Hocus Pocus...

....and other Halloweenie type things.

My parents have been here in Massachusetts since Saturday and we have been going non-stop since they got here.  Although, I suggested they go off to explore Plymouth, MA on Wednesday on their own so that I could give Ryan a day off from sightseeing.  Poor girl has been such a trooper the past week.

Let's see, Saturday they arrived bright and early and we attended my churches Harvest Festival where Grammy won Ryan her first pet, a goldfish, lovingly named "Fish."  We'll see how long Mommy can keep Fish alive.

Sunday after church, we went to West End Creamery & Family Farm to pick pumpkins.  Josh was sleeping most of the day in preparation for his night of work so he was absent but the four of us had a good time rolling around in the "corn crib."  It's basically a sand box full of corn kernels and it was quite entertaining, though Ryan was a bit unsure about the whole thing.

Then we picked pumpkins!  One of my very favorite things to do.  I look forward to it every year and I hope hope hope Ryan will inherit my love for pumpkin picking, that's why you start em young!

Lift with your legs Ry!

We spent Monday in Salem, MA.  Our preparation for spending the day in Salem was watching the Halloween classic movie Hocus Pocus the night before.  And I would be lying if I didn't admit that one of the highlights of the day was seeing Town Hall in the middle of Derby Square where the parent's costume party took place at in the movie.

Salem Town Hall

I imagine that anytime you visit the city of Salem, it is a little strange because of all the witch craft vibes that surround the city.  But when you go to Salem during the week of Halloween, you are hitting prime time Salem weirdness.  I had been warned prior to going, so the fact that there were witches on the street and a possible Siamese twin sighting was not that surprising.  The city is in fact really cute and extremely historical and it was the most perfect Massachusetts fall day to go exploring.

We spent Tuesday in the Worcester area.  I took Mom and Dad to the rail trail where I run regularly with my girlfriends.  So many of the leaves have now fallen off the trees and it was probably one of the nicest fall days that we've had here so far.  All the fallen leaves made for Ryan's very own personal playground.

On Thursday, we went in to Boston for the day.  I really love this city.  We enjoyed the duck pond and gardens as well as walked the Freedom Trail (or most of it) and ate lunch at Cheers.  Overall, such a fun day with perfect weather which always makes things better.

Now I guess it's time to welcome the month of November.  And prepare myself for the beginning of winter, especially since it's supposed to snow tonight.  OMG.  Toto, I don't think we are in California anymore.

Memorial Day and a Trip to the Zoo

This past Monday was Memorial Day and normally, we might have spent the day bbq'ing poolside with family and friends.  But, since we don't have any family in Massachusetts or friends, we decided that the three of us would check out the Southwick Zoo.  So I dressed her in her Memorial Day best and we headed off on a little adventure South of Worcester.

Ryan had never been to the zoo before, but considering that she seems to love all animals, especially dogs, I thought she would have some fun there.  I was right.  She liked looking at the animals, at least the ones that were moving and they had a petting zoo where you could pet the goats which, I'm sure to her were like extra hairy dogs.

We had a fun few hours at the zoo and then headed back to Worcester for a relaxing evening at home.  We wish we were closer to family, but it is also nice to spend some quality time with just the three of us.  We will definitely be sad when Josh starts work here in a couple weeks!

Massachusetts Residents

So, we are officially Massachusetts residents now.  Weird.

First impressions of Worcester:

• SUPER green and lush
• Rains almost daily (even in summer)
• Cool
• Slower paced
• Friendly people

Ryan and I got here a week ago and Josh was ready and waiting for us at the Boston airport.  It was a long day of traveling, but Ryan did so well.  The most difficult part of our day was getting through the airport security.  I had decided to carry Ryan on me in the Ergo in order to have my hands free.  This ended up being a good idea.  What was a bad idea was having three carry-ons.  I looked like a straight up pack horse getting through the airport.  Ryan strapped to my front, diaper bag on my back,  duffle bag over one arm, and my computer bag over the other.  I was sweating by the time we made it to the gate but we made it on the plane and Jet Blue was so accommodating, putting us in a bulk head seat so Ryan could play at my feet.  They even gave Ryan a set of "wings" since it was her very first plane ride.

The flight was almost 5.5 hours, but you wouldn't have known that Ryan was even on the plane.  She played, socialized, and took a 1.5 hour nap in my arms.  I don't think she cried one time.  I couldn't have asked for her to be a better baby.  In fact, so many passengers and flight attendants commented on the fact that she was the most well-behaved, happy, good-tempered baby they had ever seen/flown with.  Way to make me look like Mom of the year Ry! :)

We were definitely happy to get to our new apartment and reunite with Josh, even though we knew it would mean sleeping on an air mattress.   The apartment is super nice, minus being a little "hotel-like" but we think that may be an East Coast thing and are sure we'll adapt to it.

We spent the week trying to get out and enjoy all that Worcester has to offer since our apartment was furniture less until this weekend.  We found a local park with swings, went on a couple little hikes near our house, and ate lunch down by Lake Quinsigamond.

We also went to check out the University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital where Josh will begin working in a few weeks.  It's VERY nice.  Definitely a step up from ARMC county hospital.   And it's super close to our home.  So close that Josh plans to walk!!

Our stuff arrived on Thursday and we were definitely ready for it to get here.  A week without things is a bit challenging, especially with a baby.

We've spent the last couple of days trying to unpack and organize all of our stuff.  It's a process, but I prefer the boxes and chaos to an apartment full of nothing.  Massachusetts is starting to feel a bit more like home now that we have some familiar things and I assume it won't take long before we feel at home here.