Happy New Year!

HELLO 2011!!

The Killmer family got to enjoy a reunion in Montana this year! My immediate family had not been all together since a brief weekend in May for Kristin's graduation so it was nice to start off the year all together, and this year not only were my parents back from Japan and my siblings both there, but my aunt and uncle graciously hosted us in their home and my grandma was able to make the journey. So much to be thankful for already this year :)

The whole family was able to enjoy a day in Yellowstone National Park with geysers, animals, rivers and more! It was fabulous.

Then we headed over to Big Sky Ski Resort and had an amazing 3 days of skiing!

All of the fun of being together made it hard to head back to Boston and work, but what a great trip with the whole family! I can't wait til the next Killmer adventure

Seasons of Life

I've been reading about this "quarterlife crisis" idea a lot lately. I understand the sentiment of not having changed the world yet and done all of the incredible things you thought you were going to accomplish, and trying to figure out what to do about it and put actions behind your thoughts when you are so tired after work. It is frustrating and difficult. Then today I came across this paragraph which summed it up so well for me:

And perhaps that's the best way to describe these special moments in life. They are seasons. Just like the residents of Narnia learned, however, one magical season that is extended indefinitely is no kind of magic at all. It's like winter all the time without Christmas. To try and continue life in these "in between times" would ruin the unique joy that they bring. The sweetness of the season would quickly rot like a piece of fruit that's been in the back of the refrigerator drawer too long. - http://leewards.blogspot.com/

so here's to an "in between time"!

Thanksgiving in New England!

While Thanksgiving will always make me think of driving to upstate NY, hoping for snow, Christmas the day after, skits with the cousins, great family time, picking out a live turkey, and all the food that was always available for us, this year I decided that I should see this holiday's origins.

Three of us from work headed down to Plymouth, MA on a random Tuesday that we all had off! We went an hour south of Boston to see Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth Rock, and celebrate the original thanksgiving location.

We were able to view the rock that was around when the pilgrims landed, tour the Mayflower II, see a 1600's village complete with actors and animals, talk to Native peoples, and eat a full thanksgiving meal. It was a full day filled with lots of reading and wandering, there was an interesting exhibit at Plimoth Plantation on the evolution of Thanksgiving as a national holiday (where the picture of the cartoon comes from) that was very intriguing to get an idea of what really happened and how it was thought of from many different perspectives.

This trip was something I have been wanting to do since moving to New England. It was so exciting to finally be there, on a gorgeous day, with fun friends, near the ocean!

From the "original" place of thanks, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Getting back on the blogging horse

Here are the promised pictures from my new apartment! Things have been super busy, but I will be blogging more-stay posted for more updates!

below are two views of the living room, the kitchen from the front door, and two views from the street.

Beacon Hill is a beautiful area in downtown Boston, with gas lit lamps, and steep streets!

Moving...

Laura and I are out of Cambridge and now living in downtown BOSTON!!!

While I grew up moving all the time, and love change of all kinds, this move has been hard. It seems to keep coming. There is always another thing to think about / another thing to move / another thing to unpack / so much stuff! I don't know how we did it so many times as a family of five (I think I have a lot to thank my mom and her unstoppable energy for) but I am excited tobe in Boston and the cutest neighborhood ever! :)

Look for pictures of the new place soon!

Boston Slang

Living in New England, one may think that there is no communication barrier. However, my time living here has proven otherwise. Due to the necessity, I have compiled a list of the top 10 most commonly used New England/ Boston Slang and how each is used most often in alphabetical order.

1. bang - to make a left turn (often, "bang a left"; also used often as "bang a U-ie" - make a U turn); sometimes used interchangeably with hang

2. Hoodsie - A small cup of vanilla and chocolate ice-cream from the HP Hood Company. Eaten with a thin wooden spoon that comes with the Hoodsie.

3. The Hub - Boston; shortened from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.'s phrase The Hub of the Solar System (often misremembered as Universe) (seldom used in conversation, but seen often in writing and advertisements, e.g. in the Boston Globe; Top of the Hub is a restaurant) 4. Man's Greatest Hospital - (MGH) Massachusetts General Hospital 5. "No suh!" - "No way!". The appropriate response is "Ya huh!" 6. packie (also package store) - liquor store (originally i thought we needed boxes for something!) 7. Pats - the New England Patriots 8. the People's Republic - Cambridge (alternatively, seven square miles surrounded by reality) 9. The T - the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; also used for services run by the MBTA, particularly the Subway. Taken from the MBTA's logo, a block-letter T within a circle. 10. wicked - very; or occasionally cool. Used indiscriminately, can modify anything (e.g.: "Wicked good." "Wicked bad." "Wicked boring.", etc.). Almost always used as an adverb, rather than an adjective; some Bostonians feel it is grammatically improper not to put an adjective or verb after "wicked".

World Cup 2010

Many people that I've talked to in the past 7 days, don't understand the sport, are frustrated that there are not always winners, and can't believe the low scores. I try to explain to them that even though I understand that this is a sport most Americans don't grow up following and our team isn't a contender to win the cup, I'm in love with the whole event. I love the camaraderie of the world; I love the excitement of the fans; I love seeing Americans learn about countries like South Africa with such rich, yet unknown histories; and I love being one of the underdogs!!

For most American families, the world cup is a month when they see more soccer on tv and perhaps tune in to a game or two to cheer for the US national team and see who is crowned champion. However, for the Killmer family the world cup means that we all watch, discuss, and celebrate the largest sports event in the world. I spend my mornings reliving the previous days matches with my dad in SA, I text my brother during the games while he watches in NY, and i keep my sister posted on what has been occurring while she is at work. Even my mom has learned players names and knows which teams we cheer on!

Living in Boston means that basketball fever is at its height today with the Celtics going into game 7, and while I know I'll be watching and cheering with the best of the fans tonight, the morning of June 11th was a much more anticipated event for me. I switched shifts with a coworker to have the day off, my World Cup tshirt was laid out in advance, my alarm clock was set early, and I arrived at a bar by 9:30am in order to get good seats. The atmosphere was incredible even though we were the only South African supporters! The Mexican supporters all wished South Africa luck and shouted good game at the end of the 90min match!

Texts were exchanged with my South African friends and the World Cup (aka the best month of sports) has officially begun!! Viva Espana!