Nichole S.

Spoken Too Soon

Posted on March 6, 2015March 5, 2015 by Nichole S.

I was so proud of myself…what seems like forever ago…just before this ridiculous onslaught of snow began to assault us all. You see, I had just started running again and was on a bit of a roll. I was in a groove, sticking with it, and looking forward to it most afternoons.

And then….the roads became unrunnable.

Or so I thought.

As the snow drifts and mountains began to grow out of control, and the sidewalks became all but nonexistent, I actually started to see other people out running. Yikes. I began to think evidently I am weaker and less disciplined than I thought. Shame on me.

….but then, just when the self-doubt started to grow the size of the insurmountable snow banks, I saw this news clip.

I’ll ride it out just a little bit longer, thank you very much.

Nichole’s Picks of the Weekend 3/7 and 3/8

Posted on March 5, 2015March 4, 2015 by Nichole S.

What I wouldn’t give to be writing about warm weather activities…

Alas, not yet.

BONUS FRIDAY PICK!!!

FREE FILM FRIDAYS AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE.

PLAY HOOKIE…JUST DON’T TELL THEM I SAID SO…AND HEAD TO THE MOS FOR A FREE IMAX MOVIE!

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Thanks again to generous support from MathWorks, all IMAX^® films in the Mugar Omni Theater each Friday in March (6, 13, 20, and 27) are free! Simply pick up tickets at the Museum box office on the day of the show only (first come, first served).

Pick #1

Maple Sugaring! The sap is only flowing a few weekends a year so get out there and get yourself some.

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary Maple Sugaring Tours

Saturday and Sunday: 10:30, 12:30, 2:30

Spring celebrations begin early at the sanctuary with the age-old tradition of maple sugaring. The warm days of late winter awaken the flow of sap in the maples, causing buds to swell and resulting in sweet-smelling, billowing clouds of steam rising from the sugarhouse.

On our naturalist-guided tours, learn how to identify a sugar maple, observe tapping and sap collection methods, watch the sap being boiled down in the sugarhouse, and get a sweet taste of the final product. Afterwards, warm up in the Barn by the woodstove, indulge in a hot dog cooked in maple sap, or sample delicious soups and desserts made by our volunteers.

Pick #2

THE MUSICAL ADVENTURES OF FLAT STANLEY

Boston Children’s Theatre: Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA

March 7 at 2 pm
March 8 at 2 pm and 4 pm
March 14 at 2 pm and 4 pm
March 15 at 2 pm

Where will Flat Stanley travel next?

From Hollywood to Paris to Hawaii and back, THE MUSICAL ADVENTURES OF FLAT STANLEY will take audiences on a whirlwind journey filled with infectious songs, laughter and fun!

With a book by Timothy Allen McDonald, writer of Willy Wonka and James and the Giant Peach, FLAT STANLEY is one adventure you won’t want to miss! Bring your own Flat Stanley to the theater and join our BCT cast for this rollicking musical journey!

Approximate Running Time: 60 minutes with no intermission.

Click this link to purchase tickets and read more!

Pick #3

Chinese New Year in Harvard Square

READ ALL ABOUT IT BY CLICKING HERE!

Come celebrate Chinese New Year in Harvard Square! 2015 is the year of the Goat and the 60th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Restaurant. As usual, Massachusetts Avenue from the Hong Kong to Yenching will be festooned with red and gold lanterns hanging from our wrought iron lampposts as we prepare for a grand Chinese New Year procession through Harvard Square and our cultural “Open House” at the Hong Kong!

Schedule of Activities

1:00 pm Lion Dance Parade assembles on Brattle Plaza followed by parade to the Hong Kong along Brattle Street to Massachusetts Avenue

12:00 pm – 3:00pm Arts and crafts on the 2nd floor of the Hong Kong

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Performances. Lantern Riddles and prizes on the 3rd floor of the Hong Kong

In addition, at 11am, children 6 and under are invited to join Harvard Museum of Natural History staff for Nature Story Time – Chinese New Year. Nature Storytime Sundays occur each Sunday at 11am. Enjoy stories and poems designed to engage the next generation of explorers with themes related to the museum’s galleries. The museum is free to Massachusetts residents, with ID, every Sunday from 9am until noon.

With Friends Like These

Posted on March 4, 2015March 3, 2015 by Nichole S.

Well, with a friend like this….

I had a really good friend once…actually not very long ago at all…but then, one freezing cold, grey winter day (yesterday), he decided it would be fun to start sending texts…all day long…from beachfront establishments in Key West, Florida.

So, obviously, we are friends no more.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for posting vacation photos on your Facebook page or Instagram or whatnot…where people have the choice to look long and hard..or ignore all together…but TEXTS…come on, seriously.

Why you got to be so cruel?

What makes it worse…if possible…is that this friend has a somewhat unlimited supply of something that I covet a great deal…TIME.

Don’t get me wrong, when he works, he works really hard….but, when he’s off…his days stretch out before him like a long story waiting to be written. Actually, if I’m being honest, maybe more like a movie (If you’re thinking The Hangover, you’re probably on the mark).

The photos alone were malicious enough, but the comments that accompanied them were plain old spiteful.

Things like:

“I was going to come home tomorrow, but I don’t think so”

“Tough day…can’t you see my drink is empty”

“Morning Coffee. On the beach.”

“Made a move, my new view”

“Holding down the fort.”

“Taking one for the team.”

“4 pounds of stone crab claws…sorry I forgot to send a pic”

“Text later. Going for a swim.”

“Think I’m going to hang in for another week or so. I’m up for the challenge.”

Did I mention that Key West, Florida is one of my all-time favorite places?

I’m going to miss my friend. But not his texts. 😉

Be well. Or, as he would say, “See you out there. Good game.”

Why Did I Wait So Long?

Posted on March 3, 2015March 2, 2015 by Nichole S.

Sadly, Christmas morning came and went and Santa had not left me a Suzy Kuzy. So, I became resolute to order one for myself.

But, I forgot.

An exceptionally cold day at the hockey rink was all it took for me to come home one day last week and order one up!

It is even better than I imagined it would be.

So, now, the only question is… Why in the world did I wait so long?

Hockey moms, I suggest you order yours NOW for next season!

Pick your color here….. pick your refreshment later. #SuzyKuzy

Any Day Now

Posted on March 2, 2015March 1, 2015 by Nichole S.

Anyone want to make a guess as to when this car will hitting the open road again?

Worlds Collide

Posted on March 1, 2015March 1, 2015 by Nichole S.

Do you know what’s awesome? Going out in this great little community to celebrate the happiness of two friends and, in doing so, spending a fantastic night out with such a wide variety of acquaintances…that your head kind of spins with giddiness.

I taught a 9-hour class to my grown-up students yesterday, went home to have a quick dinner with my husband and boys, and then went back out to celebrate a great rite of passage with some friends.

While incredibly happy for them…by the end of the evening I also felt quite happy for me. In that little establishment…within a few hours time…I was lucky enough to have laughs (and some tears…because sometimes that happens) with some old friends, new friends, blog friends, hockey friends, bar friends, father’s friends, husband’s friends…and even several members of my husband’s family. Worlds collide…and I’m a lucky girl to have so many people whom I consider wonderful and special…and randomly happened to see in one evening. Ok…enough sappy.

But…in all seriousness…. Do you know what else is awesome?

People who don’t want to exclusively talk about themselves, but are eagerly and honestly looking to learn and engage to find out more about others. Random, I realize. However, true. While I love to talk and solidly lie on the extrovert side of the ball field, I am also passionate about meeting people and learning about what makes them different from everyone else…what they love….what they hope to do…and what they consider special. So…refreshing (and kind of endearing) to spend some time last night listening to someone who likes to do the same. I got such a kick out of a newish friend by listening to him chat up people (including myself) to learn more about them. Maybe I’m off the mark….maybe he’s writing a book. But I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and think…kudos for being a good guy who might agree that your life grows more wonderful by meeting and knowing as many diverse and interesting people as possible.

I was asked a few times last night, “So what do you write about on the blog?” and….while I’m not always sure how to answer that….today I’ll say, “I write about things that make me think or make me smile.” I did a lot of both last night.

Happy Sunday, friends.

Thank You, Grand Isle

Posted on February 27, 2015February 26, 2015 by Nichole S.

There have been some great posts (and gorgeous photos) about the USCG Cutter Grand Isle, its years of service, and the fact that it was decommissioned earlier this week.

This may sound silly, but here in Rockport, at our tiny little home, it was sad news.

My boys have loved that vessel since they could both say, “boat.” The several months that the Grand Isle left us back in 2011 for an overhaul in Baltimore were loooong months for Thatcher and Finn. Such a quirky thing, but they missed her presence in the harbor greatly.

Grown-ups do coffee runs…. Thatcher and Finn have asked me to do boat runs for as long as I can remember. I’ve written about this before, so forgive me if you read it, but for YEARS now, no matter the season, we have been doing the tour. “The tour?” You may ask. Well, it goes like this…. some time in the parking lot of Cape Ann Marina to see the shrink wrapped boats, or a drive by the docks to see those in the water, down the boulevard, past the Fishermen’s Wives Statue, a quick sit at the Man at the Wheel to watch whatever traffic may be going in or out of the harbor, through the fort, past St. Peter’s Square, check on some of the fishing fleet, look for the Privateer, check on the Lannon, down Washington Street to Harbor Loop, count the Coast Guard inflatables and grey 47-footers, see who is docked behind Captain Carlos, down to Cape Ann Whale Watch to see the Hurricane, and then on to the their Disney….The State Fish Pier. Each and every time…upon driving past Pratty’s, the boys would declare, “I think the Grand Isle is in!” or “I think the Grand Isle is out!” “What do you think, Mom?” They’d make me drive crazy slow to let the anticipation build until the nose of our Jeep would peak past the Environmental Police building to catch a glimpse…or not…of the mighty Grand Isle. It took a couple of years for them to realize that if they would just look up (at high tide anyway) they could see her yellow tower rising from the harbor…hence giving her away.

Thatcher, in particular, has been somewhat obsessed with the Coast Guard as a whole for years. I’ll never forget the day he was standing forever peering at the boats through the fence at Solomon Jacobs Park until a new hero, Petty Officer Bowen, came over and invited him into the fenced in area for a tour. Oh my, the smile! Petty Officer Bowen later shared with me, that having grown up in Chatham, he used to spend hours doing the very same thing. Kindred spirits, those two. I’m not sure he’s aware of the little fire that was lit in Thatcher that day. But I’m incredibly thankful for it.

As the love affair continued there would be more tours of the Coast Guard Station and vessels at Harbor Loop, a Coast Guard hat for his birthday, a Coast Guard shirt that reads, “Schrafft” and the year “2025”….as in the year Thatcher would be eligible for the academy, Coast Guard patches, and even a Coast Guard Halloween costume (loved that!). And then….there was the tour of the Grand Isle.

The boys couldn’t even believe their good fortune. They looked forward to the day for a couple of weeks….and then clammed up like crazy in the midst of all of the excitement….but, talked about it relentlessly for months afterwards. (Thanks, Cousin Rob!) They were so little then….yet, so in love with that boat.

As a parent, you never really know what your children will become passionate about. We have clocked hours sitting in the parking lot of the State Fish Pier just looking at the Grand Isle. During winter months, the boys would sip their hot chocolate after hockey practice. Summer months….there’d be smoothies. On so many of those days, my dad would happen to call and get a good chuckle upon asking, “What are you guys up to?” only to find out that we were sitting looking at her ….again.

I wouldn’t trade a single one of those seconds that I spent wondering who thought I was stalking them as we sat in front of her bow. I was always keenly aware that surely there was someone up in the pilot house thinking, “Yikes. There’s that Jeep again.” I was happiest when I could put the windows down so that the boys would be visible in the back seat.

So, Thank You, Grand Isle. Thank you for helping me foster something wonderful in my boys. Thank you for helping to spark their interest and for being the impetus for many valuable lessons. I know at least two little boys who will miss seeing you sit proud and strong in our waters.