Barny had never been to American before, so to introduce him to it - we did loads of fun stuff!

People keep asking me what sorts of things we did - so I’m just going to give a day by day list.

Friday Sept 18 - picked him up at the airport, and we stopped at Trader Joe’s where we bought nine bottles of wine.  Eek!

Then, we drove back to Leominster and picked up a burrito from Tory’s.  Went home, ate, and went to bed around 9ish.  It was 2am his time - and I’d been going to bed early since I’ve been waking up early for work.

Saturday was going to be a rest day, but Barny was anxious to get out and about.  We went to Concord, MA for a picnic lunch, and then went to the deCordova sculpture park in Lexington.

Then we went to Jenny’s house in New Hampshire for a cookout and camp fire!  It was a lot of fun - and we sat outside staying warm by the fire.  Barny and I kept switching places so our sides would take turns being warm.

Sunday we left for Lake Winnipesaukee where our friend Bennie has a home in Wolfeboro.

We got there about 4pm, because Barny and I have a history of getting late starts.   We immediately went for a walk with Bennie downtown and to see the lake.  And we got ice cream!

Bennie and I were dressed in a matching nautical theme.

Back at the house, Bennie made us dinner while Barny and I watched How I Met Your Mother (Robin and Barney!!)

Monday morning, Barny woke up super early and wanted to walk downtown to get coffee.  I was exhausted (lazy), and decided to stay in bed and sleep more. This would mark the first and only time Barny was out of bed before me.  Later, after having delicious bagels for breakfast, we packed up lunch and headed down to the beach.  It was gorgeous out, and even warm enough to go in the water.

Monday night we went out for a very nice Mexican dinner, and then went home and watched Lars and the Real Girl.

Tuesday morning we lounged around, did laundry, and headed back home after lunch. Tuesday was the Fitchburg primary election, so I had to go home and vote.  Then, at 7:30, I had seminar at the college.  My dad took Barny out to the Boulder for a beer.  There, they watched the election results live, where I got 7th place out of 11.  At 10, I met them at Destare where Barny met Niles!

Wednesday morning Barny and I went to the Moran Square Diner for breakfast.  It was delicious.  Then we headed into Boston for a day of exploring.  Trevor emailed me a list of things to do while there.  While in Downtown Crossing, we ran into Nora Brown and she brought us to an amazing restaurant.  I got a piece of pizza the size of bigger than my head for only $2.86.

Barny’s was a bit smaller than mine, but he finished what I couldn’t eat of mine.

We did a bit of shopping, wandering around, and tried (and failed) to do the Freedom Trail (Barny and I are awful organized tourists.  But we have fun.).

The State House.  The tiny bit of the Freedom Trail we managed.

In Boston Garden.

We went to the MIT museum where we saw some WILD stuff!  Barny took some amazing photographs.

For dinner, Barny and I went to Elephant & Castle, a British pub chain.  It was absolutely amazing.  The food was fabulous (especially the sweet potato fries and dipping sauce), and the service was great.  Plus, I had bought a gift certificate for $25 on Restaurant.com for $1!!!!  I recommend buying a certificate of your own (they’re always on sale - right now they’re 80% off!), and going if you’re in the area.  It’s right in Downtown Crossing.

At Downtown Crossing, I tried on a pair of four inch heels at Marshalls.  I made Barny take a picture of us standing together.  I’m amazed at how much taller he is than me even with these heels on (he’s 6′2″, I’m 5′5″).  They were so tall, I couldn’t properly walk in them.

Wednesday night was Sean Daley’s Open Mic Night at Hooligans.  Barny went on at midnight, and it was awesome.  Niles was there with his friend Diane, and Bria came, too.

Thursday we slept in late (having gone to bed at 2am).  Then we went to the Salvation Army where Barny stocked up on awesome thrift store finds.  I also got a cute denim Gap skirt to wear in the winter with boots and leggings.  Then I cut Barny’s hair (cause that’s one of my hobbies).

Thursday night, we went to another open mic night, this time at the Rabbit Hole.  My friend Bria organizes one there, and Barny played again.  This time, I got the whole set recorded on video, and Bria recorded the sound on her laptop.  When I get those up and running, I’ll post them. Mom and dad even showed up since they missed Barny at Hooligans (bottom left of photo).

Immediately after the open mic, we drove to Danvers, MA to visit Maria.  We stayed up until 2am (again) and played Wii tennis, where everyone avoided me, and made fun of the way I swung the remote (as if I was an insane person swatting away a bee).  I picked Barny up to show off my super-human strength.  He thought it was crazy, but I showed him by doing squats with him on my back.

We also cooked s’mores, which Barny had never had. They were delicious, and cooked properly over an open flame.

We drank wine, too.

And played with Maria’s cat, Betty.

Barny and I stayed over Maria and Kevin’s, and continued to have adventures.

To be continued. . .

And walk places, don’t drive!

I need new glasses.  I saw these ones and immediately fell in love with them.

They have little fake diamonds!!! (and they’d only cost about $50 with my new health insurance)

Thoughts?

I am just now entering my third week at the Hospice House.  So far, I really like it.  Although I am working with patients who are dying, and about ten of my patients have already died, I do enjoy it.

This is the house.

This is the area where the nurses and social workers do their paper work and congregate.

The desk on the left is the receptionist desk.  Every visitor needs to sign in and out.  Notice all the pretty flowers and plants?  We get them donated by a local funeral home.

In the kitchen, there’s a side for the kitchen staff, and a side of everyone else.  There is free coffee and tea for everyone, and they are constantly making treats.  So far I’ve had brownies, oatmeal apricot cookies, M&M cookies, banana bread, and lasagna.  I’ve been told by nurses that I will gain five pounds.

The dining area outside of the kitchen.  Both patients, their families and staff eats here.

There are a lot of plants and sun throughout the whole house.

This is the praying room.  It’s not really called that, but it looks like it should be.  There is stained glass, a nice fountain, and NO crosses.  That way, no one is made uncomfortable.

This is the living room.  Sorry it’s blurry.  There’s a gas fireplace that is on during the winter.

We have a piano and guitar for anyone to use. Off of the living room, there’s a patio.  There’s a gas grille that patients can use to have cookouts.

Each patient also has their own private patio off of their room.

Inside their room, there is the patient’s bed (lower left), and a pull out couch for loved ones to stay the night. They also have a private bathroom, and a small fridge for food.  Families are encouraged to spend as much time at the house as they’d like.

It is a very wonderful place.  I would love to work there because I would never hate going into work.  It feels like a second home.  Not only because it looks like a home, but because everyone who works there is very nice, and they say I fit in beautifully.

Plus, there are fresh baked cookies EVERY DAY!

Because of all the cancer nonsense in my life, I seem to be pretty immuno-compromised. I seem to always get sick, and I get sick for a LONG time.  It sucks.  Even now, after I’ve already been tested for strep throat, and I feel a bit better… I still wake up with a sore throat, and constantly cough up grossness. I’ve tried taking an allergy pill during the day; taking an allergy pill before bed; sleeping at a slant so I don’t have post nasal drip; rinsed out my sinuses with a neti pot…. and who knows what else.  None of it seems to work.  I’ve been on and off (mostly on) sick since I went to Oxford, England with Megan and Mac a month ago.

So of course, I am going to get a flu shot this season.  I got a regular flu shot last winter for the first time ever. I had never before fallen into the who should get a flu shot guidelines… I wasn’t a child or an elderly person, or a health care worker.  But now I fall into #4 - people with a chronic medical condition and #6a - health care workers.  Luckily, because I’m on staff at the Hospice House, they’re doing staff vaccine days!

oink.

As I’m nearing my adult years (aren’t I there yet??  I’m 25!), and getting on with my internship, I’m starting to think of my post-school life.  I will finally be able to have a full time job (the hospice people have mentioned several times about hiring me!!!!), and able to have money to move out.  I’m not sure I’d want to rent, especially if I can get a condo pretty cheap.

I’ve already found a condo that I’ve fallen in love with. 

It’s only $124,000 and with taxes and such, that’s about $800 for a two bedroom.  Let’s say I find a job I love, get married, and stay put.  I could stay in the condo even if I have a little baby since there are two bedrooms.  Even if I don’t have a baby, it’d still be a house I could stay in for several years.  And what are the chances that the house will be worth less than $124k in 5 years?  I know that condo fees suck, but I think my friend Brianne (who lives in the condo complex) said that there’s a recreational facility with a pool and such!

I’m taking this article from this blog I’ve stumbled upon, Quarter Life Finances.  Sounds like I should browse it a bit more, cause it’s right up my alley!  The part that makes sense to me the most is the fact that I couldn’t get a nice looking house in a good area for $124,000 - even IN Fitchburg.  Plus, this condo is in a great location - near the highway and close enough to grocery stores and downtown!  Plus, it’s a stones throw away from Coggshall Park, and my dentist’s office!

Reasons to move into a condo (or NOT a house):

1. Right now, they’re cheaper

2. I don’t have to worry about a lawn

3. I don’t have to worry about exterior repairs (generally) since most of those are taken care of under the HOA

4. The illusion of more safety (they’re usually in gated communities, more neighbors and less isolated)

5. No worrying about neighbors making the neighborhood look trashy….HOA won’t allow it! (Not that I’d worry too much about that)

Reasons to move into a house (or NOT a condo):

1. No HOA fees (they’ll never go down, only up)…I can apply that money to build equity

2. I can do whatever I want to the exterior of my house (if I want a hot pink house, I can have it!)

3. No assigned parking, I can park on my grass if I want!

4. No paper-thin walls (or loud neighbors, hopefully)

5. No HOA politics

This is obviously not an extensive list. For me, what it comes down to is availability. Like I said, I’m not completely against buying a house, but what is happening is that the only houses that are currently under $200,000 are either 1) tiny (and old), 2) in less desireable neighborhoods, and 3) Cash only offers since many of them either have illegal additions and would never pass a bank inspection, or for other reasons I can’t figure out. The BF would also point out the fact that all the houses I’m able to afford are in “old people neighborhoods”. But I don’t necessarily consider that a bad thing, lol. (Although I admit, I can’t afford any houses in the “hip” neighborhoods.)

As a single girl I am NOT going to move into an unsafe neighborhood for the sake of having a bigger house. Nor am I going to move out into the middle of the swamp in order to have a bigger house. I get so frustrated because this same thing comes up EVERY time my home search comes up. Maybe I’m being short-sighted, not thinking of the future, etc?

It also seems to me that as a first-time homebuyer…its kind of easier to ease into getting a condo since there are slightly less responsibilities. (Or is this a misperception of mine?) I wouldn’t have to worry about a lawn, painting my house when it starts to look dingy (or I can blame stuff on the HOA to cover up my laziness, lol), the main complex I’m looking at has a pool I can use without dealing with upkeep, as well as tennis courts. It just seems that much more convenient. However, they are right….I am giving up $300 of equity each month to enjoy these little perks.

I hang my head in shame because it’s been too long since I’ve blogged.

I’ve been very busy…. England, and then I was in Ohio for a week helping Dylan move to Cincinnati. And then I came home on a Monday and started my internship the very next day.

I’ve been at my internship for two whole weeks already.  So far, it’s been very good, and I enjoy it a lot.

Barny comes to visit on Friday!

Right now, I’m going to sit outside cause it’s 80 degrees out and I have nothing to do until 4:45!

I’ll try to write more later.  But things are good.