GAFE and After GAFE

I was going to go into detail about GAFE, but realized that it probably makes more sense to just direct anyone who is interested to the GAFE site. If you click on the tabs, you can read all the activities, the charities that are supported by GAFE, etc. This was our first year attending and our biggest regret is that we didn't attend more of the break-out sessions, but we'll make sure to do that when we go back to GAFE 2011.

Lili enjoyed her time at the crafts tables though.

And we simply enjoyed being there.

Lili also had her own GAFE shirt, but the smallest shirt size was still too big on her. Not only did it look like a dress on her, but the neck kept falling off her shoulders, so I decided to go with something that fit. She should be able to wear it by GAFE 2011 :-)

After GAFE, we followed our friend's Josh and Nicole to Boston for a couple days. Both Dave and I are so glad we went, but sad that we didn't stay longer. Lili and Sergio (Lili calls him Joe) had a great time together. Little did I know that our little princess would enjoy playing with Joe's Thomas the Train set :-) Of course I wanted a train set as a little girl, so why wouldn't she like it. Now that I think about it, she liked playing with that train set more than she likes playing with her dolls. Hum, maybe we have a little tomboy on our hands.

Going to Boston also gave us the opportunity to visit the Wide Horizons office and finally meet in person the individual who was instrumental in helping us bring Lili home. Julie had met Lili on her visits to Guatemala while we were in process, but this was the first time she had seen her since she was just a couple months old. She talked about how she so vividly remembers holding her and how Lili just looked up at her with those beautiful deep, dark eyes. Even though we chose not to use the same agency for Naomi's adoption, we will forever be grateful to Julie and Wide Horizons.

After our Wide Horizons visit, we headed to lunch and met up with an old co-worker of Dave's. He suggested an out of the way place called Tequira Mexico. This restaurant is in a residential area of Boston and I'm sure we would have never found it ourselves. Our review:

Food - Awesome

Service - Better than average

Dining Room - Average

Restroom - The smallest public restroom I have ever seen in my life :-)

Overall - Definitely worth going.

Then it was off to meet up with our friends and head into downtown Boston. We decided to take the "train" (subway system). It was a new experience for Lili and she just sat in her seat and soaked it all in.

We made a short visit to the Holocaust memorial

Went to the place where everybody knows your name

Enjoyed some time on the dock, watching the boats and seeing the ocean

Had an awesome dinner at Joe's

Went to Mike's Pastry

Tried cannoli's for the first time

And enjoyed time watching the kids play while soaking in the smell of the ocean air.

Our east coast trip allowed us to spend time as a family, enjoy the company of friends (both old and new), and create lasting memories. It was wonderful!!!!