Carolina in my mind.

I've always loved James Taylor. Two of my favorites of his songs are "Sweet Baby James" and "Carolina in my Mind." It seems fitting that one is partially about Massachusetts and the other is about North Carolina. Interestingly, James Taylor was born at Massachusetts General Hospital (right here in Boston) and moved to North Carolina when he was very young. That will be Claire's story, too (except that she was born at St. Elizabeth's, not Mass Gen.). 

I haven't written about the 8(ish) month season of life we've recently wrapped up in Brad's Ph.D. application process. I haven't written about it because it's been grueling and frustrating and full of disappointments. Generally speaking, those aren't the experiences you really want to write about. Brad applied to seven programs back in the fall, and we've spent the past 5 months waiting. And waiting and waiting. We kept receiving rejections or being waitlisted, which was so disheartening. I had been praying all along that it would be so incredibly clear to us what our plan for next year should be; that there wouldn't really even be a choice to consider...that is would just be obvious.

Well, it wasn't. And wasn't...and after waiting some more, still wasn't. A huge blow came when we heard through the grapevine that Boston College probably wouldn't be accepting any Ph.D. applicants in Brad's field for next year. The next day, we found out that was accurate. 

It shocked me just how devastated I felt at that news. I have come to love Boston wholeheartedly, and I was crushed that BC wouldn't even be an option. We have become very involved in our church, have fantastic friends, and have built a life here that is just so good. I have come to love the city, to appreciate the culture, and to think of Boston as my home. The first 8 months that we lived here were not my best; I was miserably pregnant, had a difficult delivery and recovery, and took quite a while to bounce back. Around April of 2013, though, my life took an incredible turn for the better and has only become more and more lovely. I was unbelievably grief-stricken to learn that Brad would not be staying at BC.

As time pressed forward and we still did not have an answer about what we should do next year, we began discussing contingency plans. We decided that if Brad did not get an offer that was viable (i.e. would pay for his schooling), we would stay in Boston for another year and reapply next fall. This wasn't optimal, obviously, but we thought it would be a good plan. Brad would get a job (or perhaps keep his current one) and take a class each semester to keep his mind sharp. As more time passed and we didn't see any progress, we became very comfortable with this plan. I even became excited about it, because I just did not want to leave Boston.

One of the waitlists that Brad ended up on was for the Ph.D. at Duke University. He said from the very beginning that this program would be- perhaps- his top choice but that he thought it was the longest of long shots. He was pretty pumped when he found out he was on the waitlist, and for the next several months, he stayed in pretty good contact with the professor at Duke, keeping tabs on his standing. 

Slowly, he inched his way up the list, as other students turned Duke down for other offers. However, we were quickly approaching the April 15th deadline for decisions and were running out of time. We were fairly confident that we would be staying in Boston next year. 

Then, one week before the deadline, Brad got the call, offering him a spot in next year's class. We were stunned. And excited! What an incredible opportunity- to study at DUKE! I was so incredibly proud of him. He will be studying with one of his favorite scholars, and the Lord has provided for us so well. My prayers were answered- there is no question about where we should be next year (and, I was pretty pleased that Brad got to tell a few of the waitlist schools that he had accepted an offer to Duke...I like to think that they were kicking themselves for not begging this stellar fella to join their ranks! Brad would never say that, but I'm the wife, so it's my JOB.).

So, it definitely hit us like a ton of bricks. In a good way. But also in a sad way. I'm so incredibly proud of and thrilled for Brad, but I'm sad to leave Boston. I hate to leave the place where Claire was born, our friends, our church, the fact that we live in one of the coolest cities in America. It's hard knowing that I won't hear the T ringing its bell every ten minutes or that I can't just hop on the train and get to Regina's pizzeria or go visit some of our country's oldest historical sites. I'll miss baseball season in Boston and Marathon Mondays. I'm sad that Claire won't grow up knowing the city that she was born in and that was so formative in shaping our family of three.

While my head knows things like, "at least you know you'll be in Durham for the next 5 years" (rather than moving in two...like I've done every two years since graduating college) and "you'll be back in the South" and "you can live in a house, rather than an apartment," my heart isn't there yet. I'm going to miss Boston so incredibly much and am rather dreading having to start building my life again at the very beginning. So, I'm very torn. I could not be more happy for Brad if I tried. But, I find myself crying a little on a daily basis, when I think about tearing a little Boston-shaped piece out of my heart.

I am looking forward to another adventure and have started researching our soon-to-be city. I think it has a lot of potential.

Thank you to everyone who has congratulated us and sent us best wishes. We are so thankful for all of our supportive friends and family. Go, Blue Devils!

Brad the Blogger

That title may be ever-so-slightly an exaggeration, but Brad did write today's Lenten blog post for our church's blog. It's short and pithy; you should check it out! Here's the link. It's almost Easter, friends! 

I'll be back soon with a big life update for everyone. (We're not expecting a baby.)

Perhaps Providence has an inferiority complex...?

A few weeks ago (while Mom and Amiee were in town), they kept Claire for a night, and Brad and I set off to explore Providence, Rhode Island. It's still so strange to me that these places (like Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island) that have always seemed so far away to me are really so very close. It took us a little less than an hour to get to Providence. In fact, the T commuter rail runs right into Providence, because there's a heavy commuter population from Providence into Boston. 

Crazy.

Anyway, we headed down on a Friday afternoon and stayed until about lunch time on Saturday. As you can imagine, we didn't do an extremely extensive tour of Providence, due to such a short stay, but we did wander around some. We used Air B and B again and stayed at a very eclectic Victorian home that has 24(!) rooms. The proprietor was a super interesting fella with lots of life experiences and stories. Check out the bathroom that was ours to use:

Friday evening, we hunted down a Mexican restaurant in SHADY part of Providence. It had awesome TripAdvisor ratings, so we braved the shadiness and were rewarded for our bravery. It was excellent. You could tell it was popular because it was nearly impossible to get a seat. There's not a ton of Mexican cuisine up in these parts, so were thoroughly enjoyed it.

After dinner, we drove into downtown to take pictures of the capitol building. It was beautiful and FREEZING. Guess who left her hat and scarf in Boston? (the answer is "Erin," by the way). We scurried rather than strolled and then made our way to the nearby mall. Yes, mall. An incredible and beautiful mall. We window shopped a bit and then decided to get a hot fudge sundae in the food court (because that makes total sense when it's below freezing outside). 

We both read books before bedtime and promptly fell asleep...and didn't wake up to someone wanting her breakfast RIGHT NOW. It was awesome. Although, we did miss little Bearsy.

Breakfast was gourmet (we ate too much), and we enjoyed chatting with our breakfast companion: a high school counselor from Switzerland who was visiting Brown and a few other Providence colleges that her students are interested in. She had a lot of interesting stories to tell, and we shameless kept her talking for almost an hour. Bless her.

We spent the remainder of the morning walking in downtown Providence, an area that the city seems to be desperately attempting to revitalize. If they keep on track, it'll probably be awesome in a few years. Currently, it's a little sleepy. 

On our way out of town, we drove through Brown's campus, adding it to our list of "Ivy League Schools That We've Visited." Currently, we're up to three: Harvard (obviously), Princeton, and Brown. 

I also found this on the way out of town:

Any Gilmore Girls fans? Remind you of The Good News Daily?

Quick little note about Providence: They have some of the rudest drivers we've encountered. I'd like to take a moment and remind everyone that we live in BOSTON. A place not noted for its driving politeness. For us to feel that another city is ruder is kind of significant. Our theory? Providence, as an almost bedroom community of Boston, might have an inferiority complex. Bless 'em.

Inside my head: parallel parking

I think I've mentioned this before, but growing up in the South did absolutely nothing to prepare me for parking in Boston. Like most other big cities, the majority of parking here is of the parallel variety: a skill that I was sorely lacking upon arrival. For the better part of the year (plus) that we've had our car in Boston, I've dreaded any time I needed to drive because there's just no knowing what kind of parking situation will await me at the end of my journey (and by "parking situation," I don't mean whether or not it will be parallel- it will- I just mean how tight the spaces will be/if they'll be covered over in ice/if the other parked cars will have parked well or lousily/if there will be any spaces at all). Then, there's the issue of holding up traffic while backing into the space. This isn't because I'm so bad that I hold up traffic- it's because so many of the roads are really tight/cramped/one-way that there's no way around holding up traffic. And, Bostonians are not known for their patience, y'all.

Parking is also complicated by things like only being able to park on certain sides of the street, due to street cleanings or "resident parking only" These are assigned based on which neighborhood you live in. There's not a "Boston" residents only, so ours is "Brighton/Allston." If we go into another part of town, like the North End or Fenway or Jamaica Plain, we can't park on the "residents only" sides of the street (even though we all live in Boston, "residency" is based on your neighborhood). 

Then, of course, there are tow zones, fire hydrants, driveways, commercial-only from 8:00-12:00, and fire lanes that you can't park in. It's a lousy feeling to think you've FINALLY spotted a parking spot...only to realize that it's another fire hydrant. Drat you, fire safety. (Just kidding...we're big fans of fire safety.)

Some parking signs on our street.

On the right side of the street, street cleaning is on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month...

...and on the left side of the street, it's resident parking only and street cleaning on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month.

Also, generally speaking, in Boston city limits, parking spots are not marked with lines. This means that you don't have markers for where your spot begins/ends and where the next does. It's very annoying. I had a moment a few weeks ago wherein I realized how different our parallel parking situation is from the kinds that you see down south. A gal that we know lives in Alabama and posted a shot on instagram of her parallel parking job in a downtown area where she works. Brad and I had a good long chuckle because the parking job involved clearly marked parking lines and a good two feet on either end of her car. Disclaimer: I'm not mocking her abilities, by any means. I just realized how different things are here. We're usually parking with no lines and have inches to spare on either end of the car.

I thought I'd give you a little peek into my head...the manic thoughts I have whilst parking in Boston.

Ok, Erin. Eyes open...find a spot. Wait...is this resident parking only? The right side of the street is but not the left. Must find a spot on the left...is that one? Nope. Hydrant. Ok. End of the one-way street. Gotta drive around the block and start back up this one again...drive drive drive...alright, left side of the street...there's empty space. Will my car fit in that spot? I think so...maybe...it's probably the size of a sedan, but Brad Boswell would attempt it...I'll give it a try...pull up next to car in front...cut wheel...back, back, back...shoot...I overshot it...and there's a car behind me...AGH! <pulse speeds up because of holding up traffic> pull out...correct...<nervous about car behind me and can't seem to make it happen because of said nervousness> should I have just kept on going to a different street to try to find a bigger spot? Probably...but now I MUST MAKE THIS WORK...and that was the curb I just hit...at least the other car could scooch by...inch forward...get off curb...inch back...hit curb again...inch up...inch back...don't bump bumpers...whew. In. Finally. I have two hours to park here. Check watch and set alarm.

<unloads baby and gear and walks towards destination>

<spots wide open parking spot closer to destination and bigger than the one I squeezed into>

<feels part of my soul die a little bit...>

End scene. (until the next time I move the car)

Cool as a Moose*

We live in New England, which means that we are so close to a bunch of places. All these states up here are teeny tiny small. You can get to, like, four different states in 2 hours or less. We're doing our best to visit where we can and log as many experiences as possible, so a few weeks ago, we made up our minds and headed off to Maine for a few days. 

Welcome to Maine

Claire was very excited!

We decided to head to Portland, which is less than two hours from here, and we booked a place through Air BnB. We had a great time. It was very cold (7 degrees our first morning there...um, that's COLD), and we were limited in what we could do, based on Bearsy's time frame (naps and whatnot). I did quite a bit of research before we went, scouting restaurants and things to do. We didn't get to do everything (or even close to everything), but we had a fun time, anyway.

Seven degrees...that's cold, but the cold never bothered her anyway.

The bed and breakfast we stayed at was actually a full apartment, which was awesome. We took Claire's pack-n-play, and she had her own room. There was a kitchen, living room, and (rather cold) bathroom. We could sprawl all over---nice for the toys we took and the baby we took (she likes to scoot all over the floor). Claire goes to bed at 7:00, so we're pretty much done for the day by then. Knowing this, I packed a bunch of movies for Brad and me, and we took plenty of reading material...because that's how we roll.

The first night, we got dinner to go from a tiny little place called Hot Suppa. It was really excellent. A strange trend I noticed when perusing menus on Tripadvisor was that there are a shocking number of places that have quite a bit of Cajun food. I was not expecting that. That being said, we ordered an appetizer of boudin from Hot Suppa, and it was goooooood. It was gone in about 2 minutes. We also got chicken-n-waffle, Maine baked beans, tomato bisque, and macaroni and cheese. Most of it was gone that night...we saved just a little bit for the next day (a very little bit...).

We ate so. much. food.

Friday morning, we got up and out and drove around downtown Portland. It was a beautiful day, although quite frigid. We walked up and down several streets, popping into shops here and there. The first place we stopped was a very cute little candy shop, where the gal at the counter took great pains to talk us through all the different kinds of fudge AND let us sample 3 different kinds of fudge before we made our choice. Winner.

We had a yummy lunch at a pub called Gritty McDuff's (Claire was offered her very first kid's menu and crayons), under a deer head that was wearing a hat. We wanted to walk more after lunch, but it was encroaching on nap time, so we settled for a slow-ish walk back to the car (but not too slow...we were parked at a meter, after all. Welcome to New England, folks.). We ended up staying in for the rest of the night, eating leftovers and fudge for dinner. And watching Hairspray.

Bird-man.

Longfellow. He was a Mainer.

The Port.

Brad got something called a Lobster Melt, and he was totally smitten.

The next day, we were going to wander around some more, but we ended up sleeping, which was delightful. Instead of heading back into Portland, we headed out of Portland and made a stop at Fort Williams lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, which was a cool, we-feel-like-we're-in-New-England kind of experience. I mean...a lighthouse in Maine? That's pretty quintessential. We followed that with a super yummy lunch at the Local Buzz (coffee shop). We felt like such small town New Englanders. (And, the hot chocolate is made with Ghirardelli. YUM.). 

Fort Williams lighthouse.

We traded picture-taking services with some other Bostonians who were visiting. I love Claire's peering-over-the-Ergo-carrier look.

Apparently, Longfellow used to come here to think and write!

It was a really fun, low-key trip. And now, I can casually interject into conversation that I've spent a weekend in Maine and visited an awesome lighthouse. Pretty good for a gal who grew up in the South, right?

*I bought myself a t-shirt that says "Cool as a Moose." It's a great shirt. However, it's not as cute as Claire's shirt that says, "M is for Moose...and Maine."

After a short hiatus...

...I am back in the blogosphere.

I realize that I haven't blogged in a little over a week, so that's by no means my longest hiatus. This hiatus was a break with a purpose, though, whereas many of my blogging breaks are just because I got busy or lazy or something. Or just wasn't creative enough to come up with something interesting to write about.

This break, though, was a Lenten exercise. Our church, as I've mentioned before, is Anglican and follows the Church calendar, which includes the observance of Lent. Fasting is not required, but it is encouraged as a way of preparing our hearts for Easter. Most people choose an area of life in which to fast (like food, media, caffeine, anything whose absence you would notice), but the church community also has a suggested weekly fast that we all do together. Last week was social media, which included blogs. Do you KNOW how many blogs I read?? I also abstained from writing, obviously. It was a good exercise. 

Also, like last year, different folks at church are asked to write short little reflections about each day's scripture readings. If you'd like to check them out, here's a link to our church's blog. Yesterday's was written by a good friend of ours!

So, now I should be back up and running here on the blog. Hopefully...