Day four of Boston was Friday, our last day. We woke up and Kev got ready for the day, we went down and had breakfast together, and then he headed off for his manager meeting at Faneuil Hall. I went back to the room and slowly made ready for my day. I made friends with someone new on the elevator who asked me if I knew where I was going; I said yes, and voila! New friend. She said she was nervous taking the subway and wasn't too sure of directions so asked if she could tag along with me. We went around the corner to Au Bon Pain for some caffeine before we headed to meet our hubbys.
After we made it to Faneuil Hall safe and sound, we chatted with a group of gals and then met up with our significant others for a group history panel inside Faneuil Hall. It was totally amazing inside and I could just about feel the history oozing out the walls. Faneuil Hall has been used as a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. Samuel Adams and many others gave inspirational speeches here that ignited America's desire to obtain independence from the British. John F. Kennedy also gave the last speech of his presidential campaign on Election Eve in 1960. It was awesome and I could totally imagine the words of great men being whispered all around me. I know, I sound nutty, but I love history!
After the history panel, which was a mix of Faneuil Hall/Boston history and the history of the Savage company, the wives and/or significant others were treated to lunch with the senior management team at the Durgin Park restaurant in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. So good!
After lunch I met up with Kevin and we browsed the shops for a bit and got a few more souvenirs for the boys and some thank you gifts for my mom for being so willing (or crazy enough!) to watch our boys. We wandered through the New England Holocaust Memorial not too far from the Marketplace and it was both stunning and startling at the same time. The glass towers are breathtaking and beautiful. There are 6 glass towers with a total of 6 million numbers etched in the glass representing that tattoos given to Holocaust victims. Six million Jews lost their lives before the Nazis were defeated in 1945. Even though the memorial is outside, it was such a place of reverence and wonder, sadness and grief. It made me pause and wonder why such cruelties have to exist.
I loved this stone with the inscription from Isaiah 56: 5 "I will give them an everlasting name." I believe this memorial has done that.
There was also personal stories and words from survivors.
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| All the tiny white etchings are the numbers representing the tattoos given to concentration camp victims. |
The following represent the six death camps that were in Poland.
Truly amazing. I'm so glad we took a small moment out of our day to spend some time here.
We caught the subway back to the hotel and caught a quick nap. Then we got ready to head to Symphony Hall for an awards dinner on our last night. It was fabulous! We had an amazing dinner and a private performance by the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra. Three Savage employees and/or their significant other prepared performances with the orchestra and we were all blown away! Such a great way to end a great trip!
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| All glammed up! |
By the time we got back to the hotel, it was probably 10 PM Boston time. We still had to pack to catch our 6 AM flight out of Logan Airport....6 AM...ugh. By the time we had packed, it was after midnight. I couldn't sleep til almost 2, and the alarm went off at 3:30 AM. We grabbed a quick shower, made sure we had everything, text Brent and Larissa(whom we were sharing a cab to the airport with) to meet us in the lobby, and headed down about 4 AM. I thought the airport wouldn't be busy that early...ha! It was pretty dang full.
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| Us at the airport. Kev is already sleeping. |
We got on the plane and Kevin promptly fell asleep. I would doze on and off, more than likely annoying the person next to me because I kept startling myself awake with my own snores! Ugh. We made it to Atlanta and grabbed some food and caffeine. Boarded that flight, and that was the best plane we were on between the four flights. We each had our own screen and we'd luckily brought headphones, so we watched a movie...or, rather, Kev watched the movie while I watched bits and pieces while dozing and of course, missed the finale. We finally made it to SLC. Only a three hour drive left to go! We ran to the mall and got Kev some new sunglasses and some caramel apples for my mom from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (so good!) After snagging some drive-thru Taco Bell, we hit the road for Vernal. Problem is, by then I'm running on maybe 4 hours sleep total since 7 AM Boston Friday morning, and it was 2 pm SLC Saturday afternoon. Kev and I had to stop and switch drivers about four times between SLC and Vernal, which is sad!
We eventually pulled in to my mom's and our babies were thrilled to see us! Jaxon was feeling much better and apparently surviving pneumonia, thanks to my amazing mother who took him to the pediatrician's EVERY DAY I was gone for antibiotic injections. We pulled out the souvenirs and they were a hit!
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| Waiting for their last surprise. |
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| Attack of the killer lobster sucker! |
My mom took us out for Chinese food after gift giving. We had originally planned on loading up the car and starting for ND that night, but we were so exhausted and incredibly jet-lagged by then that there was no point. We spent the night at my mom's and loaded up not-so-bright and early the next morning. Quick stop at Kev's mom's to load up a cooler full of home-grown beef and we were off.
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| Flaming Gorge Dam |
We hadn't gone 15 miles before Tucker started saying he didn't feel well and was going to throw up. Kev pulled over and I got him out and while we were standing on the side of the road a snake slithered away right under our noses. It was a false alarm so we were off again. Five minutes later, he needs to stop again. Still nothing. Another five minutes, pull over, nada. I finally dump my soda cup and say, "Here. Puke in this if it happens." In Tucker's poor little defense, this road is pretty twisty with lots of switchbacks. I've always felt carsick in the back seat, so I can't blame the little guy! We decided we'd pull into the convenience store in Dutch John to see if they had Dramamine we could give him. Right as we pulled off the road and into the parking lot, Jaxon (who had been completely FINE up to now), throws up all over himself and the car seat. Oh my....!! Mind you, we're in a compact Hyundai Tucson that is packed to the gills. Kev escapes inside with the other two and I got the pleasure of cleaning up that mess. No children's Dramamine, either. Boo. Kev did thoughtfully purchase a box of heavy duty garbage bags and some wet wipes. After I got Jax changed and the car seat as clean as I could, we hit the road again. For the record, the distance between Vernal and Dutch John is about 45 miles. We'd been driving for over an hour and a half. It was going to be a loooonng drive back to Williston...
Everyone said they felt well enough to stop for food in Rawlins so we hit the McDs because they have an indoor play place. We let the boys run and play for a bit and it improved morale immensely. Only 12 or so more hours to go!
Ky claimed to be starving when we stopped in Casper (I think...) not two hours later, so Kev got him a sandwich when we fueled up. He ate a few bites and picked off the top of the bread and said he was full.
Kev also bought a new hat.
Don't know what the appeal was, but there was a lot of fighting over Kevin's Charlie card (our subway pass from Boston). I finally dug mine out of my purse and they were satisfied.
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| Fuel in Sheridan, WY |
It became increasingly apparent after our stop in Sheridan that patience was wearing thin. Kev and I got in a stupid fight over something about junctions to I-94, Jaxon was super tired, and everyone was sick of being crammed in the car. Well, everyone except maybe Tucker...
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| Montana sunset |
We called it quits around 11 PM in Miles City, MT; maybe three hours from home. It just was NOT happening anymore. Tucker wasn't happy about going in the hotel room, Jax was ready to blare some cartoons, and Kev and I were just plain nuts by then. We got some much-needed sleep and finished up the trip early enough Monday morning for Kev to make it to work by noon.
There is just something so satisfying about walking into your own house after a long trip....aaahhhh!
Now to do this all over again in four weeks...I must be a glutton for punishment!
