As I hope most of you already know, I have officially accepted a position as Admissions Counselor at Northeastern School of Law! I'm very excited about this new opportunity, and while I will surely miss Maine, I am eager to return to Boston. My first day is August 23rd, which means that I have a lot to accomplish in the next couple weeks! Luckily, I already have the perfect place to live: with Hakim in Union Square! We're really looking forward to be able see each other every day (definitely won't miss those Sunday evening drives back to Maine!). And it's also good news for this blog because we'll be able to do a whole lot more cooking and eating together!
In other news, we just had a really nice weekend in Massachusetts. On Friday I was able to get to the city fairly early so we could try out the new BBQ place in the neighborhood, The Bearded Pig (it is literally one block from the apartment!). I went with the pulled pork platter accompanied by corn bread, mac n cheese, and creamy slaw. Hakim opted for the full rack of ribs with beans (as well as mac n cheese + corn bread). The food was hearty and filling, but not the best we've ever had. Still, I think we may become regulars due to sheer proximity and the cheeriness of the staff!
The next day, after a morning of separate endurance (I hit the road for a 14 mile jog in the heat while Hakim tackled a mountain of school-work), we headed south to Lakeville to spend time with Mama Lakhdar and Hakim's Nana. We had a delicious lunch of meatball subs and tuna sandwiches and got to catch up for a bit (and admire the new windows Hakim had put in the cottage!). Mama Lakhdar also surprised me with a lovely cake, card, and gifts (incl. framed photos from our Florida trip) to congratulate me one my new job! So thoughtful! Despite myriad technical difficulties a la Comcast (are you really surprised???), we had an enjoyable time at the cottage and the next morning came far too soon!
After a cuppa tea/coffee in the morning, we headed back up to the city to meet Hakim's cousins for brunch at S&S Diner in Inman Square. S&S is fast becoming our go-to brunch spot for out of town guests due to the fact that it's spacious, has plenty of parking, and they take reservations...Oh, and they have pretty darn delicious food (maybe we'll take you if you come to visit)! It was great getting to meet Hakim's cousin Raquel, her boyfriend, Scott, and his two kids, Liam & Wade; and Hakim's other cousin Andriana (Raquel's sister), her husband, Nick, and his brother, Andrew. We all had fun meeting each other/catching up, eating, and sipping mimosas and delicious peach bellinis (mine was frozen!). We then split ways, so Hakim could take his quiz. Once finished, it was time for a much deserved beer, so we headed to Faneuil Hall to meet back up with Andriana, Nick, and Andrew for snacks and beverages at Cheers. I would have liked to stay longer, but it was time for me to head back up to Maine. It's nice knowing that next time I'll get to stay!
This weekend we're going to Alec & Sara's wedding in Maine! We're looking forward to helping them share their special day. I'm also very excited to catch up with friends from college who are coming from around the country and across the pond! And on Sunday we will be meeting Hakim's mom and nana to visit Stone Fox Farm Creamery at the Maine Boats, Homes & Harbor show in Rockland!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Vacationland
Yikes! It has been awhile since our last post. And there's lots to catch up on! Since recovering from our Florida vacation, we've enjoyed quite a few fun weekends. From hosting an impromptu indoor picnic at Hakim's apartment in Somerville, to seeing Ted Nugent along with Styx and REO Speedwagon in Bangor, working on the cottage in Lakeville, and eating lots of lobster in Maine, we've been rather busy!
Most recently we spent a few days in Franklin, ME for my family's annual lobster bake and blueberry pancake breakfast. On Friday (July 20th) we headed up to Monroe where my Dad cooked up about half a dozen soft shells (although I guess not soft enough as Hakim sustained a minor injury cracking a claw - the lobster's final revenge!) and some corn. Saturday brought us to the Maine Celtic Celebration, where we scooped ice cream with my Mom and our WWOOFer, Zach, while listening to the dulcet sound of live Celtic music.
After the festival we headed Downeast to Ellsworth where we stocked up on all the necessities for the rest of our long weekend and then we were off to my grandparents' camp. We then got our tent set up and spent a relaxing evening trying to catch fish and catching up with my Nana and my Uncle Joey and his lady, Jo-Ann. Sunday dawned bright and beautiful - a perfect day for a family lobster feast! Hakim spent the morning studying for his exam, while I set to making citrus squares and a quinoa salad. After Hakim completed his test, we headed over to my Aunt Deb's camp on the other side of town for a few lobsters and some fun times with family. We ate a lot of lobster, steamers, interesting salads, amazing German chocolate brownies, s'mores, ice cream (of course!), and more. We also played a round of Polish horse-shoes and a large game of Killer around the campfire. which is a card game involving "death-winks." Hakim was wonderful when it came to meeting the family, especially after he started handing out 8 oz cans of Bud Light!
On Sunday we woke up early and took the boat out fishing on the pond. Unfortunately, Hakim didn't catch the salmon he was hoping for, but I did manage to land a bass and about a million sunfish! Brought back some fun childhood memories and we had a great time on the water! After that, we headed over to the Pape-Calabrese camp and had a ton of fun tubing at the mercy of Uncle Freddie. We also caught some rays on the dock (okay, maybe a I caught a few too many!) and hung out until it was time to head over to 2 Loons for dinner with Uncle Jeff, Uncle Sam and his lady, Catherine, Nana, Aunt Sandra, and Aunt Paula.Then it was back to our tent for a few hours before a terrific thunder storm blew in and forced us into the camp right before the downpour began. In the morning we rose early and headed over to the 2 Loons again for the blueberry pancake breakfast organized by Aunt Paula. I took a turn flipping pancakes while the sausages cooked. Then helped myself to a plateful and dug in while watching the old family movie footage that was recently digitized - amazing to see the Leavitts (and DiBellas and the rest of the gang) as kids! Sadly, we had to leave right after breakfast to return to the real world....
But the fun continues this weekend when I head down to Massachusetts to spend some time with Hakim's mom and Nana at the cottage. Then the following weekend we'll be back in Maine for our friends' wedding (congrats Alec & Sara!), where we're particularly looking forward to surf & turf rehearsal dinner featuring Stone Fox Farm Creamery ice cream for dessert! And after that we'll be looking forward to a quick trip to Treasure Island (just outside of Tampa) for a few relaxing days on the beach!!!
Most recently we spent a few days in Franklin, ME for my family's annual lobster bake and blueberry pancake breakfast. On Friday (July 20th) we headed up to Monroe where my Dad cooked up about half a dozen soft shells (although I guess not soft enough as Hakim sustained a minor injury cracking a claw - the lobster's final revenge!) and some corn. Saturday brought us to the Maine Celtic Celebration, where we scooped ice cream with my Mom and our WWOOFer, Zach, while listening to the dulcet sound of live Celtic music.
After the festival we headed Downeast to Ellsworth where we stocked up on all the necessities for the rest of our long weekend and then we were off to my grandparents' camp. We then got our tent set up and spent a relaxing evening trying to catch fish and catching up with my Nana and my Uncle Joey and his lady, Jo-Ann. Sunday dawned bright and beautiful - a perfect day for a family lobster feast! Hakim spent the morning studying for his exam, while I set to making citrus squares and a quinoa salad. After Hakim completed his test, we headed over to my Aunt Deb's camp on the other side of town for a few lobsters and some fun times with family. We ate a lot of lobster, steamers, interesting salads, amazing German chocolate brownies, s'mores, ice cream (of course!), and more. We also played a round of Polish horse-shoes and a large game of Killer around the campfire. which is a card game involving "death-winks." Hakim was wonderful when it came to meeting the family, especially after he started handing out 8 oz cans of Bud Light!
On Sunday we woke up early and took the boat out fishing on the pond. Unfortunately, Hakim didn't catch the salmon he was hoping for, but I did manage to land a bass and about a million sunfish! Brought back some fun childhood memories and we had a great time on the water! After that, we headed over to the Pape-Calabrese camp and had a ton of fun tubing at the mercy of Uncle Freddie. We also caught some rays on the dock (okay, maybe a I caught a few too many!) and hung out until it was time to head over to 2 Loons for dinner with Uncle Jeff, Uncle Sam and his lady, Catherine, Nana, Aunt Sandra, and Aunt Paula.Then it was back to our tent for a few hours before a terrific thunder storm blew in and forced us into the camp right before the downpour began. In the morning we rose early and headed over to the 2 Loons again for the blueberry pancake breakfast organized by Aunt Paula. I took a turn flipping pancakes while the sausages cooked. Then helped myself to a plateful and dug in while watching the old family movie footage that was recently digitized - amazing to see the Leavitts (and DiBellas and the rest of the gang) as kids! Sadly, we had to leave right after breakfast to return to the real world....
But the fun continues this weekend when I head down to Massachusetts to spend some time with Hakim's mom and Nana at the cottage. Then the following weekend we'll be back in Maine for our friends' wedding (congrats Alec & Sara!), where we're particularly looking forward to surf & turf rehearsal dinner featuring Stone Fox Farm Creamery ice cream for dessert! And after that we'll be looking forward to a quick trip to Treasure Island (just outside of Tampa) for a few relaxing days on the beach!!!
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| Hakim in his SFFC shirt! |
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| Pemaquid oysters at Three Tides in Belfast, ME |
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| best biscuit ever w/ honey butter at Sweet Cheeks BBQ in Boston |
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| Lobster with the family |
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| Jim serves Manny some lobsters! |
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| even more lobsters!!! |
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| bass! |
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| dessert at 2 Loons w/ SFFC sorbet |
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