Celia & Benson sitting in a tree...

Here I am still far far behind on my blogging.  We had a very busy Christmas vacation that was full of family, friends and LOVE!  Here is a brief record of wedding #1.

The night before the wedding we enjoyed a nice small wedding dinner with the families of the bride and groom.  It was the first time since Clark and I got married that all of Clark's siblings were together!  We had a so much fun spending time with the whole family.  We also enjoyed getting to know the Bratt family and both learning and sharing memorable stories of Celia and Benson.  

December 21 turned out to be a wet day for a wedding, but at least Celia didn't have to worry about dragging her dress through the snow!  Despite the deary weather, they had a wonderful sealing and Celia looked absolutely beautiful.

That evening the celebration continued with a reception at the South Worth Hall in downtown Provo.  I really liked the venue (with exception of the management) and everything really came together beautifully thanks to the help and hard work of so many.  My mom and friend Lindsey are saints for making such a fantastic wedding cake!  We also got to celebrate Grandma Swensen's 88th birthday.  We're so happy for Celia and Benson and excited to add another brother-in-law to the mix.

Celebrating 3 decades-New York style.

Day 1:  Hello, Brooklyn & Manhattan!

     A few months ago Clark and I found killer flight deals on Southwest, so we decided to fly to NYC for a few days.  Our justification?  My 30th birthday and the birth of our newest nephew Khalil.  Totally justifiable.  We spent the first two days primarily in Manhattan and really tried to live up those two days.  We arrived early Friday morning and headed directly to Brooklyn to check into the little studio apartment we sublet--a much cheaper option than any hotels and totally suitable for our needs!
     From there we were off to Manhattan.  We spent a lot of time walking around and enjoying all of the fantastic Christmas decorations.  Definitely a magical place to be for the holidays.  We checked out the Apple Store (cool but busy), the Lego Store (totally cool giant Lego dragon) FAO Schwartz (lots of stuffed animals and snowflakes).  We have to give props to the crazy greeter outside of FAO Schwartz that sang random songs and danced with the bear.  It was totally random.
     The Rockefeller tree was a little hard for us to find but we managed to track it down.  It was a pretty amazing site.  The line for the ice-skating was insane!  Needless to say, we were perfectly content to be observers.  We saw many extravagant retail windows and enjoyed the light show (themed "Snowflakes and Bubbles") against the wall of Saks Fifth Ave.
     We hung out in Times Square, ate delicious banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery and saw a performance of West Side Story.  I was excited about West Side but came away from the show rather disappointed.  There were moments that I loved but the moments I didn't love kind of ruined it for me.  Luckily the shows we saw on day 2 made up for it.  After the show, we searched a place to eat and watch the Jazz game.  Our options were limited because we ended up at Chevy's.  Not exactly the place you imagine eating in New York :)  Too add to that, the Jazz played horribly and then we got off on the wrong subway stop which lead to a few extra miles of walking around 2 a.m.  We were exhausted by the time we made it to the apartment.  It was a very full day!

Day 2:  Brooklyn & Manhattan, round 2

The next day (my official bday) we slept in, got some breakfast and then ventured across the Brooklyn bridge on foot.  The views were fantastic, and the company was, of course, my favorite.  We pretty much spent the afternoon and evening in the theater.  We saw a matinee performance of In the Heights.  I didn't know hardly anything about it, but both of us really, really liked it.  There was tons of Spanish, lots of Latin/Caribbean music, hip-hop dancing and even some rap.  It was a very different "broadway" experience but definitely worthwhile.  We wrapped up the evening with Mary Poppins, which was purely delightful.  The scene of "Step in Time" was one of my favorite ever.  So much fun.  I really couldn't ask for a better way to spend my big 3-0.  Clark was such a good husband to put up with 3 broadway shows!

Days 3 & 4:  Baby Khalil & the Bronx

     Sunday morning we went to church in Manhattan where we got see an old high school friend and happened to run into some neighbors from back home!  From there we headed up to the Bronx/Yonkers area where Clark's sister, Annie lives.  We were so excited to spend time with her and her family.  Meeting baby Khalil was so great!  He is such a sweet, handsome little baby.  After two busy days full of walking, we were glad to have some chill time with family.  We chatted, laughed, watched Modern Family, fought over who got to hold the baby, etc.  We did venture out a few times to run some errands and eat, but mostly we just got to spend quality time with each other which was long overdue!
     When I look at my last thirty years, I feel pretty darn lucky for all of the experiences I've had, for the amazing people in my life and to be where I am now.  Here's to another wonderful decade!

Celebrating 3 year happy years

I am super behind on my blogging, and since I'm a stickler about posting in chronological order we are going to jump back in time a few months to the end of October.  Clark (Making comments in Fall blue) and I had our 3rd anniversary on November 3, and we celebrated by taking a trip to Cape Cod the last weekend in October.  The weather was chilly but not cold, the trees still had a few of their autumn leaves, and we didn't have to face any crowds of tourists. 

 Day 1: Arrive to Boston, drive to Hyannis, visit Dennis.  The town, not the 37 year old peasant who digs around for lovely filth all day.

Our first meal at Scargo Café was a great way to kick off our dining for the trip.  We had fantastic New England clam chowder, amazing sandwiches and more.

And for dessert...New England's famous Grapenut custard.  Delectable. 

 After lunch we spent the afternoon walking around the small New England town of Dennis, MA.  Let's just say Clark banned me from saying the word "quaint" after the first hour.  But everything really is so quaint and picturesque! 

Huh.  You have to wonder about this one... No wondering.  No better place to bury one of the greatest all-time princesses than Dennis, MA.  Trust me.  Kate Middleton already has a lot picked out there.

Back at Hyannis for a winding (and short) stroll along the beach.

 Day 2:  Martha's Vineyard

What a foggy day!  I saved you from having to see what my hair looked like after spending a few minutes in this kind of weather.

Making a game plan during the 45 minute ferry ride to the island. 

Can you tell there is a drastic difference in opinion in how one should dress for a late fall excursion in the Northeast?  In actuality, it is just a difference in body fat percentage.  12 vs. 35.

Can you imagine having one of these homes as your summer beach house?  Amazing.

Did I mention that in order to ferry your car to the island is costs $250?!?  Thus, once on the island we got to rent a second car for a day.  Lucky for us they decided to upgrade us for free and hooked us up with this little baby.  Definitely a fun way to cruise around the island!  It was fun.  Notice that Amy has used "quaint," "delectable," and "thus" in this blog post already.  Antiquated towns bring out Amy's antiquated language.  No one speaks like that anymore. 

And yes, we drove with the top down as much as possible!  Nothing wrong with turning on the heat... Unless you are in public.  And then you should save turning up the heat for private times.  Oh.  Amy meant the heat from the heater...in the car.

Lunch at the Black Dog Tavern in Vineyard Haven Harbor.  It was actually funny because my mom said they got the most amazing chocolate soufflé at the Black Dog when they were here 20 years ago.  When we inquired about it at the restaurant, they looked at us totally confused because they don't even serve soufflé.  Later on when we talked to my dad it turned out that The Black Dog was definitely NOT where they had gotten the amazing dessert. Oh well, 20 years is a long time to remember a specific restaurant name.  :)  Coincidentally, Black Dog is my 7th favorite Led Zeppelin song.

The view from our table.

Fun feel to the restaurant.  Also the view from our table.

Yummy, yummy clam chowder. It really was the best clam chowder ever.  I wonder why they can't make the clam chowder in N. Carolina as tasty.  Probably because it comes from cans...and isn't real clams.

This guy is always excited about a good burger.  I've been set up.  Amy said, "Clark, make the dumbest face possible.  I won't put in our blog.  Ever."  You lied, Amy.

The little fishing village of Meneshma.  A village that Amy made up the name of.

In Aquinnah we followed a path with a sign pointing toward the beach.  It turned out to be rather a long walk!  It was worth it though.  The beach was totally deserted and misty and very cool.

Red Cliffs of Aquinnah

There were tons of jelly fish washed up on shore.  Very curious little creatures.

Gay Head Lighthouse.  What you could see of it, anyway! 

The Field Gallery in West Tisbury. 

Our next stop was Oak Bluffs.  It was full of AMAZING houses!

These are the first of a few pictures of the houses coined as The Gingerbread houses.  A community of 350 houses built by a Methodist group years ago. I didn't know that the Methodist church had extended a hand of fellowship to the gingerbread men, but apparently...

 Day 3:  Chatham & Boston

In Chatham we stayed at the beautiful Captains House Inn.  We enjoyed a cozy stay and a lovely setting.

Can this be delivered to my bedroom every morning?  Clark?  Sure.  As soon as you start delivering massages to my back and shoulders each morning.

My Captain :)  I don't know why Amy had to put a smiley face there.  I guess she was just joking.

The Town of Chatham is quintessential (a derivative of the word "quaint") New England.  We spent the early afternoon enjoying Main Street.

Pumpkin people on display in the city park.  Pumpkin People sounds like a cool band name. 

 

This is a pumpkin mannequin of one of the most famous historical figures of America: Edgar Winter.

Fishing wharf.

This is one of my favorite pictures.  During lunch the elementary school paraded down to the park in their Halloween costumes to check out the pumpkin people.  This ghost looked so hilarious holding up his giant head.  Totally looked like those ghosts you can make out of tootsie pops and kleenex.  :)  I can only imagine the argument that occurred between that kid and his mother that morning.  "Mom, this mask is hurting my neck and giving me a headache."  "Timmy, stop complaining.  You're going to miss the school bus."

Kids in Halloween costumes on Main Street = adorable.  Most popular costume appeared to be Mario.  Saw at least 3 of them.   "Mario" as in Mario and Luigi.  Not Mario Lopez, the guy who played AC Slater.  Only saw one kid dressed up as him.

That evening we drove back up to Boston and met up with our friends Brian and Clare for dinner at Brown Sugar Café.  Fantastic Thai food.  The bowl Brian's food came in really was enormous, even though the angle of the camera makes it look even bigger. 

This also happened to be a birthday dinner for Brian.  I will just say that Brown Sugar Cafe wins for having the most dramatic, unexpected way to celebrate birthdays.  The lights turn off, a mini laser show appears on the wall and a bizarre version of Happy Birthday starts playing.  Definitely memorable.

Day 4:  Boston and home.

We spent the morning eating breakfast, hat shopping, eating ice cream and prepping for Brian and Clare's Halloween party that evening.  We were sorry to miss it!

JP Licks

On the way home a group of WWII veterans were traveling to Washington D.C. to be honored and see the memorial site.  It was pretty cool to be there to clap and cheer for them as they slowly (and she means sloooooowly) got off the plane.  Love our vets!  It really was special.  It was nice to be able to thank them for the good work they did.

I think it is safe to say that we had a pretty phenomenal anniversary.  Can't imagine my life without my wonderful husband and best friend.  Here's to many more years of celebrating!  Here, here.  Or is it hear, hear?