Last post from Boston :(

So this past year I had this great idea to just blog all the time, but that never ended up happening and for that I apologize.  Today is my last official day of work and I am filled with so many different emotions.  But before I run away with my feelings let me share a few highlights since the last time I posted.   

 Tiff, Savanna, and Ken came to visit me in Boston.  We had so much fun!!!  We jam packed so much into everyday and was always busy.  We did the freedom trail, shopping, went to a Red Sox game (they won!), went to Perkin's school of the deaf and blind and took a tour, went to the temple, and so much more.  I am so happy that all my sisters and mom and dad made it out to Boston this year.  We made memories that I will always cherish.

 Another amazing highlight was going to the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, Red Sox vs. Yankees.  It was amazing and truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.  They had an amazing ceremony before the game and brought back so many former players.  It was so cool!  We even got to set a new world record for largest toast made.  At every seat was a can of welch's sparkling soda and so we all toasted to 100 years.  The only downer to the entire day was the Red Sox lost :( however, I can now say that I am definitely a Red Sox fan if there was any doubt before. 

 I fell into great company.  The girls that go to Wellesley college are amazing!  They invited me along to Rhode Island for a weekend and we had so much fun!  It was so relaxing.  I will definitely miss all of these girls.

 I bought these freaking awesome shoes from Nordstrom Rack!  Definitely a highlight :)

 I hung out with some people who were having a birthday party.  The candle on the cake was hilarious.  It was such a fun night.

 Every time driving the wellesley girls home from church, we would pass a food place that had over 24 flavors of soft-served.  We always wanted to try it out but it was always Sunday so we never could.  Luckily on a Saturday we finally made it there.  It wasn't bad at all. :)

 We went to two more red sox games after the 100th anniversary.  It might be hard to tell from this picture, but that is Reed in the white on the left.  His dad Mark is sitting just to the right of him and wearing a hat.  Then I am the person wearing a brown coat.  The reason this picture is so blurry is because I took it of the TV.  That night when we got home, the game was on later that evening and Reed spotted us!  It was so fun to see us on TV so I just had to take a picture!

 I got my nails done for the first time ever!  It is kind of a funny story because while Sheryl was driving me home from dropping my car off at the auto shop she was mentioning how she was going to get her nails done.  So I mentioned to her that I had never had my nails done.  Right away she said she would take me the next day to get a manicure and pedicure.  I was so surprised because I wasn't expecting it at all.  It was so so nice of her to do that and I loved it!

This is a picture of packing of my room.  Packing up is not my favorite thing to do and its crazy that I have even gotten to the point of packing up!  Very bitter sweet.

So this will definitely be my last post from Boston and I can't believe how fast the year has flown by.  When I started out, I thought this year would drag on, but now all of a sudden here I am at the end.  Honestly, I didn't think I would be so sad coming home.  In fact, I thought it would be somewhat of a relief.  However, it has been the complete opposite.  This last week has been extremely hard realizing that the end is near and I would be lying if I said I haven't cried almost everyday for the past week because I'm sad about leaving.  I have met amazing people from my ward, and I have worked with Reed, who is an amazing person and I consider him to be one of my heroes.  I feel that in this past year I have grown so much as a person in so many different ways.  I was talking to Reed the other day and he told me that he remembered talking to me on the phone over a year ago before I came out to Boston.  He said he remembered asking me what I like to do for fun and all the answers I gave him had to do with my family.  He said that I said I liked hanging out with my family and watching movies with my family, etc, etc.  He said he was concerned that I would get too homesick but in the end he thought I did just fine.  I thought that was pretty funny because homesickness was something that I definitely suffered from this past year!  Somehow I made it though.  Most importantly I have learned to rely on the Lord in all I do and to use the atonement everyday.  It will always work out when you do that.  Working with Reed I have learned to not take life for granted and to live everyday to the fullest.  I am so grateful for this past year and I know that I am a better person because of that.  I am so excited to come home and see family and friends.  Thanks to everytime who has supported me and been there for me this past year.  You have all helped me to succeed.  Boston will always hold a special place in my heart. 

The Post Without a Title :)

Its crazy how the days just get past you!  Already its the end of February and I only have three months left in Boston.  I can't believe how fast the time goes by.  Lots has happened since the beginning of 2012.  I have been doing online classes, which definitely are not my favorite thing.  Is hard as it is sometimes, I cannot complain.  I keep thinking what it would be like had I not taken any classes online.  I would only have one year of school under my belt.  Thank goodness I'm getting them done.  One of the highlights so far of 2012 was Elisse and Daleen's visit.  We had so much fun!  Picking them up at the airport was the first exciting part of their trip.  It never gets old embracing someone you love after being away from them for so long.  I can't even fully explain the feeling, but it is great!  All feelings of homesickness and sadness leave you, and you are filled with so much happiness.  The interesting part is that the only way to feel that amazing feeling is to be away from the ones you love for a very long time.  Luckily, I get to experience that feeling three more times.  We had so much fun exploring the city, venturing to Rhode Island, and making a couple trips to my favorite shop in Boston, Sweets. :) One of the worst feelings in the world is having to say goodbye to someone you love and not seeing them for a long time.  I said it before and I'll say it again, it never gets easier to say goodbye.  The only thing that gets easier is knowing that I will see them sooner then when I said goodbye the first time to Mom and Rashelle.  The trip is a memory I will always cherish.  Another exciting event that has happened since the beginning of the year has been finishing my application for BYU (I'm crossing my fingers that I get in).  I'm really excited for what the future holds and where life takes me.  Life is good :)          

Here are some of the few pictures I took while Elisse and Daleen were visiting.

This is Jason and this is us standing at the bottom of the Prudential building.

Me, Leaf, and Daleen in Rhode Island

Fenway Tour :)

Fenway press box.  This is where a scene in Moneyball was filmed!  So cool!

Random skating rink in the middle of Fenway park

Jason and I at the top of the Prudential building.  We ate Creme Brulee and chocolate cake.  Yummy!

Mom and Rashelle, New Year's, and Everything in between :)

Well I don't really have a good excuse as to why I haven't kept up on the blog... Although, it has been a busy few months with the semester ending, the holidays, etc, etc.  Mom and Rashelle visited me in October, the week before my birthday to be exact.  I had so much fun and I was so so grateful for their visit.  I was going to put a picture of us all together, but I came to find out that I didn't take any pictures (apparently I was having too much fun to snap a picture).  When they arrived, I was so happy to see them, it felt wonderful to hug them and be with them.  One thing I learned though is that it never gets easier to say goodbye.  I was dreading the moment when I would have to drop them off at the airport to go home.  It was even a hard few days after they left because I missed them so much, but while they were here we had so much fun.  We walked around the city, visited Plymouth rock, went to church, and mom and Rashelle introduced Italian Sodas to Mark and Sheryl.  Italian Sodas are now a staple in this house hold because they love them so much.  After Mom and Rashelle's visit, it was my birthday the next week.  It was a very interesting birthday.  I had slept at my friend's house and then we went to church.  I came back home to Northborough that night to find the power out in the town from the snow storm that had happened that weekend.  I opened my presents in the dark and it was a memory.  And then all of a sudden it was November.  Sheryl came home after being gone for three weeks and Rob, her quadriplegic son, came with her.  She had a book signing that weekend and that is why Rob came.  The day after Rob left, Reed's grandparents (Mark's parents) came for ten days.  They were here for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful!  A couple days before, I was down in the dumps that I wouldn't be home with the family, but it ended up being very fun.  Two of Reed's cousins and their spouses and kids came.  The missionaries also came to eat as well.  My very good friend Enji joined us as well for dinner.  It was so fun having her there.  With everyone there, it was a lot of people and a lot of fun!  Then just like that, Thanksgiving was over.  The couple of weeks after Thanksgiving break were very chaotic because of finishing up online classes.  It was such a relief to have them over and done with!  I finished up classes just in time for Reed's sister, Renae, and her family to visit for two and a half weeks.  Renae has five kids and it was so much fun having them all here!  They were all so friendly and fun to be around.  It was noisy, and crazy, and lots of fun.  We did lots of fun things like going to Cirque Du Sole, going to the play "A Christmas Carol," going to movies, and going out to eat.  I was hoping Christmas away from the family would be as easy as it was for Thanksgiving, but it was actually harder.  The Nixon's have been extremely good to me in letting me be a part of their holiday activities but I can't deny the fact that it was hard being away from the family.  Fortunately, it was a wonderful Christmas eve and Christmas day.  I got lots of wonderful presents and it was just really fun.  Then all of a sudden, it was New Years.  We (Reed, Mark, Sheryl, and Renae's family) went to an indoor water park and had a lot of fun!  So much has happened these last few months and it has been wonderful!  PS: Down below are the few pictures I have taken... so sorry there are barely any.  And also, these pictures are in no chronological order.              

So there I was happily watching the BYU game one night and this is what I saw.  I had to rewind it to make sure I was right and sure enough I was.  I was very proud after realizing who it was.  Can you see who it is??

DAD!  I just love him so much!

This was the amazing show we attended!  The entire thing was amazing and I totally want to go to Vegas to see another one!

We went to the Basketball hall of fame during the Christmas break and I just had to take a picture of this!!

This reminded me of a room in the White house.  This is the President's house at Bentley University.  It was such a nice house and it is where Sheryl had one of her book signings.

There were so many presents under the tree on Christmas Eve!  It was a different experience because I have never been awake when "Santa" has put out all the presents, however this year I was awake and working, and I saw some of it happen.  Very weird.

This is also at the Basketball Hall of Fame.  That is Shaq's shoe size... 23!

Well its been a good end to a great year and I am so excited for 2012 and the surprises it will bring!  Happy late Holidays!