Stranded and No Church Today

It's a snow emergency today in Boston so I have nothing to do but update the blog and sit inside and sip hot cocoa. It's rough.

Much has been going on in the Call world. In October, we had a fun visit from Nick and Natalie Gottwald. It was great to spend time with them and show them some of the sites. On Halloween, we had friends over for scones and cider. Afterwards, we walked around the neighborhood with some of the kiddos for trick-or-treating. The area where we are living is a lot of fun on Halloween--everyone decorates the front of their home and sits outside handing out candy. Very festive. We also celebrated by going to the BU Hockey game and to a Halloween party. We had a great time.

In November, my parents stopped by on their way home from their mission in Ohio. We loved having them for a few days and were glad they could pop in before they headed home. We enjoyed Thanksgiving here in Boston with friends. The weather (until recently) was unseasonably warm. The fall here is so spectacular and it lasts a lot longer than out west. I feel like we really got a chance to soak it in and enjoy it.

In December we met up with Nick and Natalie on a last "east coast" hoorah in New York before they went back home. Poor Derrick wore himself out playing football and basketball in the 64 degree weather the day before we left and got super sick on Friday. He was a trooper, though as I dragged him through the Guggenheim, Central Park, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building. It was a quick trip, and fun to hang with the Gottwalds.

Derrick finished his finals last Wednesday and is loving his freedom (and gets to now start studying for the boards--yay!). I'm loving my cute English classes and my work at the NDEC. I'm excited to come home and see everyone over the holiday!

Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God
It was never between you and them, anyway.

--Mother Theresa (written on the wall in her home)

The Move and Other News

We recently relocated from Cambridge to downtown Boston. It has been a whirlwind! Thanks to all those who have helped out. We had several friends who were lifesavers on moving day and we couldn't have done it without them. We are now (a month later) feeling like we are almost moved in.

Just a run-down on the moving experience: Mel reserved the moving van for 2 days because we had to be out of our place in Cambridge by midnight on August 31st, but we couldn't move into the new place until 10 a.m. on September 1st. When Derrick went to pick up the UHaul, they told him they didn't have our reservation in the system for 2 days and that we couldn't get the size of moving van we had reserved. As a result, we were fortunately able to get the key early from the landlord and move in early. However, the landlord wasn't able to go in and clear out everything beforehand. When we arrived, the apartment was full of old furniture, food, clothing, etc. that we had to clear out. In addition, the landlord wanted to paint the place, but wouldn't do it before we moved in, so we had to leave all of our things in boxes and cover it with plastic. The painters couldn't come during the day, so we couldn't sleep at our place for 3 days and had to live out of suitcases and stay with friends.

To make things even more exciting, apparently the 2 girls that were living in the apartment when we looked at it several months ago, had sublet it to 5 guys for the past 5-6 months and it was a HUGE mess. Mel has literally spent 15 hours on the bathroom, alone (you don't even want to know. . . ). The carpets were totally disgusting. We cleaned them twice with a steamer and then had a professional carpet cleaner come in as well. Anyway, enough of the not so positive details. :) Long story short, our move was horrible, but now we are loving where we live and our apartment is clean. Yay!

We took a trip two weeks ago to Baltimore area to visit Nick and Natalie Gottwald. It was great to catch up and spend some time with good friends. Last weekend Derrick went to Hartford, Connecticut for an American Student Dental Association conference (aka a huge party). Derrick came home with no voice from going out and having a great time. Highlights: dancing with his friend on his shoulders at a club with a guy dressed as uncle sam who was standing on stilts; eating at Buffalo wild wings; going to great meetings; and eating big breakfasts every day.

Derrick threw a surprise birthday party for Mel on Monday night. She was totally shocked. He made a 4 layer chocolate cake by himself. Super impressive! (Derrick has always held out that he is only capable of cooking things that require a spatula- - - he has now proven otherwise).

We LOVED conference this weekend and enjoyed listening to the sessions with friends and eating yummy food at the same time. Life is good in beantown.

Go Sox!

We finally made it to a Red Sox game! They played the Orioles and we won by 5 runs. It was so much fun to see a major league game! I realized that the two major league games I've seen in my life have been the White Sox and the Red Sox. :) We saw two home runs (one by David Ortiz, who unfortunately admitted to steriod use only a few days after the game we watched--he said it was in 2003, but it sort of puts a shadow on the experience. Gotta love reality!) Semi- taintedness aside, it was so fun to watch a game in Fenway Park, eat a hot dog and watch some great ball.

Vacation to Myrtle Beach

Derrick and I recently went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on vacation. The weather was perfect and we basically had the same routine every day: wake up at 10ish, eat a yummy breakfast buffet at the hotel (including grits, biscuits and gravy, etc.); around 11, go swimming and body boarding at the beach; around 2, swim in the pool, read by the pool, and eat lunch by the pool; go out to delicious southern food at night. :) The ocean water was like a bath tub and the waves were so fun for boogie boarding. We had a great time!

Jen and Jeremy

We had a fun visit from Jen and Jeremy in July. This is a picture of Jen and Jeremy walking down the street toward Harvard Square. So cute.

This is one of the tall ships that came into port in the Boston Harbor in July. We took a tour of this one (it's called the Kruzenshtern)

Here's a picture of all of us on the boat.

We also took a duck tour. It's a tour of Boston on an amphibious government vehicle so it drives on land and also in the water. Jen was sitting at the front and got a chance to drive when we went on the Charles River.

We had such a fun time and we miss you guys!

Visit From Derrick's Parents and Update

We enjoyed a visit from Derrick's parents this past week (before Memorial Day). Above is a medieval castle that we visited up north. It was built by a very wealthy inventor for the purpose of housing his medieval paraphernalia. It was incredible. He imported facades from storehouses and butcher shops in England and France, he had Roman sarcophagi, knights weapons and armor, bedroom furniture, tapestries, altar pieces, you name it. You could seriously go there for 10 years and not see everything. It was amazing. The coolest thing about it is that you pay the entrance fee and then they just let you roam free and explore the castle on your own.

Derrick and his Dad hiked to the top of bunker hill (quite a feat in the 90 degree heat that day!)

This is a picture of all of us near the fisherman's memorial in the Gloucester harbor. We hiked over to Stage Fort and ate a picnic.

This is Derrick driving a "duck tour." These are tours that are given around the city in military vehicles that drive on the land and in the water. Derrick got to drive the car in the Charles River for part of the time. We also enjoyed a meal in the North End and took a day trip up to Lexington and Concord where the first shot was fired in the Revolutionary War. We loved having the Calls with us and we miss them already. :)

We went to the beach on Monday (for Memorial Day). It's so nice to have the warm temperatures again! Bring it on! We also celebrated memorial day by going to the Bell Rock cemetary in Malden. We found the grave stone of Thomas Call, who was the first Call to come over to the United States from England (in the 1600's). It was neat to feel more of a connection to this area since we are so far away from our other "roots."

Derrick also started his APEX internship this week with a dentist in Harvard Square. He's loving the change from studying all the time to just working 8-5 a few days a week.

Mel's school is still going to be in session until June 23rd and she is really enjoying it. The students did a "cultural story hour" this week where they shared stories about their cultures and also their reactions to U.S. culture. Several of the students commented about Halloween (it seems that other cultures don't have an equivalent of that holiday). One older man from China came out of his room to get tea when his doorbell rang and he opened it to find a witch and several other people dressed in random costumes. He was totally taken off guard and had no idea what to do. Many of the students from Haiti really dislike the holiday because, in their country, they have Voodoo people that wear masks and it is considered really evil to dress up.

Also, it was interesting to learn that the Kurdish people (in northern Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan) celebrate the "new year" in March. The celebration centers around a story of an evil king who was very sick. He was told by his doctor that he needed the blood of six young men to be able to be healed. He found a family of six boys and had one of his servants kill five of them. However, before he could kill the sixth, the father of the boys killed the servant and lit a fire on top of a mountain to signal that the king's servant was dead. Now each year they light a large bonfire to remember that day and they dance around it. It's so interesting to learn about these different traditions and cultures all the time.

That's the latest and greatest around here. We hope you are all doing well!

Driving in Boston: Top Ten

10- Driving down any given road and, though it looks like it's paved with asphalt, you feel transported back in time to the days of cobblestone.
9- Kamikaze pedestrians
8-Dodging bikers, who are dodging the kamikaze pedestrians, while also dodging parked car doors.
7-Being the person behind the parked car door, trying to get out of the car while dodging the bikers--who are dodging your car door and the other cars (that are dodging the kamikaze pedestrians).
6-Hitting potholes so large that you flatten your back tire.
5-Having a texting-happy SUV driver run you off the road.
4-Dodging a car that missed its exit in the freeway tunnel and that has stopped and is blocking two lanes sideways and is also reversing towards you.
3-Driving down what appears to be a one lane road, with a car on your left and a car on your right--all going the same direction.
2-Road construction that becomes part of the permanent architecture and where you never actually witness people working on it (but you may see a police officer standing next to it directing traffic).
1-Riding in a cab, that cuts off a Mack truck that is about to plow into where you are sitting, while the cab driver speaks a language that is not remotely similar to anything you recognize on a cell phone, who then looks over his shoulder at the shocked and terrified look on your face and says, in english, but with an accent of the language you do not recognize: "scared you didn't I! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

The Latest

The director at my work told me that you can plan on needing a jacket in Boston for any month of the year with an "aw" (meaning "r") in it. Even though it's still technically an "aw" month, it is finally feeling like spring! The magnolia trees around the city are in full bloom and they are gorgeous. It's very, very nice to feel like the winter is finally over.

It's been a relaxing week for us. Derrick finished his Anatomy class and found out that he got an A! Good job Derrick! He just has a few more finals before he finishes out the year. It's hard to believe that his first year is already almost over. He's excited to start his internship assisting a dentist at a family practice in Harvard Square for a couple of months this summer. Derrick also went river rafting with some friends from school yesterday. This was his first time rafting and he had a great time. The fates smiled on the group too--it was the hottest day of the year so far at the same time--it got up to 90 yesterday and it's been in the 50's most of the week. Talk about choosing the perfect day! As can be expected, Derrick spent most of the time starting water fights and soaking the people on the other rafts. :)

As for me, I had the chance to watch the elite runners finish at the Boston Marathon on Monday. It was super close between three women at the end and the winner only won by 1 second! She collapsed at the finish line. It is very uncommon to see a sprint to the finish in a marathon setting and it was really fun to watch. It was even more inspiring to watch another racer finish who had two prosthetic legs. I was also impressed with a few people in the army who did the marathon in their full army garb (backpack, boots, camo, etc.). I was inspired, but I don't think quite enough to put my body through another marathon. :) I'd like to keep my knees intact through my 30s and keep doing the triathlons, I think.

That's the latest and greatest on the Boston front. We hope you are all well and happy!

It Was the Best of Basketball, It Was the Worst of Basketball

Derrick had a 3 on 3 basketball tournament at school this week. There were probably about 15 different teams made up of dental students competing against each other. The good news: Derrick's team won the entire tournament!! Good job Derrick!



The bad news: during one of the last games, Derrick tore his MCL. He's going in for an MRI and a follow up with an Orthopedic specialist to see the extent of the damages. So far everyone we've talked to who has also torn their MCL has said that they still aren't the same and they've had to do gobs of therapy. We are hoping that this is not the case with Derrick! To add insult to injury, Mel had parked the car at the CVS pharmacy across the street to pick up a gatorade and some snacks during a break between games. Derrick was injured soon after she walked over to the games and so we immediately walked over to the ER (which was conveniently connected to the basketball courts by a walkway--the benefits of having a tourney on the medical campus, eh?). Long story short--after Derrick was checked in at the ER, Mel went to move the car and it had been towed. The towing story is best left for another blog entry. Did we mention that it was also raining? Bring it on! I guess it's good that when there are bad days it all happens at once, right?

Here are some action shots before the injury (it may be a while before we will be sending more of these. . . )

Robberies, Free Toothbrushes, and John Adams

It has been an eventful week out here. On Thursday, Melinda was driving at work and stopped at a stop light next to the Bank of America. All of a sudden 4-5 police cars screeched to a stop next to the bank and plain clothes officers hopped out with their guns drawn. At first Mel thought it was because she was getting another speeding ticket (a rare occurrence, but that was the only thing she could think of). But, apparently, the bank had just barely been robbed and there was what they thought might be a bomb. Mel emailed her boss (who is a news anchor for channel 4) and told her about the stake out. She ended up having Mel as a "live caller" on the 6:00 news. Derrick got home from school and turned on the T.V. to--nope, not watch the news--but to watch March Madness---but the news was on. He had only turned it on for a second when he heard the anchor say, "We have Melinda Call on the phone, who was a witness at the scene of the robbery." Pretty random! He thought it was super funny.

Derrick also had a Dental Conference/Expo at his school this week. He volunteered to come early and help set up the tables, etc. One of the Crest representatives had a super fancy ex caliber toothbrush that she didn't have room for on her table and so she gave it to Derrick. Derrick came home and it was seriously like the scene from Christmas Story when the guy wins the leg lamp. It's a major award. :) He was super stoked. We've been using ex caliber all week.

Yesterday, Mel's friend was in town for a conference so she went with her to Quincy (named after John Quincy Adams) and saw the home where John Adams and John Quincy Adams lived as well as other cool historic sites in the area. It was really neat to go to the cemetary where many revolutionary war veterans were buried. It makes the revolution come alive when you see the names of people who died and realize that it isn't just a story that you've heard, but these were real people with real lives. It has been fun living in Boston for that reason--to see these sites up close and to catch the spirit of the beginnings of the country. There is such a neat feeling in many of these places.

We love and miss you all!

Find Fruity Philanthropist

The other night Derrick woke up to me mumbling "find" in my sleep. So he asked my what I needed to find. I said "find . . . fruity." Then I paused and said "find . . . fruity ..fff...fff..fff. . . philanthropist!" I guess I had to go for the "ph" to get the full alliteration happening. :)

So, things are going well out here. This has been the week or two of house guests and it has been a lot of fun. Last weekend, our friend Katie flew in and spent the weekend with us. It was beautiful on Saturday so we drove up to Gloucester and walked along the coast and drove to some lookouts. This week, Victoria has been in town as well. She did a series of concerts with the Avery string quartet and was out in our digs and decided to crash at our pad for a while. It's been great hanging with some of our good friends as of late.

Derrick has had a little bit of a siesta from tests at school and its been nice to have him around mentally as well as physically. I've been up to the same old crazy work schedule, but I'm enjoying both my jobs a great deal. It's also starting to feel like spring here in Massachusetts! Derrick and I took a walk today down by the Charles River and onto the footbridge. The area was packed with people trying to take advantage of a little warm air while it lasts. Our trees are starting to show signs of leaves too. Yay for spring!

Lobbyist for a day

I got to be a lobbyist for a day! That was long enough. I got sent to Washington DC to lobby congressmen on behalf the American Student Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association regarding meth mouth (super gross teeth from methamphetamine abuse) research/awareness/prevention and a program that helps underserved communities attract dentists to come practice in the community in exchange for student loan repayment. I got to meet Representatives Matheson and Chaffetz from Utah. While I was waiting for my appointment with Rep Matheson, they had C-SPAN on and I saw Rep Chaffetz on the House floor giving a speech about congratulating the Pittsburg Steelers on their Super Bowl win and how they're so great (i'm not kidding). Later, at the appointment with Rep Chaffetz, I told him I liked his speech. He kind of laughed his way into a new topic of conversation, but I was being serious! His speech was even better than the guy from Pennsylvania!

I got to see the capitol, the Washington monument (you have to be blind not to see that one though), the White House, and Barack Obama (am I being serious? you'll never know!). I also learned a ton about how congress works. I thought I pretty much knew what went down, but I learned a lot more. So now I can safely say that I must know just about everything there is to know about how Washington works :) I also got to go to the zoo and it was free! But there were only about a quarter of the animals even in their cages and the rest just sat there and didn't really put on a show. You get what you pay for. When I say the animals weren't in their cages I in no way mean that they were out terrorizing people, they were just gone. If that had been the case, it would have been totally worth paying for. Anywho... DC rocked, enjoy the pictures!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DERRICK

Today is Derrick's birthday--the big 28. Derrick wanted to do lobster for dinner so we braved the sawdust covered floors at Market Basket and picked up a couple of lobsters yesterday. At first it kind of freaked us out to open the fridge and have something move and stare at us, but then we kind of became attached. We decided to name them: mine was spots (on the right in picture below) and Derrick's was "clampy" (on left). May they rest in peace. :) Here are a few pictures from the big day. . .


This is Derrick before his birthday dinner about to put the lobsters that he chose--""spots and "clampy" into a boiling pot of water.

Here's Derrick blowing out the candles on his birthday cake.




. . . And here's Derrick wearing his birthday present. He asked for this rain jacket because he's been soaked several times since we've moved here. About a week ago we had a huge snow storm and then it rained the same day and everything turned into wet sludge. It's definitely different than what we are used to, but we still like it here. :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DERRICK!

The Latest

It has now been over a month since we updated our blog! Things have been crazy with the holidays. We had such a great time in Utah for Christmas (mom and dad, we missed you!). It was so fun to see everyone and catch up, even though our time was short. We were really lucky, too, that we didn't get stuck in any storms--we seemed to miss both major storm systems that came through while we were traveling. Some of our friends were stuck in airports for nearly 24 hours or delayed a lot, so we felt really lucky that we somehow squeezed into a couple of good windows for travel. Now that we have come out to Salt Lake it is everyone's turn to now come out here to visit!

We enjoyed New Years in Boston. I came home a bit sick after the holiday, so it was low key for us, but we had a good time. There was another huge snowstorm and frigid temperatures that night so we decided not to do the "first night" festivities downtown. Every year there is a big parade and festivities by the Common so we'll have to hit it up next year.

Derrick is back in school and has already had 2 exams. He is doing a great job and really enjoying his work. This week he was able to assist in filling two amalgam fillings on Saturday, which he said was really cool.

As for me, I am back to work and really enjoying both of my jobs even though the hours are a bit crazy. I really look forward to teaching every day and the students amaze me. They are so concientious and upbeat even though they are in hard circumstances. For example, there is one student at our school from Africa who was leaving her country by boat to come to the United States. She had her two little boys with her. One of her boys was very scared to get on the boat and did not want to go. She told him that it would be ok and that she would protect him. However, when they got onto the boat, the man said that there were too many people and someone had to get off. He grabbed her son and threw him overboard and she had to stand there and watch him drown. Horrible. There are many students from Albania who were part of the difficult conflicts in that area of the world (in the 90's) as well. I have a lot of respect for them and what they have been through.

We have also been toying with the idea of buying a condo for the past little, bit, but we haven't come to a decision. It seems like in 3 years we would just end up paying on interest and not build more equity than we would build if we just pay rent. It's also unclear where the market is going to go in the next year so it would be a bit of a gamble. We're up for any advice :)

We hope you are all well and staying warm.