My 32nd Birthday

On the weekend of August 18th, I celebrated my third year in the 30s. For the day of Saturday, August 17th, I invited my brother Brian and his wife, my sister-in-law Amanda, my brother Keith and his girlfriend Malorie, and our friends Meghan and Phil Baker and Liv Fahey. We spent the day at my beach house in Marshfield to mark my new birthday.

The day started with my Uncle Chuck’s brother-in-law Syd visiting my house with his standard labradoodle, Kishka. I went with Syd and Kishka for a visit to the South River in Rexhame, a section of Marshfield, to play with Kishka and throw sticks to her in the river. Kishka enjoys retrieving sticks that are thrown in the water and is a very friendly dog. Brian and Amanda arrived after I returned from the marshes near the South River. Brian, Amanda, Keith and Malorie all enjoyed meeting Kishka and loved her friendly nature.

Soon not long after, our friend Liv Fahey arrived at the house. This was her first time visiting the house, so we gave a tour of the house. She greatly enjoyed all the rooms in the house and loved the design and decor of the place. We then all to the beach for some hours to relax there and we also talked about the latest activities going in our lives with my cousin Elizabeth and her father Larry. We also took some walks on the beach as the weather was comfortable outside, not too hot nor too chilly.

We then went back to the house and started having appetizers, including buffalo chicken calzone from Crow Point Pizzeria in Hingham. Meghan and Phil Baker then arrived. They were so happy to see me on my birthday weekend and talked about how excited they were about getting a new golden retriever puppy named Archie in the fall. For supper, we had steak and scallops as the main course because it goes well as foods for the summer season. We all enjoyed the meal and considered it to be one of the best dinners we’ve had so far.

It was then time for everyone to sing “Happy Birthday” and for the candles to be blown out. The cake was a chocolate mint cake from Sweetcakes in Marshfield. Chocolate mint is one of my favorite cake flavors and this cake was really delicious. The birthday cards were all dog themed since I am an avid fan of dogs. The gifts I received included a book with dog themed social media pics, gift cards to Dunkin’, Starbucks, Best Buy and Amazon and some new clothes for the year. It was a truly fun day at the house in Marshfield and I always enjoy having people down the house on weekends in mid-August for my birthday.

My 31st Birthday

On August 18th, I entered the 31st year of my life. My birthday party was held at the recently renovated beach house of mine in Marshfield. The guests for the day consisted of my brother Brian and his wife Amanda, Amanda’s best friend Meghan Mahoney-Baker and her husband Phil and Amanda’s parents Lisa and Jim. This would mark the first time that Meg, Phil, Lisa and Jim had been inside the new summer home in its completed form. They were all so awed by the architecture and design of the exterior and interior of the house, including the outdoor decks and the bedrooms.

During the afternoon, I went with Brian, Amanda, Mom and Dad, Meg and Phil went to the beach. The weather was cloudy that day, but we managed to entertain with interesting stories about our lives in recent times. We also took a walk towards Beetle Rock, which is in the Rexhame Beach section of Marshfield. During our walk, we saw many cute dogs, including a mostly golden looking goldendoodle named Emma. Emma was so friendly and cute that I felt compelled to play with her for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, not too long thereafter, it started to rain, so we all head up to the house for the day. Lisa and Jim arrived at the house during the mid-afternoon. They were so delighted to see me on my birthday party, as I did love to see them and their family. Lisa and Jim gave me a nice Vineyard Vines shirt as a gift since I am a frequent shopper to the famous clothing store. Some other gifts I received consisted of a brand new watch and 21st Amendment beers from Brian and Amanda, Cisco Brewers beers and movie gift cards from Meg and Phil, an Amazon gift card from Mom and Dad, and a signed autographed poster of saxophonist Tim Cappello, who sang “I Still Believe” from The Lost Boys, from Brian’s close friend Rich Kei, who is living in Santa Monica. I had also received gifts from my brother Keith and his girlfriend Malorie earlier in the week, and from Aunt Noreen and her family and Uncle Larry the following day.

It was then time for the guests to have supper and sing “Happy Birthday” to me. The main course meal consisted of New England clam chowder and steak kabob sticks with vegetables and French bread alongside the steak. The cake was a delicious chocolate mint chip cake from the great local bakery in Marshfield called Veronica’s Sweetcakes. Chocolate mint cakes are some of my favorite types of cakes and was quite happy to see this cake from Sweetcakes. After the singing of “Happy Birthday” ended, I attempted to blow out the candles, only to realize that the candles were relightable. This provided a moment of levity and humor for the birthday occasion. The cake was a hit with everyone in the room.

The following Saturday, August 25th, I had an additional birthday party in which more people came down to Marshfield. These guests included Aunt Sheila and Uncle Bob and their children Siobhan, Tim, Ryan, Tim’s girlfriend Emily, my Aunt Noreen and her husband Chuck, and two of their sons, Henry and Luke, my grandmother and Aunt Kathy and Siobhan’s dog, a chocolate lab mix named Dublin. That Saturday was a such a beautiful day at the beach that I dove in the water a couple of times for a refreshing feel. I also went on a nice long walk with my relatives on the beach and I even got to see my cousins and Uncle Bob try the paddle board that Siobhan brought down to the beach.

After spending several hours on the beach, I headed up to my grandmother’s beach house, which is two houses up from mine, for the “Happy Birthday” wishes. That evening’s cake was a Dairy Queen ice cream cake that consisted of vanilla and chocolate flavors. I received even more gifts soon afterwards, including an online Amazon gift card from Uncle Sean and his wife Lynne, a Cheesecake Factory gift card from Aunt Sheila and her family and checks from Nana and Aunt Kathy. It was another memorable birthday in my life, and I hope to have see more birthdays like this in subsequent years.

My 30th Birthday Celebrations

During the past few weeks, I entered my fourth decade in my life as I turned 30 on the 18th. As soon as I turned 29 last year, I felt like I had a good sense of what would life could be like in my 30s. I celebrated this milestone year first with a surprise party organized by family and friends on the 12th, then on the 18th with a night out at the upscale Mexican restaurant, and finally on the 19th, a family run party for me in Marshfield. The days were filled with many excitable moments and was a great introduction for life in this new decade.

On the afternoon of Saturday, August 12th, I attended my second cousin Tim Murphy’s annual summer cookout with my family at his house in Cohasset. Not only did my immediate family attend, but also my Aunt Lorraine and many relatives from Dad’s mother’s side. It was also joyful to see Tim and wife Courtney’s two young daughters, Vivianna and Francesca, at the party. After the cookout ended, I headed into Boston to stay at my older brother Brian and his wife Amanda’s apartment in the North End. I initially thought Amanda was going to go out to dinner with her friends at a work a nice restaurant, but I would be in for a surprise later on that night.

The night began with discussion that Brian and I would meet his friend Rich Kei at the local restaurant/bar The Living Room for drinks. When Brian and I walked into into The Living Room, we were approached by friends and family members who carefully hid in the main room at the restaurant. It was at this moment that the guests yelled “Surprise!” to me. The guests consisted of Mom, Dad, my younger brother Keith, Amanda’s father Jim Smith, Brian and Rich’s friend Anthony Leone and his wife Sarah, and Amanda’s friends Liv Fahey and Marisha Gadowski with her fiance Spencer.

At the surprise party, I received many great gifts from friends and family. They included a framed picture of me with Amanda’s golden retriever Summer, a dog themed calendar, and several cases of beer. There were also delicious foods, such as buffalo chicken apps and birthday cinnamon French toast sticks, and a mostly 80s music playlist supplied by the DJ. The guests and I were dancing to the music that blared from the background and we talked about what 30 years of life has meant to me. The surprise party was a truly great event and easily one of my favorite birthday parties of all time.

On my actual birthday, Friday the 18th, I went to out to eat at Besito, an upscale Mexican restaurant located inside the Burlington Mall. I went with Mom, Dad, Keith, and Keith’s girlfriend Malorie. Brian and Amanda were unable to attend since they were at a friend of Amanda’s wedding in the Cape for that weekend. I chose this restaurant since it fell on the annual Restaurant Week of August in Massachusetts. For the meals, I got quesadillas and several small tacos. I enjoy Mexican cuisine and choosing this place was ideal for my big 30th birthday.

 Last but not least, yet another birthday party took place, the following day, Saturday the 19th. Mom and I set up my grandmother’s beach house in Marshfield to include special 30th birthday materials. Many of my relatives showed up including my cousins Siobhan, Ryan, Henry, Luke, Connor and Dylan, as well as Keith and Malorie, Aunt Lorraine, Aunt Sheila and her husband Bob, Uncle Sean and his wife Lynne, Aunt Kathy, and Uncles Larry and Kevin. There were even canine visitors in the form of Dublin, Siobhan’s chocolate lab mix and Eddie, a Brittany Spaniel mix. The party was held at Nana’s house since my beach house is still in the process of being revitalized. The beach that day was warm and foggy, but pleasant weather for the day.

This year, my birthday cake was a chocolate mint chip cake from Sweetcakes in Marshfield. I am a huge fan of chocolate mint cakes and this cake was no exception. The earlier dinner had consisted of chicken parm and other Italian dishes catered from Mamma Mia’s in Marshfield. I received even more gifts that day, including an Alexa speaker from my parents, several checks, a golden retriever logo themed koozie and golden retriever themed pillow from Siobhan and several Amazon gift cards. It was a fabulous birthday celebration filled with many great people and a few dogs as well and a true day to remember.

 

Lone Bellow Concert

On April 28, I went to see The Lone Bellow at Mohegan Sun with my cousin Kaylene and her fiance Kent.  I have been a fan of the music of The Lone Bellow for at least a year. When I found out that they were coming to Mohegan Sun, I was quite ecstatic that I was going to witness them in concert. A warm and sunny Friday night in late April I felt was a perfect day to go to Mohegan Sun to see a favorite band of mine perform.

Kaylene and I arrived at Kent’s apartment in Middleboro in the later afternoon on Friday.  It is always great to see Kaylene and Kent, as they both share my interest in going to concerts.  On the way down to Mohegan Sun, we listened to songs by Bruce Hornsby and REM to get in the exciting feeling of going to the concert and witness the scenery of small New England towns. We arrived at the venue a little bit after 8 PM.

Kaylene, Kent, and I entered Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, where The Lone Bellow played. The Lone Bellow are an alternative county and folk band based in Brooklyn. During the night, The Lone Bellow played many of their signature songs, including “Teach Me to Know” and “You Never Need Nobody.” They even incorporated a cover of Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend” into their repertoire for the evening. I had wanted to see this band for a while, so it was great to finally see them on stage.  Best of all, the show was free, as are all concerts in the Wolf Den section of Mohegan Sun.

After the show concluded, Kaylene, Kent, and I even got to meet the band members.  They were so nice and friendly to us and were happy to know that we are fans of their music.  It was great to meet an emerging band in the music world.  The Lone Bellow has a new album coming out this fall sometime, so I very much look forward to hearing their next album.

My 29th Birthday Celebrations

Two weeks ago, I approached my 29th year of life.  For the big birthday, I went out to eat at Bamboo, a hybrid Chinese/Japanese in Burlington with my younger brother Keith and his girlfriend Malorie.  My meal consisted of chicken wings, veggie egg rolls, and sushi.  The two types that I had for my supper were the California Roll and The Red Sox Maki, which consists of spicy king crab and mango, which is topped with tuna.  I have been to Bamboo in the past and have enjoyed their food very much.  To top off the night, I had my favorite kind of cake, a chocolate mint cake from Lakota Bakery in Arlington. I had a piece of the cake, along with Lakota cookies and a few pints of Ben and Jerry’s Boom Chocolatta! Cookie Core and Empower Mint ice creams.

The next day, Friday, I headed down to Marshfield for my vacation week. During the vacation week, I spent most of the days at the beach with my parents.  On Monday, the 22nd, we did a day trip to the beautiful Cape Cod town of Chatham.  In Chatham, I got to see the beaches and dunes, the local Lighthouse, and the exteriors of the exclusive Chatham Bars Inn Hotel.  The dunes and beaches were very majestic with beachgoers on the premises and additional tourists hoping to get a nice view of the ocean.  Later on that morning, I purchased a Chatham T-shirt with a whale on the back side and a Martha’s Vineyard Black Dog at a store in Chatham Center.  Chatham was lovely, and I hope to visit more Cape towns like Wellfleet, Dennis, Orleans and Truro in the near future.

On Friday, the 26th, I headed over Amanda Smith’s, my brother Brian’s fiance, family’s house in Hingham to have dinner with them before Brian, Amanda, and I headed to the Bruce Hornsby concert at the nearby South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset.  Our supper was made up of steak tips, corn, vegetables, and salad.  As always, Amanda’s parents, Lisa and Jim, were happy to see me, as well as the family dog, a golden retriever named Summer.  After dinner, Brian, Amanda, and I headed over to the Music Circus to see Bruce Hornsby perform.  Originally, my cousin Kaylene and her boyfriend Kent were going to attend the concert with me, but Kent had to serve at a friend’s wedding down The Cape, so he and Kaylene couldn’t make the show.  The three of us got to see Bruce Hornsby himself make his entrance into the venue.  It was an exhilarating experience getting to witness Hornsby enter the arena.  During the show, Hornsby played a mix of his classics and newer songs, including “The Way It Is”, “Every Little Kiss”, “Look Out Any Window”, and even a song that he co-wrote with Don Henley and played piano on called “The End of the Innocence.”  We also got to see Amanda’s Uncle Billy and Aunt Amy outside the concert and socialized with them for a little bit.

Finally, on Saturday, the 27th, I had my 29th Birthday Party at the beach with friends and family.  Brian and Amanda visited me, as well as Brian’s friends Rich Kei and Mark Aldo, and relatives including Aunts Noreen and Karen, cousins Luke, Henry, Sean and Matt, and my friends Nate Baynes and Keith Anderson with his girlfriend Meghan Levy and their cute white golden retriever puppy, Bradley.  The beach was really nice that day and I dove in the ocean quite a few times with Brian, Amanda, Rich, Mark, and Sean.  The ocean floor was filled with large rocks and decent waves.  It felt refreshing to go in the water on such a warm day in the late summer.  Keith and Meghan’s puppy, Bradley, was very playful and enjoyed hanging out with me and my friends and family.  It was such a glorious day at the beach and I look forward to more birthdays look this one.

I received a good amount of gifts for my last year in my twenties.  Perhaps, the most interesting that I received was an inflatable dog named Reggie from Rich and Mark.  With Reggie, I have found a new companion to have in my life. I have also received gifts including a Shipyard Pumpkinhead plaque and Amazon gift card from Matt, a Vineyard Vines outfit and gift card from Brian and Amanda, pumpkin beer from Uncles Larry and Kevin, and a Newbury Comics gift card from Sean and his wife Debbie.  To top off the day, I had a delicious vanilla almond cake from a local bakery in Marshfield called Sweet Cakes, which has always been a favorite of my family.  My 29th birthday was such a wonderful time and I hope to have many more exciting birthday celebrations in the future.

 

 

My 4th of July Festivities and the Bob Dylan concert

In the past few weeks, I had at least a few momentous events going on in my life. Summer is my favorite season and there is no shortage of activities to celebrate during this warm time of the year. I celebrated the 3rd and 4th of July in Marshfield at my beach house as a part of my annual tradition. I like to watch the fireworks go off near the beach on the night of the 3rd with many family and friends. I also got my chance to see the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in concert at the Bank of Pavilion in Boston on July 14th. It was my first time witnessing Dylan in a concert venue and I felt very honored to go the show.

During the weekend of July 1st-4th, I headed down to my summer house in Marshfield to get ready for the big 4th of July festivities. On the morning of the 3rd, my older brother Brian and his fiance Amanda came down to Marshfield for the weekend, as well as my cousin Chris and several other relatives and friends. During that warm afternoon, we went down to the beach to socialize and go in the ocean and take long walks. On our walk, I encountered three beautiful mini labradoodles and their owner. The dogs are named Cocoa, Zoey, and Sailor. I learned from the owner that he has a son with autism and that the dogs are good for people for allergies. The owner has his breeding organization based in Plymouth. I have always wanted a dog, but have not able to get dogs of various breeds due to allergies to thick fur, saliva, and dander. I may look into getting a mini-labradoodle.

The evening of the 3rd began with catered Italian food from Mamma Mia’s in Marshfield. The cuisine featured such delicacies such as chicken parmesan, lasagna, and a broccoli-pasta combination. The desserts consisted of treats like a patriotic themed chocolate chip pie and cake. Then came the celebration of the fireworks. I watched the fireworks from the porch of my grandmother’s cottage just two blocks up from my house. I observed the fireworks with Brian, Amanda, Chris, Keith, my cousin Tim and his girlfriend Emily, and several other family members. The fireworks were very exciting and came in an assortment of various beautiful colors. I managed to some great photos of the fireworks in the distance. I concluded the evening by heading to a friend’s house to watch a house concert that was being performed by the Red Evans Band. They played many different covers of popular songs of the past few decades.

The next day, the 4th, started with really great and warm weather. At the beach, I got to see additional family members such as Aunt Karen and Uncle Dan, along with Cousin Sean and his wife Debbie, his brother Matt, and his sister Kaylene with her boyfriend Kent. It was fun to dive into the water on this warm summer day, as talking with friends and family about things going on in our lives. I stayed at the beach until a little bit after 6 and enjoyed some drinks with Brian, Amanda, Chris, Karen, and Dan. The food for the 4th consisted of traditional summer dishes, including clam chowder, burgers, and lobster rolls. After the supper ended in Marshfield, I then headed back to Billerica, and on my way home, I saw some even more great fireworks bursting driving through Boston.

On the evening of July 14th, I headed into Boston to go see Bob Dylan at the Bank of Pavilion near Boston Harbor. I first went out to eat at Babbo Pizzeria with Brian, Amanda, Amanda’s parents Lisa and Jim, Amanda’s aunt Laura, and Laura’s son Willie. It was Willie’s 24th birthday and we had pizza and pasta for his birthday. I tried a delicious meatball pizza for supper, along with the pasta. After dinner, I headed over to the Bob Dylan concert with Lisa, while Laura, Willie, Jim, Amanda, and Brian went back to Brian and Amanda’s apartment for the time being.

The Bob Dylan concert opened with Mavis Staples. Mavis performed some of her hit songs for the warm-up. She got the crowd dancing and singing along to The Staples Singers’ signature song “I’ll Take You There.” After Mavis left the stage, the legend himself, Bob Dylan, showed up to the stage to perform his music. He wore a cowboy hat and played guitar, piano, and harmonica that night. Dylan played a mix of old and new songs, including “Things Have Changed”, which won him an Oscar for Best Song for the movie “Wonder Boys”, as well as “Tangled Up In Blue”, “Beyond Here Lies Nothing”, and towards the end, one of his best songs, “Blowin’ In The Wind.” For a life-long Dylan like me, it was great to hear him sing a wide variety of songs that he wrote during his long and industrious career. I hope to see more Dylan shows in the future, as well as checking out concerts from other music greats.

 

 

 

 

 

My new Perceptions of My Life poem

Here’s my brand new poem.

Scott

My perceptions of life are quite unique
I pursue the daily challenges with a different set of senses
Constantly bothered by strange noises and strong smells
Staying focused by using my own defenses

I like to approach life with my own innovative vision and outlook
Trying to process and decipher new sounds and stimuli
Wanting to adapt to changes in my surroundings
Hoping to respond like any ordinary guy

Every new situation presents its own challenges
Always searching for the proper cues on how to respond
Never sure what the right approach should be
Sometimes, feeling like I never find the right key

I hope to explore new adventures on my journey
Seeking to meet new people along the way
And wanting to adapt to unfamiliar places
I would like to keep developing new goals every day

Everyday, I try to master the autism puzzle
Knowing that I am doing the best that I can
Adapting to the daily grind
And hoping to provide others with a realistic plan

My Autism and Poetry speech in Marlboro and The Dirty Dottys win the New England Music Awards show

Last Saturday, I gave a speech to discuss how autism and poetry allow me to become my own best advocate for the autism community. It was held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center in Marlboro. I was encouraged to participate in this event by my job coach, Orlando Torres, after seeing an email in my inbox detailing a conference for self-advocates with intellectual or developmental disabilities to participate in and choose the topic of their expertise. Since I have written at least 10 poems in my life, I figured that it would be good for me to join this event since I use my poetry to reach out to others in the autism community and among my neurotypical family and peers as well.

At around 11:30 AM, I gave my speech about autism and poetry entitled “Do It the Write Way!” In the presentation, I mentioned how I use my poems and songs to become a strong advocate for people with autism and how the creative process for my poetry works. I talked about my poetry helps to express my true inner emotions and that I would like my songs to help change people’s perspectives of people with autism. Songwriters like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen have influenced my way of using expressive language to describe my personal feelings about the subjects in which I discuss in the poems. I also mentioned how I like to discuss the rough drafts of my poems with my family and friends to see if I’m going in the right direction with the rhythmic patterns of the poems. In between slides of the presentation, I did a question and answer question to get their reactions of wanting to know how my poetry works. I concluded the session by reciting two poems of mine called “Just a Normal Day” and “Acceptance of Autism” and then asked the audience to try to come up with poems of their own to get a feel of the creative process.

Later on that Saturday, I headed over to Boston to join my brother Brian and his girlfriend Amanda to attend The Dirty Dottys show at the Hard Rock Cafe for the Finals of the New England Music Awards show. The band is fronted by Julie DiOrio, a talented vocalist and guitarist of whom I attended high school with, along with Ellie Foster and Maura McGillicuddy on backing vocals, Austin Arroco on trombone, Jonathan Kessler on the drums, and Danny Teza on the bass. I have previously seen the Dottys at least 5 times, including at Temple Shalom Emeth in Burlington, The Aeronaut Brewery in Somerville for their album release party around Christmas last year, and a few other locations in the Greater Boston area. They had previously won the Semifinals at Hard Rock on September 18th during a battle of the New England bands competition. After winning the Semifinals, I felt obligated to attend the Finals round to continue to show my support the band.

At around 9:30 PM, Brian, Amanda, and I arrived at the Hard Rock Cafe to get ready for the Dottys’ set to commence in the New England Music Awards Finals. We met up with Amanda’s friends Katie Phillips and Allie Miller in the main stage room. After listening to a few of the other runner up bands in the Finals, it was time for the Dottys to take the stage. We were very excited to see them perform and danced and sang along to their catchy soul, rock, and ska infused tunes. The band performed songs such as “Shaky House,” “Not to Call,” and a few other memorable songs. At around midnight, it was announced that the Dottys had won the Last Band Standing prize for bands in Massachusetts. I congratulated them on a job well done and made sure to spread the message to family and friends.

My 28th Birthday

This last week, I turned 28. It was an eventful week of fun activities and memorable moments. I got to hang out with various family members and friends during the course of the week. Most importantly, I viewed my birthday as another new chapter in my life.

On Friday, August 14th, I attended the Bruce Hornsby concert at Boarding Housing Park in Lowell with my cousin Kaylene and her boyfriend Kent Taylor. Like me, Kent and Kaylene are both avid Bruce Hornsby fans and naturally, I accepted their invitation to the concert back in April. Kent and I were just a few feet from the legend himself. Bruce played an amazing combination of both his newer songs and classic hits such as “The Way It Is,” “Mandolin Rain,” and “The Valley Road.” He also had a great backing band to create the wonderful combination of musical versatility. Bruce himself is very adept at playing instruments, including the piano (his primary instrument) and the Appalachian  folk dulcimer. Hornsby also told amusing anecdotes about his personal life, including the fact that his son Russell doesn’t really like the school aspect of life. This inspired Hornsby to write a song about his son’s encounters in school. We all had a wonderful time at the concert and it was an experience I’ll never forget. On the way home from the concert, I introduced Kaylene and Kent to the music of The Lone Bellow, an alternative country/folk/roots rock band. I hope to see The Lone Bellow in concert someday.

The next day, I had a birthday party at my summer home in Marshfield. I got to see many friends and family, including my brother Brian, Brian’s girlfriend Amanda Smith, cousins Matt, Luke, Pat, and Henry, Aunt Noreen and Uncle Chuck, Brian’s friend Rich Kei, and Rich’s girlfriend Meg Mahoney. I also got to meet a new female companion of Matt’s named Danielle, whom Matt met through week. She is a very nice person and got along really well with me and my relatives and friends. The beach weather was nice that day and it is always fun to socialize with company at the beach. The food  for my birthday consisted of chicken parm calzones, hamburgers, Chinese and chicken sausages, and a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. My birthday gifts consisted of items such as Ray-Ban sunglasses from Brian and Amanda, Shipyard Pumpkinhead beer and Nordstorm gift certificates from Matt and Danielle, Vineyard Vines clothes and a picture frame of me and Ollie, Meg’s white golden retriever, and birthday cards from Noreen, Aunt Kathy and Nana, and Uncles Larry and Kevin.

Sunday morning was an interesting birthday week day for me. I got to see my cousins Luke, Chuck, and Henry, the three sons of Noreen and Chuck. That morning, I got to meet Chuck and his girlfriend Alice’s black Pomeranian, Gumshi. Gumshi means “black” in Korean. He is a very friendly dog and pretty easy to handle. Gumshi is not much of a barker and seems to like being held by me. I love meeting new dogs and I do hope to get a dog that is similar in temperament and size to Gumshi.

Finally, my actual birthday arrived on Tuesday, August 18. I reached my 28th year in my life. I received plenty of well wishes on Facebook, in email, and in texts. My favorite birthday post on my Facebook wall came from a photo that Amanda posted of her golden retriever, Summer wishing me a happy birthday with a sign that was placed onto her front body. I went out to eat at Assaggio in the North End with my family. I had a great chicken parm dinner with salad on the side and white wine as my drink of my choice. My parents also got to visit Brian’s new apartment in the North End on Commercial Street and got to visit the rooftop of the apartment as well. The night concluded with my family singing “Happy Birthday” to me and I had a delicious birthday cake dessert of a chocolate mint cake from Lakota Bakery in Arlington. In my 28th year, I do look forward to gaining even more new friends and hope to pursue more career activities and opportunities.

Doggy Adventures poem

Doggy Adventures

Jumping up and down to greet you
Wagging tails and running out to play
Playing fetch and tug of war
Devouring little pieces and big bones

Taking walks across the neighborhood
Meeting new friends of diverse breeds and sizes
Going for an afternoon swim in the pool or at the beach
Getting sad when guests have to leave

Good at standing still and sitting down
Discovering new places and smells
Drooling at the sight of food
Barking at people when they pass on through

Bringing joy to owners and friends
Having fans of various ages
Sticking heads out of car windows and doors
Anticipating life’s next stages