East Coast Trip part 3: Rhode Island

Our second day in Rhode Island we spent exploring South Kingston and Providence. We were going to go running in the morning but I worked out too hard the day before and I didn't want to hurt myself so bad that I couldn't walk around. It ended up being for the best though because we had more time to explore.

Our first stop was the Veteran's Cemetery to visit my papa's grave. This was my first time back in about 10 years so it was really important to me that we go. He loved the Jungle Book so while we were there we played the Bare Necessities :)

We also went out and spent the day in Providence. While we were wandering around we went to Rhode Island School of Design. It started out with the plan to go to the art museum at the school but when we found out how expensive it was, we decided to explore the campus instead which is spread out in downtown Providence. Josh found out they have an industrial design degree so he could do engineering and art, so we talked to admissions and he got some good information and wants to apply after his mission. We also looked at Brown University which lets RISD students take classes there. Both campuses are so pretty and Josh really liked the city. I love all the old buildings and I was also surprised by how many hills Providence has. I was expecting it to be flat but it has some crazy hills.

Brown University

We also went to Roger Williams park. It was really pretty and we had fun. Mike and I rode the carousel because I love carousels and I have been asking Mike to take me on one for a while if we came across one. We also walked by the water and enjoyed the beautiful fall weather. It was super peaceful. Some of the leaves were starting to change but it was still lots of yellow and orange, not much red yet but what was showing was pretty.

One of my favorite parts of the Northeast is that even ordinary things are put in amazing buildings. We were driving down the road and we found this building that used to be the town hall.  I love that most of the old buildings are made of stone. It makes me sad though that we just don't put this kind of effort into many buildings anymore.

While we were in R.I. we found out just how impacted the state was by last winter. We had looked up lots of museums for us to go see but they were all closed from snow damage. One was an airplane museum that we drove to go see and found it shut down. I'm so glad we went though because  across the street we found a little beach that was totally empty and it was so much fun to walk on the beach and climb on the rocks. Because it was sunny the water was really pretty. It was also very cold but it was fun to have it all to ourselves.

No post about Rhode Island would be complete without mentioning our furry little friend at my aunt and uncles house. This is Nelly. She is a very sweet cat but was a bit shy. At first she would run away when she saw us. After the first night though Mike had gained her trust by luring her with a sock to play with. By the next morning she would walk next to us and by lunch she was letting us pet her and jumping up next to us on the couch. She shed like crazy but she was very sweet so you almost didn't mind.

We had a great time in Rhode Island!

East Coast Trip part 2: Rhode Island

We slept in a bit on Tuesday morning but Mike and I started our vacation with a run. My aunt and uncle have a really nice trail by their house. It used to be train tracks so its nice and flat and straight. Its also really shaded which was really nice. We ran almost 6 miles and it was so much fun. It was my first time running that far without any music and talking to Mike the whole time! I was pretty proud of myself :)

We wanted to go to the beach while we were there. The first place we went was Judith Point to see the lighthouse. We found out the lighthouse was blocked off though so we couldn't get close. The coast was pretty and fun but it was super windy.

After we explored the beach, we drove up to Massachusetts and went to IKEA. Josh had never been so we showed him how fun it is. Mostly we just walked around but in the kids section we found this chair that had a cover so you could sit in it and cover yourself. We discovered that each of us fit inside it but I was the only one who could get my shoes in too...kind of sad.

One of the reasons we wanted to go to Rhode Island was to see my grandma who I haven't seen since Mike and I got married. Tuesday night we had a fun dinner with my Aunt Pam, Uncle Barry and my grandma. My aunt pam made her yummy homemade lasagna and we just had fun catching up and skyping with Daniel back home so everyone could see him! (They were a little sad that we didn't bring him)

We had a great first day in Rhode Island!