A Dear Friend

Last Monday a good friend and colleague of mine passed away. I will miss him. I don't think there were many conversations that I had with Terry that we didn't share laughter. He made work just a little bit more fun. We enjoyed giving each other a hard time some of those are found here and here. It'll be an adjustment for me not to see him in his office or at the lunch table. You see it's Monday tomorrow and it never failed that on Monday when I sat down to eat lunch Terri would start our conversation with, "How was your weekend? Do anything fun?" I'd tell him what I did and then ask him about his. I am grateful that I work with wonderful people. I'm grateful I had the chance to know Terry and to work with him. The fact that he made a difference in the lives of all those who he interacted with was evident at his memorial service as the church was filled to capacity with family, friends, colleagues, past students, and current students. The world is a better place because of him and all of us who knew him will miss him.

Really nothing to complain about....

I just want to post this week that I've got a pretty fabulous life. It is filled with the best friends and family that anyone could ever ask for. And as an added bonus I have the perfect job for me. Life is good. I had a fun week this week nothing out of the ordinary but maybe that's what I liked about it I went back to my routine of work after a two week break. Here's my favorite list for the week...

I rocked out on rock band with some of my coworkers.

Went to the dollar theater and treated myself to a movie. I decided I should go and see a movie by myself more often - it was very enjoyable.

Watched a little world cup soccer.

Went to a play with Kara and stopped by the Sweet Tooth Fairy on our way - Yum!!

Like I said it's been a good week!

Vacation...

New York is a pretty big city... I have no desire to live there. I will however visit again because I loved going to a show on Broadway and it was fun to be a part of the hustle and bustle of the city for a few days.

Here we are on top of the Rockefeller Building. We decided to see this attraction at night and it was cool to see the city lights.

Is it ridiculous that one of my favorite things was the M&M store in Time Square? I think Time Square is a very fun place to visit at 11 p.m. The city is alive and doesn't show any signs of slowing down. It is rightfully called the City that never sleeps.

On Sunday afternoon we enjoyed a nice stroll through Central Park. Jake was very nice to act as tour guide both Saturday and Sunday.

I can't remember the story behind this castle but it is now used to check the weather. I love the old buildings of the East and love that there is a castle in Central Park.

A view of the skyline from inside the park.

Monday we headed up to Boston to enjoy a hands on history lesson.

This is Paul Revere's grave. In this cemetery there were a bunch of people buried that took part in the Revolutionary War.

Here's Paul Revere's house. It is amazing that the house that a famous historical figure lived in hundreds of years ago is still standing.

Eating a canoli for the first time. It was ok but not my favorite dessert.

The old South Church. We learned that each pew had these high walls to keep heat in around a family because they went to church for six hours on Sunday. Three hours in the morning and three in the afternoon with an hour for lunch at noon.

This is Bunker Hill... The Red Coats won this battle.

This is the U.S.S. Constitution. A ship whose sides are all made of all iron. And its nickname is Old Ironside. It wasn't part of the Revolutionary War but is permanently docked in Boston so we thought we'd take a look at it. I also think it may be the oldest surviving battle ship - not positive on that though.

After we were done walking all over Boston we ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. I had Tricia take this picture because while we ate we watched game three of the NBA series. It was being played about 5 blocks from our hotel.

Our second day in Boston was spent seeing Lexington and Concord. Here I am on the bridge where the first battle of the Revolutionary War was fought. In the back ground is the oldest war monument in America. That is the side of the river where the Red Coats fought and the Colonists fought on the opposite bank. There is another monument of a Minute man on the other bank.

The East reminds me of my mission and I enjoyed all the green!

This is Louis May Alcott's home where she wrote Little Women. It was interesting to learn more about her family and the time period. Little Women is based on her own family but there are several differences.

Tricia and I didn't have a car, which didn't bother us one bit because we rode subways and buses and for the most part got to everywhere that we wanted to be. We took a Trolley tour to see Concord and met this very nice lady named Sally who offered to drive us around in her car. I enjoy seeing different parts of the world because it instills in my this great truth that there are good people everywhere. No matter where I go if you look hard enough you'll find a friendly face.

This picture makes me laugh. The maid left my tooth brush and toothpaste like this but what was really funny was one I hadn't left it right there on the counter- it was on the other side close to the wall and two I don't roll my tube like that. Whoever that maid is she's working way harder than she needs to!

The guy working at the front desk suggested that we try out Mike's Pastry. I think this would be considered an Italian bakery at it's finest. (This is where we bought our Conolis the day before.) This time we tried a Lobster tail...

It's a flaky crust that isn't sweet filled with whipped cream, some type of cheese, and I'm sure a couple of other things. It was enjoyable but again not something I'll be making a special trip to Boston for.

The end of our journey. We took a picture like this a week earlier about a half hour later right as we were boarding our plane. We thought it appropriate to end our trip the same way. What a fun vacation to see so many things!