And just like that, there goes spring. And summer.

Well, I knew I was behind in blogging, but I didn't realize it had been almost six months! 😳 All of the standard excuses apply--work is too busy; despite our best efforts to relax, Colin and I continue to fill up every free minute with some adventure or other; and I'm not interested in turning on my computer at home after spending all day on the computer at work. At this point there's no way to catch up other than to just fling up a bunch of photos and assume that they're each worth 1,000 words. So here's what I've been up to lately this spring and summer, according to my phone.

April:

In April, Colin went to three islands in the Bahamas for field work. I did not accompany him, sadly. But I did not hesitate to point out, gleefully, that it was in fact hotter in Cambridge than the Caribbean! (He still had better beaches.)

Every year on Patriot's Day (Marathon Monday), I watch for Paul Revere to ride by my office window, hurrying to warn that the redcoats are coming.

This year, possibly my last in Boston, I also went to watch the Boston Marathon. I took the T to Kenmore, which is about mile 25 on the route. I cheered loudly as I walked alongside the course for the last mile so I could watch the runners cross the finish line. Run, random stranger, run!

While Colin was still in the Bahamas, I joined two of my best friends and their husbands in Orlando for a long weekend. Christina and Brian had taken over a family timeshare for a week, and Beth, Will, and I decided we should take advantage of the opportunity to figure out what all the hype is about Disney World.

Although Disney was fun, we all agreed that one day of theme park was enough. The next day we headed to Cocoa Beach instead. We swam, sunbathed, and ate our weight in seafood. It was the best.

Colin came home for only three days between his Bahamas trip and his annual fieldwork trip to Greece. Somehow, I managed to win IEc's Red Sox tickets for a game against the Yankees one of those nights, so we spent the night eating ballpark hot dogs and watching baseball. The Red Sox lost, but it was fun anyway.

May:

Perhaps inspired by watching the marathon, or perhaps out of intimidation of turning 30, I began thinking that this might be the year to check off my goal of running a half marathon. That meant lots of lunchtime runs from the office to Fresh Pond.

Although the boathouse opens in April, it's never quite warm enough to start sailing then. I prefer to wait until they remove the wetsuit requirement for windsurfers and other small boats. But it's always a happy day when I finally get back on the water!

 June:

One of my big adventures this year was joining a few of my coworkers in Boston's only Lady Stepper group, the Hoohahs. The Hoohahs dance in the Pride parade (and one or two other events throughout the year) in the New Orleans second-line style. The Pride theme this year was "Stronger Together" so we went with a Rose the Riveter-themed dance. Think lots of strong arms and marching! The parade was so much fun. The crowds were exuberant, and the cheering was incessant. They loved it every time we did synchronized strong arms. Colin joined a few of the other significant others in walking alongside and carrying water for us. It was a hot day and a 2-mile parade, so his job was critical! The group of women was a lot of fun as well. Unfortunately I will be out of town for the next parade in October and in Paris for Pride next year, so this was probably my only time dancing with them, but I loved it.

The Tall Ships came to Boston this summer, and tours were free and open to the public. Colin and I went one evening after work and were suitably impressed. The ships were indeed very tall, with everything sparkling clean and shipshape.

Shipshape indeed. Those are some nicely coiled lines!

More sailing and hanging out on the docks. It's my favorite place to pass the days in summer.

And more running. I'm not always great about sticking to an exercise schedule, but two things have been helping: (1) my decision to commit to running the Cambridge Half Marathon in November (although I hadn't yet decided in June, it was in the back of my mind, and the idea of running 13.1 miles is terrifying!), and (2) the fact that I haven't been able to find any other time to listen to French podcasts to improve my language skills. I can't listen and focus on work at the same time, and when I come home I'd rather be hanging out with Colin (in English, because if we had to speak French to each other, we'd just sit and stare silently, with the occasional "Bonjour, je t'aime"). But with our move to Paris coming up in January, I really need to get better at understanding French. I've discovered that pairing running and French podcasts makes me more likely to do both.

One of our favorite Cambridge events, the City Dance Party, where they shut down several blocks of Mass Ave in front of City Hall and have a DJ and party lights for outdoor dancing, is always the last Friday of June. This year it was a little rainy, but Colin and I decided we didn't care and went anyway. Turns out, we weren't the only crazy ones! Thousands of people still showed up to dance in the rain! The rain stopped soon enough and we had a great night, but the fact that so many people showed up in the rain made me love this city even more. Another reason I love this city: the rainbow Pride crosswalks in front of City Hall. Stronger together, indeed.

And that pretty much does it for April-June. Other things not pictured: a professional a cappella concert, a trip home to St. Louis to introduce Gwen and Will to the Midwest, hearing Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer talk at the Cambridge library, hearing Dr. Colin Donihue talk about lizards at the Fenway Victory Gardens, and at least one trip to visit Colin's family in Maine. Lots of work stuff, too--I wrapped up three years of work I've done for New York State in May, which was sad, and started several new projects, none of which are as interesting but they keep me busy nonetheless. I also said goodbye to several work friends, who have moved on to new adventures. The times, they are a-changin'.

Next up, July-September!