Can you believe its already close to the end of February?? We had friends tell us that once you get married, life seems to go by at triple speed. Now that we are almost seven months in, we understand this statement completely! These last two weeks have been crazy busy for both Jeremy and I, which is why I haven’t made it to the computer to entertain you all in a while.
Just a little recap, at the beginning of week one, Jeremy traveled to the east coast for work. Since tickets to Boston in February were so low we decided that I should join him for a long weekend together, in celebration of our first Valentine’s as a married couple! Little did we know we picked such a special weekend… On that Wednesday, the night before I flew out, Jeremy called me from the east coast to inform me that there was a huge blizzard that was to hit the Massachusetts area over the weekend. Before then, I hadn’t heard a thing about this so called “Blizzard” and I had even checked the weather reports starting a week in advance. Needless to say, since the hubby didn’t sound too worried, I threw an extra scarf in my bag and didn’t think too much of it. This trip was our first getaway together since our honeymoon and I was just so excited to meet up with him and explore somewhere new together, that I wasn’t going to worry about what the weatherman in Massachusetts was saying. Besides, don’t they usually get it wrong?
I left San Diego early (so very early) Thursday morning and headed to my first stop in Atlanta. Have any of you flown into Atlanta airport before?? That place is cray cray (crazy), and undoubtedly too big. Our flight ran a little late, which meant I had all of ten minutes to make it to my next flight before it left me at the Atlanta airport. Lucky for me, we came into terminal A and my next flight to Boston left out of F. Wait, F?! Did I mention that Atlanta airport is cray cray and too big to get from A to F in just 10 minutes?? Ok, sorry, if you can’t tell I’m still a little emotional about this whole ordeal that went down. I will just let this do the talking for me now:
Is it just me or does that always seem to happen? Although, running like a crazy person through the Atlanta airport and yelling at the staff to hold the plane and open the gate doors because I made it at the last second before the plane left me, would have been a better story I was thankful for a few moments to rest and grab something to eat since I was able to realize I hadn’t eaten anything all day besides two small bags of pretzels.
But, it wasn’t until my flight from Atlanta to Boston that I really began to question this innocuous blizzard. I sat next to a lady that was traveling to Rwanda on a missions trip, and a tall scruffy guy from Tennessee. We all had the initial small talk like most strangers do on a plane. I found out that Mr. Tennessee was being flown into Boston to work the electrical lines during the storm, and that he wasn’t sure how long he would have to stay depending on the damage. To which Mr. Tennessee further explained, “This is said to be the biggest blizzard to hit the east coast in years”. He then turns to me and asks, “Where are ya’ from and where is ya’ final destination to ma’am?”
Cue the sweaty palms.
Me – “I’m from San Diego and I am actually going into Boston to visit with my husband who is already there on a work trip”
Mr. T – “(frowning) Oh. So y’all are having a vacation in Boston during this Blizzard??”
Me – “(chuckling, playing it cool) Haha, ya! We didn’t expect it but should be exciting still”
Mr. T – “Well, good luck with that. Ya’ may get stuck there for a few extra days, just warnin’ ya.”
Luckily, within the next minute our flight showcased a movie for everyone, which meant we all put earplugs in and I tried to focus on the movie and not the looming notion that I was headed straight for a storm that I was not mentally prepared for…
I can not tell you how relieved I was to make it to my Husband in Portsmouth, New Hampshire that day. Our original plan for the weekend was to stay in NH for two nights and then head to Boston for the next two before coming home. In the end, we stayed in Portsmouth one night longer do to the fact that we couldn’t drive on the icy roads, and it allowed for some relaxation. While the “Blizzard of 2013” did hit most states in the coastal north east, we actually were able to stay warm (for the most part) and relish in the fact that we were able to experience a trip unlike many that we have had together. We walked through snow covered streets, went sight seeing, realized that we both loved the quaint little towns of the east coast, ate amazing meals, relaxed by the fire, watched a few movies, and above all enjoyed our special time together. Below are the highlights from the trip:
Portsmouth, NH
Warm and ready to brave the cold
A beautiful church in downtown Portsmouth
Love him!
Walking downtown, look at all the snow!
Jeremy trying to stay warm
Had dinner here. It was such a cozy little place by the water, and the food was beyond amazing!
They had such a good sense of humor, and allowed us to take their picture!
Outside of our window when the storm began
Back in our room, bundled up and enjoying the fire
Boston, MA
So. much. snow.
We loved the old architecture of the churches in Boston.
We didn’t know we weren’t supposed to be in the church (the doors were unlocked!). An overseer kindly let us take a look around before we left, slightly embarrassed!
Locals were loving the snow day, check out the sledding!
Although we had a rental car, we decided we didn’t want to risk driving on icy roads in a foreign city. Instead, we decided to walk the freedom trail! It allowed us to see much of the historical part of the city and enjoy our limited time in Boston.
We made a pit stop at Starbucks along the trail, mmmmm.
See the little antenna peaking out?
After dinner, we treated ourselves to a yummy pastry dessert!
All in all, despite getting stuck in a blizzard that covered everything in lots of snow, we both returned home still warm, happy, and thankful for a little time away.
Did any of you experience Blizzard 2013? I would love to hear your experience!
hugs, Lauren
The Simple Haven 