Weekend in Boston

June 12th - June 15th
Now that it's been official for a while, I can actually post this with the real reason we were in Boston this weekend in June.

Aaron had been called a few times by a recruiter about a position in NH - and he kept saying "no thanks".  Well, since we'd had quite the year so far, the next time he called with an offer, Aaron bit.  We headed up to Boston on a Thursday evening and Aaron had his interview there on Friday morning.  He left the interview being told he was going to receive the offer, and with a compliment of being "very polished".  So, it went well and all we had to do was wait.  We enjoyed that Thursday evening with a stroll through Boston Common and by going to a nice dinner (on his possibly-future bosses request) at Houston's.  Aaron loved the crabcakes and I enjoyed a big, juicy filet mignon - we had also read rave reviews on their spinch-artichoke dip and didn't know how it could be so different than others ... until we tried it! We can't wait to eat there again.



On Saturday, we hit the New England Aquarium - I think we spent a few hours in here checking out the penguins, sharks, jellyfish, turtles, stingrays, etc.  It was awesome.  After that, we walked to a handful of the sites on the Freedom Trail to learn some history, like the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, King's Chapel Burying Ground, and the Boston Massacre site.  Lots of walking!  We checked out of our hotel, had lunch in the Quincy Market Cheers, relaxed a bit in Boston Common, then decided to stay another night and checked back into the hotel for another night!



Sunday was a bit rainy, but we got out and walked the Freedom Trail up toward the North End - we hit the Paul Revere House, the Old North Church and Copp's Hill Burying Ground.  We walked down to see the Cheers on Beacon Hill, which inspired the TV show.  Then it was time to head home.  Our legs wouldn't walk anymore if we had wanted them to.


It was a great weekend and we can't wait to stay again and see more of the sites we missed.

Mary Sharon MacKenna Lewis

Not a good start to updating our blog, but I wanted to add a post about Aaron's mother.  As most/all of you know, she passed away on May 31, 2008 after battling a brain tumor -- at only 52 years old.  

We are very happy that Aaron and his brothers were there in Dallas when this happened - this trip had been a planned and was the first time that all three of them were together with her in years.  They arrived at different times, and though she had taken a turn for the worse, she greeted each of them with a big smile.  They were able to sit with her for a couple of days, and she passed away knowing they were there.

Aaron did a great job with all of the arrangements - there was a private burial on Tuesday and a Memorial Service on Wednesday with friends and family.  One thing Aaron found that Sharon had held onto for years were old family photos dating back generations ... we had a nice lunch going through some of those and hearing stories from her brothers and sisters.  

Sharon was very strong and left us all with some wonderful memories.

I know ... I know ...

So I'm a little behind on the blog ... but things are just now settling down since before Memorial Day.  A lot has happened and a lot has changed since the last post - even I can't keep it all straight in my mind.  I will refresh my memory by checking out my iCal (for those non-Mac users out there, this is the handy calendar provided on all of their computers) and adding new posts throughout this week.

Keep checking back soon ...

VT City Marathon

For the past three years, we've headed up to Vermont for the KeyBank VT City Marathon to join the team for the marathon relay.

• Our first year, it was Dad, Shawn, Aaron, Shelley and myself.
  
• Last year, it was Dad, Shawn, Uncle Pete, Shelley and myself on one team and Aaron put a team together which fell into the "Holstein Division". (We beat them) :o)
  
• This year, Shelley was automatically out because she was 7 months pregnant. I was iffy about it this year and jumped at the chance to give it away to our friend Darrell when he asked for a leg. Uncle Pete was still in but wasn't able to run due to an injury. So this year's team was Dad, Shawn, Kristy's brother-in-law Michael, Aaron and Darrell. They beat our time from last year - so next year, it's on if we can get more teams going.
  

We had a good time hanging out in Burlington for the day since the weather was cooperative this year. Here's a picture my mom captured of Aaron during the race - must have been close to the start of his leg since he looks so happy!


Until next year ...

Arthritis Walk 2008

This past weekend, Aaron and I joined the local Arthritis Walk.  During the month of May, National Arthritis Month, there are over 300 walks around the country raising money for Arthritis research.  We were very happy to walk to help out - in memory of my Grandmother.  Thanks to family and friends, Team Purple for JB raised $475!!!  Thank you to those who donated - it means a lot.  

Sandwiched by a rainy Friday and a rainy evening, Saturday morning brought perfect weather for a 3-mile stroll through a beautiful park ... for a good cause.  

Time with the Cuz

A little behind on the postings, but wanted to make sure I got up a couple of pictures from Angie's visit to the city, while she was up for her best friend Gwin's M.D. graduation. I met Angie, along with Gwin, her dad and sister, in Battery Park on that Friday, where we were hoping to go out to the Statue of Liberty. The line was quite crazy, so we decided to take the Staten Island Ferry out to, where else, but Staten Island! We were hoping to get some views of the Statue that way, but it was an overcast, foggy day. So, here's our shot in front of the statue - (I swear she's back there, it's not a white backdrop, just fog!)


After that, we strolled around the city, trying to enjoy Central Park in the cold, had a great lunch and some drinks out later, where Aaron met up with us (Note to the parents ... yes, Angie and I both drank alcoholic beverages - ha!) Despite the weather, it was a fun day.

I did go back into the city on Monday to meet up with Angie again before her flight out. It was a MUCH better day - in the 70s - with sun! So, we walked up to Central Park to sit and chat in Sheep Meadow for over an hour. We had fun people-watching and trying to get someone to get a good picture of us. I think we got too lucky with a guy who knew too much about photos, that he made us feel dumb with our point-and-click cameras! But we got a good one.


We had a great lunch, where we were both in heaven with the Smoked gouda mac n' cheese with bacon and the Blackberry Lemonades at Cafeteria. After that, I saw Angie off in a cab :o( 

Until next time ...

Aaron Hits the Appalachian Trail

A couple of months ago, Aaron and a group of co-workers planned a 2-day hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail.  After numerous shopping trips to EMS, splitting up the food and shopping lists, making sure they had all the gear they would need - they were *almost* ready to go.  Can't plan anything with these guys without some sort of prank ... a couple of days before the trip, they decided to test one of the tents ... by setting it up in Mike's cubicle ... while he was out to lunch!  This is what he came back to:


Two weekends ago, they began the hike in Great Barrington, MA in the wee hours of Saturday morning, each with about 30 pounds on their back. With some rain in the forecast, they expected the worst, but ended up with a perfect day for hiking.



They made their way through the 11 miles up to the Tom Leonard Shelter in Tyringham, MA - where they were welcomed with a much larger lean-to than they thought. They were able to fit in the lean-to with the loft ... not needing the tents they carried up with them! They had a great dinner of hamburger helper before turning in, ready for another 11 miles back down the next day.


They all had a great time and Aaron can't wait to set up another hike sometime soon.