bwahston

Mid-June 2014:

One of our first to-dos on this summer of travel was to head east for a very special birthday celebration. Our beloved Ellie "Bucket" turned three in June, so naturally her Godparents and all three sets of grandparents had to fly out for the occasion. It's a funny thing having only one grandchild in the family. At any given point, there were upwards of 10 adults following around a teetering little lady. It was actually ridiculous…

Following a redeye from Los Angeles on Wednesday night and after a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts, we were greeted and swept away by my dad and step-mom. We headed right into the city for the Freedom Trail walking tour and other touristing. We were all a little tired from our respective travels (as evidenced below) but I totally enjoyed the smaller group setting to catch up with family.

It was incredible to get to see all of our parents and my sister's sweet family on this trip. We'd been back hardly a month and had yet to catch up with a majority of our family members since returning to the states. We feel so lucky to have made the trip.

The official birthday celebration came later in the weekend as again, all 10 adults and one very tired Bucket boarded the commuter train and headed into the city. This time, for a Red Sox game. Because what three year old doesn't need to celebrate her birthday at Fenway Park while wearing a hot pink sparkle skirt?

I left a little bit of my heart in Boston that trip. There is something so inspiring and powerful about the way that city does "community" - from sports teams to history to "Boston Strong" and everything in between - there is such a sense of unity and togetherness in that city. And I loved it. We're already planning our next trip…