Cherry Blossoms & Signs of Spring

Cherry Blossom Festival

  This week Justin and I went to Washington D.C. in hopes of seeing signs of Spring in their famous Cherry Blossom Festival.  The blossoms were a gift from the Japanese and line the entire tidal basin.  I had been so looking forward to this (especially after our trip to Niagara Falls was unexpectedly cancelled) and could picture in my mind how gorgeous they would look reflecting on the water.  When we got there it was a little disappointing to see that because of the unusually cold winter only a few of the trees actually blossomed.  Gorgeous they were, but the dramatic effect of seeing them surrounding the entire tidal basin was absent. 

  The rest of our time there was anything but disappointing.  I LOVED D.C.!  I had been once before on a school field trip but never appreciated all the history and beauty it has to offer.  We made all the usual stops a tourist does including Arlington cemetery, the monuments, museums, and Georgetown Cupcakes.  We did not have one bad meal while we were there and got a few signs of spring after all.

 

 

We won't have a hard time finding signs of Spring for much longer because we leave for Florida on Saturday!  Both of us are looking forward to coming home, we miss you all dearly.

Keep you posted,

<3 L

Sandy Hook Run for the Families

Hartford, CT

  Saturday morning Justin and I got up bright and early to be at the Sandy Hook 5K in Hartford.  The race did not start until 10:30 that morning but we got there at 7 to get ahead of the line for bib pick up.  They had to change the location of the event three times in order to accommodate the large amount of people that wanted to participate.  They closed downtown Hartford for the race and had to close registration after 15,000 people signed up, with 100% of the profits going to the families.  It was incredible to be apart of and very emotional.  The Sandy Hook children's choir was there singing songs for their friends that passed.  I just kept thinking how incredible the turn out must have made the families of Sandy Hook feel to know the community around them is there for support.  Not only were people from Connecticut there but people came from states all over as well.  It was freezing outside and snowing throughout the entire race and to see people still sharing words of encouragement was amazing.  I was so proud to be apart of this day!

  

We also went to Boston this weekend to visit with my bestie Cara who goes to law school there. I love Boston but definitely prefer to visit when it is warmer outside.  The weekend was spent with good conversation and great food!

 

Keep you posted,

<3 L

Fantasyland

  After an extremely long trip to get back to CT, due to bad weather in Atlanta, I can share with you some pictures from my trip to Florida.

   I finally made it to see Disney's new Fantasyland during a girls trip for my aunt Annie's birthday!  We had the best time and as expected they did a fantastic job with the area.  This added part of Magic Kingdom is not done yet but I have been waiting so long to see what they have created so far.  We got extremely lucky to eat at the new Be Our Guest restaurant in Belle's castle.  They have three different rooms to eat in and one snows!  The food is of course french since so is Belle and was delicious.  My favorite part was the dessert.  Yum!

  During this girls trip we also saw Les Miserables and did a 5K to benefit ovarian cancer.  I have so missed the Florida weather and beaches terribly and loved spending some time enjoying it with my family!  Now when can I go back?

Keep you posted,

<3 L  

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Springfield, MA

  Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite authors of all time and I normally dedicate at least a week in my classroom to celebrating his birthday.  Since I am not teaching this year, Justin and I spent his birthday in his hometown of Springfield, MA.  His step-daughter created a memorial park with sculptures of some of his work and lucky for us it was close by.  Happy birthday Dr. Seuss!

 

 

"Today you are You, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive that is Youer than You."
Dr. Seuss

Keep you posted,

<3 L

Valentine's Day in Essex

  If you asked me what the best small town in America was, I would say Alpena, MI. This is because of the memories I have there, though, not because of its charm. Essex, CT was named the best small town in America for various reasons but charm is at the top of the list. This town was established in the 1600's and while today it is a sleepy seaport town, it has a history filled past. Essex is one of the few towns in America that has been attacked by another country. During the war of 1812 the British took over to famous Griswold Inn. The "Gris" restaurant is what brought us to the town and is the oldest running tavern in America. In its history it has only been owned by six different families. Crazy!! Before stopping to eat lunch there we strolled the charming main street spending our time browsing in and out of their unique shops. You could easily see the towns love for water by the nautical decor on the houses and in the shops.

                    

 Keep you posted,

Extra <3 L

Winter Storm Nemo

Nemo.. what a terrible name for a blizzard!  Well Justin and I survived it regardless.  Almost 24 hours of straight snowfall later we are officially snowed in.  Our car has about 10 feet of snow surrounding it as well as everyone else who lives here.  Despite our neighbors' best efforts of digging their cars out with shovels, dust pans, and anything else they could find we are all still here.  The kids here are making great progress on making an igloo!  The snow plow was supposed to have it cleared by noon but no one expected CT to get as much snow as we did.  The snow passed Charlie hours ago and is now up to Justin's waist.  That is saying a lot for a 6'4'' man.  With over 600,000 people without power we are very lucky to still have ours.  Several games of Monopoly, cups of coffee and tea later we have the memories of "The Blizzard of 2013".  We now know exactly what it is like living inside a snow globe.   

 

Keep you posted,

<3 L

Chowdown Countdown # 1 & 73

Louis' Lunch

  I have mentioned before that one of my favorite things about traveling is trying new places to eat.  Whenever we are in a new location we check the Chowdown Countdown to see if there is a place nearby.  We got lucky in Connecticut to have two.  One of them is Louis' Lunch and happens to be the number one place to eat in America! (according to the Food Network).  Justin, my mom, and I traveled to New Haven today to try it out.  Louis' Lunch has been around since 1895 and was the first place to make a hamburger in America, which got it placed in the Library of Congress.  Today they still use the same grills that made the first one years ago.  Besides the original grills the restaurant itself looks like it hasn't changed much over the years.  It is very small with only two tables and bar area.  History is not only present in the setting but with the workers and customers as well.  It seems those guys knew just about everyone who walked through the door.  Having this prestigious title brings a lot of high expectations.  They are so certain their burger is good that they don't allow ketchup.  Yep... no ketchup.  I was convinced that no matter how good the burger was that I would still want ketchup and that was true.  My mom and Justin however didn't miss it.  We all agree that Louis' Lunch delivers on taste and experience!

 

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

  Number 73 on the countdown is Frank Pepe's.  It has been around since 1925 and rivals with another local pizzeria called Sally's.  Pepe's is also located in New Haven and was the first place we went after picking my mom up from the airport a few weeks ago.  The history of this restaurant is interesting.  Frank started this pizzeria after moving to America from Naples.  He never learned to speak English and owes much of his businesses success to his wife who learned to speak and write in English when they moved to America.  We all thought this bread oven cooked pizza was delish!



Tomorrow my mom leaves : (  I have so enjoyed spending time with her while she was here.

Keep you posted,

<3 L