Martha's Vineyard

We made it to Boston over 2 days of driving and then busted it for 2.5 days to get the apartment perfect.  And when I say perfect, I mean by Wednesday afternoon, there wasn't a box or picture to be hung.  Everything was where it needed to be.  My mom flew up on Monday evening to help us get settled before the boys got here on Wednesday afternoon.  I told David and my mom that the most important things to be complete were the boys room and the train table.  Everything else could be halfway done except those 2 things.  I wanted the boys (especially Austin) to walk in the door of their new apartment and feel like it was home.  We did better than that though...the apartment was completely finished and looking just the way we wanted.  Storage is tough to come by here so we have been very strategic about storing stuff.  Somehow our lives have fit into less than 1000 square feet.  It makes you realize how little you really need.  (Eventually I will do a post of our apartment).

After 2.5 days of unpacking, 2 days of exploring the city, we packed up again and headed to Martha's Vineyard for a week.  It was glorious!  We live about 90-100 minutes from the ferry that takes you to island.  The ferry than takes 45 minutes and then its about a 20 minute drive to our house.  Very easy and nice drive.

Here we are on the ferry.  Both boys loved it.



David's mom found an adorable house in a secluded part of Martha's Vineyard.  We were close to the town called Vineyard Haven.  The boys loved it because they had land and woods around them to run and play but the beach was just a few 100 yards away.



We spent most mornings around the house while Miller napped, went down to the beach a little bit before lunch, napped in the afternoons, and then went back to the beach after naps till dinner.




Life has really changed since the days before children.  I used to be on the beach by 9:00 am and didn't come off until 6:30 or 7:00 at night.  I lived for the beach but now I prefer being with my boys watching them explore, learn, and love the beach.  The boys loved it and there was a perfect little freshwater stream that they could play and walk around in.  The beach had a lot of rocks on it so the boys loved throwing the rocks into the water and seeing how far they could throw them.







I was so impressed by both of them.  They never ran off without us and were content to play right next to us the whole time.


Miller did want to hold our hands while he explored so whoever had him did quite a bit of walking.




My mom was there for the first 2 days and then David's aunt Ellen came for 2 days.  David's parents were with us the entire time.



The weather was perfect.  During the day it was warm but not too warm and at night you had to put on a light cardigan.



We enjoyed eating at the local Black Dog Bakery...





sitting on a train we found in town...


playing around the house...



and just being together.








Thank you Diane and Ron for such a wonderful vacation. One we will never forget.

Before we left...

We have been so blessed by wonderful friendships over the years.  Friends who have held us up when we couldn't hold ourselves up.  Friends who have loved us in the best of times and the worst of times.  Friends who have rejoiced with us and weeped with us.

Our last few weeks in Memphis we spent time saying goodbye to good friends that we knew we would miss terribly while in Boston. My sweet girlfriends threw me a going away/surprise early birthday party. It was such a fun night!

This sweet friend has definitely held me up when I didn't think I could hold myself up.

Austin saying goodbye to his best buddy Whit.





By far the hardest ones to say goodbye to were the Robinsons.  They won't be in Memphis when we return and that is hard for me to stomach.  They moved to Knoxville where Scout accepted a wonderful job.  We have been close friends for many years.  We did Medical School together, they did residency in Cincinnati but we stayed close, and then the Lord blessed us by allowing them to do a Fellowship in Memphis for 2 years.  They bought a house down the street from us and we loved watching their daughters grow up.  My boys will miss them terribly and as I sit here with tears coming down my face, I will miss them terribly.  I know this sounds corny but Rebecca is like a sister to me.  She is not afraid to tell me what I need to hear while still loving me.  She really knows me and that is hard to come by in this world.



I have found that after losing Forrest, I don't really care for surface friendships anymore.  I want more...that is hard for some people and I have seen friends drift away because they couldn't give more than the surface but that is what my heart longs for.  I sometimes make people feel uncomfortable because I ask too much and am too real.  I long to know someone well and for someone to know me well.  Life is too short to continue where you only ask, "How are you?" and only give/get the answer fine.  Are we really just fine...aren't we more than/less than fine.  Thankfully God has blessed me with some wonderful friends who say more than just fine.  They give me real and for that..I am blessed!

Wow...that was deep and wordy for me to put on my blog for the world to see but that is how I feel =)

a little behind

I know I am a little behind on blogging but I have great reasons...I am enjoying every minute with my little family while David is not working.  We haven't had daddy to ourselves..well, ever.  I had him to myself 5 years ago when we went to Italy before residency but the boys have never had them to themselves.  No studying, no call, no work...it has been fabulous.  He is starting to get back in work mood because Orientation is this Friday so he has some things he needs to get done before then but for the most part...he has been all ours and we have LOVED it!  I have a ton of blogposts to do from our last few days in Memphis, our beach trip, and life around Boston but for right now...I am spending much needed time with my family.  I'll be back soon...

For now we are enjoying our little table in our apartment.

First few days in Boston

We are loving our life in Boston. Our little apartment is precious and perfect for our family of 4. The neighborhood is wonderful with numerous parks and lots of little restaurants and stores. We can walk to almost everything we need. The boys have transitioned better than we could have ever imagined. They love their new home, room, and neighborhood. Austin is in heaven with the trains we ride to get places. He already knows the color and letter of the T we ride to get home. He has enjoyed looking at the map as we wander Boston and find new places. I'm really proud of the boys and how well they have adapted.

My mom flew up on Monday to help David and I unpack and get the apartment ready before the boys got there. It was so nice to have an extra hand to get everything done. Davids parents flew up on Wednesday with the boys so they didn't have to ride in a car for 22 hours. That was such a blessing for both them and David and I.

We are now headed to the beach for a week vacation. I have been dreaming about this for months. When I was packing up our house I would look at the pictures of our beach house and tell myself, you can do it. :). When we return from the beach I will post pictures of our apartment, neighborhood, and fun things we have been experiencing.

Pictures from my phone of the first day exploring Boston.

Riding the T for the first time...I wasn't sure if our huge double stroller would fit so I let 3 trains go by before I got up the nerve to jump on. It fit but required some maneuvering for sure.



Eating a pastry at Mike's Pastry Shop in Boston...delicious pastries.







In front of the beautiful Boston Commons.



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So close...

We are only 2 hours away from our new home. We are really excited and ready to be there. Yesterday we drove 14 hours and only drove through 2 states. Today we are driving 9 hours and will go through 7 states. David has been a champ and driven the entire way! I have done a lot of reading. I'm pretty proud that I haven't fallen asleep yet (that's rare for me). We will post more tomorrow as we begin unpacking. Hoping David and the kids like the home I picked out!

Back in Memphis Dingdad took Austin flying. He let him be the pilot for a little while. It was the highlight of his life. He's called David and I twice to tell us about it. :)






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It's really happening...

We have said our goodbyes to friends...





















and our beloved dog...









packed the car to the max...



















and hit the road to Boston.










Only 22 hours to go until our new adventure begins.










Hoping this will meet us there.










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