GalleryThis past week, my girlfriend Abby came to New England to visit my family, my church, and my hometown. On Thursday, her first day with us, we had a Christmas celebration for her. Abby is Southerner who considers everywhere above the Mason-Dixon line to be “the frozen wasteland,” so my parents got her a blanket for her to keep warm whenever she is at our home. She wrapped herself up in it practically every minute she was inside.

Sunday was Abby’s twenty-first birthday, so my mother made her a cake, with twenty-one candles. Abby’s own mother had shipped her birthday present home with me earlier. Abby experienced all the essentials of a Mullen birthday, including the special plate and the tuneless singing of “Happy Birthday.”

Abby, my family, and I did several other things during the week. On Friday, we went to Old Sturbridge Village. On Sunday, Abby met the church people and played the piano in the evening for special music and congregational singing. On Monday, we went to my grandparents’ home for dinner. On Tuesday, we went to Boston to see the Make Way for Ducklings statues, the Museum of Fine Arts, and other sights. On Wednesday, we went to Maine. I’ll write about most of those things in future posts.

All of the pictures in this post can be seen in the gallery.