Ice Cream and Concerts (or, what I did this summer)

A.  I have eaten a ridiculous amount of ice cream this summer.  I have never been one to avoid ice cream, but it has never held any particular hold over me either.  But, that was before I lived in New England.  New England knows how to do ice cream, y'all.  I kicked off the summer by attending The Scooper Bowl.  For those of you unfamiliar with this remarkable event, an event that is, I'm sure, a uniquely American tradition, let me explain how it works.  For a nominal fee ($10, I believe) you are given a plastic spoon and ushered into an enclosed outdoor arena.  Within these bounds are about a dozen ice cream vendors with little cups of ice cream to which you and all the other spoon-wielding attendees have free reign.  It is a tradition to, as you finish each cup of deliciousness, grab another cup to add to your stack. The size of your stack is a testament to the breadth of your palate and the strength of your stomach.

What I learned?  I am weak sauce.  I could only handle 7 cups.

One girl I was with?  21 cups.

I was, and still am, speechless.

2. This summer, I crossed off a bucket-list item of mine (okay, so I don't really have a bucket-list because, let's be honest, how can I possibly include all the things I want to do on one single list!  Let's just say, I know a bucket-list item when I see one…).  Anyhow, one bucket-list item that really has been on my list for many years:

Watch John Williams conduct his own film scores with the Boston Pops Orchestra.  Check.

The highlight?  They played Jurassic Park.  As the first strains of that all-too-familiar theme floated up into the rafters of Symphony Hall, my mind was flooded with memories and my eyes filled with tears.  I know it seems crazy that a theme for a fantastical movie about an amusement park with live dinosaurs could invoke such a reaction.  In high school, my friend Jeremy and I loved those themes, Jurassic Park being a favorite, and we would listen to them for hours as we drove around Spokane in his Ford Probe talking about anything and everything. It had been years since I'd really listened to it and I was amazed that I remembered all the cymbal crashes and it still gave me chills.

D. When I lived in Nebraska, I lived without a piano in my home for four years.  To say that this was a challenge is a huge understatement for my soul that longed to play the piano when I needed to any time of the day or night.  And sometimes, my soul needs to play.  Thanks to the magic of Craigslist and a very kind woman named Peg, I secured this beauty for my new Boston home last Fall.

Since that time, I have delightedly been able to play to my heart's content, thanks to the fact that our upstairs neighbors reportedly don't mind my playing/pounding/tickling of the ivories anytime of the day or night.  They are good neighbors.

Early this summer, I got home from work and, since I was home alone and my neighbors were gone, and I was feeling particularly happy and giddy, I let myself go and played.  I enthusiastically pounded out a peppy Scott Joplin tune during which I am certain I bounced on the bench and smiled goofily.  As my hands came down for the final satisfying chord, I was startled by an enthusiastic, "Bravo!!" outside on the front sidewalk.

I had completely forgotten that the windows were wide open.

I laughed and replied with a, "Thank you?" to which my sole audience member hollered back, "You're welcome!" before going on her merry way.

Perhaps I have unwittingly played other concerts this summer as our windows are still wide open (they will have to be closed soon, I'm afraid it's getting too chilly…), but that is the only time the audience has ever applauded.  It still makes me smile.

D.  Seriously, I have eaten a ridiculous amount of ice cream this summer.  I'll tell you what, I'm going to make a deal with you (Yes, you.).  If you (yes, you) will come and visit me in New England, and if you happen to come in the summertime, I will take you to my all-time favorite ice cream stand for New England's finest home-made ice cream.

Hello, Gorgeous.

I will probably suggest you try the chocolate peanut butter, which is pure heaven in a cup.  But, I am certain that if that is not your cup of tea, er, ice cream, you will find that one of the other bajillion delicious flavors that Kimball Farm has to offer will fill the current void you may not realize is in your life.  I will probably sample at least one other flavor but will likely decide that chocolate peanut butter is where it's at for me.  The real question is, what flavor will YOU choose?

Intentional Living

First things first.

Boston is pretty great.  A brief smattering of just a few adventures…

Sea Kayaking in Casco Bay, Maine - a super fun weekend camping trip with a truly random gathering of new friends

Cheering on the Red Sox at Fenway Park...

Walden Pond on a Fall afternoon

Messiah Singalong at Dunster House Dining Hall at Harvard - the fact that the conductor had a delicious British accent  plus this amazing setting almost convinced me that I was at Hogwarts...

On a related note…

Recently, I sat visiting with a coworker about weekend plans and several events I was looking forward to. This is not an uncommon topic of conversation as we eat lunch together, go for afternoon walks, or just stop by each other's office for a quick midmorning chat.  In the midst of our conversation, she made a comment - something along the lines of…

"It seems as though everything you do, you do with so much purpose.  I'm impressed with the way you seem to, I don't know, really live intentionally."

First off, let me say that I think she is way generous with her observation of my life.  The real story is that I love to play.  Like, I really love to play.  And Boston has proven amazing at providing an endless stream of options of awesome ways to play.  There are just so many things to see and do!  Concerts, camping, musicals, kayaking, museums, sporting events, countless historical sites, bike trails, fantastic food every which way you turn.  I just can't stop playing!

All that aside, her comment has stuck with me.  I'm not sure whether I fully deserve this complimentary assessment of my life (hello, I spend more than my fair share of time dinking around...on the internet, at home, doing who knows what.  Let's just say - time wasting?  Oh yes, I have that "skill").  I wish I could say that every activity I do has purpose, that every activity is a conscious act of embracing life to its fullest.  Heaven knows that sometimes a girl just needs to veg on the couch and chill.  But I can say that this is something to which I certainly aspire!  To live intentionally.  I want to be the person who seeks out and engages in activities that teach me new skills, provide me new experiences, build new neural pathways in my brain.  

In any case, this is what I have been thinking about.  It's a New Year - a time of year that I frequently contemplate where my life is going, what I'm doing to ensure that I am actually living a life and not just letting life pass by.  Here's to a year of living intentionally - can't wait to see what adventures are ahead in the next little while - Happy New Year!!