Laverne and Shirley

I love October, for many reasons.  The leaves are beautiful, the cooler weather sets in, my mom and dad visit, lots of local festivals, Halloween, and Cami comes to visit.  I have already blogged about the former topics, but I haven't blogged about Cami's visit yet.  We have designated October as Cami's month to visit annually.  She came last week for our 2nd annual trip. 
I met Cami in 2004 at a small church where eventually her husband, Russell, began to pastor.  I was still working at the time, so my free time was very limited.  When I was free, I spent as much time devoted to family stuff as possible.  We instantly became friends, although, we weren't constantly together.  She had a new baby and I was always busy too.  But once Beau and I decided for me to stop working and stay home, suddenly Cami and I became very close.  She is one of those friends who constantly taught me something (whether in the kitchen, about Godliness, or just how to be a friend).  If we weren't together shopping, or attending a bible study, or seeing each other in church, or even just hanging out at each other's house, we were on the phone.  It's amazing how we never ran out of topics to discuss!  We sure solved the world's problems during those conversations.  LOL

Cami was the friend that kept reminding me to trust our Lord and to step out in faith.  And I did.  Her husband baptized Beau and I and eventually Zander too.  My stepping out in faith led to becoming a stay at home mom, adopting, and then fostering.  And even bigger faith, moving to New Hampshire.  And she was there supporting and clapping the whole way.  Aside from your spouse, I think every girl needs that one special friend that you can be totally yourself with.  Cami is that friend for me.  She has seen my good, bad, and ugly times and still remains my friend.

I was very fearful of what moving 1200 miles away would do to our relationship.  It has changed and that is to be expected.  But one thing still remains, we are bonded in a special way.  That will never change.  As she has become incredibly busy with her calligraphy business and her mission work for the ApParent project, her time is definitely not her own.  I am proud of her work and her selflessness as she has been successful, with God's hand, in helping the Haitian Artists regain their dignity while climbing their way out of poverty.  But somehow, she has been able to carve out a few days in October to come visit.  Beau has been so generous to take some time off work so that Cami and I can go play. 

This visit was just as much fun as last year.  She arrived on Thursday and we went for an early dinner together.  I am thankful she likes Mexican almost as much as our family does.  She and I ate at Shorty's and got caught up, even though we talk almost daily (and sometimes several times a day)!  But there's nothing better than being able to look your friend in the eyes and having a great conversation!
On Friday, we went to Boston to finish our Freedom Walk tour from the previous year.  This was so much fun and we learned many new things about Boston and it's early inhabitants.  This wasn't a long walk, but on this day I was having trouble walking.  I have some medical issues that make me lose balance and even lose use of my legs.  But Cami was patient with me and we finished the tour.  We then walked over to the USS Constitution, or Old Ironsides.  This is such a privilege to see a part of our history.  But again, it required a lot of walking.  By this time, I was in agony, but I was not going to miss such an experience. 

Old Ironsides

By the time we got there, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it back.  We had heard that there was a ferry available to get us back to the main area, so we were looking forward to that.  Well, we took the self-guided tour of the massive ship and then I dragged myself to the ferry only to find out that cash was required.  Neither one of us had any cash, so I, while crying on the inside, said "Well alright then, let's get to walking."  Thankfully, my friend knew I was going to probably keel over any minute, so she left me sitting on a bench while she went in search of an ATM.  You have no idea how appreciative and humbling that few minutes was for me.  Normally my husband has to help me out in times like these, but this was the first time a friend saw how bad I can get. 

The harbour where the USS Constitution was stationed

 

Anyway, we made it back to the main area via ferry.  That gave me a few minutes to pop some more Aleve and rest.  We then roamed around the park and had a chance to take some beautiful pictures.  I was so glad that some of the colors remained on the trees.  The sun was beginning to go down and the cooler air was coming back in and it was just perfect.  

Then we had our dinner at Cheers.  We had been looking forward to doing that again since last year.  And it was good.  We knew our last bus getting back to Nashua left the station at 10:30pm, so we had lots of time to kill.  I was feeling a little better by this point so we just walked the streets enjoying the people, the busy life, and looking for the famous Mike's Pastry.  And boy, did we find it.  We each got a dessert, sat for a long time enjoying the nightlife, and just talking.  Besides, we had plenty of time to kill (or so we thought).  Around 8:30, we leisurely strolled toward the bus station.  We arrived about 9:30 and was just about knocked over by a woman running by us.  I commented, "hey, wonder if she knows something we don't?" 

We get to the bus terminal, only to find out the sign says last bus back to Nashua was at 9:30.  My watch declared it was 9:35....we could probably still smell the bus fumes if we were standing outside.  Apparently, the only thing I was in charge of which was reading the bus schedule, I read incorrectly.  Ugh.  I bet that the girl that ran past us made the bus.  So, figuring they had an alternative plan for us, Cami and I approached the ticket counter for the bus line.  The gentleman very plainly stated that we could either stay in Boston overnight or take a later bus to another city.  This man just had no sympathy for our predicament.  Ha.  So now I had to do the only thing left to do, call Beau.  The moment I called, he said, "What did you do?"  It's almost as if he knows me.  LOL  Needless to say, he came and rescued Cami and I and we finally arrived home around 12:30am.  Maybe one day he will be able to laugh about that one. 

During her visit, we kept hearing about hurricane Sandy.  But being from Florida, we are used to hurricanes and didn't consider this too seriously.  We just kept going about our business.  You know, pumpkin pancakes or omelets at Parker's Maple Barn, or the huge Yankee Candle store in Mass.  But by Saturday night, we learned that most of the flights leaving Monday were canceled.  Cami spent hours Saturday night and early Sunday morning waiting on hold to talk to the airline and change her ticket.  After over 3 hours, we decided that we needed to drive to the airport and get this handled in person.  She got the absolute last seat available leaving Manchester and eventually arriving home.  God thing?  She was of course welcome to stay with us as I would have enjoyed more time with her.  However, hanging out in a house with possibly no electricity and no running water would not have been a good ending to her vacation. 

Beau took Cami to her early flight Monday morning.  As it turns out, her flight was the ONLY one not canceled.  She was literally the last seat on the only flight getting her back to Jacksonville.  God totally took care of her.  After all, she has a family too to take care of and I am sure Russell was ready for her to be home. 

So, although I was completely worn out in Boston, we missed our last bus back home, and we had to dodge the storm, we had the best time.  That what best friends do.  They find the humor and fun in any situation.  I am thankful for my friend and I can't wait until next year. 

When stranded in Boston, Cami's husband referred to us as Laverne and Shirley.  I just have one question.  Which one of us is which? 

Avengers! Assemble!

Well, that time of year has come and gone again where we get to dress up, knock on doors, and beg for candy.  I love this season as we now quickly approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, and finally a new year.  Last year, residents of New Hampshire endured an early heavy snow.  Halloween was actually postponed to a later date as we dealt with major power outages, cold weather, and snow.  It was my first snow living in New Hampshire, and other than the power being out, I was very excited......and COLD!  This year, we endured a storm of a different type.  Hurricane Sandy.  For us, we were very fortunate as we did not lose power.  However, many around us did.  And of course, there was much devastation to New York. 

This year, I was smart.  We came up with a plan for the costumes and shopped early.  I was not going to wait until the last week before Halloween and search for 3 costumes.  In the past, when it was just Zander, I always waited until the last minute.   I wish I could be like my mother-in-law and come up with creative costumes and then make them.  But other than sewing a button on, I am useless. 

I also had to shop early and be prepared because my best friend was visiting the week of Halloween and I certainly didn't want to waste our time together searching for costumes.  Her visit will be in a later blog which will hopefully be completed soon. 

Anyway, our boys have been counting down the days until Halloween.  As they are learning to read a calender, this was actually an exciting thing for them and me.  I had dinner ready and the boys hurriedly ate.  We then commenced to the "getting dressed" part.  They were so excited they hardly wanted to cooperate for the pictures. 

They were doing their "muscle" pose.  The Hulk was a little excited!

Our sweet Captain America. 

Ollie had a great time. 

The Happy Hulk.  Who could be scared of him?

We were happy here because the boys were in bed.  Whew.  What a night!

The boys had a wonderful time and were all well behaved.  Zander stayed behind and handed out candy.  We had a large amount of trick-or-treaters this year as we live in a neighborhood with lots of kids.  Will, of course, had to introduce himself to many of the homeowners and shook their hands.  Politician in the making?  Oliver was very good at remembering his manners.  Carter was often times distracted by the lights, witches, and ghosts that decorated many of the yards.  But all in all, we consider Halloween 2012 a success.  We definitely missed our Halloween friends in Florida as we usually met every year together.  But reading their posts on Facebook, it appears that everyone had a great time as well.  We sure do miss you guys, The Franklins, The Rices, The Fogartys, and The Mickles.  Love you and miss you. 

Now, we start dreaming of turkey, sweet potato casserole, and pie. 

White Mountain and Family

We kicked off October with a whirlwind.  My parents came to visit for a few days and we met them in Conway, NH.  We had heard that this town was a great location to experience Fall in New Hampshire at it's best.  It is also the location of the Kancamagus Highway which is a beautiful scenic route leading to White Mountain.  We spent time riding the train and seeing a little overview of the beauty, the colors, and the mountains in Conway. 


Each of the boys were excited to ride a train and take turns sitting with Nana and Poppy.  It was such a sweet reunion.  They were used to seeing my parents on a regular basis when we lived in Florida.  Now, we have to settle for every few months! 

Oliver has always had a special affection for Poppy, even when he was a baby!  I love to see these two together.  Poppy is so good with Ollie.  Every time we went out for a meal with my parents or rode the train, Ollie would call "dibs" on sitting next to Poppy.  Oliver calls poppy "Mr. Noodles" because of his moustache after a character in Sesame Street. 

 And of course we have our two silly boys sitting together.  Zander, who now hates to take a serious picture and Carter who always either looks guilty of something or overly excited about something paired up for a little while.  Carter is turning out to be quite a character.  He is funny, silly, and spirited!  And did I mention extremely energetic!!!

 

 

Yes, a golf course right in the middle.  How beautiful.

A soccer field in between the mountains.  How cool?

Thumb in mouth......nap time!

After a little time in Conway, my parents left and headed back to a town near our home.  However, Beau and I and the kids wanted to do so more exploring.  We decided to hike White Mountain.....in the rain.  We had never really gone on any hikes before with the 3 little ones, so we were not really sure how they would hold up.  But to our surprise, they all did great.  It was rainy, chilly, and FUN!!! 

The half way mark.  We're still smiling.

Me and my guy.  Still totally love this man after almost 15 years of marriage. 

After our hike, we got into some dry and warm clothes and headed home.  Needless to say, the boys slept very well that evening and so did Beau and I.  My parents stayed a few days with us.  I took them to the small town Apple Festival and then the Pumpkin Festival.  We also took the boys to pick out their pumpkins and had fun decorating them.  We went the easy route this year....fast and not messy. 

 

Excited teenager getting a picture with dad......or maybe not so excited! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed our visit with Nana and Poppy and we look forward to the next one.