Category: Weekend Recap

I’ve had a personal to-do list the size of China (wait, that doesn’t make sense) ever since I returned to Boston after Christmas. I’ve had a dirty apartment staring me in the face every day, all day. Thank you cards needed writing, sheets needed cleaning, clothes needed dry cleaning, suitcases needed packing. You didn’t forget about my upcoming trips did you?

In 5 days I’m leaving the country to spend a week in the Caribbean with my closest college girlfriends. I’ll return to Boston only to hop on another plane the following day, to spend a long weekend in North Carolina with my best friends from Maine.

But until then, there were things to do. So I spent this past weekend catching up… on life. The boyfriend was skiing out west until late Saturday, so I used the day to clean, clean, clean the entire apartment. I also did two loads of laundry, cleaned all of the sheets from when we had visitors during New Year’s, dropped clothes at the dry cleaners, had a new dress altered and finally, yes finally wrote my thank you cards.

I always put them off, usually for a solid month, so I’m actually proud of myself for crossing these off as early as January 7th! In addition to holiday thank you notes, I also got around to writing congratulations cards for two of my best friends. One is having a baby, another recently got engaged. And call me an over-achiever. But I also scoped out birthday cards for my dad. His birthday is January 24. If that’s not planning ahead, than I don’t know what is.

Sunday came and went. The boyfriend was home. We had breakfast, got coffee. I ran errands, went shopping, got crafting (after a trip to Home Depot, Michael’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, HomeGoods and A.C. Moore). We cooked dinner, he made chili in the crock pot, we played Scrabble and watched TV.

Now it’s back to work, back to reality. And I must, I repeat, I must actually drop all of my cards in the mail. I have a bad habit of writing, addressing, sealing letters and then letting them sit in my purse for weeks.

Since I backdated most of my New Year’s posts, and your Google Reader is probably all out of whack, I figured a quick weekend recap was needed.

• Friday I ran errands like a mad woman, and awaited the arrival of Heather and family
• I spent the weekend relaxing with Heather while the boys played. We stayed plenty busy playing with the baby
• New Year’s Eve came and went without a hitch. We had courses, and courses of food and plenty of champagne
• When Heather packed up and headed south, I prepped the house for TV night with the girls. It was the perfect way to wind down after 9 hectic days on vacation
• I welcomed the new year with a bit of positive thinking
• & finally wrote down my 2012 goals and resolutions

Happy new year, friends.

This weekend the boyfriend and I went home to Maine to attend three parties. His annual family holiday party, an ugly Christmas sweater party, and a football ‘party’ that consisted of the boyfriend and me heading to my sister and brother-in-laws for food and hangin’ all day long. Glorious.

The holiday party was a hoot, as always. I donned black lace and red lipstick, which I never, ever do, and there were more sparkles and sequins in the house than I’ve ever seen. We left the party early to head over to the 4th annual ugly Christmas sweater party which was, well ugly. And the following day with my sis and her hubby was so, so nice. Although we see each other a lot, I can’t remember the last time we spent a whole day just lounging, eating, drinking and of course: painting my nails.

One weekend of every year means the annual backyard football party. The party, hosted in my hometown by my dear friend and her husband is the biggest hit on the block. The party draws nearly 100 friends. My friends, our parents friends, our neighbors, our younger siblings and their friends, our older siblings and their families.

College football games are projected from the lawn onto the side of the house from 3PM to midnight. The garage is filled with table after table of food. We’re talking 10+ crockpots all in a nice little line. Pulled pork, chilli, BBQ everything. Coolers line the yard, dozens and dozens of cases of beer. The deck is filled with drinks. Wine, wine, and more wine. Alcohol for your favorite cocktails. But nothing beats the spike cider, warmed on the stove inside. Four fire pits work to keep the crowd warm as temperatures drop below 30 degrees. Hats and gloves, down jackets and warm boots required.

People come and go throughout the day. Our friends stay until well after the games end. After the football games, we take the party inside. We gather around the dining room table, play games and catch up like it’s high school. It’s one of the best days of the year, a tradition I hope we continue for years.

Rise and shine, sweet peas. It’s time to face the real world again. I can’t believe that it’s already Monday, that I’m back in Boston, and that it’s time for work. I had such an emotionally fueled weekend. One filled with sorrow, and grief, after a dear family friend lost her courageous battle with cancer. Her passing, in a way unlike any other, reminds me that life is so, so fragile, and that for all of us, our days are limited.

With her constantly on my mind, I surrounded myself with family and friends. I said no thank you to Halloween and instead went downtown with mum and dad on Friday. We walked through the cobblestone streets of Portland, shared a cheese plate and bottle of wine, and enjoyed a yummy dinner at Vignola. Saturday morning meant the normal breakfast routine, during which I was wildly entertained by my parents try to figure out their smartphones. I shopped with my mum, had lunch with two girlfriends, and baked cupcakes that filled the house with scents of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg.

When the snow finally started to fall that afternoon, I bundled up and visited with my best friend and her fiance. The boyfriend and I joined them for a long dinner in the town just north of us. We sat in an old wooden booth near the front window, watching the unseasonable snow accumulate quickly on the road. We shared wine, a delicious dinner, memories from when we were 5 years old, details of upcoming weddings.  Hours of laughter and a warm feeling in my heart.

Sunday was snowy. I wore my longjohns and wool sweater all day. Sipped pumpkin coffee for hours on the couch. I taught myself to crochet, nibbled on my most incredible cupcakes (recipe to follow) and found myself smiling as the snow storm retreated to bright blue skies and sun.

I can’t quite describe what my mood was this weekend, but I’m glad I spent it bundled up in a snow storm, cozy with friends and family. I guess at the end of the day, there’s not much more I could ask for…

This weekend was filled with celebrations.   Family and friends coming together to cheers life and longevity one day and a new chapter to my best friend’s relationship another day.

My grandmother turns 80 this week, so she and my grandfather traveled south to Portland to join my parents, sister and brother in law and boyfriend for a fabulous dinner at Grace.  Grace was the venue for my sister’s wedding ceremony and reception in January, and it broke my family’s heart that my grandmother couldn’t attend.  She was recovering from a string of illnesses and wasn’t well enough to travel.  Because of her absence in January, we did our best to relive the wedding on Saturday night.  We watched the wedding video, sat at the table where our head table was placed, even drank the same wine.

Mom, Dad, sister and grandmother celebrating 80 rich years of life on Saturday.

My sister, grandmother and myself at Abbey’s bridal shower.

Also taking place this weekend was a surprise engagement.  I suppose all engagements are a surprise though, huh?  Well anyways.  My best friend in the entire world -best friends since kindergarten- was proposed to this weekend.  Her boyfriend of 3 years informed all of us girls of the occasion about a month ago, so that we could coordinate a little surprise party for when they returned back to the house after he popped the question.  Following the afternoon get together, there was an engagement dinner at Salt Water Grille (same location as my sister’s bridal shower, ironically) and a night out on the town.

In case you missed it, I stayed busy this weekend with a whole lot of driving, eating and drinking. I spent the weekend:

• At the farm in Montville for Gram and Grampy’s 50th anniversary party
• Drinking Shipyard pumpkinhead beers around the campfire at night
• Eating deliciously fresh, farm grown food during an honestly Maine lobster bake
• Waiting out Hurricane Irene in Boston
• Avoiding fallen trees and debris
• Sipping homemade berry sangria and watching endless movies

I hope you all had as lovely of a weekend as I did, despite the horrendous weather!

Surprise, surprise, I had the most wonderfully sweet and relaxing Sunday in Maine this weekend.  Tucked away in Cozy Harbor, surrounded by family members, baby cousins and gorgeous weather.  My mother’s cousin is visiting Maine for a week with his wife and two children – born and raised here, he and his clan now live in San Francisco.  He picked a special location to vacation.  Cozy Harbor.  A small harbor in Southport, Maine, just one bridge away from Pratt’s Island.  Pratt’s Island is a memory filled spot on the coast for my mother’s family, so it was awfully appropriate for Erik to return there now, 20 years later with his family.

A glimpse at how I spent my weekend:

Cozy Harbor, Southport, ME

Little cousins from San Francisco and Northern Maine

Cousin Augie

Cousin Quinn

Cousin Erik loving his baby

My heart is filled with love tonight.  I’m so thankful that cousin Erik invited us all to visit.  A family weekend on the coast is just want this girl needed.

I know what you’re thinking.  A 25 year old young professional surely cannot be serious about a Taylor Swift infatuation.  Right? Well, wrong.  As mentioned before, I’m obsessed.  I should be more embarrassed to admit that, but really, I’m over it. And a dear friend of mine seriously hooked a sister up.  Last night I was treated like a VIP, and you better believe that every ounce of this 25 year old young professional was eating. it. up.

From VIP parking, to incredible floor seats, a club level ticket (read: food and beer, plus a dry private suite for when it down poured), pit passes (yes, I jumped around like the best of them), a VIP all access badge (aka backstage), and even an exclusive ‘quick out access’ at the end of the night to avoid sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for oh, I don’t know… 2hours? Yup, I was home in 30 minutes.

The entire night was wildly amazing.  I can’t thank my bestie enough for going to great lengths to make my 25 year old dreams come true.  Taylor was incredible.  The set list was better than I could have imagined, and honestly, it was just one of the best nights I’ve had in a long, long time.

This past weekend was Father’s day, so of course, we traveled back to Maine to spend some quality time with our dads.

Saturday morning with mom and dad meant an early breakfast at Porthole, an authentic Portland restaurant situated directly on one of the most active wharfs.  Now that it’s summer, it’s our favorite breakfast spot.  We sit on the deck, observing the fisherman, watching the boats get ready for the day.  We drink iced coffee out of mason jars and I always order my favorite: lobster Benedict.

Breakfast was followed by a busy day, one filled with car maintenance, errands, shopping and loads of last minute to-do items before mom and dad’s 2 week trip to France.  Later that evening, the parentals treated the boyfriend and I to a delicious dinner at Salt Water Grille.  Red wine, scallops and steaks – not to mention the view.  Just so happened that a cruise ship was leaving harbor Saturday night.  Another Maine restaurant, another marina view.

It was a true summer night.  After dinner we spent a few hours visiting one of my dear friends and her husband.  We joined them in their backyard, sitting around the fire, sipping on summer beers and enjoying great conversation.

Sunday finally rolled around.  Another early morning, as a girlfriend and I traveled to Yarmouth to watch my boyfriend and her husband play together in a men’s league baseball game.  I snuck away early in order to make it home in time for Father’s Day.  We saw my grandparent’s for lunch, and spent the afternoon on our boat with my dad.  It was a gorgeous day.  Warm and sunny, strong NW winds.

Welcome to Maine in the summertime.