To Boston and Back

Well, a year ago I started this crazy history class with several wonderful women from my school (as well as many others). We essentially took an entire US history class from pilgrims to modern day in three weeks! Grueling about sums it up. Now a year later we were rewarded with all our hard work for the past year with a trip to Boston!
We did so many things and visited so many places I can't even remember them all! Among them were: Plimouth, John Adams Houses in Quincy (pronounced "Quinzy"), all the places along the Freedom Trail, ...Ok my mind has now gone blank! Might I mention that I failed my essays test too. I also got to go to Blue Man Group! It was so much fun. If you have never seen them, you need to! They are hilarious!

Taking a walk through Boston Commons

Apparently I can take a picture of myself!

I got to be the littlest baby duck...anyone ever read this book?

Woo Hoo!

Don't even ask! But yes, it is a ship made out of a cow!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat...

A REAL wood pile...circular.

My newest weapon of choice.

Couldn't help but laugh!

Love the view behind us.

I have no idea who these weird "dead" people are! 

Apparently I ride bikes every 11 years!

Henry David Thoreau

I'm soaked and cold. Now I know why I wont move.

A small piece of the WW II Memorial in Boston. 

A Blue Man!

I MADE IT! Should I be punching the air now?

Heck yes I can climb it!

After Boston we got on AmTrak and headed to Philly. Talk about a very boring 6 hour train ride.

We only got to be in Philly one day, much to our disappointment, but we had a story guide who walked us around and helped us see some re-enactments of when they were getting ready for the Declaration of Independence. He was hilarious!

Her new boyfriend!

I decided to take a picture with every weird hat I found!

One week of craziness later we were headed home. Remind me to not take a 4 am flight out of anywhere!

Rachel and I...too tired.

In the end, it was all worth it!

Oregon part 5

On Friday- our last day- we decided to go to OMSI...The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. It's a huge museum with hands on experiments. The kids had so much fun. I was sad when I forgot my camera.

That night we roasted marshmallows in Rachelle and Justin's backyard in their fire pit. It has been years since I've had a s'more. I am VERY messy!!!

Oregon part 4

Thursday we found ourselves at the Japanese Gardens in Portland. Can we say beautiful?! We got a few cute shots of the family.

Oregon part 3

Wednesday we went berry picking! The kids and I have never gone before and they had a lot of fun. First, blueberries. Ember and Lincoln concentrated really hard at filling their buckets with blueberries. The conversation with Ember went something like this:

Ember: Are you going to pick any berries Mommy?
Me: Yep, and then I am going to eat it!
E: But they aren't washed!
Me: That's okay every once in a while.

I think this conversation opened Ember and Lincoln's minds up to new possibilities because when we moved on to raspberries and boysenberries, Lincoln didn't even have a bucket! Every berry went in his mouth! Ember had a bucket, but only used it half the time. Five berries to eat, one berry in the bucket...

Oregon part 2

Monday brought a date for me and Branden! He took me to Powell's Books--a bookstore the size of a city block! Heaven! Then lunch at Benihana's...Yummy!

That evening I went for my very first pedicure with Robyn and Rachelle. Thanks girls, it was fun!

Oregon part 1

Doesn't hate me anymore! Every time I have ever visited Oregon it has rained every day I was there! Apparently Oregon was testing me to see if I would stick by Branden even when times were "rainy." I am happy to say that after 8 years, I passed! Seven days of Oregon sunshine!

We decided to go visit Grandma & Grandpa Boyles, and Rachelle & Justin. It was a lot of fun. We got to do so many fun things. The first of which was we decided at the last minute to go a day earlier than planned to get there in time for the Old Fashion Festival.