Forth of July

Our first Forth of July was a great time. Apparently it's a pretty big holiday here, like New Years Eve in New York City. There was a beautiful display of fireworks, music and thousands of other people that came out.


For the weekend, one of James's friends came up from NYC and stayed a few days. We had a blast showing Ivy around our new apartment and the city, as she was our very first guest. After she was all settled in we kicked off bar-b-q of veggies, tofu and veggie dogs. After stuffing ourselves we headed out on our bicycles to downtown Cambridge to see the fireworks over the Charles River.

Once the fireworks were over we began riding back home and thats when we realized just how popular this holiday was. The streets became flooded with people and we struggled to ride home with so many other people trying to do the same. An hour later we had all made it home, tired, but glad to have seen the spectacular display of fireworks. I recommend coming up for next year's display.

First Steps - Internship

As part of my graduate education I must fulfill an internship of 450 hours my first year and another 600 hours my second year. In trying to make the most out of my summer, I have begun the search for a site to do my internship at. Lesley University offers a large database, but it's best to start the search sooner than later to get your top pick.

Just over a week ago I started my search to find a site that would be of interest to me (you can choose different populations like homeless, women, addictions, developmentally disabled, medical rehabilitation and so on). I found 3 of interest, with other potentials, and I started sending my resume and calling around. My number one pick, Tewksbury State Hospital, just got back to me today and said that they were impressed with my resume and wanted to have me come for an interview! How exciting!

The whole process of finding a place to do the internship is very much like finding a job, so am excited that it's working out and going smoothly. I have 2 other sites that I still plan to visit, but I am really excited to meet with my top choice. My interview is next Monday, wish me luck.

New Hampshire Day Trip

Today is suppose to be the last sunny and beautiful day for the rest of the week. As you may or may not have read, yesterday was not the nicest day, but did offer some adventure. In a carpe diem moment, James and I decided to take off on a day trip for a few hours to visit New Hampshire. This being our first trip to NH, we were both blown away by it's beauty.

We left around noon time and an hour later we were in NH, but still another hour away from our destination: Dublin, NH. As we got closer to our destination the altitude got higher and the trees bigger and tougher looking. The trees we saw looked like they have out lived some of the coldest winters imaginable. One of the most surprising things we saw were Moose Crossing signs. I knew we were North, but I didn't think we were that far.

Once reaching Dublin we stopped in at a little store called Hedge House for a souvenir, as we collect magnets from every state that we have traveled through. I also bought a beautiful porcelain pencil holder and a piece of neon green Fenton glass, which was their specialty. We made one more stop for the bathroom and then headed back for home.

In living in the Northeast I have to keep reminding myself that this is such a special time of year and will not last. I often remind myself that this place will be freezing in a few months time, and the summer is a time to be enjoyed outdoors. This is a very different perspective than I had in Florida. The summers in Florida were a time to be feared for their heat, and lacked out door enjoyment.

Returning home I couldn't believe I had seen mountains today. What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon! Make sure to check out some of our photos on JJriders.com (soon to be a fully operational site full of motorcycle travel info, but currently linked to our Flicker photos).

Stormy Bike Ride

The day started out with clear blue sky and a chance of afternoon showers. As part of new summertime exercise routine James and I decided to take an extended bike ride exploration together. Typically we will go off on our own expeditions on the bike, running errands and such, but today we figured we would combine our plans and spend the day together.

We road up to the next town north, Lexington, which is actually quite big. We encountered a Farmer's Market, stopped and bought a few fresh veggies for dinner. We sampled a few locally made items, and then got on our way. We were about 5 miles into the ride and had about 4 more to go. At the end of the Minute Man bike trail we stopped in at bicycle store for a look around. Now at about 3pm the day was going quick. We decided to get back on the trail and head back home. On the way back we made one more stop to have some water and use the bathroom. Now we where ready to make our way back home, as tonight was bike night (motorcycle type over in Lowell).

About 2 miles later the sky got dark and the rain came down. We pedaled on for about a half mile, maybe more, and then the rain just became too much. We detoured off the trail over to a little shop called Four Seasons. Unfortunately, they are for some reason closed on Tuesdays. Huddling under an awning we decided to wait out the storm. To our disbelief the storm got worse, the temperature dropped and then the hail began. I couldn't believe it, but right there in front of my eyes was pea-sized hail falling from the sky. Half crying and half laughing we patiently waited.

Finally, about a half an hour later the sun appeared. We made a break for it and headed home. With 5 miles to go we raced home, fearing that the storm was not over yet. We rode through puddles drenching ourselves even more, but we had to get home.

Soaked from face to toe (heads were covered with helmets), we made it home. Immediately following there was a hot shower, tea and fresh clothes. It reminded me of our cross country trip were we were repeated rained on day after day. I was officially initiated into the world of the cyclist. Thankfully we made it home just in time to miss the next round of rain and hail.

Green Monsters

As you may or may not know, "we" won the NBA Finals this week. Since being a resident James and I, have jumped on the band wagon and have been following the last few games. And if you were too, you know what a great game that last one was. What was it, a 40 point win? The final game we actually saw in NYC, so we missed all the rioting in Boston (just kidin').

The games in the Boston area are taken few seriously though. People come out wearing green and fill up the bars. It's quite an experience compared to Florida.

Today was the parade, which we didn't make it to, but what a great city for sports. And if you know me, I'm not much of a sports fan, but I could possibly become one up here.

Yay Celtics!

First Day of Class

This last weekend I had my first class. While I was a little nervous, since this was my first graduate class, I quickly felt reassured as class went on. This class is a weekend intensive, which is broken up over two weekends: one in June and one in July. The class is called Lifespan Developmental Psychology. This is actually one of the classes that I had to take at the undergraduate level to get into the program, but this class is much more in depth. I'm actually surprised at how much I'm enjoying it.

The books in the class are also really good too. Probably the best textbook I ever had to read: "Lives Across Cultures." And I'm just breaking into "Women's Way of Knowing." The class is focused on two areas of development that offend get over looked: cross culture development and women in general.

Today I received my first paper back in the mail. The topic was on Ecological Systems, and I received a B+, which I was happy about, but was really wanting that "A". My teacher has a great policy: we can rewrite any paper in the class to get a better grade. The emphasis is really on learning the material and not on test taking. Actually, we don't have any tests for this class. What a relief!

While the material is challenging, I welcome all of the debates and information presented. There are just so many smart people here. It's really great to be at such a good school.

Summer Time Recipe

Here's a really great recipe for Gazpacho that I just tried out. It's from the cookbook "Sunfood Cuisine". It's great for a hot day and it's a totally raw dish, which means it's good for you too. Enjoy!

Ultimate Gazpacho
2 cups tomato
1 cup cucumber
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. jalapeño pepper, minced
1 garlic clove

Blend. Place in a bowl.

Add:
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup of cilantro or parsley, chopped

And that should do it. Enjoy!