27

Picture Source: kate spade. Of course!

That's right....today is my 27th birthday. I actually can't believe that I am 27 years old. I mean, how did that even happen? I can say that 26 has been one of the most amazing years of my life and I am so excited to see what the next year has in store. Tonight P and I will have dinner just the two of us at one of our favorite DC restaurants and I will quietly turn 27. Tomorrow we will watch Penn State football and on Sunday we will celebrate our goddaughter's 1st birthday. I can't think of a better way to celebrate!

Weekend Recap

I am back from a wonderful and relaxing trip to the beach! Aubrey's parents generously offered to let me and P stay in the beach house they rented last week. Since P just started at the law firm he wasn't able to take any time off but I didn't miss the chance to take a few more negative vacation hours, pack a bag, and hit the road!

I stayed at my dad and Sheila's on Wednesday night before heading to Corolla, NC on Thursday morning. The house was absolutely amazing and had gorgeous views of the beach. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it. There were seven bedrooms and seven and a half bathrooms so the ten of us slept very comfortably. Shortly after arriving on Thursday all of the ladies headed to the spa to celebrate Aubrey's godmother, Ruthie, 60th birthday. We sipped mimosas and enjoyed relaxing massages. We were all spoiled even more that night with a lobster tail dinner. On Friday I went on a much needed morning run on the beach before diving into a very big, but very delicious homemade breakfast. The rest of the day was spent lounging on the beach, playing with my adorable goddaughter, and puzzling with Aubrey's husband, Brent and Ruthie. We were excited to finish a 1000 piece puzzle in less than 24 hours. Fun fact about me: I LOVE puzzles! Anyways.....I am so grateful to Aubrey's parents for inviting me to the beach. They have such big hearts and truly made me feel like part of the family. In college Aubrey and I used to tell P that we wanted him to buy us a yacht. We have since deserted that dream and are now on a mission to convince Brent and P that we should all invest in a beach house in Corolla so that we could do this again every year!

Scene from my morning run

Lounging on the beach and getting a sunburn on my legs - ouch!

Cutest girl on the beach!

Auntie Em and Taylor

Saturday morning I drove back to Norfolk to spend more time with my dad, Sheila, and Amanda. We had lunch at the Yard House before dad dropped us girls off at the mall to dress shop for Sheila for the wedding. While the first few stores were duds, we lucked out at Nordstrom and found her a beautiful fuchsia dress to wear in April! Then we headed back to the house to watch Penn State football. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and watching Snow White and the Huntsman. I headed back to DC after breakfast on Sunday and enjoyed some quality time with P and Calvin.

Weekends like last weekend make me realize just how blessed I am to have such amazing and loving family and friends in my life!

Wedding Wednesday...A Day Late

I can hardly believe our wedding is only seven months away! The last eight months have flown by and I'm sure the following months will go just as quickly.

Since the last Wedding Wednesday post P and I took our engagement pictures. While awkward at first, it was a lot of fun and we are eager to see them. As soon we get them we will be designing, ordering, and sending out save the dates.

This past weekend I went back to Chambersburg, PA to choose bridesmaids dresses with Aubrey, Allison, and Amanda, i.e. the A Team. I was bummed that Meredith and Elizabeth couldn't make it, but they were there in spirit and via text messages. Like with my wedding dress, I had a certain picture in my head of the dress I thought the bridesmaids would wear and ended up going with something completely different. I love the silhouette of the dress we chose and all of the girls look stunning in it!

I also got to try my dress on again and I did not want to take it off! It was just how I remembered it and now I'm anxious to start the fitting process to see everything come together.

The last update was a fun surprise from Elizabeth. Last night she took me out for an early birthday pedicure and dinner. If that wasn't enough she gifted me something very fun and blue for the wedding....a Penn State garter! P was a big fan of it (hopefully I didn't break any rules about the groom seeing the garter before the big day) and it will be the perfect "something blue."

 



Hopefully for the next wedding updates I'll be able to share a few of the engagement pictures!

Road Trip Recap: Part 3

The second to last stop of our road trip was Boston. P had been to Boston several times as a kid and I went once in the summer of 2005. We had always wanted to go back together and take in a Boston Red Sox game. The drive to Boston from Quebec was about seven hours so after checking into our hotel we were ready to stretch our legs and walk around.

We headed down to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market before deciding on a place for dinner. We ate dinner at the Bell in Hand which is one of the oldest bars in America. P had a lobstah roll and I had clam chowdah and salad with fresh lobstah. Yum! After dinner we stepped into the Ye Olde Union Oyster House (the oldest restaurant in America) for a few beers while we watched the Red Sox game. The Sox lost but we made friends with the bartender, Jim.

Our watering hole for the night

With my favorite bartender, Jim

After a slower start on Friday, we headed out to walk the Freedom Trail in Boston. During our walk we were able to meet up with Mikki (she was one of Elizabeth's bridesmaids and fellow Penn Stater) for a coffee break. By 3:30 we decided we needed a nap before heading to the baseball game. Seeing the Red Sox at Fenway (and win!) was one of our favorite memories of the trip. We have seen them play in Baltimore many times together, but nothing beats Fenway!

The Old State House, one of the first stops on the Freedom Trail

Paul Revere's tombstone

The site of the first public school along the Freedom Trail

Finally at Fenway!

A very happy Red Sox fan

At the game, in matching hats

On Saturday morning we left Boston for the final stop of our road trip, New York City. Less than a year ago we were visiting Matt in California and were excited to see his new place in NYC. We arrived in NYC late in the afternoon and miraculously found parking right across the street from Matt's apartment. After dropping off our stuff, we headed out for a walking tour. We didn't take many pictures while in NYC, but are very thankful to Matt for allowing us to stay at his place and showing us around! We had a great time and hope to go back to spend more time with Matt and see more of the city.

George Washington Square Arch on our walk home

P and I had an amazing time on our weeklong adventure!

Road Trip Recap: Part 2

On Monday we were off to Quebec. It was only a three hour drive, so we arrived in Quebec early in the afternoon. With plenty of time before we were able to check into our hotel we decided to have a late lunch at an outdoor cafe (of course!) and then start exploring the old city.

As much as I liked Montreal, I absolutely fell in love with Quebec. It truly gives you the feeling of being in Europe. There were countless streets to explore with cafes and boutiques. Quebec is also situated along the St Lawrence River which made for spectacular views at night. On our first full day in Quebec we took a tour of the Citadel, explored the lower old city,  checked out the Chateau Frontenac and had more meals at outdoor cafes.

Quebec had many steps to climb and dissent as your explored the different levels of the city

On first day in Quebec we found the site of where the first Canadian Patent was granted. Very fitting for the Patent Lawyer!

Views of the lower city and St Lawrence river

The Chateau Frontenac

View of the Chateau Frontenac from the Citadel

Soldier at the Citadel

This pictures is obviously an outtake. P was trying to get a picture of me at the Citadel and a bug flew into my eye. 

View of the Chateau Frontenac, city, and St Lawrence River

A view of the lower town from the top of the stairs

Inside the Chateau Frontenac

On our second day in Quebec we took an excursion to the Montmorency Waterfalls which were less than a 15 minute ride outside of the city. After walking up the falls we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Ile d'Orleans. This island is located on the St Lawrence river and provides the city of Quebec with most of its fresh produce. We had a wonderful lunch outdoors along a beach. That evening we had an amazing dinner at the Chateau Frontenac, several more local beers, and then took in a little bit of the International Military Music Festival that was playing right outside of our hotel.

Montmorency Falls. To the right of the falls are the stairs we climbed to reach the foot bridge

The falls from one of the lookout points

A view of Quebec from the top of the falls

A closer view of the foot bridge

We asked someone to get our picture with the falls. She obviously wanted to make sure she captured the large pole with graffiti as well

The tram we took down

Our lunch view along a beach on the Ile D'Orleans

The International Military Music Festival

After two and a half amazing days in Quebec, we were off to Boston!

Road Trip Recap: Part 1

I decided to split up the recap and pictures of our road trip in three posts. The first post will recap our time in Montreal, the second will recap our two days in Quebec, and the third will recap Boston and NYC.

After 10+ hours in the car we made it to Montreal a little after 10pm. Once we got checked in to our room at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth we decided to grab a drink and late night snack at the bar to unwind.

We woke up to a beautiful, sunny day on Sunday and we were very fortunate to have the same weather throughout the trip. We decided to head down to the old city and port of Montreal. On our way there we spotted one of the classic Parisian metro signs and truly felt like we had been transported to Europe.

After grabbing breakfast at a charming outdoor cafe, we spent most of the afternoon exploring the old city, walking along the harbor, and tasting local favorites such as poutine and local beer.

Bike paths along the harbor and view of clock tower in the distance

We took a spin in one of these bikes to explore the harbor

In our sweet ride

View of the Marche Bonsecours that holds many high-end art boutiques featuring Qubecois, Canadien, and aboriginal artwork.

The charming cafe where we had brunch

Notre-Dame de Montreal Basilica

Fleur de Lis everywhere!

Poutine - french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. P  &  I were not huge fans

After spending many hours walking around, we decided to take a brief nap at the hotel in order to get a second wind.  Once we were rested, we headed to the metro for our next destination, St Joseph's Oratory. The basilica is dedicated to Saint Joseph and is a pilgrimage site for Catholics in search of healing and support. It was founded by Brother Andre who was known as the miracle man of Montreal due to his connection to thousands of  spontaneous headings. At the oratory there are abandoned crutches and wheelchairs which belonged to people who were reportedly cured.

St Joseph Oratory

View of Montreal from the top of St Joseph Oratory

Once the sun had set, we took the metro back to the old city of Montreal for a late night dinner outside. Since it was such a beautiful night, we walked back to the hotel and got a good night's sleep before our drive to Quebec on Monday.