Holy cannoli!

Something I learned about myself today: never underestimate how far I'll walk for good dessert.

I trekked back to Mike's Pastry tonight for another cannoli. And maybe some tiramisu. I did figure out if you wear workout gear, leave your purse at the hotel, and run, none of the bums ask you for money. I'm hoping my two-mile sojourn negates all of the calories I've eaten today. I'm just like Tom and Katie! Except for that weird religion. And only a few people looked at me strangely while I was running with a cannoli under my arm.



I was over by the Garden, waiting for the light to change (if you want to look like you're a local, you must jaywalk... just don't fall drunk onto the subway tracks or you'll make the national news), when some guy turned to a guy with him and said, "Is that the Garden over there... where it says 'The Garden?' " Friend looks at me, and I say sweetly in my best Southern drawl, "Who are you... Captain Obvious?" Friend about falls over laughing. Guy gets embarrassed. So he tries to be funny and responds. "Yeah, where are we... New York?" I said, "Sure. Why don't you yell GO YANKEES really loudly?" Bahahaha.

It's so sad that I have to go home tomorrow! And sadder still that I have to stuff my purchases into my suitcase.

Thanksgiving is two weeks from today, and Christmas a mere six weeks. Are you ready?

Technology, smechnology

I've been really excited about this conference for months, and not just 'cause it's in Boston. More than that, I was excited to hear more about how social media can be more effectively used in marketing for higher education. I'm a pretty heavy user of gadgets, after all. I have to charge my iPhone nightly (and sometimes more often than that) because I spend so many hours a day on the mobile 'net (yes, one could argue I need to get a life).

And now, as my conference ends and my time in Boston draws to a close (sniff, sniff), I submit to you the top 10 things I've learned on this trip:

10. There's nothing like sitting in a room filled with people on laptops watching a speaker via streaming video who's actually five feet from them to make you wonder if you're in the Twilight Zone
9. 10 people + 2,000 tweets = bunch o' geeks
8. Buying a really expensive handbag and then walking by a homeless shelter only results in a little guilt
7. Sam Adams isn't just the name of a really gross beer
6. When people from Canada say "aboot" and "proucess," I will giggle
5. There's no such things as too much seafood
4. Even if you walk ten miles a day in heels, if you eat too much, your pants will still be tight
3. You should always leave room in your suitcase for souvenirs or handbags
2. No one knows the definition of "business casual"; some will dress like skateboard tricksters, and others will appear to be arguing a case before the Supreme Court any moment (it's somewhere in the middle, in case you're wondering)
1. I love, love, LOVE Boston, but would have to make about $1.2 million per year to live here in my current lifestyle

I'm sad to go home. Right now I'm considering what to have for dinner. I'm thinking I'll head back over to the North End for Italian food and another one of those amazing canolis I had last night from Mike's Pastry. Yum!

The Boston Garden

Quite coincidentally, one of my leadership classmates from Siloam was in Beantown on business this week, so we met for fish and chips at a Boston pub. We watched part of the Celtics game, then walked by the Garden, and that made me kind of sad, because my dad was a huge Celtics fan, but never got to see them play in person.

One thing I've discovered in loss is that it's not the moments you expect to be sad that get you, like Christmases and birthdays, but it's the days like the random Wednesday you happen to be 1,400 miles away from home and walk by Larry Bird's bronzed shoes when the sadness comes.

I really wish my dad had been with me tonight, to watch the fans stream out of the Garden after the victory, to eat a canoli in the North End, and to experience beautiful Boston.

Norm!

I fell in love with Boston when I was here last October. Today, the magic continues.

I think I missed the best of the fall color this year by a couple of weeks, but it was gorgeous today. I ventured out of the hotel and about a block away to Boston Common, where I walked for blocks down Commonwealth and viewed the city's forefathers. I also saw much of Beacon Street and made my way past Cheers.



Since I left my camera charger in Texas (along with a t-shirt, my laptop and--strangely--my black bra), my battery died about halfway through my self-guided tour. I finally found my way to the mall, where I purchased a new charger and nursed my blisters over a yummy late lunch of lobster bisque and a crab, shrimp and lobster sandwich at Legal Sea Foods.



My pal Alisa texted me this afternoon to tell me that my prom outfit was scary and that I'm a dork for taking pics of my food. I have one word for her: touche.

Boston is just as fabulously wonderful as it was before. I'm so in love with this city! It's just gorgeous and full of history. Tomorrow includes another sojourn during my lunch break, hopefully this time with a fully-charged battery and more comfortable shoes.



Rest of the pics are here. More to be added, I'm sure!

Pretty in pink (and red polka dots)

My friend Lela is turning 40 and celebrated by throwing one of the greatest parties in history. Her "Pretty in Pink Totally Rad 80s Prom" was a very fun evening.

I've been planning my outfit for some time, but I didn't realize that "vintage" meant "too small." Joe had to help squeeze me into my dress and we were afraid it would bust at the seams all night. Luckily, it did not. All week sales clerks have been staring at me strangely while I purchased red hose, a hair crimper, and blue eye shadow. I really want to scream, "People, you're stocking this stuff... why are you surprised that someone is buying it?" I was a bit concerned that the crimping would cause irreparable damage to my hair, but it bounced back nicely this morning.

I've got to tell you, I had more fun last night than I did at my real proms. Sweet Joe even brought me a fancy (read: gaudy) corsage to wear. Then we slow danced to "Crazy for You."



If you're interested, the rest of the pics are here.

After breakfast this morning I headed to Rogers for the Saving Grace Open House. It was such a great afternoon! Hundreds of people showed up and I got to tell them about the amazing ministry there.

I'm trying to rest up for my busy week in Boston. I went to the doctor on Friday with a sore throat and sinus pressure, and the doctor was a bit befuddled and never really gave me a diagnosis. He finally just said, "It could be swine flu (it's not). It could just be allergies (more likely). It looks like you just need to get lots of rest this weekend." Yeah, that cost me 35 bucks and exposure to disease during my 45 minute sojourn in the waiting room.

So, it's been a great weekend. Busy and cold week in New England ahead. Can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving!

Everything's bigger in... well, you know

What a great weekend! Memaw and I got to Temple around 8 on Thursday night, and I arrived back in Siloam just after 6 last night. In four days we attended two parties, had one of our own, walked a 5K, attended a flag football game, witnessed a dance-off and multiple kid fits.

It's weird how, the closer you get to home, the more work and the daily grind begin to creep back into your life. Thankfully I get to go back to Texas in three weeks for Thanksgiving, and before that I go to Boston, an 80s prom, and have a Branson shopping trip with Alisa.

For now, please enjoy another entry in the Brady and Mini-Me dance-a-thon. And all the pics from this weekend are here, in case you don't have Facebook.



(This makes three family members dancing to this song. Memaw, you and Lon are next!)

Back to the ol' grind

It was great to get back to some semblance of normalcy today. I had a very productive afternoon of work. Got lots of stuff done before I left at 7, with a big long list of things to do tomorrow. I also got two workouts in, so hopefully my jeans won't be tight anymore in just a few days. My caloric intake today? Yogurt for breakfast, Little Debbie chocolate chip cake for lunch, and granola and cherries for dinner. I'm trying to make up for pigging out on ribs last night (no pun intended).

The fun news? I just booked two flights, one to Boston in November (woo-hoo!) for a conference, and one to Dallas in a couple of weeks to see my Hill Country family. Yeah, I'll have to drive an hour to the airport and two hours from Dallas to Temple, but it's 1/3 of the time in the car and I got a flight for 82 bucks roundtrip. Quite a deal.

Now I need to get ready for bed. These days it's really hard to go to sleep at night and really hard to wake up in the morning. When did I turn into a teenager?

More than 24 hours later, I'm still weirded out by my LB extravaganza yesterday. The boy made me dinner. He knows his way around the kitchen. And he sings to his houseplants. Song of choice? "Easy" by the Commodores. Seriously.

Missing from his mantle? Unicorns.

Sleepy weekend

I've been home for 48 hours and asleep for about 30 of them. Today I cleaned the house a bit and did some laundry, but other than that, I've spent most of the past two days snoozing.

The few hours I have been awake I've been missing Boston, wishing I were walking down the streets of Cambridge, eating lobster bisque and watching the crew on the Charles River. I guess the only solution is for Tom Brady to marry me and move me to Massachusetts.

Fabulous Fenway

Quick post. I've been awake since 4:30 CST, so it's past time for bed. I spent most of the day in the airport or in an airplane, but I'm back on Arkansas soil and in my own bed.

I saw Fenway today! I actually got to touch the Green Monster and was nearly on the field. One more thing off my bucket list.

More tomorrow. For now, enjoy the pic!

Maine lobster in Massachusetts

Meet Larry, the beautiful and delicious lobster I had for dinner. He was alive in the tank when I got there, and dead in my tummy when I left. I also enjoyed some great crab bisque while Larry was in the sauna.

The experience was marred a bit by my getting lost yet again on my way back to the hotel. In the dark. Carrying a $400 handbag. Oh, I was perfectly fine, but as a girl who's not used to the big city, it was intimidating. Granted, everyone else in Cambridge was walking, but it made me nervous nonetheless. And there was not a cab to be found.

But now I'm back, ensconced in my hotel room, dreading the flight tomorrow. I plan to get up early and watch the crew teams out on the river, but we'll see. I can't believe my time in Boston is already over!

Howdy from Hah-vahd

One of the nice things about being in Cambridge is that I'm practically staying on the Harvard campus. During our lunch break I took the shuttle to Harvard square, where I ate a lobster roll and clam chowder. Not so surprisingly, I got lost on the way back, but at least I got in my three mile walk for the day and, more importantly, I was wearing flats. It was gorgeous! I was surprised by how large the campus is.

Harvard is just as beautiful as advertised, with ivy covering the brick walls.





Unlike the University of Texas, Harvard actually lets you look at their football stadium. Hmm... could it be that football isn't the most important part of college? This is one of the coolest stadiums I've seen. Very old school.



Bloomberg, part of Harvard Business School



The Charles River

Boston tea party

I'm positively giddy. I just drove by Fenway Park. Saw the Green Monster. As I write this, I'm looking out at the Charles River, eating sushi and watching the World Series. And drinking tea. Don't you have to drink tea when you're in Boston? As I rode from the airport and saw the skyline of Boston for the first time, I could hear the theme to "Boston Legal" in my head. It's such a beautiful city!

To be fair, my day has been less than stellar. The flight from XNA to Charlotte was packed, and the lady behind me had a two-year-old who kept kicking my seat and an infant who kept crying. That was a L-O-N-G two hours. The plane from Charlotte sat on the tarmac for over an hour waiting for clearance, but I did finally make it to Boston just past seven.

I've always heard that people in New England are rude, but my cab driver offered to give me a "very personal" tour of Boston tomorrow. Um, no. But I do have a 90 minute break for lunch and I'm thinking of heading over to see Fenway up close and personal. Then it's off to Harvard Square for dinner. The leaves have turned and it's autumn in New England.

I can't believe I'm in the same city as Tom Brady! Yeah, he could be someplace else and wherever he is he's probably hanging out with this supermodel girlfriend, but still, I'm in Boston! It's 45 degrees right now. Brrr....

Off to Beantown

In just a few short hours, I'll be on my way to Boston. Home of Tom Brady. In the fall. Can't wait!

I'll be two miles from Fenway Park and two miles from Harvard. You know what they say, sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.