boston

last weekend, we spent a long weekend in boston for the marathon.  it was our 4th trip up there for the marathon (and in general), and it's kind of fun b/c each time we go, i feel like we learn more about the city, get around better, know more where to eat/drink, etc.  

we had the easiest travel to and from our destination i think we've ever had...we were at the airport with plenty of time (usually, we're running to the gate), our flight was actually early, and this happened both ways!  very exciting.  

view of finish area from our room

when we got to boston on saturday, we went to our hotel (stayed at westin copley place again - love it!) to check in and drop off our stuff, and then we headed to the seaport area for the expo and dinner.  it was the first year we've been that the expo wasn't in the convention center near our hotel, so that was a different experience, but we enjoyed walking around and getting to sit outside overlooking the water afterwards when we waited for dinner.  we had another great dinner at ltk (ate there last year with my parents), and most of the running etc-related crew joined us, so that was fun.  it's been nice to have a different experience each year in terms of who is there with us - first year billy's parents came, second year it was just the two of us, third year my parents came, and this year we had some friends and their families with us.  

outside ltk

sunday, we got up, grabbed something at au bon pain, and hustled to the sheraton to get on the bus for the course tour.  we made it just in time and headed out to hopkinton to check out the start area.  it's a pretty long ride out there, so i think it was a little tiring for billy to think about repeating that tomorrow and then having to run all the way back into boston.  i loved getting to see the runners village/start area and doing the course tour, since i've been there several times and never seen any part of the course except the finish line.  it was fun to have billy share some of his experiences on the course with me as we were passing certain points, and the tour guide was ok.  a little strange, but the tour was still good.  i can't believe people run that far, and there are a lot of big hills.  i would probably die out there.  or get a ride into town :)

26.2 miles from boston

corrall #1 :)

church where elite runners hang out before start

runners village - lots of port-a-potties

start line area

after the course tour, we walked straight to fenway to catch the red sox game.  it's always such a fun park to go to, and unfortunately daniel wasn't pitching (he was starting the next day), but we got to see a pretty good game and enjoy great seats in the grandstand area.  it was a perfect day for baseball and for walking around town.  after the game, we took the t back to our hotel area, walked around for a little while, and went to the grocery store down the street from our hotel to grab some drinks, granola bars, and salad to go with our pizza.  that night, we just ordered a pizza from a place we'd gone to a couple of years ago, i walked over to newbury street to pick it up (and got billy a b-day cupcake from this cute little shop on the way), and we relaxed, had our pizza, salad, and beer, and headed to bed pretty early.

monday we were up bright and early, and i walked with billy to the bus drop-off area.  we met up with drew and his family, and the guys got in line to board the bus to hopkinton.  kind of fun that marathon monday was also billy and drew's birthdays.  so billy gets a fun trip to accompany his b-day every year, even though it hasn't been on his actual birthday since he's run the race.  i waited in line with the guys for a little while and then headed back to the hotel.  when i was almost back there, i got a call from a number i didn't recognize, but i checked the voicemail to learn that billy had left his garmin watch in our room.  so i called him back on the stranger's phone, hustled to our room, and ran as fast as i could back up to boston common.  it was perfect timing, as they were next in line to get on the bus. so after i got that unexpected little workout in, i walked around boston common, the public garden, and even into chinatown and the theatre district.  it was a beautiful, warm morning to be out there, which did not bode well for the thousands of runners.  

billy & drew (blog is messing up and won't let me rotate picture)

blurry picture of the guys loading the bus right after i delivered the watch :)

love how they tend to use a lot of welsh terriers in signage - apparently terriers aren't allowed to swim in the frog pond

make way for ducklings statue - again, issues rotating

pretty tulips in the public garden - i want to live in boston just to be able to hang out there (among other things)

swan boats

addidas display container with all the participants' names you can see up close

finish line prior to the chaos that would come a couple hours later

in past years, i had always gone to the same area near the finish line to watch the race, which was fun, but so crowded, and it meant rushing up the street around the crowds to meet up with billy after he finished.  so, this year, i decided to take the t out to watch the runners further out on the course.  i had intentions of going to boston college to see the trek up heartbreak hill and offer some encouragement for the last 6 miles of the race. but time ran short, and instead, i watched from a residential area around mile 24.  it was a perfect spectating spot.  i was right on the street, there were no crowds, i got lots of sun, and the t stopped basically behind where i was standing (no station there - just a street side stop).  definitely will watch the race this way again. maybe i'll make it to heartbreak hill next year.  a little disappointing that billy didn't see me, but i guess he didn't know where i'd be, was suffering in the high-80s weather, and was pretty focused at that point.  i was waving and yelling and even went into the street where they were running.  oh well, maybe next time :)  after he passed where i was standing, a train came right away, so i hopped on and took it a few stops to where the runners exit from the post-race food station, medical station, etc.  it worked out perfect, and i think i've mastered watching a race in boston (and getting around on marathon monday) :)

men's leader (i think he ended up finishing 2nd)

i always like seeing the military people who do the marathon in full gear

looking strong!

once we met up, we headed back to the hotel and rested for awhile.  drew and his family came by our room for some birthday cake, so we had a nice little celebration for the guys there.  after they left, we walked around in the public garden and down a few pretty streets in that area, grabbed a beer at a convenience store, and headed back to our room to get ready for dinner.  we joined the same crew from saturday night at the cactus club, which was just a 5 minute walk from our hotel and has decent mexican food and very good margaritas.  we ate there our second year (i think) in boston, and i had the best chimichangas ever.  unfortunately, they aren't still on the menu, but they have plenty of good options.  we had a nice dinner with everyone and celebrated all the runners' accomplishments as well as the two birthday boys.  after dinner, we stopped by mcgreevys with the midlands for a pitcher of sam adams 26.2 beer and then headed back to the hotel.  

finish line area is almost gone

tuesday, we got up, worked out, and decided to check out the uss constitution in the charlestown navy yard.  we thought about going to harpoon brewery but picked culture/history over beer (rare occurrence) which was good for our wallets and diets - haha!  it was really neat to tour the old ship, and we were able to go on a destroyer from world war two that was also in the navy yard at the time.  we walked back across the charlestown bridge to the north end and grabbed sandwiches at a little cafe on hanover, one of the main streets for dining in that area.  after that, we walked to fanueil hall/quincy market area and went to bill rodgers running store.  the store is pretty small and doesn't have much stock, but billy got a shirt from there, and we saw bill rodgers and bobbi gibb (first woman to run boston), who were signing autographs, so that was neat also.  after that, we headed back to the hotel to grab our stuff and go to the airport.  

it was a great trip, much needed time away, and a fun chance to continue exploring boston.  also, i think it's the first time i haven't really gotten us lost (that i remember), so that's a good accomplishment!  and i'm always very proud of my husband for his dedication to running in crazy weather for crazy distances!  

catch up

i haven't posted in awhile, as things have been busy, and it's been a little bit of an emotional roller coaster for me over the past couple of months, with seeing a new doctor and trying to figure out some more about my pregnancy loss problem, but we've had some good times during the last couple of months as well.  and i really like the new doctor, who is very thorough and attentive and caring.  


since i last posted, billy did the shamrock marathon in vb, which turned out a little slower than he was hoping for but still was a good time (and he was still pretty fast if you ask me :)).  we've been staying busy working and managing the terriers, who are crazy as ever.  and, we had an interesting easter...billy's family was in georgia, as was my family, so it was just the two of us, and we didn't even do a special lunch or anything after church.  still a nice day to relax together though!  

i look a little scary with my hair being in my eyes, and billy grew another beard, which sadly didn't last until boston - haha!

and, our latest adventure was going back to boston for billy's 4th marathon there.  i love that city.  i really think i could move there in a second.  there's so much to do, it's a great walkable place, lots of good restaurants, love the parks, people seem friendly, and it seems a lot smaller than you'd think for a big city (not nearly as overwhelming as ny).  so, i'll do a separate post on that.  

nothing new, just checking in

the past almost-month since we got back from our cruise has been pretty busy overall.  work has picked up some, although i'm hoping more appraisal requests will start coming in soon (i've spent the past couple of weeks occupied with a huge farm appraisal, but my regular assignments have been pretty scarce since we got back).  the real estate market seems to be doing a little better, which will hopefully mean some sales for us in the coming months - it's been a dryspell since october or november, but we do have a closing coming up in march where billy and i are each representing one side, so that will be nice.  a couple weeks ago, we had our appointment at the jones institute, not for infertility but for recurring miscarriages, so i'm glad to have that under our belt and start having them monitor me to try and figure out what my problems might have been in the latest loss.  i had some blood work done last week and am supposed to have more this week or next, followed by an hsg, which will provide more clarity on whether or not my miscarriage at the end of the year was actually another ectopic pregnancy.  i am glad to have such a nice doctor there and to hopefully make some progress with everything soon.  
it has not been an easy time over the past seven months (well, actually the past almost two years), but i have been trying to pour myself into God's word each day, reading the psalms as well as a daily devotional.  i didn't really feel like taking on this routine - not that i was mad at God or turning away from Him - i just didn't feel very excited about much of anything.  but it has been wonderful and rewarding, and i feel like each day, God is speaking directly to me in a few of the verses (or devotional passage) i read.  and i'm also blessed to have friends to talk to about all this who have gone through similar things.  so, i know everything will be ok even though i have ups and downs with all this.  and there are many people who go through much worse, so i'm trying to keep things in perspective.  

winter break

this year for our christmas present to each other, billy and i bought one of the today show's daily deals for a cruise.  we figured it would be a great opportunity for a cheap vacation somewhere warm, plus it included two nights in a hotel.  once we started thinking about when to book the trip, we were informed that the peak season (aka costs more than the base rate) was from march-september.  so, this meant either going on the cruise right away or waiting until much later this year.  we opted for the former.  in the middle of january, we booked our cruise and plane tickets (thank you credit card points!) and got excited for our fun break from the (sometimes) cold weather.  


our trip began in miami - we had a TERRIBLE time getting the hotel figured out (we think the deal we got was somewhat of a scam because it was so difficult to get them to book us in a hotel, and then the hotel we got was pretty nasty instead of the 3+star - like a doubletree or wyndham - we were promised).  loved getting to see miami though.  we ate lunch and walked around coconut grove, which i thought was really cute.  then we headed to south beach, where our hotel was.  great location, not so nice hotel.  

our hotel, the seagull hotel, is the white one on the right of the high-rise (which was an awesome hotel apparently - minimum $900/night!)

wide beach

view from our room (she upgraded us to oceanfront to try and appease us - haha)

the hotel next door had three sweet pools and a nice cabana area

leaving miami

biscayne bay

after a fun night in miami, we boarded the cruise ship and headed to key west!

very pink bathroom

  

our room was pretty spacious - even had a little sitting area - and the balcony (we paid extra for) was definitely worth it!!

my sweet husband surprised me with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in our room :)

before dinner the first night

first night of towel animals - a seal

our first port was key west.  i loved going there and wish we had had a little more time to hang out in the town.  it's a cute beach town with lots of fun places to go out (even though our cocktails had to be consumed during the daytime :)).  we were originally supposed to go snorkeling in key west, but because of the super windy weather, they cancelled.  then, we signed up to do a jet ski tour but changed our minds and went with a scooter rental instead.  we definitely made the right decision with that, though, because the water was super cold, and neither snorkeling nor jet skiing would've been fun that day.  we rode the scooter to smathers beach, the southern most point, up duval street, and to a great little local place for a cuban sandwich.  after dropping off the scooter, we walked up duval street and grabbed a frozen drink at fat tuesdays, a slice of chocolate covered key lime pie (and an ornament for our collection), and a beer at sloppy joes, and by then, it was time to get back on the boat.  

oldest bar

we did not want to wait in line for our picture at this tourist spot, so we got these people in our picture instead :)

sloppy joes

formal night on the cruise - i think i could only wear this dress on a cruise or in vegas!

second night of towel animals - an elephant (billy's favorite :))

after leaving key west, we headed to cozumel.  not long after leaving key west, though, apparently someone on the boat fell and broke their leg, so we had to slow way down while a coast guard helicopter came to air-lift the person back to shore.  it meant a little less time in cozumel, but we still enjoyed going there very much!  we went on a snorkeling excursion there (next time, we'll be sure to go to the big reef though - we thought we were going there, but our trip ended up just going somewhere near the port - still fun though).  then, we showered and headed to downtown cozumel, where the "real" senor frogs is (versus the one at the port).  apparently, not many other people had gotten the memo about the larger place being downtown, so it was pretty dead.  we both got tall frozen drinks, walked around the downtown area, and then headed back to the port area.  that's where the party was the whole time apparently.  we had a drink (free from our snorkeling trip!) at three amigos, went to fat tuesdays for a few minutes, and then got back on the ship.  our brief time in cozumel was fun and also good confirmation that next time we go back to mexico, we'll do playa del carmen again with a day trip to cozumel (for awhile, we had thought about going to cozumel exclusively, but i don't think that would be as good).  

mexican military boats

billy's new friend

port in cozumel

the destiny :)

three amigos - don't know how this guy carried those drinks like that!

all light up at night

we don't exactly know what our towel animal was that night...

...but it apparently liked the giants

sunday was a "fun day at sea" - aka hustling to get back to miami in time to debark before the next group arrives.  it was super windy on the boat, so we spent a little time laying out and reading, but it wasn't great weather for getting a lot of sun.  that was superbowl sunday, and we ended up ordering room service so we could watch the first half of the game in the room (a storm was rolling in, so watching on the pool deck was not optimal at that time), and then we watched the second half in the big theater area.  billy was so excited that the giants won - especially after they had a mediocre season!  

after we got back to miami, we headed down to the keys because the weather in miami was cloudy and rainy.  by the time we got to key largo and islamorada, the weather was sunny, warm, and perfect!  we enjoyed lunch outside and even saw a nurse shark in the water right behind where we're standing below.  

"beach" area outside the islamorada fish company restaurant

had to include this picture of our hotel lobby - there's a bridge with a little pond under it. and a mural. and a mexican tile roof indoors. classy.

we thought this picture was appropriate as well...the trash truck driving down the beach right in front of our trashy hotel.  nice.

when we got back to miami, we went for a run and then got ready for dinner.  after walking around awhile, we wound up on espanola way and went to this good cuban restaurant there.  would definitely recommend walking around that cute little area!  and, the next day, we headed home to the terriers :)  another fun trip - glad i have such a fun traveling partner!