Bria Takes Boston!

Well, this is going to be a long one!

We left for Boston last Saturday, the 5th. It was a long day-- we left Provo at 5:30 am and didn't get to our house in Plymouth until 7:30 pm. Bria was so great on both flights (layover in Denver). I was so nervous about her screaming the whole way, but she only had a few minor meltdowns.
At DIA (denver airport), my home sweet home:
The entire Mangum family (Sam's parents, siblings, and their children) stayed in a huge house right on the beach in Plymouth, which is south of Boston. That first day we just hung out and got settled. The next day, Sunday, we went to the Boston Temple. It was dedicated in 2000 and was the church's 100th operating temple. Sam was a freshman at BYU when it was dedicated, but he got to come home for it. He also worked in the temple laundry before his mission.
It's hard to get that many kids to sit still for a picture (all the grandkids):
We went to lunch at Panera, and I just about died from joy. I looooove Panera, and I am so sad there isn't one in Utah. And even though it's July, I got the broccoli cheddar soup.
The next day the family went to Plimoth Plantation. The plan was to go right at Bria's naptime, but we decided to just forge ahead and go. Bad idea. We got about two minutes down the path when Bria started screaming. So we just decided to go home so she could sleep. It was a good decision. It was so hot and humid, so I don't know that I would have enjoyed it that much either. Sam and I went downtown Plymouth and had lunch and Sam had the best meatball sub in the world. Seriously.
That night was a reunion type get-together at the Zellers'. All sorts of friends came by to see the Mangum family. Sam got to see his friend Andrew, who used to go to a camp that Sam worked during the summers.
The next day was Girls Day Out. All the women (and the two nieces old enough to appreciate it) went to lunch and then shopping at this store called the Christmas Tree Shop. I had heard all about it for years, and finally got to go! It's kind of like Michael's meets the Dollar Store. The guys took all the kids and went bowling.
That night we ventured to Scituate for family pictures. It is right next to Norwell, the Mangums' hometown. There is an awesome lighthouse, and it was so beautiful.

After the pictures, Sam and his sister Rachel took me on a little tour of Norwell.
Wednesday was the big day out! It all started with a Red Sox game. In order to maximize Bria's happiness, we went in late and got there during the 5th inning. On our way walking to Fenway from the T, we stopped in a McDonald's for a quick bathroom break. There was an Asian tourist there and she came up to me and said, "excuse me, can I ask you a favor?" I was feeling a little unsure about that, but I said ok. She said, "I'm a hug Red Sock Boston fan. Can I take your picture?" So she took a picture of our whole group and her because we were wearing shirts that said Boston on them (see below). And yes, Red Sock Boston. Not the Boston Red Sox. I loved it. Bria was such a champ. She even fell asleep during the game and slept through all sorts of cheering for Varitek, Pedroia, Ramirez, etc. It was awesome. I enjoyed a Fenway Frank, ice cream, and some lemonade.
After the game, we took the T over to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market where we had dinner. I didn't know it was Faneuil Hall and kept thinking they were saying Thanial Hall, as in short for Nathanial. I was quickly corrected. After dinner, we had our first trip to Mike's Pastry. Holy deliciousness. Sam and I bought a cannoli and shared it that night.
Thursday we all just hung out. Bria and I pretty much slept all day. It was pretty nice to just hang out. That night, we had a lobster dinner. We got 13 live lobsters and brought them home to cook them. There was much playing with the live lobsters, including scaring those afraid of them. Our nephew Trevor liked to kiss the lobster on its back. When we told him that was probably pretty dirty, he responded "they're not dirty. they were in water!" I maintain that they are dirty. I enjoyed the lobster, though I had Sam break it all open for me. It wasn't my favorite food in the world, but it was fun, and I'm glad I tried it. And I enjoy the tail much more than the claw. While cooking the lobsters in the non-air-conditioned house, it was much hotter inside than out!
Friday we went in to Boston again, hoping to do a tour. It was booked until the evening, so we all split up and did our own things. We took the T to Mike's Pastry again and bought two cannolis, a lobster tail, a neopolitan, and an eclair. We brought most of it home and shared some with my mom. Can I just say that Mike's Pastry is amazing? AND, you can order it online: mikespastry.com
The lobster tail:
We finally got down to the beach that evening. It was so beautiful! Sam raced his nephews into the freezing ocean. Bria got her first experience with sand.
That night we had closing ceremonies. Bria got an award for Best Smile. Mine was Best Breakfast (I made a sausage cheese strada). Sam's was prettiest toenails or something, because he let Amanda and Jenn paint his toenails. So pretty.
The next morning, we headed out early and flew home. Bria was even better on the flights home. She is seriously a dream baby.
Sam and I needed a vacation from our vacation, so we stayed at my parents' house and slept a lot, and hung out with my mom (who is leaving for Oregon today). We played tennis on my parents' tennis court while my mom watched Bria, and we finished off our Mike's Pastry with my mom. It was a great way to end an awesome week!
That will be our last vacation for a long time. And it was great! We had an awesome time, and it was so fun to see where Sam grew up.
Also, today, I cut Bria's rat tail. That hair in back was getting way too long, so I snipped it off! It looks so much better.