Long overdue update!

Much has happened in the two months since our last post! Not only did I successfully move into our apartment in Somerville and start a new job at Northeastern University School of Law, but we also traveled to Tampa, FL; Bryson City, NC; and Newport; RI! Additionally, Hakim took a five-week break from school in September, during which time we hosted a picnic for friends, helped scoop ice cream at the Common Ground Fair, and Samir came to town for an extended weekend. That sure is a lot to fit into one little blog post, but I'll try to touch on some of the major events!

Royals vs Rays

I officially moved in on August 17th. That is, we put my stuff in a big pile in the office and then took off to Treasure Island (near Tampa) for some relaxation by the beach.  Hakim got us a great condo right on the beach with beautiful views of the Gulf. While I was there (I left on Wednesday and Hakim stayed until the following Saturday), our friends Ian and Pete were able to join us for a couple days as well. We spent hours playing in the surf and soaking up the sun, cooked some awesome meals on the grill, discovered a wonderfully delicious, late-night Italian restaurant, Vito & Michael's (we went twice!), took in a Tampa Bay Rays game, and I learned how to play shuffle board! Oh yeah, and the first thing we did was get Publix subs! After I left, Hakim got to spend a few more days on the beach with Pete, Pat, and Jason before heading to Orlando for the Olde Driveway annual Fantasy Football Draft. I was definitely a little jealous that I had to leave the beach early, but I stayed busy learning the ropes at my new job and spending the weekend in Portland with my parents.

View of the Gulf from our condo on Treasure Island

Flying a kite

Cornhole at Nantahala Brewing Co.

Less than two weeks after our trip to Florida, we headed due South again to North Carolina.  We met up with our friend Robbie in Charlotte and then hopped in a car and drove to Bryson City, which is nestled amongst the Great Smoky Mountains. Our friend Ryan works at a local brewery, Nantahala Brewing Co., which makes awesome beer! We spent a lot of time there, playing darts and cornhole, watching college football (go 'Noles!!!), engaging in pinata demolishing, and generally having an awesome time.  Ryan gave us a very informative tour of the brewery as well. And we spent a lot of time outdoors: kayaking on Lake Fontana, hiking in the Smokies, zip-lining and completing ropes courses, and, of course, rafting the Nantahala! It was a great weekend with great company! We're definitely anxious to see where Ryan heads next so we can plan another epic adventure.

Alum Cave Bluffs in the Great Smoky Mtns

After all that travel, it was time to get settled into life in Boston. We worked hard to unpack my things and Hakim expertly assembled all our new furniture (two dressers, a pantry cabinet, a bookshelf, and a bathroom cabinet!). We also painted the bathroom a lovely warm tan, which is a vast improvement over the egg yolk yellow that it was previously. And when Samir visited, he and Hakim moved the big blue couch down to the cottage, which has greatly increased the seating capacity there. So the apartment is looking pretty great, and while we have a few small things to finish up, we now looking forward to spring when we can start a garden in the backyard!

One of the 1st meals Hakim made us in our apt.: pork chops w/ apples, roasted potatoes & green beans

We also wanted to celebrate my return to Boston with all our friends, so we organized a day of fun in the park near our house.  Friends from near and far gathered to enjoy a small feast, which included Hakim's special chicken legs, hotdogs on the grill, chips and dip, tuna macaroni salad, sangria, brownies, and chocolate toffee bars. We enjoyed the sun and played a li'l cornhole and soccer, before having a homerun derby with the buoy bat!

Picnic in the park! (photo by Kim)

Well, I think I'll let Hakim update you on what we've been up to more recently:  the Common Ground Fair, Samir's visit, our trips to Newburyport and Newport, some of the delicious food we've been making and eating (a few teasers are below), and more! So keep a lookout for another post soon!

One of the 1st meals I made us in our apt.: panko-encrusted fishsticks, brown rice & salad

Delicious mussels made by Hakim!

Our Florida Vacation - Part 1

Well, it has been two weeks since our South Florida vacation. It was an action packed Friday to Friday trip and I don’t think either of us could have hoped for more or even fit more into the busy week we had. We did so much, saw so many people and of course, enjoyed soooo (too) much delicious food!! 

Our meals at Marco

Caitlin got in town Thursday night and I surprised her with dinner at Marco in Boston’s North End. We had a nice late dinner, European style, with a wonderful bottle of montepulciano d'abruzzo (red) wine and we started off with goat cheese stuffed/prosciutto wrapped figs and some calamari. Caitlin then ordered the orecchiette alla salsiccia and I got the tagliatelle alla bolognese. Both dishes were so good and we wrapped up the meal with some sorbet and cheesecake. We enjoyed every bite and every sip of wine as we thought about the next 10 days of vacation together.

Fort Lauderdale beach at twilight

We started the trip by catching a stand-by flight on Jet Blue out of Boston on Friday morning (June 1st). We even got complimentary extra leg room window seats and we were in Fort Lauderdale by lunchtime. For a quick tasty bite we decided it was only appropriate for our first stop before we got home to be Publix for a classic Publix sub. Caitlin got her chicken tender sandwich and I just got good ole turkey. Went home, gave a good round of hugs and kisses and introduced Caitlin to my dad and my parents’ humble abode. We enjoyed our subs on the patio and had a nice dip in the pool while we waited for Samir (and Ian) so we could all go get Joel at the airport around 4:30 pm. Once we got Joel, the weekend was officially initiated and we all met Tim down at the beach for drinks while we waited for others to show up and the party crew to grow. Natasha, Josh, Amy, Jason, Angel, Naomi, Robbie, Rebecca, Mike, and others showed up and we had a nice little wild welcoming evening before the BBQ the next day. 

Setting up the shelter

Saturday’s Reunion Rager, as it was called, was understandably a little slow to start, but once final supplies (i.e. chicken and keg) were secured we headed over to Markham Park and met Gareth to setup the 80 person shelter with all the goodies we had. People slowly started showing up around 11:30 am or so and the BBQ was underway. At one point I looked up to see what looked to be a truck, on fire, plowing down the street. It turns out it was Brandon with his smoker securely fastened to the truck already filled with logs, heated up and smoking. The day was a HUGE success with friends and family from South Florida all in one place enjoying the rainless day, playing horseshoes, ladderball, volleyball, eating, drinking and chatting and laughing it up. We had people from SC, NC, TX, CO, ME, MA and all the regulars from back home. We had a keg and hunch punch, but people brought local craft brews from

Brandon making his entrance with the smokin' smoker

wherever they were traveling from (Caitlin and I had attempted but broke one in our bag before even leaving the apt, so we aborted). Ryan, working at Nantahala Brewing Company brought a plethora of beers, which were enjoyed by all. We had corn on the cob, smoked pork, chicken breasts and thighs, potato/pasta/macaroni/broccoli salad, homemade guacamole made with 20 avocados, stuffed burgers, beer brats, hot dogs, buffalo chicken dip, cakes and cookies. It was truly unbelievable. Needless to say, we all drank and ate very well that day. We even wrapped up the day with a little physical activity to burn some of those calories off…a massive adult and kid combo kickball game!!

Almost the whole gang!

The next day, as if we hadn’t had enough eating and drinking on Saturday, my parents hosted a 61st

Backyard at the family BBQ

birthday party for my aunt and welcome home for Caitlin and me. It turned out that nearly everyone from Saturday decided to show up and we were even able to repurpose some leftovers. My mom had herb roasted chicken legs that were gone in a matter of minutes, beef teriyaki skewers, tilapia with fresh (our own tree) mango salsa, baked beans, salads of all kinds, corn, burgers and dogs and an assortment of desserts. We all splashed around in the pool, nursed our beers after Saturday, and enjoyed all the  food and wonderful company. We relaxed in the grass in the backyard under the tree catching up while we ate and drank -- the day was another wild success.All the friends began to trickle out, as did the aunts/uncles, cousins, etc. and once the remaining group of us (Ian, Ryan, Joel, Samir, Caitlin, Nana, Auntie Beryl) were the ones left…..we busted out the Stone Fox Farm

Enjoying SFFC ice cream

Creamery Ice Cream that had been so graciously sent by Caitlin’s parents via dry-ice-packed cooler. They sent us Bananas Foster, Pistachio, Chocolate, Mango Sorbet and Grapenut…Everyone got a taste, but that is about all that was had because before we knew it we had devoured it. It was all delicious, as it always is. We wrapped up the night at Ian’s just hanging out like old times, feeling good about the weekend. 

Monday was a much easier day, with a slow easy morning picking up Ian, Ryan and Joel at Ian’s and heading over to the West Coast to see Mike, Jamie and the baby, Camden. Of course, we had been eating grillables all weekend so the only thing we all wanted was a Publix sub. We drove across Alligator Alley and by the time we got to Marco Island, we were starved. We snatched up our Publix subs, grabbing one for Mike, and we were on our way to the water. We enjoyed our subs, complimented by Sun Chips and jalapeño Cape Cod chips, with every single bite. Once we were fed we decided not to wait 30 mins before going in the water and instead decided to hop on two fully gassed wave-runners that Mike’s parents so graciously let us use. Caitlin and I on one…..Joel, Ian, Ryan on the other. Haha…such a sight. We enjoyed 3 fun-filled hours of wave running and came back to spend time with Mike’s folks, Jamie and the baby. We were kindly treated to pizza, we all talked for a bit and headed home. Once back on the East Coast (of FL) Caitlin and I said our good-byes to Joel and Ryan who would be leaving on Tuesday.  Luckily, we still had until Friday to continue our adventures!

Cardboard Pete and I wave-running!