city friends

          A couple weeks ago, Klaudia spent the weekend of her fall break with me in New York before flying back to school in Virginia. I missed her so much, and it was amazing to be reunited with my best friend. I picked her up in Manhattan on Friday night, and we had dinner before heading back to the Bronx. I introduced Klaudia to some of my college friends, and unfortunately she got to sample some of Fordham's infamous cuisine. It was funny to see her reaction to life in the Bronx since she goes to a really small rural college, and by the end of the night we were both exhausted.
           As I mentioned before, my old friend Galaxie goes to Hofstra University, on Long Island. We've known each other since elementary school, and though we went to different high schools, she stayed one of my, my sister's, and Klaudia's closest friends. We excitedly made plans to meet up in the city on Saturday to shop, sight-see, and eat. We had gourmet ginger popcorn from a store in Manhattan, and enjoyed a delicious gourmet mac and cheese dinner at s'mac, a little kiosk in the middle of a public park. We spent a lot of time in lower Manhattan, which is nice because it's a little less touristy than midtown, and took the train to spend the night on Long Island.
          It was amazing to spend the weekend with two of my closest friends, and I cannot wait to see both of them for Thanksgiving next week.

times square

ack

          One of the most exciting and expensive things I did over the summer was go to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard with Klaudia. Though we travelled on the cheap, it was still pricey for us. Our original plan was to stay on Nantucket at the youth hostel for three nights, but that was before we arrived and learned that the hostel, though on a lovely, quiet oceanfront property, is in the middle of nowhere and all bus service stops at 5:30 pm. We only had bikes for the second day, so the first night we decided to try our luck on foot, thinking we would grab dinner at the first place we came to. 

          After walking in a straight line for half an hour, the sun was going down and I was ready to liven things up. Clearly, our only option was to rely on the kindness of strangers, so I stuck my thumb out and we were picked up in thirty seconds flat. Our new friend was a little creepy for my liking, but he brought us to a populated area and we thanked him profusely. (The look on my mother’s face when I told her this story was worth every second of the creepiness Klaudia and I endured.) We found a pizza place, spent all of our money so we couldn’t take a bus partway back, and set off on foot once again. We walked two miles in the wrong direction on a dimly lit road, but eventually made it back to the hostel an hour later. Always an adventure.

bestie on the island ferry

beautiful nantucket

en route to edgartown

The next day at the beach, we rethought our itinerary. We enjoyed two full days on Nantucket, shopping, eating, enjoying the general “waspy” atmosphere and wishing we had more money, before deciding to go back to the mainland and stay at the hostel in Hyannis. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Nantucket, but I need to wait until I’m a little wealthier before I go back. We bid adieu to the hostel, which really was lovely, especially the outdoor shower at sunset, and caught the last bus into town. 

The hostel in Hyannis was an adorable, renovated Victorian era house with small guest rooms--Klaudia and I shared ours with just one other girl, who was from China and didn’t speak English. We went for a late night swim and got some fried seafood before going to bed. The next day, we enjoyed downtown Hyannis, which is much more affordable and a little less snobby. But we got bored quickly and debated how we should spend our last night of vacation. On a whim, I checked the ferry schedule to Martha’s Vineyard, and discovered that we could make it to Woods Hole in time. We agreed, booking the hostel there, and hit the road again. 

biking is definitely the best way to get around

          

         

            The Vineyard is kind of a happy medium between the Cape and Nantucket. The ferry was $8 versus the $17 we paid for Nantucket, and we were able to get our own meals rather than share one. We got there mid afternoon, and spent the next two days shopping and exploring. 

Though our plans changed, being able to take care of ourselves made me feel really independent and confident that I can go places without my parents. Granted, we were in really safe places all three nights, but it was a nice taste of adventure, and I can’t wait to plan another trip for next summer.

downtown edgartown 

we found the lilly jeep!

spring ahead

          At last, summer has nearly arrived and the school year is winding down, so these past couple of weeks have been crazy. It seems like a lot of school related events have sprung up (no pun intended), and everyone has made their final decisions about college. I've decided to commit to Fordham University, and I could not be more excited at the opportunity to live and go to school in New York City. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy all of the activities planned for senior week, and to spend a lot of time with friends.
          I cannot believe that I'm finally done with high school and am graduating on Sunday, but I definitely feel ready for my next adventure.

diana and i with our favorite art teacher at the National Art Honor Society induction ceremony.

diana and i at the National Honor Society induction

klaudia, diana, and i at the ceremony for academic excellence

school vacation surprise

diana and the birthday girl!

a beautiful nautical cake courtesy of gretchen

          Two weeks ago, Newburyport had a much anticipated February vacation. This winter has been surprisingly (and annoyingly) mild, so I have been hoping for a little snow, but vacation week was nearly spring-like. Since I didn't have any trips planned, I picked up some extra hours at work, shopped way too much, and spent time with friends. One of the most fun parts of break was a surprise party my sister and I planned for Klaudia's birthday. She turned 18, which I found out last month isn't as great an age as promised.
          Nevertheless, I invited a bunch of friends for a surprise dinner at Flatbread's, one of our favorite spots, for delicious organic pizza and good company. Our friend Gretchen, who is a master baker, made an incredible chocolate cake, complete with blue and white stripes and an anchor on top to honor Klaudia's love for all things nautical. We had a great time, and spent the next few days buying scratch tickets to celebrate the fact that we are both officially adults. Unfortunately, vacation flew by far too quickly, so it's back to school for now. Even though spring is just around the corner, I'm still hoping for a snow day!

birthday festivities

          

           As of today, I am officially an adult! Since it is Tuesday, I celebrated my 18th birthday over the weekend with Diana and Klaudia. After arriving in Boston on Saturday afternoon, we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and spent the rest of the day shopping (and eating). I was worried about the weather, but it was a perfect January day: warm enough for iced coffee, but cold enough to need a jacket. 

          After spending too much money on Newbury Street, we made our way to Cambridge to find dinner in Harvard Square. We decided on b. good, one of my favorite local chain restaurants for the cheap and delicious food. Although b. good is known for their burgers, made from local ingredients like the rest of their menu, I decided on a salad with some amazing roasted sweet potato fries. We walked around for a little bit longer before heading back to our hotel, exhausted.

          The next morning, we slept in late, grabbed lunch at Pizzeria Regina (the best pizza in the world. Period.), and trekked back to Newburyport. All in all, spending the weekend in Boston was a nice way to celebrate my passage into adulthood and, as always, I wished I didn't have to leave. It was fun to be in Harvard Square this time of the year, and being around college students/college life made me even more excited for my own experience this Fall. 

we run on dunkin's!

diana, me, and klaudia after enjoying sweet treats at Sweet Cupcakes

beautiful friends + lights in boston

matt and kim (and car trouble)

house of blues, boston

          On Friday night, Diana, Klaudia, and I kicked off the weekend with the Matt and Kim concert at the House of Blues in Boston. I have gone to a bunch of shows at the House of Blues, and it's one of my favorite venues because the security tends to be pretty laid back (although on Friday we all received pat-downs before being allowed in), and we usually manage to make our way down into the mosh pit even though it's always sold out. Matt and Kim are an interesting band of two people (of the same names), and we've all been fans of them for the last few years. Based out of Brooklyn, NY, they have a really unique sound, and their live performance was impressive. 

          Earlier the same night, we had been hoping to get into Boston on the early side to finish some Christmas shopping and have a nice dinner, but upon leaving school we discovered that my car had a flat tire. I drove to the closest gas station, which was, of course, out of business, so my sister ran over to the Park Lunch, a popular hang out spot for Newburyport townies, to procure some assistance. She came back with two middle-aged men who had been sitting at the bar, and seemed more than happy to put on the spare tire. We then drove to a service station so they could fix the damaged tire (the cause of the flat = a tiny nail) and give me a new inspection sticker, and we were finally on our way.    

          Even though we started out with some difficulties, we all had a great night, and it was a much needed mental break from school. On our way home, we stopped at Sonic for limeade and grilled cheese sandwiches, sung along to Diana's new Matt and Kim CD, and pulled into the driveway at 2 am. Perfect night. 

it wouldn't be a concert without a 1 am stop at sonic

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.

craft fair

some of my greeting cards

diana and klaudia

diana's earrings--the buttons are my favorite!

sparkle invitations

Last weekend, my sister's class at our school had a craft fair for one of their fundraisers. Klaudia, Diana, and I split the $25 table fee three ways, and had several frenzied crafting afternoons producing inventory. Klaudia and I always say that if everything we've planned about our lives fails, we are going to open a card and soap store, which she has already christened "Suds and Salutations." (My genius best friend also thought of the name for my blog!) In our business, I make the cards and she makes the soap, but in preparing for the fair, everything we did was a joint effort. I have been making cards for various occasions for friends and family for a long time, but neither of us had ever made soap before. For two people who had no idea what we were doing, the soap turned out pretty good, and we are going to continue improving our recipe. Diana was selling beautiful earrings, infinity scarves, and handbags, all of which she made. Although we weren't as profitable as we had hoped, it was a good first selling experience and a fun way to spend the afternoon with friends.

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!