Posts Tagged ‘friends’

springtime traditions

March 5, 2013

a realistic apology “sorry my hands are cold” started off this year’s fantastical tradition. this is the fourth year i’ve had a martenitza tied on my wrist (by one adriana cloud) to celebrate the beginning of spring.

year one is documented here. year two, here. year three, here.

between that awesome accessory and this smiling face, i’d say spring is blooming quite nicely.

quite nicely, indeed.

what about you? do YOU have any ways to fete the arrival of spring/the departure of winter? have you ever picked up a new tradition from a friend, family member or spouse? have you ever started a tradition?

song lyrics + reality

July 6, 2012

i had already seen fireworks (on june 28th. in somerville. AMAZING, as usual) but when rachael told me she and two of her out of town friends knew of a secret garden rooftop viewing spot, i said yes to more.

there was a small cover charge, a “free” beer, food, drinks, and ample space. we set up camp and ate and drank and chatted as we conducted our countdown until 10:30, the posted start time of the boston fireworks.

conversations and kids floated around us. we parted with our glowing necklaces, beaming at the smiles the kids now wore.

the minutes ticked by slowly. the wind shifted. the temperature dropped. the clouds rolled in. the sky flickered and the buildings around us echoed those bright lights. was it early fireworks? was it a thunderstorm rolling in? was it a heat lightning storm? was it the flash from the cameras around us? all of the above? or none?

slightly nervous at being on the top of a building and potentially turning into lightning rods, we pulled out our smartphones and checked the radar. okay, just E did and she declared, “the storm’s going to miss us.”

i looked up at the swirling, thickening clouds and wondered just how smart that phone and its radar really was. 10:20 came and went. the sky cleared. 10:30 came and went. the smartphones came back out and this time, we checked boston.com.

we looked up at the (now) relatively clear skies over the cambridge side of the river and cried, “are the fireworks canceled?!” we double checked the time stamp on that headline and realized it was from 30 minutes ago. the fireworks would go on, just slightly delayed.

we felt rain drops, small, insistent.

the sky lit up.

and then everything opened up — the sky, the fireworks, our mouths. laughter and cheers and shrieks tore from us as we scrambled to duck under blankets and jackets and umbrellas all while trying not missing a single crack of a firework.

soaking wet, but wearing a grin as wide the barge the fireworks were shot from, i couldn’t help but marvel that just like adele sang, we had set fire to the rain.

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musical chain of events

April 24, 2012

it began with a question from maga: “have you heard of [a rock band]?”

it continued with brunch with a musician who had an unusual connection to my family and me with his.

it all went down saturday night when nancy, lauren and i showed up at will call at the paramount theater (where guster was performing) and i nervously spoke up.

me: “i think there are supposed to be some tickets waiting for me.”

girl: “sure. what’s your last name?”

me: “mumford.” *starts to spell…*

girl: “oh, yeah, abby.”

me: *turns to N and L with wide eyes*

girl: “here are your 3 tickets and here are 3 after show passes.”

me: *not sure which is falling faster — my jaw or my eyeballs out of head* *giggles* “umm, what? are? those?”

girl: “they’re like backstage passes, except there’s no backstage here. it’s like a meet and greet with the band.”

me: “oh, wow! thank you! i mean, wow, yeah, okay. GREAT!”

basically, the people i know know the people guster knows and i landed in the middle of an unbelievable situation: free tickets + backstage passes to meet the band!! have i mentioned that guster is one of my most favorite bands ever?

so not only did this concert have an unusual beginning upon entering the theater, but it had an unusual beginning when the show began. instead of an opening band, there was an opening comedian, which changed the tone of the evening turning it from a music concert into an event. (an event that, if you ask me, would have been better if it had included just the main attraction.)

*ahem*

fortunately, once the comedian’s time was up and guster took the stage, they did what they do so well — they rocked it out — with humor and charm and that’s why i’ve seen them (at least once) every year since 2003.

they put on a live show like no one else.

and this time i got to tell them so.

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i’m multicultural

March 2, 2012

my blonde hair and blue/green eyes may fool you, but don’t let them. i’m really very multicultural. i speak pig latin. i eat pasta. i dance the jig. i drink sangria. i put my left shoe on first.

okay, so truthfully, my multicultural roots take the form of a bulgarian tradition mingled into the soil of friendship. (you know what i mean! the nice soil. the enriching kind.) ahem, so, this is the third year i’ve had a martenitza tied on my wrist to celebrate the beginning of spring. (year one is documented here and year two, here.) this one started off yesterday when adriana dashed into my office in between meetings with a handful of red and white yarn bracelets and a “hi how are you i only have two minutes take your pick and i’ll tie it on and cut it to size and yes sorry my hands are cold and doesn’t this rainy day look so much like spring so cheers and happy spring and okay bye.”

you could say this spring is off to a whirlwind start!

and it’s only going to get more whirlwindy as i prepare for one stint as professional snowboarder and another as a nanny. it’s that second job that very well may give me a view of my first stork because bubba mac (the soon to be born brother of baby mac) is due right around the time of my arrival in NJ. *dances jig of excitement*

but back to point, the details are here for those not thricely immersed in this holiday. there’s a specific day to put on the bracelet (march 1) and a specific time to cut it off (whenever you see a stork, a swallow, or a budding tree), so like the good little bulgarian i am, i’m going to keep my eyes peeled for those things.

my fingers are crossed for that stork. (you hear me, bubba mac?!?)

happy spring everyone! may you celebrate it in any fashion you desire.

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something new

January 27, 2012

traveling the world is a phenomenal experience and i’ve been fortunate enough to have the means, the mode, and the money to visit countries outside of the US. other than the jet lag and the suitcase laden with souvenirs, i always come home with an insatiable appetite to see more of the country i call home.

two weekends ago, i was fortunate enough to have a reason to travel some place completely new…

NEW ORLEANS!

i was there for a bachelorette party and oh me oh my was it fun. the food! the weather! the friends! the cab drivers! the drinks! the bartenders! the food! the music! the house we stayed in! the scenery! the drinks you can consume outside of a bar!

of course, i can’t tell you any specific stories because what happened in new orleans stayed in new orleans so instead i’ll leave you with a picture that encapsulates the weekend.

have YOU ever been to new orleans? is there any place you’d love to visit but haven’t yet? have you been to all 50 states of the US? what countries worldwide have you visited? do you have anything else to share?

TALK TO ME.

 

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