Visiting the East Coast

Since the first time I met her, Daniel's mother has been begging us to come see her in Boston in October to see the leaves change. For this desert-dwelling, sun-loving girl, it was a little tough to be excited about 40 degree (and lower) temperatures. BUT, the changing colors did beckon us... They had come out last year to meet Piper after she was born, so it was now our turn to visit. Don't get me wrong, we LOVE Boston (and Hopkinton, where they actually live), so we were so excited to go back.

The first day we were there (read about our plane traveling here), we went to the Wachusett Apple Fest to enjoy food, music, craft booths, games, shows, and a ride on the ski lift (AMAZING VIEWS!).

 

 

The view on the way down... WOW.

It was COLD on that ride, and I discovered just how severe my fear of heights is. Poor Pip wanted me to hold her, but I was so afraid to let go of the bar. I loved the views, but I was happy when it was over with and my feet were back on the ground! We ended the day watching a wood chopping competition by the small lake. So relaxing and entertaining (and did I mention COLD?).

Pip's favorite place to nap.

The next morning we got up, had some breakfast, and joined Daniel's mom on her walk with the dog. We couldn't get over how awesome it was to walk across the neighborhood and enter THE WOODS to take a walk! No concrete, palm trees, houses (they were nearby but unseen), or strollers. How cool to take a walk in the woods!

This should protect her for the 40 degree weather...

Pip got a little tired on the hike- yes, she is asleep!

Playing outside with the dog while the ladies make lunch!

After lunch, we stopped by Pip's adopted grandmother's daycare! It was fun to meet the kids, see Piper's Wall of Fame, and meet the ladies we hear about. Pip also enjoyed playing in the cubbies.

And then a quick stop for ice cream on the way home before dinner... Grammy has the best ideas!

And we ended the night with dinner and some reading and tv! What a great and relaxing day.

Oh, and some time outside by the fire after the baby went to bed. We also released a lantern into the night sky! Scary around all the trees, but pretty fun and beautiful to watch! Since seeing the movie Tangled, I always wanted to release a lantern!

The next day we had banana pancakes for breakfast and headed out to Honey Pot Hill Orchard (what a cute name, right? I can't get over it) for some apple picking and farm fun!

The cutest apple picker!

There are 60+ apples in there... WAY too many!

Then we fed some animals...

 And picked out a pumpkin...

So many pumpkins for such a little person!

The perfect pumpkin...

 

And of course got some Apple Cider donuts that I had been waiting to try for days... they were worth the wait! 

On our way home, we stopped by the park and Grist Mill to play and take a few pictures. Both of these places are so special to us because we took our engagement pictures here just over 5 years ago!

When we got home, we had to figure out how to use up those apples! So we made an apple pie and an apple crumble.... and got the apple count down to 50. Oh boy.

The next day we got up a little earlier to spend the day at Patriot Place- shopping, eating, and exploring Gillette Stadium and the Patriot's Hall of Fame! We started at Bass Pro Shop where Pip learned how to push a cart...

 And then we headed over to the Hall of Fame...

Daniel's got a lot to live up to!

And this is my new coat. I think it's s cute. And it was so warm!

And here is one of the biggest highlights of the trip... Daniel is a diehard Boston Red Sox fan (and I am now right behind him), and on Sunday night they made it to the World Series.... and we scored tickets to the FIRST World Series Game! We left the baby at home with the grandparents and headed into the city for the game!

Right where we parked!

"Fear the Beard"

Yawkey Way

A view from our seats!

It was a little cold...Started at 50 degrees and went down from there!

RED SOX WIN! 8-1! 

This is Bucket List stuff... my first visit to Fenway Park, and a World Series game all in one... what a great night! And don't worry, we rounded it out with Fenway Franks, hot chocolate, and new Red Sox shirts! And Pip was at home cheering them on too, with her new best friend Wally the Green Monster...

On Thursday morning, it was time to leave Grammy and head over to New Jersey to visit my Pappy. My grandma passed away almost 2 years ago, and he can get lonely. We were so close that we couldn't NOT see him.

Bye Grammy!

Massachussetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia... What a good traveler!

The house my Pappy has lived in for over 50 years!

I think my Pappy is trying to tell us something...

The one day that we had with Pappy, we decided to drive to Lancaster and spend it Amish town- another check off my Bucket List! If you know me, you know I have a fascination with the Amish. We took a buggy ride, did some exploring, and drove around Amish Country- specifically the towns of Bird-In-Hand and Intercourse. It was so beautiful!

 My little Amish family! Lovin' my hubby's beard!

Yes, this is a real town...

After the long ride home and a quick nap in the car, we visited my grandmother's gravesite- I hadn't been there since her burial and I hadn't seen the headstone that my Pappy had chosen. It was a somber moment, filled with the sadness of missing my Oma and the joy of watching my daughter crawl around in the grass- I so wish Oma could have met Piper. I know she would adore her.

This moment made me feel so proud...

 We went to dinner at my Pappy's favorite little diner "The Trolley Shop" and then went home and visited with my cousins- and I forgot to take pictures! We talked about how much Pip looks like my sister Hahna, and how our Pappy seems to have 9 lives. After much discussion about his near-death experiences (Including almost drowning, car accidents, electrocution, broken legs, broken neck, etc.) we all decided that he has used about 7 of his 9 lives. And he's 80, so he's still got some time! The man is indestructible.

Hahna and Piper!

And before we knew it, it was time to load up the car and head to Philadelphia to catch our plane home. It was too short of a visit. I am so thankful for the good relationships we have with our family and the ability that we have to travel, explore, and visit with them. I thank God for the happy girl we had most of the trip and for pretty easy traveling. Thanks for hanging in there with me and the gazillion pictures I posted! And just for that, I will reward you with one more to show you a bit of my widower Pappy's humor.... this post-it is stuck about the toilet in his bathroom....

He may enjoy living alone more than I thought! And that's the trip. Hope you had fun!