So I saved the best part of vacation for last - the Whale Watch Cruise! OH. MY. GOD. was this SPECTACULAR! We went on a 4 hour whale watch cruise out of Boston Harbor to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. We saw A LOT of Humpback Whales...we were told that there were 60-80 around our boat! They are up North this time of year to feed as much as they can before they head to the Caribbean for the Winter to give birth (turns out we aren't the only snowbirds lol ;)). As you see in the picture, sometimes there would be as many as 5 or 6 on the surface at 1 time feeding - and sometimes no more than a about one hundred feet away! We also saw a couple breach the water which was AWESOME! 

On the way back to Boston, our guide suggested to a group seated near us to never go on another whale watch cruise again simply because they'd be disappointed. The crew repeatedly told us that our cruise was the best viewing of whales they had seen in a LONG time. I feel so lucky to have experienced such an amazing animal in their natural habitat.

My mom and I spent a couple hours one afternoon in Plymouth,MA - the site of the pilgrim landing in 1620. We saw the Mayflower II docked in port, a reproduction of the original from the 1600's. It was built in England in the '50s and then sailed to Massachusetts just like in 1620! We stopped at Plymouth rock and heard a park ranger talk about the reasons the pilgrims came to America and what they had to contend with once they got here.

It amazed me, because now the rock is honestly not much to look at. The ranger told us that is because it's now about 1/3 of the size it was 400 years ago! 

Next we took a self guided audio tour of the Plymouth shoreline and important sights in town. That was a nice way to see Plymouth and get my steps in for the day :). Not surprisingly, Plymouth is a cute and quintessential example of a New England town.

This past Friday, my mom and I visited Salem,Massachusetts...it DID NOT disappoint! It was September 30th, so everything AND EVERYONE were all decorated for Halloween, but without all of the parking restrictions and INSANE crowds - that started the next day...LOL. We took a trolley tour around town and saw a few of the sights that were used in the filming of 'Hocus Pocus'. We learned more about the witch trials of 1692, saw some important landmarks having to do with the trials and visited the Witch Museum. 

Some of the architecture there is indeed from the 1600's. Salem is quite impressive and you can easily spend 2 days there seeing everything it has to offer. One thing I learned is they take witches seriously there! Just like Roswell,NM has alien heads for street lights, Salem has a witch sitting on a broom on the doors of their police cars and the shoulder patches of the police uniform. I love it!

Part of the firsat day of my vacation in Boston was spent at the Kennedy Library. In kind of a weird, spooky twist...we visited on the 62nd anniversary of the famous Kennedy/Nixon televised debate (Sep. 26th)! Being it was JFK's only term and election, much of the museum is spent on the election between him and Richard Nixon. Another huge topic discussed is the Cuban Missle Crisis. VERY interesting to look back on. As the library sits right on the bay, there are absolutely beautiful views of the water and the city of Boston. Totally BREATHTAKING!

I have visited several presidential museums/sites:

1. James Garfield home in Mentor (Highly recommend btw...and SO close!)

2. Rutherford Hayes home in Fremont

3. Andrew Jackson's Hermitage Home & Museum in Nashville

4. LBJ's boyhood home & ranch outside Austin,TX

5. The Nixon & Reagan Libraries outside Los Angeles

While the Kennedy Library is not my favorite of these sites, I still enjoyed it and feel it's a great way to learn about our history.

So last week I was on vacation. In case you can't tell by the picture, my mom and I went to Boston. Boy did we have a great time! OF COURSE we had to stop by Cheers (did not go in though)!

We also spent a little time walking around Boston Common and the Public Garden which brings me to the ducks. Stopped and took a picture of the "Make Way for Ducklings" statue, which was made famous by the 1941 book by the same name. I have never read the book, however the statue does mean something to my family. We last went to Boston some 30 years ago when I was a toddler, and had our picture taken - my mom sitting on mother duck, while my siblings and I were sitting on ducklings behind her. Kinda neat to go back all these years later :). 

I could go on and on, but I will save the rest for other blogs in the coming days. Look for information on the Kennedy Library, Salem, Plymouth, and more!!! More great pics to come as well! As always, although vacation is a lot of fun, it is nice to be home.

The first day of Fall. After the warm temperatures we've had lately, it's officially sweater weather! I'll admit this is not my favorite time of year. Now I do enjoy hoodies, hot chocolate, hayrides and Halloween; but not what we are headed toward. With my schedule, it's sad when it starts getting dark about 3 hours after I get up for the day! My favorite time year is Spring and Summer because it's getting warmer, staying light later, and you can be outside without freezing to death! 

I know I have to accept it. When we get to the first of winter, I will tell you a story (and show you a picture) from this past winter and the nightmare I had. Until then, thoroughly enjoy the colorful leaves and the football games.

Let me introduce you to my fur child, my furever toddler. His name is Buttercup and I love him dearly! Here is the backstory of how he came to live with me.

I was coming home from work one night and found him sitting on my front stoop. I went inside and told my ex boyfriend to grab some cat food and water and come outside with me. We fed him and sat with him for about 45 minutes. He was so friendly and we felt awful for him. The next afternoon, we were sitting on our Florida room and my ex spotted him in our backyard. We decided that we were bringing him inside and would try to find his home. We took him to the vet and got him his shots. We were not able to find his home, so we adopted him permanently. 

Ever since, I have been his human. He loves to sit in my lap and cuddle with me. He is a HUGE talker and the two of us have very deep conversations, often about world affairs ;) lol. Buttercup is a wonderful companion. I am a huge supporter of animal rights and the "adopt, don't shop" mantra. I cannot imagine life without animals in my home. <3

I'll try to keep this as short as possible. This week marks my 9th anniversary here at WQMX's parent company Rubber City Radio Group! I've known this is what I wanted to do since I was 10 years old - 25 years ago!! (YIKES). I was lucky enough to have an internship class at Stow High School that got me an internship with the Akron Public Schools' station, as well as with a radio reading station for the blind community owned by Goodwill Industries.

In college I had people at my internship try to talk me out of a career in broadcasting. I knew that if I didn't at least try it, I would kick myself for the rest of my life! About 18 months after graduating from The Ohio Center for Broadcasting (now Ohio Media School), I was hired at our sister station WAKR to work sports and talk shows. Next, out of the blue, I got an opportunity to work a weekend here at WQMX and haven't looked back! That was four years ago. About three years ago, I achieved my dream job and get to play the best country music for you five days a week. I love my job and can't imagine doing anything else!!