A new kind of New Year

Sometimes planning a trip with a group can be difficult with all the moving parts and individual needs.  And sometimes the trip comes together like serendipity with every piece fitting perfectly into the puzzle.  That's how it happened that we ended up in Boston to ring in the new year.  Midway through November our friends in Halifax, A&D, found a great last minute flight deal to Boston.  In just a few days, we'd nailed down the details with our Boston-based friends, J&P, and booked in our own flights from DC to join them to welcome 2012.

We arrived on Friday, looking forward to getting to spend time with our friends over a low-key weekend with far more focus on the company than on outside activities. And that's exactly what we got.

When we arrived, A&D were at the zoo with X, their 20 month old daughter, giving us a few minutes to catch up one-on-one with J&P.  But an hour or so later we were finally all under one roof, having exchanged long over due hugs and greetings.  To our wonderful surprise, X wasn't even a little bashful being thrust into this whole crowd of faces she rarely sees in person.  So while she got familiar again with all the crazy people in the room, all of whom enjoy the sweet "aunt" and "uncle" monikers by which we're called, we set about deciding what dinner would entail and making a food plan for the weekend.

X has a lot of food sensitivities right now, which leaves eating out as a tough choice.  Conveniently, this trip included a whole bunch of people who like to cook and have no concerns with making adjustments to accommodate food sensitivities and (in my case) allergies.  As the Executive Chef of the J&P household, P had already laid a plan to make a hearty veggie-filled pasta for us the first night, bursting with Portobello mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini.  As a group we decided on a classic steak and potatoes meal for New Year's Eve and before long we were off to Whole Foods to get everything we needed (and of course, to stop at the liquor store to ensure we had plenty of "spirits" with which to welcome 2012).

Dinner that night was a big hit, both with the adults for the great combinations of flavors and well-prepared veggies and with X for the bow-tie pasta.  In fact, Uncle P's pasta making skills made him very popular for the duration of the weekend.

 Chef P chopping tomatoes to add to our pasta

We spent the duration of the evening doing what we do best, catching up, talking, laughing, basking in the presence of these people that we so seldom get to see.  Before we knew it, midnight was creeping up and we were debating if B and I could even catch a cab from Jamaica Plain back to our downtown hotel.  Luckily, P took control and within about 20 minutes we were headed for a good night's sleep (or so we thought).

Turns out, the beds at the Marriott Copley Place are medieval. Hard and awful.  But that made it easy to get up at a decent hour and get back to JP to start our day.

By the time we rolled in, A&D and X were already on the move and J&P weren't far behind.  D had offered early on to be our breakfast chef and was already one batch in on the steel cut oats that would be our morning meal.  After some "getting to know you" with the stove, I managed to produce some nicely broiled bread to enjoy with jam while we awaited the oatmeal. After enjoying D's excellent oats, we decided to head down to the Wharf to go to the Aquarium.  With all the creatures and colors, A&D hoped it would be a hit with X and let's be honest, the rest of us are pretty easily entertained as well.  Show me a penguin and I'm a happy girl.

I didn't have to wait long either, the penguin habitat is just about the first thing you see when you walk in the door.

Two penguin friends on display

After the penguins, we wound our way around a giant fish tank, filled with gorgeous tropical fish, rays, sharks and even a sea turtle. 

 A very blurry tortuga

Another blurry shot, this time of X saying "Hi!" to all the passing fish

Not long after, we got separated, J&P, B and I ending up in the outdoor sea lion habitat while trying (and failing) to follow A&D and X to the touch tank for X to meet a ray and a small shark up close and personal.  But somehow we managed to meet up around the front door just as we were all hitting our limits on tourist activities and hoping for a little lunch. Most of the nearby restaurants were crowded, but we managed to get a table at Joe's and enjoy a relatively peaceful lunch (if you discount the wretched waitress who was, shall we say, less than helpful). 

By the time we finished our late lunch it was dark and we decided to head back to J&P's by way of Faneuil Hall.  The whole plaza was filled with Christmas decorations including an ENORMOUS Christmas tree and an ice sculpture sleigh.

J&P in front of the Christmas Tree

After watching a street performer for a few minutes, we made our way to the T and back to J&P's to relax and eventually get to making dinner.  Everyone was ready for some down time when we got back and we all piled into J&P's living room. X, however, had napped on the T on the way back and was ready to burn off some more energy. So while we all sank into couches and spots on the floor, X got out her boogie book and leggings and did some reading and dancing.

After being thoroughly entertained by X dancing (and J's failed attempts to do the robot), we finally had to get it together to start on dinner or we really would be eating at midnight. P was in charge of the steak and roasted brussel spouts and I had potato responsibility.  While P prepped at the counter, I sat down at the table to peel and slice potatoes for Patates sto furno, Greek-style potatoes cut into spears and roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt pepper and oregano.  Not long after getting down to business, I had some sous chef assistance from X.  Once all the potatoes were down in the pan, X helped dress them with oregano and salt.  After I mixed it all together with the olive oil and ensured every potato was covered, X showed her cooking skills, informing me that the potatoes needed more salt, which she happily tossed in for us. 

With dinner on the way, we sat back to enjoy our evening with more chat and laughter.  We opened a few bottles of wine, enjoyed some stinky cheeses, but mostly again, just enjoyed each other.  At some point, as we all sat around the table, X crawled up into A's lap to play.  Part of that play included A and X going through the motions of "rowing" while A sang "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."  And because we are awesome, we all joined in.  And then we started singing in rounds, with A&D singing the first, B the second, J and I the third and P coming in on the fourth with his own tuneful rendition of "I Had The Time of My Life" which oddly, fits right into the cadence of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."  X dug the full-court press we were giving her song and proceeded to row and laugh and row some more.  When the singing had finally lapsed, B even graced us with his bizarre spoken word rendition.

After all this excitement and her train nap, X finally consented to sleep, just in time for the adults to sit down to dinner and to ring in the new year.  While it wasn't the crazy, booze-soaked new years of the past, the company, down to the newest little member of the crew, made it a perfect way to welcome 2012!

The next morning we were a little slower to get moving and finally all came together for breakfast (or in X's case, Breakfast Round 2) around 1030.  D made us some excellent blueberry pancakes and bacon while we all milled around in the kitchen, knowing it was our last day all together.  The highlight of this meal though, again, was X.  Crawling up on a chair at the table, she declared (after some prodding from a certain Uncle B) that "Uncle B is awesome!", "X is awesome!", "Everybody's awesome!". 

And this cuteness wasn't the last thing X had in store for us at breakfast.  She followed up, with some more help from a certain rotten Uncle, with "Aunt J is naughty" which she proceeded to repeat as long as we continued to laugh, which wasn't hard to negotiate considering what she was saying.  

After breakfast we decided it was time to take our awesomeness outside for a walk in the gorgeous 50 degree weather.  We meandered up to the Arboretum, which is just a few short blocks from J&P's place.  Full of people running, biking and walking dogs, we weren't the only ones looking to take advantage of the nice weather.  We spent about an hour roaming around, more or less following A and X wherever their wanderings took us.  

 A and X, negotiating where to go next

When we finally arrived back at J&P's, we only had a couple of hours before B and I would have to pack up for the airport.  We spent the last of our time where we had spent most of the weekend, clustered around the kitchen table, snacking and chatting and laughing.  Which brings us to the last official act of the weekend - the great Hall Street sprint.  My memory has failed and I have no idea how this argument started, but not long before we were due to depart J&P began to argue about who could spring faster.  B and I have arguments like this too as we're both pretty competitive.  However, our arguments tend to end as intellectual exercises, each postulating why we think we're superior.  Not J&P.  They each presented their case for greater sprint speed, but they didn't leave it at that.  They took it outside for a foot race!

J (who may  have been at a disadvantage in her skinny jeans) and P, ready to head outside to race

Getting set at the starting line with B as the line judge

D and X on the porch, waiting for the race to start

P, about to cross the finish line, about 15 feet ahead of J

Needless to say, P smoked J.  But their race was hilarious and a great, light-heated way to end a wonderful weekend.  Before long we were getting suitcases in the car, giving last hugs and saying our goodbyes. 

I can only describe this weekend the way I describe most times spent with these incredible friends.  Cathartic. Soul-soothing. Necessary.  Thank you all for a great trip and new year's celebration. We can't wait to do it again!