Beantown Vacay

Whew! We went to Beantown, we saw family and friends and we made it home again!

Cade and I spent four nights in New England and had a GREAT time. On Thursday we went to Jane's house and had a quiet evening with her and AJ. On Friday we played at home in the morning including a walk around the lake by Jane's house.

Lake!

After nap, we went on a vineyard happy hour. Cade, ever the sophisticated toddler, knows vineyards well as we also went to one on our Cali trip back in January. Needless, to say, he did great (that is did great in between small meltdowns because mommy went in inside for a refill and he had to play with his delta aunties...still getting to know them after all). Friday post vineyard a few more deltas came to visit and we all hung out in the backyard.

My most fav pic: roomies and baby at the vineyard. Love, love, love.

Saturday we migrated to Framingham to see family. We had a lazy afternoon and then a big family dinner.

Family pic before dinner

Crazy Cade took two naps which I thought were just because he hadn't slept super well since traveling and was getting molars but as we discovered upon our return home, was probably in part due to having hand foot mouth disease. (Calling it a disease makes it sound so unnecessarily serious.) I wish I could tell you that Cade was a champ and stayed up for all of dinner and sat at the table eating salmon with utensils like a little adult. But really, he had a meltdown right before dinner and crashed. So the adults ate dinner together and talked and enjoyed wine and had a lovely time while the wee boy slept.

Before his dinnertime bedtime, Cade LOVED playing with Uncle Winslow

The only bummer of the weekend was Saturday and Sunday nights. My small child was teething and sick and as a result neither of us slept very much at all. However those molars would have come if we had been on vacation or not so at least we got to see family and friends, come hell or molars.

Sunday was a quiet day with family. Walks around the block, a visit to Lexington & Concord and a very civilized dinner together at the table. He ate the heck outta Aunt Linda's mashed potatoes!

Monday we lazed around in the early morning and then hung out with Auntie Linda in the late morning. After nap AJ and Taygan picked us up for the airport. The boys were so cute in the dual car seats! I wish they had been able to spend more time together but there's always next time. We hope to visit Boston often during Cade's childhood. Just the first of many!

Sharing pretzels on the way to the airport

And finally, from an airplane perspective, he was a total champ. In all the travels, he only had 5 minutes of crying. And like I said, there was some sickness and molars involved. Five minutes of crying would be exceptional for a healthy babe, but for a sick teething babe is blue ribbon caliber. Also, three adults (me, Nana and Grandpa Jack) to one toddler is absolutely the right travel ratio. They were so much help!!!

Things are looking pretty stellar

Yes, indeed things here are looking pretty stellar if I do say so myself!

Tomorrow Ross and I are taking my former coworker out for BBQ at the Salt Lick. The lovely Margeaux and her sidekick Ryan are going to babysit Cade since it collides with his bedtime (and nobody wants a fussy baby at a restaurant). I'm looking forward to everything about this!

Then of course on Friday I turn the big 2-9 (for the first time). Ross and I have a lunch date, then I have a fancy pedicure and then probably some shopping.

Because a baby pic is
always a good idea

Sunday Erin, Jon and Rowan are coming over to celebrate birthdays and Jon's business ownership. Hurray happy hour!

In mid-May I am attending a marketing conference downtown. I haven't been to a conference that I wasn't "working" in ages. I am SO excited! Double excitement because Nichole is coming to town for the conference too!

There are probably more exciting things happening in May but the next thing I can think of right now is the Delta trip in June! One date night in Philly with the hubs and then two nights on the lake with all the girls (and their respective boys). WOOHOO!

And the newest addition to the super stellar list is a trip to Boston! Cade and I are going up there for five whole nights in September. We're flying with Nancy and Jack who are attending Jack's son's wedding on the Vineyard. We were all invited of course but with Ross' work schedule he can't make it. It works out though because Cade and I can go to Boston and Nancy and Jack can be my extra sets of hands for the flying part. I am really really really excited for Cade to meet his Boston family, Deltas and Delta children included.

New England Yuppie Baby

Thanks for the shirt Dr. Jane!

Red Sox shirt and matching plaid shorts. Can we say yuppie?

How to Choose a College

Via LinkedIn, I just read an interesting New York Times article called "How to Choose a College." In summary it is a guy writing his hopes for his niece, a high school junior, mainly that she'll look beyond SAT scores and celebrity alumni when selecting her college. His belief is that globalism and going out of your comfort zone should be high on the list of qualities sought out in a college.

When I think about what I hope for Cade when it comes to higher ed, first and foremost of course I hope he is excited about going to college. Assuming he's excited and that the logistical things like finances work out, my next hope for him is that he goes somewhere that challenges him. Maybe that means challenging academically (I certainly hope he at least needs to attend and be awake in class, otherwise why am I spending my money). But I also want that to mean something else. Maybe it means moving from a suburb to a city or from Texas to a different region of the country. Or maybe minoring in something that is interesting but not easy for him. Or studying abroad. Or joining ROTC or TA-ing.

Going to BU challenged me and looking back that's one of the things I appreciate most about my college experience. Being far away from my parents I was forced to be more independent than I might have been otherwise. I think I developed better problem solving skills because of it. I also think I developed more confidence by solving those various problems, even the ones that were as simple as "how do I get from A to B in X minutes without a car?".

For me, being in a city and meeting people of varying backgrounds was also a good fit. Now I'll admit that BU didn't provide great economic or racial diversity. It was mostly middle class, upper  middle class, slightly rich or really rich and white or Asian. (Quite, in fact, like good old CLHS.) It was also very traditional in terms of student lifestyle: 18-23, unmarried, no kids, full-time student, 4-year graduation plan. But I was exposed to significantly more religious backgrounds (Orthodox Judaism for example), political belief systems (blue blooded liberals - neither they nor vegans are allowed in Houston), career aspirations (biomedical what?)  and regional customs/experiences (people who didn't have a drivers license because they never lived someplace without public transportation or in the near polar direction, people whose high school zoning included Native American reservations) than I ever had been.

Since geography was such a defining component of my college experience it might be hard for me to remember that it may not need to be for Cade's college years. (Ross is the very opposite of me in that way; only time will tell who Cade takes after more.) But I hope whether it is geography, academics, culture or something I haven't thought of yet, that he, and me as the parent, will consciously look beyond the flashy numbers and find a college experience where he'll be challenged in and out of the classroom.

I feel like I should note that when I was selecting a school for me, I didn't think about that fancy "challenged out of the classroom" stuff. I played the numbers game - SATs, admission rates, tuition dollars (and then as my parents would probably agree, threw the last one out the window). If I had thought beyond the numbers I probably would have discovered before matriculation, for example, that BU didn't have a football team, something I never asked about because I had never heard of a college without one, thank you Texas. The only things beyond the numbers game I thought was how far could I go and how unique could I be. If it was normal or expected I wanted nothing to do with it. Point being, 10 years removed from the college selection process it is easy to say "challenged in and out of the classroom" but I know when I was in the thick of it, I definitely did not have that much perspective (though I'm sure my parents did and I'm sure I should have listened to them more but I think we all mostly agree that it worked out well in the end).

Life on a Coaster

As you probably know, I'm aiming for a travel theme in my study at the new house (as well as the entryway and half bathroom...so really the whole area near the front door). The feature piece in my study is our family travel map, complete with color-coded pins. It will eventually be flanked by these cool globe mirror things. The curtains, once they get hung, feel kinda global-ish to me with their orange and white print.

Now I'm geekily excited for the latest addition: coasters. Really, I just need 1 coaster in here, to sit on my desk, but since they came in a 4-pack, I have coasters. What's on these coasters that makes them blog post worthy you ask?

Boston.

!!!!

I made my first Etsy purchase and now have a set of 4 coasters, each with a map of a different part of the Boston metro. The one that is featured on my desk is of course the one that includes BU.

St. Patty's Wedding

Jane and Chris got married!

Two posts ago I hinted at this and since then, it's actually happened. Friday morning I flew out of Austin wicked early (and forgot it was both SXSW and spring break so did not give myself enough time at the airport. Consequently I ran from security to my gate barefoot...fortunately it was the gate closest to security so that was only about 15 yards. After ascertaining that my flight had not left, I promptly put on my shoes and boarded).

I made it to Beantown a little after noon and met up with Val. We surprised ourselves with exactly how little we remembered of the T map but did in fact make it to the 1:20 commuter rail up to Salem that we were aiming for. We had lunch in a little cafe (mmm chowdah), checked into our Inn, took naps, shared a bottle of wine with Kristin and headed to dinner. Dinner turned into drinks which turned into dancing with the entire wedding party and many college friends to the tune of a 90s cover band. It was a good night.

Saturday (St. Patrick's Day) started with one Taygan being thrown into bed between Val and me. Cutie pie! Then lunch and then before we knew it, wedding time!

Jane and Chris officially earn the award for shortest (college) wedding ceremony. I think her beautiful self was down the aisle, married and back down with a hubby in all of 15 minutes. Nicely done you two.

Let's pause here to admire Jane. She was gorgeous! Her dress was fantastic: a full lace overlay, modest train and some sparkley beading. Her hair was very classy in a side ponytail with a great little headband and the make-up was perfect (hats off to Ang).

Then cocktail hour, during which I discovered just how many Deltas were in attendance and met Margo's soon-to-be-hubby; dinner - complete with lobster bisque - some very impressive speeches (Chris' was my fav) and then the dancing began. As was no surprise to anyone, Taygan was among the most popular dancing partners.

In true Delta fashion, we sang (chanted) "I am a T" and then had a group picture taken. (There were a few girls who hadn't been to the other weddings and I have to say, they looked a little surprised by the singing. Apparently they don't break out into sorority rush songs every time they attend a wedding. I recommended that they start.)

Post-wedding we hit up a wine bar in Salem to relax and continue chit chatting a bit. Then it was back to our Friday night location to wrap the night up with a dance party because everyone loves a dance party.

It's late now and I must get some sleep but I'll leave you with these two things: 1) I also saw my family during my trip which was awesome and relaxing. I loved spending my last day just hanging out with them in Wellesley. And 2) PICTURES!




Created with flickr slideshow.
These are some of my favs. I'll upload the rest to Flickr later this week.

Outta here!

Outta here and on a plane! To Boston! For Jane's wedding!

The Social Network

Tonight I finally watched The Social Network. I had some interest when it first came out but as I'm not much of a movie person, just simply never got around to it. But given my job and all, I thought I should watch it at some point.

It was a weird movie to watch. It starts in Boston, my freshman year of college at Harvard which given my romantic situation at the time was where I spent many a day. So there was a lot of deja vu in terms of scenes and some of the stuff talked about (ie Final Clubs). Of course it also starts with Mark Zuckerberg and his BU girlfriend breaking up and many not so nice comments about my alma mater.

Then there's the fact that a large percentage of my current employment is based on the existence of this site. So I supposed I'm a bit biased toward it and honestly want Zuckerberg to be a bit of a hero, king of the nerds if you will. But he doesn't come up smelling like roses. Really none of them do which is a shame if you ask me. Oh and ironically, as I sat there thinking "He's kinda a jerk" my first instinct was to post that where else but Facebook.

However I do really like the actor, Jesse Eisenberg, who played Zuckerberg. And Justin Timberlake is always good eye candy, even when he's a bit paranoid. So there's that.

Not my favorite movie by any stretch (though I wouldn't say I actively disliked it), but given that being in the right place at the right time probably is no small coincidence to my current gig, it was interesting.

Oh and what am I going to do tomorrow at work? I'm going to frequently tune in to to a live stream of a Facebook conference to learn about the latest development. The small worldness never ends.

Shopping Weekend

Yesterday Mom drove to Austin for a serious outlet shopping trip. Having heard me rave about the deals at the outlets in Round Rock, she wanted to check it out for herself. I think we did really good. I was most impressed that she bought 3 tops from Ann Taylor and her total price just under $50. That's some good sale shopping.

As you might suspect, this being the first time we've seen each other since Kevin's big engagement announcement, we talked tons and tons about the upcoming wedding. We were able to call Kev & Carly and get some more scoop from them on the wedding. I'm so excited to know I'll share their big day with them next year!

Next time I see Mom it will be on a plane bound for San Diego to see the lovely couple for a weekend. It even sounds like we'll be able to meet Carly's parents when we jump up the coast to San Francisco. After traveling east so often and living out there for college, I'm really excited to have a good reason to explore the other side of the country. Nicely done, Kev, nicely done.

Moneyball

I took a brief break from Friday Night Lights this weekend to watch Moneyball on BluRay with the hubs. Since we're both big baseball fans and since the book is one of Ross' favorites, we'd been really wanting to see this movie. In fact we had every intention of seeing in the theater but you know how it is, one thing leads to another and since movies are only in theaters for about 5 days now, it doesn't take much to miss the window of opportunity.

But anyways...

Though I'm not a huge Brad Pitt fan (I mean I think he's good looking but eh whatever, not into the hype), I loved him in this movie. He was really well cast. A bit of a gritty, muscular baseball look to him but sunny and tanned just like you expect a California boy to be. I also love the actor (Jonah Hill) they cast to be Peter Brand, Pitt's Ivy League genius awkward 20-something sidekick.

As we were watching it I thought about a post from the office blog and the point it drove home: when you can't win with business as usual, it's time to change the business. Even if we ourselves never actually change the rules, it's a romantic notion to daydream about, one perfectly fit for the romantic game of baseball.

Finally I indulgently loved how the movie included a few scenes from that old familiar part of Boston. Ah, nostalgia, how I love you.

Verdict: see the movie!

Thankful XIV

I'm thankful for cheap wine.

When you find a cheap brand of wine that you actually like, that is the vino jackpot. Enter: Two Buck Chuck. Oh how I miss you cheap Trader Joe's wine. We had a good year together in college.

However, about this time last year I discovered Lucky Duck, a $4 per bottle brand available at Wal-Mart. Now I'm not much of a Wal-Mart shopper and in fact I can't even recall what took me in there on discovery day. But  now all of my Wal-Mart trips (about 4x per year) revolve around Lucky Duck wine. On Sunday for example I went and bought a few (five) bottles for our upcoming Christmas party. I love that for $20 I stocked my wine rack with stuff that I actually like.

As I'm mostly a chardonnay girl, I've mostly drank their chardonnay. However for our Christmas party I've also included a bottle of the malbec and one of the sauvignon blanc. I'll try my darnedest to review them post-party but I'll be honest, I'll be drinking (not tasting and spitting) so...yeah we'll see.

Three cheers for good cheap wine!

It's Sunday Somewhere

It's Sunday on the other side of the world. And by all accounts, Australia and its inhabitants are still around.

If you predicted the world would end at 6 p.m. on Saturday, are you feeling a little foolish right about now?

1:10:33 for 4 in 10/2004

Tonight I worked out for 1 hour, 10 minutes and 33 seconds.

Why the hell did I do that you ask? Because 10 minutes into my work out ESPN started showing the most miraculous hour of television I've seen in nearly 7 years: "Four Days in October." A one hour summary of the 2004 ACLS in which the Red Sox, down 3-0 in the series came back to beat the pants off the Yankees.

And I couldn't leave the gym because my drive home is longer than a commercial break and I obviously could not risk missing any of this.

Now I'm not someone who says "ooo it gave me chills." When Ross proposed, I shook (like a leaf as he'll tell you.) Now when I look at my wedding album, I get mushy. When I look at Sydney pictures, I get nostalgic. But not chills. Not goosebumps.

Watching that one hour special today, I got chills and goosebumps.

How can you not? Two Big Papi homeruns. 14 innings in Fenway Park. An A-Rod ball slap...that went in Boston's favor. A bloody sock. Johnny Damon grandslam! What's not to love??

What's more, and this I just find funny, I got goosebumps but let's be honest, I know how this ends. Not only did I watch it live on the edge of my seat and run into the streets of Kenmore Square after the victory, but the boys I babysat for in college (Izzy & Louie!) had the 90-minute highlight video and we watched it so much they could quote it. (No they didn't really know how to read but those little boys could tell you every Sox player, their position and why 2004 was the best year ever.) And I saw Fever Pitch, at the Fenway movie theatre nonetheless, where the audience stood up and cheered in the movie theatre during the final scene when the Sox win. I think I speak for most of that audience when I say I only saw that movie so I could relive the Sox win.

But OMG, it's amazing. So amazing I have to gush about a 7 year old game 7 here on my blog tonight.

And because blog reader, I love you so much, I'm going to share with you the YouTube video that is the preview for what I am calling the best hour of TV since the actual 2004 ALCS.



PS I love this opening line on NESN "Dear Red Sox fans, would you like to feel good?" and then the trailer. Awesome

My new mission

As if having a job, puppy, hubby, wedding and buying a home weren't enough. I needed a new mission. This is my personal social media mission.

Today I read a Boston Globe article about the new "dorm" at BU, Student Village 2. Student Village, or StuV as those in the know say, opened while I was at BU and it is a pretty dang sweet residence. But BU, being the good steward of funds that they are, has gone and upped the annie with StuV2. I now am fully confident that I know where my thousands and thousands of dollars in tuition money went - to a 26 story high rise luxury college residence along the Charles River.

Ooo do you hear a tinge of jealousy in my voice? OK sure, maybe you do. But dang it, every month I make a payment toward my BU education/the fancy dorm and all I want is to stay one night in that super fancy residence hall that I helped pay for. Is that too much to ask?

So my new mission is to lobby the heck outta BU til they cave and say "fine Cheryl! Damn girl! Quit hounding us on Twitter/Facebook /Blogger! You and Ross can stay one stinking night in this dorm!"

If BU will succomb then I will be forever sold on the power of social media and might even become a BU donor one day...so that other students can have swanky residence halls and laugh at the kids like me who stayed in the BU ghetto on Ashford Street. Until the swanky residence hall kids realize that despite paying $13K for 9 months of housing, they still have to swipe an ID card to get into their own residence, can't have overnight guests and sleep on twin size beds. Then who will be laughing huh.

PS Poor Ross probably won't even be laughing then since he doesn't know the horror of the BU guest policy and actually just sees the loan payment bill every month...yeah BU, I'm gonna need that free night to appease my soon-to-be-husband. Thanks much.

My Friend Has a New Name

iphone_pic
Originally uploaded by cheryl_lynn425.

It's Renaud, pronounced Reno, like the biggest little city.

This picture is from her last night as Booden. One beautiful wedding day later she got a new name, a husband and in-laws. It was a wonderful wedding and party, so much so that three days later I'm still worn out so this is all you are getting. Suffice it to say, Age was a beautiful bride and I don't think I've ever seen such an excited groom as Joe.

And when I got back my soon to be hubby had left me a clean home with flowers and mushy card. I love him and I'm gonna go spend some QT with him right now. Ciao.

Jess & Rob sittin in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G

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Originally uploaded by cheryl_lynn425.

No this pic is not of Jess and Rob (its of Jess and Cat) but this weekend Jess and Rob got engaged! Woohoo! I've been asking Jess for probably a year what the hell is the hold up. No more hold up. Way to go Rob. I'll give the nutshell version - he proposed at her place after seeing Dave Matthews Band at Fenway. Perfect. And he called her dad the day before to ask for the blessing. Even more perfect.

I really don't have much else to say besides "Woohoo!" I love Jess and I love Rob and I am so happy for them. They are going to be a super cute married couple.

DC - delta crazy

iphone_pic
Originally uploaded by cheryl_lynn425.

I'm taking a day to recoup from my vacation but I wanted to throw it out there - pics from the DC trip are up! I saw SEVEN friends from college, visited the Library of Congress, toured the Newseum, went to a wine festival, had a birthday party at Anna's, met Val's puppy and attended the national YNPN conference.

It was so good to see the college friends (mostly deltas or deltas by association) and just catch up. The two I saw the most, Val and Anna, are also two of the gals I've kept up with most. Thus conversation is not stuck in that "remember when" phase. It's nice. People who know that part of your history ridiculously well since its their history too but who also have a pretty good idea of where your life is at now. We know each other's habits, styles, general perspectives and favorite drinks.

And as for work stuff, I feel like I got so much out of this trip. From the session on fundraising through social media to comparing war stories with Anna (PR for Greenworks, which coincidentally is the cleaning product brand I am slowly switching to).

Now I'm home though, which is nice no matter how much fun vacation is. And my puppy is trying to jump through the door to find the pup outside. She's also developed two new-ish habits while I was gone. She now hides under the bed whenever she thinks she is getting a bath or might be in trouble and her obsession with dogs on TV has extended to all animals...ever cartoon. She can't figure out why she can't chase them through the TV. Silly puppy.

She made an itinerary

That's why I love Val. She may not be quite as calendar OCD as I am but she's not far.

She created an itinerary for my travels to DC this weekend. Holy guacamole, it is beautiful. A fancy dinner out together (Val is my date, I love it), BBQ birthday dinner, all night birthday shenanigans, brunch, wine festival, rooftop margaritas, tour of the Newseum and all kinds of mischief in the capital of our great country. It is a thing of beauty.

I cannot wait to see Val, Justin, Anna, Ben, Miranda, Ankur, VB and whoever else makes it out while I'm in DC. Woohoo!

Btw, on another note, I could not be happier. My personal life is just downright perfect (knock on wood). It is fantastic.

Can you play me a memory

pre-Jake Ivory's
Originally uploaded by cheryl_lynn425.

Generally speaking, nobody likes Mondays. But my Monday yesterday, it wasn't all bad.

1. Pretty chill day at the office. And Roger's promised us a lunch out on Wednesday. yay!

2. Amazing dinner by Miss AJ -- it was just pasta but everything she makes is better

3. Jake Ivory's with AJ, Jess, and Megan. Holy guacamole. Jess is a karaoke queen. AJ is AJ and generally awesome. And why haven't I been barhopping with Megan more? This whole new not-a-Catholic-school-girl person comes out. I love the out at night Megan just as much as the daytime Megan!

4. 90s music. Who doesn't love 90s music? We even sang Fresh Prince of Bellaire while at Jake's!

5. Home for nachos and TV.

The livin's easy baby, easy.

El Island, Spanish for "the Island"

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Originally uploaded by cheryl_lynn425.

You gotta love boys who make THAT their party's slogan. Thought process: Our frat is Fiji. That's an island. The party is on Cinco de Mayo. Thats Spanish. YES! "El Island!"

Sun roof, steamers, steak, drinks and futons on which to sun oneself. Pretty darn good party if I do say so myself. I'd go back to Fiji, WPI style, any day.