Sixteen: A List of 50

Today I ate breakfast with someone who asked me, "Do you like Boston?" I laughed in response and gave my husband a knowing look. This has been the question of the last two years. Do I like it here? And if not, how can I learn to like it? I've definitely grown in my love for the area, but there is still something about it that's hard to embrace. I so seldom feel carefree here, completely abandoning myself to the enjoyment of my surroundings. I see beauty here,  but I don't often dwell in freedom. I'm learning and growing and I believe God is not done with my story in Boston. So let's hope I start to laugh a little bit more and stress a little bit less!

In every other place I've lived as an adult, I've made a list of 50 things I love about it. This is the first place it's taken me this long to come up with that list. But now I've finally done it. And it feels good. 

So here it goes... 

(The first 15 are from my first 6 months here, so some of them aren't as applicable anymore. But I think they're good to keep on the list since they were important at the time.)

1. Having a home with my husband
2. Apartment windows that look out onto trees
3. Neighbors who a) own horses, and b) ride their horses around the neighborhood
4. Living this close to the ocean - a first!
5. Mike's Pastry Shop
6. The Boston Public Library
7. Hearing Turkey's gobble out the apartment window
8. The commuter rail and the T
9. Finally having somewhere to hang my art collection
10. Lots and lots of used book stores - seriously could not ask for a city with more of them!

11. Reuniting with old friends from China now living in Boston.
12. Decent Chinese food and lots and lots of other international options.
13. The autumn leaves and beautiful sunny days. Boston in the fall really is great.
14. Our futon (since it has hosted many friends in the short time we've been here!)
15. A job lets my use my mind and challenges me each and every single day. 
16. The Minuteman bike path.
17. New windows that look out on rooftops and beautiful sunsets.
18. Walking to the Somerville Theater or the Capitol theater.
19. Birds and raindrops on the roof tops outside my windows.
20. LL Bean makes sense up here.
21. Breakfast at Renee's Cafe.
22. Takeout from Za Pizza.
23. Beer club!
24. Stalking Puggy Pug.
25. Whale watching.
26. Antique stores everywhere.
27. Needing a wider variety of coats than I ever realized could be necessary.
28. Exploring Mount Auburn Cemetery.
29. The bus stop literally outside my front door (although, that is definitely a blessing and a curse).
30. Feeding the birds at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary.
31. The girls in my women's fellowship group.
32. Maine. I don't even know if that's allowed on a list of things I love about Boston, but I'm putting it down.
33. The Megabus to New York City.
34. The Fung Library at Harvard
35. The Boston Athenaeum!!!
36. The craziness of our landlord doubling the size of our apartment and making it awesome.
37. The Boston Ballet.
38. The Boston Opera House.
39. The Thinking Cup.
40. Drink.
41. Game nights with friends.
42. REAL German pretzels at Pemberton Farms. 
43. Any situation which I can use the hashtag #wearesobostonrightnow.
44. Sailing on the Charles River.
45. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
46. The MFA.
47. The walking path to Davis Square.
48. Dressing Trey like a Boston-man.
49. Tons and tons of amazing ice cream and creameries.
50. Market Basket. 'Nough said.

And you know what, I'm going to keep going since it's good for my soul.

51. Multiple Anthropologies.
52. Concord and the Luisa May Alcott house.
53. Date nights with my hubby.
54. The classes I've taken at Gordon-Conwell.
55. Family visits!

~Hannah