Wild and Wonderful

Alternate title considered but quickly dismissed: Yes, We Actually Went to West Virginia on Purpose

If you aren't local, then you may be fortunate (ah-hem) enough to not recognize "Wild and Wonderful"... buuuut, for the rest of you, just know I'm right there with you.

Then, why the post? The not-so-subtle title? The quaint and historic Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, was the destination for Chris and my recent rendez-vous. Note: the term "rendez-vous" was used purely for dramatic effect; we arrived together at a locale that we'd never been to so...

I'm kinda (read: completely) obsessed with getting out and seeing it all - and somehow Harper's Ferry had always been on that list so there we were. And... if you're noticing a trend of not-too(or at all)-glamorous but still getting away from it all destinations for celebrating our wedding anniversary, you'd be right-on.

You read that right... we urbanites left all that the greater-DC area offers (a great deal still undiscovered by us) and headed to none other than West Virginia for a memorable day, full of history and reminiscing about our day.

In the end, comical as it was that I dragged us out to West Virginia when there are more than enough ways to commemorate special events just minutes down the road, the outing couldn't have been more us than if I'd planned it that way on purpose. A destination yet unexplored, quite inexpensive (you know that had me sold from the start), close enough for a relaxing day trip with no need for an overnight (note the prior comment about it being inexpensive), beautiful, lightly covered in left-over snow (great for my continued mascarade as a photographer), an occasion to force ourselves outdoors (fortuitously, it ended up being one of the warmer days of our late, over-extended winter), and what capped it all off... Annabelle was invited, and even welcomed!

Alas, as this is a blog occasionally dabbling in food-related posts, I feel obligated to tell you that you might not visit Harper's Ferry in search of a foodie paradise. Still go... but rather for the defining history (best told by this guide who we spent over three hours with, learning about each nook and cranny of the once bustling and important Civil War town), beautiful vistas, and (many) moments of mountain-fresh air.

Now that you've heard all its accolades, can you really blame me for our trip? Chris and I had absolutely no complaints ('course I did feed him homemade pizza and now two year old frozen cookies the next night, as tradition dictates, on our real anniversary). And with that, I must add that I do believe probably now more than ever before, that there truly is someone designed to complement each of us... as I couldn't have asked for a better spouse over these past two years... who else'd follow me down all of the crazy roads I've dragged Chris and do so with a smile (and a coupon!).

A Book of Memories

Some people just have a gift, and lucky for the rest of us, they decide to make it their full-time job. In this case, that person is our wedding photographer (Kara, really, talking about your wedding again?... didn't this happen like a year and a half ago??), a man and his staff who I have sung praises of before.

As it turns out, not only does Mike have the gift of being a 'more-than-words-can-describe-talented photographer', he also knows how to assemble quite the team of folks to make the pictures he's taken (though they really didn't any help) and make them sing. *yes, I really did just say that - I'm feeling poetic

So, a year and a half later or not (disclaimer here - the time lapse was utterly our fault, we procrastinated as long as possible having to down-select just a few of the 1000+ pictures), this gorgeous album is currently (and will for a long time) making yours truly quite happy...

It tells the story of our big day exactly like I remember it in my head... lots of my embarrassed laughing when the photographers had me doing all sorts of bridal poses, and the friends who stood by us as we made it official, to the touching and personal toasts (including more...and more laughing) and special dances (and songs!) at the reception.

I couldn't ask for a better momento of our once-in-a-lifetime. The day was perfectly 'us' and I think our album says that to a "T".

*A HUGE thanks to Mike Moreland and his staff.

I Saw That Coming

There's no doubt that this date has been on the calendar ever since we made things official last year around this time... and I kinda started realizing it was on the horizon about two months ago, but seeing the time come and go - and all the memories and emotions that bubbled up inside of me thinking back to those amazing 24-hours and the year that's ensued since then... that, that absolutely took me by surprise (and we're talking like the startling, scream-inducing kindofathing-a-ma-bob).

Being new to this whole anniversary thing (and even newer to caring about it), we decided even one year was a good-enough reason to celebrate (and here's a quick pause to celebrate all of you who've done this many, many more years) so off we headed to discover that Virginia is not just for wine lovers (admittedly a far cry from this time last year in St. Lucia).

Saturday morning, we headed west towards Charlottesville (sadly, the Wake victory over UVA didn't make it on the itinerary but I was more than happy to be in the vicinity) for an afternoon tour, consisting of visiting two breweries and two wineries. We checked into our cute inn and after grabbing lunch on the run, our great tour guide, Chris, whisked us away, immediately filling our heads with his un-ending knowledge of all things wine (we learned so much!).

Our first stop was Starr Hill Brewery which was a great start to the afternoon (and subsequently, my favorite of the two breweries).

We relaxed at their tasting bar for a little while before starting their 30-minute tour during which we tasted some of the barley and even though I definitely lean towards the darker, stout beers, I found out that I prefer non-roasted barley (note to self)! I highly recommend their Amber Ale or Jomo Lager.

Next we headed to Blue Mountain Brewery and enjoyed their sampler of 6 different housemade beers. Their brewery was really more of a restaurant (everyone there had delicious looking plates) so if I went back (and I would go back), I'd order a glass of Evil 8 along with their thin crust veggie pizza.

After visiting two very different breweries, it was time to turn our attention to wine. What would become my favorite was up first, Pollack Vineyards. I learned all about two wines new to me, Petit Verdot and Viognier, and specifically loved their Viognier.

Chris' choice of the winery was their Meritage which he enjoyed as we sat down to our cheese, fruit, and chocolate platter (a big YUM to Farmhouse Cheddar locally produced in the Charlottesville area... oh! and the crostini, and the chocolates...).

After our perfectly timed break at Pollack, we headed to our last stop of the tour, King Family Vineyards. What a finish it was - the grounds of this vineyard are also polo fields and are more than stunning (go figure I left my camera in the van). We got lucky and met the Master Winemaker who happened to be conducting the tastings when we arrived! He was extremely knowledgeable (and real-live French!) and even sneaked us some of the last tastes of their yummy Late-Harvest Viognier "Ice Wine".

All roads led back to downtown Charlottesville where we had some downtime until it was time for dinner at delicious and modern Zocalo. *thanks, Emily, for the recommendation!!! In a word (or a few), I would recommend this restaurant with no qualms. It is located on the cute downtown mall and while their menu wasn't very long (or overwhelming), it provided something for everyone. I enjoyed their Key Lime Free-Range Chicken and Chris drooled over his Grilled Double-Cut Pork Chop. We scooted over to nearby South Street Brewery for one last drink and to share a traditional hot fudge brownie dessert.

We concluded our short but memorable visit Sunday morning with a yummy homemade breakfast and were back on the road to finish celebrating our day together.

Thanks to the aforementioned pizzas that we had seen earlier at Blue Mountain, I was inspired to start an anniversary tradition for us of having homemade pizza. If anyone's listening, it's true - the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but if it's Chris' - pizza is the key to unlocking it.

(don't look too closely at these pizzas - their inception was very last minute so I literally cleaned out the fridge to find the toppings)

The finale to our memory-laden weekend was snacking on these delicious cookies; turns out our top cake layer is no where to be found but my sweet mom deep froze some of our left-over favors (one of my favorite parts of our day) and sent them to us so we could celebrate with them!

Sharing a cookie (or two - no shame here, they are delicious!) while watching the highlight 'reel' from our wedding DVD (yes, I am a glutton for high cheese-factor) and thinking about what the future might hold, officially finished a truly incredible year one.

Heart of Dixie

In the most unlikeliest of places, we were fortunate enough to have made some really great friends! I should have known we would fast become friends - after all, we share wedding dates - almost to the minute!

As would figure, on our honeymoon at the great Sandals Grande in St. Lucia, we met tons of other honeymooners... but only one couple are we still in touch with to this day - and we were lucky enough to visit that same couple in their hometown of Mobile, AL, this past weekend! We enjoyed a long weekend catching up with Heather and JB, hearing how they've spent their first 8 months being married and learning more about life in their quaint Southern town. I have to admit, small-town life can be enticing!

We spent Thursday afternoon in Biloxi, Mississippi - a quick but necessary visit since it was discovered that I'd never gambled before. One little piece of wisdom that I came across - just because you're at a "quarter" BlackJack machine doesn't mean you only can play quarters. Who knew?!

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is quite impressive; we spent some time (and luckily not a lot of money!) there as well as at the IP.

Friday afternoon, Heather and I waited out the downpours at Heroes in downtown Mobile (my first spinach and crawfish dip - and NOT my last - yum!!) and then met up with everyone at Mobile's annual Greek Fest. Such a fun night complete with gyros, Vendange Chardonnay, and delicious honey-covered pastries!

Saturday was 100% (maybe even 150%) dedicated to college football. We are loyal college ball fans but down in SEC country, it's something else. You can see from the pictures that they even make us wear their colors... note that this was taken later in the night once we'd change from our Alabama jerseys into our Florida garb. Luckily, both teams won.

Not surprisingly (I think all my trip re-caps conclude similarly), our trip came to an end WAY too soon. Sunday morning we made our way downtown for a yummy last meal in the fun city of Mobile. You must try Spot of Tea for brunch if you are ever in the area - such a cute atmosphere and tasty food.

Thank you thank you to our gracious hosts Heather and JB - we had an absolute blast hanging out with you two! We can't wait to show you around our neck of the woods and any other adventures that await us! See you soon!

Sometimes...

You just can't help it...

We THOUGHT our photographer (for our wedding) was going to be good... we'd heard great things, seen friends' albums that he'd shot and designed that we loved... but it's one of those things that you wonder, 'can he possibly make me look as good as all of those other people he's shot?' So until you see your OWN pictures, there's always some lingering doubt.

I stand corrected... it's official that Mike Moreland can shoot anyone or anything (I might try and get him to shoot a series of pictures of a dead bush sometime just to see what he comes up with) and make them look (or at least feel like they look like) a million dollars.

We are so thankful for his work and talent - his pictures speak for themself but he is a fantastic person to work with and truly enjoys his job... so without a doubt, if you're in the market for an amazing photographer, Mike Moreland is your man.

Our Once in a Lifetime

Home from our wedding and honeymoon!!

What an absolutely amazing two weeks - from the last week of planning and prep before the big day (lots of late nights with my mom - read: wedding planner extraordinaire) to the actual wedding which was just a surreal and incredible day, and then finally, the honeymoon in St. Lucia. Everyone warned me ahead of time that the engagement and wedding day would really fly by, and I swear I believed them and tried to embrace it all, but I still can't believe it's come and gone (though I am so loving being married and looking forward to the years ahead).

My appearances here might be few and far between for the next few weeks as we try to get our lives back in order, or in order at all (not sure it ever WAS!).

In the meantime, here are a few pictures of our past 2 weeks...

Rehearsal dinner video...

March 1, 2008 - our wedding...

And... St. Lucia for our honeymoon...

Five Months

So we are planning a wedding (!!!) to take place in less than 5 months... though truth be told, it'll be over 6 months since we were engaged (on August 29). I've had friends do this in about the same amount of time (and they didn't even have access to my mother-extraordinaire!) so I know it's possible... but some days it feels less possible than others. Yesterday was one of those.

Not wanting to dwell on my pity-story (it won't be the only time I feel overwhelmed, I am well-aware)... I did want to start a (short) list of pros and cons of planning a wedding in a short amount of time... hoping that this will inspire some of YOUR thoughts, suggestions, and even warnings.

PRO: you're forced to make decisions so there's no time to dwell on each of the hundreds of options (and there are HUNDREDS)

CON: you DO have to make decisions quickly... and when you're like me and you want to explore EVERY option to make sure you're getting the most and best for your money, that's against every bone in my body

PRO: if the vendors you're hoping to work with do happen to still be available, they are usually willing to "work with you" since you're probably their last hope for a job that particular date

CON: occasionally (I've been relatively lucky so far - keep your fingers crossed!) the vendors who've been referred to you and the ones you REALLY want will already be booked

With our very limited time these days, I pretty easily resisted (I do admit, I considered it!) the urge to start a whole new blog devoted to the pitfalls and successes of my wedding planning experience, but I do welcome any and all of your advice. This serves as notice to expect a few "wedding-y" posts here and there throughout the next few months... but please, at ANY point, feel free to send me your suggestions, both solicited and otherwise.

OH... tonight's activity to take my mind off being overwhelmed? Annabelle and I went on a short walk and I was able to put aside my annoyances at the temperature being around 80 degrees at 8pm in mid-October and enjoy it! Plus, even though it won't be until '08, I day-dreamed about celebrating Christmas (cookies, warm drinks, a TREE!!!) with my to-be-husband in our to-be-house! *speaking of which, we close 10/26 - prayers, please!