One if by Land, two if by Sea...

   The Morrissey;s just got back from visiting a new favorite city, Boston!  We only stayed two nights but we left early Friday AM so we could take advantage of most of the day, well the weather changed those plans so instead of exploring the city we explored the hotel.  We checked in to the Courtyard by Marriott South Boston, put our stuff in our room and walked on over behind the hotel to the shopping complex, in there was a Panera... we were happy!  After lunch we walked back to the hotel (with a couple of stops at some stores) and went to the pool!  The pool was smaller but perfect for the kids, and it was heated so it was tolerable for the adults!

 After playing around in the pool for a bit we headed back to the room, I changed in to some running gear and hit the gym!  I was reminded why I hate running on treadmills... totally boring!! Once I was done it was Chris' turn.  After we were all cleaned up to set out on foot for dinner, we ate at a wonderful diner named Victoria's... all I can say was YUMMMMM!!  This was also the start of a weekend of not so healthy food;)  We headed back to the hotel with full tummy's and got ready for bed, turned on Disney Channel and watched the Premier of A.N.T. Farm (very cute new Disney Channel show).  We set the alarm for EARLY and went to bed!

    6:30AM the alarm goes off... I just wanted to sleep!!  I knew we had alot to do today so I got up, took a shower and got everyone ready for our busy, busy day!!  Since the Bruins' parade was going to be happening in the City Center, we headed AWAY from it, to Harvard.  There we visited the Peabody Museum and the Natural History Museum plus the Art Museum... all complements of the Blue Star Museums which are giving FREE admission to military and up to 5 members of their family through Labor Day! After we were through visiting the museums it was lunch time, so we headed over by the JFK Memorial Park and ate at Legal Seafood, if you have one close to you, you must check them out!

Peabody Museum, Harvard

After lunch we headed to the T station to head to the start of the Freedom Trail, little did we know when we got off the train at Park there would be a mad Exodus for the train, all the people leaving from the parade were flooding the station... luckily the Boston Police had it covered and were clearing the way for us to get off!  

The Freedom Trail starts at the Boston Commons, we downloaded a great App for the iPad so the kids could watch a video for each stop to learn more, it worked well for the first few stops, then we started to rush through things so we could make it to the U.S.S. Constitution before it closed.  One of the first stops we spent a bit of time at, it was the Granary Burying Ground where Franklin's parents are buried, along with Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams... and many others of course!

We walked further along the Freedom Trail and visited a few more places and then we spotted a Starbucks, and what perfect timing we had... just as we got our drinks the rain came!  So, we sat (some of us stood) and waited for it to go over, and it did.  We headed back out and stopped at the South Meeting House where the Boston Tea Party began, they had a fun scavenger hunt for the kids to do and once they had completed it they got a prize, a nice pencil with South Meeting House on it and am American Flag:)  Kids were happy!  By this time it started getting a little late and we still had a long way to go til we made it to the U.S.S. Constitution so we decided to skip a little bit once we made it to the North End... we did stop to see the Old North Church though and take a pic with Paul:)

Now we had about 40 mins to get all the way to the bridge, cross it and make it over to the U.S.S. Constitution, I was determined.  We hustled and we made it, with about 15 mins to spare, we did miss the last guided tour by about 5 mins which was a little disappointing because then we could have gone down below.  Oh well, we were able to make it on her and see her from atop.  The kids enjoyed it and so did we.

After the visit we went to eat at Tavern on the Water, it had a great view of the city and decent food! We then set out to get to the Prudential building to go up to the 50th floor to the observatory, not without walking FOREVER to find the T station to get back over to the City Center (I was not in the best mood during this walk).  We finally made it and got to the Prudential building and it was all worth it, the views were amazing... the best I think was seeing Fenway Park all lite up for the game!

At this point we all were pooped and needed our beds.  We headed on the T to the hotel and after waiting forever for the shuttle to pick us up we ended up just walking it, what is a few more yards at this point, right?!?!?  We were all so tired we just went right to bed!

Fenway to go the tour, we were very excited because on Sundays they do a tour where you get to actually go down on the field (even if you hate the Red Sox, just to get to go on the field at Fenway, that is pretty cool).  So we walked on over to the T after getting ready en route to Fenway.  We go there in time for the 9:30 tour but opted for the 10 so we could run and get breakfast real quick.  We found a Panera and had a very quick breakfast. We arrived for our tour, went through security (bag check) and proceeded in to the ballpark.  This was pretty neat, we all sat down by the 3rd base line and listed to the tour guide talk about the history of the field, again, even if you hate the Sox, and sport enthusiast would appreciate being there!  After the history lesson we went up on top the Green Monster... best seats in the house to many, they were pretty awesome!  Then after learning some more stuff we were told the tour was over... but what about getting to go down on the field the kids ask... yeah, the darn ground's crew wouldn't allow us for some reason on this particular day:(  Totally bummed about that!!  Oh well, it was still pretty cool.  We then waited to see about getting tickets for the game, after waiting for a long time they finally opened the ticket booth for military tickets and we scored 10 dollar standing room only tickets, 40 dollars to see a Red Sox game, I'm sold!  So we headed in the Park and were in awe, this Park is like nothing I had ever been in, it may be old and so much smaller than most (but one) ballparks but it has something about it that makes you just want to smile.  We grabbed some hot dogs, pretzels and a drink and headed to our "seats".  We really weren't sure where to stand so we kinds went where ever until we were told to leave:)  We did get a good spot to view the Bruins parading the Stanley Cup around and for them to throw the "first" pitch, after that, we were again told to move.  We then found a spot out in right field where were enjoyed the remaining of the game (until we left in the 3rd).  With little kids you just can not stay for a whole game, let alone when you are standing... they did pretty well though, especially Elijah (he slept the whole time). 

After the game we just had one more thing left on the To Do list, visit and eat (and drink) at Cheers!  We hopped on the T and got off over by Boston Commons, oh how I wish we could have had more time to walk around the Commons and do a Swan Boat ride (will have to wait until another time).  We found Cheers and were not disappointed, we headed down the stairs and were greeted by the Indian Chief just like on the show... the bar was different but later found out the "set" bar was located upstairs.  We were seated quickly and the server was wonderful.  I ordered a Sam Adams of course and enjoyed it very much.  For lunch I had the Chili, YUMMMMM, best Chili hands down from a restaurant!  After finishing eating we headed upstairs to see the T.V. set and other show stuff.  It was now time to go and say farewell to Boston.  We hopped back on the T to get to our hotel and drove off.  We can not wait to go back and explore it all over again and spend some more time there.  Boston is so rich in History and a great social spot with so much to offer.  It is a must for every American Family!!

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

That is right, the Morrissey's (and Papa and Nana) walked round trip over the Brooklyn Bridge! 

This past Saturday was a beautiful day in NYC and we took full advantage of it.  After getting up early (and doing our P90X) we hopped in the van and headed to the City, via the Queensboro Bridge (free way in to the City:)).  Upon arriving we went straight to Stage Deli to order our lunch to-go.  Papa, Nana and I shared salami on pumpernickel and Chris and the kids shared turkey on white.  We also got an order of cole slaw and matzo ball soup (can't go to a deli and not get the staples!). We then set on foot a few blocks to Central Park and found our picnic spot.  We ate as we watched a group of woman (and two men) exercise doing some self confidence training or something, it was interesting!  Once we finished our delicious lunch we walked around Central Park and ended up visiting the Childrens' Zoo and the Main Zoo for just a little viewing, we can't help but see the Penguins.

It was starting to get a little later in the afternoon and we knew we wanted to walk the Brooklyn Bridge, and it was on the other side of the Island, so we found the subway station on Lexington and took the 6 train all the way to the Bridge.  The walk was wonderful, there is a nice path for walkers and another path for bikes and joggers.  Many people walk this bridge so it does get tight, but most people make room!  The views from the middle were beautiful, we could see the cruise ship terminal all the way over in New Jersey, we saw Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas which we thought was cool! We made it all the way over to Brooklyn and then all the way back to Manhattan, with a stop to buy some t-shirts that say "I Walked the Brooklyn Bridge 2011" from a very nice man. Yes, we are suckers for some shirts... though only my parents got them and we got 1 for the kids to share. 

We then hopped back on the subway up to 5th Ave. to get some tasty ice cream at Trump Tower Ice Cream Parlor, I think we deserved it!!  I was so thankful my Daddy was with me so I could get a slice of blueberry pie and ice cream since it is too much for me to eat and he is the only one who would eat blueberry pie!!  It was yummy!!!!   

Dinner time now, yes we did things a little backwards this day, but I figure it is OK every so often.  We went back to our favorite Thai place on 46th and 9th, Yum Yum III.  After our tummy's were full of Yum Yum we treked back up to 56th and 7th to retrieve our van from the Manhattan Club.  I think on the ride home Chris was the only one that stayed awake (thank goodness).  It was a long and tiring day but so worth it.  We are sure going to miss this wonderful city but look forward to come back and visit many times in the future.   New York, one heck of a town!!

A BIG unexpected change...

So, as most of you know Chris has been anxiously waiting to hear he has been picked up for Department Head, well... that did not happen:(  At first there was serious disappointment, and frustration then as time has passed it has turned in to promise, promise of a whole new future for us.  Since Chris was not selected for Department Head it means he will no longer be a Submariner, he had worked very hard but the Navy did not seem to think hard enough apparently and with so many Officers staying in the, pool is much larger to choose from!  So, no more Submarine life for us... but is it really that bad?  Chris now has the opportunity to leave the Navy and work in the "real world" or change communities (jobs) within the Navy.  As of right now we are not too sure which one will happen, there is still alot of time until we will know.    What we do know is Chris is "stuck" up here in NY for at least 6-9 months, I could think of worse places to be stuck though:)  Since our rent is up this month the kids and I had decided to stay down in FL for the summer, but now knowing that Chris will not know where he is going for another 6-9 months (maybe more) staying with my parents is no longer an options, I LOVE them to death, as you all know, but it is a long time being without all our things and for the kids to be in a retirement community.  So, after much thought, the kids and I will move back in to our home in GA and live there with all our friends and belongings, in our beautiful house!!  I couldn't be more thrilled, I still will be close enough to Tampa to visit my parents and Disney but have a home of our own! And Chris will be able to come down and visit often.   Another exciting adventure I will be undertaking this school year is Homeschooling... again, after much thought we feel this will be the best option for now, though I hope to continue to Homeschool for many years. 

As you can see life over here has been very stressful and has taken a turn we did not expect, but as everything in life, we are making the most of it!  Once again, the Morrissey's living life to the fulliest!!