Flowing water...

Newburyport, MA is one of the most beautiful cities in New England and I am thankful every day that I live here. I can literally see water, boats, and bridges from my back door and my back deck overlooks a beautiful park where kids run, dogs fetch, and teenagers play softball.  This morning I woke up extra early and took a walk. I live right on the “Rail Trail”, a new path for bikers, joggers, dog walkers, etc. Since the sun finally came out, I wanted to capture the early morning sun on the river. It has the ability to cast beautiful shadows of the two bridges onto the water as well.  Newburyport, although it is jam packed with tourist from now until October, makes for a beautiful setting for an aspiring photographer like myself. 

This is what I look out and see from my back deck every morning. Life is good.

The old railroad bridge that connected Newburyport & Salisbury

A view from underneath the Rt.1 bridge, that now connects Salisbury & Newburyport

The most amazing woman I know...

MY MOM.

Today my mother was honored by the YWCA as one of the most influential women in the Merrimack Valley. She was one of 29 women honored today at the Andover Country Club in front of her friends, coworkers, family, and community. My mother has been to hell and back in order to make a good life for her family and it is so amazing to see others in the community recognize her passion of helping others. 

She raised five children as a single mother, she stood by my 4 siblings and me as we buried our father, she fought and won in her battle against breast cancer, and now she raises her twin 5-year-old grandchildren.  She has done all of this while being a staple in the community as the Breast Care Coordinator at Lawrence General Hospital, where she has spent 20 years of her nursing career.  She has done all she could for others and has never asked for anything in return.  Today was her big thank you.

She was so proud to show off her daughters and husband to her coworkers today and I along with my two sisters were thrilled to be there in support. 

My mom & my stepdad Ray. He is a SAINT! Who else would ever put up
with all of us women!?!

(Left to Right) Theresa, my beautiful 22 year old baby sister who will graduate 

from UML in December with her Bachelors in Nursing. Next in my amazing

Penny, then me. Finally, my younger sister Liz who just got married and is 

her first child in July.

My New Friends...

Who says they need to be humans?

Today was my second day at the new job. I still felt a little out of place, but I guess that is normal considering the last family I worked for has basically become my family. I spent a lot of time with the youngest today. She's very sweet, although she did bite me and left a mark on my leg. I've gotten really used to playing Batman & Robin, but today I played princesses and I loved it. I made some friends and here they are...

I also made another friend in the last few days, her name is Charlotte. She is an 11yr old Boarder Collie and absolutely loves to lay next to me while I hang out with the girls. Tonight my boss asked me to walk her before I left. I couldn't get out the door fast enough with her. Maybe I should just become a professional dog walker...they don't talk back.

                            

When one door closes...

...another usually opens.

This morning I passed in my last final and headed on my way. This should have been a relief, right? I guess when you go back to college in your late 20's and work full-time, getting out of school for the summer just isn't what it used to be. Today was also my first day at my new job. Talk about overloaded and overwhelmed! Before I arrived at work to greet 3 young girls who I will spend the summer with, I needed a breather.  There is one particular place I go to when I need to decompress and clear my head; Joppa Flats in Newburyport. There is a long wall to sit on overlooking the water with a clear view of Plum Island and Newburyport. I took a moment for myself and enjoyed the beautiful spring day.

Joppa Flats, Newburyport

See you soon...

For almost 2 years now I have been the Nanny to Luc & Miles (below). Yesterday was my last day. I knew it would be an emotional one, so I tried to make it as enjoyable as possible. After class I picked them up and we drove to the Boston Children's Museum. They were so excited, but didn't really get why it was going to be such a special day. We had a blast at the museum and returned home with giant smiles. Although tears were shed at the end of the day, I know that they will be a part of my life forever. They are my little men.

April showers bring May flowers...

...unless it rains all of May too! 

I have it in my head that it is going to be sunny and get progressively warmer as the days go on, but in all reality it's going to rain for the majority of this coming week. The weather forecast shows highs in the 50's and lots of rain until Thursday. I'm not sure about anyone else, but this really affects my mood and not in a good way. There is something about the sun and warm weather that puts a smile on my face and spending the day outside today with Luc & Miles (the boys I Nanny for) is an absolute tease! I saw these beautiful flowers today and thought I should share in hopes that it might brighten everyone's week. Enjoy :)

The sun finally came out!

Cadi in front on the old Railroad Bridge in Newburyport, MA

This is Acadia, or Cadi for short. She has been very upset about the rain and cold weather these last few weeks and was so excited on Friday when she realized we were going for a walk. We live in Newburyport along the Rail Trail, which runs along the Merrimack River and through the town.  It was 75, sunny and we had a great time. She'll be 11 years old in June, so she can't really handle the long hot walks anymore, but she tries her best. We walked for about an hour and after a quick dip in the river she passed out for the rest of the day.

Sleepy Pup