Super Spring Day...

After our EXHAUSTING trip to Nashville yesterday all I wanted to do was hang out at home today... so after church that is just what we did. We are vert fortunate to have a great lake just down from our house and today was a perfect day to go fishing. Ok, I will be totally honest, I did NOT want to go fishing. We had played outside for a while and Ben and I had just settled on the couch for a little nap (I was hoping) and Katie runs out and says "Guess what guys, we are going fishing". I will not say what I was thinking but anyhoo, I got up and headed out with everyone and I am actually glad I did. I got some priceless pictures of the kids, watched Katie get her first hook in her finger, don't worry MIMI, it wasn't that bad and we washed her hand etc. thoroughly when we got home and witnessed Katie and Ben catch a fish. So here are a few snapshots from our day of fishing enjoying the awesome spring weather... I am so glad spring is here!!!




Who does she take after, I wonder??


My little Ben is no longer "little"


the first catch of the day!!


Ben FINALLY caught one.. I mean this took alot of patience on everyone's part to get this little guy a fish!!


Fishy kiss!!!

Boston Trip Part 2

Ok, now for the second half of my trip.... After our day of sightseeing, Kelly and I headed back to our hotel for some shut eye... We had a great 3 hour nap... (I can not tell you the last time I was able to do that uninterrupted!!) We got up and met Marc so we could head out to have dinner with my other high school friend, Meg... The one I have not seen in 16 years. Now I will be honest with you, I did not know I was old enough to have a friend that I have not seen in 16 YEARS, I mean really!!! We took the T to a tapas restaurant... called Tascas... Now I have traveled a bit but have never been to a tapas, a spanish style place that serves many tiny portions of cuisine. It was FABULOUS... I can not tell you all the different things I tried but it was so great and the sangria was just right!!!! But better than the food was the chance to sit around and gab with 3 of my dear friends... we literally closed the place down... It was the highlight of my trip! Here are a couple of pictures from that night!

Here is a picture of Marc, myself and Meg...

Wednesday:
For our last full day in Boston we had a full day planned... Kelly and I headed out for a little more shopping on Newberry Street and hit Marc Jacobs and H&M... we loaded up!!! Then Marc picked us up and we headed down to the oldest restaurant in America, REALLY!! THE UNION OYSTER HOUSE... When we arrived you could see the history all around us.. the old brick, uneven roads and the the quiet square walls and floors of the place... Now the prices were not of olden times AT ALL but the seafood was incredible. I had crab cakes, my favorite and they were the biggest crab cakes I have ever seen... Here are a few snapshots from that adventure!



Then we were off to Fenway Park and to Cambridge... We found this cute little bar called Bleacher Bar which is UNDER the big green monster (Fenway). So we went in and you could sit right next to the outfield... or third field as Marc who is NOT a baseball fan would say!!! ha ha!!

and as you can tell Fenway is in a real nice part of town... hee hee


Then off to Cambridge and "Hah"vard with all the smarties... It was really overcast by the time we made our way there but still comfortable weather. We went to a cute shop called The Tannery and we scored on 1/2 priced shoes and I got the best black heels for 50.00 and better yet in Mass there is no sales tax on clothes... so it was really just 50.00!!! love it!



On our last day I was still frantically trying to find something to bring home to Katie... I had already bout Ben a Boston Red Sox hat, a CUTE lobster shirt and a stuffed animal. Well I found the perfect something... If you know my Katie she LOVES dogs and desperately wants one of her own... well at the Fairmont they have a dog named...get this... Catie Copley, a lab that lives at the hotel and if you are staying there and need a pet fix you can check out Catie and take her for a walk. I went into the gift shop and they had stuffed animals that were Catie Copley that actually smell like dog shampoo and the book that tells the story of Catie. When I saw this I knew it was perfect... it gets better... I purchased the stuffed animal and book and they lady working at the gift shop said I could get the book signed by the dog... GET OUT!!!!soooo. I went to the conceriege desk ( I know I probably misspelled that word) and asked them about it so they took the book in the back and came out with a paw print signed book for my Katie.... and I also got to get my picture with the real live dog... and yes, Katie adored the book and animal and wants a dog even more now!!! :)

and here is a picture of the outside of the hotel we stayed at... so grand!!

this was taken as we zoomed to the airport...
so, all in all it was a fabulous trip!!! Whew I am tired!!!

Boston Trip

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Boston with Kelly, my fabulous teacher friend. We picked Boston for a couple of reasons: 1. Kelly has never been there and 2. I have 2 good high school friends that live there in which 1 I had not seen in like 16 years! So it seemed like a great place to visit plus we found great airfare and a wonderful hotel at a great price!!! So... We set out Monday and drove to Atlanta to catch out flight (it is a lot cheaper to fly out of Atlanta). Of course on the flight to Boston we sat by a screaming 12 month old, I felt so bad for the mama and worse for Kelly who was directly beside them the entire flight. I have to say I secretly thanked God that was not me sitting there with a screaming child. :) We arrived in Boston and took a cab directly to the Fairmont Copley Square. This hotel is nothing short of fabulous. It is an old hotel with all the finery of old Boston. The chandeliers were unbelievable and the the staff were so helpful and nice. Our room was quaint and charming. The room overlooked the city street and a sign that pointed us in the direction of New York... (that was tempting!) We rested and then got dolled up for our first meal in Boston at Sibling Rivalry. This restaurant is named this because the chefs are brothers and there are 2 menus to choose from... it is a neat concept and the food was amazing. THis is a picture of us a the hotel before we left for dinner.

Marc, my friend from high school in Panama met up with us at the restaurant. Let me tell you a little about Marc. We have know each other since 1991 and have kept in touch pretty well this whole time. Marc went to Morehouse in Atlanta for college and then proceeded to Harvard for grad school. He currently works at Boston College in fundraising. He is going to be returning to Harvard in the fall to pursue his DOCTORATE... He is one smart dude!!! In Panama, Marc, Kent, Meg and I all took math with Mr Oliver and sat in the back of the room where we really paid attention and goofed off and built long lasting friendships. Now, Kent, Marc and Meg are all at least 6 foot tall and then there is me... barely hitting 5 foot 4 so I am the short one in the bunch. But I love being the short one... considered the short one with the big mouth... imagine that... now fast forward to Boston...
When we arrived at our hotel Marc had left gift bags for us with our very detailed itenerary, treats and some neat Boston magazines... WOW what a host and a very sweet gesture, He had even taken vacation time to show us the site of his town. After dinner we went to Dave and Renee's (which I thought was a restaurant) but are actually friends of Marc and live in a very Boston-y walk up... which was so cool to see. THey were the sweetest couple an it was so nice to chill and have cupcakes (that Marc made) and champagne. What a neat idea, Marc! Here is a picture of me and Dave and Renee.

After our visit with them, we headed to Top of the Hub which is a great place to catch an incredible view of the city.

We talked way into the evening and had a great time catching up!
The next day was St. Patrick's Day in Boston so we headed to have lunch at an authentic Irish Pub....well the one we had planned on going into had a line out the door so we head down the street to McFadden's. We feasted on hamburgers, fried cheese sticks and chicken fingers... no corn beef hash for us folks!
Here is a picture of the three of us in our St. Patrick's day gear...

We spent the rest of the day taking in the sites on the Freedom trail. We did not do the whole thing just the sites that were in our immediate area. The weather was perfect, sunny and just chilly enough to need a coat. The wind is what got us from time to time. Here are a few pictures from our walk...

That was Marc being the ultimate tour guide... so funny!

Being the teachers we are we had to get out picture taken in front of the "School Street" sign

My favorite scenic picture of the trip... so pretty!!!
I will post again with the other half of our trip... this has taken me forever to do and right now I need to be getting the kids up and ready to head to Nashville for the gymnastics meet.... so check back in a few days!
Jen

Katie is in PRinT!!!

This layout was in PORTICO Weddings magazine... which is a Birmingham based magazine.


This layout is from Alabama Weddings magazine.

The pictures were so beautiful!! We were so happy Katie was able to be a part of Courtney and Jason's big day!

More Snow Pictures

Favorite pic of the day... Katie threw a snowball at me (at the window) and I captured this!!!


Ben and daddy having a snowball fight!

Snow Storm 2009... well... maybe not a snow STORM... but snow none the less!!

We woke up this morning to a beautiful sight and to 2 kids jumping up and down dying to get outside... snow, yes in Alabama!!!! So, we skipped church, like everyone else and headed outdoors. Let me clarify, daddy and the kids headed outdoors. I know, I know party pooper, mama. I have to admit, snow is a beautiful sight but I am a beach, warm weather girl through and through. So, I stayed inside, made muffins, did a little laundry and as the kids came in hands swollen and cold, feet frozen, I would undress and warm them up under the covers!!! We got a total of 5 inches and by 2:30 it was all but gone. Here are a few pictures from our winter wonderland, Alabama style.

a scenic sight in our backyard!



THe Benster.... ready to go!!!


Katie and her snowman, complete with coal for the eyes!!!


golf in the snow? why not???