Stone Zoo

Bonjour!
So the day after we went to Vermont, Sunday, we woke up and went to the zoo! It was a beautiful day in the mid 70's. After spending the day at Stone Zoo which isn't very far from here we went into the city for dinner in the North End. The North End is like Boston's Little Italy. We had dinner in a beautiful, dimly lit restaurant. Jamie had some lobster ravioli and I had mussels and a glass of wine. It was the beautiful ending to a beautiful weekend! I wish Monday never came, although Monday was ok too. It just wasn't comparable not the weekend! With Love,
Me

We got some nice pictures of the animals at the zoo, click below to check em' out!:
http://picasaweb.google.com/allysonsaunders/StoneZoo

Vermont

Hello!
Yesterday marked the day that I officially visited all of New England(and the first year since we've been here that we didn't attend the annual Boston Pumkin Festival; we even almost went to Keene, NH- the rival?!) We finally took a road trip up to the neighboring state of Vermont, and yes it's as beautiful as they say! We initially went up to go to an orchard, and stopped at a bridge that had an awesome view, saw the COOLEST RAINBOW I've EVER seen, and visited Brattleboro, a temporary homestead to Ruyard Kipling. I found out where the end of the rainbow is....Putney, Vermont:). We ended our evening by grabbing a bite at a small diner and tried some of their fresh local hot apple cider. It was a great day. I can't wait to head back up in the winter for some skiing!
With Love,
Cat
Click here for our pictures. There are some great ones:)!
http://picasaweb.google.com/allysonsaunders/Vermont

Quinceañera

¡Hola!
Last weekend I attended my first Quinceañera! A "Quince" is celebrated by some Spanish-speaking countries and celebrates the transition from child to adult when a girl turns 15. An English equivalent would be a "Sweet 16" or "debutante ball”. Not all Spanish-speaking countries celebrate Quinces as intensely, for example Quinces are super rare in Spain and usually occur of a young girl's family's origins are from a Latin America Country.

Here's what to notice in the photos:
1.) The decorations and attire- I found out this event was around $25,000.00

2.) The throne- the mother puts a cloth over a chair to create a throne for the birthday girl to enter and sit on.

3.) The changing of shoes- it is tradition for the birthday girl to enter, sit on the throne and have her father change her flats for a pair of high heel shoes. This is a father's acknowledgement of the girl's transition from child to adult. You'll also see a little girl who brought the shoes in on a pillow, much like a ring bearer for weddings.

4.) Changing of tiaras- I wasn't able to capture a great action shot, but you can see the birthday girl holding her tiara. This is because prior she was wearing a smaller one, which her mother exchanges for a larger tiara, again signifying childhood to adulthood in the eyes of the mother.

5.) Dancing- The girl then stands for a dance with her father, followed by her "damas" y "caballeros". You'll notice that 7 young couples enter and create an isle up to the birthday girl's throne. These are her damas (ladies) and "caballeros(gentlemen). These are friends/family that are close to the girl and will join her in dancing. Traditionally there is a walz performed followed by something upbeat like salsa, merengue, bachata...depending on what the girl likes.

Enjoy the pictures...and hopefully you've all learned a little more about the world we live in. "Paz"----> "Peace

Señorita Saunders

Las fotos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/allysonsaunders/QuinceaEra

My Babies- Joey, Micky and Janie

Hi Everyone,

I have been organizing my pictures and came across some classics that I feel I need to incorporate on my blog. Here are pictures of Joey, my brother and my two nieces, McKenzie and Janie. They are all my babies and are growing up so much. Enjoy the pictures. There are some funny ones:)!

Love,
Ally

Joe, who was named athlete of the week:
http://picasaweb.google.com/allysonsaunders/MyBroIsBecomingAMan

McKenzie and Janie:
http://picasaweb.google.com/allysonsaunders/MyNiecesAreGrowingUp

Recreational Time- Carson Beach

¡Hola!

I thought I'd show you guys what Jamie and I do when we get some free time and have energy. We had been on a rollerblading kick, checking out different trails and came across this great find. Carson Beach is located on The Harbor Walk Trail, which runs on the coast of Boston off the Atlantic. It's nice, huh?

Ciao Bella...
...Ally

http://picasaweb.google.com/allysonsaunders/CarsonBeach

Exploring and Enjoying Massachusetts

Hey Guys,

These are some pictures we took over the past couple of weekends. The first link will take you to pictures from a fair we went to in the middle of the state. It was about a 2 hours drive to Springfield, and it was our first time to the "Big E". It was fun!

The next link will show you how we spent our first day of fall. Yes, we spent it at the beach! Also, I must say that Rockport is just about the cutest place. It reminded me of Martha's Vineyard but inland. Since Rockport located right on the water, they had some killer seafood deals. I actually took a picture of the sign, because the prices were so cheap. Jamie and I shared a lobster for 15 bucks?! You can see that he really enjoyed it:)

If anyone decides they want to visit this place upon their next trip, just say the word!

With Love,
Ally

Rockport and Gloucester:
http://picasaweb.google.com/allysonsaunders/GloucesterAndRockport

The Big E:

http://picasaweb.google.com/allysonsaunders/BigE

Annie's Visit

Hello!

I apologize for being so negligent with my blog. As you know the school year is started and in full swing, which means my personal time is limited. This is Columbus Weekend and therefor I don't have work tomorrow and have some time to spare to catch up on things here:)!

Right before the school year began my friend Ann came to visit us. She had been in Dominica in the Caribbean in Med school. She is now back after taking the boards and was placed in NY! Here are some pictures I took of her while we were in The Common and The Garden!

~Allyson

http://picasaweb.google.com/allysonsaunders/AVisitFromAnnie