Christmas

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we were extra thankful to have Mitch's parents come to town to help us celebrate the holiday.  Since they came all the way up to Boston, we thought we would make their trip worth it by baking them a delicious turkey.  We tried a new approach this year by placing our secret seasoning mix inside the turkey skin and baking it in a oven bag.  It turned out to be one of the best turkeys we have ever eaten.  We accompanied the turkey with green bean casserole, butternut squash, cranberry salad, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and homemade rolls.  It was quite the feast.  We took pictures to prove it.  Besides eating great food while Mitch's parents were up here, we did lots of Christmas shopping to take advantage of all the Black Friday deals and nearly finished all our gift buying for the season.

Sex

This past Tuesday we had our 17 week ultrasound.  This is when the doctors survey the baby's organs, skeleton, and other important measurements are made to make sure our little friend is reaching all the appropriate development milestones.  Fortunately, our little baby has checked out perfectly.  What great news!  We were told it is even quite an active little thing, but Bekah has yet to feel the "fluttering" feeling from the baby moving around.  Oh, yeah, this was also the ultrasound where they can tell the sex of the baby.  Want to know the sex?  Click here.

Announcements

Word is officially out to everyone that we are pregnant!  Bekah made some cute baby footprint cookies to share the news with friends in our small group, as well as with people at work.  The cookies were delicious, and we wish we could have shared some with all of you.  We are now having fun picking out cute baby items and considering potential names.  November 15th is the exciting day of Bekah's next ultrasound, when we will find out the baby's gender.  Check back then to find out... girl or boy?

Pregnant

Yep, its true.  Due April 21st.  Mom and baby are doing fine.  Stay tuned for updates.

Team LifeCycle

Today was the world debut of Team LifeCycle at Boston's 7th Annual Hub on Wheels.  Team LifeCycle is a cycling club of over 10 of our bike loving Boston friends that Mitch started for the Hub on Wheels.  The event consisted of a 50 mile course that wove around Boston and included a car-free Storrow drive, a tour along the Emerald Necklace, and spectacular views of Boston harbor.  While the sponsors stressed the event was a ride and not a race, there were still a few injuries suffered by the team including a scraped knee and broken handlebars.  Despite these shortcomings, the team successfully finished the ride and cumulatively raised $500.00 in support of local Boston charities.  The day also featured the Mayor's Cup, a professional criterium around Goverment Center.  Check out pictures from the day here and keep an eye out for the official Team LifeCycle jerseys!

Rachel

This past weekend, Rachel came out to Boston for her first trip to New England.  Bekah was able to take off a couple of days to spend time with her.  While visiting, Rachel got to see many of the best Boston sites from the seat of a Hubway bike (thanks Dan & Laura!).  Rachel also got to experience a ride along the Charles River, the scene of people bargaining for produce at Haymarket, the fascinating deep sea tank at the New England Aquarium, and calzones and canollis in the North End.  We went on a whale watching trip in attempts to do just that, but unfortunately, we saw only one whale very briefly and - even worse - the ride was incredibly choppy with many passengers around us tossing their cookies.  It is amazing Rachel is still smiling in the picture above.  Of course, she also got to meet several of our friends and enjoy some time just hanging out in our apartment.  Thanks for visiting, Rach!

Conference

This past week Mitch attended a conference out in California, leaving his lovely wife to fend for herself back in Boston.  The conference was a good excuse for Mitch to learn more about human genome variation, network with other professionals in his field, and present a poster of his research (printed by PhD Posters).  On top of theses professional opportunities, he also got to explore the San Francisco Bay area.  This included a San Francisco Bay dinner cruise, riding the Caltrain, catching up with Adam and Katelyn, and hearing John Ortberg preach.  Adam and Mitch were even able to squeeze in a ride up Old La Honda.  The above picture is the view from Mitch's hotel room.

Rabbits

This year was a difficult year gardening in the Fenway Garden plots with an unusually high census of rabbits grazing through the vegetable plots.  It seemed just when the vegetables were a few days from reaching their peak level of ripeness a mischievous rabbit would snatch it before we could pick it.  Well, the area hawks soon became aware of the well-fed rabbits living in the Fenway Gardens and began to indulge in a feast of their own.  Needless to say, our pest problem has now been remedied.  Above is a sample of some of the lovely tomatoes we grew this year.  In addition, we beat the rabbits to fresh broccoli, hot peppers, and basil.  Brussels sprouts, a first for us this year, are nearing their prime soon too.

Elevation

This Sunday, Mitch and some friends decided to test their biking endurance in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Bekah went along in the support vehicle to keep the riders well-hydrated and in high spirits. The weather was hot and humid, but everyone was able to get in a few good climbs and descents. The ride finished at a picturesque covered bridge that spanned over a crisp, clear river that the riders were thrilled to cool off in. A day of biking makes one pretty hungry, so we made our way over to the prefect local barbecue joint, Moat Mountain Smokehouse, and made an impressive dent in their family feast. Want to see pictures of the day? Click here.

pre-Irene

Eager to get one last ride in before the eminent destruction of Hurricane Irene, we went for a ride out to Dover, MA.  While most rides end up successful, this one did not.  Heading up a hill, Todd's wheel was no match for his powerful pedaling, causing him to blow a spoke and lose a nipple.  After a several minutes of trying to true the wheel, we deemed it a lost cause and phoned Dan for a rescue ride for Todd.  The rest of us headed back only to get soaked in a downpour from one of Irene's feeder bands just minutes before arriving home.

Alumni

This weekend the Southern New England Alumni Chapter hosted a Calvin alumni event in Gloucester, MA.  We meet for an afternoon of sun and saltwater at Good Harbor Beach.  It was a fun way to meet new faces, reunite with old acquaintances, and show off our bocce skills.  After an afternoon at the beach we headed over to Woodman's, a local clam shack, for a fried seafood feast and an informal presentation on current happenings around Calvin.

Diving

This weekend the 2011 RedBull Cliff Diving World Series came to Boston. Now you may be asking yourself where the cliffs are to dive off from in Boston. Unfortunately, Boston does not have cliffs bordering the ocean, but it does have buildings bordering the ocean. So why not jump off a building instead? Well, that's exactly what the cliff divers did. A makeshift diving platform was constructed on top of the cantilever designed Institute of Contemporary Art building. The platform towered 92 feet (approximately 8 stories) above the Boston harbor which equates to a free fall of 3 full seconds and speeds of 60+ miles per hour when they hit the surface of the water. Talk about an intimidating jump! Jumping, however, is the easy part. The hard part is the 3 or more acrobatic flips and twists the divers do while they are free falling. All of this is followed up with a feet first vertical entry into the water...with zero margin for error. Mistakes can be fatal. We were impressed. You will be too. Check out the pictures.

Vermont

Five years have now passed since that blissful day in August when we were married. To celebrate our anniversary, we took a trip to Vermont. It was a jam-packed few days with highlights including driving along Lake Champlain, hiking up Camel's Hump, staying in Stowe, exploring covered bridges, and seeing how Vermont cheese is made. We finished the trip with a short detour into New Hampshire to visit friends from Calvin. Check out our pictures here.

Chihuly

For weeks the Chihuly exhibit has been on display a mere stone's throw from our apartment at the Museum of Fine Arts. We were first introduced to Chihuly's work back when we lived in Grand Rapids. He had a few installations at Meijer Gardens as well as an impressive glass sculpture of DNA at the Van Andel Institute where Mitch worked. Knowing the exhibit would be good, we kept intending to go, but never found the time to make it there. Since this was the last weekend the exhibit would be in Boston, we decided it would make for a romantic Friday evening to check out the exhibit as a way to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. To our dismay, the exhibit was sold out! Determined to see what all the hype was about, we left our apartment early Saturday morning before the museum opened and waited in line for about an hour just to get tickets. That wasn't all the waiting. Once inside, we waited nearly another hour just to get inside the exhibit. It was a fantastic experience and a real joy to take pictures of all the colorful glass artwork. Well worth the wait! We were truly impressed by the imagination, planning, vivid coloring, and fine craftsmanship that went into each of the pieces.

WaterFire

For months Bekah has been wanting to visit Providence to see WaterFire. Since we had no plans for the upcoming weekend, we decided on Wednesday that this weekend would be the perfect opportunity to make Bekah's dream come true. Having no car, we needed to figure out a way to get there. We could take the train, but that is boring. We could rent a car, but that would require gas. We do, however, have bikes and thought we could bike the 50 miles between Boston and Providence, spend the night, and bike back the next day. Trip planned. We set off from our apartment Saturday morning with our pockets and bike bags filled with only the essentials. Three hours later, we safely arrived at our hotel. After a well-needed shower, we changed and set out to explore Providence. We were starving, so our first stop was Andino's, one of the best rated Italian eateries in Federal Hill. Next, we headed to the river to check out the waterfires and secure a good spot to view the festival. Our mission was successful. Our spot was the prefect site to watch the boat processional, lighting of the waterfires, and the occasional gondola passing by. We slept well that night. The next morning we stuffed ourselves with breakfast before heading out on the mostly uphill ride out of Providence. With temperatures in the 90's and a strong headwind, our tired legs had a hard time making the climb. After the climb, however, it was a smooth ride home except for one small bump: Bekah's first ever flat tire. Pictures from the trip are here.

Biking

We are enjoying the long awaited summer in Boston. This year we are taking advantage of the summer days by seeing the cities around Boston from our two wheels. Today we biked up our second category 4 climb, this time in the Blue Hills. Here is the view from the Blue Hill Observatory summit. Want to see where else we've been riding? Check out our Strava links on the right side of this page.

Long Lake

We enjoyed a beautiful weekend on Long Lake in Maine with friends Dan and Laura. The weekend included sleeping in, biking up a category 4 climb, sailing, chilling by the lake, and of course grilling. Bekah's favorite part of the weekend was lazily floating around on a raft. Mitch's favorite part was spotting one of Maine's mysterious and elusive loons. The weather was perfect, with highs in the 80's - that's smoking hot for Maine! Here are some pictures.

4th

The Fourth of July brings all sorts of festivities to Boston area. This was the second time we were in town for the excitement. Check out the pictures to see how Boston celebrates the Fourth.

Chatham

To continue the tradition started last year, we spent one of the first weekends of summer on Cape Cod. We were able to rent the same cottage in Chatham that we had last year and found 4 other couples willing to spend the weekend with us. Like the year before, Mitch rode his bike from Boston to Chatham, however, unlike last year he had a lot more company this year. In total six cyclists rode to the Cape. While the roads started out wet in the morning, conditions improved as the ride went on, and in the end it turned out to be a beautiful day. If you don't believe we actually rode to Chatham, here are links to Mitch and Bekah's tracks of the ride. The rest of the weekend was spent eating lots of food (to recover from the estimated 6,202 calories burned on the ride), relaxing on the beach, playing tennis, and hanging out with friends. As always, we took some pictures.

White Mountains

This past weekend we took a trip up to one of our favorite places: the White Mountains. Its a short 2 hour drive from our apartment and seems like worlds away from the bustling city of Boston. The occasion for this trip was to spend time with Tom and Michelle and their family while they were back in the US on furlough. It was a great time getting to know them and their work better. We camped two nights in Lafayette Place campground and went on a great hike up to Lonesome Lake, Kinsman Pond, and Kinsman Peak. Check out some pictures of the weekend here. As always, we made a customary trip to Cracker Barrel on the way home to appease Bekah's appetite for dumplings.

Florida

As always, we have many exciting activities planned for the summer. This year, we started out the summer with a trip to Florida. We spent the majority of the week in Orlando at Bekah's parents' time share. While there, we enjoyed cooling off in the pools, exploring Magic Kingdom, eating ice cream, putt-putting, playing with Carter and Cooper, beaching at Siesta Key, and just being together. Along the way, we met Goofy and even sighted a Google Maps street view car. At the end of the week, our parents met up at Cracker Barrel (Bekah's favorite, if you didn't already know) for the first meeting since our wedding almost five years ago. We then spent a couple of days with Mitch's family. To see pictures of the fun, click here.

Adirondacks

It was a wet and buggy Memorial Day weekend in New York's Adirondacks, but we made the best of the situation. We were able to get in a few hikes between thunderstorms and enjoyed some good meals together over the campfire. Bekah even acquired a new bug net for her wardrobe. Check out more pictures from the weekend here.

Seedlings

This summer will mark the completion of our third year in Boston. Like the three summers before, we are once again preparing our Fenway Garden Society plot for another season of growth. Curious what we will be growing this year? Check out the seedlings that are beginning to come up.

GPS

With Spring time here, biking season has finally hit Boston. The roads are now filled with spandex clad cyclists on their carbon fiber rides. One lucky biker this year got a shiny new toy for his bike: a GPS. Now Mitch can map all his rides before he heads out and track his progress when he gets back home. You can see his progress too. We added a fancy sidebar to the blog that displays the most recent ride that Mitch has been on. Clicking it provides you with even more information such as awards he won. There was a recent Android app released that allows tracking on a smartphone, so Bekah's rides are now tracked too.

Easter

This Easter Mitch's parents and grandmas made the trip up to Boston to experience springtime in beautiful New England. It was great to have family in town for the holiday. We had an enjoyable time showing our visitors the many sights around Boston. We even made our first rib roast for the occasion. Here's a few pictures we took of the weekend. As always, our couch is looking for visitors to come by for a few nights.

Marathon

Patroit's Day is Marathon Monday in Boston. While Bekah did not participate in the marathon this year, Mitch still did his customary early morning ride of the marathon route. Weather conditions were optimal this year with cool temperatures and a strong tail wind propelling runners to set a world record for the fastest marathon time. Check out pictures of the day here.

Birthweek

We all know Bekah is very special, and special people deserve to be treated especially special on their birthdays. Well, in the case of Bekah, there were so many special things to do for her birthday that it could no longer fit into the span of a 24 hour day. Her birthday has evolved into more of a birthweek. Festivities for this year's birthweek included a trip to Bar Harbor, ME (thanks Todd and Kari), a night at a Red Sox game (thanks Andrew and Mary), dinner at Burton's Grill (thanks Mitch), home-made carrot cake (thanks Dan and Laura), a trip to the Science Museum (thanks Chia-Yen and Chew Lee), and an ice cream party (thanks everyone). Oh, and by the way she got a bike. Check out pictures of the week here. Happy Birthweek, Bekah!

Refurbished

Since Bekah's bike was tragically stolen a few months ago, Mitch has been searching Craigslist postings for the stolen bike or a suitable replacement. After much looking, he came across a well-priced used candidate at Marblehead Cycle. With the generous help of Dan and Laura, he made the trip to Marblehead and returned to Boston with a bike for Bekah. The bike, while having a feather light aluminum frame and high-end components, came with a hideous color scheme and was in need of a mechanical overhaul. Being up for the challenge, Mitch decided to turn this into a little refurbishing project. The color scheme was the first thing to change. Mitch stripped the bike of all its components and took the frame to Geekhouse Bikes to get a custom finish in their in-house powdercoat shop. After getting the beautiful seafoam frame back, he updated the headset to a threadless one and got a new carbon fork to give the bike a smoother ride. Some new shifting cables, cleaning and lubing of the derailleurs, and a few finishing touches made the bike as good as new. The bike was finished just in time for Bekah's birthday. Check out pictures of the project on Picasa.

Acadia

This weekend we headed up to Maine to explore Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. While it was a bit early in the season, the weather could not have been more beautiful. It was a short trip, but we packed in a lots of sights. Check out our pictures here. We still have yet to sight a moose for Bekah, guess we'll have to go back to Maine again.

Barcode

Ever forget the web address to our blog? Or just can't remember how to spell Machiela? Well we just stumbled across the perfect solution: a barcode. Just print this barcode image off and keep it in a safe place where you won't forget (we suggest permanently affixing it next to your monitor). The next time you want an update of what we have been up to, just take out your smartphone, scan the barcode image, and within seconds you will be directed to our blog. Ok, seriously, its pretty cool a barcode, or QR code as they officially call it, can link you to our blog. Plus, in our opinion its one of the best looking barcodes we have ever seen.

Rack

With the acquisition of Mitch's single speed for his birthday and a possible new addition arriving sometime in April, Bekah "encouraged" Mitch to come up with a more permanent storage solution for our two-wheeled friends. Armed with SketchUp, some boards, two boxes of screws, a handful of tools, and his trusty friend Dan, Mitch set out to create the perfect budget bike storage solution. He's not claiming he obtained perfection, but with $33 he came pretty darn close. The result was one spectacular looking rack. While the scaled replica above is only holding two bikes (note their uncanny resemblance to Mitch's bikes) a closer inspection reveals a hanger for a yet a third bike. Bekah is pretty impressed with her new rack. Curious how it turned out? Check out the pic.

B-Day

Does B-Day stand for birthday or bike day? The answer is both. Happy Birthday, Mitch! For his birthday this year we had a delicious feast at the Atlantic Fish Co, went to Harpoon, ate a deep fried platter at the Barking Crab, and of course chowed down on some of Bekah's amazing cheesecake. It was a great time. Thanks to everyone who made it a special day. Oh, and by the way Mitch got a bike for his birthday. Its a pretty stealthy single speed. Check out the pictures online.

Bench

Just in case you were thinking you had a lot of snow where you live, we thought we would pass this one along of a bench we saw on our way in to school and work.

Katelyn

They moved back to California, but we knew they could stay away for only so long...and we were right. This weekend Katelyn came back to visit us in Boston. It was a great time reuniting with a good friend. For old time sake, we went out for dinner in the North End and followed up the meal with cannolis from Mike's Pastry. Good times, good times.

Snowshoeing

Getting bored of the great cozy indoors, we decided to do something outdoors for our MLK day off. Mitch came up with the brilliant idea of doing a day snowshoeing trek up in the White Mountains. Within hours we had a car and snowshoes rented and 5 other souls eager to come along. The weather was a bit on the chilly side (9°F for the high), but it was a beautiful, clear day with lots of fresh snow from a few days before. We ended up hiking to Lonesome Lake and the nearby AMC hut. It was absolutely beautiful. Check out the pictures if you don't believe us.

Apathy

Here's a somewhat timely video we stumbled across on YouTube. The video was created by two guys living in New York City who are sick of getting their bikes stolen. Sound familiar? They decided to find out just how hard it would be to steal their own bike in broad daylight (during rush hour nonetheless). Hardly discrete about their motives, they use methods varying from a bolt cutter, hacksaw, angle grinder, and hammer and spike. Subways come and go, police pass by, and people are even standing next to the guy smoking. The only person who does approach the guy shows him a better method how to break the chain. Priceless.

Android

It was a bit of a late Christmas present, but Bekah was persistent. With our previous AT&T contract up and his old phone no longer holding charge, Bekah thought it was the prefect time for Mitch to get a shiny new smartphone. Well it didn't take much convincing. The hard part was deciding what to get. There's quite a few options out there ranging from the iPhone, Blackberries, and a host of other offerings. The one that stole Mitch's attention, however, ended up being the sleek little HTC Aria. While it was one of the smallest phones he looked at, size can be deceiving. With a powerful green robot under the hood (Android 2.1) and a sharp 3.2" capacitance touch screen the phone does more than one could ever imagine. Plus, it easily fits into a pocket. After our initial 1 cent investment (along with a few other service charges) the phone now enjoys its new home in our apartment. Mitch also found out why Bekah wanted him to get a smartphone so bad: she is addicted to Angry Birds.

1-1-11

In the blink of an eye, the ball was lowered in Times Square, the clock struck midnight, and a new year was ushered in. Happy New Year everyone! Looking back at the past year, we are grateful for family we have, the friends we could hang out with, the sights we could see, the health we enjoyed, and the finances we have been blessed with. We wish you all a blessed new year and are excited to see what 2011 will bring.