The Northeast is for us!

We are the home of a proud champion. Our very own Amber successfully ran to the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the footsteps of one of her heroes; Sly Stallone himself.

That was just one of our treasured memories from our vacation to the Northeast. We spent 2 days in the city of Brotherly Love with our dear friends the Genhos, who we met in Omaha and who consistently pressure Jon to give up his fickle vegetarian ways. They live right next to Liberty Square so we were able to see where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were drafted and signed. We toured the Liberty Bell, Congress Hall, Constitution Hall, Carpenter Hall, the Second Bank of the US, and Betsy Ross' house. Not to mention we got to eat a cheese steak that our chef whizzed all over.

Being in such hollowed ground where our founders drafted the Constitution was truly amazing and inspiring. We felt so privileged and honored to be in the shadows of those great men and so proud to be Americans; part of the greatest country in all of the world's history.

Philadelphia is a fun city beyond its historic significance. Our hosts were very generous and great guides as we traversed the entire city; much of it on foot. So many parks, shops, and fun and interesting people. Not to mention being in the Northeast during the fall with the most beautiful foliage that was resplendent.

From Philly, we hopped on the train at Union Station and made our way through Jersey, New York City, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts up into Boston. Our first night was in Cambridge and we got to see MIT and the rest of Cambridge's happening co-eds. Church on Sunday was in a really cool, old renovated building that was not like any other church building I had seen before. Not only that, but we were the only ones without at least two kids. It was an unreal place. Boston is very fertile!

Our tour of this great city was just as impressive as Philly. We stayed in the middle of downtown right on the Freedom Trail. What a cool 2 mile walk that was. It was a bit cold with some flurries in the air and a wispy breeze but such a beautiful town. We started at Fanueil Hall and from there went to Boston Common, the Mass. state house, the Boston Massacre site, the Old State House, Paul Revere's house, Bunker Hill, and everything in between. That history was truly inspiring as the first battles of the revolution took place in that city. Boston still has the feel of independence and pride (probably b/c we did not see Mr. Kerry anywhere) and you could almost feel the defiance of the city lasting from the days when those brave men and women sacrificed their all for freedom, liberty, independence, and the pursuit of happiness.

Not only that, but they have some darn good clam chowder that Amber downed like it was water in the desert. Jon got to watch the Patriots beat down the Bills in an authentic Pats bar and cheer alongside the locals (sometimes those smoke free laws aren't so bad). Great shopping downtown as well although all that we walked away with was a shirt and a cute hat for Amber.

We saw our first outdoor ice skating rink of the season and had a snowball fight from the Zamboni extras. The weather was cold but gave us a great start to the Christmas season. Boston was putting up all of their Christmas decorations and even had some carolers afoot.

What a great vacation we had. The Northeast seems to be calling us and I would not be surprised to see us end up there for a couple of years in the future. Amber wants to develop an accent, be ornery, be liberal, and tell people that she is from Philly. I am for the latter!

Test time get away

With tests bearing down on Amber and my getting antsy to see what is out there in this vast desert place, we made a break for the Superstition Mountains with some of our friends from school. The weather has been horrible and trecherous here in the Valley; getting up to the mid-80s by day and down into the 60s by night. In addition, I saw our first cloud the other day in 3 weeks and it looked like Hillary Clinton; nervousness has set is as you know what is in those clouds come November! We are having to bundle up because of the chill and I am very thankful to have a PA-in-training wife to protect me from the potential frost bite that threatens each morning.

Despite the threats of hypothermia, jumping, poisonous and angry monkey spiders, gargantuan fighting cactii, and peaks skying up to 400 feet, we were able to survive and conquer the weekend and Amber has recovered enough to begin studying for her 7 tests this week. She is so very brave and tough; I am glad to see that I am rubbing off on her.

The year that came and went

San Diego was such a blast and I am sure the city is writing on its blog right now about how much fun it was to have the Poyer's. We went shopping, walking, hiking, eating, seal chasing, swimming (ask Amber about that one:)), to the Temple, and dancing. It was a great weekend. The best part was sitting in the celestial room at the Temple however. Being able to reminisce about our first year in that room was pretty unforgettable.

I have attached some pictures we took/stole from the trip. I forgot the camera as usual, but these are some shots that we would have made had I remembered to bring it so I feel no guilt whatsoever.

A year a year!

It has been one year since Amber made the best decision of her life. We celebrated our paper anniversary on Sunday at one solid year under our belts with a couple of eternities to go (Amber is already looking forward to her break at the end.) Tradition has it that I am supposed to get my beautiful wife something paper based as a traditional gift or some sort of clock for us modernists http://www.happy-anniversary.com/year-of-marriage/year-one.html. Thus, I hit the snooze button for her and went and read the paper on Sunday morning to provide her the best gift in the world. Not a lot of fireworks that you are to know about but it was a great day full of reminiscing, laughing (as usual) and me getting yelled at for misbehavior.
To celebrate, we are off to San Diego this weekend to play a bit and get some warm weather and sun for a change! I am so very lucky to have Amber in my life as marriage is the greatest thing in the world. It is nice to be held in check by somebody who is on the right track and smart; giving me an incentive to stay slender so that she can drag me up to heaven even if I am metaphorically kicking and screaming. She is the best!
The first year went by awfully quickly so I am assuming that my hair will be growing back in the celestial kingdom in relatively no time. And when that happens, watch out world!!!

Slight Change

The political commentary was not a good fit for this page so we moved it to:
www.bompolitic.wordpress.com

Enjoy!

A nice read

Take a moment to read this article and reflect on the actual people who are in Iraq. The article is about Mark Daily, a dynamic kid that was killed in Iraq.

For the fly-blown words that make me spew

Still in his ears were holy,

And he was born knowing what I had learned

Out of books and slowly.

But the thing I saw in your face

No power can disinherit:

No bomb that ever burst

Shatters the crystal spirit.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/11/hitchens200711?currentPage=1

Dr. Amber

Amber recently added a white coat to her ever growing wardrobe as she keeps up her A-average through PA school. I thought that she was only interested in Ann Taylor and Banana Republic but she wowed me once again with her diversity and open mindedness by wearing this from time to time; but only to class.
The ceremony that took place to "robe" the students was an opportunity for Amber and her classmates to commit to medical ethics and maintaining the integrity of the possession. She is a great student and works very hard to achieve the good grades that she consistently marks.
My job is to keep the house clean and the food healthy; an ambitious and worthy goal. I am her biggest cheerleader and do everything but handsprings and back flips (although the occasional cheer is always in order).

Opening presentation

In an effort to improve my self esteem and tell the world that I really am somebody and deserve all of the attention that I tell people I should be getting, we have created a blog to archive our lives and keep you wonderful friends and family abreast of our our whereabouts and other everyday important minutia.
Amber is the most patient and wonderful wife in the world. As she studies all day and night to continue to keep her straight-A GPA, I have to wander around the country working with investment advisors to help them to grow their businesses. Unfortunately, I truly cover the country and am on the road far more than I would like. It is a great job as I get to work from home and am in charge of my schedule completely, but I hate to be away from the most wonderful woman in all of the world.
You now know the basics, so keep track of us so we can keep track of you!