SNOW!!

51 inches this month in CDA/Spokane....ahhhh!!!

Very Exciting NEWS!!!

So, after months of waiting and expecting nothing....I have been granted an interview with the University of Washington Masters program for Physician Assistants. My first thought was praise Jesus (in a deep southern baptist way) followed by joy at the opportunity to continue my education. I am very excited. Jordan will attest to this as I broke out in tears when I tried to tell him. I would would like to express my gratitude for those of you who were praying for me during this waiting period and request more prayer. Those of you who didn't know to pray or didn't pray...start now. My interview is on January 7th. This is very complicated because I am in Boston working full-time and still on probation because I am a recent hire. This means I am not truly allowed any time off until I have been here for 3 months. That doesn't occur until the end of January. Please pray that my boss will be understanding of this situation especially since so many people have already requested holiday time around this date. Pray also that I would be prepared for the interview and in all things that God's will would reign. Many blessings friends and family.

Sincerely,
Barbara

Christmas Traditions - Family Pics

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate with whipped cream.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Santa's big hands could not create the complicated bows (knots) we have on our gifts.

3. Colored lights on house/tree or white?

Depends on the look you are going for that year.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

sadly we don't decorate our home because we are never there for Christmas. We spend the whole season in other places.

5. When do you put your decorations up?

We decorate my parents house whenever we can all make the trek into the mountains to hunt up a tree.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Ham

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?

No specific moment, just the general feeling of family and comfort, being truly blessed.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I honestly don't know that I ever believed in Santa. Having older siblings brings the truth out really quickly and I don't think my parents ever really put forth the idea that Santa brought the presents.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

No, we are at church all day and night

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

With the ornaments we’ve collected over the years but now there are so many we only get to choose like 10 each not including all the angels, joys and balls. Julie is in charge of the lights (colored) which I usually assist her with. Then we put the balls on and then the other ones. The finishing touch is the angel on top which I usually put on because I am the tallest :). I still have to stand on a tall stool and use a walking stick to get her up there. We get really tall trees :).

11. Snow. Love it or dread it?

Love it.

12. Can you ice skate?

Yes, backwards, forwards and in circles. I am not so good at the jumping though.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

My family

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you?

Jesus.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Pumpkin Pie

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Christmas Eve service and Christmas day lines up of family events.

17. What tops your Christmas tree?

An angel

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?

being

19. What is your favorite Christmas song?

O Holy Night

20. Candy Canes. Yum or Yuck?

I love them...especially the cherry ones

21. What do you want for Christmas?

Quality time with my family

22. Do you attend an annual Christmas party?

Yes, but the location is always changing. So, annual but not the same party.

23. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear PJ's?

We dress up for church.

24. Do you own a Santa hat?

Yeah, my dad got us all hats for Christmas one year.

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with?

My fabulous family.

Christmas decor in Boston

Quincy Market with all the lights!!!

This is the tree at the Market. I don't know how tall it is but it is really tall as you can see in the picture to the right. I went back to get night photos and was in ah over all the lights on every tree and building.

Below is some of the decor and Macy's was having at street fair with a petting zoon. Jordan pointed out the animals and was probably really sorry he did because I spent quite a while ooooing and ahhhing over the bunnies and goats. I missed the fair this year. There was a really friendly sheep who wanted to hop right out of the pen and snuggle with you. She is in the picture below.
We are headed to NY City this weekend to fufill the life long dream of seeing the giant Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and lights in Central Park. I also plan on ice skating if possible.

Jordan travels and I get gifts

When Jordan and I first started dating it quickly became a tradition for Jordan to bring me a gift of some sort after a trip. My first one was a rock after he went on a hiking trip to Glacier National Park. With the million and two committees he serves on as well as medical conferences Jordan accrues a great deal of travel time. My last two gifts we fun so I thought I would share them. The left is a mask from New Orleans and some of the Marti Gras beads and from San Antonio there were Texas sized Jelly beans. I thought this was really funny because I have a huge sweet tooth so now I have a candy that is the right size for my appetite. They are each the size of my thumb. Much love,
Barbara

Mapparium (details later)

This is a view of Boston harbor from the top of the Bunker Hill Memorial. It was a beautiful sunset. I think Julie got some pictures of it.

Julie was here!!! This is her at Revere Beach just north of Boston. we had a great time there and collected many shells. We spent tons of time walking around Boston during the last nice days of Boston fall. It turned remarkably cold right after her departure so be thankful Julie. On the right is the Bunker Hill Memorial. You can climb to the top (that's right the tiny dark whole you see at the top is a window). It is 294 steps to the top and kind of like climbing a very skinny lighthouse. I forgot my camera for our biggest day out (Saturday) so you will have to request more pictures from her. It was fabulous to see her and we had fun running around and learning new things about Boston. After seeing so many things we thoroughly recommend the mapparium at the Christian Science Center pictured at the top of the page. It is a 3 story stain glass globe with a glass bridge in the middle. Pretty incredible. We also recommend a stop in order to look through the Boston Public Library in at Copley Square. The building is amazing, very much like the library of congress in D.C. We don't recommend the free tour unless you like poor public speakers but one interesting fact about the building is that if you rub the lion's butt on your way up the stairs and he wakes up you will gain great knowledge and wisdom. Both the lions are made of unpolished marble but their butts are very polished from all the rubbing. ;) At the navy yard you can board and tour the USS Constitution, the oldest floating ship, and the USS Casian (sp), a world war two navy ship. They were both interesting. Any time you set foot in Boston you should definitely go to the North End and eat too much Italian Food and probably hunt up Highland Pizza because they have discovered the perfect crust, although the communication is a little hard because they speak Italian perfectly. BTW, Canadian bacon is ham here (not the same but you will get a blank look if you try to order Canadian bacon). That's all for now. I have a ton of stuff to put on here because it has been so long since the last post. Much love,

BGS

Julie is coming today!!

I hope she is already on her way. So, I am very excited to see my only oldest sister and have fun touring around Boston with her. Hopefully she is already on the last leg of her extended commute from Yakima to Boston. I will post pics from the trip later.
hugs,
Barbara

So many things

Well, it has definitely been a while since I last posted. I have not been out on any new adventures but have instead been enjoying the adventures of everyday life. Two weekends ago I started serving in the children's ministry at church and have been reminded of the genius we can find in children. God has richly blessed me by allowing me to be a part of their lives and thoughts as they grow in the Lord.

Jordan, busy as usual, has been to San Antonio and back with a trip to New Orleans at the end of this week. He is touring the country one conference at a time. For you Californians he will be in Carmel this Jan/Feb although I don't think Carmel is very close.

I started my new job and love it here. I work in the Shapiro Building at Brigham and Women's Hospital which is brand new. It literally opened about 3 months ago. http://www.brighamandwomens.org/shapirocenter/CenterTour.aspx some pictures.

The building is so spacious and windows everywhere (the sun shines most of the time). I love it!!! We had the heart failure and LVAD (Left Ventricular Assist Device) team move down here on Monday and it was so interesting to work with them. If you have ever seen Grey's Anatomy think of Denny. As an added benefit Jordan's work in around the corner and we are able to have lunch together most days. God is richly blessings us here, as he has everywhere else.

I know I said I would post pics of our new home decorated but it is never clean enough to take pictures so please give me a little more time. I will get them up.

Last but not least for Jordan's b-day, November 25th (yes we are preemptive) we purchased Rock Band for the Wii and we (haha, that pun was for you Laura) are very excited to play with everyone else. So much fun!

Haunted Happenings

I think this is an accurate depiction of the evening. :) It started and ended this way. Jordan wouldn't let me put the picture of him in stocks on the internet but here I am in full glory after a long day of traipsing about Salem, Ma. We visited a couple of museums, The Seven Gables House from the famous book and the Salem Witch Museum. It was interesting but we definitely wouldn't recommend going to Salem in October to anyone. Unless you love huges masses of people around every bend.










Here was the lighthouse and the oldest candy shop in the USA.

Out by the Customs House they were having a bird show. The non-profit organization Wind over Wings takes in injured birds and either cares of them and releases them or keeps them for life if they will not survive. This is the smallest owl in New England. They also had a peregrine falcon, a red tailed hawk and a golden eagle. It was really cool. I liked the owl the best.

Here is the Salem Witch Museum

The line to get tickets went around the corner!!

Wandering around town and visiting some museum we went to HarvestFest, a festival of wine, beer and mead tasting. This was so much fun and I think everyone should try mead if they have never had it before. It is a honey wine and it was amazing. More to report late and I hope things are groovy.

Also, started the new job today. Orientation was the same as always.

Much love ,
Barbara

Evening Walks in Boston

Just wanted to post some of the pictures from our evening walks around Boston. They have a great path down by the water. We walked toward the sunset and then into downtown and up to the North End for desert with many stops and sights along the way.

Ummmm!!!! Gelato!!!! Everyone should get some!

New Hampshire again

A good picture of us so I thought I would post it. Usually one of us is looking the other way or has a crazy face.

The beauty of God's every changing creation!

So things have been pretty busy and I am a little behind on the blogging. My apologises to those of you who check this blog looking for your daily or weekly dose of the Sands of Boston. Last weekend we were suppose to go so many different places and in the end we stayed in Boston Saturday and Sunday because Jordan had some experiments that needed attention. That part was a little pooey (Jordan says I can't say this) but we managed to get out both nights walking and ending in the North End. Man I love great Italian food. On Monday we were free as the wind and decided to spend our day in Kennebunkport, ME but we didn't make it that far. We stopped in Portsmouth, NH and stayed almost the entire day there. They had three historic walking tours, we did all three, which earned a stop at not only the Portsmouth Brewery but a walk across the state line to Kittery (not Kitty), ME. This was were we truly indulged in bacon wrapped scallops for Jordan and a full pound of lobster for me (I did share). We had a wonderful day and headed back to Boston nice and late with full bellies.

Looking at Maine across the river. We are mere moments from the ocean.

One of the old mansions in Portsmouth..it is now part of a Baptist Church.

Here is Jordan with his tasting stick. He didn't really want to share but I tried them all.

Eat your heart out all you who pay tons of Money to park!!!

Pictures from New Hampshire

In Franconia Notch looking at the White Mountians (yes that is snow on the top)

Some of the beautiful fall colors in New Hampshire

This is one of the many waterfalls along the Flume Gorge

This is the view from the Sentinel Pine Bridge

New job

Hello all

I have officially given two weeks notice at my current job in Pain Management and am heading to Cardiovascular at the Sharpirio Clinic (Brigham and Women's Hospital). I am very excited for the move because it is something I am very interested in, closer to home, and benefits start the moment I start working with them. YEAH for the benies!!! Please pray for me regarding this transition. I have only been at the Pain Management Clinic for a couple months and am struggling with the process of quiting a job. I have never left a job when it wasn't for something big like moving across the country or getting married. The other problem is that they need someone here so I feel like I am leaving a big hole behind. Pray for the clinic that they would find someone quickly. Also, I really like my manager here and feel a burdened by the disappointing here. These are the things I have struggled with through this long hiring process but I put out the fleece for God two months ago and He has opened the door in Cardiovascular so I am headed there. Much love everyone!!

An amazing adventure

Well, being in the New England are we had to take advantage of the beautiful fall colors that come roaring through the mountains and valleys. Bright and early on Saturday we headed up to Fraconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Here is the link if you are interested in taking a peak (no pun intended) ;) That one was for you dad. http://www.nhstateparks.org/state-parks/alphabetical-order/franconia-notch-state-park/

We started at the south end of the park in the Flume Gorge. It is a granite gorge about 60 feet deep and the boardwalk actually takes you directly over the water rushing through the gorge. The trail is just a little over 2 miles looping through the gorge, across some old covered bridges and back to the visitor center. From here we hoped back in the trusty MAX and headed to the Basin and the Cascade Falls trail. After hiking alongside the beautiful river, laden with waterfalls, for about 1 mile we hit a crossing...with no bridge. Dad I did my research and none of the guides said anything about fording the river so sadly we turned back after Kinsman Falls and headed back to the car. Heading further up the highway we disembarked at Echo Lake and walked around and the continued to the final view point at the north end of the park looking out toward the hills sprinkled with the colors of fall. It was gorgeous and more than worth the drive.

As we turned around and left the park we made a random decision to stop an orchard and pick some apples to take home with us. It was so interesting to see all the different types of apples. The only name I truly recognized was the Gala. We picked a peck (yes a peck) of Courtland (good for baking and eating), bought some amazing cider, ate an apple donut, and headed back on the road to Boston.

We were blessed with this amazing time to travel, relax together, and enjoy some of the beauty God has laid before us. We hope you all take some time to do the same.

Much love everyone.
Pics will come as soon as we have a modem for the internet. This should be today or tomorrow.

We have a home

I know you are all thinking...you moved in a month ago but, I put pictures on the wall and the furniture is all in the apartment now. It feels good to be settled in our apartment. I will post pictures soon. It is still a little bare but I am sure it will fill up in the next months. I am very happy to say that because of Somerville's fantastic curbsiding we probably only spent about $400 furnishing our apartment including all the little things lie sheets, mattress pad, pots and pans, throw pillows,... This wonderful provision is brought to us in part by the Modaff family, IKEA and in whole by God. Praise the Lord for His planning and dedication to even the little things like sage green sheets. :) I will put pics in later but for now I should probably be checking for patients.

Well, no one is here so for those of you who don't know; curbsiding is the delightful proceedure of placing household items and furniture you don't want on the curb in the evening and anyone can take it. If it is still there in the morning the trash man takes it away. This is how we obtained most of our furniture and some of our dishes. Great fun!! It is a bargain hunters dream. We live in a pretty nice neighborhood so we are very lucky because people here throw away things in great condition. ;)

Change of scene!

Not for us but the Modaffs. Most of you will know Jessica (Dean) Modaff and her husband Matt. We spent our Sunday helping them move and gained a new appreciation for professional piano movers as we hauled (gently) the piano from the moving van, in the dark and rainy night of September 21, 2008, into their new home in Beverly, MA. We are sad to see them move farther away but this new home is much closer to school and work and we rejoice in the diminished commute.
We have been attending the church Jess and Matt serve at so we plan on seeing them at least on Sundays. It is called River's Edge Church and it is located in Malden, MA. This is about 10 minutes from our home. The church is new and small but there is tons of heart. We really like the people and the pastor has a way of taking something you have heard many time as making you hear it differently. We are very blessed by these people and hope to plug into some opportunities to serve soon.
For those of you requesting a calender of events for the Sand B&B (Bed and Breakfast) we are open for service beginning October and so far the schedule is:
Jordan gone to San Antonio Oct 30 - Nov 5
Jordan gone to New Orleans Nov7 - Nov 13
Julie Graham Nov7-13
Barbara & Jordan on the West Coast Dec 23 - Dec30 (not booked may be more or less or different days)
Jordan to Carmel, Ca Jan 31 - Feb 4 (I think)
Graham Patriarch and Matriarch :) March 28 - April 4 YEAH!! Birthdays!!
This is all I have for now. If you want to make a reservation you are welcome to enter them at this time and I will check. We really do make breakfast!!

I had my second interview at the Shapirio Clinic this morning at Brigham and Women's Hospital. It went really well so thank you for praying. I will let you know when I know something.

Much love and many blessings. Please let me know how I can be in prayer for you!

Barbara

The first post

Because everyone has a blog!!! I decided it was time to set one up. Jordan and I have been living in Boston for one whole month now and we love it. I know, I know, wait for winter... We are currently living in Somerville which is close to Cambridge and is a great area. It is also where the first American flag was ever flow (a recent piece of knowledge I have obtained). Currently, I am working with a temp agency and my assignment is at Brigham and Women's Hospital in their Pain Management Department. I have a couple of interviews coming up so pray I get something more permanent, with benefits would be nice. Jordan is working at Dana Farber which is a huge cancer research institute. He is currently absorbed in a project concerning new bone cancer treatments. We spend most of our week in the Longwood Medical Area and our weekends everywhere else. I am so thankful to have my husband back! Say No to med school!! Our trip over here was amazing. Here is the itinerary is you are interested you can look up some of the places, some of them you will know.
July 24 - Barbara's last day of work and Jordan takes his medical boards
July 25 - pack and leave Seattle, Wa
July26-27 - Yakima, Wa
July 27-28 - Boise, ID - visiting a bunch of Idaho WAMMI students
July 28 - Denver and we left the next morning very early for Cancun.
This was a surprise trip for our wedding anniversary that Jordan's best friend, Mark, and his wife gave us. It was amazing and relaxing after being go, go, go for what felt like months.
August 5 - return to Denver from Cancun, hang out in Denver until the 7th
August 7 - We are on the road again and head to Lake McConaughy where we camped in Nebraska by way of Chimney Rock.
August 8 - Long road day we cross Nebraska and Iowa to Bellevue (that's right you WA peeps), Iowa. We camped at the Park right above the Mississippi River.
August 9 - We stayed in Iowa and visited the Maquoketa Caves, stayed up really late with the couple camping next door to us and ate breakfast the next day at a local dinner for $10 (both of us) and it was amazing.
August 10th - cross the Mississippi River and head to Indiana Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan. Enjoy the local tavern because the pool is 25 cents and the Olympics are on. We return to our campsite after watching an amazing sunset over the lake with Chicago in the background.
August 11th - We slowly wander to Oregon, OH. Stopping to take in the sights and do some wines tasting. If you like sweet wine Michigan is the place for you. (yes westcoast folks we were trying to find all the places with names identical to the west jk) Arriving in Oregon, we got a hotel order pizza and watch the Olympics. YEAH, for showers and laundry!
August 12th - Get up early and head to Sandusky Bay and out to Marblehead point to explore an island which was a prison for confederate soldiers during the civil war, checked out the light house and put our feet in Lake Erie (much colder than Lake Michigan). We camped at Lake Erie State Park that night and had the most amazing meal at a restaurant in Fredonia, NY.
State Park and camped by the August 13th - We are going to Niagara Falls. The Falls are amazing and we did everything there. You should go and if you do get the package for the boat, wind caves, IMAX movie, observation tower, and aquarium. After wearing ourselves out there we drove to LetchworthGenesee River.
August 14th - We spent the day here at the "Grand Canyon of the East." While inspiring I have to say the West Grand Canyon is much more dramatic in coloring and size but this gorge was beautiful in its own unique way. Plus the story behing the park is funny. A really rich guy owned the place back in the day and the train and energy people were trying to dam the river and take over part of the land so Letchworth gave the land to the state park government and the whole railroad and energy plot went right out the window. Brilliant!!!
August 15th - We leave for Boston. We drove in during an amazing thunder and lightening storm. Here was crashed with wonderful friends who let us sleep in their office until we could get our apartment. Many Thanks to Matt and Jess Modaff, without whom we would have been mildly homeless in Boston for a couple of weeks.
I have now written a book and I hope you all enjoy it. Please pray that we would find a great church to plug into here where we can serve and be encouraged in our faith.

Much love to you all and many blessings,
Barbara