Nothing is like the feeling you have when you are with your
absolute best friend and other half.. you find laughter in every situation and
just for the time you spend with each other you feel at home.. no matter where
you actually are. Everything seems at ease and you can pick up where the
friendship was left off since the last time you saw each other. When I am with
Brooke Kelsey Schasteen I am 100% me and no matter what.. I look at every
situation with a positive outlook. her optimistic and caring attitude is
contagious. To say the least.. Brooke coming up here was exactly what I
needed.. to take some time out of hectic work, emails and deadlines and just be
myself. To write every detail description to her visit up here would take ages
to write..I will try to my best to highlight the best parts..
Brooke arrived in
New England last Saturday as she flew into Logan Airport in Boston... the first
time I have been to Logan Airport and was too scared to drive in Boston traffic
for the first time.. this resulted in Alex accompanying me on the journey to get
B. We did our best in welcoming her to New England by wearing obnoxious and
trashy New Hampshire t-shirts from Wal-Mart. Alex's consisited of some sweet
moose in the forest, mine had CAMP NEW HAMPSHIRE in all block letters and of
course it wouldn't be welcoming if we didn't include B in the Wal-Mart t-shirt
attire. She got a nice beach scene with lounge chairs on it.. needless to
say these shirts are life changing and will forever be mine Alex's and Brooke's
BFF shirts! If mine and Alex's trashy t-shirts weren't enough, I continued to
put forth the embarassing effort for Brooke by making a paper sign to hold up
as she got out of the gate.. keep in mind I write like a 4 year old and the
sign was legit yellow notebook paper.. it was the thought that counts.. as I
stood there next to a Chinese man who had a sign with Chinese symbols on it as
he waited for his arrival I knew that this embarrassment act was going to be up
to par.. too bad mister Chinese man left before B got to me.. When Brooke
finally came out of the gate she was the total opposite of embarrassed and
embraced it by tackling me and modeling her WAl-Mart shirt.. while Al took our
picccccc shoockkkk Next we were again continuing the search that Al and I
started two weeks ago at finding the piano bar.. Howl at the Moon.. which we
finally did after being lead by B who ominously thought she knew her way around
Boston as she walked her normal 15 MPH speed walk through the streets .. we got
to the bar to find that it was one in and one out so we bounced on to find food
because Al was being a diva and needed to eat.. we found this nice spot with an
outdoor patio that was right on the harbor.. not bad for 3 people who didn't
know where anything was.. after food we had to make the epic stop of
showing B Cheers and then we went to a classy bar where Brooke found her new
drink of choice.. to finish the night we made it to the famous Hideout bar that
me n Al found on our last trip where B and I became BFF with the security
guards and bartenders.. got to stand on the bar for a bit and find a home for
our dollar bill that Brooke and Alex stapled on the ceiling while
I took their picture.. awesome how roles change. Since Brooke had a
6:40AM train ride to NYC the next morning.. we were fortunate enough to have a
place to stay at Alex's sisters apt right outside of Boston.. We maybe got 3
hours of sleep until it was time to get up at take B to South Station.. where
she left us until Wednesday to go visit BFF Molly in NJ/NYC! Thanks B
for teasing me n Al with your presence for one night then leaving again :(.. I
was glad B got to see the night life of Boston and some parts of the city!
Work went by fast
and before I knew it was Wednesday. aka Kristin Eve aka Brooke's second arrival
to Boston! Of course I had my partner in crime Alex come again straight after
work on Wednesday to get B! It was Colby and I's first driving session to
Boston and of course we needed Al's guidance.. even if he never knows where
anything is 99.9% of the time! After experiencing Boston traffic personally and
figuring out the difference between the South station bus and train
station.. we awaited B's arrival to find her with her new Bff Gabby that she
had met on the train.. shock B never meets a stranger.. after talking the nice
parking lot man out of making us pay 5 dollars more than we needed to.. we were
on our way to Polcari's Italian Restaurant where we experienced true
Boston Pizza and Al got away with 3 free bottles of their famous Italian oil ha
ended the night by jamming back to old school music and before we knew it! it
was midnight.. aka the reunion of my birth!
I had the best
birthday this year.. it consisted of doing something on my granola list..zip
lining.. plus I got to do this with my best friend... which made it 10 times
better.. I am blessed beyond all means with the greatest and loving parents who
took on the fees of this granola adventure.. I think it is safe to say that I
have overcome my fear of heights after this adventure. I also experienced my
first off road ride up the mountain in a 1930 six wheel drive
ex-military tank/vehicle! I loved every minute of zip lining.. the views of the
White Mountains were breath taking and the adrenaline rush made it
even better. After zip lining I decided to introduce B to the beach life in
NH... now let's reflect on this real quick.. how awesome it is that
you can go to the mountains and then the beach in on day in the same state?
Boom. NH is that awesome. We got to the beach right before the storm of 3 days
began.. I think b will stick to the Fl beaches.. whiter sand and warmer water
ha. oh well can't convert everyone.. :) I enjoyed taking a bday snooze in the
sun as I listened to a women complain about her marriage to someone that def
wasn't her husband and the sound of two teenagers playing ping pong in the air
right next to me n B..clearly they wanted to get our attention.. they got
mine.unfortuantely.. we left the beach to come back and get ready for my bday
dinner in Portsmouth. As we got back to the apt.. I was greeted with packages
from family and cards in the mailbox.. Words cannot describe how blessed I am
to have the family that I have.. they are the most loving and caring people in
this world.. I have the strongest support system that is the only way I am so
positive about being all the way up here and away from them. I got wonderful
chocolate covered strawberries and cake pops from aunt Laurie, the best care
packages from Mom Dad and Aunt Elaine, the sweetest and best card/drawing from
my Grandfather and cards with loving birthday incentives inside from Uncle Lon
Tron and my great aunts! Not to mention on Wednesday I was surprised by flowers
from Mom and Dad :) It truly felt like I had my family with me even if I
was 23 hours away on my birthday! We ended the night by going out to eat and
then Al and B surprised me by taking me a karaoke bar!! Where me Al B and a
rather large African American sang Don't Stop Believing.. in between
Brooke getting hit on throughout the night. All in all my bday was the best one
I have had in a while.. if not the best. I had my best friend here.. was in the
mountains and at the beach in the same day.. was truly the granola NH
bday!
To continue
Brooke's granola vaca we decided to go for a best friend hike on Friday.. it
was so gorgeous. Like Brooke had said... it is amazing how creative God is and
how his creation is there for everyone to experience. Kinda sucks though how
come people don’t have the determination to go seek it and enjoy his natural
creation. The hike took about 3 hours.. in between me occasionally falling..
and being scared of jumping 2 feet down to the next rock.. I am just too
granola for hiking... We made it to the summit where we found a precious
Chinese family to take our BFF mountain pic and right after the snap shot happened it
began to thunder and lightning and oh yeah it poured down rain. are you
surprised? cause we weren't... it added more life to the hike though and danger
as well.. B had to pretty much guide me the whole way down the mountain.. did I
just say that out loud.. what I meant to say was that I
was guiding her.. This hike was one of those times in life where you
really got to relax and take in what all God provides us with.. great
friendships, the beauty of untouched nature and the gift of even rain. I guess
you could call that hike itself someone of a blessing in a way.... it let me
take time away from my hectic and stressful life to breathe for a minute and
just enjoy my surroundings and embrace the situation that I am in and why I am
in it. That night was a chill night as I put my master chef skills to the test
by cooking the only dish I know how to cook.. chicken steamed veggies (in a bag
of course) salad (already prepared in a bag) and rice.. which usually is Uncle
Ben's :90 second rice, but I decided to go all out and make rice on the stove..
that I don't think every was fully cooked. Yep. watch out Paula Dean. This was
the night that I drug Brooke into my wonderful world of reality TV by making
her watch a few episodes of the Bachelor Pad.. however the life changing
moment of the night was when I introduced her to the show, Mrs. Eastwood and company..aka
the best show on this planet. It literally is exactly like the Karadsians only
Clint Eastwood's family.. however he is never in it.. it is just his wife who is
not even half his age, his step daughter and their child.. throw in her
managing a boy band, having the most amazing Asian maid named Lisa and her
brother and you have the show. This is also where my new term that is only used
between me n Brooke, "cheeks" come from. Cheeking is simply a way to
show you love someone one.. it is better than a hug.. cooler than a high five
and more classy than a handshake.. it is basically pinching/putting your cheek
next to someone and just "cheekin" them like a baby.. aka the best
way to show that you love someone ever.. however only me Brooke and Lee Lee are
allowed to do this.. anyone can be cheeked but the original cheekers may not
get cheeked.. it is just I the rules. If I had to guess that explanation was
probably the best part of this blog.
Saturday consisted
of going to the outlets where I let my personal shopper do some shopping for
me, ate McDonalds mcnuggets for the third day straight to accompany our $1
drinks, purchasing a "I Moose Be Dreaming" night gown from Maine a
trip to subway and ending the afternoon with a nice kayak trip in the ocean and
harbor of Portsmouth with bff AL! Later that night we were suppose to go see
B's fav movie ever as a play in the Harbor park/theater area but of course..it
got rained out. So B had to settle for purchasing Willy Wonka at Best Buy while
I convinced Al and B that we needed to go out. and we did. and we had a blast.
We found our bestie bar at this place called the Page where we dominated some
grand slam nachos and of course ran up aL's bar tab to about $89..no worries I
helped him out :) we ventured the night life of Portsmouth where Brooke was
making more friends in that night than I have made in over three months and
ended the night by me passing out as soon as I walked in the door and Brooke
and Al chatting for a few while I was honk zzzzzing in bed bed. It was another
great day/night to the BFF visit.
Sunday consisted
of my being depressed. Brooke left our apt in Durham to go back to Memphrica
where she would then take her talents to Knoxville for her child life
internship (sorry had to bestie brag just then) Me Al and B "The Three
Stooges" went to Red Hook Brewery for lunch where we almost forgot about
time and B was late to her flight.. only to get there in plenty of time to then
not have a seat on her plane..however she told me not to worry about it and
that she would figure it out at the gate.. which then lead to her not having a
seat on her original flight.. which lead to me having a freak out session on the
side of the highway which lead to the freak out not being needed due to the
fact that she got on her plane.. and made it safely to ATL and then to MEM. yep
.. that sums up Sunday..
I spent the next
few days playing catch up at work and moping around my apt in bestie depression
ha. Me and Al ended the week by going to the Page and missing B the whole time
we were there.. doing another one of our classic Friday nights of spending too
much time being Bradley Copper and Kate Hudson at the bar and passing out at
the movies... I really do wonder if the movie the Campaign was funny? I ended
this weekend with venturing to Maine with the Maniac Grenier Family Vaca to
somewhere 4 hours away North.. I was 160 miles from Canada folks.. no worries
though cause I got to hang out with 5 boys ranging from 13-15 all weekend..
lets jus say that I have gotten my ear flicked, punched in the arm and enough
blonde jokes for a good 3 months.. ha but honestly I had a great time venturing
to the woods of Maine where I had my first camping experience freezing in 40
degree weather in shorts and a sweatshirt... hiking part of the Appalachian
Trail and indulging my granolaness into the mighty white water rapids where I managed
to not fall out of the raft but still get a swollen foot as karma came back to
get me. Who knew that laughing at someone stepping on a rock would come back to
haunt you 2. seconds later as you then get rocked by a hug rock sticking out of
the water.. yeah. that was me. But all in all I enjoyed my lovely time with
Ashley and her family..it is nice to have a granola family away from home..
since Lee lee and Big Chuck are such the granola type and all :)
I was greeted from
being gone in the woods all weekend by my new life book that Tori got me 6
months ago.. Hope Solo's book that is.. I can't put it down.. two words to
describe this book. life changing. Honestly, over the past 22 years I have
never been more excited to read in my life.. parents.. if all else fails in
getting your kids to read.. put this book in front of them... not only will
they get a whole new use of new fun and probably inappropriate words.. they
will also get some pretty sweet pics of Hope Solo. I Mean who wouldn't want to
read about the best athlete in the world. no questions asked. I forgot to
mention in this blog that I also received prob top 2 best bday resents of my
life over my bday celebration.. and of course number one was my presents from B
and her being here.. but that other top present.. being a Hope Solo fathead
that ALLLL got me :) yep.. no worries she is going up this week.. we have to
prepare for her and find the perfect spot.. more than likely in my room.. not
in a creepy way or anything.. someone needs to protect me with their raging
muscles at night.. mine have to get some rest at some point... yeah.. I am getting
to the point where I am almost at the line crosser here so I will stop.. hope
this blog was worth waiting for. Don't forget to turn on Chelsea Lately
tonight.. I hear there is some guest star named Hope Solo on it tonight.. I'm just
saying..
