Saturday Snapshot: A Few More from NYC!

January 17, 2015January 14, 2015 / drbethnolan / 9 Comments

Here are a few more pictures from our trip to New York City for New Years:

The decorations are amazing at this time of year! Here are the kids standing by a random beautiful wreath!

Here’s the Empire State Building all lit up at night!

We always to go to Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral – here’s the kreche – almost lifesize – at St. Pat’s.

The Empire State Building had a whole lot of great displays for the holidays!

The infamous tree at Rockefeller Center!

Speaking of St. Pat’s — it has been under reconstruction for a while — looking good, but still a long way to go!

Decorations!

We love NYC!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at westmetromommy.blogspot.com

Check her site for participation details!

Saturday Snapshot: New Years 2015 in NYC

January 3, 2015January 3, 2015 / drbethnolan / 13 Comments

This week we spent a few days in NYC. If you know me, you know we love NY and go several times a year.

As I am using my phone app for WordPress, I have to add all the pictures at the end of this post (or I delete them). Probably a glitch with me and not the program!!

First, here’s some shots from the Empire State Building. I hadn’t been up it since I was a little girl. We got the Express Pass and it was SO worth it – just like a fast pass at Disney! It was a beautifully clear!!

While we didn’t go to Times Square for the ball drop (too crowded and too crazy!), we did go the next day. The kids ended up on the Jumbotron! You can see them by Elmo in the red and blue coats.

We love the MET ( art museum) and belong there so it’s often a stop. The beautiful Christmas tree was up still.

Finally, my son who loves trains begged us to bring him to Grand Central Terminal so that he could see the trains. Pure joy!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of Westmetromommy.blogspot.com.
See her site for full participation details.

Saturday Snapshot: Christmas at our House

December 20, 2014December 19, 2014 / drbethnolan / 13 Comments

We love this time of year – Christmas!
Here are some pictures of Christmas at our house. We like to have two trees – a real one in the living room with our family (and breakable!) ornaments, and an artificial one for the kids in the family room with their ornaments.

Happy Holidays to those celebrating and Happy 2015!

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My Fave Books of 2014!

November 28, 2014November 26, 2014 / drbethnolan / 2 Comments

Here, in no particular order, are my favorite books that I’ve read this year. I decided to post this early in case anyone needs shopping recommendations for the holidays! All books listed were reviewed on my blog this year. (As it’s not the end of 2014 yet, if I find more really good reads, I will add them to this list).

I have to say it was really hard to choose as I only read books I like (if I don’t like it, I don’t finish it; if I don’t finish it, I don’t review it obviously).

Adult:

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (HF)

Evergreen by Rebecca Rasmussen (HF/F)

Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal (HF/F)

The Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt (M)

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (F)

Defiant by Alvin Townley (NF)

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands by Chris Bohjalian (F)

China Dolls by Lisa See (HF)

Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown (HF)

This Is the Water by Yannick Murphy (F)

As You Wish by Cary Elwes (NF)

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (HF) (review coming; just finished today)

YA:

Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Conversion by Katherine Howe

Revolution by Deborah Wiles

Kids:

The Al Capone… Series by Gennifer Choldenko

Saturday Snapshot: Snow!

November 15, 2014November 15, 2014 / drbethnolan / 11 Comments

While we didn’t get as much as others did, especially in the Mid-West, we did get a dusting of snow yesterday morning and it’s snowing lightly now. It’s really early for it!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at westmetromommy.blogspot.com. See her site for participation details!

Saturday Snapshot: Fall is here in New England!

October 11, 2014 / drbethnolan / 8 Comments

Here are a few pictures of fall in our neck of the woods (the colors are even more brilliant in person!):

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at westmetromommy.blogspot.com.

Check her site for participation details!

Saturday Snapshot: Montserrat, Spain

September 27, 2014September 27, 2014 / drbethnolan / 6 Comments

At the end of our August trip to Europe for the Disney Cruise, we went to Montserrat, outside of Barcelona. What a beautiful place! It is about an hour outside of the city, reachable by train, up in the mountains. Traditionally, Montserrat (meaning “serrated mountains”) was a destination for religious pilgrims. It was so amazingly beautiful. While there, we went into the cathedral and saw the famous “black virgin”. Beautiful and interesting little side trip!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at westmetromommy.blogspot.com. See her site for participation details!

Saturday Snapshot: Barcelona!

September 13, 2014September 10, 2014 / drbethnolan / 14 Comments

Last week I posted about our Disney Cruise on the Mediterranean. Our ship set sail and returned to Barcelona, Spain. We had never been there before — what a beautiful city!

Here are a few pictures of things we visited before we left on the cruise:

Sagrada Familia — The large church designed by Gaudi that they have been building since the 1800’s and are still working on:

It was too big to fit in a picture!

Here’s the famous “Nativity” alcove:

Here’s an link to a virtual visit to Sagrada Familia –

http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/docs_instit/vvirtual.php?vv=4

Truly an amazing piece of architecture and spirituality!

We also went to the Cathedral in Barcelona – which was incredibly beautiful inside. We lit candles for my niece who is getting married next weekend and also for a close relative with a large family who had recently been laid off (happy to report that prayers were answered in the way we had hoped — a new job has been found and secured!).

My son thought perhaps we should light a candle to “find a LEGO store in Europe”. Um – no.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda of WestMetroMommy.blogspot.com. Please see her site for participation details.

Thanks for stopping by! (I am currently on a campaign for a newer phone for better pictures, especially in low light, even though I’m one of the world’s worst photographers). 🙂

Saturday Snapshot: Trip to Europe!

September 6, 2014September 6, 2014 / drbethnolan / 17 Comments

We just had the most fabulous vacation!

In late August we took the Disney Magic cruise ship for a trip that went from Barcelona to France, Italy, and then back to Spain. I can’t say enough how truly “magical” this experience was! We all loved it!

Here’s a picture of the ship (borrowed from online images):

It was quite spectacular! The kids had a lot of space and activities to themselves, which led my husband and me to have a lot of time alone – woo-hoo!

We stopped in Nice, France. We didn’t get off the boat that day, but it was truly beautiful. Then we went on to Italy and visited Florence: (Il Duomo)

(photobombed!)

We also saw this guy:

(note – this is a copy; the original is in the Galleria).

Then we went on to Pisa:

Yes – it is still leaning!

Then we saw Rome:

And the Vatican:

We skipped getting off in Naples (we were pooped!)

But at the end of the week, it was these smiles that made us happiest:

Now we are back to school, but this will definitely be a vacation that lives in our hearts and minds for a very long time!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at westmetromommy.blogspot.com.

See her site for participation details!

Event: Kara Weiss’ LATE LIGHTS talk in Boston

August 23, 2014April 26, 2019 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Kara Weiss recently sent me a signed copy of her award-winning book LATE LIGHTS. Here is what her publicist has to say about it:

About Late Lights. A novella-in-stories about Monty, Erin, and B.J., three childhood friends from Brookline, MA who have grown into three very different people. Each story delves into a different aspect of their lives, exploring the intensely difficult and complicated realities of their experiences. Juvenile detention, illicit sex, violence, and gender. The characters may be young, but the stories are entirely grown up.

Ms. Weiss will be speaking at More Than Words in Boston’s South End on Aug. 28. at 7 PM. This is a non-profit, used bookstore that teaches at-risk teens job and life skills. If you are in the area, stop by and meet and listen to Ms. Weiss!

See http://www.karaweiss.com for more info.