Posts from — August 2011

In 24 hours, I will be on a plane, on my way to this gorgeous, beautiful, white beach, turquoise water paradise.  Thursday morning the boyf and I will board a plane, destination: Playa del Carmen Mexico!  We’re heading down to the tropical paradise for 4 days to attend the wedding of two of our favorite friends.  I cannot wait to escape the busy city, the stresses of work, the anxiety of moving.  I cannot wait to sit by the beach, lounge by the pool, sip cocktails all day and most of all, I cannot wait to witness the love and promise of forever between our two friends.

Look forward to sharing pictures of our vacation!  xoxo

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!

Remember earlier how I mentioned that we had stocked up on the food and drink in preparation for Hurricane Irene?  For one day and two nights worth of stormy weather, we bought: two bottles of red wine, a case of Blue Moon, a handle of Jack Daniels and a 2liter of cola.

That meant that we were ready to drink any of the following concoctions: red wine (alone), Calimochos (my favorite), Jack and Coke or just beer.

Well in case 4 drink options weren’t enough for you (or more appropriately, for me and the boyfriend) we decided to go out to the store and grab some Ginger Ale.  We narrowly escaped fallen trees and Hurricane Irene debris, and returned with  one purchase that added 2 more drink options to our bar menu for the night.  Now added to the list of possible drink concoctions: Jack and Ginger and sangria!

I’ll leave the Jack and Cokes and Jack and Gingers for the boys, I was itching for some Sangria.  Plus, the boyf is packing up and moving out of his apartment this week, so we need to clean out as much of his frozen foods as possible.  Found in the freezer: 3 bags of frozen fruit from the farm.  Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries.  Add red wine, gingerale, a bit of white wine and a bit of blackberry vodka and you’ve got one hell of a very berry sangria!

Unfortunately pitchers and most large containers are already packed, so we used the blender.

Remember a few hours ago when I wrote to share that all was well during the heart of Hurricane Irene in Boston?  Well I suppose I spoke too soon.  We’ve had music and movies playing all morning, and apparently haven’t tuned into the news to get the most accurate update on Hurricane Irene’s damage and impact on the greater Boston area.  Well, we drove to the store to get a few things (packing tape and gingerale, more on that later) and this is what we found:

That’s a massive oak tree (I think) that took out a few squares of city sidewalk and crushed a fence enclosing a neighborhood playground.  This is just a few doors down from the boyfs house where we’ve been holed up for 12+ hours.

Woof.  Irene, I guess you were stronger than I thought!

For the past week and a half, the entire east coast has been waiting for Hurricane Irene to pummel it’s coastline with torrential rain, flooding and 100 mph winds.  Well Hurricane Irene has arrived.  The stories from the south aren’t good.  The storm took it’s toll on the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic as anticipated.  Fortunately however, for those of us in Boston and further north, the storm is upon us and it just looks like rain.  Winds are between 30-40 mph.  Some are without power, but the worst of the storm is behind us and trees are still standing and roofs are intact.

Now we have wet but not flooded streets, and a pantry filled with days worth of food.  Oh yea, and two bottles of wine, a case of Blue Moon and a handle of Jack Daniels.

How’d y’all prepare for the storm, and how’d y’all make out?

A summer night at the farm in Maine always means a few things.  Good food, good drinks, good company… and a campfire.  Since it’s late August, and the air feels a bit like autumn, we’ve traded our Sam Adams Summer beer for a richer, fall beer.  Another sign that summer is nearing its end in Maine: someone first starts the fire before breakfast, and we tend to it all day long, putting it out only long after dinner when the crowd decides to hit the sack.

I swear, it’s days and nights like this that I live for…

This is how I spent my Saturday afternoon in Montville, ME, a teeny, tiny town 15 miles inland of beautiful Belfast: steaming fresh from the coast lobsters over a handmade slate fire pit, along with fresh picked, farm grown corn. Montville is where the grandparent’s farm is located, and no matter how teeny, tiny it is, it’s a place of immense beauty.

The only season better than winter in Maine and New England is fall. And no better sign of the change in weather than fall beers in stock at the local packy. Specifically Shipyard Pumpkinhead and Sam Adams Octoberfest. Turns my packing-moving-traveling-vacationing anxiety right around.

The past week has felt like a complete whirlwind.  Anxiety inducing and filled with stressful days followed by sleepless nights.  In 2 days I leave for Maine.  When I return from Maine in 4 days, I’ll be officially homeless for the following 3 days.  After my 3 days of homelessness, I’ll spend 5 days in Mexico. When I return from the destination wedding/vacation in Mexico, I’ll go directly from the airport to my new apartment.  Yes, the new apartment that I’ll be sharing with the boyf. Then, and only then, can I relax.

If after reading that timeline you don’t understand my stress, let me elaborate on a few key facts.

• Problem: My current lease expires on Sunday, 3 full days before my new lease beings on Thursday.  That means being homeless, and accompanied by 24 years worth of clothes and belongings for 3 full days.  Solution: $200 storage unit.
• Problem: I’m leaving after work on Friday for a 2-part Maine visit that is taking place during my final weekend in my apartment of 2 years.  This means I need to be completely packed and moved out of my entire apartment by Thursday night.
• Problem: My move-in date falls on the same day as our flight to Mexico.  Our flight to Mexico leaves Boston at 8AM leaving absolutely no time to move into our new apartment beforehand. Solution: Unfortunately, we just have to move in after Mexico.

If you still don’t sympathize, let me translate what all of this moving and traveling means… in girl terms.  In addition to packing and cleaning and storing all of my belongings by Thursday, I also needed to pack, well in advance, for like 5 different occasions/trips.  Maybe not 5, but I do have the following small suitcases all packed, separately in my room right now:

• 3 days of work clothing for Wednesday-Friday
• One weekend’s worth of clothing for my Maine trip.  Includes 2 days at the farm  where we’ll celebrate the boyfriend’s grandparents’s 50th anniversary and 1 day at the lake where we’ll visit with the boyfriend’s dear friend from college.
• 3 more days of work clothing for Monday-Wednesday
• 5 days worth of clothing for a 90 degree and humid vacation in Mexico.  Includes rehearsal attire and wedding night attire.

I’m exhausted.  I’ve barely slept all week.  My body is sore from moving heaving items and trash bags filled with shit.  My chest is filled with anxiety.  And everywhere I look, all I see are boxes.  Boxes that remind me of the fact that I’m leaving my best friend and roommate of 3 years.  Boxes that remind me that I’m moving in with the love of my life.  Boxes that remind me that I have way too much left to do, and far too little time.

A recent post about twentysomethings featured on Thought Catalog was really just too good to not share here.  The post is titled Seven Things A Twentysomething Can’t Do and it is hilariously honest, and all too relevant to the life and times of yours truly. I especially relate to items 1-5, but certainly won’t judge those who additionally struggle with points 6 and 7.

This article hits close to home this week, considering:

• I have had a ‘thinking of you card’ sitting in my bag, signed and sealed, sans stamp for over a week.  Can’t find a stamp.
• I hate phone calls.  I hate talking on the phone.  I much prefer a text, a tweet or even a FB message.  I hate it the most when I text someone and they respond immediately by calling.  There was most likely a good reason as to why I texted you, silly.
• I recently agreed to a Sunday house warming/get together, a 50th anniversary party, and a visit to the lake – none of which I have any time to attend.  But alas, I will.  Because god knows I can’t say no.
• Money? What money? Exactly.
• Somewhat contradicting point #3, I do have an all too easy tendency of making up lies to get out of events.  Commitmentphobe who?