Troy & Tamisha: Dating

Our First Weekend

Our first date was at Sophia's Grotto in Roslindale, MA on August 12th, 2005 at 7:30pm. I met Tamisha at the door and we waited at the bar until we were seated at a perfectly secluded table. We immediately hit it off and decided that we had already known each other for around three years somehow. Afterwards, we went out for dessert at the Dogwood Cafe and when the waitress asked if she always ate off my plate, I told her, "Yes, ever since we've been married."

On my way back home to Worcester, I got a phone call from Tamisha. We decided that the date had gone so well, we wanted to meet again the next day in Worcester this time. I suggested Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA and we met there at noon.

The second date on Saturday went even better than the first, walking hand in hand around the grounds and we knew there would be many more dates after this.

In fact, Sunday, we got together again to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in IMAX and saw each other several more times that week.

1 Our First Hike

Our first hike was at Skinner State Park in Hadley, MA on August 28, 2005. It was supposed to be a nice hike with scenic views.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very rainy day and a miserable hike. But even though we were drenched, we still had fun. The only colors we saw other than grey that day were the neon orange fungus on a tree and the brightly colored school bus in the parking lot of the restaurant we went to afterwards.

“Not much farther, my little Smurfs” 2 Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

The Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, MA is one of Tamisha's favorite places and she introduced it to me on September 3, 2005. We've been there many times since then. Six Flags Springfield, MA

We both love amusement parks, and especially the roller coasters. We went to Six Flags New England for the first time on September 11, 2005, and again on June 16, 2006 for a field trip with Tamisha's school. While visiting her family and friends in New Jersey, we also spent two days at Six Flags Great Adventure, July 3 & 5, 2006. Maybe we'll visit all of them someday. of Science September 18, 2005 & March 11, 2006

Since Tamisha is a teacher and I went to school for engineering, we both enjoy learning and therefore the Museum of Science in . On our first visit in September, we spent 45 minutes at the butterfly garden, and explored the whole museum including the lightning show, and watching chicks hatch.

In March, we went with Nick, Greg, Derek and Emily to see the special exhibit Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. We had fun but we certainly weren't the geekiest people there...

5 Park Temple of Love, Brookline, MA, - October 1, 2005 On October 2, 2005, we went to King Richard's Faire in Carver, MA where we saw lots of interesting renaissance things for sale, the Mud Show, and Tamisha bought a great Renaissance outfit.

Then we went to Davis’ Mega Maze in Sterling, MA the next weekend on October 8th. It's a huge maze made of corn. It took quite a while to do, but we didn't get too lost...

We went to Borderland State Park in Easton, MA on October 16th, since the Ames home was open that day for tours. We spent far longer than planned hiking through the park and watching two kids flying kites and ended up going on the 2:20PM tour. It was an impressive place and had a great time being passed from tour guide to tour guide wile exploring the different sections of the house. It wasn't until we were done that we realized the tour had been over an hour and a half long and we were starving.

I want a library like this in my house some day...

7 Acadia National Park Mount Desert Island, ME - October 21-23, 2005 Orange, strawberry, and cherry flavored Craisins!

Acadia is one of my favorite places in the US and I wanted to share it with Tamisha.

For our first trip together, we went there for the weekend and stayed at the Castlemaine Inn. The highlight of our suite was behind the French doors in our bedroom: our own private "whirlpool room."

Mountains, the Atlantic ocean, and peak fall color greeted us at Acadia. We had a relating evening followed by a great day of hiking. We explored the park from Sand Beach to Great Head Trail to Cadillac Mountain.

Sunday, we headed back home. Tamisha was performing at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH with The Loose Canon Chorale that evening. It was great hearing her sing for the first time, especially in a big theatre.

It was a great weekend and we can't wait to go back again for a longer trip next time.

9 We got a group together to go see Great Pumpkin Nights at the EcoTarium in Worcester, MA on October 30, 2005. Hundreds of pumpkins, a hay ride, face painting, and refreshments made for a fun night.

The friendly sign above was the first thing we saw when we went to Moore State Park in Paxton, MA on November 5th. Have fun, but not too much fun...

There is, however, a peaceful covered bridge over a waterfall that was a great spot for relaxing. They have several Adirondack chairs there and we spent quite a bit of time enjoying the scenery.

Along the trail is also a bat house, that looks like a creepy shack with a roughly cut hole on the side of it. We dared each other to look inside. Unfortunately, it was empty.

You like bats? OK, so put the lens into the hole, and press this button here... 10 Thanksgiving on Cape Cod I spend the week of Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle almost every year. In 2005, we were staying at Brewster Green on the Cape in Brewster, MA. Tamisha visited for a few days, met my family for the first time, and celebrated Thanksgiving with us at the Ocean Edge Resort & Club. Our first concert together was seeing U2's Vertigo Tour at TD BankNorth Garden on December 5, 2005.

Christmas On December 16th, while shopping at the mall, we decided to have our picture taken with Santa just for fun. We were worried that the elves wouldn't like the idea, but they were great and Santa was very friendly and let us take a few shots to make sure they came out the way we wanted.

We celebrated Christmas on the 17th at Nick and Carol's house with the rest of the gang. It was great sharing traditions, showing her how we still give toys for gifts, and just being together as our Worcester family.

The next day I flew to Minnesota. We didn't spend Christmas together, but when I celebrated with my family on the 23rd, we got Tamisha on the phone and both of my parents and I talked to her for a bit.

“Why, you could be Mrs. Claus.” “Hey, Santa, I'm standing right... here...”

12 On January 16, 2006, we went to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston together. I hadn't been there in ages so it was We returned to Tower Hill fun exploring it together. We would Botanic Garden on go again on May 13th with my mom. January 28th for their Flora in Winter exhibit where they had arrangements based on Roman themes. We also went to the Worcester Art Museum for the rest of the exhibit with arrangements based on art at the museum. The Lift Ev'ry Voice & Celebrate! The Heritage, Family and Youth Festival, was on February 5th and was part of a month long African American Festival in Worcester. They had great dancing and music, but the best part of the day was when Bonaparté - Boston's Hottest Magician called upon Tamisha to be a volunteer. I will never forget the cute squeal of surprise when she opened her hand to see an extra foam ball had magically appeared there.

“Huh, an iron. I thought it was a boat too.” “Too?”

February 12th was the six month anniversary of our first date so we made a weekend of it. We visited the Worcester Art Museum, and had dinner at Viva-Bene followed by "Steve Martin's: The Underpants" at the Foothills Theatre in Worcester, MA.

13 New York & New Jersey

Days after getting my car back from the shop, we went on a road trip to New Jersey from February 19-21, 2006. While we were there, I got to meet her family (and most of the neighborhood), as well as her friends from college. It was great meeting them, seeing pictures from her childhood, and experiencing a real steak and cheese from Gaetano's.

On March 2nd we headed south again, this time to the Bronx to pick up the car Tamisha purchased online. Along the way, we stopped at Gramercy Tavern to meet one of my friends/clients who was in NYC for the week. While driving back to Worcester, we were caught in a blizzard but talked on our phones a lot to keep each other company on the slow drive home.

14 I want to pet the chickens. I want to On March 25, 2006, we went to Old Sturbridge Village with Jami, Nick, Carol, Giana, and Ainsley to hoooold them. see the Maple Sugar Camp. More memorable than the camp, though, was Ainsley chasing the chickens.

We went to Blue Hills Reservation on April 14th and explored the Ponkapoag Pond trail. We climbed on the huge rocks for a while, but the most adventuresome part of the hike was the boardwalk. Most of the boards shifted under our weight, and others were completely submerged. Not the most pleasant walk, but quite the experience. My shoes are dry now, but still have a greenish tinge to them...

15 Newport, RI April 18-21, 2006

For our second vacation, we took a trip to Newport, Rhode Island. We stayed in the Red Room of the Bayberry Inn of Newport and had an amazing room. It came with an unnatural number of pillows on the bed as well as delicious breakfasts and snacks throughout the day.

Wednesday, we toured the Breakers and The Elms mansions. The Elms had a self guided audio tour that we went on, and Tamisha and I perfected synchronizing our players. We also got some fresh air going on Cliff Walk and visiting the Forty Steps.

We ended the evening watching the sunset at Brenton Point State Park.

The Elms gardens Brenton Point State Park

The Breakers Blithewold Mansion

On Thursday, we went to the Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, RI for their Daffodil Days. There were daffodils as far as the eye could see as well as a greenhouse, a frog pond, and a huge lawn overlooking the ocean where we had a picnic.

17 Green Animals Topiary Garden

That same day, we visited Green Animals in Portsmouth, RI which has over 80 pieces of topiary and trellises covered with magnolias. Rosecliff Lion and Fountain

Laurelawn (I just liked the name)

Friday we finished our tour of mansions. We visited Rosecliff which has been in many movies over the years. Last but definitely not least was Marble House, the most expensive in the collection.

We definitely filled our mansion tour quota for a while, but we saw some amazing buildings and gardens and had a great time together.

Marble House gardens and pillar

19 On April 29, 2006 we visited Wells State Park in Sturbridge, MA. We had a nice hike, and repeatedly saw hawks flying overhead.

For Mother's Day, May 14th, Tamisha and I went with my mom to Butterfly Place in Westford, MA. Some people seemed to attract the butterflies more than others and walked around with butterflies on them.

Weir River Farm, Hingham, MA May 20, 2006 (left)

Turkey Hill, Hingham, MA May 20, 2006 (center)

Noanet Woodlands, Dover, MA May 21, 2006 (right)

20 In December, Tamisha and I bought a four game package of Red Sox game tickets for the upcoming season. On May 5th, we went with Amy and Greg to see the Yankees game, and Amy took our photo.

Game dates so far: Mariners - April 17th Blue Jays - May 4th Yankees - May 22nd

Red Sox vs. Yankees On May 28, 2006, we visited Rock House Reservation in West Brookfield, MA. There was a very happy and strangely familiar vibe from this one. It was bright green and lush with pine needled covered trails, and sunlight through the trees. There were scattered boulders everywhere: some in the pond, some you could climb on, and some just balancing on a ledge. On the way back, we stopped at a roadside ice-cream place making it a great day.

On June 18th, on the first non-raining day in weeks, we went to the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton, MA.

22 Moving to the Big Red House

After a lot of thinking and talking, we decided we were ready to live together at my house in Worcester, MA. Tamisha started moving into the Big Red House at the end of June 2006.

As we were packing, Tamisha's cats, Jake and Wiley, loved playing with all the boxes and exploring the empty surfaces around the condo they couldn't walk on before. It took them a while to get used to the new home and were shy at first, but now they're happy.

23 On July 7, 2006, after reading through this book together, I proposed to Tamisha on the site of our first kiss at Tower Hill Botanic Garden.

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