A Stroll Down MDW Lane

I feel like the weather is being really uncooperative. We're headed into a gorgeous three-day weekend, and while this would normally be the unofficial start of summer and cause for celebration, 2020 has been canceled and it's none of these things. So can it just be cold and rainy until this life pause is over? 

I've had some amazing Memorial Day weekends, and while this one will be unforgettable, it's for all the wrong reasons. So I decided to cheer myself up w/ a look at the MDW of the past:

2008 - A bright-eyed and bushy tailed college grad, I took the bus up to Vermont to live with Beth for six weeks as I transitioned to move to Boston in July. 

2009 - I finished up my first AmeriCorps year with a bang; my family visited and we hit up all the obligatory stops: a Sox game, the Freedom Trail, Sam Adams, and Cheers. 

2010 - Finished up my second AmeriCorps year, this time in Syracuse, and Beth was visiting. A music festival at the fairgrounds was the highlight, as this checklist proves. 

2011 - Beth and I moved out of our roach-infested place in Eastie and into our new digs in Somerville, which was a huge cause for celebration. I don't think this picture is from MDW, but it was a weekend in late May which is good enough for me. 

2012 - This weekend was amazing: I ran my first half-marathon, moved in with Brent, and took a boat ride to George's Island with a dear friend. 

2013 - Another family visit, and another half-marathon; two of my sisters even did the five-miler. When all the McCarthy's are in town, a trip to Fenway is pretty much a requirement. Here's a picture of us waiting for the bus on our way to the game. 

2014 - My first year of culinary school had just wrapped and I was starting a new job; I celebrated with a boozy brunch and fun around town with Beth and Brent. This is also apparently when I stopped posting on Facebook and have to switch to the 'gram.  

2015 - Another MDW sister reunion! My sisters and their partners came to visit and we went to Newport and overindulged. 

2016 - I had just started at Avenue, which was opening on Memorial Day. I was working like crazy, rolling out these beignets that weren't long for the menu, but Brent and I managed to get in a day trip to Plymouth to enjoy the beautiful weather. 

2017 - A low-key weekend, since I was working half of it. Brent and I are never one to pass up a reason to day drink, so we hit up some breweries in Worcester. 

2018 - We took the train down to Philly for an awesome weekend with Sarah. We saw Old City, the zoo, Franklin Fountain, and enjoyed a lot of ice cream. 

2019 - It was our first MDW back in Boston and we took advantage. My parents visit included a bike ride around our new neighborhood, drinks at Top of the Hub (RIP), a trip to New Hampshire for a cook-out w/ Brent's fam, and another visit to Fenway.

Looking back at all the incredible experiences I've had on this weekend, I know how lucky I am. This one might be a bust, but it only reiterates how fortunate I am to have such great memories. It'll be weird not to see family or friends, but Brent and I will power through the beers and ice cream on our own, I guess. Not together though, this isn't our first rodeo.