The Green Monster Recap and What I Ate

 Happy belated Easter, little bunnies!  How were your sunny weekends?

I had an amazing time in Boston!  Mex's family were all warm and welcoming and generous, and I was very comfortable around them.  It was a great mini-break, and I felt truly relaxed and rejuvenated after the visit.  Here are the highlights.

Thursday:  Traffic in Connecticut due to a car accident.  Arrive in Boston around 11:15 pm, Mex picks me up at the bus/train station, we head back to the house for dinner leftovers they'd set aside for me, then the comfy bed.

This artwork hung in both Mex's dad's house and his mom's apartment.  I only found on on Sunday, due to his mom's adorable bragging, that Mex drew this in 2nd grade and it was chosen to be part of a Boston Globe ad campaign.  (He also won the all-Boston science fair in 7th grade, and played the wooden recorder and the saxophone quite well.  He hadn't previously admitted that recorder part.)

Friday:  Up mid-morning for a healthy oatmeal breakfast, then bike ride with Mex's dad R and his long-term, live-in girlfriend C.  So much beautiful nature, then a tour of some Victorian houses in the neighborhood (of West Roxbury), then we stop at a sandwich place for lunch.  Mex's sister, her husband, and their one-year-old baby meet up with us for lunch around a picnic table.  Then we ride back home for a nap and shower (so my sunburn can develop), then out for dinner with Mex's old friend V.  After dinner it's back to V's apartment for Wii and quarters, and bonding over dessert.

Part of the decor at Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse, our Friday night restaurant of choice.  The animals occasionally spoke and told jokes.  It was amazing.

Saturday:  Up late again only to hear a brunch invitation shouted upstairs by R & C.  We head to a diner where I finally satisfy my weeks-long craving for French toast.  Then Mex & I drive into the downtown area for free parking (at his mom's work) and then walking on the very-crowded Newbury Street, through Boston Common and other wandering areas, then back to the car along the scenic river.  Sweaty and tired, we take a short driving tour around Cambridge and Harvard, then head back to the house to put on sweats, open a few cold beers, enjoy the grilled hamburgers and hot dogs (courtesy of R), and settle in for some basketball.  It was a homey night all together in the living room (with the two cats, too), then a reasonable bedtime.

Walking along the scenic (and very blue) Charles River.

Sunday:  After a long and frustrating search on Saturday afternoon for a Protestant Easter service nearby that would be done in time for brunch, we arose early and made our way to St. Paul's Episcopal in Brookline.

St. Paul's Episcopal in Brookline, MA

It was everything I'd wanted out of a church service, as it was very celebratory, in a beautiful sanctuary, and we got to all sing the Hallelujah Chorus at the end.  (Oh, and it was the first time I saw a transgender mother with a nuclear family in a church.  It was Mom, Dad to Mom, and two kids.  And they fit right in, which was great.)  The 9:00 service ended around 10, so we drove to Beacon Street in Brookline for me to pick out some lilies for Mex's mom, then to her lovely apartment for brunch.  Mex's aunt and uncle were there, too, and we all sat around talking for awhile, then they took off, which left us some better bonding time with just his mother.  She is very smart and a bit more reserved than his father, but we bonded over our love of the same reality TV shows (Top Chef, Project Runway, and the guiltily enjoyed Real Housewives) and she was quite lovely.  She also spoke of getting me to a Red Sox game (as she has season tickets) and about when she'll see me in New York in June.  Then it was quickly time for Mex to drive me back to the bus depot, but I was so sad to go.  I wanted to stay and nap and then maybe live there forever.  I had an uneventful bus ride back to the city, and he was off to the Red Sox season opener with his dear mom.

I ate well, I was active, and I was/am very happy.  It was a big step in the relationship, and a wonderful one, and I feel a bit lost this week without something to fret over.  But that's a very good feeling.

Today's eats:

B - TJ's Honey O's, coffee, milk - 4

L - Chick & Swiss sammy, yogurt - 5

D - Chicken meatloaf, salad with feta and dressing - 5.5

S - two small tangerines, TJ's Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup, granny bar - 5 (And let's be honest, probably some Easter cookies because my roommate made tons and they're just sitting there, taunting me.)

Total - 19.5

Activity - Walking home, weather permitting