Fond Memories

I just found out some friends of mine from New Hampshire are expecting their first baby! (Congrats again Allison and Matt!!) I was able to make a comment on her blog and of course it made me think of our days in NH and thought I'd blog out some of my FOND MEMORIES.

Fond Memories of New Hampshire:

• It's the "Live Free or Die" state... what better motto to live by than that?!!
• The day the tulips bloomed, May 7, 2003... miss kaylor ann winans arrived...and just the special delivery it was because my best friend Melissa Smith was with us capturing all the happy moments and our good friend, Cheryl Shannon was the nurse taking care of me through it all!
• The snowy winters with the infamous Noreasters. Oh... and the memories of the digging out we (well, mainly Josh) had to do every time it snowed and scrambling to find a legal parking spot when it snowed so our car wouldn't be towed away! (and thank you to our old neighbor, good ole Al, who called to warn us (the new transplants and had no clue how they did things in New England!) that if we didn't move the car, it'd be towed!!
• Friday nights playing cards or Uno at Hampton Beach
• And of course the lazy summer days hanging out from 10am-4pm at the beach!!
• Brown's Seafood (yum, yum, yum... sure do miss those sea scallops)
• The first time I ate fresh mussels cooked by my good friends (and true natives of New England) Brian and Nicole. They got Josh and I to truly appreciate seafood and the love of unique pasta dishes!
• Afternoon rides in the Krones's Chevelle (we didn't get enough of them in before we moved!)
• A late summer concert in the park with a bunch of friends!
• The drive over Queen City Bridge ( I loved that Manchester sits right along the river... it really is beautiful with the old mills and trees, particulary in the fall.)
• Billy and Josh trekking down the street with the newly bought Christmas tree!
• Billy and Josh always golfing in the house (and not just putting around either, I have a chipped hope chest courtesy of Billy's swing!)
• The guys playing cards... where it alllll began for our dear friend, Jeremiah Smith!
• Pappa John's pizza. It was a staple in our house.
• All the day or weekend trips (camping or hiking or driving or playing) up to the White Mountains
• The afternoon stamping of cards at my friend Carissa's place, the attempts to keep each other accountable in working out at the Executive Club, the many afternoons of shopping and the time we made red-velvet cake together (or I should say that Carissa made, she's the incredible cook, baker, stamper and decorator... she does it all!)
• Our Sunday night gatherings where true community began for us... with the Fraley's, Smith's, Billy, Nathan, and Mike.
• Mrs. Bilodeau's infamous dessert. (Oh, what I wouldn't do for that truffle right now!)
• My three years of teaching for the Nashua School District... all the fabulous people I met and for the close friendships that came out of that time... and for those students that still keep in contact with me!
• Manchester Christian Church... it's cool to have been a part of what God was doing in and through that church.

Well, I think that should cover it....for now!