soaking up summer.

HI FRIENDS!

It’s been a week since I’ve been here!

A week of watching the Olympics, and remembering my amazing weekend in New York (more on that to come later), enjoying all things Boston before the summer is over, and devouring books like I haven’t done in years.

Things are pretty good around here, and VERY busy.

I kind of got overwhelmed last night with all the pictures I’ve taken and want to share, and all the things I’ve been wanting to post about but haven’t had the time. It’s safe to say this summer has been crazier than ever, but I also think it’s been my best yet.

Here are a few things I’ve been up to lately…

I visited New York City.

I hadn’t been in a few months, and was down in CT visiting with my parents and the rest of my family, so I decided to take the train into the city one day to do a little walking around and to have dinner with Molly and Colleen. It was so nice to get together with them and when we do get together I always wish we lived in the same city so we could do this all the time. LOVE these girls. They are my favorite.

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We went back for another weekend at the Farmhouse.

Usually I only go once a summer (sometimes not even), but this year was meant for a double dose. We didn’t hike a mountain this time, and it rained quite a bit, but it was relaxing all the same. There was still porch sitting and still plenty of time for reading, and there was delicious food and company the whole weekend through.

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I saw Ingrid Michaelson!

This one was on my bucket list:

25. See Ingrid Michaelson in concert.

DONE and DONE. I went with my sister and we dressed up all concert chic and had an awesome time. I only bought the tickets a few days before, but was able to score two front row seats which causes me to believe that it was all just meant to be (silent cheer!). Anyways, the concert was wonderful, Ingrid rocks, and being that close through the whole thing was an experience I’ll never forget.

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I went with friends to see Shakespeare in the Park (and drank fine wine and ate cupcakes, too).

This goes on in the Common in Boston every summer, but in my 7 (!) years of living here I had not yet been until last week. I met up with some friends from my book club and we sat on the lawn with juice box wine, pizza, and cupcakes. We chatted and had a great time spending the evening outside. And in truth, we didn’t watch the play at all. Well, maybe a tiny bit of it, but mostly we just sat back and hung out together. And I loved it.

(And even though, I didn’t focus on the Shakespeare I couldn’t help but think how amazing it is that this happens for FREE every night for 3 weeks in the summer. To give people the chance to come out and see a performance that they might not have the opportunity to see otherwise? Pretty cool. Now, if only they could get some ballet to happen. That’s something I could reeeeally get behind.)

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I visited the Boston Athenaeum.

Just yesterday! And that one was on my summer bucket list, too.

19. Visit the following list of Boston museums:

Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum

Orchard House (Little Women!)

Boston Athenaeum

Harvard Museum of Natural History

My friend Rachael (blogger, book-lover, and serious appreciator of Boston), has a membership there, so we decided to get together so she could show me around. We had a great morning strolling through Beacon Hill with our iced coffee, talking about this and that, and eventually making it up to the Athenaeum. It’s absolutely gorgeous inside, and something that I didn’t even know was there until recently. For those of you that don’t know the Athenaeum is a private library and museum (you can walk through the museum part for free) that is truly a hidden gem in Boston. There are beautiful rooms to sit and read, thousands of books at your fingertips, and lovely outdoor terraces where you can relax and catch a glimpse of Boston from above.

Thanks for a great morning, Rachael and Lux! Another win for Boston!

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And so, that’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to these last couple of weeks. I still have pictures to share of my week in CT (and some from NYC) and my weekend home in Syracuse. I’ve just spent my last week enjoying this summer in Boston and from here I am heading to Nantucket for a few days before finally spending my last week of summer in the Cape! SIGH. It’s coming to an end, but boy has it been a ride. I have loved getting to spend time with family this summer, and have also felt incredibly lucky to be able to see so many friends as well. Soaking it up, people. Soaking it all up.

I hope you are soaking it up, too!

Until next time, friends! XO!

 

a post full of happy.

THIS DAY.

Oh, this day in Boston.

It was just happy. It was the kind of day that makes you stop and think, I wish everybody could be seeing what I’m seeing right now. Then the whole world would be smiling.

This part of Boston is nestled right between Back Bay and the South End. By the Christian Science Church there is a wonderful little fountain with a glorious view. It’s straight up picture perfect.

My sister Meg is working for a family in Boston this summer, too, and so very often we get the girls together. It’s fun for the kids to have play dates and Meg and I would happily spend the whole day hanging out if we could. It was one of those scorchers last week (which one wasn’t, right?!) and rather than shrivel up from the heat we made the last minute decision to head to the fountain together to cool off.

These faces??!

I think that they are priceless.

It is in these moments that I am thankful to be a picture-taker. I take pictures because it makes me happy and I take pictures to capture this city, these warm summer days, the happiness that is singing from these girls’ hearts.

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P.S. Tonight is the night of our backyard summer BBQ. It’s really happening and I am so excited! Then Saturday I am heading down to Connecticut to spend the weekend and some of next week with my family. Lots of book reading and relaxing, which is just what I’m in the mood for. I’m throwing a mini trip to NYC in there, too, because why not? I love that place!

What are you up to this weekend? Whatever you do, I wish you a happy one!

live and let live (an adventure in OTTO pizza eating).

Last week I tweeted my blogger friend Melanie to see if she wanted to hit up OTTO’s pizza with me in Brookline.

1). I love Brookline.

2). I love Melanie.

3). I love a good slice of pie.

Melanie and I have been on a bit of a blogger food kick lately, if you will. Between pizza, crazy INSANELY amazing sweetest-treats-of-your-life brunch, and ice cream eating (post to come soon!), I’d say the two of us are reeeeeeally on top of our taste-testing game, and boy is it ever scrumptious.

Also, I had not yet been to the new posh pizza joint that is OTTO, but it was on my list of things to see and do since it recently came down to Boston from Portland, Maine. Anything from Maine has to be quality, it just has to be, and so, Thursday came around and Melanie, my sister Meg, and I all went out for pizza pie.

The great thing about being a blogger and having blogger friends who live close by (especially a food blogger friend) is that they will always agree to go places with you and they won’t care one bit if you are embarassingly taking pictures the whole time. My sister Meg, on the other hand, does care about that kind of stuff, which sometimes makes it hard to go on crazy blogger photographer mode when she’s with me having a meal out.

But the light in the place was just so glorious. And the atmosphere just screamed “BLOG ABOUT ME!” (as I was certain the food would, too) and so I did snap those pictures and I didn’t care what Meg or anyone else thought.

Live and let live.

And you know what happened while I was doing my thing? The house manager came by seemingly pleased about all my picture taking, asked if I was a blogger (in the know!), chatted it up with us about this and that (friendly service!) and then treated us to a free pizza (on the house!). Yup. BALLIN’!! I definitely don’t think Meg minded my picture taking frenzy after that perk. And I, of course, could not help but think to myself: Damn, it feels good to be a blogger, as I quite often do. It’s also just proof that it’s worth it to be yourself in this world and not care what other people think. Live and LET LIVE!

Aaaanyways. The pizza was DELICIOUS. Like, really crazy good delicious. And the location in Brookline is very welcoming, too, with a bar area and table service, as well as a really cool atmosphere with big beautiful windows and plenty of light and space. (There’s a location in Harvard Square, also, but that one’s a lot lot smaller, with only slices to-go.) As soon as we sat down with the menu we had to take few minute to decide what to order because the list was so extensive. So many pizzas! So much delicousness!! It wasn’t an easy decision, but we ultimately decided on two pizzas— the pulled pork and mango, and the butternut squash, ricotta, and cranberry. I loved them both with their unique and savory flavors and spot on toppings, but would have to say the pulled pork and mango came out on top. SO. so. tasty.

I have a feeling all of their pizzas are full of goodness. I just have a feeling. And I’m not a food critic or anything, but if I was one I would give this place 6 stars. 5 stars for the food and an extra one for the service.

Thanks for the pizza, OTTO! We can’t wait to come back!

love that dirty water.

Yesterday we were busy busy for the 4th of July.

We made yankee doodle pancakes (with raspberries and blueberries!), went out to Lincoln for a picnic with Zan’s family, stopped by a BBQ in Arlington, then hopped ourselves into Boston to join some friends on a roofdeck for the fireworks spectacular.

I didn’t take my camera with me, and for the most part, my phone stayed tucked away in my bag.

This picture is the best I’ve got, but I think it’s a pretty darn good one.

I fell back in love with Boston again last night, although to be quite honest I could never really fall out of love with this place. My bike fiasco had me wavering for awhile, but we all know this city holds my heart and it holds it tight. It was only a matter of time before I felt the fire again. The fireworks in the rain were what really did the trick.

Love that dirty water.

Forever and ever and ever. Amen.