The Best Yet? Quite Possibly

If you've read this before, you probably remember how my father and I went to the Red Sox back in June for Manny's return to Beantown. Well, I had to top that this Christmas and I'm happy to report that I think I might have! If you weren't following my crazy tweets that day, here's a little hint as to what I did:



YUP! On Monday, I took my dad to a double-dip at the TD Garden - Bruins vs. Hurricanes at 1 p.m. and Celtics vs. Magic at 8 p.m. We had an absolute BLAST! Part of the awesome part of getting him tickets for his birthday/Christmas/Father's Day is that I get to go with him. We always have fun, but this time was even better. If I had the ability to do so, I would give it four thumbs up.

Through all of our trips to Boston, we have adopted this bad habit of always taking a wrong turn on the way in, but this time we didn't even do that. I will briefly mention that I did forget the tickets in the car and realized it at 11:51 a.m. as we entered the Garden. Luckily for me and my safety, retrieving them only meant that I got to give my dad an extra 20-minute 'Taking the T' lesson.

Anyway, we finally got settled in for our first game - the Bruins. I took this weet picture of the Garden during player introductions:

I'll admit that I was excited to see some live NHL action (I had never been to a game before), but I honestly thought I would be bored. Boy was I wrong. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that the Bruins scored seven goals. Crazy, huh? Three in the first and two in both the second and third periods. Tim Thomas made some great saves for the B's, Adam McQuaid beat the crap out of some guy for a total of 17 penalty minutes and Zdeno Chara netted his first career hat trick.

I thought the hat trick was the coolest thing ever. Chara scored his first goal coming out of the penalty box, his second on a fast break and third on a slap shot. After his second, I made it very clear to my dad, and probably everyone around us that I really, really, really wanted to see him score three and record the hat trick. Obviously, I just wanted to see everyone throw their hats on the ice and they did just that. Next time, I'm bringing a hat with the very intention to throw it on the ice.

Bruins 7, Hurricanes 0.

I really would have loved to stay and watch the change-over of the Garden floor, but beggars can't be choosers, right? Fast forward through lunch at Four's, a visit to the Prudential Center, some browsing at Williams & Sonoma and a quick souvenier shopping trip to the second game. All throughout the day, dad and I discussed how pumped we were for the game, how close we thought the score would be and how we hoped Kevin Garnett would make his long-awaited return. Check, check and check! Welcome back to Boston, Garnett! I have loved this guy since he was a T-wolf and he was injured the last time I went, so his return was perfect timing. Here he is finishing his usual hit-my-head-so-hard-off-the-backboard-I-probably-can't-see-after routine:

And to compliment the previous shot I took of the Garden before the Bruins game, here is one from the Celtics:

Before I get to the important game-like things, I must mention some details about our surroundings. Two people that I work with were sitting in the seats right next to me. Like I was seat 16, they were seats 17 and 18. Weird. Oh and these three guys in front of us were also pumped about KG's return. They held up the letters 'K' and 'G' and number '5' pretty much the entire time. Anyway, onto the game.

It was one of the best Celtics games I have seen in a while and by far the best I have witnessed. It was some serious exciting, high-intensity, back-and-fourth, edge-of-your-seat action. The Celtics pulled it out late in the fourth, responding with a clutch fade-away 3-pointer from Ray, a typical score-the-bucket-and-draw-the-foul play by Pierce and a timely steal from Garnett. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Big 3?

Celtics 109, Magic 106.

All in all, FANTASTIC day.

GAME NOTES: Got some free yellow towels and green towels at their respective games that will look great in our 'Man Room' ... Met some guys on the T-ride home that were from Portland, ME ... The crab cake appetizer at Four's was enormous - roughly four or five inches in diameter! ... Ray Allen's mom has the sweetest jersey ever. I'm talking white with silver sparkles EVERYWHERE! Where can I get one? ... Both organizations did their respective tributes to Martin Luther King, Jr. This was shown several times throughout both games:

Looking ahead to 2011

Alright, wew are nearing the end of the first month of the year so I suppose it's time to rattle off what I want 2011 to bring.
College Graduation!!!! (That's right, first generation college grad in the family)

My First 50K (Misty and I will absolutely dominatie this, or so we hope so)

A Reverse Triathlon (Oh ya, it's backwards -- run, bike, THEN swim)

Graduate School (Here's to hoping I get in)

Something New (I welcome any extra spice in my life)

365 Chocolate-free days (I've already made it 18 and I'm still going strong)

Another Year of Unforgettable Memories (Can't wait for the fun!)

My First Full-Time Big-Girl Job (In addition to graduate school, but I'll welcome one without. Hopefully I don't have to resort to something like this little guy)

Six More Months of my Kick-Butt 22nd Year (Danielle told me 22 was her best year yet and so far I might have to agree with her)

Exploration (A bit of traveling is so in the near future)

Marine Corps Marathon (Not sure where I'll be in October, but I'm hoping I'll be running 26.2 in D.C. on the 30th)

Double the Fun (Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of fun, but maybe I should loosen up a bit more?)
'Las Vegas' (The show, not the city. I'm really into it right now and want to watch it from the start)

Top 10 of 2010

Here’s a little glance at my top 10 memories of 2010, in no particular order:

Sugarloaf Marathon: My first marathon, need I say more? Waiting two hours for dinner. The ups and the downs (literally – I ran a mountain!) Running the last 1.2 with my sister. I like your beard.

Boston: Two nights with my best friends. Kitty O’Sheas. Little Italy. Riding in jeeps with boys. Stuck in the rain. IHOP.

Dodgers vs. Red Sox: The return of Manny to Beantown. Spending the whole day with Daddy. Meeting Bertha Lowell. Boston’s got 99 problems but Manny ain’t one.

Reach the Beach Relay: 200 miles in 24 hours. Run Faster, Finish Sooner. Sixth-grade-esque slumber party. Silly bands. No sleep. Yelling inappropriate questions to our running teammates. We will shock you.

A little Cali love: Hopped out the plane at LAX. Snuggling with JPell despite having two beds. Running down Sunset Blvd. AB Reunion. “Tequila is soooo senior year.” Jackie Chan, Matthew Perry, Goldie Hawn. Trying on masks, trapping a huge cockroach and frolicking at the beach in January!!

A Quality Chef-like Attempt: Three amateurs and two pros attempt dinner. Orzo blob. “If one of your students came up to you with a test ¾ done, what would you say?” Smoothie maker is just as good as a blender, right? Success!

Bachelorette Action: Danielle’s last fling before the ring! Stories, shots and more stories. OPT! So glad I’m friends with this chick.

Labor Day 5K: Running for those who can’t. Second-place age group finish. Mom and Dad walked, I ran. Cute outfit.

Maine Marathon: Second 26.2! Surrounded by friends. HUGE PR. Friends ran their first half. Meeting Mark along the way. Lightning shorts.

Dane Cook: He came to Portland. Jaime and I did an entire scorpion bowl by ourselves. Silly boys. Vegan animal crackers. Seeing Ashley to end the evening!

A Year of Lessons Learned

I know you’re really supposed to do this stuff at the END of the year, but I was busy. So enjoy the next couple of 2010-in-review posts. Lucky for you, none of my 2010 reminscing has anything to do with the characters below.

They say you learn something everyday, so looking back on what I learned in an entire year should be easy, right? Not so much. I did a lot of growing up this year and so here’s a short list of my top lessons learned:

Don’t Give Up: I know this cliché is overstated, overrated and just totally overdone, but it’s true and pretty simple. Don’t give up. On Anything. It’s much easier to throw in the towel, but far more rewarding to reap the benefits of your hard work. I’ve run two marathons, I’m almost done college and I’ve turned into one of the most stubborn girls you’ll ever meet. If I put my mind to it, I know I can do it.

Trust Your Instincts: That gut feeling? Trust it because chances are its right. I no longer debate decisions, do the whole what-if thing or question myself (well, maybe at mile 26.1, but just for a minute or two).

I Can Stand on my Own Two Feet: While I may have this you-can’t-mess-with-me attitude, I used to depend on everyone else but myself. Well, not last year. So many things happened regarding relationships, academics, friendships – pretty much in all aspects of my life – that made me realize I can do it all on my own. I accomplished a lot in 2010 and needless to say, I can’t wait for 2011.

Spontaneity Often Provides the Most Fun: I’m such a planner that I’ve come to rely on having a set schedule for everything, even things that are supposed to be fun. But sometimes, the anticipation and the work that goes into planning takes away from the enjoyment. So many of my great memories of 2010 came via spontaneity and I plan on trying to let that happen more often. My father, sister and some of my best friends are all very anti-plan and they’ve been encouraging me to sway their way for a very long time now. I guess there’s no time like the present, right?

Next up: Top 10 of 2010