The BIG 30!!!

So, this is long overdue, but Bryan's birthday was on the 10th of September. I threw him a big surprise party with a bunch of friends. There were approximately 40 adults and 20 children. I had a luau theme for him. I have so many wonderful friends who helped me pull this off. Deanna Hilton had the wonderful idea of making candy lei's for all the guests! Very cute and a lot of work!! She also helped with the decorating and then, to our surprise, she made Bryan and I the real flower leis. Natalie Buchkovich watched my kids all morning for me and, with Nick's help, made Bryan a really nice DVD reflecting the last 30 years of Bryan life! What a great keepsake! And I have re-named Bonnie Seelinger "Chip-chop"! This girl chops food so fast I am surprised she still has fingers left. Of course she is professionally trained to do so.......(Chip-chop, you should definitely start a catering business.) And Chip-chop could not have done it without Sierra Parke letting us invade her kitchen on 10 minutes notice for 3 hours or more! And not only that, she watched Mason and let him throw rice and goldfish crackers all over her house! Another special thanks to Mallena Ricks, who helped me plant last minute details, Alyson Peterson for taking pictures, and Ryan Anderson for letting us use his laptop at 2 seconds notice!! We are very blessed to have such great friends. And then a big thanks to everyone that came to support Bryan on his big day! Everyone I invited came, minus one husband and the Kuehne's, who if there name wasn't so hard to spell, would have been there too! A big Oops on my part and one I wish to forget! Any way, it was such an ordeal how it was all pulled off! Everyone tells me I should write it down for memories sake, but another time, it will take too long! All in all, it was fun to plan and fun to throw, but most importantly, Bryan had a fun time! He didn't realize how loved he was! But he should have! Because he is loveable!

Natalie, Chip-chop, and Me

Kevin, Bryan, Mason, Me, and Alyssa bug!

Grisel, Consuelo, Deanna, and Me

Yamani! Enjoying something sweet, as usual! Yummy!

The Freedom Trail

Here are some pictures of our self-guided tour through Boston. We took the famous Freedom Trail. A little red trail though out the city that guides all the tourists. This first picture is of the state house. It is so majestic! I really enjoy design and architecture so this was a highlight for me! I am not 100% sure, but I think the small statue to the left is of a woman named Ann Marbury Hutchinson. This woman is famous to Boston. She came to Boston in 1634 from England with her husband and 9 children. Later, she formed a group of women to discuss religion at a Sunday meeting gathering. Years later, she was tried, persecuted, and driven out of the state of Massachusetts. Her husband eventually passed. Following their exile, Indians came upon their home. She and eight of her children were massacred. Her sole surviving ten year old, Susannah, is whom I am a descendant of. Ann Marbury Hutchinson is considered a hero for her courage to have an opinion and is a great example for women everywhere. I was so excited to learn of her and read about her. Ironically, I did not know about her until I returned home from Boston.

We went to a cemetery where John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Samuel Adams were all laid to rest. Among them, several others. It was real peaceful to be there and think of all those there and how they impacted our freedoms, allowing us to have what we have today. This first is obviously John Hancock, the second is Paul Revere and the third is Samuel Adams.

The End of the Freedom Trail

The picture below is of Paul Revere's home. You can see that it is slanted a bit. I loved the windows of the house and the stone laid streets. This made a bumpy ride for Mason in his stroller.

This is a memorial for all the soldiers who have lost their lives in the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars. For each soldier, hangs a dog tag.

Bryan and I are waiting for the ferry. A beautiful view of Boston! When we looked out we could see most of the buildings we had just walked around. We also walked away from the city, into the residential areas and over to this particular lookout.

Boston Gardens

Labor Day Weekend Bryan and I and crew drove to Boston for our very first visit. We went with good friends, Lindsay and Dan True, Jon and Alyson Peterson, and Nick and Natalie Buchkovich. Boston was exceptional. I LOVE Boston. One of our first stops was Boston Gardens. A few highlights were this bridge we are on overlooking the gardens, then Mason enjoyed his time sitting on these little bronze ducks lined up in a row. We temporarily called him Sitting Duck. But I like Mason better. As everyone was walking away, Mason insisted that he follow the squirrel. As he was pointing, he was trying to explain why we needed to follow that squirrel. He was indeed convincing. He loves animals and tells us a story, or at least tries to anyway, every time he sees something furry and moving.

The Mayflower at Plymouth

To conclude our very fun and relaxing weekend, we went to Plymouth to see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower. In all my life I pictured the rock to be this huge platform that the ship docked at. I never realized that it was just a rock that could easily compliment a flower garden. I was a little disappointed. Oh well, the scenery was beautiful regardless. It was really great to see the Mayflower.