Springy classlessness and FREEdom

No more school! Spring is in full effect. I had my last class on Wednesday night and FREEdom feels more and more fabulous every day. I still am working full-time through the end of June, when we move out of our apartment. And fly to Paris (yippers!). So now I get to focus on: 1) reading baby books (and finding place of care in CO), into the 2nd trimester already; 2) planning the daily in-betweens of fun times between Paris and Vienna; 3) packing! And simplifying life even more, which is also FREEing.

Since our last smashing deput post, a lot has happened:

Marathon Monday (wasn't the same without the Mangrums)

Trip to see Trip
(and Kira, Anya and Asher Campbell in New Jersey), where we played with their cute kiddos and ate great food (again).

And of course we stopped for one last NYC cupcake, some of the few we really like in the world.

Then I finished school!

And yesterday I joined a couple of similarly FREE classmates for FREE afternoon sailing in the Boson Harbor, huzzah! It was a gorgeous day for it.

This morning I took a lovely bike ride to the Arnold Arboretum, where blooms galore enhanced my Springy freedom feelings.

As for a baby update, still good to go. Next week will probably suffice for a belly shot since there is minor protrusion occurring. Fun times!

Smashing Debut

What, you might ask, is this? Olympic gold? Aren't the Vancouver Olympics over? Why is Tim wearing funny green pants? Please, allow us to clarify.

The thought has begun to crystallize in your mind like a small icicle on the rifle tip of a cross country skiing bi-athlete. Yes, it is true. Abby is pregnant and we couldn't be happier. Curled up inside her like a little bobsledder is our baby.

On Friday we went in to have our first ultrasound. As the technician slowly increased the volume, I leaned forward like a Swiss ski jumper and heard for the first time the little thump-thump of our baby's heart beat. We could see the child, not even hockey-puck sized, moving around with strong working arms and legs.

The little kid showed us right away that it was a fighter. Inside the womb, he/she was kicking away. It was a KARATE KID! As gold-medal winning parents we couldn't have been happier to see our competitive child already training for the summer games. Judo-chop!

We are grateful to God for this new addition to our team. We are cheering louder than Canadian curling fans. Due date is October 23, 2010. Results are now public.

the trip heard round the world

Steph and Reid came to visit Boston! And Boston knew about it. They were unashamed.

They trampled the Yankees (OR maybe the Yankees trampled us, a Sox game, but we took the 86 degrees instead!).

(no worries folks, this is Reid's bevvie.)

They traversed the FT (Freedom Trail) and the (Beacon) Hill.

They shot the minutemen. (I mean followed the trail through Lexington and Concord where the minutemen shot the British).

They shut down Walden Pond. (I mean it shut us out due to flooded footpaths).

They declared Independence (by resting at Fort Independence, Castle Island, after several futile but fun attempts to fly our penguin kite).

All in all, a great trip. Thanks for the visit, friends!

Jesus is Mine

We've posted a song for Easter on our music site. The song is a hymn by Jane C. Bonar from 1844. We are unsure of the original melody, but since first stumbling on the words, we have not been able to escape their simple and beautiful power. "All that my soul has tried, left but a dismal void. Jesus has satisfied." Listen by clicking here.

let's start with Browntown

We do have a lot to fill you in on, and we'll start with Abbie and Cyrus Brown's visit this past week (and pause for Easter, and for Steph and Reid's visit!). I already miss them a TON and it was way too short but wonderful to be around such good friends again.

Sunday could be viewed as the best day, especially in terms of a weatherman's respect. That's why it's the only day I have pics from! We indulged in a breakfast treat at Flour (Sunday and every day), walked our way through town to church, enjoyed a long and windy but wonderful sermon and Caleb and Acsah and Palm Sunday, then parted ways as Tim went to work and the three others of us zipped our way up to the North Shore to Gloucester (clam chowder, fishing coastal town) and Crane Beach near Ipswich. We definitely found our share of adventure there in some trails winding up a hill behind the beach, through a mansion estate, and through a surprise soggy bog of some sort that soaked us as we ran with adrenaline right through it, screaming! and then laughing.

stairs to the beach

trail up a hill with cool trees

mansion.

cool bench (cool people)

with a view!

Monday it began pouring sheets from the sky, and it never stopped until after they left on Wednesday. We soggied ourselves out running Monday morning, dried off, then soggied ourselves again exploring Newbury street, then dried off in Tim's store, then proceeded to give the wettest Freedom Trail tour (and fastest!) in history, and were quick to consume cannoli's at the end. We finished with a (wet) coffee tasting at Tim's store before coming home to cook the most divine oatmeal buttermilk pancakes in the world.

Tuesday was more of the same - only the Browns were alone in Browntown exploring Harvard in the even more rainy weather. We finished with a fabulous Venezuelan meal at a (nearby) favorite restaurant, completed with treats from Flour.

And then just like that they were gone! We need this again a million times!


stay tuned for Part II - StephandReidTown!

by the wayside

I think blogging is going by the wayside. Not only have I not blogged in over a month, but neither have ANY of my blogging friends. I will soon attempt a redemption. Anyone want to join me?

So what's the moral?

We have posted a new song up on our music site. This month's song is a sad story about a marriage falling apart. But just to ease all of those literalists that may listen - this song is not autobiographical. Some of my favorite songwriters use songs as a format to tell stories. That's all this is. A story can be a powerful way of conveying something true. (Click here to listen to "Letters".)

February heart beets

I awoke Sunday morning to a big fat checklist being waved in my face, to the sound of militaristic commands: "Time to get up, we've got some major productivity to achieve today, a long list of activities that must be completed, no time to waste, get dressed!"

I haven't been feeling the most productive at work so I guess this was supposed to make up for it. And I was excited.

The scavenger hunt list included items such as:

cupcakes (from Lulu's in the North End)

daisies (florist)
kissing fairies (random store on Newbury?)
(we found kissing ones in a book in the store)

blankets at the beach
(we set out Florida shells and watched a slideshow of beach pics!)
and an elephant
(Tim found this restaurant, combined Cambodian and French food, quite good!)
plus many more things like fall leaves, sunshine, moonlight dancing...sound familiar? Items in a love song Tim wrote for me. And we found them all!

In other news, I entered chocolate beet pudding cakes into a work bakeoff and didn't win, surprise surprise, but I had fun! I was outwitted by some chocolate ball on a stick.




Finally, Megan and I headed to Mt Washusett in central Mass for some "snowshoeing" which really was hiking since there wasn't much snow, but it was fun. Record summit time in 30 minutes:) It was fun to explore and get out though! Too bad we didn't go today since yesterday it really snowed all day, and we had a few inches this morning! I don't know what winter is thinking this year but it's weird. So was the giant wind turbine we stumbled upon alongside the trail: whoa!

sliiiiiime

I got to hang out with Dinah while Tim was with his boyz in Tacoma last weekend. Although I would have loved to go along and see the girls back home, I had fun with my good friend here in New England.

Dinah and I had a date to go cross-country skiing, make chocolate chip zucchini cake, pancakes, and steak, do an Insanity workout video, AND even do homework.

Oh and she taught me how to make slime. Me and about 50 other kids at Mount Snow in VT:) Check out those linking polymers!!!

I sure missed my man babe though. Too long! 6 days is too long. I am super spoiled.
Good to have him back, and also good to have Dinah so close! Thanks amiga!