Halloween in Boston

The week before Halloween, George was attending a conference in Boston. I flew out late Thursday evening to join him so we could attend a good friends Nolan and Amanda's wedding that happened to be in Boston on the same weekend. Perfect!

I felt a little guilty leaving the kids to do Halloween without us, but I don't think they minded too much. They were spoiled the entire weekend by Laura and her family, and Jen and her family. Lucky, lucky kiddos! Lance spent the weekend with Scott and Abby who also happened to to traveling north to Maine to visit family.

Cousin time with Mason and Grant

I flew into Boston late late Thursday night and made it to our friends' house around 1 a.m., right when everyone was going to bed. 

The next morning, we got some breakfast with our friends Andrew, Allie, and Nolan at a great Jewish deli and then took the train into Boston to see the sights. Amanda stayed in town doing some last-minute wedding prep.

Cole is such a train fanatic, I had to take a couple pictures and send them to him.

Right off the bat, we realized the Boston attitude is more than just a stereotype--it is a way of life up here. By the end of the day, we learned to just roll with the lack of customer service and the snarky comments, but it was a bit of a shock.

We walked the Freedom Trail that took us past several historical monuments and other important sites that recounted portions of the Revolutionary War. 

Andrew, Nolan and George in front of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial. These guys were roommates for a couple years at UVa Undergrad and have been friends ever since. George and Andrew and I even went to High School together.

(Behind this monument is a park, quite nice, but as we were walking along the path, a police officer suggested we stay off the grass. Apparently the park is a favorite place for people to shoot up and there are often discarded needles. What?!!)

Granary Burying Ground where many of the people from the Boston Massacre were buried.

Along with Paul Revere and Samuel Adams.

Checking out the graves outside King's Chapel.

The Freedom Trail was marked in bricks like this:

It zig zagged throughout the city, making it pretty easy to follow.

Outside Paul Revere's house:

Paul Revere's house looked a little out of place surrounded by modern buildings.

You can see in the background the The Old North Church where the Paul Revere supposedly hung the signal lanterns that fateful night:

The Bunker Hill Monument:

From left to right: me, George, Nolan, Andrew and Allie.

It had already been a long day and it was only half over!

We parted ways with our friends and George and I drove to Portland, Maine to visit our favorite people: Sarah and Calvin Simmons! It was only supposed to take a little over an hour, but with traffic and GPS "helping" us avoid the congestion by rerouting us through small neighborhoods, it took us about 3 hours to finally arrive! We met up with our friends at a Trunk or Treat, then went back to their cute house for some take-out Thai and bed. It was so good to catch up with them! Calvin had to get up early the next day to work at the hospital, so we all went to bed around 10:30.

The kids had a blast while we were sight-seeing. Jude got to go to a Trunk or Treat with Mason:

And Lance got to experience the beach in Maine on a cold, breezy day in October:

I still can't believe he went into the water!! That kid is crazy!

Where were Mom and Glenn during this time? Spending a relaxing month on the beautiful beaches of New Smyrna Beach, FL. 

Mom does "relaxing" a bit differently than most: waking up at 5:45 every morning to run 5 miles on the beach may not be everyone's idea of a vacation, but she loves it. She did a Zombie 5k on the beach Halloween morning and did a great job!

Jen picked up the kids from Laura and they all got to watch Bryce play some football Halloween morning.

We woke up bright and early in Maine at the Simmon's house on Halloween and went with Sarah to get some bagels and see a couple lighthouses before we had to head back to Boston to get ready for the wedding.

Baby Penny!

There was a neat old fort at this lighthouse that we explored a bit. 

Sarah with Ellie:

Not sure why there's a big arrow on my face in this picture, but this is me with Penny, Sarah, and Ellie. Love them!!

Swinging at the lighthouse before it was time to go.

We said good-bye to the Simmons and drove back to Boston for the wedding. 

Aside from being a bit chilly, it was a beautiful day. The wedding was Black Tie or costume, so George and I compromised. 

Jen texted us these pictures during the reception:

Trick or treating with the Scholz!

And Lance dressed up as a Marine to trick or treat with his cousins in Maine.

The reception was great! It was fun to catch up with Andrew and Allie while enjoying good food and music.

Like the Halloween-themed cake topper?

Happy couple:

Love these people!

We flew back to Virginia bright and early the following morning to pick up these crazies from Jen and Eric.

They had had a great time and weren't even that excite to see us. Stinkers.

Thank you, Laura and Jen, for your help with the kids! You guys are the best!