saturday in connecticut

          A couple of weeks ago, my mom wanted to visit me, but she didn’t want to drive from Newburyport to New York and back in one day. She had the great idea of meeting in Connecticut, so she only had to drive about half the distance, and I took the train from school. As much as I wanted to see my mom, I was almost equally thrilled to eat the Abe’s cinnamon sugar bagel she brought for me and to get coffee from Dunkin Donuts, something that has been seriously lacking in my life as of late. 

          We spent the day around Stamford and Cos Cob, and even though there wasn’t much going on, it was a nice (and cheap) break from the city, and I got to go shopping at Target for the first time in months. We had lunch at a seafood restaurant on the water, and found a walking trail with beautiful views. It was so nice to see the ocean, and made me miss my Plum Island beach that much more. 

          Since meeting up worked out so well, I’ll probably take the train to a different station in Connecticut in the next few weeks to explore another new place with my mom. I missed her a lot, and even though we talk on the phone a couple of times a week, it’s just not the same and it was so nice to see her.

loved the cork-filled window display

new england fall/columbus day weekend

          I was excited to go home for Columbus Day weekend several weeks ago, and managed to navigate my way to the bus terminal, though not without difficulty. I got out of class at 1:00, caught a train into the city, walked in the opposite direction of the bus station, hailed a cab, sprinted to my bus, and stood there until we were allowed to board, half an hour past schedule. We didn’t leave until 3:30 and got stuck in horrendous traffic, arriving in beautiful Boston 6 hours later. 

          My mom (and dinner) were waiting for me at South Station, and I was beyond excited to see her. It was fantastic to sleep in my own bed and shower without wearing flip flops, but I completely overcommitted myself for the following three days. Three of my friends that go to school in Boston were home for the weekend, so I wanted to spend time with them, as well as with my parents and Diana. On Saturday morning, I spent some quality time at the mall with my mom after brunching with my dad, and in the afternoon I picked up my friends and drove to Cider Hill Farm for an afternoon of apple picking and doughnut eating. Driving for the first time in 5 weeks was an incredible experience, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed my car and the freedom that comes with having a license and living in a rural area. 

Cider Hill was beautiful, though I was only there for the doughnuts, but we walked through the orchards hunting for apples. Later that day, my mom cooked my favorite dinner, and I went to the movies with my sister and some friends, staying out way too late. Our parents dragged Diana and I to church the next morning, but followed through with lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant and a trip to the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA. It was a great exhibit and I loved spending the day with the people I love most. 

The trip home would not have been complete without a meal at my absolute favorite eatery, Las Olas Taqueria, so Diana and I went for dinner, almost causing me to burst into tears because of its deliciousness. College food is barely edible, and after a lifetime of my mom’s home cooking, I am less than thrilled with the meal selection at school. 

I had an afternoon bus on Monday, so I spent the morning with my dad, eating a late breakfast and going to Applecrest Farm for lunch and a hayride. It was great to have a weekend full of traditional New England Fall activities, since I feel so far removed from everything like that in the Bronx. I was sad to leave Newburyport because my weekend felt so rushed, but I can’t wait to go home for Thanksgiving. 

jackie, becca, and danielle

photo cred to jackie peszynski

with diana at the PEM

so much happiness in this picture

college life

          College in New York has been a huge adjustment, and it’s one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken. Even while we were packing all of my stuff into the car, I didn’t feel like it was happening; I could not grasp the fact that I would be sharing a tiny dorm room with someone I barely knew and wouldn’t see my parents, sister, or friends everyday. Saying good bye to my sister was surreal; I went to her work (at a fried seafood shack) and hugged her farewell in the middle of a crowd of hungry customers. When my parents left me at Fordham, it finally sank in that I wouldn’t see my dad the next morning or have dinner with my mom.

          I won’t deny that I’m homesick, and I miss the easiness and familiarity of Newburyport, the town I’ve lived in for nearly my whole life. Fortunately, I’m enjoying all of my classes and keeping busy with clubs and occasional trips into Manhattan. I’m grateful that one of my best friends goes to Hofstra, so we can visit each other on the weekends or meet up for lunch in the city. I can’t wait to go home for Thanksgiving to see my family and friends and have a break from classes, but until then I’ll be enjoying the Big Apple. 

somehow managed to fit everything into one car

fordham won their first home game!

ramtown 2012, a basketball pep rally

trip to the Met for art history class

fashion's night out in manhattan

galaxie and i at FAO Schwarz

rockefeller plaza (taken with Instagram)

(taken with Instagram)

so long, newburyport high

          High School graduation was one of the most bittersweet days of my life. I was thrilled to be done with pre-calc and homework and waking up at 6:00 every morning, but realizing that I wouldn’t see my friends everyday at school the next year was a rude awakening. The weather on June 3, 2012 perfectly described my mixed feelings of delight and sadness. In the morning, it was raining, and continued on and off for the whole afternoon. When it was time to walk into the stadium, it seemed to clear up, though the sky was overcast and windy enough that I had to hold onto my cap. The skies opened up and the rain really began as soon as we sang the last line of our Alma Mater. 

          Receiving my diploma was definitely a high point in my life; I feel like I deserved it, and I am proud to be a graduate of Newburyport High. I’m endlessly grateful to my high school for being excellent enough to give me a choice of colleges, and for the wonderful teachers I had. Leading up to graduation, we had senior week, which consisted of various activities like Vespers (a somber ceremony), the black tie banquet and yearbook signing, Ivy Day, senior sing-out, promenade, and senior celebration. It was great to bond with everyone in my class during our final week together, and I made a lot of great memories with my friends.

senior prom 

senior celebration

klaudia and i, senior celebration

vespers with charter kids

sister+best friend

parents

wyoming

          I feel like I haven’t written in so long, and so much has happened over the summer months. I can't believe it's almost Fall! There are so many things to write about, so I'll try to keep things in chronological order. In April, I came downstairs one morning to find one of my dad’s characteristic long-winded letters sitting on my placemat. Bottom line, he had written that I should seriously consider enrolling at the University of Wyoming, to make college even more of an adventure than it already is and to continue my pursuit of rugged individualism. I had always joked to my friends that I would end up there, and my dad’s letter really got me thinking. 

          At this point, I was wait-listed at a few schools, but I had a pretty clear idea of where I was going to deposit. I called my dad and told him I would consider it if we could visit campus to take a tour, and learn a little more about the programs they have for my major. Nearing the end of Spring break, we quickly booked two tickets to Denver, rented a car, and spent three nights in Wyoming. It was the most random thing I have ever done in my life, but the trip was well worth it. We left on a Friday, but our tour wasn’t until Monday, so we had a weekend to kill. I suggested we go to Cody, WY, since we had a great time there on one of our western vacations two summers earlier. It was a five hour drive, but we took turns, loving the 75 mph speed limit, lack of traffic, and wide open spaces. 

downtown Cody, Wyoming

a real cowboy (he travels all over the U.S. with three horses)

dad at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody

we love the wide open spaces

          






















          





          

          First of all, Cody in April is nothing like Cody in July. Like Newburyport, business booms in the summer months, and the rest of the year, it is much like a ghost town. Still, we managed to keep ourselves occupied, poking around downtown, visiting the Buffalo Bill museum, and going to the movies. If nothing else, it was great to spend quality time with my dad in one of our favorite places. 

          On Sunday, we began the haul back to Laramie, home of the university. It’s actually a decent sized city, with plenty of restaurants and shopping centers, wild horses grazing in parking lots and old Ford pick ups on every corner. During our tour the next day, I was surprised by everything I learned about the college; it’s the only 4-year school in the state, so they have a ton of funding and tuition is insanely affordable. Though I applied because of my love for Wyoming, it was my super safety school because their acceptance rate is almost 95%. 

          I brewed things over in my head for a long time, but I ended up deciding that UW was not for me. I hate flying, and the thought of having to buy a ticket and go through TSA whenever I wanted to go home was less than appealing. Plus, my mother pointed out that if I’m bored in Newburyport, I’ll be even more bored in Wyoming. And as usual, she was probably right. Even though I chose to continue my education elsewhere, Wyoming is still one of my favorite places in the world, and I can’t wait to go back. 

the city that never sleeps

          During school vacation two weeks ago, my mom took Diana, our friend Galaxie, and I to New York City for a few days, between Christmas and New Years. I have mentioned my love for NYC various times, and I love being in Manhattan during the winter. All of the department stores are beautifully decorated, and the smell of roasted chestnuts only adds to the holiday charm of the city. It was extremely warm for December, and the weather was perfect when we arrived, though it rained for most of the second day. 

exploring NYU (me, galaxie, diana)

          I spent entirely too much money on clothes and other things I don't need or have room for in my closet, but New York is a great place to shop, as well as eat. My parents have already taken my sister and I to all of the major tourist attractions, mostly when we were younger, so it's nice to be able to focus on immersing myself in city life rather than waiting in line for an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building.
          Overall, it was a wonderful trip to New York City, filled with bargain hunting, frozen yogurt, and plenty of walking, and, as always, I can't wait to return.

ladurée macaron and chocolate shop (diana, galaxie, me)

                One of the new things we did this trip was visit Ladurée, a bakery famous for their macarons. Macarons are small, round cakes, and are currently a fad in the U.S. They come in every flavor imaginable (I tried dark chocolate, caramel and fleur-de-sel, rose, and black-currant violet), and are very expensive--I paid over ten dollars for four, but they are delicious. Ladurée is especially famous because their only other locations are scattered across Paris, besides this one on Madison Ave.

boston black friday

christmas tree in the north end

diana and i

klaudia being a model, as usual.

       Last night, my parents took Diana, Klaudia, and I into Boston to see the tree lighting at Macy's and to do some shopping. The previous day, on Thanksgiving, after a morning football game (which Newburyport won!), a family walk in Maudslay State Park, and, of course, a turkey dinner, some friends came over to relax before we left at 11:30 to begin Black Friday shopping.
       My goal for the night/morning was to get a Kindle at Target, so we went there first and waited outside in 34 degree weather for two hours, and stood in line for another hour once we got inside. It was entertaining at first, when friendly employees in red shirts passed out energy bars and Klaudia and I listened to all of the crazed shoppers' conversations, but it got old pretty quickly and I was visibly upset by the time I made it to the check-out.
       After finishing our shopping, we drove home, slept for six hours, and then trekked into Boston. I was really tired, but I absolutely love Boston, especially during the holidays. The weather was surprisingly nice--all of us were freezing that morning, but the evening in the city was beautiful. We shopped for a few hours before having a lackluster dinner at a Mexican restaurant and strolling through the North End, festively lit with holiday lights, probably left over from a feast. Thanksgiving this year was a lot of fun, and aside from the stress of purchasing my Kindle, it was a welcome break from college applications and homework. And now the countdown to Christmas begins.

fryeburg fair

       In good spirits, my whole family + Klaudia left Newburyport just before 8:00 am (one hour later than planned) to begin the two and a half drive to Fryeburg, Maine. Although the Topsfield Fair is much closer, it is mostly comprised of fried food stands, shaky thrill rides, and some 4-H club displays. Several years ago on a weekend trip to Maine, we stopped by the fair in Fryeburg and found it to be much more authentic. Greasy food and cheap games were, of course, abundant, but more traditional activities like horse pulling and harness racing were also extremely popular.

       This year, everyone in my family decided to skip the Topsfield Fair and collectively devoted an entire Saturday to the Fryeburg Fair, since we'd had so much fun the first time. Diana, Klaudia, and I walked through all of the vendors, shared a box of clam strips and a bowl of apple crisp, and met up with my parents at the horse pulling event. We didn't stay for the whole thing, opting to walk over to the race track instead. When we went to harness racing three years ago, my dad wouldn't let me bid any money, but told me to pick a horse anyway, just for fun. Obviously, the horse I chose won. This year, I bet $2 on a horse called Circles Sassylassy who came in first, and I won $10. (My dad bet $2 on another horse in a different race, and didn't win anything.)

       Although Fryeburg is far away, I do love spending time in Maine, as I mentioned here. It was nice to have a sort of mini-vacation during this last long weekend, and now the countdown to Thanksgiving begins!

fresh, local maple syrup + whoopie pies

my new friend, the tin man!