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CHRISTMAS!!

Hollidazzle

The holiday season is definitely in full force in Boston. We had our first snow this week, it was beautiful to see the white flakes dust the streets. But then the white dust turned into treacherous ice, and sub-freezing temperatures. I don’t know if I am ready for a true New England Winter. I hear that the weather does not climb above freezing temperatures until May.

Ryan and I are busier than ever. Ryan is preparing for finals, and I am working hard to wrap up work before our 10 day vacation. In the midst of finalizing work projects, I have been in charge of coordinating several holiday parties and enrichment activities. All exciting things, but I am starting to wear out.

Tonight Ryan and I are attending Hollidazle—a festive holiday dinner and dance for the MBA students. It should be a blast. We are both getting very dressed up for the occasion. I will post pictures shortly.

Thanksgiving

Ryan and I recently returned from a trip to Salt Lake City. We flew home for Thanksgiving weekend. It was great to see our family. We enjoyed spending time with both Ryan’s parents and mine. We had a quiet Thanksgiving dinner with Ryan’s parents then went over to my house and mingled with aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, siblings, and more! It was a fabulous Thanksgiving. I enjoyed spending time with my sisters and my mom. We went and saw Enchanted together—it’s was truly a magical, fun movie. Also, we went bowling with Ryan’s parents one day. Although our scores were barely breaking 100, we enjoyed each others’ company and spending time together. I truly miss being around family more. Maybe some day Ryan and I will live in the West again!

Quick Update

A lot has happened since I last updated my blog. My grandparents came to visit as well as my parents, sisters, and Ryan’s friend John. It was wonderful to see friends and family. When my grandparents were here, we went on a whale watching tour in Plymouth. It was incredible to see the whales at such a close proximity. It was so fun to be able to spend some quality time with my grandma and grandpa.

My parents and John happened to be here on the same weekend. Ryan took John around Boston while I toured the city with my parents. I haven’t seen my family since August, so it was great to hang out and enjoy each other’s company.

Time is flying here in Boston. Ryan is already half-way through his first semester at HBS, and I am working tirelessly to position myself for a full-time job. I have been working as a temporary Events Coordinator for HBS Career Services. This position will end in December, so I am hoping to have a full-time job by then. I have an interview tomorrow—that’s a good start!

Last weekend, Ryan and I attended his section retreat in Vermont. It was a great chance to get to know the students that Ryan has class with everyday. We got home on Sunday, went to church and then celebrated my birthday. Ryan made me a wonderful dinner, and we enjoyed the evening together.

Fall Colors

Last weekend Ryan and I had the opportunity to travel to Maine and see the fall foliage. It was a spectacular weekend! We stayed at a beautiful, quaint bed & breakfast, and enjoyed touring the sights and seeing the beautiful surrounding areas. It was great to just spend a weekend together. Life has been incredibly busy since we moved to Boston, it seems the days fly by and we barely see each other.

Last Weekend: The Cape

Last week Ryan and I went to the LDSSA retreat in Cape Cod. We had a spectacular time. Ryan went on Thursday night, and I since I couldn’t take work off I met up with him on Friday. We had dinner at a great restaurant right on the shore, then enjoyed roasting marshmallows and swimming with friends. The next day we headed home, but on the way we stopped in Plymouth, MA. We saw Plymouth Rock, and just enjoyed walking around the beautiful town and bay.

When I arrived home I took a quick nap and then got ready to go the Relief Society Broadcast. I really enjoyed it; the new presidency seems great—they are very diverse and their messages were touching and profound. I appreciate President Monson’s call for us to Study, Pray, and Serve. I know that I can definitely do better at these things and I am grateful for a church that continually helps to strengthen my testimony and shapes me to be a better person.

Loving Boston

Wow! There is so much to write and so little time to write. Ryan and I have been in Boston for a little over a month now and we are busier than ever. Between school, work, church, and social events/obligations we barely have a minute to breath. I started a job at Harvard Business School working in career services events planning. So far, so good! I really love the job! It’s great because you can tangibly see the results of your work in the form of an event. Also, the people I work with are fabulous and I have already made a couple of good friends from work alone. Speaking of friends, I have more friends right now than I ever have in my life! It is such a blast. Between the LDS group and the Partners club here, there are so many people to get to know.

As a bonus, Tuesday night my uncle Kevin called and was in Boston for a quick trip. Ryan and I went and picked him up and visited for awhile a short while—too short! It was so fun to see him though, I love having visitors—especially family.

Well that’s it for now, but I will try to be better at updating my blog on a regular basis.

Getting Settled!

We are finally in Boston for good! We arrived here last weekend after spending two months in Utah. The summer was full of fun-filled activities we went to Hawaii, Bear Lake, and Snowbird. Also, both Ryan and I completed the Spudman Triathlon. Yes I am officially a spudwoman!



On our way out to Boston Ryan and I stopped in Kirtland to see the sites. It was one of the most impressive church sites that I have been to. We visited the Whitney Store where events such as the School of the Prophets and the receiving the of the Word of Wisdom took place. It is amazing to me that the saints had the faith and were willing to pick up and leave their established homes to go into the unknown wilderness. I am grateful that they sacrificed so much to further the gospel. Pictured below is the outside of the Whitney Store and Ryan and I inside of the Store.




Summer was spectacular, but it is good to start getting settled in our new home. I am on the job search full throttle now, which is both fun and intimidating. I keep sending out resumes, but no one seems to call. However, today I did get a call from a head hunter, but the job was not interesting to me. I know if I am begging I probably shouldn't be choosing, but hey might as well find something I like.

Last Day of Work

Last Friday was my last day of work. It was sad to leave Novartis; it was a great job and I made good friendships with many colleagues. A few hours before the work day ended my department came over to my desk and sang “For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” and then presented me with a beautiful Kate Spade vase. It was a great year working at the Novartis Customer Interaction Center (CIC). I definitely enjoyed my time there.

After work Friday, Ryan and I took two car loads of boxes up to our apartment and stayed the night on the air mattress. If was fun to start getting our stuff settled in! Sunday morning we looked up a local church and went to sacrament meeting. Just as the meeting was about to start two people snuck in and sat next to us on the pew. It was Mitt and Ann Romney! Yes, Ryan and I sat next to the possible future President of the United States in SACRAMENT MEETING! It’s a fun story.

Now it is Tuesday and I am in sitting in an apartment full of boxes. I’m not sure where all of this stuff came from; it seems to never end. On Thursday we will be loading up the rental truck and heading to Allston, MA—our new home sweet home!

Memorial Day Weekend

Ryan and I had a very busy and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Saturday morning we drove to Boston to finally see our new place. To our relief the apartment is fabulous. I was a little nervous since we signed the lease without actually seeing the place, but luckily the apartment is wonderful. After unloading our car full of boxes, we got back in the car and headed to New Jersey. It was a long day, but well worth it.

Sunday was our last day at our ward in New Jersey. It was really sad to say goodbye to all our friends. It was especially hard for me to say goodbye to my primary class. I teach the sunbeams and they are the sweetest kids. I am really going to miss them.

On Monday Ryan and I went on a run and then watched the Wayne Valley Memorial Day Parade. After the parade we worked tirelessly on getting our apartment packed up and getting the cars loaded up for another trip to Boston. This weekend we are driving to Boston to drop off Ryan’s car in storage and also bring another load of boxes.

Today, I am back at work. I can’t believe this is my last week; it has gone way too fast! Nevertheless, I’m really excited for the move to Boston, I think it is going to be a great two years for Ryan and I.

Apartment Search

Last weekend Ryan and I went to Boston to look for housing. We looked at about 20 different places, however, none of them were the perfect fit. I’ll admit there were a few that would have worked fine for us, but we were not excited about anything we saw.

Finally, on Monday I found a place online that looked absolutely fabulous. Ryan and I were unable to go see the place, so a friend from HBS went and examined the apartment for us. He said that it was awesome, and that he would have no hesitation living there himself. It is a brand new building with washer and dryer, dishwasher, and a parking space—all of which are very hard to come by in the Boston/Cambridge area. Sounds too good to be true, right?

There is a catch. Another renter had already submitted the rental application. However, they hadn’t contacted the owner in over a week and no deposit had been made. The owner said that if we gave him our deposit first the place would be ours. We had to act fast. Ryan went to the bank first thing this morning, got the check, faxed a copy to the owner, and next day aired the actual check.

Needless to say, the place is ours!! We are really excited for the coming months and the adventures and experiences that HBS and Boston will provide us. The only thing I am worried about is finding a job, but I am sure it will work out. I just need to be patient!

Moving Time

The days before our move to Boston are ticking away. I only have four weeks left of work, which I am delighted about. But, that also means that I only have four weeks to find an apartment in Boston, pack up our existing apartment, and arrange for movers. Ahhhhh! That is enough to make my head spin.

Ryan and I made a little progress this weekend. We packed up our books and DVD’s and got rid of an unnecessary book shelf that we had. It felt good to get that out of the way, but there is still so much left to be done.

We are going to Boston this weekend to see if we can find a place to live. I have been looking at housing postings everyday for the past two weeks, and there are just so many to choose from and so many different trade offs. I hope that we can find a place on our own; however time is running out, so we may have to give in and hire a broker.

The logistics of moving are hard, but yesterday I realized how much I am going to miss the friends and ward members of New Jersey. Yesterday, my good friend Lindsey moved to Columbus, Nebraska from New Jersey. She and her husband are on the same BD rotational program that Ryan was and this will be their second rotation. When I was saying goodbye to her at church, I couldn’t contain my tears. In just a short time she has become a great friend and example to me. It is funny how quickly foreign territory turns into a place full of comfort, love, and valued friendships.

New Adventures

Life is moving rather fast lately. In just six short weeks Ryan and I will be moving from New Jersey to Boston. It is amazing to see where life takes us each year. I can tell you I never imagined living in New Jersey or Boston, but I am definitely glad for the opportunities—they will be and have been great experiences.

Last year at this time, Ryan and I were packing up and leaving Salt Lake for Wayne, New Jersey. I remember feeling so nervous and apprehensive, I didn’t know what to expect. To my great relief, we settled into our cosy apartment and began to experience a great adventure. We have made many close friends in the area, and have had wonderful adventures sight seeing in Washington D.C., NYC, Philadelphia, and of course Boston! I am sad to be leaving, but I can’t wait for the next chapter in our lives.

This summer we are headed to Utah to spend the summer with family and friends, and in August we will be driving across the country to Boston. I am so excited for Ryan to be going to Harvard. He has worked so hard to accomplish this dream and now he is living it.

Boston is also going to provide me with an array of opportunities and social outlets. The job opportunities in Boston are outstanding and Harvard provides endless opportunities to get involved in the community and to make new friends. In addition, the LDS community is very strong. There are lots of young married couples and couples with children.

The Church is such a huge comfort to me as I travel to new unknown areas. It is such a peaceful feeling to know that wherever I go the Church will be there and it will always be the same. Since joining the Church, I am constantly amazed at the great blessings it provides. The greatest blessing to me is the peace and comfort that comes from our Heavenly Father—I never had that feeling before joining the Church.