Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Recap of Mobile Monday Boston’s Events in 2013

Recap of Mobile Monday Boston’s Events in 2013

Time sure does fly when you’re having fun and 2013 was no exception! MobileMonday Boston had a great year hosting many events in different fields of the mobile industry, as well as, introduce up and coming companies in mobile. Without our amazing sponsors & co-hosts,  featured companies, great volunteer crew of MobileMonday Boston and of course, our remarkable attendees, this past year would not have been the success that it was, so we thank all of you!! 2014 is only going to get better with time, so we hope that you’ll join us, via a sponsor, a startup company or as an attendee, business cards in tow, ready to network- your Mondays may not be a dull as they used to be!

In case you missed any of the events last year, (myself, guilty as charged), below is a recap of all the sponsors, featured companies and startups that were apart of 2013. (Bloggers note: my apologies if I missed any companies, I promise to get everyone next year!)

Adobe – World renowned company that specializes in the creation and development of multimedia and creative software products, most famously the Adobe Creative Suite.

Apperian- An ‘all-in-the-box’ app solutions company, Apperian provides organizations with securing, managing and tracking how apps are used and stored. They offer an ‘enterprise app store’ for distributing 3rd party and custom made app which can be pushed to any devices that are attached to the store.

Ask Beatrice - Ask Beatrice is a parking ‘widget’ located on a business’ website to help motorists find parking within walking distance to the particular business and help to avoid costly parking tickets.
Athena Health- Cloud-based medical service that caters to over 43,000 medical providers on their network that can organize and review their entire electronic medical records, effectively bill services correctly that eases administrative burdens and boost collections, and with athenaCommunicator, physicians and patients are able to have an active role in managing their own healthcare and stay connected via a web portal.

Bon’App – Great nutritional app that allows you to find out what’s in you food in a language you can finally understand, (Sugar, Calories, Bad Fat, etc.). Simply put in a type of food or brand of food and Bon App will find it and let you know how healthy…or unhealthy… your meal/snack will be. You can even register though the app (free!) for even more insight on you daily food intake.

Boston Human Capital - Located in Woburn, MA, Boston Human Capital partners with businesses to help solve hiring needs by leveraging staff referrals and extensive candidate networks to find the best-fit people to strengthen your team.

Canary - Calendar app that lets you manage/edit/schedule all of your appointments and events from Google & Facebook calendars all in one convenient place. 

Cannonball Their tag lines is “Fall in love with email again” and that just might happen if you try their email organizing app. The concept is simple; the app automatically organizes your email separating important messages from coupons and spam mail. The app is great for a small business as you can easily navigate important messages from a prospective client and a coupon for $5 off your $100 order.

CoachUp – CoachUp is an app that lets you find personal coaches in your area to train and practice with on any particular sport.

Codename Cygnus An interactive game app where you are the main character by using speech recognition to cast you as a secret agent hero. Use your voice to operate the game to accomplish missions and objectives and listen as the drama unfolds as other characters react to your every decision.

CO Everywhere – Social Media App that lets you find out what’s happening in one particular area  via social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook & Instagram, conveniently organized on one app.

Cogniance - Full service software and design consultancy that work with venture-backed startups, corporate innovation labs and venture capital firms in the world’s technology hubs. Their services include ideation, specification; use case development, design, architecture, coding, test, deployment and data center management.

Cubbyhole – Have a lot of extra space in your home? Need a place to store your stuff for a day? This app connects people with self-storage needs with people nearby who have the extra space, (and don’t mind making a few extra dollars on the side).

CustomMadeOnline marketplace that connects buyers who want one of-a-kind creations, from furniture to jewelry, with passionate and professional designers/creators of those specific goods. 

District Hall - Located on Marina Park Drive, the heart of the Innovation District, District Hall caters to the innovation community to network and exchange design ideas. District Hall also includes meeting hall space for larger conferences, ‘pods’- smaller spaces dedicated to classrooms and seminars that can also be used for technology labs and experimental  retail & galleries.

EdTrips – Web platform that allows education organizers and teacher create and manage school/education field trips from the museum in your city to a museum in another country.

Embarcadero - Providing the industry’s broadest and deepest set of software tools for developers, DBAs, and architects, Embarcadero enables customers to work more efficiently with the industry’s major database platforms, operating systems, frameworks, and programming languages which enable customers to design, build, and run their databases and applications in the environments they choose - free from the constraints, costs, and learning curves associated with multiple platform-specific tools.

Favecast – Social app that allows users to create short videos (think Vine or Instagram) about cool places discovered and share with friends and others.

FeedHenry – “Where Cloud Meets Mobile” – FeedHenry is a responsive cloud based mobile platform that gives companies the ability to design and customize apps and deploy to any cloud management system.

Filosync - Software product that allows you to turn your Amazon Web Service account into your personal file-sync system.

Fiksu – Mobile app marketing company that works with companies in providing top marketing for their apps by strategizing and planning complete campaigns, including identifying media sources that can deliver the best return, campaign execution throughout the app marketing lifecycle with extensive feedback and reports and analyze opportunities on new marketing to help capitalize on immediate market opportunities.

good2gether - Company that uses smartphones to connect businesses that ‘do good’ to consumers who care about the causes that they both support.

HeyWire - App that provides free texting for businesses, combining SMS and Twitter, send and receive messages across smartphones, tablets and the web.

HireMobile - HireMobile is a mobile development company assisting clients to expand by developing successful apps on various mobile and web platforms. Some of HireMobile’s strengths include; development of an app/software/system/website, Social Networking, Games & complex graphics/animations & E-commerce set-up.

HubEngage - Created by the folks from Mobinett, HubEngage is a social app that allows users to ‘check in’ participating venues and use their app in the same way a loyalty card to redeem offers and earn points for every visit.

Jumptap (millennial media) -  As the leading independent audience platform in digital advertising, millennial media has focused on delivering innovation and thought leadership in mobile advertising since 2006 by emphasizing on building a mobile foundation, the deliver best-in-class solutions for each business they represent.

Marlin Mobile – Company creator of “Speedier”, a free app that allows you to measure website speeds on mobile devices, as well as, divulges in detailed information on page load speed, HTTP requests, page weight and a chart showing load time for each page element.

MIT Enterprise Forum – Volunteer driven community that inspires innovation through founder successes, educate entrepreneurs and company founders on how to form and grow promising startups, create communities build and strengthen a market sector’s ecosystem and connect entrepreneurs with the right resources of MIT.

MITX – Premier Internet business and marketing association in New England dedicated to creating opportunities between businesses and individuals to network, grow and succeed. MITX creates these opportunities through providing networking opportunities for professionals to meet and advancing the industry through well-publicized awards shows, research, and government relations.

Mobee - An app that allows users to be mystery shoppers at participating venues and are rewarded the more they shop/dine.

MobiHealthNews – Online news publisher that is the leading provider of news, commentary, online events and research for the global mobile health community. MobiHealthNews works continuously to deliver some of the best and most insightful digital health publications, which include a collection of paid content reports, including: mObesity, The Coming Medical Tablet War, Consumer Health Apps and more.

Mobile First Software- Consulting Company providing companies with mobile strategy and tools to execute strategies from mobile software development, marketing or analytical services.

Mobiquity - With locations around the world, Mobiquity is an innovative firm that simplifies mobile for hundreds of companies. They push the envelope of innovation to deliver the right solution to address business challenges or surface business opportunities by designing, building, deploying and managing mobile solutions that work for your business.

nanigans – Performance marketing platform that measures, predicts and optimizes ad spend for lifetime value across social and mobile by harnessing the power of predictive lifetime value to inform more intelligent and efficient media buying.

Neumitra – Tech Company that develops connected technology, via smart-wear (smart watch), or through a network by a tablet or phone, and helps address the effects of stress on brain health and performance.

NeuroCrunch – Although still in development, Big Hippo is the first app created by NeruoCrunch that will allow you to instantly recall and remember personal information of people you interact with by way of voice recognition technology.

Ovia Pregnancy –Whether you’re a first time mom or have multiple children, this is a great product for anyone expecting. Created by Ovuline, Ovia is a pregnancy mobile and web app that can help track your pregnancy from conception to birth. The app can give you analysis and feedback of your pregnancy, as well as, show your baby’s real-time development.

PitchPrep – Mobile app that allows you to record, share, critique and perfect your sales pitch or message.

Playrific – Mobile company that creates apps for a younger audience, as well as, work with other business partners an alternative way to using a mobile platform to create and develop apps for kids.

PreApps – Website dedicated to getting the word out on new apps to users and the marketplace prior to release.

QMedic – Developed by scientists from MIT  and step above the “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” device, QMedic is  a wearable sensing bracelet that monitors physical activity, sleep, and falls in the home, and sends real-time text and mobile alerts to caregivers to identify abnormal behaviors and signs of decline.

QuadWrangle – App that allows you to connect with other alumni, which lead to better connections and organization of reunions & donations.

Quantra – A subsidiary of Taiwan-based Quantra Computer, INC, the world’s leader in the production of laptop computers, Quntra Research based in Cambridge has developed an app that allow an easier use of the creation and sharing of location based services.

RetailNet Group- Leading Global Retail Intelligence Resource Company assisting with planning tomorrow’s strategies for retailers and suppliers today.

Roomzilla – Creative software that allows a company to easily book, confirm and organize meeting space fast and efficiently.

Rue La La – Member based online shopping boutique that specializes in premier-brand private sales for a limited amount of time. Sales include everything from sought-after women’s clothing/accessories to men’s, children’s’ and home goods.

RxApps – Health app that allows you, (the patient), to track symptoms, medication, and routine changes, which then would permit car provides to make better treatment decisions. The ways RxApps works is the app would send the patient SMS text messages regarding check in’s, there the information would be sent into a cloud analytics where care providers could review the information and send the patient feedback on the results.

Salespod – An efficient web app that allows small and medium sized businesses manage field activities, coach and provide their team with relevant information on the spot, all while tracking their team’s activities in real time.

SessionM – Developed an innovative mobile loyalty and advertising platform that connects consumers with mobile content and advertising in fun and rewarding new ways.

Sharalike – An easy to use app that allows you to capture all of life great moments and effortlessly create slideshows and movies, share with one person or everyone you know and organize and store everything in one place.

Skimbox – A wicked smart app that organizes email for busy people on the go by creating one box for important email you need to view and another for all other email that can wait.

SkyHook Wireless- SkyHook Wireless, located right in the Innovation District, is the brainchild of a software-only location system based on Wi-Fi positioning, GPS & cell tower triangulation. Using the millions of Wi-Fi access points throughout populated areas, SkyHook’s technology is the fastest, most accurate and most reliable location system on the market. SkyHook’s technology not only uses GPS for outdoor locations, they can also use indoor Wayfinding, as well.

Snaptiva – An interactive personal style app that allows consumers to snap a picture of anything with a specific color, search thought millions of products and find products that match their item’s color, such as finding shoes to match a bag.

Spogo – The ultimate mobile sports app that allows sports fans to win rewards for making real-time predictions while watching their favorite teams play.

Sold. – Service app that took over the burden of selling by adding a few photos and a description, the pricing calculator determines the perfect price for the item. From there the app handles the selling, the shipping, and the payment in one convenient place.

SoundFest – A revolutionary app dubbed “RealClarity”, this app helps people who have difficulty understanding speech in noisy situations, clarifies voices and other sounds people want to hear, while filtering out distracting noise.

Tap n’ Tap - Software solutions and leading Android expertise that enables manufacturers, operators, and retailers to launch profitable mobile devices.

The Tap Lab – Creator of Tiny Tycoon, the first location-based tycoon game on the App Store that turns real life into an interactive game board consisting of everyday people and places to compete with and take over your favorite real world places.

THE MEME  - A mobile phone app that creates ‘Organic Parking’; a transaction system of exchanging information for swapping car parking spots throughout the city of Boston and surrounding areas for a fraction of the cost.
Thyme Labs – in production software company that is focused on time management tools and personal data analytics.

Timebre – A cool new app available for Apple & Android, Timbre is a free location-based service app that allows you to find concert venues in your area to discover live music and concerts.

Tocobox Inc. – Startup Company that is developing “Mailki”, an easy to use email system for children ages 6-12 that is also monitored by parental controls.

Unbound Commerce – Developing a new concept for large retailers and brands, Unbound Commerce created a new touch screen technology that bridges the gap between retailer and consumer online and offline. 

Verivo – Based in Waltham, MA, Verivo specializes in creating enterprise software which has been used to assist in the creation and development of centrally built, deployed, managed and updated mobile applications simultaneously and securely across multiple devices.

vFrame – Creating a patent pending product, ‘virtual reality frames’ connect to your smartphone and from there you can play video games in a 360° view.

WinterWyman – A leading recruitment firm headquartered in the Northeast for more than 40 years, WinterWyman has helped thousands of companies, from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups – identify, attract and recruit talented professionals.

Zmags – Interactive online and digital magazine type publishing company created for companies who want to offer their customers constant brand and business experiences across all digital platforms.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Mobile Monday & Web Innovators Group’s December Event!

Mobile Monday teamed up with Web Innovators Group (Webinno) for the last mobile event of 2013 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge… (this event was also known as WebInnoMobile2). The topic of the night’s event was Mobile Entrepreneurships, where early stage companies demoed their products & apps.
There were 2 areas that companies demoed their products- The “Main Dish Demos” presented in the ballroom and the “Side Dish Demos” that presented in a separate networking room. Each company was unique and showed great ideas and talent, a list of all the demos are listed below.

Main Dish Demos

CannonballTheir tag lines is “Fall in love with email again” and that just might happen if you try their email organizing app. The concept is simple; the app automatically organizes your email separating important messages from coupons and spam mail. The app is great for a small business as you can easily navigate important messages from a prospective client and a coupon for $5 off your $100 order.

Ovia Pregnancy –Whether you’re a first time mom or have multiple children, this is a great product for anyone expecting. Created by Ovuline, Ovia is a pregnancy mobile and web app that can help track your pregnancy from conception to birth. The app can give you analysis and feedback of your pregnancy, as well as, show your baby’s real-time development.

Sharalike – An easy to use app that allows you to capture all of life great moments and effortlessly create slideshows and movies, share with one person or everyone you know and organize and store everything in one place.

Side Dish Demos

Codename Cygnus An interactive game app where you are the main character by using speech recognition to cast you as a secret agent hero. Use your voice to operate the game to accomplish missions and objectives and listen as the drama unfolds as other characters react to your every decision.

Cubbyhole – Have a lot of extra space in your home? Need a place to store your stuff for a day? This app connects people with self-storage needs with people nearby who have the extra space, (and don’t mind making a few extra dollars on the side).

EdTrips – Web platform that allows education organizers and teacher create and manage school/education field trips from the museum in your city to a museum in another country.

Favecast – Social app that allows users to create short videos (think Vine or Instagram) about cool places discovered and share with friends and others.

Marlin Mobile – Company creator of “Speedier”, a free app that allows you to measure website speeds on mobile devices, as well as, divulges in detailed information on page load speed, HTTP requests, page weight and a chart showing load time for each page element.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Planes, Trains & Automobiles!!: My Cross Country Vacation- Day 9

Day 9

The last day of our incredible vacation was bittersweet…actually, it was more ‘bitter’ than ‘sweet’. As much as I wanted to tell my family and friends all about our amazing trip, I didn't want to leave this incredible place anytime soon. We covered so many areas of the United States in this short week we had, I wanted to continue the journey and see what else was out there. But, like all vacations, they have to end, and today was our last day, so we made the most of it.

Pete and I stared off the day, where else, having one last breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express, (I think by this point my stomach couldn't wait to go back home, after all the dining out breakfasts, convenience store food and just grabbing food anywhere we found a place, a nice home cooked meal was in order!). We packed up for the last time, making sure all of our important stuff, (all the stuff we bought), went into our carry-on bags and the rest just squished into our luggage and checked out for the last time.

Top: Pete's strolling to Mexico. Train coming to American from Mexico
Bottom: U.S Customs.
Right- There are no guns in Mexico...FYI
We decided to head towards the International Border and Customs, or at least as far as we could go without going over to Mexico, (you can get in, but you can’t get out)- next time passports were a must! We parked the SUV and took a walk around the International Customs area and did the only thing we could do, take a bunch of pictures of how close we were to another country. While walking back to the car, we notice the Union Pacific Rail was coming out from Mexico, so we knew that mean that we’d be stuck where we were for a bit- these trains were about a mile long and went about 3 mph. For no reason in particular, I found this rather amusing, so once again, go the camera our and took a few more pictures. 

After we waited quite a while for the train to finally go by, we jumped on Route 82 for Patagonia, the area my Dad had mentioned for us to visit and check out a few of the shops that had there. It was about a 20 minute drive from Nogales, and it was another picturesque drive, full of mountains and cactus. We made it to what I think may have been the center of town, since it had a Town Hall right where we parked.
Patagonia, AZ
We ventured around the area, stopping in a few shops, including Global Arts Gallery, where I picked up a great leather-made clutch bag and Grayce’s Gift Shop where we picked up even more South Western trinkets and accessories for our apartment. The area was very quiet and relaxing, we got ourselves an ice cream and sat in a nearby garden and let the sun soak in. We stayed in that garden for about an hour or so, talking about our vacation and how it was going to be a transition getting back to the ‘real world’… but it was time to head on out to visit my Dad one last time.

We went back to Rio Rico to my Dad’s house which looked a lot different in the daytime; you could really see the stunning views he had from right in his backyard. He suggested that we take a different view of sorts and take the dune buggy, aka: The Bus, for a drive, so we did. We went up hills, down hills, around sharp curves and over a few very large rocks. The views were spectacular and so were some of the house; very southwestern style with the Pueblo & Adobe type accents.
Dad's backyard and views from the backyard

Wouldn't mind waking up to this every morning!

Beautiful!
Once we came back from our riding adventure, we were greeted with a backyard feast of food and beer and margarita mix. Although it was starting to push a little for time before we had to make our way back up to Phoenix, (that was the only direct flight back to Boston), we decided to relax some more, because…why not? The food was there, the beer was flowing and that sun felt amazing on my back, (it was 75° here and about 40° at home, I needed all the sun heat I could get!). My Dad was telling all sorts of stories from when I was young, the good, the bad the embarrassing, it felt good to talk with him again and reminisce all the good times.
Amazing looking homes we saw along the Dune Buggy (Bus) Ride!

More amazing views from the "Bus"!!
Sadly, the stories had to come to an end as it was running due time for Pete and I to head back to Phoenix to the airport. It took a while to say our ‘good-byes’ to everyone but the extra warm open invitation had Pete and I saying ‘we’ll be back very soon’! It was hard to say good-bye to my Dad, but knowing that he was very happy our here made me feel happy inside, especially knowing that we could continue where we left off many years later and hopefully regain that bond we used to have.

The 2 ½ hour ride back to the airport was long, all the know memories I had in my mind, all the pictures we took, I couldn't wait to let everyone know of our amazing vacation and how much I didn't want it to end, (at one point Pete and I thought about asking the Budget Rental if we could just buy the Ford Edge we drove 1800 miles in back home, it did have Massachusetts license plates after all!). We got to Phoenix Airport and got our boarding passes and went through security check quickly (taking the Red Eye home was a very smart idea), so we grabbed dinner at the airport and waited for our Jet Blue flight to board.

Just under 5 hours later, (yet the time zone changes say different), we were back in Boston at 7:30am with 32° to welcome us back home, (being 78° in Phoenix, I wore shorts and a t-shirt forgetting where I was going), so it was a very rude welcoming indeed.

So that concludes our unbelievably amazing vacation of the southwest. There are so many places on my ‘to-do next time’ list that we need to visit again- Santa Fe, Pikes Peak, Grand Canyon to name a few…and some places I’m good with visiting again, (Red Lion Inn in Farmington). I hope you enjoyed reading about our vacation and maybe give you a few ideas for your next trip! Until then, it’s back to everyday life for me…with the exception of all the pictures and memories I have in my mind…and in picture frames… of the most amazing vacation to date! 




Thursday, January 16, 2014

Planes, Trains & Automobiles!!: My Cross Country Vacation- Day 8

Day 8

The morning of the big day finally arrived and I felt a little anxious waking up. I wasn’t positively sure but I think it was a mixture of the actual wedding of my Dad, the fact we only had a few hours to explore and find Pete a ‘cowboy’ look for the wedding or if we just had a few hours of the day to get everything done…it was the first time since our vacation we could actually sleep in and relax and not be out the hotel door by 9am for our next adventure.

After breakfast in the hotel, Pete and I departed to explore a few of the stores my Dad suggested to look for some western wear for Pete and myself. We stared off at David’s Western Wear, known for their custom made boots and leather goods. Although we looked a little out of place, we told the associates that we were there to try on some new boots for a wedding we were attending that night. Being from the north east, I assumed that all boots were brown with a little stitched design on them, I was fascinated by all the colors, shapes and styles these boos came in- I was in shoe…(boot)…heaven. ‘

Some time and many boots tried on later, Pete and I decided on 2 things; 1. We definitely need a pair of custom-made boots, 2. Starting at $300 for a custom made pair; we had to wait for another trip since our vacation money was running out (I was pretty bummed since I saw a beautiful turquoise pair that would look great on my feet, but at this point, money was getting tight).

Our next stop was Boot Barn, a southwestern chain store that was home to all sorts of western wear. We searched around for clothes and boots but after seeing the boots at David’s Western Wear, that’s all I could think about.

We went back to the hotel to get ready since we were told we had to be at the
AmericanaHotel by 3 pm for pictures. As I was getting ready, I noticed a problem; the two dress choices that I brought with me were either way to short, (I wore it to my cousin’s wedding last year and it looked great, all of a sudden it was shorter than I remembered it being), and the other dress was way too big, (I probably should’ve tried it on before we left for vacation). Great. Not only was I feeling anxious about this wedding but now I had nothing to wear. I begged Pete to take me back to Boot Barn to see if I could find some sort of dress or cowgirl wear, (hey, it’s Nogales!).

With about 10 minutest to spare, I ran back into Boot Barn and went running around to see if I could find any sort of nice dress or even a ‘western’ shirt I could wear. Leaving the store empty handed, I felt even more anxious… I had jeans, black shirt and boots on. I was going to be known as the “groom’s daughter who wore jeans to a wedding”.

Relaxing outside the hotel
I really liked the giant statue!...and yes I'm wearing jeans to a wedding...
We got to the Hotel Americana just in time at 3 pm where my Dad who from afar I swear looked just like J.R. from “Dallas” greeted us. He informed us there were a few ‘technical difficulties, (the room cards were not working and guests couldn’t get into their rooms), and that we had to wait a little while longer. It was there that I learned about “Mexico Time”, where time could mean ½ hour to 3 hours later…very laid-back time.

While we waited for the room cards to be fixed and the photographer to get there, we sat between the bar having fine Mexican Tequila and beer and relaxing outside by the pool. As I was trying to relax, I felt better seeing the guys wear western cowboy boots, jeans and hats…however, I stared noticed that the women were all dressed up…and here I am in my jeans and boots…oops. The good part was, besides Pete and Steven, I was one of the youngest people there, so I highly doubt people were talking about what I was wearing (even though Steven was in a suit, ‘hey, it’s Nogales!’).

We finally began to take pictures around 4:30, just in time before the sun started to set. The photographer was one of my Dad’s VFW friends and, I have to admit, it was rather amusing to see him use a rather old style camera and not the usual digital camera you would use today. Right after pictures, it was time to walk up the hill to the VFW where the ceremony was to take place. I must say, for being a VFW, it was actually decorated quite nicely, (and it also helped a lot that the bar in the other room was showing the Red Sox game!).

Pete and I were told to sit in this ‘special table’, the main table where the bride and groom would be after the ceremony. The ceremony itself was nice, the bride wore turquoise and silver shoes and her blond hair sparkled with sparkly clips. The ceremony was quick, about 15 minutes, and for me it was bitter-sweet; as nice as it was to see my Dad really happy, something I haven’t seen in a long time, a part of me kept thinking ‘why didn’t the first marriage work out?’ I guess things always happen for a reason and sometimes not all fairy tales have happy endings. However, this was a marriage that looked like it was meant to be, and if my Dad felt as happy as he did as he looked, then I think that was all that mattered.
Pretty flowers fro the wedding

Top to bottom: Ceremony from my point of view
First Dance
Diane and her son Steven
The rest of the wedding was quite nice; we had a great turkey dinner, there was lots of catching up with my family and it was great being once again the center of attention as I was being introduced to just about everyone at the wedding and at the bar, (although I still can’t remember half the names). Steven my new ‘step-brother’, (that’s just too weird for me to say, so Diane’s son), read a speech that talked about how he first met my Dad, I had no idea how long they knew each other and how close they had become.
Top to bottom: one of my Dad's many creations
Guy was wearing a great shirt
Party time!!
As the reception was wrapping up, I wanted to make sure I remembered this night by getting a photo with my Dad, a photo that was many years in the making. As he turned around to hug me, he told me how much he loved me and that he always loved me, I think those of the words I had to hear from him because all those years of not seeing each other, all the years of the arguing and resentment I had towards him, all seemed to melt away and a new chapter in a new book could finally begin.
Top: Me and my Dad!
Bottom: Me and Pete! 
Top: Chewy & Dad!
Bottom: Me and Chewy!!



Monday, January 13, 2014

Planes, Trains & Automobiles!!: My Cross Country Vacation- Day 7

Day 7

Waking up in a different state you never been to was great…waking up and knowing it was going to hit a high of 85° was just awesome. That’s just how I felt when I woke up in Phoenix and the sun was shining bright and for the first time I saw palm trees out my window, (honestly, I didn't think there were palm trees in the southwest, just cactus).

Like the usual past couple of days, we packed up, checked out and stopped in for our free continental breakfast, (some of our days, this was the best meal of the day, so we always ate more than we could handle- live and learn for next time). By 9:30am we were out for our next and final stop(s); Nogales & Rio Rico, Arizona, the whole reason for the trip.

On the way down to the southern part of Arizona, we stopped in Tucson to grab a bite to eat at Zona 78 for some lunch. We picked this place since it was near a Kohl’s & Men’s Warehouse.  The food was delicious, but either the waiter couldn't hear our Boston accents or he was getting some incentive to give as many people loyalty cards as possible because he kept asking if we wanted one and we could use every time we came in…(we don’t live here, we don’t even live in the same time zone, get over it)!

International Border...cool! 
After a quick stop at the local Men’s Warehouse and Kohl’s to look for a few  specific items, it was back on the road, (once again, almost for the last time), to Nogales. As we’re driving down I-19 towards Nogales, I kept my eye on the ‘little blue dot’ on my iPhone to make sure we were going in the right direction; I started notice signs for the International Border to Mexico (cool!). It was really cool, until we saw a sign for ‘last exit before International Border’…‘little blue dot’ wanted us to keep going… I guess we were typical first timers in the area, because we panicked and got right off the exit only to be face to face with U.S./Mexican Border.

Top: Mexico!
Bottom: U.S/Mexican Border
I've seen the show “Border Wars”, and seen pictures of this ‘border’ being a huge, long brick like border…here we saw a giant fence- plenty of space in between to send over some “special Mexican products” and vice versa. We ended up in a little neighborhood right at the border and here we were taking pictures of the border, (when in Rome…). Although it seemed a little odd, both Pete and I were fascinated to actually be able to see another country right in front of us. We finally got back in our SUV and continued to follow the ‘little blue dot’ to hotels in the area.

Really, really, long train!! 
We once again chose a Holiday Inn Express, since that pretty much was our only option that seemed decent in the area. We settled in our room, (which there were plenty available), and relaxed a bit before we decided on plans for the evening.


*why we are actually here*

I mentioned in Day 1 of my ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ Vacation that we were here for a specific reason. Well, here is the reason. I received an invitation back in August for a wedding, not just anyone’s wedding, my Dad was getting remarried. I’m sure many people might think “oh, that’s nice’ or ‘okay…what’s the big deal’? Well, it’s kinda a big deal to me since I haven’t seen him in almost 12 years. The last time I saw him, I was 17 (do the math), and we haven’t been in touch since. Thanks to Facebook and email, we started reconciling and talking back and forth. He did mention to me he was living with someone who I’ve never met in Rio Rico, Arizona, (I had to Google Map it a few times to actually see where it was), but I didn't know how serious it was until I received a wedding invitation in the mail for that upcoming October.

I had two options, throw the invite and forget about it or know that life’s too short and there are some invitations in life you can’t say ‘no’ to. So with that, I wrote back that we were going to the wedding and from there, Pete and I decided to make a real vacation out of it and go see what the South West of the United States has to offer, (‘cause again, you only live once).

When we started planning out the itinerary of how we were getting out there, the original idea was to road trip from Boston to Nogales and fly home, but with too many options of where to stop, exactly how long it would take us and having to be Nogales no later than Saturday, (although, I was hoping to get there earlier in the event I felt I couldn't go to the wedding), we thought of alternatives. There was the idea of flying to Phoenix and exploring Arizona, flying to Texas or Denver and driving to Nogales…and then there was the road very much less taken nowadays…train.

I’m not exactly how the idea of taking the train came to my mind, but after some research and checking out finances how we could afford to do this, we settle on Planes, Trains & Automobiles. Amtrak Boston to Chicago to Denver, drive (and wing most of the trip) from Denver to Nogales and fly home from Phoenix back to Boston. Between all the components, the train cost more than the rental and plane tickets, but sometimes you need to live life and just go for it.

So far, it had been one hell of an amazing trip, one I’ll never forget…and it would only get better with a few days remaining.

Now, back to the story.

Since my Dad and I only had emails connecting us for this entire trip as to where we were and when we might get to Rio Rico, I emailed him to see what his plans were for the night before the wedding and what the actual plans were for the next day. He mentioned to me that a bunch of people would be at his house and that we could stop by anytime to grab dinner and see the place. I was rather surprised I didn’t feel anxious or nervous about seeing him, maybe because I had Pete with me or maybe because we had a SUV that we could leave if need be, but I decided to go up and see how I felt.

We made our way up to his house in Rio Rico, about a 15 minute drive from our hotel room, and just like everywhere else on this trip…no street lights. The house was pretty easy to get to, except that we were going up a mountain of sorts and there was one road in and one road out, (the same road went both ways). As we made it up the windy road, we noticed a house with all sorts of lights and decorations outside the house and we assumed this was it. Sure enough, I saw my Dad’s trucks and other vehicle toys including a Dune Buggy, something we had to try out.

As soon as we pulled up to the driveway, a few of the guests came out to see who the strange people in the SUV were, (awkward), that’s when my Dad popped out and said, “I think that’s my daughter…it is my daughter!” He had a big smile on his face and I admit, so did I…but I think mine was more of an anxious smile than anything else. I told Pete, “here goes nothing”, and we parked the SUV and we made our way into the backyard to me be greeted by everyone.

I met more people and names that night than I've ever met before, all sorts of friends and family on the soon to be bride’s side and I even saw family member on my side I haven’t seen in years. It was a great feeling seeing everyone and meeting everyone for the first time, yet I did have a weird ‘pit in your stomach’ sort of feeling; I guess you could just call it an awkward emotion.

I could tell my Dad was nervous by the way he kept rambling on and on about nonsense talk, I could tell I was nervous by the lack of talking I was doing. We sat outside in his backyard with a fire pit keeping us warm, (although it was a nice 50°+ night), drank beers from Mexico, (FYI, Corona actually tastes a lot better when it comes closer to Mexico), and my Dad told us how he actually found out about Rio Rico and what led him to pick up and move out here. He also told us how he met Diane, (it was a rather cute story), and he also told me I had a soon to be ‘step-brother’ Steven, (who apparently was sitting right next to me…oops). It was great relaxing, having an abundance of food and drinks and catching up what’s been going on in the past few years.

During our conversations, my Dad told us about the different stores we had to try out in Nogales and that we had to visit Patagonia when we were out here. At one point I asked him what would be appropriate to wear to the wedding tomorrow for Pete, since he didn’t have a suit in tow, (we figured we’d just buy nice pants and a dress shirt when we got out here), but he assured us that nice jeans and a ‘plaid cowboy shirt’ was just fine. “Hey, it’s Nogales!” he kept saying, “Everyone wears jeans and cowboy hats and boots in Nogales!” So that was settled, we planned to try out some of these stores tomorrow and see what we could find for Pete to look like a ‘cowboy’.


We were one of the last of the guests to leave, so we said our ‘good-nights’ and ‘we’ll see you tomorrows’ and headed back for Nogales. This time I really needed some sleep because it was going to be a lot for me tomorrow.