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!