[sharonpdx]

the sapphire blue of the atlantic

is intoxicating.

part one of my boston photo journey begins tonight.

we landed at Logan in the early afternoon, and headed straight to Maryfrances' office at the Harvard Business School.  We loaded our suitcases into her car, and she took us on a tour of the immaculate grounds and ivy-covered, brick buildings that comprise the Business School.

I laughed out loud when, after telling us all about the dean's house - which stands unused, with a full staff employed - Maryfrances ran up to the gate to peek into the yard!

We walked the bridges over the Charles Riv er, where we saw the crew teams practicing - until then, I'd only seen that in the movies.

The light was fading as we made our way across the river toward Harvard Square - students were relaxing in the grass and running along the shore - quintessential college town.   This is one of my favorite photos from the trip.

We headed toward Harvard Yard - but before we arrived, I spotted this crammed used bookstore and had to go in:

We followed our tour of Harvard Yard with dinner at John Harvard's Pub ... and then it was off to Shrewsbury, to the beautiful home of Maryfrances, her husband Gregg and their three children, Gail, Grant & Grady. 

The next day, we headed first to Ogunquit, Maine - Jess was psyched when she realized that meant we'd pass through New Hampshire - three states in one trip!  The entire drive was incredible... New England is truly a different world... we fell in love with the  wooded areas spotted with Cape Cod-style homes, the tree-lined highways - everything but the traffic!

I was amazed and thrilled when I first spotted the incredible blue waters of the Atlantic from Perkins Cove.  Incredible... they're the darkest sapphire blue, more brilliant blue than the sky, lapping against the jagged rocks, spraying salt... we stopped in a family-owned candy shop for saltwater taffy, bought earrings in a funky boutique and got Jess her first-ever lobster roll!

Then it was on to York, Maine where we snapped shots of Nubble Lighthouse on Cape Neddick, and sat on the rocks together, listening to the waves crashing, soaking up the sun and sea.  On our way back, we stopped at the Stonewall Kitchen company store and sampled dozens of gourmet jams, mustards, dips & relishes - a fun & delicious experience!  And of course, an outing would not be complete without some shopping - a trip to the JCrew outlet did the trick - and I scored a sweet deal on a great pink jacket!

Coming Tuesday: a birthday party, and a tour of Beantown.  Stay tuned...

home again, home again...

...jigity-jig.

{Something my parents used to say all the time that has stuck with me.}

We really are home again, Jess & I... Gregg got up and drove us to the airport at 5:00 a.m. - what a guy.  Spent the afternoon resting, unpacking, looking through photos and doing laundry - back up again tomorrow morning around 4:30 a.m. to get to lead a two-day training in the Denver Tech Center.

Photos soon - promise. 

amazing day

things I did today that I've never, ever done before:

got up at 3:45 a.m. on a vacation day
traveled with Jessica
scrapbooked on a plane
landed at Logan International in Boston
met Maryfrances Fabbri
toured Harvard Business School
met MF's son Grant, daughter Gail and mother Ann {Granny Annie}
walked through historic Baker Library and the new addition, financed by Michael Bloomberg of NYC
strolled the bridges over the Charles River
picked up Pioneers of Modern Typography at Raven Used Books
snapped photos in Harvard Yard
watched people running stairs at Harvard Stadium
ate dinner in Harvard Square
toured MF's beautiful Shrewsbury home
marveled at MF's scraproom, and {I couldn't resist!} scoped out the inventory of Scrapbooker Online in person
watched MF's husband Gregg and soon-to-be-four-years-old son Grady play the "lets run into the sofa cushion game"

it's been an amazing day.

{she designed a life she loved}

Man.  A girl should get divorced every week if that's all it takes to get this kinda love.  (kidding.  I mean, is that even possible?...)

But, seriously.  I didn't even realize some of you read my blog.  {wink}

Thank you.  Thank you for thinking of me.  Thank you for emailing and calling and writing to tell me that I'm in your thoughts, that I'm in your prayers, that you love me and care about me and that you know that I will be strong.

That all will be well.

Thank you for believing in me.

It has three weeks now.  I wish I could tell you it's gotten easier - it hasn't.  I still have really good days, and really, really bad ones.  Invariably, though, no matter what kind of day it is, there's a call from one of you just to check in... or a card from another one of you, reminding me that I'm not alone... or a post here, encouraging me to take it one day at a time.  I'm propelled forward by these.  And by faith.

And by this:

{She} ...by Kobi Yamada

She must be something special. She is. Celebrate her.
She loved life and it loved her back. Celebrate her passion.
She listened to her heart above all other voices. Celebrate her wisdom.
She pursued big dreams instead of small realities. Celebrate her priorities.
She saw every ending as a new beginning. Celebrate her resiliency.
She discovered her real measurements had nothing to do with numbers or statistics. Celebrate her self-esteem.
She was kind, loving and patient…with herself. Celebrate her tenderness.
She woke up one day and threw away all her excuses. Celebrate her accountability.
She realized that she was missing a great deal by being sensible. Celebrate her spirit.
She turned her can’ts into cans, and her dreams into plans. Celebrate her goals.
She ignored people who said it couldn’t be done. Celebrate her independence.
She had a way of turning obstacles into opportunities. Celebrate her magic.
She went out on a limb, had it break off behind her, and discovered she could fly. Celebrate her faith.
She discovered she was the one she’d been waiting for. Celebrate her self-reliance.
She added so much beauty to being human. Celebrate her presence.
She walked in when everyone else walked out. Celebrate her friendship.
She just has this way of brightening the day. Celebrate her radiance.
She made the whole world feel like home. Celebrate her warmth.
She decided to enjoy more and endure less. Celebrate her choices.
She decided to start living the life she’d imagined. Celebrate her freedom.
She colored her thoughts with only the brightest hues. Celebrate her optimism.
She was an artist and her life was her canvas. Celebrate her brilliance.
She ran ahead where there were no paths. Celebrate her bravery.
She crossed borders recklessly, refusing to recognize limits, saying bonjour and buon giorno as though she owned both France and Italy and the day itself. Celebrate her joie de vivre.
She held her head high and looked the world straight in the eye. Celebrate her strength.
She not only saw a light at the end of the tunnel she became that light for others. Celebrate her compassion.
She designed a life she loved. Celebrate her joy.
She took the leap and built her wings on the way down. Celebrate her daring.
She said bye-bye to unhealthy relationships. Celebrate her happiness.
She remained true to herself. Celebrate her authenticity.
She made the world a better place. Celebrate her.

________

Thank you- all of you - for giving me the confidence to design the life I love... to start living the life I've imagined... to leap.

_________

Edited:  additional line highlighted, because I've got to agree with you, Uncle Tommy... and I can just imagine the way Nana would put that.