East Coast Trip - Waterville, Maine

This is part two of our East Coast Trip, scroll down to previous post for Part 1.

The drive from Boston to Waterville Maine was an easy 3 hour drive. We got out of the city pretty quickly and it was onto the highway for the next couple hundred miles. We drove through New Hampshire for about 12 miles and then we were in Maine! The first thing I noticed about our drive was the green forest we were in the middle of. On both sides of the Highway it was just tall beautiful green trees. It felt very dense. In CA, our freeways and highways are lined with houses, restaurants or shopping centers. It was a breath of fresh air to be in the midst of all the green! 

Welcome to Maine! Bucket List Check!

The first thing we did was send the kids on an adventure! Winston and Sterling live with a creek in their backyard so I asked, young strapping Winston, to take the kids in their canoe down the creek! He was more than happy to show them around. They hopped in the canoe and off they went! 

Victor and I enjoyed some adult time while we waited for the kids to return. They were gone at least an hour, Winston just keep going and going. None of them had their phones so I have no pictures from their trip, but I like it that way. The four of them have been friends for 5 years and don't see each other often, so I'm sure their were some fun conversations had. 

Some end of the evening down time playing video games like old times.

Since we were in the Lobster capital of the world, I had to eat my fair share of Lobster! Jay is a really good cook and an even better host. We went to their little local lobster shake to buy 6 of their biggest living lobsters to cook! I had been looking forward to this night since summer when Jay said we should cook Lobster. He took the bag of live lobsters out of the fridge, and since we picked them up, I had been wondering for hours what they were doing in the fridge. Just hanging out in a bag, ready to meet their doom. It started to really weird me out. I LOVE lobster but somehow I was freaking out a bit about taking them live and cooking them. The water was boiling and it was time to add them to the pot. It was weird and I was freaking out.... I picked them up one by one for a picture opportunity and was having second thoughts about what I was about to do. One of the lobsters in my hand flapped it's tail at me and I dropped it on the floor. The experience was weird and I was not a fan of it all.

Cooked lobster in a pot is SO VERY different than the picture of them above. These below are the kind I eat and didn't feel so weird.... still a weird experience that I'm glad I had, but probably not going to do again. The meal was a feast fit for a king for sure! We paid about $60 for all 6 of these guys! Jay did a wonderful job of explaining to us how to break apart the lobster and get the most meat out of it. I ate it all. Every bit of it I could get to! It was SO yummy! So thankful for this lobster bake night!

Day 2 in Maine and we planned a White Water Rafting Trip! Victor and I have both been together twice before, but this was going to be the kids first time ever on a river White Water Rafting! Since I booked this trip weeks ago, I had been looking forward to this day for myself and for the kids to have such a cool experience. Alana was nervous, not knowing how things were going to go, and was a bit scared leading up to it. Rightfully so, you just never know what to expect when you try something new. But I always stick to "try something once, and if you don't like it, you never have to do it again". The kids trusted us and were in! Jay's back had been bothering him so Victor and I took the 4 kids and headed an hour out to the Kennebec River. The day was gloomy, no sun in the horizon but warm enough to be on the river! We pulled up, listened to the orientation and suited up to head out on the river! We are a good looking bunch to toss in a raft and throw down the river!

When I booked the trip, Victor definitely had some hesitation about taking the kids out. The first time him and I went out rafting, I got tossed out of the raft pretty quickly and it was a scary thing to happen. So I'm sure he was thinking, what the heck are we getting our kids into? I called down and spoke to the girl at the front when I was booking and confirmed it would be a safe trip for kids. She assured me they have kids that are 5 who go on this trip, it's safe for everyone.

It was about a 45 minute drive in a bus up the river. We left our phones, clothes and everything we brought with us in our cars. The bus trip was rough, as we all sat and anticipated what was to come. The guides were fun and went over all the rules and safety guidelines. Things you didn't want to hear, and things you needed to hear and remember. We got out of the bus and grabbed our raft and headed to the river. We had a rehearsal on land and decided that Winston and I would take the front lead of the raft. I think we were more "voluntold" than anything. We had to walk our raft down, what felt like a thousand stairs to get there. We loaded it in the river and we were off! It wasn't until right then all the hesitation Victor had before hand and the nervousness of being a parent, taking our kids out on the river HIT me like a tons of bricks. What the hell was I doing? What kind of danger was I about to put my kids in. Not only was I responsible for my own two kids, but I had two others with us. Winston and Sterling had been twice before, so thankfully I was more comfortable with them. Oh boy, this feeling was not fun and it had my blood and adrenaline pumping probably way more than normal. 

We were about to go down some class 4 rapids. 4 is pretty big and scary, but fun. We were starting off with some 2's and 3's, then hitting a couple of 4's, more 2's and 3's and then we were going to be done. I can DO THIS. Paddle, dig into the water, keep my kids in the raft. If they fall out, I grab them and pull them back in. They will be fine. Keep myself in the boat. Lock my feet into those spots and secure myself. HERE WE GO!

Lucky for us there were some professional photographers standing out on the rocks taking pictures of us. Hence the big smiles, and the very nervous smiles. So grateful for these pictures of our amazing adventure on the Kennebec River. 

WE MADE IT!!! 

The last hour and a half of the trip was just us floating down the river with very tiny rapids or none at all. The boys got a chance to jump in the river and float down outside of the raft. They weren't pushed or popped out, they were allowed to jump in and ride the river. As sad as I am that I didn't have a phone or go pro with me to capture it all, it's probably for the best. Floating down the river in the middle of the gorge in Maine was such a amazing experience. We saw a beautiful bald eagle perched up on a tree and sat and listened to the sounds of the river. I said a few different times as we all sat and looked, and soaked it in.... soak all of this in kids, we don't have anything like this in California. They did! They soaked it all in and will have these memories for the rest of their lives! The time their parents took them for their very first White Water Rafting Trip in Maine. What an amazing family adventure. No regrets! 

The day we were leaving Maine, Erica asked the kids, what was their favorite part about this trip. They both said White Water Rafting! Parents for the win!

The rest of the trip was lots of resting, a little bit of exploring and visiting with our favorite family. Lobster Musubi, rain, Two Cent Bridge, in door pool time at the hotel and a goodbye Dunkin (check mark) breakfast.

Saturday morning we drove an hour into Portland to explore on our own for the day and then to catch our flight that evening. We walked through the Harbor and shops, grabbed a few souvenirs and had our very last lobster roll. Oh, and let's not forget the trip to the Sasquatch Museum. Weird, weird place. 

Our flight out of Portland to JFK was easy peasy, 45 minutes. Unfortunately for us the next leg home was no fun. Delayed in the airport for 2 hours, LONGEST plane ride ever from JFK to LAX (no sleep for me), landing at 2:30am, got our car and home by 4am. As we pulled into the garage at home, "Hurricane" Hilary was just starting to bring the rain to OC. 

Our East Coast trip was definitely an amazing experience. We got to visit our friends, have new first time adventures and spend quality time together as a family. Sad its over, but so incredibly happy we made it happen! We work damn hard for every penny we earn and I'm so grateful we create these opportunities for us.

East Coast Trip - Boston

 This summer when our friends, The Wall Family, came out to visit from Maine, we talked about us taking a trip out there before the summer was up! So I got to planning and we made it happen before school started! 

When I was in 5th grade I did my State project on Maine. I did lots of research, read books about it, looked it up in encyclopedia (I'm old) and got up in front of the class and told everyone about its beauty! The flower, the flag, the history, ALL the lobster and all that fun stuff. Since then I have thought about visiting Maine but never really had a reason or opportunity to until this year! 

Back in 2018 when Jack started T-ball his BB BFF was Sterling. He was this sweet little guy that had the coolest family! We all became instant friends. We did dinners and fun nights of hanging out with them in Irvine. I knew when I meet Erica and Jay that we would be forever friends. Erica is one of the most interesting women to talk to. She is full of life, has the BEST laugh and the coolest job. When she was in CA she had her own Art Studio and was a curator. She grew up in LA, is the most beautiful, strong Black Woman and has an opinion about everything. Which I highly respect on pretty much any topic! She is just such a fun person to be around. So I made a new friend. Her husband is one of the nicest, selfless people ever and would literally give you the shirt off of his back. He does an outstanding job keeping the boys busy with sports and outdoorsey stuff. They lived in Irvine with their two boys, Winston and Sterling. Our families got along well and so when they moved away to Massachusetts, I knew we needed to keep in touch. They come out during the summer for a Palm Springs get away and we try to make it over there to see them every year. This year as we sat in the 110 degree heat chatting, we decided I would bring the family out to Maine to visit! We decided to meet in Boston for a few days and then drive out to Maine, where they live. Thankful for Victor's hotel discounts, we were able to book an employee rate in both cities! 

We flew into Boston on a Sunday. It was the kids second airplane ride, direct flight and was pretty easy! Why does my teenager look so angry? Because she is a teen and half the time hates when I take pictures of her. So the majority of her teenage life she is going to look like this. Am I winning as a parent, no. But such is life. Jack is still happy to take pictures with me! The flight was beautiful and I enjoyed seeing all the green that was in Boston from the air!
 

As soon as we got to Boston, Jay and Sterling were already checked into the hotel waiting for us! We stayed at the Dagny, a fancy hotel right in the middle of downtown Boston, close to everything! Yay for employee rates! First things first, we dropped our luggage and went to explore the city! We headed just down the street to the Quincy Market to grab a bite to eat. It's a looooonnnggg hall with everything to eat that you could think of. Lots of little eateries with a billion different options. Boba, Corn dogs and steak sandwiches for the win! Now that our tummies were full, it was time to walk down to the North End to get some dessert. I was told by multiple people to try either Mikes or Modern Pastry. Lines were out the door for both places so Jay said we should try Modern Pastry and so we got in line with about 30 other people. 

We tried one of everything. A lobster tail (pastry stuffed with cream), a Cannoli, Eclair, Strawberry Shortcake and Alana needed that Crème Brulee.  Heaven in a box! We took it and walked to the nearest little park with water springs and a chance to sit and take it all in. Sterling and Jack ran that sugar off and were just so happy to be hanging out together again. Every time they see each other, they pick up like they never have been apart. It's my favorite thing about them! Our first night in Boston was awesome. The weather was great, the company even better and we got a little taste of the yumminess it has to offer!

Soaking in all beautiful lights and sounds! With two smiling kids this time! I'm feeling so grateful to be in Boston with my family this year. 

The revolving door was a hit with the boys! Oh, to be 10 again!

The first full day in Boston we started off by visiting the Boston Tea Party Museum. This was recommended to me by a co-worker who was just there with her kids. I'm glad to I booked it. It was a lot of fun! On our way there, we found a park for the kids to run their energy out first!

The Museum was very interactive and full of history! I loved that the people who worked there were great actors, embodied their roles and made our tour fun! I also found this awesome "Tower" drink while in the museum. It's Raspberry Lime Rickey. Probably one of the best soda's I've tasted. Totally going to order some online and have them shipped. Why is everything so much tastier when you are on vaca? 

Each person received a card of who they were for the tour. After a tour of the ship, we got to throw Tea into the Harbor! The whole museum was very interactive, it made us part of history! Talking pictures and lots of reenactment videos. 

The museum had cool artifacts also. An actual tea boxed that was saved and a glass bottle containing actual tea from the event! A great way to learn about our History and the fun city of Boston!

We headed over to the Barking Crab for lunch. Alana and I shared some great Ahi tacos and Crab cakes! Must eat ALL the Seafood while there!

Another stop at the playground before heading over to the T! 

Purchased my first Charlie Card, thankfully Jay knew his way around, so we just followed him. Inbound, Outbound, yellow, green, orange lines, OH MY! 

We headed over to see Fenway Park. Home of the Red Socks. I didn't need to see a game, but had to at least see the outside of the stadium while we were there! 

On the way there, Jay pointed out this place that had the "Best" Lobster roll in Boston. Of course we had to stop and check it out. He was NOT lying. It was by far the BEST lobster roll we had the entire trip. The place was called Eventide Fenway and it was served on a Bao bun. BEST EVER. 

I loved to see the architecture of the buildings in Boston. They are some of the oldest in the country and you can tell! The art all over the city was beautiful as well.

The boys and their banana dance. 

The afternoon was followed by fun in the city water and a yummy dinner at Legal Seafood where I enjoyed the Lobster Mac-n-cheese. Hey, when in Rome right? 

    

Our first full day in Boston was rounded out by a night tour of Ghosts and Gravestones! This one was at Alana's request. The night tour took us around Boston and gave us lots of ghost stories, graveyards and scary history! 

      

Final day 3 in Boston was rainy as hell, but we had to take the famous Boat Duck Tour, rain or shine! Our Guide was really funny and made us laugh the entire time. We didn't realized how many Dunkin Donuts there were in Boston until he pointed them out. Each time we would pass one he asked everyone to make check mark to see how many we passed by the end of the tour. We would pass one and he would yell out "Check Mark" in his Boston accent. For the next few days, every time we saw one on our trip, we would yell out "Check Mark" in our own Boston accent. It's so popular on the east coast. 

Jack, Alana and Sterling all got to "drive" the boat for a few minutes and we all joined them at the front of the boat for a picture. This might be my favorite picture from Boston. 

After the Boat Tour it was time for Jay and Sterling to drive home to Maine, and we were going to head out the next morning to follow them. Jack wanted to head home with them, so he left for the evening and Victor, Alana and I went out exploring the rest of the town. On foot. We walked a LOT. The night before on the Ghost Tour, they told us about the "Haunted Mirror" at the Parker House hotel. Charles Dickens used to practice "A Christmas Carol" in front of it and now when you take a picture in front of it, people have seen a lot of weird things happen. So you know we had to go check it out and take some pictures. I saw nothing and had nothing happen. Alana and Victor both had weird blue lights show up in their pictures. 

We visited the old State House and gave ourselves a tour of the building. It was marble and had some gorgeous staircases and ceilings. 

After a long day of walking around we ended our evening with a late dinner in the North End for some Italian food! Giamamo's for the win! Meatballs were awesome and Alana's Lobster ravioli's were her favorite food of the trip! As we were about to be seated (about an hour wait) the couple that was waiting in front of us, the girlfriend ended up passing out and Victor caught her head and brought her gently to the ground. She was fine, but it made our wait a bit more interesting. 

Our last night in Boston, I made sure to mail out my postcards from the fun looking Mail box in the lobby of our hotel. I LOVE sending postcards from my travels. I don't travel a lot, but when I do, I always send myself a postcard along with a few other specially selected peeps.

Our time in Boston was done, it was SO beautiful and full of SO much history! It was all of our first times so it was great to be able to do all the touristy stuff. Everything we did was recommended to us by someone who had been there before. Thankful for the family time we had in Boston exploring and having fun.