We went to Rockdale for about five days over Thanksgiving. We spend most of our time with Joel's mom, and we were able to spend time with both of his brothers. We even got to meet our new niece, Josie, in Dallas. She is precious and very, very sweet. While in Dallas, Joel was able to spend time with his Luke and Noah. We all played in the leaves; the boys had fun burying each other and jumping in the piles.
Most of Joel's extended family got together at his grandmother's house on Thanksgiving day. We had a nice gift exchange and a wonderful meal. We never go hungry when his family get's together! All of his cousins are married now so we were able to meet all of the spouses. Everyone is healthy and doing well!
Back at his mom's house, the girls took on making tamales while the boys watched endless football and basketball. We made chicken and pork tamales, and they were delicious! It's the first time any of us had made them, but it sure was fun. I enjoyed working on a project while sitting around chatting. We also went out to the farm and fed the cows. Jackson and Andrew seem to love the outdoors, and we all had a nice hike up the "mountain."
In early December, we learned we will be moving to Boston in June. Joel will be starting his Peds EM fellowship at Boston Children's. Last week we received the official letter offering him an Associate Professor of Pediatrics position. Wow! We've finally made it to last stage of this journey.
We had a great trip to Boston at the end of October when Joel interviewed. We were able to tour almost all of the Freedom Trail, and my favorite part was going to the Old North Church to see where Paul Revere's
lanters were placed. The city is full of so much history, and I'm looking forward to exploring it more once we move.
It turns out that crew is one of the biggest "sports" in the northeast. The Head of the Charles Regatta was happening the weekend we were there. We took the T out to Cambridge, toured Harvard and MIT, and then walked along the Charles River to watch the Regatta. It was a huge affair, where all kinds of people set up picnic areas to watch the race. There is a lingo we have never heard of, and we both decided we will have to study up.
While there, we also enjoyed a delicious dinner in Little Italy, where we swore we saw cigar lounges made just for the mafia. As we walked to our restaurant, we could hear lots of Italian being spoken on the streets. We twice visited an authentic Italian bakery and ate several cannolis. I also got Joel to have a dim sum brunch in Chinatown. I was so proud to be able to order dumplings and treats that I remembered from my trip this summer. The look on Joel's face was priceless! He even got brave and tried to order some things on his own, but neither one of us could eat them. After we left the restaurant, I told him what he actually ordered. :)
I've started the paperwork to transfer my teaching license, and I have applied at two different charter schools. The public schools won't post positions until February so I will have to wait a bit before the real job hunt begins. The hospital is located in Brookline (look west and a bit south on the map), and the T runs right out there so we will have easy access to most places. It's going to be a huge culture change, but it will be a fun adventure for us!
Today we went down to the Denver Museum of Art to see the King Tut exhibit. It was fascinating!! The actual coffins and mummy have never left Egypt, but we were able to see amazing busts, vessels, and statues - some of them had traces of the original colors. I just couldn't believe we were seeing original artifacts that are over 3000 years old.
On Tuesday we are heading to the ranch for Christmas. This will be the first time since we have moved to Denver that Joel and I are able to travel together for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will get to stay through the following Monday. I'm looking forward to our Christmas hunting and seeing my family. Hopefully, Joel and I will have some hunting luck, even though the weather will not be cooperating.
