My Eighth (and possibly final) Trip to Prince Edward Island

When I was 12 years old, my grandparents decided to buy a second house in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. I had never heard of PEI, but after they bought the house, my family decided to go up for a couple of weeks the following summer, and then the next six summers after that! After that first summer, my aunt, uncle, and cousins joined us every other year. It turned into a fun tradition, and we made so many fun memories up there! We spent time relaxing on the beach, walking on the boardwalk down the street from my grandparents' house, going to the small amusement park and water park, shopping, going to the Anne of Green Gables village called Avonlea, and eating lots and lots of great food! The last time I went to PEI was when I was 18, and then after that, my grandparents stopped going up every summer since the 2-day long car journey was getting to be a lot, so we stopped as well.

But now my grandparents are selling the house, so my grandmother wanted to go up one more time! My mom, aunt, and I all joined her as well. Even though none of the other kids would be joining, I knew the trip would bring back a ton of memories, and I would have a good time!

We left early on Saturday morning and drove all the way up to Calais, Maine—right on the border of Canada. Then on day two, we made it up to PEI around 5pm—just in time for a happy hour! We had a fun night sitting out on the deck watching the sunset and looking at the beautiful harbour view.

the view from my grandparents' deck

My favourite memory from this trip was something new that I had never done before in PEI. One night, we went to a brewery in Charlottetown called the Gahan House. Unfortunately, they no longer offered a brewery tour in that location, but they had really good beers and AMAZING food! They had a mango beer on special that my mom, aunt, and I all ordered, and it was so good. Then for dinner, my meal was fettucine with chicken, chipotle sauce, mushrooms, and bacon. I swear, once I got my food, I did not stop to talk to anyone until I had finished... it was that good! Everyone else's meals were amazing too. The chef in the restaurant has won a bunch of awards, and I could definitely see why!

The Gahan Brewery

Cheers!

One of the best meals I've had in a LONG time! So delicious!!

Something else we did several times was to go to the beach that is about a half mile from my grandparents' house. Even though it's a small beach and there are much more famous ones in PEI, we loved the North Rustico beach because we could walk to it on the boardwalk, and it was never overly crowded. Something unique to PEI that I love is that the sand on all the beaches is red, and there are a bunch of cliffs. Even though I grew up in a beach town, the beach there is completely different from the beaches in Massachusetts so it's a totally different experience!

We also did some shopping while up in Canada. Something I was so excited about was going to drugstores and checking out some of the makeup brands that they sell in Canada, but that we don't have in the US. I ended up buying an eyeshadow crayon from a brand called Annabelle that I love and a lip gloss from Soap and Glory called Sexy Mother Pucker. (Yes, the name is part of the reason I decided to buy the lip gloss, but it's also an amazing product, and I've been using it so much!) Once we got back into the US and we had WiFi again, I actually saw online that Soap and Glory products are sold in some Sephora stores in the US. I'm going to be sure to check it out, because they're awesome!

And finally, we couldn't leave out my favourite Prince Edward Island tradition: a few trips to Cows. Cows is an ice cream shop that has so many amazing flavours, and has actually been voted the best ice cream shop in the world according to some lists! What makes Cows stand out is that they have a store connected to their ice cream shops where they sell t-shirts and different clothing items with puns on different pop-culture things, but all about cows! For example, Orange is the Moo Black and Fifty Shades of Hay. I did see that there are a couple of Cows locations outside of PEI, so even if I never make it back to Prince Edward Island, I may still be able to go to Cows again, which makes me happy.

posing with the Cows mascot outside of the Charlottetown shop

                              
                              
In addition to all of those things, we had several happy hours out on the deck, met a few of my grandmother's friends, had some more amazing meals, and did a lot of reading. I have been starting to feel really stressed out with the job search, and was so ready for a break from all that, so having a week off in PEI was perfect for me! I originally didn't think I would be able to join in on this trip, but I am so happy that it was able to work out. As of today, my grandparents just accepted an offer on their house, so I know none of us will be returning, which is a little bit sad. But now I have even more memories of Prince Edward Island to look back on, which makes me happy :)

the Charlottetown waterfront

me and my mom in Charlottetown

with my aunt on the Charlottetown waterfront

my grandma, aunt, mom, and me at Brackley Beach

Another first: trying the Canadian classic, poutine! It was so good!

delicious margaritas at a Mexican restaurant in Maine on our drive home

the group at our last dinner together in Maine after a LONG day of driving!

Family Day in Boston to Celebrate My Mom's Birthday!

A couple weekends ago, it was my mom's birthday, and my family decided to celebrate by going into Boston for the day! I always love when I get the opportunity to go into the city and get a little break from the suburbs. After my mom opened her presents and we had some lunch at home, we headed into the city!

We had planned to get dinner in the North End, which is the Italian part of the city, but had decided to just see where the day took us before that. The great thing about Boston is that it's a very walkable city, so we could easily walk anywhere we decided to go. We parked in Chinatown and then walked through Boston Common and the Public Garden. The Public Garden is so pretty in the summer because it's so green! After stopping to get a few pictures with the birthday girl, we kept walking until we got to Newbury Street. My dad was feeling pretty tired and a little faint, so he and my sister Lexi decided to sit in Starbucks for a little bit while my mom and I went to Marshall's across the street for some shopping. While we were there, my sister texted us saying my dad had passed out in Starbucks and the employees had taken him into the back to lie down! She even said one of the employees was holding a straw for him while he drank some lemonade! My mom and I actually believed her and were laughing hysterically in the store from the visual of a Starbucks employee holding a straw for my dad while he laid on the floor complaining haha! Eventually Lexi called though and said it was all a joke that they decided to play on us since they were bored sitting in Starbucks!

with my mom in the Boston Public Garden

After that, it was around 6pm, so we decided to start walking toward the North End which was about a half hour walk away. We walked through Faneuil Hall and past a bunch of Irish pubs before we came to the North End, my favourite part of Boston! We had heard of a restaurant from a few different people called Trattoria Il Panino that we wanted to try. Amazingly, we only had to wait for about 15 minutes before we got a table! The restaurant doesn't take reservations and it was a Saturday night, so that was impressively fast! We think the host favoured us since he knew it was my mom's birthday, because we ended up getting seated before a few groups who had been there before us. We got such a perfect table too! It was in their little terrace area right next to the sidewalk, so it was perfect for people watching! We heard some musicians who were playing an accordian and violin outside, which was really cool! To celebrate my mom's birthday, we got a bottle of wine for the table which we thoroughly enjoyed! And the food was so amazing! I got lasagna with beef in it, my dad and sister both got chicken parmesan, and my mom got a pasta with pesto, cheese, and vegetables. The sauce on my lasagna was amazing, and I tried some chicken parm and pesto pasta too which were also so so good! I have had meals in so many different North End restaurants over the years and have always been amazed by how good the food is in each place!

the North End

This is the restaurant we went to. It was amazing!

my lasagna and wine

my mom with her pasta

the chicken parmesan that both my dad and sister ordered

another shot of my lasagna. It was sooo good!!

After dinner, we decided to walk around the North End a little bit to digest our food before hitting our favourite dessert place: Modern Pastry! Mike's Pastry has the reputation of being the more famous pastry shop, but we have always preferred Modern. When we got there, there were no tables available, but a server told us about a room downstairs that was relatively new and not many people knew about yet. There were a bunch more tables and only one other group down there, so it was the perfect atmosphere to enjoy our desserts! It looked like a cute rustic Italian cafe down there too! I got a chocolate covered cheesecake, Lexi got carrot cake, my dad got a cream puff, and my mom got a cannoli and a cappucino. As always, the food was amazing!

all of our delicious desserts

my chocolate cheesecake. It was delicious!

After enjoying our desserts from Modern, we started to make our way back toward Chinatown where the car was. We went into a couple North End shops and walked through Faneuil Hall again before arriving back at the car. I had an amazing day in Boston with my family, and I know my mom had a great birthday! I always have a great time in the city and will hopefully be going back into Boston again soon!

with my mom and sister at the end of the awesome day!

My First Wedding!

This past weekend, my cousin Tina got married, and I got to attend my very first wedding! (I went to the wedding of a family friend when I was little, but I was really young and didn't get to go to the reception, so I don't usually count it.) Tina got married to a guy named Mike who has come to a bunch of family events, and everyone in the family loves him!

On the day of the wedding, it was such a perfect day with amazing weather. It was an outdoor wedding with a cute little gazebo and a little river going by. Tina's dress was really pretty, and it was a nice ceremony. It was really short too, which everyone liked!

me and Lexi getting photo bombed by our dad

with my mom and Auntie Michelle

Then came the reception, the part that I was most excited about! My dad's side of the family can get a little bit wild, so I knew it would be really fun! First up was to get some drinks! Once everyone had hit the bar and sat at their tables, it was time for the speeches and the toast. The speeches were given by Mike's brother and Tina's two older sisters. My cousin Katie had a long speech that was funny and made us all laugh a lot! Then, it was dinner time. My dinner was steak with mashed potatoes and vegetables, and was really good! And finally, it was time for dancing! We got some more drinks and hit the dance floor for the next couple of hours! I didn't know some of the music that the DJ played, but there were some good songs too that everyone got really into! Once it hit 11pm and everyone started to leave, we were all so exhausted after the celebration. I'm so happy for Tina and Mike and think they make a great couple :)

me and Lexi with our cousin Allie

All in all, I had a great first wedding experience! It's so weird that I'm getting to the age when people close to my age are starting to get engaged and married. I personally can't see myself getting married for a long time, and inside I still feel like I'm definitely younger than 22, so it's crazy to me that other people my age can already feel ready to settle down! But I know I have a ton of friends who are also enjoying being young and single, so I'm not alone! And even though I feel far away from getting married myself, I'm looking forward to attending some more weddings in the future!

Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

Over the past several months, I have been on the hunt for a job that would be a good fit for me after I recently graduated from college. I am from the Boston area and had a plan in my mind that I would find a job in Boston, live at home for the first year, and move into the city next spring or summer. When I realised the number of entry-level jobs in Boston in positions I would be qualified for and interested in was much less than I expected, I started to panic and feel depressed thinking that I would never get a job. Every time I checked a website like Monster.com or Indeed.com, I would see thousands of available positions in Boston, but it seemed that all of the marketing or sales jobs I would come across either required 5+ years of experience, a master's degree, or were too far to commute to from home. I had never really considered moving to a new city, but when I randomly decided to broaden my search to include cities other than just Boston, I was amazed at how many great opportunities I was finding! I still felt hesitant, because surely I couldn't afford to rent an apartment at this point in my life. But after browsing the rental markets in some different cities, I was actually surprised to see that, once I have a job, I probably could afford an apartment! Ever since discovering that the possibility of moving to a new city could actually work out for me, I have been excited looking into more opportunities and researching cities that I think would be a good fit for me.

While I'll always love my hometown Boston, I feel like I'm ready for a change and to experience something new.

A bunch of the jobs I saw were in states that don't necessarily interest me, such as Texas and Missouri. But I have found opportunities in more exciting cities like New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, and Miami. I've been researching all of these cities and could see myself being happy in any one of them. I have decided that the cities I can most see myself in (and which are most practical without having a car) are San Francisco, Seattle, New York, or Chicago. I already know I love New York, and after interning in Seattle last summer, I could definitely see myself living there. I think I would really love Chicago as well, but the city that is intriguing me the most at the moment is San Francisco. I had never really thought of San Francisco as a city I would want to move to, but after researching it a little bit, I think my personality would fit right into the laid-back, adventurous, and open-minded atmosphere of the city. Not to mention, there are so many start-up companies there that are looking to recruit twenty-somethings like myself. Ever since learning about some of the opportunities in San Francisco and the other cities I mentioned, the thought of moving out and experiencing a new city is so exciting to me, and I can't stop researching job opportunities, possible business connections, and the cultures of the different cities. If things continue along this path, I could be living in a different part of the country within the next few months! And as scary as it seems to move to another part of the country where I may not know many people yet, I keep thinking of a quote I read once that I try to live my life by: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." I am going to keep that in mind as I continue on the search to find a job and possibly a new city to call home!

I already know I love New York and would have a great experience living there.

Even though I've never been to Chicago, I can see myself really liking it there.

After interning in Seattle, I grew to love the city and think it could be a good option for me.

San Francisco is currently at the top of my list in the search for a new city to call home.

Spending the Night with Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and New Politics

I think everyone has a few singers or bands who have had a significant impact on them, and for me, one of those bands is Fall Out Boy. I first became a fan of them in 2005, and in 2007 after their album Infinity on High came out, they quickly took over the role as my favourite band. Throughout high school, my love for Fall Out Boy stayed strong, and if I was ever having a bad day, I knew that listening to their music would cheer me up. I even saw them in concert twice, in 2007 and 2009. (Of course, they were amazing!) I was so sad when FOB broke up in 2009, but was so excited when they got back together last year. They quickly returned to being one of my favourite bands, and I grew to love their new music just as much, if not more, than their previous albums.

So needless to say, I was so happy when my sister told me that Fall Out Boy was going on tour this summer and would be playing a show near us! And to make it even more awesome, Paramore was joining them on tour! Paramore is another band I loved since high school, but had never seen in concert. At first, we didn't think we would be able to go, since the lawn seats and cheap seats were all sold out, and the only ones left cost hundreds of dollars a piece. But then, after checking one last time on eBay, we found tickets in a great spot for $75 a piece. Score!

The concert was on June 22, which ended up being such a nice day! My sister Lexi and I headed out early to park and get some dinner before the show. Of course we jammed to my FOB CDs the whole ride! After finding parking (that was free!!), we went to a little Italian place nearby for dinner. The restaurant was having a special where pizzas were half-price that night. Everything was going perfectly for us! :)

Lexi and I all ready for the concert!

When it got closer to the time doors would open, we headed back to the concert venue and got t-shirts. (I have a Fall Out Boy t-shirt that I got seven years ago when we saw them perform for the first time, but unfortunately it doesn't fit any more!) 

The first band to perform was a newer band called New Politics, which Pete Wentz just signed to his record label. I had only known one of their songs before seeing them perform, but they were really good and I enjoyed their set a lot! I've been listening to a bunch of their songs since the concert, and definitely want to buy their CD.

Next up: Paramore! Before the concert, I hadn't bought Paramore's latest CD yet, and didn't know most of their newer songs, but I was so excited when they ended up playing a ton of their older songs! Hayley Williams has so much energy and was so great to watch. It's amazing she can run around on stage as much as she does and still sound so good singing! My favourite song they performed was probably Misery Business, because that was the song that made me originally fall in love with Paramore when I heard it on TRL. (Any other 00's girls miss that show as much as I do? ;) ) The entire crowd seemed to know that song, so the whole venue was singing along with the band. They even brought two girls up on stage to sing the end bit of the song with Hayley. Paramore is a band I had wanted to see for years, so I was so happy to finally get to experience them perform live. (And seeing them perform inspired me to buy their newest CD that I have been absolutely loving!)

And then it was time for the performance I had been anticipating most: Fall Out Boy! As I expected, they opened up with Phoenix from their latest album, and from the very beginning, their set was full of energy and excitement. It's amazing how many hit songs they have had over the years. I did not stop singing and smiling the entire time they played! Something about seeing them perform live just makes me feel happy because they have had a pretty big impact on me growing up. I can't even pick a favourite song because they were all so good, but one thing I loved was how they ended the show with their song Saturday. I know it used to be their tradition to end all of their shows with this song because it was one of the first ones they ever recorded together, but I wasn't sure if they would continue that tradition after returning form their hiatus. But they continued the tradition, and I sung along with the other die-hard fans who have been fans of theirs ever since their early years.

I had such an amazing time at the concert, and seeing the three bands perform live made me love them even more and made me so excited to (hopefully) see them again in the near future!