GINO+CELTICS=my love for Boston

Ok so right now in Boston it is FREEZING and i mean FREEZING. So in order to keep my love alive for the city of boston i have to fill my time with all the great things of boston including the Celtics or the C's. My family has always been a big basketball family so it is no surprise i love this team and love going to the garden to watch them. Well part of the C's tradition is they always show a clip from the TV show American Band Stand called Gino! It is hilarious because the entire crowd goes nuts. Its one of the only times you will see adult men standing up and dancing. It is hilarious. Here is a news clip explaining more and hearing a player talk about it. (Marci because you won't be able to catch a game this year, this clip is for you)

ANGELS?

So thanks to facebook and the ability for people to post a status i was able to find this song that was sung last night at the AMA's it is the song Angel but this version is sung by Pink and Sarah McLachlan anyway the song got me thinking... What are my thoughts on Angels.. Its a pretty cool thing to think about... And i have concluded that they do exist and i am happy they do. I think angels can be a spiritual being that protect us or give us comfort when we need it but I think they can also come in the form of a friend or a family memeber. It always seems like when those rough days show up that a friend will step up and help carry some of the weight, or that a family member will give us a call and just chat when we need it. I know this has been true in my life. Yesterday was one of those days that started out really great but by the end could not end fast enough and i was grateful for the angels i have in my life including friends and my newphews and niece. So to go along with this post i have attached the song Angels... I hope you enjoy

Laughing

So right now i am just in the middle of working on a take home quiz for my neuromuscular class and me being the procrastinator that i am i decided to check out a few of my favorite blogs and see if there were any new entries (this has a point) which of course led me to my friend Kate's blog. i can usually depend on her to have a funny blog post. While reading her blog i started reading some old post to my roommate mollie and we were both cracking up and this got me thinking how much i LOVE to laugh.
Laughter: laugter is the name we gave to the responce your body gives to something you may find funny or humorous. Examples are a giggle, a chuckle, a snicker, etc.
I don't think there is anything better then having a great laugh. It can be from a classic Will Ferrell moment which is why i added the link to one of my most favorite Will moments...


I love hanging out with friends and laughing till it hurts. I've decided that laughing is a fix all to everything... well mostly everything...
one of my favorite parts from a movie is on mary poppins when they float up to the ceiling and are singing i love to laugh. my favorite line is when they say,
"the more i laugh the more i'm a merrier me." If you are not sure what i am talking about please click on the link below and watch!


Sometimes i think we get bogged down in life and forget how important it is to laugh.But as i was laughing at these blog posts it also made me think of the past few days and the laughing i have done. the other night i was running into my friends room and totally slipped on the wood floor and crashed into the door i sat there and we laughed and laughed it was hilarious and my mom was in town this last weekend and we laughed while we road the subway and while walked around downtown and then we saw Hairspray on broadway in NY and we laughed the entire time.


Just remember American researchers have found that 10-15 minutes of genuine giggling can burn off the number of calories found in a medium square of chocolate.

REDSOX NATION

Last night I had the chance to attend my first MLB playoff game in Fenway Park and let me tell you it did not disappoint. If you want to read all about the game click on this link: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081007&content_id=
3600062&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos
The game was full of thrills and cheers but thankfully no tears! To sum the game up we were tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the ninth there was 2 outs with a runner on second base when Jed Lowrie got a base hit to score Jason Bay.Fenway park went crazy !!!! People were giving High fives, and hugging and cheering it was awesome.We now get to play the Devil Rays for a chance to get back to the World Series! The best part is the opportunity to go to the game came as the biggest surprise. Let me just say this... The song by Alabama "I believe there are angels among us" is totally true. Blair thank you thank you thank you for loving the Redsox and for getting me to this game!!! I had the best time and will NEVER forget it... Living in Boston is a dream come true and being apart of Redsox nation is the best feeling in the world.

(some of the relief pitchers headed out to celebrate with the bullpen cop billy Dunn... look further down the blog to meet billy.)

Celebrating the big win!!!! the players go crazy its awesome to see!!! The best part of seeing this team win is watching them celebrate with the fans.

This is Billy Dunn he is the cop that watches over the pitchers in the bullpen and he is pretty much a icon and celebrity at fenway park. he is at every game and has even had newspaper articles written about him. He is a homicide police officer during the day in one of the scary parts of boston. We met him last week at one of the games and then when Blair and i were leaving we saw him standing there again and he remembered us so we had to get another picture with him. He is one of the best traditions at fenway so needless to say i had to give a big thumbs up!

Everything I have been doing since my last blog post on jul 30

I didn't realize today when I decided to update the blog that its Sept 30th and my last blog post was on Jul 30th needless to say a lot has happened since then. I am way too behind to write everything that has happened in life so instead i am just going to add pictures with captions. this way i can be caught up and hopefully stay on top of the blog a little better. From these pictures you can see life has been treating me really great. I think my parents are concerned i may either flunk out of school or run out of money. to be honest at this point either could happen... jokes

1
This last week I had the chance to hang out at Fenway Park for 5 redsox games and i will just go ahead and say it was the best week of my life. The sox won all the games i went to, we clinched a spot in the playoffs and thanks to my friend blair i had the best seats in the house. My old roommate marci also flew into town to enjoy all the games and it was really great hanging out with her. I now understand why Fenway is America's most beloved ballpark. i honestly think it kicks disneyworlds butt for happiest place on earth.
2
On sept 20th i turned 25 and i couldn't think of a better way to turn a quarter of a century then by hanging out in NYC. The best part of the day was when my friend Blair got tickets to see Mary Poppins on broadway for my bday. it was the best present ever and the most amazing show. I grew up watching Mary Poppins and have a place in my heart for her and everything she represents. I also had the best seats of my life right by the stage. The whole show was fabulous including my favorite song, "Feed The Birds". It really was a magical show. Blair thank you!
3
I think i have blogged about this before but a long time ago i made a list of things i wanted to do in my life like buy something on rodeo drive, go to greece, bungy jump, stuff like that. Well another thing on my list was walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I have no idea why i always wanted to do this because until i took this picture i had never even been to the bridge, but i must say it did not disappoint and was probably one of the coolest things i have ever done. The bridge is amazing and i got to check another thing off. Everyone needs to walk across this bridge at some point in life.
4
Like i said before a few days ago was my birthday and while in NY i went to the most amazing place for brunch called Normas. It was fantastic. The food was amazing and the atmosphere like nothing i have ever done before. I felt like one of the characters from the TV show Gossip Girl. it was the best way to start out my 25th year!
5
A few weekends ago a few friends and i decided to go on a road trip to see Niagara falls on the Canadian side and to check out the baseball hall of fame in cooperstown NY. Well i made it to niagara and had the best time. The falls are amazing!!! and the boat ride on the maid of the mist is probably one of the greatest highlights of my life. The bad news... before the weekend was over i was in the ER with a kidney stone... Let me just say this... if a kidney stone is anything like having a baby... i will definitely be getting the drugs. Not to mention cooperstown will have to wait for another weekend.
6
A month ago i was able to go with some girlfriends to Costa Rica for a few days. It was awesome! This country is amazing and really i could do a whole blog post just on this trip but since i am sticking to captions only here is the explanation for the picture. I am in Monteverde, right in the middle of a HUGE rainforest going on ziplines that got up to speeds of 50 mph. It was the best thrill of my life and the most beautiful place. Not only that but i also scored a boyfriend while i was there. his name is alma and i think we really would have lasted if he had facebook... but that is a whole story by itself.
7
These are the girls i went to CR with. This whole trip started on whim with my chatting with my friend blair before i knew it we had booked plane tickets to CR and recruited a few friends to come along. in this picture we are in a town called Tamarindo it is a beach town. We stayed in THE most amazing villa that was right by the beach. I could go on and on but i won't. all i will say is how grateful i am for good friends in life and how blessed i am to be able to experience sooo many good things in life. Boston has been the best experience and as i started my last year of school this month i've had a few moments where i have just sat back and thought how did i get sooo lucky to have this life. I am grateful everyday

Gotta love being home.

Well i hope you had a chance to enjoy the video above this post and yes that is a red clown nose i am wearing. It just seemed fitting with this blog. A few nights ago i was hanging out with my nephews and we started making these videos. We all had tears we were laughing so hard so i hope you enjoy. NOW....When people ask me if i love living in Boston i always say but that the one thing i miss most is my family especially my nephews and nieces and so while i have been home i've been trying to get my fill of the cutest kids on earth. I've taken them swimming, bought snow cones, watched movies, played hide and go seek, babysat by watching cartoons, broken up my fair share of sibling fights, and of course laughed and laughed. Life just doesn't get any better. When i first saw my niece madeline she ran straight to me yelled AUNT JO and wouldn't let me put her down for 30 min. This is the same niece that will walk around the house for 20 min having a pretend converstation with me. Then there are my three nephews Preston, London, and Jackson that live in Idaho. I love these boys so much. They are OUT OF CONTROl but the most well behaved kids ever. I always joke that i am going to have my brother craig and his wife april raise my kids because they have done such a great job. for example when we were leaving the swimming pool Preston who is 7 looks at me and says thanks for coming to the pool today, and after my mom made everyone chocolate milkshakes Jackson looks at my mom and says thanks for the milkshakes nana. I love it. My favorite moment was when London and i ran out into the backyard we saw my mom standing by the swingset with a full size ladder and Jackson was standing at the very top. He is 4. London yells at the top of his lungs, "nana what are you doing he is only a child." It was hilarious. This little boy isn't even in kindergarten yet and already he can read most children books and he is the wittiest kid ever i love it. BUT my favorite thing has been to play Rockband on the WII with them. Preston on the guitar, Jackson on the drums, and London and i belting out the lyrics. Its been a blast. I should also mention these boys have the cutest little sister Brooklyn Sophia and they adore her! it reminds me a lot of my 4 older brothers and me.I also want to mention that i have the greatest nieces and nephews in California that i am hoping to see before i head back east. They are the most beautiful kids ever and a total blast.

4 things

Today i realized a few things, 4 to be exact
1. Because marci no longer lives with me i am going to have to break down and buy a digital camera... or any type camera for that matter...
2. Its never a good idea to paint an entire wood playhouse with only a brush and a bucket of paint. Let me just say this it has been over 8 years since the thing has been painted and it will probably be another 8 years before i paint it again but i will be investing in a roller, and a paint pan. The best part about the whole thing is i couldn't reach some parts of the roof so i just left them. This would bug most people but not me. Hey, it looks better then it did. I also realized my parents need a new ladder. I knew there was a problem when i had an escape plan of how to break the least amount of bones if the thing buckled below me. and finally i wish i had a camera to get a picture of me covered in paint. Funny story. My mom didn't know i was painting and thought i was out runnung well needless to say when i walked up onto the deck covered in red paint she panicked and thought i had been attacked. Pretty classic Carol moment.
3. Baseball really is America's pastime and in the past few years i have found a new and bigger place in my heart for it. here is a great link explaining this better. http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3488077&name=gammons_peter&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d3488077%26name%3dgammons_peter
4. Today i got to babysit my niece madeline and nephew Sherman. My niece is beyond cute and for some reason just adores me. Everytime she sees me she yells about Aunt JoAnna and runs straight to me and will give me the biggest hugs. I think it is payback from how her dad my brother teased me without end while i was growing up. Anyway today while i was babysitting i had sherman on half my lap and madeline on the other. The three of us sat there drinking chocolate milk and watching tom and jerry. It was a highlight and made me realize cartoons really are the best babysitting tactic and anyone who doesn't let their kids watch them is straight up crazy. also old school cartoons that i grew up on like tom and jerry is a billion times better then the new ones they have today.