So...

As I sit here drinking my pumpkin coffee (was gonna get a Dark Roast but the Pumpkin won my vote today), I realize how soon its going to be until our favorite cajun will be here. Seems like just yesterday Amy and Caitlin were buying tickets to Hanson and now its almost upon us where they're gonna go on their groupie trek throughout the New England States. Guess I better stock up on video games! :)

Parade!

Amy and I haven't been to a parade in years and this was well worth the wait! Around 1.5 million(probably over 1 million of them pink hats aka bandwagon fans) cheered on the B's as they made their way through the city as the Stanley Cup returned to the city of Boston after over 39 years!

Here's a few pix from the parade with a link to the entire set at the bottom:

Tyler Seguin


Dennis Seidenberg and Johnny Boychuk


Greg Campbell


Patrice Bergeron with his girlfriend that looks like Jessica Simpson


Adam McQuaid

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Michael Ryder


Milan Lucic


Stanley Cup


Nathan Horton


Blades the Bear


Rene Rancourt


Danny Paille and Johnny Buczyk


Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara




http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy1983/sets/72157626992011826/

It's Home

Yep, finally just starting to set in.

I'm sure I'll be blogging more about this, but yea, History has been Made.

United We Stand

In the words of Barack Obama: "Justice has been done". Those words will echo throughout history when referring to the death of Osama Bin Laden. 10 years later on the same day that Adolf Hitler was pronounced dead, the USA's (and the worlds) biggest enemy is no more.

Sure we may have found out about it before Obama made the official announcement but to hear him say it put you at ease and fill one with pride knowing that our troops took care of business. The sacrifices that the troops have made have been difficult to bear with and having a cousin in the USMC is tough too knowing that he's going to be out there on the frontlines. But at the same time we have one of the best militaries in the world and I know he'll be fine.

While sitting waiting, and waiting and waiting some more, word started getting out and a few people started congregating in front of the White House. And finally, after making the announcement there were hundreds of people now in front. And at that moment, something happened. It was faint at first, but slowly grew louder, "Oh say can you see..." it was none other then our national anthem. What pride I felt seeing the nation unite as one. All politics, all differences were forgotten, even if it was just for this one night, but it felt so good to see the nation united once again.

United We Stand!

N3rdy

Since last blogging I've read 2 full books(How States Got Their Shapes and 1776) and starting a 3rd book. Yep, I would consider myself a nerd. It's probably actually an understatement. Video games, TV and books. Those are pretty much the three staples I would need in life (other then food and water and of course Amy and Bindi :) ) My plans for my days off include going out to buy some books, play some video games and watch TV. Woowee, hold me back!

Spring has Sprung

Well, the 3 feet of snow has finally melted and here's to hoping that we don't see anymore of it for quite some time. Weather's been getting warmer and daylight savings just occurred so now we have longer days (although losing an hour of sleep bites, but I'm not too worried bout it). Can't wait to get outside, do our summer projects and of course, can't wait to start grilling again!

February 3rd

Significant events that occurred on February 3rd:

First paper money issued in US (1690)
US captures Marshall Islands (1944)
11th Winter Games opens in Japan (1972)
Patriots defeat the Rams in the Super Bowl (2002)

Started a life of happiness with Amy (2001)

Love ya baby! :)

Snow

Yea, that powdery white stuff that may look pretty for the first couple of inches that it lays down, but when you deal with storm after storm after storm laying down FEET of snow, it gets old, quick. Having to snowblow my driveway on a weekly basis (and clear out in front of the mailboxes)really bites. Not only does it blow (that's what she said) but it adds to Amy's commute and it's pretty much doubled her travel time too and from work. We still haven't been able to take down our Christmas lights because they're buried underneath about 3 feet of snow and it'll probably be at least another month before we even have a chance to get at them. (see pic: http://twitpic.com/3tvwq6)

So yea, Summer, come soon!

Summer attack ad on Winter: http://some.ly/gPJdhx

Resolution-Schmesolution

I don't do resolutions but if I did, it'd be to blog more. And like most resolutions, they'd probably fall by the wayside in a couple weeks. But yea, I really should blog more. Since I last blogged, I've celebrated a birthday, Christmas, been to a few Bruins games, got several video games, read 2 books and have watched countless hours of TV. Maybe its just that I'm so boring, who knows. But maybe I'll get back into the habit of doing this again. Really don't do much. Basically its work (or read at work is more like it), play some video games, watch high quality TV like Jersey Shore and go out on occasion. Other then that, I'm a pretty simple guy and I really have no problem with that.


Now, back to reading (at work)

Hanson!

Yep, for the first time in almost 10 years, I'm getting dragged to a Hanson, make two Hanson concerts. I've managed to get away without going for quite awhile now, but I knew it was inevitable. Will I have fun? Who knows, probably. Gonna be a lot of driving done between these two shows since both locations are located 2-2.5 hours away from home. So yes, my Hanson cherry will be broken *facepalm*

PS-Look at the countdown. 3 days til my Bday! Woop!

Hurricane-Schmurricane

So there's been some talk about this lil beast of a storm named Earl dropping by to pay MA a visit. I say come on down! Been 19 long years since we've been really impacted by a good storm (Hurricane Bob)...sure we may not get the full effects of it but sounds like we're gonna get some rain and some of the tropical storm winds but that works for me. Of course it's coming for the weekend but that's quite allright cuz we already have a hurricane party planned...whether Earl comes or not! So far the guest list includes myself, Amy, Caitlin(via Skype) and of course Earl. Party plans consist of pretty much anything but there will definitely be some daiquiri's drunk and some drinking games played! Looking forward to this weekend guys!

Oh PS, whenever I hear hurricane, all I can think of is Amurrica! (inside joke) :)

DVR

So now that our favorite cajun is gone, Amy and I have been trying to make a dent in our DVR that almost completely filled up in her stay here. We've only made a lil progress going from probably around 90% full to 45% full.Granted there's probably some programs on there that we may never watch but still, been taking us awhile to make any progress on it. Oh and did I mention that we have a Netflix movie that we're approaching almost a month of gathering dust on our coffee table? We should hopefully get to it tonight.

Anyways, been back to work for a cpl weeks now and I'd say that both Amy and I have been pretty zen since Caitlin left...guess you could say it was something we all needed. Well, got nothing else to talk about so guess I'll end it here.

Yajun!

So here I sit on the couch, all chores done for the day...just me and the pup. No where to go, nothing to do, sometimes that's a good thing but not right now. The past Thursday-Tuesday went by like a whirlwind and boy did I have one of the funnest times I can pretty much ever remember.

First off, lemme premise this with the fact that our favorite Cajun, Caitlin was due to arrive in Boston around 4pm this past Thursday. However, due to problems with the flying lawnmower that she was to depart on, she ended up missing her connecting flight in Houston, then was not picked while on standby on the next flight. Basically what this meant was instead of getting in at 4, she now was getting in at 9. Totally changed everything up cuz we were supposed to meet Mark for drinks at Patriot Place...silly flying lawnmowers. Anyways, so we get settled in at around 10, finally eat dinner (a burrito) and enjoy a beer before hitting the hay.

Day 2 (Hanson day #1)
We get up, get ready and drive down to Hyannis to enjoy the day and enjoy the sites and scenery of the Cape. We grab a sandwich, park our butts down on the beach and enjoy our sandwiches, and of course a nice canteen of wine in our chintzy "Amurica" cups! Lol. So it starts to rain and we decide to hit the road after about an hour or so and go about shopping, grabbing some Ben and Jerry's and then top it off with some beer at the British Beer Company. At that point we decide to part ways and I head off to home to enjoy some Playstation 3 action for the rest of the night pretty much. As for the Hanson shows, you'll just have to ask Amy and Caitlin

Day 3 (Hanson day #2)
So next day more or less the same story, except this time we go down to Plymouth, grab some lunch and explore the areas of Plymouth before again parting ways and me more or less doing the same thing as the night before. Again, ask Amy and Caitlin about the shows.

Day 4 (Boston)
Lemme just say, I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life lol. First off we got to be touristy and went on a duckboat tour of Boston which was really cool seeing a lot of the sites of Boston and even going for a stroll in the Charles where Caitlin got to literally drive the boat! From there we journeyed up to the top of the Prudential Center where we viewed the city from 500 feet up and man was it beautiful. From there, we left the Pru and took a nice LONG stroll to where our dinner reservations were over at Hanover Street in the North End at a awesome Italian joint called Fiore. (While I'm not sure how far exactly we walked, but I'd estimate between 2-3 miles. For anyone who knows Boston, we walked from Boylston St to the North End). Stayed there for awhile, had some great food, and some great drinks. After that we decided while in the North End, mine as well get some canolis! So we went to a place called Modern Pastry and got some canolis, a red velvet cupcake and some Italian cookies from there we journeyed home and just chilaxed and played some Rock Band and enjoyed the night.

Day 5 (Providence/Tats)
So we journeyed down to Providence, RI where we went to the mall there and really didn't stay there long cuz there really wasn't too much to do. From there we came home, relaxed a lil bit before heading out to this lil place called Action Ink...mind you that's a Tattoo Parlor! Yep, Amy and Caitlin each got tats! Yep, they each got Hanson tattoos and Both were troopers! It makes me smile a lil each time I think of it cuz now the two of them have a really special bond between the two of them! Afterwards, to lessen the pain a lil we journeyed out to Foxboro to make up for the canceled plans with Mark and had some dinner/drinks and a good time all together.

Day 6 (Steve Carrell's store/Sadness)
Well as I sit here typing this, I'm getting a lil sad cuz today was the day we brought Caitlin back to the airport. First tho, we journeyed to Marshfield where we went to the store that Michael Scott aka Steve Carrell bought! It was a lil quaint shop which had knickknacks and of course Office stuff. From there it was off to Logan where we parted ways and got choked up saying bye to one of our great friends, Caitlin.

Thank you Cait for coming up and having a great time here in New England. We miss you so much already and we can't wait to come down there and see you soon!

World Cup

So you might have heard of this little event going on called the World Cup, well if you haven't just ask Amy and she'd probably be able to tell you how tired she is of me watching soccer 24/7 hehe. Before the Cup I had played soccer for most of my youth (started around when I was 6 and stopped when I was probably around 15-16ish). So soccer has pretty much always been in my blood most of my life. Anyways, I've watched or have watched almost every single game that's been aired (sometimes 3 games/day). So ya, that's that, been actually been doin some research to see if there are any recreational leagues around where I live and there's a couple but then again, I'd prob need awhile to get back into playing form lol.

Oh Caitlin, this is for you... See: Countdown :)

Dear John (or Massachusetts)

So here it is, my Dear John letter to Massachusetts. Been meaning to write this since we've gotten back from Disney so here it goes:

Dear Massachusetts,

For the past 30 years it's been a love/hate relationship between us. I've grown to love you for your Boston sports, your summers are great and the culture here is quite unique.

However, I hate you for your winter, your snow, your cold weather, your nasty seafood that everyone seems to like.

So here I write you a fond farewell, I'm leaving you for the warm weather and beaches of Florida where I never have to worry about shoveling my driveway, my allergies won't be as bad and I can pretty much go swimming 365 days a year. I'll find a way to get Boston Sports so adieu Massachusetts.

Signed,
Dan


Of course I'm really not leaving MA, not anytime soon at least but this is what I'd write if I did lol.

Soon enough!

We'll be in Disney and man I can't wait! Only 10 days left as I type this and it can't come soon enough! Got an action packed next few months with Bruins playoffs this Saturday, Disney in May and we just recently found out that our cajun/honorary Yankee is coming up in July for almost a whole week! So yep, lots of stuff goin on in the Smith household!

Holy 2 months!

Yea, so it's been awhile I know. I have no excuse either cuz most days I sit at work and could probably blog about any time I wanted.

Finally happy that the snow is pretty much done for for the time being *knocks on wood* however I've had to prepare to build an Ark cuz all it freaking does is rain around here lately and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have a Koi pond in my basement soon lol.

Also since last blogging I've booked a trip to Disney! WOOO! Heading down there in May (See countdown)Gonna be good to get away, even if it is just for a few days, I won't be at work nor will I be near Raynham lol. I will however, miss my brat (aka Bindi).

Other than that, it's mostly just been hanging around, playing video games, watching our DVR and catching some flicks in the theaters: Alice in Wonderland (which was one of the best movies I've seen in a long long time) and Shutter Island which was also an awesome and captivating movie.

Post Holidays

Been a busy few weeks since the holidays have come and gone. There's obviously work, as always but the past few weekends have been pretty fun. First off, on January second we went to see the Bruins Legends game at Fenway Park which was totally awesome! (Although ridiculously cold). Here's a link to all the pix we took:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Danman1116/BruinsWinterClassicLegendsGame?authkey=Gv1sRgCPGs39bcpOubEA#

Then the next weekend we went to a charity concert called Hot Stove, Cool Music which is put on by Peter Gammons and Theo Epstein (GM of the Sox). Amy was of course happy to see both Bronson Arroyo (who happened to walk right by us) and Tinted Windows (who were actually pretty good!) Here's some pix from that show:

http://picasaweb.google.com/AmyBonaparte/HotStove#

Anyways, that's bout it, think the next couple weekends will be pretty laid back watchin movies, playing games etc. :)

Christmas

So Christmas has come and gone and all presents have been exchanged and unwrapped. Amy got me a Kindle from Amazon which is an electronic reader and you can download books wirelessly. Thing is totally neat! Reading Dan Brown's "Lost Symbol" which so far is pretty good. Also got Red Sox/Bruins items as well as tickets to the Bruins Legends Game on Jan 2! :-D For Amy I got her a bunch of stuff from the Office, some stuff animals, clothes etc. Also getting her a car starter sometime this week :)

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday!

Boo Snow!

So it's 11am here and soon enough it's gonna be near blizzard conditions here in MA. Some stations are forecasting 15-20". Ugh, talk about Mother Nature socking it too us. It's been fairly quiet this winter but it's about to get ugly real quick. Glad we got us a new snowblower hehe. Well, at this rate, I think we'll be having a White Christmas.

Since I've last blogged not much has really been happening. Weezer had to cancel, work is the same ole, and yea, that's about it. Oh, and it's been f$%king cold.