Goodbyes

Aloha!

Yesterday was my last day in Mass until December. Even as I type this waiting to board my plane to Honolulu from Dallas, it still has yet to really sink in that I won't be back for 3 months. I spent my day finishing some last minute packing and started to say goodbye to my family. Every year since we moved to Massachusetts, we have gone to Joseph Smith's birthplace in Sharon, Vermont to go camping with our ward. My dad packed up the car and my 4 younger siblings and by 11:30, they were on their way out. It was hard saying goodbye to all of them, but I'll see them in just 3 short months :)

Later that day I took the commuter rail (my first time doing so in my entire 17 years of being a Massachusetts resident) into Wellesley and had dinner at the McQuivey's house. They're seriously the best! I'm definitely going to miss Lachlan and his craziness. After dinner, Logan and I met up with some other friends from my stake to go ice skating at a rink that's open year-round. It was kind of funny thinking about the idea of ice skating the night before I left for sunny Hawaii. It was a great way to end my 2 weeks back home :) But it also ended in a lot of sad goodbyes. I'll miss my friends a lot but I'll hopefully make some good ones here in Laie. Saying goodbye to Logan was probably the hardest. I already miss that guy. But, like everyone else I had to leave behind in Boston, I'll see him in December.

The nice thing about goodbyes is that a lot of the times they're just "see you laters". And in my case, all of my goodbyes so far have been "see you laters". It's pretty reassuring to know that I'll be able to see everyone again in just a few short months. Hopefully I won't get too homesick from now until then.

♡,

Nina

Last Days

Aloha!

It's surreal to think that in less than 48 hours I'll be headed on a plane to start my adventure in Hawaii. I am excited to finally start school again after my great time as a visiting student this past summer semester at BYU. Yet, I want to cling onto the little time I have left of my summer in Boston. Since being home from BYU I have been really soaking up and enjoying spending time with family and friends.

Today, I spent the day in Boston with Logan. We went to Boston Commons and laid out in the grass and may or may not have fallen asleep haha. I love Boston Commons because it is so spacious and green. The atmosphere is wonderful and laid back. People are spread out all over the grassy lawns, enjoying the lovely summer day. It's also not too far away from Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, the quaintest little Bostonian historical site and shopping center. So, after our nap we hit the streets to try and navigate our way to get some food and do some last minute shopping. Being a native Bostonian of 17 years, I like to think that I know the ropes around town. Unfortunately, we both came to the conclusion that neither of us knew where we were going. After reluctantly consulting a map, we finally got a good sense of which direction we should've been headed in. The benefit to being lost was being led in the direction that allowed us to walk through the Holocaust Memorial. The memorial was definitely really cool and I would say it's one of those must see sights that isn't as well known.

After walking through the memorial site, we finally got to Faneuil Hall. We quickly went to Quincy Market to grab something to eat. Quincy Market is this really cool indoor shopping center filled with tons of random food shops. They've got clam chowdah at one stall, gelato at another, pizza at the next, a juice bar at the other, etc. It is seriously one of my favorite places in Boston, even if it is seriously over priced.

We then ventured a few blocks over to the North End. The North End is home to some of the best Italian food on the East coast (at least in my opinion). With great Italian food comes great cannolis! Our favorite place to go is Mike's pastry, but Modern pastry is also excellent. It was a perfect way to end our day in Boston.

I'm grateful for the all the chances I have had to enjoy the beauty of Boston. Even after 17 years, I have yet to get tired of aimlessly walking around and taking it all in. I think out of everything the things I'll miss the most (in no particular order) are:

1. Apple picking & apple cider donuts

2. Pumkin Spice flavors at Dunkin Donuts

3. Fall foliage

4. TREES (though palm trees are nice too)

5. My family 

6. Wesley

7. Logan

8. Fall clothes

9. Apple Cider

10. Panera & Chipotle

Obviously I probably will get a little homesick being so far from home but I am itching to start my new adventure! I cannot wait to see what is in store for me at my new home :)

♡,

Nina