Brooks Visits Boston!

I got to go to Boston from November 10 through the 14th!!!! I had been looking forward to this trip for weeks and weeks! It was a great trip and a wonderful time catch up with a lot of people! Plus a welcome break from work, as I had a 9 day straight stretch!

Friday my flight left at 6:30am. Thinking because it was a small airport, I had already checked in online, and I was only bringing a carry-on, I didn't think I needed to be more than 30min early....I was WAY wrong. I almost missed my flight except for the graciousness of security letting me cut to the front of the insanely long line and then people in the line letting me also cut in front of them. I then had to RUN the length of the airport to make it before the doors closed.
I was supposed to go from the Springs to Minneapolis to Detroit to Boston, landing at 5:30pm....As I was walking to my gate for the flight to Detroit I saw a flight leaving for Boston. God was so gracious because I got on the flight (so glad I had only a carry-on) and got to Boston at 1:30pm. I spent the afternoon hanging out with my friend Cecily, getting ready for her Baby shower the next day and walking around the Charles River with her! After dinner, I headed out to see my old Bible study girlfriends. It was Michelle's birthday and we were all meeting up at Finale for dessert and drinks. It was a great night of drinks, catching up and telling stories. Those girls were with me for over 2 years and were life-savers in our wedding and my life in general.


I woke up Saturday to a gorgeous, sunny day....Where is my wet and dreary Novemeber Boston!?!? :) I dashed out to get a hair cut and pick-up a Baby gift for Cecily in the AM.....Finding doctors, stylists, dentists, etc that I like and trust has been a hard thing to replace. After getting those errands done, I raced back to help get ready for the shower. Cecily is an incredible chef and she came up with the mini sandwichs we had to make. (crab salad, pastries, mulled spice cider, cottswold cheese apple and chutney sandwiches - Yum, Yum) The baby shower started at 2 and within minutes Cecily's apartment was filled with 32 woman chatting way! Everything went so well. Cecily got beautiful gifts and tons of books (both Cecily and her husband went to Harvard!) The shower was a great time for me to catch up with girlfriends from church! I have missed my Boston life so much! Because I was in town for more than just Friday and Saturday night, I could totally relax Saturday evening after the shower and not go out seeing other friends. Cecily, Steve (her husband) and Eslie (her sister) and I sat around eating leftovers and watching a Numbers rerun.

I got my wish for real Boston weather Sunday morning.....Rainy, dreary, and slightly chilly. I loved it!!!! We all had breakfast together with everyone and then packed up everything. Mid-day I took off to meet up with another Michelle who got married this summer. She and her husband moved into Beacon Hill right near where Andy and I used to live. It made me so homesick for living there!!!! Michelle had also invited my old roommate Rachel to come over and hang out. It was great afternoon together. After Rachel left, Michelle and I took off to stop by Starbucks and then head to church. It was wonderful to be back at Park Street. I was able to see so many old friends and pastors. Everyone wanted to know where Andy was and how the Springs was....My Response "He is stuck at home and the Springs is NOT Christian Land and there are 7 WAL-MARTS and it is brown and flat" (can you tell I am not the biggest fan of the Springs, even as I feel settled in) After church I met up with my accountablity partner, Christina to hang out and spend the night at her place. Several girls from Park Street had started this thing called Boston Bar Tour and every week they pick a new bar to try out with friends. My old roommates Tyler, Sheryl, Sam and Rick with Christina and me went to the bar Solas on Boyleston Street. Living in the "Purple Palace" with these and other roommates was a very special time in my life! These roommates in particular made a huge impact on my life. To read a funny story from the night go to :http://www.andebos.blogspot.com/

After catching up Christina and I heahed back to Harvard Sq to pick up my bag at Cecily's and then go to Christina's place. Another slumber party!!! Christina was so generous and in the morning let me use her car to visit my old students and clients. I spent Monday and Tuesday morning visiting my former clients, catching up on their lives and hanging out my old school. I shocked my former students by just showing up. I had a great time with them and having lunch together. I realized how much teaching there had an impact on my life!

Monday night I got to stay with my Aunt and little cousins. Beth and I stayed up late talking and having another slumber party (I bed-hopped my way through Boston :) Then in the morning I had snuggle time with the kids, we ate breakfast together and I got to see some of their school projects. I lived with my Aunt and cousins for a year when I first moved to Boston, so visiting them feels like going back home. They also live next door to the church that Andy and I got married in.

Tuesday, I had snuggle time with the munchkins and then a quick breakfast and I was out the door to have coffee with my adopted "Moms". LuAnn, Leslie and Ann were clients for almost 4 years, 3 times a week. They were there for me through everything and are incredible Mom's to their own kids. LuAnn's daughter Jill also came to coffee with her new son, Brendan. I had trained her through most of her pregancy and she looked awesome! It was a great time of catching up and chatting about all the usual things :) I miss these ladies SO much! After a long coffee with them, I met up with Christina again to give her back her car and have lunch with her at our old place...Dado Tea. When I lived in Boston we used to have lunch together once a week there.