22 August 2011

A Master's Student Celebrates Her Favorite Way


So many exciting feats and events this summer. The most important accomplishment is my completion of grad school. I am officially a Master of Education! Boy, does it feel strange to be done with school after 22 years of my life.

I did not want to celebrate with a huge backyard luau party or sit for several hours to walk down an aisle, shake someone's hand and turn a tassel. Been there, done that. I was tired, emotionally and physically drained. (Hence the reason for the lack of blog posts.)

All I wanted was to have a spiked beverage, read a trashy novel, and eat a fat juicy burger. So that is exactly what I did.

As soon as I finished my last class, I went home, brought out a Nora Roberts novel, made myself a amateur mai tai (with POG and rum), and sat on my deck enjoying the sun for the first time this summer.

Following my wonderful afternoon, my dad found this great little diner out Scholls country, down Tile Flat Road, in Hillsboro, called Cruise In Country Diner. The whole place is decorated with 1960s car memorabilia and vintage diner details. All of their food is organic local products. And it was the first time I tried a Pepsi Freeze (my dad said it was just like they used to make when he was a kid living in Riverside).

I couldn't have celebrated a better way. Relaxing, refreshing, and filling.

Since then I have received my Masters degree and my official Teaching Certificate. Now I just need to find a job. But in the meantime, I will continue to enjoy what freedom I have left.

A Seaside Independence Day

For the first time my beloved boyfriend and I were able to spend the 4th of July together. We spent a wonderful Independence Day watching fireworks on the coast while eating elephant ears and drinking cokes. Here are some pictures.
Kites and pedestrians preparing for the show. The sun is still out and everyone was staking a spot.The beach overflowing with people and tents as the sun sets. The haze was from the hundreds of bonfires.
Maybe it was because of the company I kept or the fact that I have seen very few professional firework displays, but I think the show at Seaside is one of the best ones I have ever seen!

I must confess however, for an hour and a half drive there, it took us four hours to get home. The streets were clogged with cars getting out of the beach town. There was even a time where we sat completely still for a half hour on the same corner, so I got out a lit some of our own fireworks.

Exhausted, we got home at one o'clock in the morning. But one of the best Independence Days I have ever had!

13 August 2011

The Birth Place of our Nation

I think it is only fair that I begin where I left off, sharing about my upcoming trip to Boston, Massachusetts. At the end of June my mother and I got off the plane in Boston and were so happy to spend a fun/history-filled week with our friends traveling around. I thought it was time to share some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

My first day was Bunker Hill Day, where they celebrated the anniversary of the battle. I was able to take some good photographs and was anticipating a battle reenactment, until it started pouring down rain on everyone involved.

I was so thrilled to have a picture with these reenactors. When I approached them I said, "Can I have a picture with you gentlemen?" They all humphed and one said in his Bostonia accent, "I don't know that we're gentlemen." I quickly rephrased my question, "Can I have a picture with you scalawags?" They all laughed and said, "That we are!"

This may sound morbid, but I fell in love with the old cemeteries in Boston!
The Old North Church where Paul Revere and many others lit the lantern to warn the people of Boston the British were coming.Paul Revere's house where he also had his engraving business and underground espionage business, which involved several of his children (he had 10 plus children!).
We also made a trip to Lexington and Concord. Here is my best friend and I in front of the First Teachers School, which is now a Masonic Lodge. We both had to take a picture since we both are in education.
Here is a photo of the Battle Green where the first shot was fired and the Revolutionary War officially began.The oldest and best cemetery we came across was in Lexington. I was so intrigued at how this large tree grew around the tombstones, embedding them. The tree itself was large and old! It really put in perspective how old those stones were.One of the homes owned by the Alcott's in Concord. This particular house is said to be where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women.


The Bridge where the conclusion of the Battle of Lexington and Concord occurred. There is even a tomb near by that marks the resting place of fallen British soldiers.The beautiful river home owned by authors Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The home overlooks the bridge where the final conflict of the Battle of Lexington and Concord took place.
Emerson's authentic organic garden that is still maintained by the Emerson Society of Friends.
Back in the city limits of Boston, we went to one of the more famous cemeteries on the Freedom Trail, and found the tombstone which marked the grave of those killed in the Boston Massacre. However, in this particular cemetery, some reburying was being done, because the long cold winter had caused several of the bones to resurface and several spots were marked off with caution tape.The Old State House where citizens first heard the Declaration of Independence (from the balcony, located in the back), and where down the street the Boston Massacre took place.
And of course, who goes to Boston and doesn't take in a ball game?! (A Yankee, that's who! And I'm no Yankee!).

What's more American than drinking a Sam Adams, eating hot dogs, cracker jacks, and cotton candy, under the lights of Fenway!

My next trip to Boston will hopeful include more history, baseball, and wonderful friends!

I'm a goin' places!

After a couple of months my summer is finally slowing down, but this doesn't mean that my life isn't filled with upcoming changes and adventures (I'll fill details in soon). However, I am in a momentary hiatus before the fall introduces another trend of hopeful *crossing fingers* job related routine, so I am taking this moment to share with my blog readers what I've been up to lately.
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