The Green Monster

Fenway Park


Seriously, did you get chills?  I know I am a giant tomboy (do people still use that word or have they moved on to jockette yet?), but there is just something about going to that park and watching a game.  Now if you are a true Red Sox fan - a LOYAL fan, then you haven't jumped ship for the Birds to the south just because the Sox are sucking it up this season.  I was raised a Sox girl, I will die a Sox girl; through the good and the bad I will still root for good old Red Sox - be them Pawtucket or Boston.

Speaking of old (you like that segue?), Fenway Park celebrated 100 years this year.  Call me crazy, but that ceremony teared me up.  In the past few years I have spent more time at McCoy than Fenway.  Let's face it, I can see about 12 games at McCoy for the price of one (decent seat) at Fenway.  This year McCoy was the place to be actually, seeing most of the major league team did a rehab rotation there anyway :-D.  Forgetting all of that, Fenway just has that feeling to it.  Brian and I were lucky enough to be given Loge Box tickets for a recent Sox/Orioles game.  From the moment we got out of the car, a half a mile from the park, I had a grin splitting my face.  I am a HUGE baseball fan - you know, one of those people that will yell at the TV, listen to EVERY GAME, and spew statistics.  Fenway is the holy grail to my kind.  Even with the Sox doing so poorly this season I was jazzed to be there.  The park itself is gorgeous to me.  I have been to Camden yards (before I am asked), it is ok - but it is no Fenway.  Our seats ended up being right at first, the night was gorgeous, the Hood Blimp was present and I only had half a beer spilled on me.  If you are a baseball fan you will understand the allure.  Even if you aren't a Sox fan, you have to give it to us; our park is great.


Any one else out there a Sox fan?  I love arguing or just discussing - and this season there is a LOT to discuss!!

I leave you with some wonderful pictures of our visit...

Is it wrong that I get goose bumps when I hear the Disney version of "When You Wish Upon a Star"?

I posed this question to my Facebook friends not to long ago.  I know I am a grown woman, however there is just something about Disney.  Just the first opening notes of a Disney movie will do it to me!!  I am not talking about Eisner's later years and multitude of sequels (however funny some of them may be.)  I am talking about true Disney.  I know that mostly all of Disney's big movies are just regurgitations of fairy tales or other cultures stories (Kimba the White Lion anyone?).  Yet despite knowing the stories I still flock to a Disney movie with the enthusiasm of Augustus Gloop to the chocolate waterfall.

Disney World really is the happiest place on earth.  How could it not be?  There are rides, shows, your favorite characters, and just a total ambiance of fun and childhood.  Brian and I had made the trip to Disney (World in Florida) every year from 2000 - 2009.  The addition of Linc paused our yearly excursions until he was old enough to enjoy it at least a little.  This coming year we will be going back.  Linc will be 2 and in my mind that is plenty old enough to enjoy the sights and sounds of Disney.  Yes I know there will be those people out there that feel we are crazy to bring him so young - he won't remember it.  Well we don't plan on this being his ONLY trip to Disney, just his starter trip and I say let's bring him while he is still FREE.  With his current love of Cars, his newfound love of Mickey, and his overall enjoyment of amusement parks - I can not WAIT to see all his expressions when we go!

I have never been to Disneyland, Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, or Hong Kong Disneyland.  I have, however, been to Disney World many a time!  Though in recent years, Magic Kingdom has not been a frequent stop for us - it seems we will be changing that now that we have a little one to enjoy the "magic".  Animal Kingdom, also, was never very high on the to-do list while visiting.  Though they do have some exceptional rides (Everest) and the atmosphere is gorgeous.  MGM - oh I'm sorry - Disney's Hollywood Studios was always a favorite of mine from the very first trip we took to Disney when I was 7.  The addition of the Rock N Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, and the Stunt Show have solidified it as a must see whenever a Disney trip is to be made.  MGM (I'm sorry I will never be able to think of it as anything else) is also home to Fantasmic!!!  If you have never caught a Fantasmic show, and you are in Disney I suggest you get yourself over there for priority seating right away! Talk about goose bumps! (Of course it may be because I am a HUGE Maleficent fan and there is a HUGE Maleficent in the show but I would have to say that it is one of the best Disney shows I have ever seen - it kicks Illuminations butt!!)  My absolute favorite of the Disney World parks is Epcot!  Not only do you have all the fun of future world - where I rode my first ever Segway, but the World Showcase is the perfect way to spend a day!  Might I suggest going during the food and wine festival, that way you get to try all the wonderful different foods!!  Also, Epcot is home to Figment - and who doesn't like Figment?


OK I have rambled enough about the joys of Disney World - see I am like a little kid.  I would be great for one of those commercials where a kid is told they are going to Disney and they squeal and scream - just change the kid into a 28 year old female and you have your lead!  I should say, however, that we always make the trip on "off season" times - January!!  That way we really don't encounter too much of a crowd and the heat isn't unbearable.  ALSO we normally break up the Disney adventures with a trip to SeaWorld and WonderWorks (blog about them coming up now that I have mentioned them).

So am I the only one?  What does Disney mean to you?

Some things stay the same even as they are changing

This past weekend Brian and I took Stinks on an adventure - like we are wont to do nearly every weekend.  Ever since I got my license I found myself heading to Salisbury, MA about once a month.  For anyone that knows me you know the reasoning behind that - my Nana lived on Beach Road for as long as I could remember.  Sadly Nana passed a few years back.  To try to keep this post in a positive, non-downer light I am going to just say this now and move on:  My Nana was a wonderful, amazing woman whom I loved and miss dearly!!

I have been going to this fun area for my whole life.  On top of the fact that I have family there, there is just something about the are that keeps me coming back for more.  Brian has joined me in my jaunts to the north for quite a few years now.  I have him hooked on Beach Pizza (more on that later) and he can even find something in the Pink Store that keeps him going back.

As with everything, Salisbury Beach has changed over the years.  I am sure my older family members can tell me how it had changed a lot before I even remember.  When I was younger I remember begging my parents to let Heather and I go on the water slides, the carousel , or just blow $5 in Joe's Playland.  I remember when they started tearing down the amusements and putting up condos - or the day they took out the water slides and up went more condos.  I remember when Joe's took over the arcades on both sides.  Store fronts have come and gone.

The main constants - and reason, in my opinion, for the boardwalk to even still be there - have been Cristy's and Tripoli's.   We stopped by this weekend and the picture would have been a good representation of the crowds at the pizza places.  As always, we have to get a selection of pizza from both - it is an ongoing battle (and not just with our family) over which joint provides the best pizza.  For all of you that are curious - the breakdown currently stands at 2 for Cristy's (my mother and myself), 2 for Tripoli's (Heather and my father) and 2 that refuse to pick sides (Brian and Chris)!  Though I am thinking that at some point Chris went over to the dark side!!   Beach Pizza has been described many many different ways - delicious, interesting, "crap on a cracker"!  Though the last description seems to be mutually exclusive to that one person.  If you have never been, you are missing out.  I say get in your car this very evening and drive on out there.

The beach at the end of the boardwalk has been cleaned up in recent years.  I remember when I was little  we used to have to watch where we walked for fear of stepping on broken beer bottles and still lit cigarettes.  That does not appear to be an issue anymore.  They have built up the boardwalk area to have live bands, nice benches, and apparently they do fireworks during the summer quite frequently.  The beach itself has a nice parking area that, on off times, provides excellent views while you eat your pizza in the warm coziness of your car!

Due to the shortcomings of the boardwalk beach, when I was little we always visited the Salisbury Beach Reservation.  Nana had a car pass, and would therefore bring little Heather and Amy to the beach and watch us play in the sand.  It was always nice at the reservation, if a little crowded at times.  The beach was kept up and no one really bothered you - not to mention there was always plenty of parking (an issue during the summer at the boardwalk).  On heading up this past weekend I suggested to Brian that we check out the reservation.  I couldn't believe that he had been making these trips with me for almost ten years, yet I had never brought him there.  It had probably been 14+ years since I had been myself!!  As we pulled down the entrance feelings of nostalgia kicked in - soon to be replaced with WHAT THE HECK?!  The camping area - which I definitely do NOT remember from when I was younger, though could have been there - was HUGE!  It looks like all the boardwalks had been replaced - when I was younger it was just paths through the dunes.  There were changing stalls, showers, bathhouses etc.  There was even a PLAYGROUND - which either was not there when I was little or Nana just didn't allow us to play on it.  It was gorgeous - all of it!

Stinks loves beaches (probably steming from the fact that we have been bringing him to not only Salisbury Beach but also the beaches on the Maine coast for his entire short life)!  He loves walking on the sand and trying to get as close as we will allow to the water.  He loved the boardwalks, the sand, the dogs, everything about the reservation.  There were some ominous clouds threatening rain and we told Stinks we had to go back to the car - he was not having any of that!!  I am sure from now on we will definitely be bringing our pizza over to the reservation for eating.  I leave you with these beautiful pictures of the day!!  Oh and remember everyone needs to have Beach Pizza at least once in their lives!!!

Mystic-al Fun

So as you all know, Brian and I like to take little day jaunts here and there.  One of our favorite places to go is Mystic, CT.  We have been taking day trips to Mystic and the surrounding areas even before we moved to Foster.  I would say the allure is completely due to the Aquarium, however that doesn't appear to be the case.  We recently found a very cute children's museum in Niantic that I am sure we will be visiting often in the coming years.  Of course the Olde Mystic Village shops have always been a stop on our visits -  it is funny to see them change, yet stay the same.

We visit the Aquarium so often it almost feels like a home away from home.  Between Brian's love of penguins, my love of sea lions, and Linc's new found love of beluga whales it s a good thing we have a membership!  That membership was a long time coming.  Entrance to the Aquarium is up to $26/person!!  To me that is insane - yet Brian and I would regularly pay this astronomical amount each and every time we went!  Now I am sure some people are thinking that really isn't that bad of a price for a day's entertainment - and I would have to agree.  It is when you go 10+ times in a year that you realize you just paid over $500 to visit the Aquarium.  I cannot stress enough how great it is to have a membership!  Linc will be free until he turns three, therefore Brian and I only have a "Couples" membership right now.  The price of this membership is a mere $109 (we always get a deal of $10-20 off).  Included in your membership are certain perks that, if taken advantage of, are worth the price of membership alone.  We get invited to all sorts of "Members Benefits" and black tie galas.  They have great children's days and the entire month of February members eat free at the Penguin cafe!!  The absolute BEST part of our membership is that fact that we no longer feel the need to spend hours upon hours at the Aquarium - catching every feeding hour, show, or tour in one day.  Seeing it is a quick 40 minute ride down to Mystic from our house, we can take off in the afternoon and just stop in to see the Penguins if we want.  It makes the entire experience so much more relaxed and enjoyable!

OK so a blog about the fun aspect of Mystic turned into a sales pitch about an Aquarium Membership - sorry I can continue!!
I have been a Mystic Girl my whole life.  I cannot count the number of times I have been to Mystic Pizza - though Brian has never been.  (Have any of you been?  I used to love it, yet I fear that with age my fondness is disappearing.)  The Seaport, though also extremely expensive, is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in the late spring or early fall - summer months see WAY too many visitors for my liking!  There are a number of cute shops and restaurants that always have something new and exciting to offer you!  All in all I would say the area is a perfect place for a day trip.

If you do find yourself at the Aquarium or the Village shops might I make a few suggestions:
Grab lunch at Mangos!  It is a cute little place nestled in the shops known for it's brick oven pizza's.  They are EXCELLENT!
Stop by Franklin's and grab some fudge samples or maple candy.  They also have a great supply of wooden toys!
If you are a kitchen nut like me you will have to stop in at the Grey Goose Cookery - they are a little pricey but you can always find that one item you were looking for that no one else has.
It's Raining Cats and Dogs is the perfect place to grab all your pet related goodies.  The ladies working this store seem gruff but are actually sweethearts - get them talking about your pet and you will see what I mean!
Alrighty I have rambled on enough for one day.  I hope everyone grabs a chance to hit up Mystic and the surrounding areas sometime soon!

Hometown Girl

Vacations are new and exciting adventures (most of the time) to new and exciting places.  That being said I am a hometown girl!  Don't get me wrong I love to travel, yet leaving the country is not something that I have an itch to do.  Every time a friend or family member goes to the Caribbean or Mexico I reassess my thoughts of staying on US soil.  One of the best experiences of my life was our trip to Hawaii.  The sights were amazing and I cannot wait to go back - wouldn't that amount of contentment be perfect to have for less then 12 hours on a plane?  However I can't determine if the peacefulness that was felt on the islands could be duplicated out of country.  In Hawaii I was comfortable, I was safe. 

All the stories I have been told about not being able to leave a resort are not something I want to experience.  I enjoy knowing that I will not be denied medical care in an emergency.  I like that I am recognized as a one of the group.  I also enjoy exploring my surroundings.  Not to mention the fact that I would not want to bring Linc to a place where I did not feel completely sure.  Maybe I am crazy and need to get over my "Country Pride".  Heck the first step would be to get an updated passport!!  

If I did conquer the fears and anxieties (or simply not want to spend the extra money) where should we go?  Any suggestions?