Aside from general good health and happiness this year, the highlights were the trip to Ireland for my brother's wedding, an event I was NEVER sure would actually happen. Also high on my list was the week in Chatham that Bobbers and I enjoyed in September. The weather was stellar, the hotel views were spectacular, and the company was not even the least bit boring after 28 years of these sorts of trips. Cheers, Bob!
And may we all experience a New Year full of good fortune, good health and good humor...and could we even ask for a bit of peace? We are finally in election season and January 21, 2009, cannot come fast enough.
And so, without further ado...
January started off with the inauguration of our new governor Deval Patrick. I had a chance to hear a brief speech shortly after he took office. I look forward to even more good things from Beacon Hill after his groundbreaking election:
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Attended three Sox games this year, and sat in the bleachers for the first time in a VERY long time. Got a great look however, at our Captain's rear view in this preview of the World Series on June 12.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KKSuCUGhO104rsVapCg46yANzeR6xNUlpJYAMcpGsNnXPv8MClXrK4-9FNu9rQC3hJjVH00BfddDQ_EUmzXA220e3FEmspGdUCx_w-d-5fQ8YAzXEcs7OZiNAGVryBRG1Dyx/s200/varitekbuttjune+12.jpg)
There were just too many pictures from Ireland, so I had a hard time reducing this to just one. The first one is a taste of the Cliffs of Moher:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-5DsOKQWMDmza-FjbH8rQ6g0Q8B8Xg6OrkrYDieDO9ZAiKf2aQeXN9Bo8Ka1bLTHsPD4zEu4sDRbX8IDw_bXYqCjMS_5FM5Rf99MKx0yTa-BXRb31PKz7LOjquDxxxxh2JI2/s200/cliffsofmoher.jpg)
The second one is another warm welcome to Tara, who joined our family this year:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-bMUMj2FQ9mToBnwjouE4vQ5ptc16VgCxHnVtwaQWjX3qN3ikgJWq_GeYl_xW4LfDpPcPgCDk83C5o0vGVcmFTahjrkGaWzLn06IvpakIp9GzWg3dgy8d2AYWK4Yaj6RrPLv/s200/bobandtara.jpg)
And just because this is a great picture of two of my siblings:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cHh7KF4Q-xbePIfOo48ocx2wp6vF89KHQETqQmW6nSOa3w16uvFY9PgJJLYBm1s7OXusH_l9wjTlnZNRovqsmjeO5NHGErclNEa9EeF5rElgS3YD2kGB9XkQgxpxAoGNIUPl/s200/favorite+picturenancybob.jpg)
You couldn't ask for two better traveling companions either:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHgOV3T4PoKAj4ofPARErPmOrc1IQRIn1f8mrAGcuBdj2Vr4fsJCPjmfRPhZdwLZueoymWVzXUqoE-qawMON-iC9dfnlhM_FUZ-in_Kh89_Cx-vFlW3MZ6o3qTw2bqwWqbnK-/s200/travelingcompanions.jpg)
In early July, Bob and I spent a great weekend in the Pioneer Valley. I love this picture of spontaneous friendship I snapped in Amherst:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNRFptwWSC7MexM5fbt3nrqV4mD1mfSZl6FVhKeMdMPya4OfSIiyAqMTYUoEEPwa1zubn4C0bVXt7EYzPe_L585yrCMbbamVX5rqByAHiNn-9aE0xJy6c0i5LGKaFJdkmGQUU/s200/friends.jpg)
Another special night was my first meetup with this band of crazy people from Surviving Grady in late July:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1OMBr7ZfmUNWcKdGG-mBSLJ4eMXG7ekxILvdo1TgFO-0U_UPZfmyQvZRwSowmpJcA0svvYaYJyUfD84M0sTGTGGv_vijpzu1ZUX0TzTlzIBZRzludZPiY7NbqPoA2yLILZAE/s200/first+SG+gettogether.jpg)
My birthday present this year was an iPhone, which has been really fun, including using it to snap this picture of my own superhero:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8yrpEXRXTs6Melx7IWV7anhol74ZwIYj-jSKS2m_Xtn-nC7VhLX3paOz4Jym_tHHXg-yrBALBkKhyphenhyphenFvN4c9iBqz5cxU8G2UpltjV8-m_zq4gzcCFQV1lwU-zqdQgOp0OuCu8/s200/superman.jpg)
Chatham in September, as previously mentioned, was magnificent:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfgjmXN_DelJQwzej3wBwM0tQeE1upV8jfH60MAxH6hEJEUoekGyLNft9ohqdVYrYl25GNDCeCb95dvVRTnJ8U-P40eX1_OXDXv4YuH8qDInBgatHZ-zHOcoGVNPKwz69lirH-/s200/chatham.jpg)
...including doing something Bob and I haven't EVER done before (keep your minds out of the gutter):
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeA2hnoznUknw0Wu7L1ZFEhxW1cJH1Oxd6-Cs-yeRhWz4b0Sav4K6gGmzOADbYjuhlA0XVTUjjjtPc6Gfgt7laRUvyB2xX-4hO2f2ENDxPmf6wgmfzl0xaBFGH7jEhvOw-V8J/s200/cabrws.jpg)
And spending the day in Lowell, Massachusetts, was surprisingly fun:
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One of the very best days of 2007 was spent in Provincetown with this gang of wonderful women:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrlm6dZpUp32HYidhA-PsvQzfqvcormS0hg_OK9uyFN2qbbJzvi9rHtLZ3eif15qYU4MA9cRZByJlrexzIQPcfe4UO61bN-8MfLT4GOlQ8BU27ZhRA4v_ls3XagX342F7ffi3/s200/p-towngirls.jpg)
My first Red Sox autograph came the day after our boys clinched the Eastern Division championship. Youk was surprisingly awake, considering the champagne that flowed the night before:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKx6WeU6bH7paGA_MbIE0No5tEeCjCvYHdXN-Pa2TJ4oJkvNXkShSGCnFAzdTk8SAzhvuOnydz9x_rGpT8kmxjpOdmFi8Cuvdrig05InUeN90n54PV4rmZlLRhty2cXsZ_Ln5q/s200/youkandme.jpg)
Oddly enough, went to the British isles for the second time in one year. Here is a nice pic of Aberdeen - a nice, medium sized city that I barely got to see:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqTIjaXT4Ge0Lypk9X-CMFyFhhR4NtbkLqgYS7E3e4p2N3Kaxo4odWkEXFxPG6OiUsCW-c-CGuXNJdgHScXFcXlu3cVyr1LecZc-aKjEXfKoUNAB64zjIr84DuRKbXgM1rZD0/s200/aberdeen.jpg)
Although our friends, Susan and Daryl, have defected to North Carolina, they are still in our hearts each and every day. We look forward to their return....some day.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYr4E9JkqjTmbZ7_anFfX7EZLco-ylrWQJCvVs0XLbnAsHj2YBr95eWKuo2dX_E5FJxyi0aOTFzfvlKwKGq7LJW6NhMFxAmQmPP17KYqrv5sKJ-xa8Gi0l2PduzGB57Q0oI1q/s200/susananddaryl.jpg)
We rounded our Sox events this year with an event for the Lowell Spinners where I was able to get my picture taken with the 2007 World Series trophy. I haven't digitized it yet, so this photo of the Papelbon family with the trophy will have to suffice:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIHtltPO-4eWUVxBbQ8wEh-t8MoPIiKc1uQYsfrtl6cz5UpPEhoD-B3TYeAKOvVoktg_lPbv-xbEdg7plnopni9kIenDX_F1Y6G5HMKBLdopdbEe3TrAzhmgo9ZeihNf_Hlsv/s200/papelbonfamily.jpg)
And finally, we had a great visit to Sturbridge a few days before Christmas:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNqmHLZI5oCgtlAY056XKhgnzN77ZY4728sFqPR-FWGXD0_AcnIYc6zaBJqf0CCZtqfgTCsFgIwsBCGyFg9c2hnvTgc420X7fTvQ_UO-GQG1scVqeeQ324DbqKVd4P4ZKterv/s200/snowysunpic.jpg)
Happy 2008 to one and all!