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)

sweet sweet summertime

          Summer after senior year was the sweetest of them all, and I wished it would never end. Although I worked 20+ dreary hours every week at Market Basket, I spent a lot of time with friends and enjoyed the freedom, late nights, and later mornings. Summertime was filled with graduation and birthday parties, walks through Maudslay, trips to Little Neck, Salisbury, and Hampton beaches (and of course my beach, Plum Islans), adventures to Boston, and lots of ridiculously good food from Las Olas, Abe’s, and Riverview. I also feel like we spent a lot of time at Friendly’s, solely because it’s open until midnight.

          More than anything, this summer made me realize how much I love and appreciate my friends, and I have no idea how I’m functioning without them. We spread out across the U.S. and the globe, and I can’t wait to see most of them at Thanksgiving. 

Danielle with Becca at her graduation party

Klaudia and Gretchen on Plum Island for Gretch's birthday party

Gretchen's graduation party

Becca and I

boston adventures  

Keane concert at the House of Blues, Boston

Klaudia, Old Town Hill, Newbury, MA

Kennebunkport, ME

car rides to nowhere in particular

my beautiful sister

nora and klaudia

L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport, ME

sunset at the artichoke

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.