On November 4th, much to my complete surprise, my sister Davi showed up at my breakfast table. It was a total shock and surprise! She and Riley had planned and schemed for two months, and I had no idea. It was SO awesome to see her. Not only is it always fun to have my sister here, but it was especially sweet since she is leaving for an 18 month mission to the Philippines in January. How awesome that I was able to have two full weeks with her before she leaves.
We packed a lot of things into those two weeks.
We walked around Prouts Neck, of course. I had never gone all the way around the loop (the kids always have a meltdown about 1/3 of the way through and we have to turn back) so it was about time! I love to gawk at the houses on this walk.
A couple different times we enjoyed Downtown Portland and the fun night scene there. It's a pretty lively city with art museums, tons of restaurants and bistros, and indie stores. One evening, we went to the Muse Paintbar and did a painting lesson!
Of course, a few shopping days happened. This little munchkin loved her carousel horse and running through the clothes racks at H&M like a hooligan.
While Davi was here, it was the perfect time to knock a few things off our Maine bucket list, including a day trip to Acadia National Park. It was beautiful, even though we were definitely there during the off-season. It was such a different National Park than the ones we've experienced in the west. It was so diverse, and I can't wait to go back to see it in it's summer glory.
We hiked up Cadillac Mountain (as far as these little legs would let us) and played at the sand beach.
Hinder wrote Davi's name in the sand. It was so cute, I didn't have the heart to point out his misspelling.
The Gate Lodges built by John Rockefeller.
On Veteran's Day, we took advantage of Hinder's day off of school and drove up Vermont to see the Ben & Jerry's Factory and tour.
The Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial in Sharon, Vermont was another fun stop this day. Remarkable to walk where the prophet Joseph Smith and his family walked!
Our last day trip, Davi and I took off leaving the kids with Riley, to tour Boston. The last time she was here visiting we never made it to Boston/Salem and we always regretted it. It's pretty chilly in Boston this time of year, so we opted to do a hop on-hop off trolley tour of the city. It was so fun, and we learned a lot of fun facts about the city.
We hopped off at the Cheers restaurant on Beacon Hill. My dad's a big fan, so we had to!
Next was the Boston Tea Party Museum. This has to be the one things I've wanted to do since moving here, but the timing has just never worked out. I loved it! The actors were so fun and totally in character the whole time.
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We stopped in Salem on the way home. Unfortunately, it gets dark here SO early...we barely made it to the House of the Seven Gables before it was pitch black outside. But that's okay, because it kind of fit the mood of the place.
There was plenty of Maine-y things too. Like lighthouses and lobster.
Her surprise was the best ever! Not just because of the fun things and adventures we went experienced, but her company and friendship during a really hard part of Riley's semester was so invaluable. Thank you, Davi! I'll get you back someday. We love you!!
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