A Mother's Day Special

What is the best present for your wife for Mother’s Day? How about visiting your Mother-In-Law? This year it was important to head out to NH and spend time with Martha, after all she’s been going through these past couple of months. So we went out with the kids for the weekend, and found our new favorite restaurant on the road, the Piccadilly pub in Sturbridge, MA. I had the Wormtown Seven Hills Pale Ale on draft to go along with my shepherd’s pie. It was excellent. Jenn and the kids (even Jacob) loved it too. Next door was Yankee Spirits, one of my favorite bottle shops. I was able to pick up some specialty beers for the weekend, including the Goose Island Big John and the Nogne O Winter Ale Islay edition.

The next day Martha was up for a drive, so we went down to the Nubble to catch the sea air. It was spectacular! Jessica and I went on the rocks, and then headed up to Browns for an ice cream. The Indian Pudding, a special molasses ice cream, was delicious. We then headed over to the Olive Garden for dinner. It was the first time that Martha had been out since Christmas. It was extra special having us all together, sharing our meal. It really gave us an opportunity to appreciate what we have, and thankful for what God has given us. Being there was the best present I could have given either Jenn or Martha. We ended the evening at the Big Dipper in Somersworth, and I treated myself to a Grapenut ice cream.

And if that wasn’t the best, on Mother’s Day we went to see the Red Sox play the Twins at Fenway Park. It was Jessica’s and Jacob’s first time at a MLB game, and they loved it (although I think Jacob enjoyed the train ride in the best). We tried stopping by the Boston Beer Works (Jenn and my tradition for the past few years) for lunch, but it was packed. So Jenn took the kids and sent me to the express beer line (I really do love her) and tried the Blind Faith Abbey Ale on draft. The game was great, with the kids enjoying the spectacle and the ballpark food. Dice K started out shaky, needing 34 pitches to get out of the 1st inning, but he settled down and the Red Sox were able to pull out a victory. It was a great day, we conquered a first with the kids that both Jenn and I were stressing about. We are looking forward to sharing our passion with our kids in the future.

It was the best Mother’s Day weekend that I can remember. To see the smile on Jenn’s face and the joy in her eyes all weekend long was the best thing that I could ever hope for. - 5782/10614

"There is only one game at the heart of America and that is baseball, and only one beverage to be found sloshing at the depths of our national soul, and that is beer." – Peter Richmond