Graduation!

Dahlia went home and Mom and Dad arrived.  They stayed for a long weekend to celebrate graduation with me.  While they were in town we also managed to see some sights.

Mom and Dad hiking up Prospect Hill

The Lady Slippers were really coming out!

The three of us spent the day around Harvard Square.  The first stop was LA Burdick for some really awesome (and rich!) hot chocolate :o)

We spent this afternoon dodging raindrops and found shelter in the Harvard Museum of Natural History. 

 

It was a fabulous museum!  I couldn't even get my folks to leave the mineralogy room!

Some of my favorite guys

Dinner at Border Cafe before the Harvard Ghost Tour.  The rain saved itself for the middle of the tour, of course!

Mom and Dad spent the next day at Plimoth Plantation.  In the evening they came home to an "Italian" dinner.

Graduation day!  These are the other CPD Master students who walked. 

Commencement was at Framingham's Village Green, and the weather was perfect! This ceremony was only for graduate students. The undergraduate commencement was later in the day.

Mr. Interim President

If you ever wondered what to give a dietitian, here is a special gift indeed ;o)

Me with Dr. N and Janet, the two professors who had the biggest impact on me. It will be strange to no longer be a student :o(  I will really miss being on campus!

We celebrated with an Indian dinner in Lexington.  Bo joined us, too!

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for coming out!  Now off to San Diego I go!

125th Anniversary

This past weekend I attended my congregation's 125th anniversary celebration dinner.  It was a time to reflect on how much I appreciate being a part of such a  strong, supportive, and loving community.

Pastor Maehl as the MC. 

The Son's of Italy Loge.

During the event, certain "artifacts" from the church's history were put on display.  I contributed a very special bible that belonged to Grandpa.  I didn't even know the bible existed until after I had been attending First Lutheran for several months.  Dad had found it on his bookshelf and called me on the phone asking for the name of the church I had been frequenting.  Turns out it was the same church that had given the bible to Grandpa while he was in Cambridge for training during the war (he was living in Southern CA at the time).  I don't know if Grandpa ever came to First Lutheran or if First Lutheran came to servicemen and distributed these New Testament bibles.  Regardless, the bible carries special meaning to me. 

Grandpa's bible, from the First Lutheran Church in Waltham.

Reinhold Carlson (far left) is the only current member of the church who could have known Grandpa.  He was baptized at First Lutheran and would have been around in April 1943.

Blast from the past

Dahlia had to head back home to sunny, scorching California this morning.  She ended up splitting her time between me (while her brother was at work) and her brother (while I was in meetings).  That worked out well logistically but I wish she could have stayed longer! 

On Sunday Dahlia and her brother, Carl, joined me at church to celebrate the congregation's 125th anniversary.  In honor of the event, the service incorporated some traditional hymns and psalms, which was really interesting.  It would be fun to do that more often!  After the service the three of us drove down to visit the USS Constitution for some sightseeing.

Dahlia and her brother, Carl, at the USS Constitution

 

We made a quick stop at the Bunker Hill Monument.  After all these years living in MA I didn't know it was possible to climb it to the top!  This was a bit of a thrill because for some reason I really love climbing monuments.

Bunker Hill Monument

A view from the top

Carl is an actual cowboy (I must say the only one I know) and after joining the air force he ended up getting stationed at Hanscom AFB.  Although Boston is quite different from Wyoming and the rodeo, one perk is being able to park at the naval base in the North End for free!  

Navigating a giant truck through Charlestown's narrow, winding streets.

The special lobster menu at the Bell in Hand Tavern, est. 1795.  Having a lobster grilled cheese and a lobster roll with my good friend => *died and gone to heaven*

Yesterday Dahlia and I took a little trip to Salem for some witchy fun.  We also stuck in some nerdy fun as we stopped by the Peabody Essex Museum. 

 
It was about 30 degrees cooler than it was two days ago at the USS Constitution. Note: coat, hat, and gloves!
 
Lunch at a really great diner in downtown Salem: Red's Sandwich Shop

This morning Dahlia and I took a little walk through Prospect Hill Park

Due to the more seasonable weather, the lady slipper orchids are out later this year compared to previous Springs.  These are the first flowers of the year!

I didn't know Prospect Hill has been hiding a monkey all this time!

 

I'll miss having Dahlia here!  Hopefully it won't be 8 more years before I see her again!

The light has arrived!

The past few months have been particularly difficult, trying to wrap up projects, exams, papers, my internship, and studying for my oral exam.  Apparently I am the only MS student at my clinical facility (in over 30 years!) that has taken their oral exam in the same semester as the clinical rotation.  My other option would have been to take the exam over the summer and delay graduation until August or December.  Well, my goal was to graduate this month.  I was very worried this was a bad idea because a friend of mine who had studied since October and had organized lots of study groups had failed just the week earlier.  In comparison, I only had about 3 weeks to study...  It didn't look good but on Wednesday I took the 75 min oral exam in front of a panel of 3 professors.  They represented Medical Nutrition Therapy, Human Nutrition Science/Adv Biochemistry, and Public Health/Community Nutrition.  As tough as it was I answered enough questions well enough to let me pass.  Thank goodness!

The next big reasons to celebrate was reaching the end of my semester-long clinical internship, which was mentally and emotionally challenging.  The past 4 and a half months slowly ticked by... and yesterday was my last day :o)  When it was time to go I left without turning back and on my way home swung by Hanscom AFB to pick up a childhood best friend, Dahlia, who is in the area visiting her brother.  Dahlia and I met in kindergarten and were great friends since 3rd grade.  It has been so wonderful catching up with her! Seth cooked a celebratory lasagna last night and this morning she and I went to yoga together.  After 17 years there is lots to talk about! 

Course wrap up

I am feeling surprisingly happy-sad that yesterday I had my final classes as a student.  As much as I am ready to graduate (finally!), I do love being on campus, studying in the library, getting to know professors and classmates, reading textbooks, etc.  I will NOT miss, however, group projects, weekend exams, checking discussion boards every day, and certain aspects of internships.  Unfortunately now that my seminars are over all I have to look forward to between now and graduation is a big presentation on Thursday for the Massachusetts Dietetics Association, my comprehensive oral exam, and 4 weeks of continuous staff relief at my clinical nutrition site... :o(  I'd rather be in the classroom...

Luckily I can still try to pretend to be a student and spend afternoons at Brandeis.  Brandeis has many more activities and events than FSU, however since I am not really a student there it isn't quite the same.

If I really miss being a student I can always go back for a fifth round: UNC--> ANU--> Brandeis (non-enrolled)--> FSU--> ??
Hopefully before that happens I can find a meaningful job that I can be proud of! 

A Spring Mix

This is technically my spring break, so although I have quite a bit to get accomplished before I graduate in 2 months, I really wanted to make my working vacation as interesting as possible.
I started Spring Break off with a quick trip to NC.  My original plan involved a long weekend in Raleigh after New Years but a nor'easter postponed my itinerary.  At least coming in March I managed to overlap my stay with my brother and his family by one day.  It was great to see them. 

Brunch with Mom, Dad, Andrew's family and Jen's sister, Adrienne, and her husband, Andrew (yes, both sisters married an Andrew!)

Carter enjoying his bento box at Cowfish, the restaurant that specializes in sushi-hamburger fusion.  Seriously.

With the exception of the day I arrived and the day I left, which were sunny and warm (as can be expected), the days in between were drizzly, dark, and chilly.  Public schools across the state were even closed for one full day due to ice, which melted by 11am.  I won't comment on this.

Thursday night I returned to Waltham, only to leave with Seth Friday morning for Maine.  We hadn't spent time in ME so it was great at least to see the southern part of the state, if even for a quick overnight trip.  Starting in Salisbury, MA, we took the long, scenic road (Routes 1A and 103) along the coast all the way to Ogunquit. 

Nubble Light House near York, Maine

After checking in to our hotel, we tried to take a walk in the Wells National Estuarine Nature Reserve, but a stiff wind and snowy, slushy trails kept us from getting very far. (We still managed to walk about 2 miles.)  It was quite a change from the 70 degree temperature in Raleigh the day before.

Wells National Estuarine Nature Reserve

A frozen marsh

Wedding Cake House, Kennebunk, ME

After the "hike" we stopped for dinner at a classic Maine diner, The Maine Diner.  It became famous after it was featured on the TV show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  You wouldn't have guessed it was so popular with travelers; since it is the off season all we saw were locals.  I must have stood out like a sore thumb carrying travel guides under my arm to read :P

A chowder sampler: seafood chowder, she-crab chowder, and clam chowder. 

Seth with his lovely salmon pie

We intended to spend our morning run on Marginal Way, which is a paved walking path along the seashore.  It was still covered in deep snow and ice, so we didn't get too far...

Snowy Marginal Way

 

 
...so we instead found a quiet road through some woods and neighborhoods.  I think many of these roads are quite congested during the hustle and bustle of the summer months, which only really last from July 4th through mid-August.  Many of the homes seemed like they have been abandoned all winter, which shouldn't be surprising considering many of the shops and restaurants are still closed for the season, too.

Many of the houses are still decorated for Christmas.  I think Winter lasts 10 months in Maine.

Running in Ogunquit, ME

Three things Maine has plenty of: 1) snow 2) trucks 3) lobstermen.  See the lobster cages?

Ogunquit is famous for its 3.5 mile sandy beach.  I saw pictures of it completely packed with sunbathers in the summer.  Only a few rugged strollers and a handful of surfers are out these days!

Downtown Ogunquit

Why such a slender house?

After a quick lentil lunch at the hotel, we headed home.  Along the way on Route 1, we unexpectedly passed the When Pigs Fly company store.  We actually turned around to check it out.  Besides the tour buses, it was a nice bread-filled diversion, for sure!