Summer in Boston

Um...so, I really have been up to a whole lotta fun that doesn't in any way, shape, or form involve mouse prostates. And I have wanted to blog about oh-so-many things but just haven't had time, so this is just a little smattering of the splendid summer I've been spending here in Beantown (and beyond).

Oh! But before all that, I have an official announcement to make (drumroll....): I am staying in Boston this next year! (**shouts of unrestrained excitement**)

I got an amazing offer to work in the Cardiac Surgery Department at Children's Hospital on a project involving tissue engineering. Specifically, I will be working on engineering heart valves to use in patients with congenital heart defects (among other things). How cool is that!?! Plus, the job involves a pay raise, benefits, and not having to move three times in three years. (All things which the NIH offers severely lacked). I will be working with a researcher who I already know and have collaborated with in the past, and so I'm pretty sure it will be another amazing year in the work force before jumping full-force into school again. Yipee!

Anyway, back to the smattering of splendid reasons why I am super excited to be spending more time here.

Summer Solstice on the Vineyard
If there ever was the perfect way to spend a day, I'm pretty sure I did it here. My friends Rachel and Dan, and I woke up at the crack o' dawn to drive down to the ferry which took us to Martha's Vineyard where we spent all day biking from charming town, to charming town, to amazing beach, to incredible coastline and back again. I think overall we went a little over 30 miles, which was tiring but totally worth it! On the ferry back to the mainland we watched the sunset on the water. Talk about Carpe Diem! I know I have been overusing the phrase lately, but man, we really harvested the day to its fullest!

Then These Crazy People Came to VisitI was super excited when my darling sister Heather and her hubby Andy came to visit me. They are the first of my family that has come up and even though I walked the freedom trail for the umpteenth time, and even though Andy had to work for several of the days, Heather and I kept busy having loads of fun (and he joined in when he could :-) ).
It was mostly just nice having sister talks into the wee hours of the night. Growing up we shared a room for many years and would stay up late talking and playing games (just as a side-note, playing "I Spy" in the dark tends to lead to controversy). Even when she got her own room I would sneak upstairs late at night and we would just talk and talk. Anyway, it was just good to get to talk like that again with my big sister. I was sad when they had to leave.

But...Then Even More Visitors Came
My old roommate Staci (who, just to let you know was my first Boston visitor back in October) and some other friends from my old ward back in P-town flew in the day after H&A left, and they spent a week and a half taking Karl on outings throughout New England. Even though I had to work I got to join them for some of the fun.

We went whale watchingand took a day trip to Ogunquit, Maine. (This is our "model" pose). Honestly though, this is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and one of the coolest beaches ever. Dan and I have already decided that we need to go back with swimsuits and inner tubes because right at this spot a river runs into the ocean and so you can ride the current of the river right into the waves...so much fun!

Independence DayCan you imagine a better place to be for the 4th of July than Boston? We had a huge group of people who all met up and we got the greatest spot right in the middle of the river (well, in the middle of a bridge that crosses the river). After listening to the Boston Pops concert and watching the sunset over the Charles River, we got to watch the fireworks display, which is set to music and is incredible. I can honestly say that it was quite an emotional experience watching the fireworks explode over the river that early patriots rowed across to warn their fellows of the British advance, the river that scared families in Boston gazed across as Charlestown burned during the battle of Bunker Hill where their husbands, fathers, and brothers were fighting to the death. Then, of course, my mind went to those men and women who are fighting overseas right now out of loyalty to the nation that those early Bostonians and other early Americans fought for so dearly. Whew! Pretty intense stuff! All in all, it was an irreplaceable experience.
Go Sox!
No summer can truly be complete without a home game at Fenway. Just yesterday I went with my friends to see the Sox play. It was their final Boston hurrah since they had to leave this morning. And oh man! It was a great game! We were dragging behind almost from the get-go, but then the eighth inning came and we completely rocked it! We were trailing by 3 going into the inning, but a couple of good base hits, and a homer by Manny caught us right up then Youkillis helped us pull ahead. Papelbon pitched the ninth and despite some scares and a broken bat, kept the Twins from scoring. Wow! What great times! (Oh, and by the way...how weird is it that I am a total baseball fan now? Strange.)

The most exciting part is that my summer has barely begun. Just seven more days of work then I am beach bound!