl party.

No one really cared about the Super Bowl because the Bucs and the Pats were not in it, but it's always an excuse to eat good food!

Chicken wings, bow ties, pigs in a blanket, crackers with horseradish cheddar cheese, and chips with Rotel cheese dip!  Super Bowl plate of champions!

Aaaand we got a little more snow.  But it's February in Massachusetts so that's what Mother Nature sent us for Valentine's Day.

Grant wrote us a nice Valentine's Day card in Spanish and Todd got me some roses.

Opening Valentine's Day presents with Natalie - mwah!

Natalie had some ski practices and her first few races this month!  She will be proud to tell you that she never fell once all season, and she never came in last place! People who fall come in after those who don't, so her whole goal was to stay upright, which proved challenging at times as the snow was icy.

We also took a trip down to Plymouth for Carole's birthday.  Great Island Pond in Plymouth was partially frozen and Grant and I walked down to the pond to check it out.

Me and my buddy at Great Island Pond!

We had fun trying to break up the ice - Grant picked up this big sheet that we had broken up.

Then Todd came down and joined us and we attempted to throw rocks into the ice to break it up (narrator: the three of them could not break up the ice.)

I about died when Grant picked up this branch like thing and said, "Look!  It looks like Natalie's hair when she wakes up!"

KK was able to give Grant a peanut!  The sad face is because Grant had his first (and only!) reaction to a peanut at her house when he was not even two years old (as I mentioned above!)  She still feels really bad about it- but I think she was excited to see him eat peanuts now and NOT have a reaction! I think back to that time, and I'm really grateful he was actually with KK and not us.  She knew exactly what to do, and took such good care of him.  

For Carole's birthday, we drove down for a big brunch at Rye Tavern on Old Sandwich Road, the world's bumpiest road (not a superlative because I made that up - although it IS America's second oldest road!)  So... sort of a superlative!?!

Family selfie with Gordie, Helen, Warren, Carole, KK, me and Todd!  No kids!

It was an awesome brunch - I had cheesecake French toast! So delicious!

Me and Grantie on the couch at Warren and Carole's after lunch.

And then it was time for Grammi to open up some birthday presents!

Grammi opened up a lot of awesome gifts!

But Grammi's best gift might have been a video call from Madison - live from the school she teaches at in Seoul!

Now THIS was hilarious - I thought this was real!

Carole was trying to steal a little taste of her lemon meringue pie that Anna made her before she even blew out her candles!

Carole got to cut the pie- and it was absolutely AMAZING! Anything Anna makes is so awesome.

One morning in late February, Todd spotted all of these deer in our yard! Don't eat my plants!

At the end of the month, we all went up to Concord, NH for a long weekend at the end of the kids February break.  We were supposed to be in Portugal for the week, but we kicked that can down the road a bit and instead, did what all good New Englanders do during February break... the kids and Todd went skiing at Pats Peak!

I did not ski, however. But Todd and the kids had a blast - even though we got hit with a snowstorm!  We were supposed to drive up Friday morning, but we changed our reservation at the hotel so we could drive up Thursday night - which in hindsight, was a great idea because we got at least a half a foot of snow in Concord on Friday morning. That would have been terrible to drive in.

Natalie came equipped so we didn't have to rent any equipment. She was ready to tackle the slopes!

Nat must have talked about these chicken fingers for weeks after this trip. Pats Peak cafeteria gets 5 stars from Natalie!  Grant also has an unhealthy obsession with ketchup.

Todd, Grant and Natalie heading up the lift - I can't remember if Todd said this was before or after Grant fell off the lift and they lost him?

I think this was taken after they found him. He fell off the lift as he was trying to scootch back on the chair and the guy running the lift yelled at him as if he did it on purpose.  Todd yelled back to Grant to say "stay there"- that they would go to the top and ski down.  And although Grant heard them, the guy running the lift yelled at him to get on the lift again, so he did (Grant isn't one to defy authority!)  So when Todd skied down, Grant wasn't there.  They missed each other as one skied down and the other was heading up the lift, and for a while, Grant was just missing!  Todd told Natalie, "Don't you dare text Mommy and tell her this!"  They found him - of course!  But not until after the ski patrol was called! Probably best that I did NOT know any of this.

When they found Grant, they decided it was definitely time to warm up with a hot chocolate!

Finally everyone came back to the hotel - I had worked a full day and was ready to go out and get some dinner but it was STILL snowing.

Everyone was pooped, but we went out to the Barley House for some dinner.  One day... ONE DAY we will all take a picture without our masks on!

Outside of the Barley House, I snapped this one of the kids in the snow.

The New Hampshire State House is directly across the street from the Barley House!

This pretty State House was built in 1819, and it is the "nation's oldest state house in which the legislature still occupies its original chambers" - superlative, check! When they use the phrase "legislature" here, they mean both houses.

Natalie took a really nice picture of the State house with it's golden (24k leafling) dome.

Me and the hubs at the New Hampshire State House, on a lovely (cold) evening in the snow.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel, and I think Todd took this HILARIOUS picture -- A picture of the kids through the peephole in our hotel room!

Day two of skiing brought much better conditions.  Natalie was ready to go!  She said the conditions were infinitely better than at Ski Ward!

That time everyone decided to take the black diamond through the woods...

... and they survived the Puff Glade! The kids first black diamond!

It was a much prettier day for skiing on Saturday!

Grant, that pizza is bigger than your head. He also rediscovered his love for orange juice.

Meanwhile, I stayed back at the hotel and worked on pictures.  I've been busy trying to scan and label a bunch of actual paper pictures so I can declutter my house (OH BOY DOES THIS MAKE ME SOUND LAME).  This was the lovely view I had from our hotel room of the Mobile gas station (groan.)  

I was getting a lot of work done and these guys were off looking all cute at Pats Peak!

Thankfully, Natalie and Todd did not lose Grant this day.

Nat is ready to go for another run!

As the shadows got longer, everyone was getting really tired.  They had a great couple of days of skiing!

For dinner on Saturday evening, we went to Hermanos - yum!

There was a couple of guys playing jazz music on the saxophone and piano while we waited for our dinner.  It was a great end to a fun trip!  Even if we couldn't be in Portugal, at least we were able to get out of the house and have some fun on February break.

Lastly - Natalie finished up the ski season by setting her own PR at Ward on the giant slalom!  One of her biggest achievements (and a goal she had set early on as I mentioned above) was NOT to fall the entire season.  And she did not fall in any race! I'm excited to see how much faster she gets over the next three years.

And we're on to March!