Can't Wait until Aug 6th!

YAY! Kim is here--know that we are having lots of fun and we will be sure and take lots of pictures to post later on :-)

YAY!! It is finished!

I just ordered my Boston book! click here to check it out . Unfortunately they only let you show the first 15 pages--because those aren't even the best pictures! The only way around that I can think of is to take pictures of some of the other pages once I get it in the mail (7-10 business days). I will keep you posted!

I just kept the same original subtitle--I know I am retarded-thanks for all of your suggestions, I just started making myself crazy trying to find something i liked better-and then it was making me crazy that all I had to do was type in a subtitle and I could order it--so I gave up and clicked 'order'--and I have no regrets!

I can't believe how much free time I am going to be able to have now!

Thank you!

--To all of my Boston friends who helped me out by sending me pictures! And everyone who shared your advice and suggestions! And to my mom for helping me with the cover pages! And to All of my Arizona friends-for acting excited when I would show it to you...over and over again (and saying that I was close to finishing every time) lol! And thanks Sam--for buying it for my for a Birthday/Mother's day present--it is the best present EVER!! ;-)

Campout

Yesterday we went camping with Sam's brother, his wife, and their little one year old. I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures but here were the highlights:

• Finding a campsite!!! After driving through many sites that were full we finally found one with an open space to set up our tent. Extra bonus--it was FREE! (so what if it was because there was no pavement & no fire pit (which meant no fires for us), no bathroom, no outhouse, and no picnic table. We were just glad that our 2 hours of driving wasn't in vain.
• Convincing Rachel that peeing in the woods is FUN! Although we all chipped in on describing just how fun it is to pee in the woods...this one goes all to Sam. After many attempts I was getting no cooperation from Rachel and was ready to drive her to a nearby campsite that we had seen actually had bathrooms. Sam would not have it. Not sure how he did it-but not only did she finally go --but she came back telling us just how cool she thought it was.
• Finding a picnic table. After much persuasion the guys finally let us go check out the area by a nearby lake in the hopes that there might be picnic tables available. JACKPOT! Great idea Heidi :-) We probably could have managed with out it, but having somewhere to set everything while we Barbequed sure was nice...not to mention the additional perks of a little bit of concrete when camping with a one year old.
• Finding an out house. Despite the enthusiasm Heidi and I displayed for Rachel about peeing outside, we could not actually bring ourselves to do it.
• Seeing the guys put out a fire they started in the trashcan--way to go eagle scouts! :-)
• In their defence I will also mention that they made us some delicious dinner, which included some cans of beans that were opened without the can opener none of us even thought to bring.
• Skipping rocks on the lake...and watching Rachel trip and go head first into the lake. She didn't fall all the way in, we were on the "beach" of the lake so just the front of her shirt got wet. This was obviously not a highlight for her--but we helped her to laugh about it a little.
• Waking up to the rising sun, eating an awesome breakfast...and then realizing that it was only 6:30 am.

Next time we will be sure to bring: soap, can opener, a flashlight, some sort of mattress to sleep on (our air mattress had a hole in it and so we brought just a blanket to put underneath us-pretty uncomfortable let me tell ya), more changes of clothes for the kids, more warm clothing..like an actual jacket (when it is 100 degrees when you are packing it is hard to bring a jacket and a beanie--but both would have been helpful). Did I forget anything Heidi?

PS we had a blast -thanks for coming with us...and bringing all the food...and the tent...and the only flashlight. :-) It's a bummer that neither one of us brought a camera..but at least we were all there together so we can share memories from this campout .

Thanks Friends!

For all of you that were asking--I am using blurb.com. It isn't so much of a scrapbook as it is a personalized coffee table book. Once I upload it to their site I will be able to make the first 15 pages viewable online--so I will give you the link when I do--and then I will find a way to show off the rest of the pages (probably not all of them...because it is 195 pages long!) It has taken me a year to finish it--no exaggeration--I started May 21st last year---which is why now that it is so close--I AM SO EXCITED!!!! My goal is to have it by the time Kim comes to visit --WHICH IS IN TWO WEEKS!!! YAY!!!

Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions! Here's a sneak peak of the 4th draft of the back cover--(the picture of Rach is cute-...but it may get replaced with one of me in front of the Barking Crab :-) --or maybe i will need to make room for 4 pictures.

and here is my latest idea for the subtitle--

BOSTON

Our Unforgettable Memories of the East Coast

or

BOSTON

Four Unforgettable Years on the East Coast

I love the word unforgettable--but I almost think it sounds wierd in the title (not sure if I want you to tell me it doesn't--or help me pick a new word) I looked it up in the Thesauraus and none of the alternates (Cherished, treasured etc) seem right. Here is the preface that I wrote for the book, and it will explain why I chose the word "unforgettable" --it is touching, I won't lie--I still get teary when I read it. :-)

For the past four years Boston has been the city we call Home, (even though technically we lived just south of there in Quincy.) We moved there in August of 2003 when Rachel was just three months old for Sam to attend dental school at Boston University. After growing up in the Arizona heat we were ready for a change and we were excited to live somewhere different for a few years. Boston was definitely different. We moved from one coast to the other, and from one climate extreme to another. Just after moving to Quincy, I got lost while trying to take a different way home from Walmart--and as I found myself driving alongside the ocean, I felt like I was at the end of the earth. Our first winter there was one of the coldest winters on record. After waiting at bus stops in below zero tempuratures Sam began spending any free time looking at schools in sunny paces he could transfer to. That first year was just a blur, but it got better after that. We were able to experience the seasons, by that we mean the gorgeous blossoms in the Spring and the leaves in the Fall. We saw all the historic sites that Boston is known for. We were able to enjoy beautiful views of the ocean...even if it did freeze over. We spent three 4th of July's watching fireworks over the Charles River, which has set an almost unreachable benchmark for all future fireworks. How do can you compete with the Boston Pops and the reflection of fireworks in the Boston Skyline? If I had to pick one word to describe the last four years; all the studying, all the cold/snowy/rainy days, all the traveling, all the sites, all the friends, it would be 'unforgettable.'

HELP!!!

My blog book is almost finished!!! YAHOOO!! My mom has been helping me with the front and back covers (tell us how cute it looks!) but we are stuck on a subtitle. "Adventures on the east coast" isn't quite right--does any one have any good ideas? FYI--the book is full of pictures of scenery, sites and all of our favorite pictures from our 4 years in Boston.