We're Moving!!!

Justin and I are moving to CA!!!! My wonderful husband recently accepted a job from Kaiser Air in Oakland, CA! http://www.kaiserair.com/. We will be leaving Boston soon (December 27th) and heading back out West. It was not that long ago that Murray and I headed East for a 5 day road trip, and now Justin and I will be doing the same in the Jeep! We will miss parts of Boston for sure, especially Jenny and Brandon, but we are so excited to head to CA! We can't wait to see you all so very soon! We will most likely rent a place in Petaluma for a while as we look into buying a house of our own (I feel so old)! The town of Petaluma can smell like cows, pigs, etc., but I just need to get over that-hehee! By living in Petaluma Justin will have less of a commute during his probationary period! Thank you to everyone who had plans to visit us here in Boston and never got to, but I tell ya what, you can visit our new home in Cali-wohoo!!! Below is one of the sweet planes Justin will be flying. Enlarge this Gulfstream by clicking on it to really see its beauty!!

Holiday Stroll and More Snow!!

Last week our neighborhood, Beacon Hill, had an evening holiday event where the shops stayed open late and served goodies. The street was blocked off, Santa was in full force, carolers were strolling up and down the streets, etc. Justin and I walked around and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of our neighborhood.

Justin had most of Today off becuase of a major snow storm, so we took advantage of the daylight hours together and went for a walk in the snow! It was so much fun and so pretty! This storm will give us 6-9 inches! Pretty pretty! I surely hope we have a white Christmas here!

Christmas Decor and Snow Are In Order!

Well, it truly feels like the Christmas season is upon us! We decorated our mantle and a few other parts of the apartment (no real tree though) to get us in the spirit. On top of the decorating it snowed here last night and it is right now as well. I took a few pictures last night and a few this afternoon. Our neighborhood puts up garland and ribbon around each lamp post during the holiday season and yesterday was the first time I noticed it (so cute)! I hope all of you are enjoying getting in the spirit! I just love this time of year!

You'll notice Justin's trains on the mantle-that kid is obsessed I tell ya!!!

You can see the snow on the roof of this picture taken in night mode on our camera.
This is the view of the top of the state house from our apartment (with a thin layer of snow on the building adjacent).
This is one of the many poles I mentioned above! They are so festive!

It is nice to have Friends in Boston!!!

It has been so nice to have Jenny and Brandon in Boston! Jenny and I have enjoyed lunching together and eating over at each other's houses. Jenny and Brandon have been so nice in giving us Bruins Hockey tickets! Justin and I love watching Brandon play at the Garden, which is so close to our house! I get to live vicariously through Jenny and Brandon with their dog Buddy! We all know I want a dog really bad, so it is fun to play with Buddy in his new home!

Jenny and I at a Bruins home game!
Justin and I (it is his recipe and inspiration though) made a beef stew in our crock pot and Jenny came over for Dinner (Brandon was on the road).
Poor Buddy, getting teased by Justin!
Isn't he so cute!!

The Big Apple!!!

My Mom, Aunt (Chris), and I met up in New York City for some girlie fun! My Aunt celebrated her birthday weekend with the Rachel Ray Daytime Show, a book signing by Rachel Ray, three enjoyable dinners, manicures, shopping, Zabars, the MOMA, 5th Avenue, and a lot of waiting in line (hint hint Rachel Ray). The Rachel Ray Show was so much fun and really neat to see (I have never been to any kind of a live or TV taping).

Okay, so we were advised to get to the Rachel Ray (RR) taping very early because a line forms around the block...being a little too excited and well, nerdy, we got there at 6:45 (for a 10:15 arrival time). The security guard was not even off of his night shift yet, and was shocked that we were there for RR. Let's just say, the next person did not arrive until 8:45 and it was COLD outside (toes totally numb). The show was super fun, but no pics from the inside because we would have been kicked out-yikes!
Not only did we get to see her show, but while we were there we found out about a signing at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square, so we waited in yet, another line, to see her face to face and chat a bit while she signed our books.

Auntie Chris and I at her birthday dinner, with her birthday Cosmo glass.

Yummy yummy!

Okay, let me just preface this little story with the notion that it was way funnier in person, but I will share it with you anyway...So we went to the Museum of Modern Art on our last day in NY and had too many laughs. These laughs were twofold, one, my Mom and I do not have a lot of appreciation for modern art, and two, it is just strange! The picture above is of a shovel, yes a shovel hanging from the ceiling...I mean, really, I could do that and I have not one ounce of creative ability. There was also a room with a large bright pink 2 by 12 leaning up against the wall (I had no idea painting was a famous skill), and last, I saw one two many blank canvases...white, black, etc...just blank, that was it, really??? Nonetheless, it was still very neat to see certain pieces of artwork and share in the memories with my Aunt and Mom.

Fun, fun trip in a hustle and bustle of a city!

Rick and Angie in Boston!

Rick and Angie spent a nice long weekend here with us in Boston, and even stayed with J and I at Casa Langlois. We did a few things here in the Boston area, like the Freedom Trail and climbing the 204 steps of Bunker Hill Monument, but we also drove North of Boston to Newburyport. It was so nice to get out of the city and see some of the beautiful fall colors. We went to Newburyport to visit Peter and Allison at their church, Hope Community Church. Allison is the sister of Jeremy (Justin's sisters husband). We really enjoyed the service and only wish the church was closer. The town of Newburyport is so quaint and the downtown area has a lot going on. Justin and I would love to go back for a weekend getaway! Newburyport is right on the eastern coastline so we were able to dip our feet into the Atlantic Ocean. It was an unseasonably warm fall day...perfect weather for our day trip outside of the big city!

Mother and Son enjoying the wind and sun of Massachusetts!
Father and Son enjoying a stroll together on the eastern most part of the U.S. (well not technically, but we were at the Ocean, so pretty close).

Bunker Hill Monument (this is very close to where Brandon and Jenny live in Charlestown).
These are the hammocks where crew members slept 3 floors below the deck of the U.S.S Constitution. J and I had been on the ship before, but never below deck.

Ahhh, beautiful fall colors...just ask Justin...I had been craving Fall colors, and I finally was able to enjoy them on our drive to Newburyport, MA.
It was wonderful to have Rick and Angie out here in Boston, after all, Boston will always be our first home as a married couple! We made steak salad (of course) and enjoyed each other's company.

The Circus Is Not Just For Kids!

Justin and I went to the Circus over the weekend and had a blast. I was actually surprised how fun it was for two adults without children! The acrobats were amazing, the white tigers were beautiful, and the household pets (cats and mini dachshunds) were hysterical. We could have gone for round 2 when it was over, but we headed home to reminisce.

We are both huge fans of cotton candy, and with it came this "cool" hat.
You can't really tell in the picture, but these are beautiful white tigers. I thought of you Mer!

Mom's B-day Bash!

We had so much fun celebrating in our front yard with family and friends for my Mom's birthday! It was a blast dancing on the driveway and getting drinks from a "real" bar (bartender and everything). People brought lots of good appetizers to share, but most importantly they brought themselves. My mom got to dance with my Justin (which she loves) and him and I even snuck in a few moves! Good times had by everyone.

Showering Dana and Little Lily!

Dana had her first Baby Shower! We all had so much fun showering Dana with gifts, catching up, yummy food, and presents as she and Michael await the birth of their first child in early January. The diaper cake that you see below was made by Melissa (super cute) as where other decorations throughout her house. Dana was able to visit with college friends, high school friends, and family. It was so much fun and a new experience for all of us!

Visit to Cali!!!

Justin and I were able to go home for my mom's birthday and her dancing diva party! Having a flexible schedule, I was able to stay for a nice 8 days, with Justin visiting in the middle of them. We truly enjoyed being back with family in suburban life, eating yummy burritos from El Sombrero, the 82 degree non-humid weather, and much much more! My parents hosted a b-day party for the madre with family and friends on Sunday the 7th! The band was great and the food was oh so nice on the belly! I was able to help my mom out at Bella while she is experiencing staffing changes and we had a great time together! We also spent the afternoon and evening in SF on the day I came into town and had a blast! We visited a store on Union that I enjoy called Ambiance, and a specialty shop on Polk that is adorable and very whimsical! While I was home I also got to visit Sequoia where I taught kindergarten before moving to Boston. It was SOOOO much fun seeing my old colleagues and the children. It was the walk-a-thon so I was able to see everyone! I saw Brooklynn's new classroom and caught up with her in the staff room a bit. It was so nice being home and hearing familiar sounds, seeing familiar sights, and spending time with family and friends (including the cats)!!

Harvard Square

Well, it was not official, but I did make my way through part of the Harvard campus today on my way to the doctor. It has beautiful brick buildings surrounded by lots of green grass and tall trees. I did see your "typical" Harvard student with the maroon and white stripe bow tie and all! At this point in the year I had hoped to see more fall foliage, but it is just too hot out here. I hope to have pictures of the New England fall colors soon! On a separate note, I have been subbing around the Boston area in the last two weeks and have loved it. The part that is hard is that it is not my own classroom, but the part that is great, is that at the end of the day I can just leave and have no worries or thoughts of the next day and what needs to be done. I have been doing a lot of walking for these sub jobs, so I should be on my way to some rock hard quads (hehe). Finally, I get to go home on Wednesday of next week and see fam and friends! My mom is celebrating her birthday on the 4th so keep an eye out for those pictures as well! Chat soon!

Mom's Visit to Boston

My mamasita came to visit Boston in September and was our first guest at Casa Langlois (hehe). We had a blast walking around Boston, shopping, exploring, pampering ourselves with facials, and walking most of the Freedom Trail. The weather was perfect while she was here...not too hot, and thankfully, not too cold. We enjoyed working out at the gym together and shopping at Whole Foods. Below are some pictures from her visit:

Enjoying dinner together at Scollay Square in our neighborhood!
This is a picture taken in the Boston Public Garden, a park that Justin and I walk through quite a bit because it is on our route to so many things.
Look at that Entree....a little (or a lot shall I say) of yummy lobster risotto next to a large hunk-o-meat! Justin enjoyed the leftovers the next day.
We made Mom our "famous" and favorite steak salad.
This was the view out of our living room window as the sun was setting on Mom's last night here in Boston. Let' be honest though, it is really the window in our kitchen, living, room, and dining room...hehe...can you say small living space!

More pictures of Yellowstone

More Pictures of our trip are below!

Look at these colors created by all of the natural activity of the earth! Might I add that the smell given off by all the sulfur was not pleasant!
It's snack time for this Buff
We thought this was a really neat picture of the circle of life...here you see the re-growth from the devistating fire in Yellowstone back in 1988 (I think).
A beautiful Elk enjoying the sun!