We headed to Abby and Kaleb's place in Milwaukee to stay the night June 10th before flying out the following morning (at 3 am, yuck!). And let me tell you, I was a nervous wreck! I absolutely love travelling and flying, but adding a baby into that mix is petrifying! Even all the technical stuff - like packing for Carson and flying with a car seat and stroller - was so stressful!
Fortunately, I have the most amazing husband in the world who is fantastic to travel with. Alex is so organized and prepared when it comes to travelling, not to mention he does a great job at calming my nerves. So even when our 6 am flight was delayed an hour or so, I stayed in really good spirits.
And when we finally made it on the plane, Carson was a champ. :) On all the flights, he nursed as we took off and so the elevation change didn't bother him at all. From there, he'd either sleep or just ... be happy! It was such a relief! And honestly, it was really fun.
But, since our first flight was delayed, we ended up missing our connecting flight in Philadelphia. Carson definitely was exhausted from waiting around and all, but it still did much better than I thought he would! He also loved moving all over the airports/shuttles with Daddy in his little carrier. Cutest sight ever!
Once we made it to Boston, we ended up getting a free-upgrade rental car since they were out of the one we ordered. We ended up with a sweet Mazda 5! It was so comfortable and really nice since my parents ended up driving with us a lot. Definitely an upgrade from our nice-but-itty-bitty Chevy cobalt!
I was SO glad Alex was the one driving and that we had a GPS! Boston traffic is awful! We got to our hotel without too much hassle, and it was so nice to finally crash in a comfy room.
After relaxing and eating dinner that night, we decided to go for a swim in the hotel's indoor pool. It was so exciting because it was Carson's first time in a pool! He was such a cutie in his little swimsuit! He was a little unsure of the water at first, but he got more confident and started splashing around a bit more. It was really cute because he finally realized his voice echoed, and so he started jabbering away! He was definitely a little wary of the water, but as long as he was tightly held in my or Alex's arms, he really enjoyed the water (despite its freezing temperature!). I can't wait to take him in lakes and pools throughout the summer!
The next day (Thursday), we all caught up on some much needed sleep. I was so grateful Carson slept so well in our hotel room throughout the trip! After hanging out at the hotel for a while, we met up with Ryan. We actually spent some time at his apartment in Cambridge for a bit while he made pie crusts for his own reception. Pretty awesome, right?! I absolutely fell in love with the Cambridge atmosphere; the streets were so pretty and I loved how close together everything was. The natural disadvantage, though, was the lack of parking! It was awful!
But even with traffic and lack of parking, it was worth it. I never realize just how much I miss not living close to Ryan until I actually get to spend time with him. He's just the best. :) And...maybe partially because he took us to Toscanini's - literally the best ice cream place in the world. Like, for realsies. It was out of this world! They make their ice cream on site, have tons and tons of flavors, and they even have super unusual flavors. I ended up getting 2 flavors: Belgium chocolate, and goat cheese & candied walnuts. Sounds bizarre and awful, but it was INCREDIBLE!! Serious heaven-in-your-mouth action, for sure. Alex got burnt caramel and B^3 (a chocolately bliss of goodness). And Ryan got raspberry mint and some really rich dark chocolate one. Ahhh, I'm dying just thinking about it!
Ryan gave us the name of an Indian restaurant in Cambridge to hit up before we went back to the hotel. We got it to go since Carson was ready for bed. But it was amazing because I walked in to pick up the food and it was legit Indian food! Like, I had to pay in cash and the guys didn't really speak English. Back at the hotel, I died of heavenly goodness all over again! We had a chicken curry and then a cheesy spinach-type curry over rice... ahhh, it was phenomenal!
Alex, Carson, and I had fun just hanging out together in our hotel room that night. I love how even when we're doing nothing in particular, we have the best time. :) I 'spose Carson's cuteness must help with that! ;-) The best part was when Carson just squealed on and on in a super high voice - and just entertained himself like that for the longest time. Thank goodness for Tylenol and Ibuprofen because his two top teeth started coming in right before our trip started, and the medicine made for one happy boy!
My parents, Dillon, Audrey, and little baby Madelyn made it to the hotel late that night, and first thing Friday morning, my parents came to see us. And by "us," I really mean Carson. ;-) Haha, but really, it was the most precious thing to see how excited they were to see Carson!
My mom, Carson, and I went swimming that day, and it was just a blast! Carson was a little more reserved about the water, but we still had a great time. I didn't at all mind that he was more wary, because it just meant he clung to me and snuggled up against me all the more in the water. I never can complain of that. :)
That evening, we all had a temple endowment session scheduled. By "all," I mean all of my family and a ton of Mie's family. I was so excited because I haven't been able to go to the temple in ages - just with having a new baby and all. My parents drove with me, Alex, and Carson ... and we drove for a few hours even though the temple was supposedly only about 20 or so minutes away. Yup, we got lost. Even with a gps. Fortunately, we all stayed in pretty good spirits - even though we were all really bummed about completely missing the session. Come to find out, the address of the temple we got from the Internet wasn't right ... or it wasn't updated or something. :(
After that, we all headed over to a delicious Thai restaurant - Lemon Grass - for dinner. That's when I got to meet my new niece, Madilyn, for the first time! Ahh, I love her so much! She's too cute! It was great seeing Dillon and Audrey, too. :) It was also really cute seeing Carson and Madilyn meet for the first time!
Mie's family is amazing, and I had the best time meeting them! And I have to mention the food, of course... It was SO SO GOOD. It was just a really great night!
Saturday, June 14th was the big day! Fortunately, Alex, Carson, my parents, and I didn't get lost this time around! Ryan and Mie's sealing was so beautiful. And I was just so incredibly happy. Ryan is one of the most amazing people I know, and I'm so grateful he and Mie found each other. I'm also so glad she's my sister now!! I love her to pieces!
Even just being on the temple grounds with my sweet little boy and my amazing husband was just so special. I love my little family so much; they make me whole and happier than I've ever been. :)
For lunch, Alex, Carson, my parents, and Audrey went to Panera Bread. The food, was of course, amazing! I got a bacon turkey bravo panini and broccoli and cheese soup. Ah, delightful! We all split a cinnamon crumble scone and a pecan pastry thing. I really need to stop talking about the food, but I just can't. It was just so good! :)
After some down time at the hotel, we all headed to the civil ceremony and the reception that evening. It was outdoors at the Old Manse, nearby where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired and where a bunch of guys like Emerson and Thoreau did something with philosophy and stuff? (I'm clearly very knowledgeable of historic facts.)
It was absolutely gorgeous though! And so peaceful! The set up for the reception was soo pretty. There were even paper cranes in the tree out front. Beautiful lights everywhere. Delicious chocolate chip cookies for guests as a little party favor. Even a dance floor. It was even right by some good looking fishing!
The ceremony was beautiful. One of Mie's past bishops married them, and both the moms spoke, too. A quartet sang one of my favorite hymns, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" that was spectacular. And I believe Ryan and Mie wrote their vows, which made me cry. I'm just so happy for them! :)
The reception was awesome, too. Naturally, the food was great! And the pies Ryan made were fantastic! And there were a bunch of toasts - all of which were incredible and super entertaining! And the dance afterwards was a blast! Mie and her family definitely know how to party! Haha, even the father daughter dance was to an upbeat tune that they clearly choreographed! I somehow even managed to get Alex AND my dad to slow dance with me! And Carson did so great that night. I was really impressed with how well Carson did throughout the trip without the amount of sleep he usually gets and with all the travelling around. He really made the trip so easy! I feel so blessed having such a good baby. :)
On Father's Day, me, Alex, Carson, my parents, Dillon, Audrey, and Madilyn went to lunch at Legal Seafood. And oh my gosh, that sea food was legit! Alex got a crab cake that was amazing! And his seafood platter of calamari, etc. was really good too. I had this seafood casserole thing with crab, shrimp, and lobster and a gouda-type sauce that was genuinely one of the best things I've ever eaten.
The rest of my family flew home later that day, but we stayed until Monday evening. I'm really glad we did; it was so nice having a vacation where we had some down time to relax and sleep, instead of just having to rush around and not have time to do everything. On Monday, Alex, Carson, and I headed over to the north side of Boston - to little Italy. I fell head over heels in love! The streets, the buildings, the vibe, the little shops, the harbor - everything! I just want to move there. And never, ever drive because I would never, ever, ever find any parking. But seriously, we couldn't find any place to park even though we drove around forever! I don't even care, though - I just loved seeing everything! We did manage to get to the infamous Mike's Pastry: literally by Alex stopping the car in front of the shop, me running in, Alex continuing to drive around 'til he could circle back and pick me up. It was exciting. And SO worth it! The cannolis were DIVINE. I got us a chocolate chip one, a hazelnut one, and then this whipped cream puff thing.
At the airport, we ended up getting an earlier flight (which was so nice to not have to get into Milwaukee at midnight!). Carson did great again! - ate, slept, and stayed pretty happy!
On our layover in Philadelphia, we enjoyed some Philly pretzels and cheese, while Carson enjoyed the high chair ... and getting food all over himself.
We got back to Abby and Kaleb's around 9:30 pm or so. We stayed the night, slept in, and left Tuesday afternoon. I swear, I'm like a little kid at the end of vacations - I get so sad that it's over! All the same, it was such a fantastic vacation! We made a meal stop at an Olive Garden on the way home since we had a gift card from Christmas to use up. The food was great! Carson's favorite part was the table. Quite literally. That poor kid's teeth having been killing him! (and killing me when he bites me!) Bless his heart, though, he's still a trooper! And he's also the cutest baby ever. :)
I had an appointment with my counselor, Jessica, a couple days ago. I told her all about my trip, and I told her how well I dealt with my stress, anxiety, and my eating disorder. I talked to her about how confident I felt - about myself and as a mom. I told her how happy I felt, how nice I was to myself, how outgoing I was. I said I wished I could be "vacation Breanne" all the time. Her reply is that "vacation Breanne" sounds like the real Breanne. The one I don't really ever allow myself to be because of stress, anxiety, and my eating disorder. But that when I let go of those things, I'm... free. And I'm the real version of myself. I asked her what I need to do to be "vacation Breanne" - that person - all the time. Jessica said something that really stuck with me: "You already have the tools and coping strategies. You just need to go forward with you life, live it, and enjoy it. You'll have hiccups and setbacks, but everyone does. But that's okay because you know how to get back on the right path now."
So, that's what I'm going to do. :) I loved our trip to Boston and I loved being...myself. And I love the idea of being the real version of myself every day, not just on vacation. So here's to making "vacation Breanne" permanent Breanne. :)
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