Flora

It has been a looong week. I am done with school one week from today and it will be a huge relief to have one less semester to complete. Nick is also in the midst of "crunch time," as he calls it. He has a group project due soon and a final to prepare for. Our poor dogs have gotten very little attention lately, and they are more needy than usual because of it. Hopefully we can squeeze in a walk around the reservoir for them this weekend. We are expecting a gorgeous weekend, and I am in desperate need of another long run along the Charles.

I am sorry if anyone is tired of seeing flower photos on the blog. I have not gotten sick of them yet, so they will continue to grace the blog until I can't take it anymore. =) These were taking in Back Bay this afternoon.

The Thyme Lives

I still haven't managed to kill the thyme. It is pretty incredible. I thought I had killed the oregano, but it appears to slowly be sprouting. I hope it completely grows so that I can do some cooking with it.

The rain returned after our week of beautiful weather. It does look like the sun will return for the weekend, although Nick is slammed with school, so he may be trapped inside all weekend. =(

I have one final that stands between me and the end of the semester. I am not stressed, because my grade is essentially set in stone unless I really mess up the final. I am really hoping to do some photography this summer, so once school is done I can return to practicing. Right now my only subjects are plants and dogs. With all of my baby-sitting clients, I shouldn't have any problem finding cute kids to photograph.

Another thing I have been wanting to do is get outside of Boston. I would love to find a spot to go hiking and find some peace and quiet. I love the city, but once in a while you just need to get out. Now that we have a Zipcar membership, it should be a little easier for me to go exploring and see what there is outside of Boston.

Nick's New Shoes

Nick got a Nike Plus this week, which is the device I typically use to record my running distance and time. There is a chip in your shoe, and Nick got wrist band for the adapter, while man plugs into my iPod. He also got a brand new pair of running shoes to go with the Nike Plus, and he has already gone running twice and he just got it yesterday. He enjoys being able to see graphs and charts that correspond to his speed and distance, while I just enjoy being able to add up all my mileage. Of course my sensor hasn't been working so I have had to estimate my distance for the week. I believe I have gone about 18 miles for the week and I feel great. Today was my LONG run, and I think I went about 8 or 9 miles all together (MAYBE more). My knees are in severe pain, but everything else feels great! I know the real pain will hit me tomorrow when I attempt to get out of bed. Ouch.

The weather was gorgeous today and while I ran along the Charles River, I did my best to soak up all the things I love about this city. The trees are the perfect shade of green and the sunlight was bouncing off the water as I ran. Everyone has been outside running, walking and bicycling and soaking up the weather.

I only planned to run about 6 miles today, but I was in a mode and I kept going. I was running through parts of the city I hadn't seen before and was loving the scenery too much to stop and go home. Sometimes I wish I could carry my camera with me when I run. Silly, I know, but I capture all these mental images and I wish I could store them on my computers hard drive to revisit them. I have papers to write, presentations to work on, and tons of housework that should be done, but days like this are too beautiful to be wasted on those things. That's what rainy days like tomorrow are for. =)

Nick was immediately drawn to the lime green shoes. He loves them.

Full Bloom

There are tulips in full bloom all over the city. It is gorgeous and I can't seem to take enough pictures of the flowers. Fall and spring are the most beautiful seasons here! Winter was miserable, but beautiful on certain days. I haven't been here through an entire summer yet, so I won't judge until after I live through a full one.

I went for a nice 5 mile run yesterday and it felt great. I essentially have to add about a mile or mile and a half each week to be ready for the half marathon. I haven't raced since high school but I am anxious to get going again. I have a feeling I may get hooked on these events!

Nick and I are both wrapping up our semesters. It will be nice once we both just have work for the summer without any classes. This is my last true summer vacation since next summer I will be doing several clinical rotations for school and the following summer I will hopefully have a job as an RN! Nick will have his masters degree just about this time next year as well! It is crazy how quickly time is flying by.

I walked around Back Bay today until my camera battery died. Here are a few of the pictures I took:

Registered!

After being inspired by watching the marathon today, I decided it was best to make a commitment. So, here goes my training for the half marathon I just registered for!

I will be running on June 27th just outside of Boston!

Marathon Monday

I witnessed my first marathon today. It was more inspirational than I imagined it would be! The crowds were huge and everyone was cheering for every athlete that passed by. The first group of athletes were completing the race in wheel chairs. I watched them go through the course and I wondered how much mental strength they must have. I thought about how fortunate I am to have the ability to walk, but also how much of life is about attitude. I know I don't always have the best attitude, and it was a humbling experience to watch them cross the 22nd mile marker.

We watched the soon-to-be winner of the marathon as he SPRINTED past us. He shattered the marathon record by 80 seconds and finished in a total of 2:05! That's right, 2 hours to run 26 miles! It is insane...

We also watched the elite women run by and many of them looked completely relaxed. I had a difficult time dragging myself away from the marathon to go to work. I wanted to cheer for each and every runner as they wrapped up their last few miles. I plan to attend every marathon while we live here. I am also even more inspired to complete the half marathon this summer. If only I could bottle the motivation and keep it with me at all times...

Of course I had my camera with me to document the experience.

The woman in the lead:

The winner (and record-breaker)

Side note: He is a farmer in Kenya and said he will be spending his prize money to buy cows. I love it!

114th Boston Marathon

Tomorrow is "Marathon Monday" in Boston! Obviously I will not be running it, but I will be a spectator to the nation's best marathon!

Nick and I went to the marathon expo today and it was full of awesome running equipment. We then walked across the finish line for the marathon tomorrow and talked about what an amazing accomplishment all those runners will be taking part in. I hope someday I am able to find time to train for one and complete it. For now I will aim for the half marathon.

This weekend has consisted of very little other than homework and studying for Nick and I. The weather has been cold and rainy all weekend, so at least I don't feel like I skipped out on abundant sunshine outside to study. I have three weeks left until the end of my semester and I am eager to wrap it up. It is always more difficult for me to focus once the semester is coming to an end. I just need to get some momentum going and it will be over before I know it. Then I can spend some time devoted to photography and other things I enjoy!

I'm glad I captured the finish line because there is no way I will be able to see it tomorrow. We will be watching the race from right around the corner from our apartment.

Frappes

I am on campus and I'm currently waiting for my group to show up for a project due this week. I have done every single bit of the project to far and my group members don't seem to mind much. Shocker.

Nick has endless meetings followed by a quiz followed by more meetings today. Poor guy. Luckily we ended yesterday with milkshakes from JP Licks, an amazing ice cream place in Boston! Oh, and East Coasters don't know what "milk shakes" are. They called them "Frappes." Weirdos.

I have been changing the blog header constantly over the past few days. I am being indecisive about what I like best. This summer I am going to make a solid attempt to learn some photoshop basics. I get frustrated easily, so I will need to work on my patience if I want to learn anything.

I took this picture after our walk with the dogs yesterday. This is probably one of my favorite pictures of Trouble yet:

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Sunday Walks

I love Sundays. I love not waking up to an alarm clock and I love being able to slowly enjoy breakfast without the pressure of needing to rush out the door.

This morning we went to get iced coffee and then later this afternoon we took the dogs for a walk around the reservoir. This is one of our favorite things about weekends. We talk about the future and all that we have to look forward to, and the dogs smile happily while they walk. The weather was beautiful, and I moments like this make me fond of this city. It is beautiful here, and I have been trying to focus on all that I love about it. Sometimes I get caught up in the fact that I miss so many people who live far from us, but I am fortunate to be living in a place with so many opportunities. I have an amazing job and I am going to a school which is highly regarded by local hospitals...which hopefully means I will land a great job after graduating! Nick loves MIT and he is taking part in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We love our apartment and have no plans to move anytime in the near future.

Another thing I love about Sundays is that we cook dinner together. On the menu tonight: salmon, rice and salad. Yummmm!

Life is good.

All you have to do is look at Gillie's face to confirm that statement, if you had any doubts.

The greenery hasn't completely come back to the reservoir, but it's getting there:

More flowers continue to bloom:

Wheels when you want them

This week turned out to be another amazing week as far as weather goes. The rain returned yesterday, but it isn't so bad once the sun has been out for a week. The city comes to life when the weather improves, and there is a dramatic difference in the number of people walking/running outside.

We subscribed to Zipcar this week and today we took one out for a spin! Today we drove a Mazda 3 and we made a trip to the grocery store. I took for granted being able to throw groceries in the trunk of my old civic and drive home. It is a great deal to rent the cars by the hour and we will get to try driving everything from Subaru Imprezas to the hybrid Honda Insight. We were browsing through the possibilities of cars and dreaming about buying one in a few years once I have a nursing job. We weren't the only ones who enjoyed the car. Gillie went for her first car ride and she was in heaven. She is much more laid back than Trouble and she sat quietly and enjoyed the ride. Here are a few snapshots of she and I in the mazda:

Nick has a busy week ahead of him, so he has a lot of preparation this weekend. He has a 4 hour meeting with his sponsors Monday morning, followed by a quiz. I also have plenty to work on, school-wise, this weekend. At least we got to take a car out for a spin!

Much to my surprise, my herbs are growing! They are little stubs at the moment, but I am amazed I haven't killed them yet. Here is what they look like as of today:

E.E. Cummings

Now i lay (with everywhere around)

me (the great dim deep sound

of rain; and of always and of nowhere) and

what a gently welcoming darkestness-

now i lay me down (in a most steep

more than music) feeling that sunlight is

(life and day are) only loaned: whereas

night is given (night and death and the rain

are given; and given is how beautifully snow)

now i lay me down to dream of (nothing

i or any somebody or you

can begin to begin to imagine)

something which nobody may keep.

now i lay me down to dream of Spring.

Beautiful Boston Weekend

We have had a wonderful weekend! (I have avoided during anything school-related, but Nick has also spent a lot of time doing research and homework..poor guy).Friday night we had dinner at our Italian restaurant and finished the night off with chocolate shakes from a yummy ice cream shop in Back Bay. Yesterday we took the dogs on an hour and a half long walk and they were completely exhausted when we got home. I went for a long (5 mile) run this morning beside the Charles River and then Nick and I headed to Boston Common to have lunch and go for a walk. We walked to MIT and took some pictures of the beautiful flowers and blossoms around the campus. It is such a stunning weekend! I know I can be harsh toward Boston, but when the weather is nice here, we have learned to appreciate every moment! While I was running this morning I was thinking about how amazing the views are here and how lucky we are to have the opportunity to live here. It isn't California, but this city has amazing character and charm.

We subscribed to Zipcar today, so once we get out card, we will be able to rent the cars by the hour! We are excited to be able to make trips to Costco and get away on day-trips once in a while. The prices are reasonable and I think we will get great use out of our membership.

I am re-energized and ready for the week ahead.

Here are a few of the pictures I took today:

Spring has Sprung!

The sun came out today! It is a beautiful day and I was finally able to capture some of the flowers that began to bloom about two weeks ago. I have never seen such dramatic changes in seasons, but that's primarily because most of California doesn't have true "seasons."

When I was in California, Sheri bought me two pre-assembled herb kits in cute pots. I am currently waiting for the soil to soak in water, and then I will plant the oregano and thyme seeds. I am absolutely terrible about keeping plants alive, but hopefully I will have better luck with herbs! I would love to have fresh herbs to cook with! Here are some "before" pictures:

Nick and I are going to one of our favorite restaurants tonight for a date night and it is much-needed. We have both been busy with school and work and dogs, and it's about time for us to go out just the two of us. I work tomorrow, but I hope to spend a lot of time outside this weekend to enjoy the sunshine and warmth!

On a funny side-note, Nick drew a picture of our dogs on his chalkboard a few weeks ago and I finally took a picture of it. It cracks me up every time I look at it. [Also please note that it is surrounded by equations!]

Oh, not sure I mentioned the chalkboard before. It is 4 feet by 6 feet and devours an entire wall of our apartment...or it would if the walls would support it. So it sits on the floor. Nick is fine with this. haha

Here are some shots of the "spring" emerging around our neighborhood: