Live Free

Saturday was officially, the First day of Fall. The weather has been cooling down a bit, I can finally break out my quilted jacket, the leaves are changing colors, jegging season (no no, Not jogging...jegging. yes, the stretchy pants) is right around the corner, and...the winds are changing. Can you feel it??!

I experienced an absolute first. I was mobbed in a Domino's, over pizza. We had just arrived in Boston and after dragging the boys all over kingdom come looking for Jacob's burger, we had admitted defeat at 2 AM. Unlike NY, apparently Boston shuts down early. In what I thought was a stroke of pure genius, I whipped out my phone and ordered three large pizzas. We sent the hungry boys home while the three girls hopped in a cab and rushed to Dominos. When we got there, the entire place was filled with groups of men, looking for pizza to sober up. Unknowingly we had ordered the last three pizzas, a fact that quickly reached the attention of the men. Lots of hands reached for those pizza boxes, as us three girls looked on with wide eyes. The Domino's lady had a firm grip on our pizza boxes, while men began making us offers. "$60 a slice! Just one slice!" It was nearly a riot as men crowded around us, yelling and gesturing, some drunk, some hungry, some very drunk and very hungry. Miss Domino's looked at us and somehow I ended up with three pizza boxes in my arms as Jenny and Meagan covered me on either side, creating a path as the three of us sprinted to the door. By the time we got outside, we were more than a bit wary. We still had a cab to catch. Cab after cab passed us, and a large group of men sauntered over. They tried dancing/grinding for pizza, compliments for pizza, and harassing us for pizza. We managed to hail a cab only to have the cab driver peal out with Meagan almost inside! A man on a bicycle pedaled over, chasing off the group of guys. He said there was no way we could get a cab, but that he'd help us. For some pizza. SERIOUSLY?! We repeated our mantra, "these pizzas are for some very hungry men at home, we can't give you any" and bicycle man turned nasty. He threw in a couple of expletive-laced suggestions. What is with Boston and pizza?! After a few more minutes of pleading with cab drivers and keeping a lookout for pizza-hungry predators, a towncar pulled over. A white knight to the rescue, or in this case, a half-italian half-maroccan man named Kamal (just like Downton Abbey!) Thanks to Kamal, we made it home, pizzas and all, to some very grateful (and hungry) boys. Never a dull moment in Boston.

The next two days were spent on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee...paradise the way Mother Nature intended. We got our carnivore on at Huck's, demolishing steak n' cheese hoagies. I've never craved meat the way I crave a steak n' cheese (AKA philly cheesesteak), why is that? We tested out the infamous rope swing, cruised on the lake and tested out wake surfing. We piled 6 people in a canoe, and reenacted the sinking of the Titanic with some strategic wake maneuvering on Jimmy's part. At night we roasted smores and told scary stories/most embarrassing moments. In the morning I sat on the deck and read as a trio of men headed out to catch the women some fish (their words, not mine). We sat on the deck, soaking up the sun in lounge chairs, and reminisced on what it was like to be a child, with zero responsibility. When it finally came time to leave, we made a steak n'cheese stop, then drove back, singing along to Lion King playing on the overhead TV. "It means no worries.." As the state motto of NH suggests, "Live Free or Die," putting the "free" in our worry-free weekend. I miss it already.

I learned this week that there are some things I can't live without. Wednesday night institute, the sun on my skin, fresh air, adrenaline rushes, infectious laughter and quality friends to name a few. I got all that and more this week, what a way to welcome in Fall!!