Dad and Benjamin in Boston!

My dad and brother are here!!! We've been having a blast going around Boston - it's always fun showing my city off. I discover something new every time!

First, a few photos from earlier in the week and then the past few days of their visit:

Oh a whim, I stopped into Darul Kebab and got some veggie samosas and garlic naan - DELICIOUS and cheap (all this food for $8)

Latest literary endeavor

Trying out a new look - what do y'all think?

Cheesecake in a cup! I was craving cheesecake and lucky for me I had all the ingredients and made up a recipe that turned out pretty tasty:

~

3 tbsp cream cheese, 1 egg, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 (heaping) tbsp Nutella, 1 tbsp sour cream

Mix well in large mug (I used my immersion blender), cook in microwave until done in 30 second increments

Chill in fridge for an hour (or freezer for 20-30 minutes if you're impatient like me)

Top with crumbled graham cracker and strawberries

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Taking a relaxing ride with Andy

Rooftop BBQ with Niraj and Lawrence - they have an awesome view

Straight up chillaxin

NOMS

Niraj - proud of his work :)

Gorgeous suset

FINALLY - I know this isn't a huge deal, but I've been working for months to get my average score over 250,000 lol

Dad and Benjamin finally here!

First stop, the Museum of Science

Shocking themselves

The Sorcerer 

*cheese*

Learning all about electricity and currents

Van de Graaff generator (creates the electric current)

Tornado time

Sibling love :)

Enjoying his time in the space pod

Benjamin's favorite part of the museum :)

Sleepy boys on the bus home

Little mister enjoying his morning cup of coffee

Silly morning faces

:)

Lunch in Chinatown at Hong Kong Eatery 

Absolutely PHENOMENAL roast duck - Dad was sooooooooo happy 

Benjamin loved his vegetable lo mein

And I had Chinese sausage and roast pork over rice - delicious!

After that lunch, we needed to do something relaxing to let our food settle...what better way to do that than to ride the Swan Boats?

:)

Gorgeous day

The actual swans

Followed by dessert at Max Brenner - Benjamin got the kid's pizza

...while Daddio opted for the molten chocolate cake

Chowin' down

Rounded out the day with a stop into the Boston Public Library

Yesterday we visited the USS Constitution

He was SO EXCITED to explore the boat!

Benjamin got an American flag that's been flown on the USS Constitution (which can only be purchased on the boat!)

Parting shot

Benjamin is soooooooo happy we're finally getting lunch (you'd think he hadn't eaten in days)

Dad and Sam La'Grassa 

Today was a low key day - I had an appointment and errands to run this morning and then we checked out B&G Oysters. Dad and I had watched this show on Netflix called "The Best Food Ever" and this place was listed on the episode about sandwiches...of course I had to try it :)

A bright and refreshing interior

Loved the unique light fixtures

Had to get the lobster roll (featured on the show) - it was AMAZING. Light and lemony, with house-made pickles and slaw, crisp hot fries....om nom nom it was soooooooooo gooooooooood...

So much more to see and do! Can't wait to show you all what happens the rest of the trip :)

Superhero Scramble!

Yesterday I, along with CJ, Mark, and Mathew, did the Superhero Scramble...a 4+ MILE race with over 20 OBSTACLES. Let me tell you - it was BRUTAL. Not only is a course like that challenging enough, but after all the rain from Tropical Storm Andrea that came the night before, it was nothing but a huge muddy mess...

The course was set up at Amesbury Sports Park*

Killer way to start a race - straight up a hill, straight back down, and straight up again (way to tire you out at the very beginning)*

First obstacle - climb up, over, and down again*

Alley-oop!*

Another obstacle - making it across the water pit (that turned into a mud pit) without falling in...I fell in...and for any obstacle you couldn't complete, you had to do 10 "Super Spins" (classic put-your-forehead-on-the-baseball-bat-and-spin) and then 10 burpees*

I made it through this one without falling into the mud pit!*

Other obstacles included running through tires, army-crawling through mud pits under *real* barbed wire, scaling 8 ft walls, jumping off 15 ft ledges into mud pits (I was too scared for that one - I absolutely hate heights), and climbing up ropes...

The group pre-race (me, CJ, Mathew, and Mark). Note the *white* shirt

Super stoked!

Post-race...note the now *brown* shirt

We KILLED that course!

Showering down post-race - that water was COLD

So happy we made it through!

The absolutely awful sunburn I got - don't worry Mom, Madeline already scolded me for not wearing sunscreen. Yes it still hurts, even after loading up on aloe and ibprofen :(

What a great way to spend a Saturday! I'm so proud I made it through the course! I definitely plan on doing it again...next time I'll train more beforehand though!

*these images taken from the Superhero Scramble Facebook page

Get the grill and tank tops out!

SUMMER IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so I know that it's technically still spring, but we *finally* got the summer heat we've been waiting for since...April. Virtually overnight it went from being in the 60's to being in the 90's. I spent all of Thursday packing away my winter clothes and pulling out my summer staples, I've installed my window A/C unit, and today I had my first ice cream cone of the season (see below for photo evidence).

I also went home for the long weekend and got to hang out with my family (always good!) and see my good friend Lacey and her brand new baby, Donovan! Unfortunately I lost my phone over the course of my Friday night out with my sister, so I don't have nearly as many photos as I'd like to have to share with you.

Before I share my photos from this week, I'd like you to mosey on over to my food [blog] - I've got some great recipes on there and I'm going to write my first official restaurant review as soon as I'm done with this post!

He's Not Here (Emily and Madeline College Haunts Bar Crawl 2013)

What used to be Kildaire's...

East End

The Crunkleton 

Meeting Donovan!

My little brother feeding the new baby

Isn't he precious?!?

Great afternoon at The Bywater in Asheville hanging out with Lacey and her husband Justin, baby Donovan, and even Evan, an old high school friend of mine and Lacey's :)

Broke out the grill this week - Andy grilled steaks (to perfection), squash, and avocados - YUM.

Breakfast of champions (and nothing left in the pantry) - chocolate chip pancakes

What do y'all think? Time for some new houseshoes? 

On Thursday I went out with Han and James to grab some froyo. Normally I load up on chocolaty flavors and toppings, but I was feeling fruity, so I opted for strawberry and vanilla with fresh fruit toppings.

I love waking up to sunlight streaming into my bedroom

I recently subscribed to the New York Times (Living Social Deal - 8 weeks for $1!) and came across this 'recipe' (can you call something with 2 ingredients a recipe?)

Had to try it myself - a 'poor man's sangria' (red wine with a splash of coke)

Friday I headed out for a much-needed girls' night. We grabbed dinner and drinks at Coda

Then headed over to Clery's for more drinks (that's me, Sarah, other Emily, and Loren)

Today Andy convinced me to grab lunch at Mike's - a joint in Davis Square I'd never tried before. Decent pizza, good prices, and outdoor seating - can't go wrong with that combo :)

After lunch, I headed over to babysit (4 kiddos!) for some church friends. I got slobbered on by the wee one, but it's ok...he's cute ;-)

And lastly....that heavenly first lick of one of summer's best treats documented here...unfortunately I'm a hot mess and got it all down my chin and shirt... Follow me on Instagram [here] so you don't miss out on any pictures!

Lots going on this week...and my dad and brother are coming to visit me soon! Can't wait to show you those pictures :)