*boston, day 3*

Off to the reenactment.

The weather was a welcome improvement from the day before. The sun was shining, no rain, and just a smidge on the cool side. Absolutely lovely.

After we parked we strolled up a little path my heart started racing. I was so excited because as we became closer sounds of drums and flutes filled the air. I was elated as I turned the corner for my eyes feasted on this:










I could not take it in fast enough. Cannons were going off, officers riding horses, soldiers standing in their ranks. A captain came up to talk to us about the upcoming battle (completely in character) and was complaining about the way the government was run here. I got lost, you know, because I didn't listen in American History class, so I politely excused myself and left him to chat with my dad and walked around to take more pictures.

We walked further down the road and came across the Patriot's camp.


I loved all the little details. Pipes with tobacco, the socks, shoes, and buttons, and I could have listened to the music that was being played all day long. Everyone was so excited to be participating and immersed in their characters. The air was literally buzzing with excitement. I was so happy that I was able to be here on this particular weekend to enjoy these festivities. Nick even said that it was cool.






Nick and I were totally photobombed by this soldier. It definitely is one of my most favorite pictures of the trip.

Here is Battle Road. This road runs through Lincoln, Lexington, and Concord and marks the path that British soldiers marched on their way from Boston to Concord in order to seize weapons the Colonists had stored. They were ambushed on their way back to Boston by Colonist troops. It is also the road that Paul Revere and Samuel Dawes made their famous ride to warn others that the British were coming. It is awe inspiring to see this amazing piece of American history.

Then the fighting started. It was a "no death" battle so there were many guns fired but no one fell to the ground pretending to be dead. We watched how the battle begun and the ambush of the British soldiers and cut out early to be able to make it to Boston for the ball game.





And how cute are these kids dressed up in their Colonial attire? I was feeling a little guilty that there were young boys, probably a bit younger than Liam, all excited about the Minutemen and how they were going to "crush the British". What? I don't even think Liam knows what a Minuteman is, let alone any of the other boys. I better get on that.




Fenway Park. Another reason I wanted Nick to come on this trip is because he loves baseball. I couldn't wait for him to see this iconic stadium full of history and tradition. I asked him "Isn't this amazing?" and do you know what he did? He shrugged and said "It's cool, but I think the Angels' stadium is better." I almost washed his mouth out with soap. I guess to be fair, he is from the generation of bigger is better but come. on. now. This, my dear boy, is Fenway. He did gain more respect as the game went on and he even stopped me when I was in the gift shop on the phone with Justin trying to decide what to get Andrew. Not thinking, I said, out loud, that Andrew was a Yankees fan and Nick shushed me. And he even bought a momento for himself. I am glad he could say he has been here.





I loved it here. I loved the field, I loved our seats, I loved that you could buy two hotdogs for $5 and get free refills on your drinks. I loved that even the electronic scoreboard looked old-fashioned and I loved singing Sweet Caroline with the crowd. I loved that they sold clam chowder in the stands. And despite Nick's earlier comments, I think he loved it too.










It was a great game. Valentino had a walk off single that drove in the winning run in extra innings. Here is a picture of his team mauling him and he had a huge smile on his face that would light up any room. I wish I would have had my other lens on my camera at that moment because it. was. awesome.



We walked to the convention center to pick up my sister's race info and then headed over to Zaftig's for dinner. If you are in Boston, go there. Everything was amazing. Especially my banana stuffed french toast.

Then after dinner we took a major detour because of me. While I was checking my bank account waiting for Erika to pick up her stuff, I noticed a charge at 7-11 for over $50. We had just been to 7-11 the day before but all I bought was water and Diet Coke. I had a receipt for the correct amount that was debited but this extra charge was strange. Did they use my number to buy something but increased the amount to take cash out?

It didn't even cross my mind that Justin would go there for gas since we NEVER have filled up at a 7-11 before. Ever. I called the bank and they told me that it would be easier to go to the 7-11 and try to have the charge stopped before it cleared my account. I was freaking out because I needed my card for the rest of the trip and didn't want to have to cancel it. But what if the person tried to use my card again?

We started back to the 7-11 but did not realize how far away it was...almost back to Salem in a town called Peabody. I checked my account again and realized that the store numbers on the receipt and the bank statement didn't match. Uh-oh. I had a sinking feeling that I was a complete idiot. I texted Justin almost as we arrived at the store and asked him if he had gone to 7-11. By this time we were at the place so I walked in and talked to the guy at the counter. I also really, really had to use the bathroom. I explained why I was there and asked to use the bathroom. He said that he didn't have a public restroom and that his manager was not there so he couldn't do anything about the charge. I asked to get his manager's number but let someone else check out before he could give it to me. Right at that moment, Justin texted back and said he had, in fact, filled up his car. At a 7-11.

I felt so dumb.

I also had to admit this to my poor dad who had driven so far out of his way. Unneccessarily.

I sheepishly gave up the information that I now knew and offered to buy him a ginormous Dr. Pepper. I also withheld the information that I now knew from the attendant so I could use his bathroom facilities since he still was under the impression that my finances were violated.

We had a good laugh about it when I got back in the car and apologized to everyone else for the long drive way out of our way.

Ah, memories.