And we're back...Our trip to Boston

Thanks to everyone to responded to my post earlier...the Escalante blog lives on!

On Friday we went to Boston to look at a few apartments in hopes to secure a summer sublet.  Sam wanted to come along since he will be graduating and has received a full-time offer with Innosight.  We stopped by his house to pick him up, and his girlfriend made us a delicious breakfast.

(Sam)

Anna, Sam's girlfriend who graciously made us breakfast!

Once in Cambridge (just outside of boston) we met up with Prashant and Priyanka, who had driven up the night before.  Prashant and Priyanka are also graduating from SOM (Yale's School of Management) in a couple weeks.  Like Sam, Prashant has a full-time offer to work with Innosight (Priyanka just came along to spend time).  Some of you have probably heard me mention these names before, but this is for those of you that are new comers to our blog.

Anyways, the first place we looked at was really cool.  It had a great view, a gym, etc.  However, they were only offering 1 year leases so Michael and I just tagged along while Sam and Prashant looked.

Dominic liked the workout room

We stopped in for lunch at a great Indian restaurant with Prashant's sister, Gitika before breaking off on our own for some apartment tours.  We checked out a few apartments in the Cambridge area and walked around Harvard Square in between appointments.  Check out some pictures featuring the Harvard Square area:

Exploring the Harvard campus

I really liked the architecture of the Harvard campus

We stopped to enjoy some a cappella music on the streets.  I liked the beat boxer-although he's got nothing on my brother-in-law Christopher.

My favorite picture of the day--I just thought it was a really cool building with cool contrasting colors.

I love Spring

Prepping for our Europe trip by trekking around with Dominic in his carrier

The greenery was really pretty around campus

I am excited to explore more of the cool buildings around Harvard.  I liked this building a lot

The Charles River (My other favorite picture from the day)

A jogging and biking path near Harvard Square!!  This is potentially exciting news for me and Dominic! 

I find the trees in the East really graceful and beautiful

Look at Dominic's little hand...he had fallen asleep by this point and was just along for the ride.

  

Lots of red brick buildings...very different from the Yale campus

I really like the bridges that cross the river.

Sky scene (with the Charles River)

...still trekking... (Notice the cool clock tower in the background).

After we finished viewing the different apartments, we met up with Prashant and Priyanka to head into Boston.  Sam met up with some family and we didn't see him the rest of the evening.  We did a little sight seeing in Boston before it got dark, then went to an Italian restaurant named Strega that came highly recommended.  I ordered gnocchi's and Michael ordered lobster ravioli.  Both dishes were great!   

(Prashant went to get the car-so he is not pictured here with us and Priyanka)

We stopped by the famous "Mike's Pastry's" for some cannoli's and cheesecake--both of which were fantastic--before hitting the road back to Connecticut.  We didn't get home until about 1am.

We were feeling pretty conflicted about which apartment to sublet...because I wasn't in love with any of our options.  Most of the apartments we had looked at were very small, but really expensive.  In the morning, after a good night's rest, we made our selection and called the guy to tell him the good news.  We were disappointed to learn that someone else had looked at his apartment after we left yesterday, and was going to rent it.  I was so bummed to know that the apartment hunt had to continue.

Later that day however, the guy called us back and said that the other person had changed their mind so we could still have the apartment if we wanted it.  So there you have it-we have an apartment lined up for the summer!!  And, it's the apartment right by Harvard square, and the river (running path!), etc.  We also found out that Innosight has a shuttle that leaves every morning from Harvard square so Michael will be able to take that instead of commuting!!  Hooray!  I'll be honest, it's kind of hectic looking for an apartment and moving for the summer, but I am so grateful for a husband who worked so hard to get the internship he really wanted.  Not to mention that Innosight in a well known, highly revered company, which should open some great doors for Michael upon graduating next year.  We are blessed.

Anyways, the weekend turned out to be really good.  Michael played soccer Saturday morning as usual. I would've gone as well, but decided to help with an activity for the young children in our church.  Then we went to a birthday celebration for 1-yr old Bonica (who's dad is at SOM with Michael.)  The birthday party was at an Indian restaurant.  I am loving all this Indian food!

Bonica's mom, Julia is the one in the red sweater in the middle.  She is such a sweetheart and I am grateful for my friendship with her.  Julia's husband, Hans, (and Michael's classmate) is the man in the back right corner in the white shirt.

This picture was taken of Dominic at the birthday party.  

Today was Michael's last day of classes!! 1 week of finals then we are off to Europe!  Hopefully his finals go well--but it wouldn't hurt to keep him in your prayers. :)

XOXO

Jodi, Michael and Dominic

p.s. Our address for our summer sublet is: 375 Harvard St. Cambridge MA if you are interested to check it out!  We are close to the Charles River, Harvard, the town's Green, Boston, and the Atlantic!

I need help (nothing serious-don't worry)

I've been excited to fill you all in our trip to Boston on Friday (and show pictures of course!), however apparently I've been posting too many photos and videos, because I have used all of my "blogger memory".   Does anyone reading this know how to overcome this difficulty?  I know I can upgrade memory and pay a monthly fee, but I'm not really excited to pay a monthly blogger fee for the rest of eternity.  And I don't really want to just delete old blogs (I put a lot of time into them, between editing/uploading photos/videos, to writing semi-coherent updates!).  Does anyone know if I can download old blogs as a PDF to store on my computer?  I know that I can download all the pictures, but I already have all the pictures on my computer so I don't need that redundancy.  I would however like to have the pictures and text as a cohesive document.

Any insights would be great!
Until next time,
Jodi

Hello Hello.  Here is the latest and greatest with the ol' escalante family:

Ahhhh...It just makes your heart melt, doesn't it?

Anyways,
It got really warm here for a few days last week...warm enough to let Dominic hang out in only his diaper, which is what I have been dying for.  Something about a little guy hanging out in his diaper is so cute.  Maybe it's the cute round bellies that all babies seem to have...

It got so hot one night, neither of them could bear to wear their shirts. 

This was us on an evening stroll trying to cool down.

For those of you who haven't seen Dominic in a while, his hair continues to grow longer.  And yes, it still sticks straight up on it's own!  No product necessary.  We keep wondering when or IF it's going to fall!

Catching some rays (not really-I'm a responsible mother and had him in the shade)

Yep-he pretty much sticks his tongue out at everyone.

We went to the beach with some of Michael's classmates last week.  We bumped a volleyball and had high aspirations of getting in the water, but it was pretty cold.

That didn't keep me from wanting Dominic to experience the Atlantic Ocean for his first time.

Needless to say, he also thought it was too cold and didn't really enjoy his first encounter with salt water.

I love our little family

Not sure what he's doing here, but I thought it was pretty funny and worth showing!

Natalie and Ian (friends from church) also joined our beach excursion.  Ian loved digging in the sand.  I'm sure Dominic will enjoy the beach more as he gets older.

I love my little guy

His eyes are often wide open and very attentive.  He's always taking in the world around him.
(Not to mention, this is one of those photos that we'll look back on in 20 years and laugh at my swimming suit!)

Saturday we went to a pig roast and Dominic got to give his first attempt at slack lining.  

(picture taken on my phone)

vs. picture taken by my friend Tahria on her Canon.--Thanks T!

We don't see him sucking his thumb very often...

...it usually looks more like this!  He tries to fit as many of his 10 fingers in at once!

Dominic loves to distract daddy from his homework.  Look at his face!! --He's very distracting!

He is so fun to play with.  He loves to smile.

For those of you who can't spend more time around him, I hope these videos give you a sense for how happy of a baby he is!

The last few days haven't been quite as warm as last week.  It has rained off and on this week, and now all of a sudden, New Haven's trees are sprouting fresh life.  The roads are beginning to regain their beautiful canopy of green leaves.  I have been out running and biking (still trying to recover from 9 months of pregnancy).  Michael has also been going to the gym a few times a week with our friend Todd.

As for a rough idea of the fun things we have been doing (in addition to the photos above):

Sunday April 15-We had a lovely Indian dinner with some friends, Priyanka and Gabriel (from Brazil) before going to the Bergin's house to watch their son (Ian) for a couple of hours.  Natalie had flown to Utah for her grandmother's funeral.  We watched Ian (while he slept) so James could pick up Natalie from the airport on Sunday when she returned.

Monday April 16-Dominic and I went to play with some friends (Audra and Andrew Grange, Alejandra and Mikaal Shafi, Julia and Bonica Teja, and Elizabeth and Kenny and Joseph Taylor).  See the pictures above with Dominic laying in the grass.

That evening, we had Julia, Hans and Bonica Teja, as well as Priyanka and Prashant over for a pizza party.  Michael and I really love making fresh pizza with fresh ingredients.

The coloring is a little off in the picture, but doesn't that look delicious?

Tuesday April 17- The day we went to the beach.  We had some delicious sushi for dinner (from Miyas-my favorite place in town), then headed to a comedy club to hear some of Michael's classmate do stand up comedy.

Wednesday April 18- I came down with a nasty fever so I took it easy for most of the day.

Thursday and Friday April 19-20th- We had a prospective Yale SOM student stay with us.  John was from California and came into town to check out Yale.  He ended up really liking the school/area, and I think he decided to come here in the fall.

Thursday we went to visit our friend Prashant, who missed a few days of school from an old injury flaring up, and ended up hanging out and chatting for a long time.  We had a great night.

Friday we went to dinner with Prashant and Heui Li and enjoyed some fresh seafood.

Saturday April 21st-Michael and his friend Danny released their first music album on Bandcamp.com.  They have put a lot of work into the album, and it is really exciting to have it up for sale.

In the evening, we went to the pig roast. (see pics above of Dominic slack lining).

This week, I have figured out how to put Dominic to bed with very little effort (I'm hesitant to mention this because I don't want to jinx the process):  Around 9pm I feed him and lay him in bed right after burping him.  Although he is happy and playful, if I lay him in his bed, with the light off (and lamp on), he has been drifting into a peaceful night’s sleep!!!—No fuss, no drama.  I love it!  He has been sleeping until about 8am with this strategy.  Not too shabby!

Aside from that exciting discovery, Michael and I have both been busy.  He is heading into the last week of classes and then finals.  Not to mention he is trying to promote his album!  If you want to support a good cause, you should purchase the album.  It's only $6 and they've worked really hard on it.  They aren't hoping/expecting to make millions.  They just want to raise enough money to help pay for some of the equipment they purchased to record the album.  Check it out:

http://songsbecomewater.bandcamp.com/album/hypnopompy?autoplay=true

I have been busy with Dominic, auditing a class, trying to find an apartment in Boston to lease for the summer, planning our trip to Europe, not to mention I have been working (yea!).  I am working remotely with a doctor (from Utah) interpreting brain scans (EEG's) used in diagnosing ADHD in children and teenagers.  This is great, because I can do it around my busy schedule (and around Dominic's schedule).

Well, I best be off to bed...we are headed to Boston first thing in the morning!!! This will be my first real trip into Boston.  We've been to Massachusetts a few times, but never really into Boston.  We are going to check out the city and look at some apartments!!  Should be a great trip!


Hasta luego!

We kicked off our tennies and headed to the Ball

Saturday evening we left Dominic and his diapers, wet wipes, blankets, pacifier, spare change of clothes, burp cloths, etc. etc. with some friends, took off our tennies and T's and dressed up for a night on the town.  The business school was having a formal dance event so we headed downtown to meet up with some friends and dance the night away.  We had a great time.

We've been hanging out with Prashant and Priyanka a lot lately.  They are both Michael's classmates (the tall guy and the cute gal).  They are from India and always seem to supply us with delicious Indian food when we are together!  They are both graduating from SOM in May and Prashant will be working with Innosight full-time after graduation.  We are excited to be in Boston with him for the Summer.  (For those of you behind the times-Michael will be working with Innosight for his summer internship and hopes to receive a full-time offer upon his own graduation.)

We also spend a lot of time with Huei Li (on my left) and Anna (on the far right-dark hair).  Anna's boyfriend, Sam, will also be graduating in May and starting at Innosight full-time.  We look forward to being with them in Boston as well.  Huei Li will also be graduating, but she has an offer to work for Deloitte (in D.C. I think)

Anyone else having high school flashbacks after looking at these pictures?  We stayed up late, like young college kids do...before we were sore and tired and our feet hurt :)  (Michael having played soccer for 3 hours earlier that day and me dancing in 4 inch heels--not to mention gallivanting around NYC the day before!).

The dance provided great food, friends, and dancing.  All in all, we had a great night.

New York City, you're so pretty

Michael had an innovation conference in New York last Thursday, so Dominic and I decided to tag along and spend the day in The City.  The train was packed with Yankee's fans since it was the season opener (home game).  We hope to make it to a Yankees game soon!

Dominic's first train ride-I think he enjoyed it!

I wonder how many movies have be filmed in Grand Central Station.  I was really excited to see it in person!  It really is a cool building.  It's huge and gorgeous inside.

We dropped Michael and his classmates off at the innovation conference and Dominic and I hit the streets of Sojo.  I could be entertained by the shopping there for days!

His first time in the streets of New York...I'm sure you can see he is very enthralled.

Beautiful trees in bloom.  New York City does a great job of keeping the city beautiful with lots of parks

The new Freedom Tower under construction (replacement for the twin towers I believe).  You should "Google" images for computer generated images of the final product.  It's going to be a really pretty building I think.

A view of the Statue of liberty and Staten Island.  I loved seeing all the people out jogging and pushing strollers.  Lots more people then I expected to see during the middle of the day.

City Scene

Our lovely tour guide, Lisa.

Lisa was an absolute sweetheart and took us to lunch and then gave us a tour through Sojo, Tribeca, and Battery City Park.  We had a great time catching up and taking in the sites.  She was a good sport and endured my picture-taking.  I feel like we walked miles and miles!!  By the time we met up with Michael after the conference (around 6pm), Dominic and I were tuckered!!

We stopped by an Indian Restaurant and had a delicious dinner with some of Michael's classmates before racing back to Grand Central Station to catch a train back to New Haven.

Prashant and Priyanka (our friends-both are graduating from SOM-School of Management-this year).

The little guy slept most of the train ride home.  He was so well-behaved and such a good sport.

I have many more pictures to show, of our recent adventures, but it will have to wait until next time!!!  Stay tuned!

Hugs,

Jodi, Michael, and D-man