keep it coming
If I blog about nothing else, I'm going to blog about the yummy food I've had so far on this trip.
We got into Manchester at 11:30 and happily hugged Ben's dad and his brother Andrew. The first night was so strange. We immediately felt like we had come home. We smiled like idiots and squeezed into Ben's childhood bed, just like old times.
Saturday we woke up and drove around Ipswich a little, under the guise of getting some Dunks. It was very overcast and drizzly, and perfect. I tried Toasted Almond coffee, and it's the only part of my journey so far that I haven't liked. We went to the Liberty Tree Mall with Ben's mom and Andrew. While the boys shopped for DVDs, Ben's mom and I had lunch in Panera and talked about family and boys and ma-in-law kinds of things. I had a simple chicken noodle soup with a whole grain baguette, but the chai tea latte was the best part of the meal.
Afterwards, we took off for Leominster to meet up with Tony. It was a quick drive and the GPS took us on some back roads. Even in Mass, there are places we haven't seen yet. We got to Tony's new place and saw him and Gina, and they happily accompanied us to Campus Pizza in Fitchburg. Most people leave and never look back, but I danced around while my roast beef sub with tomatoes and provolone was being made. It would have been better if Reuben made it, but even the sloppy ministrations of the grumpy lady with the leopard-print curves shirt was nostalgically delicious. And how, exactly, do you follow up a sub with a 20-ounce soda from the pizza place of your formative years? By heading to the dairy bar of your formative years, and dancing on John Fitch Highway, to the chagrin of your husband and slight amusement of you friends. I had my mint patty fro yo with rainbow sprinkles, a miracle that I have been searching for for an entire year in the ice-cream capital of the world, Florida. I could have turned around and gone back to Florida after those two magical foodie visits, but there were still people to see.
We got some drinks and headed to Somerville, where Mike Bird, Jeff Bartell, and Sam are now living. They have a really nice apartment, and I got to see so many people. We chatted and made plans for the future and realized how this should probably have been a part of our lives at least once and month for the past 8 months. Ben was in his element telling stories and downing drinks and making Mike Bird fall down on the floor, which is one of his favorite things to do. We stayed until around midnight, and headed back to Leominster. A cozy futon later, it was breakfast time. Mr. C's was just like old times, and I had two eggs, a corn muffin on the grill, and half a grapefruit. Delish. Hugs to Leominster friends, and we were back on the road.
Amherst was another quick drive with breath taking scenery. There is nothing like driving around and checking out houses on the back roads of Massachusetts. Once we made to the Umass campus (which is one of my favorite campuses ever) it was amazing to see Laurel and her room with a view. We ended up spending the entire afternoon shopping in North Hampton. Shops like Ten Thousand Villages, essentials, Faces, and the Cedar Chest Kids always make me envision homes and classrooms that belong in the pages of Dwell. With restraint, I picked up some fair trade toys for my classroom, a mother's day gift for mom, and some cards with quotes that I liked. More inspiration for the fridge. North Hampton was a bit of a foodie's disappointment, because by the time my shopping spree was over, convincing Ben to sit down in the Toasted Owl for lunch was out of the question. We made do with reheated slices from Pinocchio's, and then kissed Laurel and headed back to home base in Ipswich.
That was just 48 hours of time spent in Massachusetts, and already I feel more inspired, hopeful, and youthful than I've felt in months. There's a whole week ahead of me, so I'll keep you updated. :)
We got into Manchester at 11:30 and happily hugged Ben's dad and his brother Andrew. The first night was so strange. We immediately felt like we had come home. We smiled like idiots and squeezed into Ben's childhood bed, just like old times.
Saturday we woke up and drove around Ipswich a little, under the guise of getting some Dunks. It was very overcast and drizzly, and perfect. I tried Toasted Almond coffee, and it's the only part of my journey so far that I haven't liked. We went to the Liberty Tree Mall with Ben's mom and Andrew. While the boys shopped for DVDs, Ben's mom and I had lunch in Panera and talked about family and boys and ma-in-law kinds of things. I had a simple chicken noodle soup with a whole grain baguette, but the chai tea latte was the best part of the meal.
Afterwards, we took off for Leominster to meet up with Tony. It was a quick drive and the GPS took us on some back roads. Even in Mass, there are places we haven't seen yet. We got to Tony's new place and saw him and Gina, and they happily accompanied us to Campus Pizza in Fitchburg. Most people leave and never look back, but I danced around while my roast beef sub with tomatoes and provolone was being made. It would have been better if Reuben made it, but even the sloppy ministrations of the grumpy lady with the leopard-print curves shirt was nostalgically delicious. And how, exactly, do you follow up a sub with a 20-ounce soda from the pizza place of your formative years? By heading to the dairy bar of your formative years, and dancing on John Fitch Highway, to the chagrin of your husband and slight amusement of you friends. I had my mint patty fro yo with rainbow sprinkles, a miracle that I have been searching for for an entire year in the ice-cream capital of the world, Florida. I could have turned around and gone back to Florida after those two magical foodie visits, but there were still people to see.
We got some drinks and headed to Somerville, where Mike Bird, Jeff Bartell, and Sam are now living. They have a really nice apartment, and I got to see so many people. We chatted and made plans for the future and realized how this should probably have been a part of our lives at least once and month for the past 8 months. Ben was in his element telling stories and downing drinks and making Mike Bird fall down on the floor, which is one of his favorite things to do. We stayed until around midnight, and headed back to Leominster. A cozy futon later, it was breakfast time. Mr. C's was just like old times, and I had two eggs, a corn muffin on the grill, and half a grapefruit. Delish. Hugs to Leominster friends, and we were back on the road.
Amherst was another quick drive with breath taking scenery. There is nothing like driving around and checking out houses on the back roads of Massachusetts. Once we made to the Umass campus (which is one of my favorite campuses ever) it was amazing to see Laurel and her room with a view. We ended up spending the entire afternoon shopping in North Hampton. Shops like Ten Thousand Villages, essentials, Faces, and the Cedar Chest Kids always make me envision homes and classrooms that belong in the pages of Dwell. With restraint, I picked up some fair trade toys for my classroom, a mother's day gift for mom, and some cards with quotes that I liked. More inspiration for the fridge. North Hampton was a bit of a foodie's disappointment, because by the time my shopping spree was over, convincing Ben to sit down in the Toasted Owl for lunch was out of the question. We made do with reheated slices from Pinocchio's, and then kissed Laurel and headed back to home base in Ipswich.
That was just 48 hours of time spent in Massachusetts, and already I feel more inspired, hopeful, and youthful than I've felt in months. There's a whole week ahead of me, so I'll keep you updated. :)