Honeymoon Pictures

I forgot to tell you where to find the pictures!

Here is the first half.

Here is the second half.

The Honeymoon.

Costa Rica

Saturday November 21

We woke up before dawn even considered coming up to get to the airport. We flew from DC to Atlanta. I was worried that we were going to have to change terminals and that our 1.5 hours wouldn’t be enough. We had to walk maybe 50 feet to get to our new gate. So we hung out and ate some snacks and waited for our flight. From Atlanta to Costa Rica, Matt took the middle seat (because the window makes him feel claustrophobic) and the woman on the aisle immediately fell asleep on his shoulder; which made Matt super uncomfortable. I laughed really hard. Other than that the flight was normal. We landed and made it through customs, and then I realized that I left my water bottle on the flight – the nice one. Sad face. Oh well, Jorge met as outside with our names on a plaque and then we found out the trip to our hotel would take just about 3.5 hours. Oh well, it was a beautiful trip, and we were able to see a lot of the country. We drove through parts of the rain forest and saw waterfalls. When we finally made it to La Fortuna and our hotel, we were exhausted. We fell asleep immediately for almost 2 hours. Then we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner, which was AWESOME! I had fettuccine with spices and Matt had chicken that came with the best citrus sauce. It tasted like strawberries, oranges, and butter. It was amazing.

Sunday November 22

When we woke up it was raining. So we went back to sleep. When we woke up it was still raining so we went to breakfast. When we got back to our room, it was still raining. So we read for a while on the porch. I should mention that the hotel we are staying in has individual little houses for each room. We don’t share walls with our neighbors and we have our own front and back porches. Then we read for awhile inside. Then I fell back asleep until noon. Matt woke me up since we were going on a canopy tour. We did 9 zip-lines through the rainforest. It was gorgeous. We saw tons of plants and trees, and very few animals. But we went over gorges and it was spectacular. At the end we had to repel down a cliff – you know, just for fun. Matt went first. I freaked out. I tried to get someone else to go before me, but she wussed out too. So I did it. I hated it. It was scary to be in control of whether I died or not. But I didn’t obviously. We went back to the hotel and changed out of muddy clothes, and went into town. La Fortuna has a lot of souvenir shops with normal crap. Matt hates gobbledy-goops so they irritated him, but I bought the little things that people asked me to bring them. I try. We had another amazing meal at San Rufino in town. It was recommended by one of our taxi drivers. I had salmon and Matt had another spectacular chicken dish. Matt wants me to stop writing about the food, but it’s really good, and I like food… Back to the hotel once it starts getting dark and then hanging out and the hot tub.

Monday November 23, 2009

Today we woke up really early. We were going on a tour of Caño Negro. It’s a river tour near Nicaragua. We saw three kinds of monkeys (spider, white faced, and howler), sloths (both 2 and 3 toed), tons of birds, and caiman gators. It was really spectacular. And while we were on the boat, the sun came out. At one of the stops along the way we saw huge iguanas; I took lots of photos! After the tour we stopped for some authentic lunch, we both had fried fish, which was delicious. Then we napped on the ride home and got back around 4. Nap time some more before thinking about dinner.

Tuesday November 24

Today was a slow day. We hung around for the morning. Then we went to the hot springs nearby at Baldi. We had the nastiest meal yet, filled with butter and oil. But it was substantial enough to hold us over until dinner. It should have at least. Anyway, we spent at least 4 hours floating from pool to pool testing each one for heat. They were between 100 and 120 degrees: sufficiently hot! When we noticed the rain coming in over the mountain, we decided it was time to go. No need to be wet, have to change, and still be wet for the ride home. We got into the taxi right as it started to pour hard enough for the driver to slow down (which let me tell you, does NOT happen in Costa Rica; if anything, they go faster around turns). But back to the point. With one night left (in what I will remember as the crappy hotel), we had dinner, packed the suitcase, and watched The Bucket List. And yes, I did cry.

Wednesday

Transfer to hotel number 2. It was a 3.5 hour trip up and down the mountain like a goat. It was AWFUL! Talk about carsick. We did get to see more monkeys. That counts for something. When we got to Paradise, Hotel #2, we were really in paradise. This hotel is crazy. It is good enough to save all our money for a year, just to live like this for a month! Everything that we did at the other hotel is included in this one (we feel a little silly) from canopy tours over the pool to bike tours for Matt. It’s all here. So once we ate lunch, we wandered around the hotel, checked out the pool and the beach (not necessary since the locals are allowed to sell you stuff there, and the hotel does not recommend it), and went to the bars. Everything is free here except the internet. So, we went to our room, found a bottle of champagne and strawberries (since we are wearing the honeymoon ID bracelet), and went to the pool. I am finally on vacation! We read our books, swam, swam to the bar, played a little pool (as in billiards and not in the pool), and then headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. We went to the buffet (all the restaurants were booked solid) and holy cow, the food here is AMAZING! I cannot even tell you. They had so many options that my salad plate looked like I had starved myself before arriving. In short, it was overflowing, and I could not finish that plate. No worries, I did eat more. I actually ate myself into a small food coma, and fell asleep a lot earlier than I wanted. Matt found the casino and had a great time.

Thursday

I realized that if I don’t do this every day here, I will have no idea what is going on. PARADISE! We had room service this morning (because we could) and ate breakfast while watching the beginning of the Thanksgiving Day parade. Then Matt went to the gym, all this eating had really been getting to him, and I went to the pool. He joined me later for a kayak and snorkeling expedition. I shouldn’t take credit for that. As soon as we checked in yesterday, and he had all the activities information, he started planning his days activities by activity. He picked kayaking and snorkeling. I loved it. We kayaked off the shore about 2 miles (they tell me) and tied the kayak to a floating anchor. Jason (the guide) then showed us around. We started by searching ourselves, then we realized the stupidity of that venture. Back to Jason who had a starfish. There were 6 people in our group, and I was the only brave enough to hold any animals: two starfish and 2 different animals with suction and spines. They were awesome. Matt likes the idea of snorkeling more than actual breathing under water, so after awhile he went back to the kayak while I floated around with Jason. Once he realized I went under and swam around (DUH I am a fish) he pulled me under to see a HUGE eel! I also swam with three schools of fish and 2 huge mantra rays that came up out of nowhere! It was crazy. We got back to the beach about 5 minutes before it started to rain (for 5 minutes). So we had lunch. Afterwards, I went back to the pool and Matt took a nap. For Thanksgiving dinner, we went to the Mexican restaurant, and were not impressed. It was not Thanksgiving that’s for sure. Then we went to the casino and played blackjack and craps. We played craps with some complete idiots. The Casino workers and I laughed at their stupidity and sheer dumb luck. We won some, we lost some, and we went to the club. Because of course this resort had a club. We met three other honeymoon couples in there, all from the states. So we played flip-cup. And taught the bartenders how to play. Weird. Not really. I just want to say, that when the other wife on our team went to the bathroom and I went twice, I smoked the other team. Then wives versus husbands, wives smoked husbands. It was late and we went to bed.

Friday

So I should mention that the sun comes up really early, well just the same time as it does in the states, but its much brighter. So like at home, we were awake by 7ish. So on Friday we slept in until 7:30… hehehe. Breakfast buffet and time at the pool. I am sure Matt went to the gym at some point. I think I brought food back from the snack bar. I do know that at some point I fell asleep for a few hours, and then he fell asleep at some point. I found my way to a bar and met Andres. He was the bartender. He and I practiced Spanish and English and then he introduced me to Puravida. It is the Costa Rican drink of choice; it is made from cane rum and juices. They are delicious and toxic – they go done like candy and stay with you for a while. When I came back to the room, I was not sober. Well, we went to the Asian restaurant, and ordered a ton of food. We ate tuna tartare, tons of sushi, noodles, steak, and some other stuff. It was crazy. We went into food coma. Then we stayed up and went to the nightly show. It was the first time we both were interested and it was the Latin Superstars show. OMG – watching So You Think You Can Dance has ruined us for less than great dancing. There was a lot of lip-syncing and almost dancing. It was hysterical. They tried really hard.

Saturday

Last day. Sad face. We woke up and ate breakfast. I went to the pool, to our spot, and read. Matt went to the gym (shocker) and checked his email. He goofed around. Then he snuck up on me. When I swam for the first round, I met a guy (wink wink) (no wait – wrong). I met another guy on his honeymoon whose wife is from down the street from us. We struck up a friendship and spent the rest of the afternoon together. We swam, drank, and ate together. They drank me into an afternoon nap by the pool (and now I have heat rash…). It was a lot of fun. We had dinner at the Italian restaurant – again delicious. During dessert, we started hearing the soundtrack to the Little Mermaid and went over to the theater to see the whole activities staff dressed as every character from my favorite movie. I did take a picture. We had seen enough and went to gamble instead. I lost all my money, bought back in, doubled my money, and left once I broke even.

Sunday was the longest travel day ever. We woke up and packed. We ate breakfast. We caught a ride to the airport. Then it was so hot, and we were in pants, and I got sick. This is when we thought I had sun poisoning. It took us three tries to fill out our exit papers. Matt got some food. We sat in a room with the largest fan ever – it had maybe 10 feet blades – for a long time. Got on the plane. Watched some movies. Delta has individual screens and live TV over the US and WI-FI. Just thought you should know. We got through customs in Atlanta really fast and had dinner. We made it home at 1:30. And took Monday off. We made it home.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Here is everything (that I remember) that happened on the wedding day!

I woke up nice and early (not planned) and played on the internet while everyone slept more than me. I went out for a surprise baby shower with the Malagueñas. Eliza was so surprised! That was wonderful; not to mention the omelet with bacon, brie, and apples! Of course I brought home iced tea for the ladies, and then we were off to pick up bridesmaids and meet at Le Chateau!

When we got to Le Chateau, right after noon, we played games and hung out. Donna and Maritza got there and got to business on our hair and make-up. They were amazing! Everyone looked beautiful! We did pause and eat lunch (amazing salads!) but otherwise it was hair and make-up for four and a half hours. I went last.

When Maritza was finishing my hair, I heard Matt's voice, and that is when everything finally hit me. Okay, now it's real. We finished getting me ready and into my dress, and then went downstairs for photos. The guys had already started and the girls went second. Then Tim (photographer) was able to get photos of the first time we saw each other. It was wonderful, and the pressure melted away. We did group and family shots and went to see the ceremony set-up.

Then it was upstairs for the Ketubah signing. All the bridesmaids and groomsmen were there and Marc talked about the importance of being a witness and then we were married. The boys went back downstairs to greet people and seat them. This part sucked. The ladies were stuck upstairs doing nothing again (great opportunity for me to stress again). And then we were downstairs lining up and the music started. When it was my turn and I started walking down the aisle, I almost starting crying while looking at Matt. And then I looked at my feet for a second and pulled myself together.

The ceremony itself was wonderful! It started with a blessing over the wine, and a quick sip. We said our vows in Hebrew according to Jewish tradition and then did the ring ceremony in English. Then our friends and family were called up to read the Sheva Brachot, or seven blessings. They bless God, humanity, and the bride and groom. Linda read a passage from the Bible. Marc talked about our Ketubah. We held hands throughout the ceremony. Matt crushed the glass. And we kissed!

Then we were back upstairs for the Yichud, or a few minutes to ourselves. We got a chance to eat, talk to each other, go to the bathroom, and just be alone.

During the cocktail hour, we took lots of pictures. We didn't get to take all of them which saddens me now, but I think we got most of them. And then on to the reception. It went too quick. We wished it had continued for at least another 45 minutes. We talked to almost everyone. We ate. We danced. We had a really great time.

Thank you to everyone who helped get us to this moment. Thank you for sharing in our joy. Thank you for helping us celebrate!

Please Upload Pictures

Dear friends and family,

Thank you for making our wedding weekend so special! We had a wonderful time! We hope you had a safe trip home. Please don't forget to upload your pictures (we didn't bring our camera).

www.picasaweb.google.com/home

username: debandmatt1107
password: 11072009

Once on the site, you can upload your photos to a new album. Each computer is different, but if you have a MAC, I would suggest downloading the Picasa software and using it. It goes much faster!

We would love to have pictures soon!

Lots of love!
Deborah and Matt

FRIDAY 11/06/2009 1 DAY LEFT

So, we are getting married today. And I thought it would be nice to tell you a few things. First of all, I don't think either of us are that nuts. We are both very excited and ready for this! We have been planning for so long that I don't know if either of of us realized we would ever actually make it to today.

So I arrived Thursday morning and had very little I had to do. My mother and sister are very efficient and had taken care of almost everything, because they could, so we got our nails done and went out for lunch. Last sushi as an unmarried woman. There were a few errands to run, and then Emily got here and helped pack gifts. She is very good at it. We had a lovely dinner - all my favorite foods, and went to the movies with Tiffany and Dave.

Friday morning, Emily and I went to pick up the marriage license and finish any errands forgotten Thursday.
We met the bridesmaids for manicures and pedicures (no worries, I told Janna that she couldn't have black nails). When we got home, no one was getting ready to leave for the rehearsal. It was funny; they just didn't realize that we only had twenty minutes until it was time to go. Insert frenzy here!

The rehearsal went smoothly. Everything was explained and the questions answered. The recessional is different in Jewish weddings because the witnesses to the marriage document are more important than everyone except the bride and groom. So we practiced and talked about today's transportation. Then it was off to the rehearsal dinner hosted by Linda and Gerry. It was really great because we got to see all our family and friends and relax. Matt and I had a really great time!

The services at Temple Sinai were awesome! It was a Ruach service - so I knew it would be awesome! The band and choir were amazing. Matt and I were blessed one last time before becoming husband and wife ~ and then pelted with candy (it's a Jewish tradition).

Finally, we went home. There was some beer, some Settling, some Apples to Apples, and just fun. It was wonderful to see everyone.

DIRECTIONS TO HILTON GARDEN INN

From Maryland and other points south to the HILTON GARDEN INN Hotel
560 Main Ave, Norwalk, CT 06611

• Go North on 95 to New Jersey
• Head towards the George Washington Bridge (GWB)
  o Local lanes are generally faster with less traffic
  o GWB lower level has less traffic also
• Over the bridge follow signs to I-87 North – Major Deegan Expressway
  After about 7 miles, follow signs for the Cross County Parkway/ Hutchinson River Parkway (north)
• Continue following signs to Merritt Parkway
• After about 28 miles, take EXIT 39B for Route 7 North
• Take Route 7 North to the end, about 1 mile
• Turn RIGHT on Grist Mill Road
• Go about 1/8 mile to the end, turn LEFT on Main Avenue
• Hotel will be immediately on your right

Bones' first Halloween

Yes, I know that it is still a full week until Halloween, but I just don't know if I will be able to wait that long to share this level of cuteness with you! Look how cute these dogs are! The best part is that I put them in their costumes and they have been hanging out in them for 45 minutes so far without complaining even a little bit! Who is cuter? The lion or the cow?

Want to see more pics? CLICK HERE!

Sushi

Becky and I have a plan. We are going to eat as much sushi as we can by visiting as many sushi restaurants as possible. Sometimes we take Matt and Tim with us; most times we don't. Last weekend we were trying a new place near me that said it was authentic Ichiban. When we walked in we were confronted with a beautiful carving a of woman's backside. No need to tell you, but we did end of eating there and enjoying it quite a bit.

We have eaten at:
IN DC - personal ranking

Uni
2122 P St NW, Washington, DC‎ - (202) 833-8038‎

Tono

2605 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC‎ - (202) 332-7300‎

Singapore Bistro
1134 19th St NW, Washington, DC‎ - (202) 659-2660‎

Sushi Taro
1503 17th St NW, Washington, DC‎ - (202) 462-8999‎


Near Gaithersburg:

Ono

31 Grand Corner Ave, Gaithersburg, MD

WEDDING SCHEDULE UPDATE!

With less than 3 WEEKS TO GO, I thought you should know a little bit more information. Here is an updated schedule with more information about everything for you!

Friday Evening - There will be services held at Temple Sinai at 8pm. It will be a Ruach service (with a live band!) so bring your singing voice and enthusiasm. Everyone is welcome to join us for a final blessing before we get married! Services are casual, but don't involve JEANS.

Temple Sinai
458 Lakeside Dr
Stamford, CT 06903

Saturday - WEDDING @ 6:30, reception and dinner to follow
To all our friends, there is a bus going from the hotel to the ceremony at 5:45. If you are not on the bus, you are SOL. There are limited seats, so be on time. If you do not make it on the bus, you will have to drive yourself (BAD IDEA - CT ROADS NOT SO FRIENDLY!). The bus will come back at the end of the night to take you back to the hotel. Don't say we don't love you!

Sunday morning - brunch at Quattro Pazzi. It is a beautiful restaurant about 10 minutes from the hotel. We hope that you will be able to join us. It is casual but we would love to see you one last time before you head home!

Quattro Pazzi at Oak Hills Park
165 Fillow St # 1
Norwalk, CT 06850 US

3 WEEKS!

Holy cow. When we got engaged a year and a half ago, it seemed like it would take forever to reach this moment. I guess it did. In the last year and a half, we have bought a house together, remodeled the whole thing, hosted a number of parties, adopted another dog, and made all the decisions about being getting married...

In these last three weeks, we just wanted to say hi and we made it. Crazy. (not that we made it, but that we are here and NOT CRAZY about the wedding.)

Just a shout out to all the people who have helped us reach this moment. You know who you are. You have been very supportive and helped us learn how to live and love each other at the same time. Thank you.

We love you lots.

A message to our out-of-town guests!

Tomorrow is Friday, September 18. We will be 50 days until the wedding tomorrow!

There are a few details we want to make sure that you are aware of.

First of all, everyone is welcome to join us for services on Friday night at 8:00. Services will be held at Temple Sinai in Stamford. It is about 20 minutes from the hotel. The address is
Temple Sinai
458 Lakeside Dr
Stamford, CT 06903

Afterward, friends are welcome back to my parents house for game play and a last minute together as singles.

On Saturday, we are obviously getting married! There will be a shuttle from the hotel to the ceremony leaving from the hotel at 5:30. It will return to the hotel at the end of the reception. If you miss the shuttle on the way there, you are on your own to get to the ceremony (there will be directions for you at the hotel).

On Sunday, my grandparents, Norma and Don Stone, are hosting a brunch. The rest of this information will have to join us later.

We are looking forward to seeing you! Lots of love! Deborah and Matt

FORD Du-athalon

The second weekend in September is one of the last races of the year for Matt, Phil, and Steve. We go south to Fredericksburg for a weekend of camping. This year, there were five people (Matt, Phil, Steve, Lesley, and I) and three dogs (Misty, Elroy, and Bones). The dogs almost outnumbered people; they definitely did in attitude.

We arrived at dinnertime on Friday and went about setting up camp quickly before we lost all the light. We hung out by the fire but went to bed relatively early because they had a big race in the morning.


Saturday, the dogs decided at 6:30 it was time to wake up. Bones was jumping around the tent and being a general terror. We got up, I made eggs for breakfast, and the guys got ready to go. Lesley and I decided that we and the dogs would go and cheer them on at the start. We had to stop for coffee and donuts on the way. We were getting our food when the phone rang asking about a pair of shoes that were left at the campsite. We drive all the way back, about a 45 minute trip and raced back to give the missing shoes to their owner.

The guys all did well at the race. Matt took 1st, Steve took 3rd adn Phil took 5th in their division. Then it was back to camp for showers and food. Like always, there was a big fire Saturday night. And out early on Sunday.

Wedding Info

Hey all! Welcome to our site. We will have all the wedding information here for you. Check back from time to time for pictures and more good stuff.

We are getting married (!!!) on November 7, 2009 at 6:00pm at Le Chateau in South Salem, New York. It is an old mansion turned into a restaurant that sits at the top of a hill looking out over the trees.

WHEN WE GOT ENGAGED May 10, 2008
HOW IT HAPPENED We go camping and hiking every Spring. This year we were going back to Old Rag (the first place we went), but I was very sick. So Saturday morning, we woke up and found an easy hike. We climbed to the highest peak, and found ourselves in a cloud. He asked if I was hungry and wanted an apple out of his backpack, but gave me a beautiful ring instead! Of course I said YES!

DEBORAH 'S ATTENDANTS
Sarah Stone, Maid Of Honor -- Sister
Janna Glucksman, Bridesmaid -- Friend
Emily Grobmyer, Bridesmaid -- Friend
Tiffany Chao, Bridesmaid -- Friend
Rebecca Sprowl, Bridesmaid -- Friend

MATT'S ATTENDANTS
Phil Reese, Best Man -- Brother
Steve Maurer, Groomsman -- Friend
Tim Hammond, Groomsman -- Friend
Drew Arconti, Groomsman -- Friend
Ken Black, Groomsman -- Friend
Daniel Stone, Groomsman -- Bride's Brother

Wedding Schedule

Here is an idea of what will be going on during the weekend.

Friday Evening - There will be services held at Temple Sinai at 8pm. It will be a Ruach service (with a live band!) so bring your singing voice and enthusiasm. Everyone is welcome to join us for a final blessing before we get married!

Temple Sinai
458 Lakeside Dr
Stamford, CT 06903


Saturday - WEDDING @ 6:30, reception and dinner to follow

Sunday morning - brunch at hotel from 9:00 to 11:00

More information about everything coming soon.

HOTEL INFORMATION

THE HOTEL INFORMATION HAS CHANGED!!!!!!!

We have reserved a block of rooms at

Hilton Garden Inn Norwalk
560 Main Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06851

There are a number of ways to reserve the number of rooms you need.
You can call toll free : 1.877.STAY.HGI
You can call the hotel directly : 203.523.4000
You can book online: www.norwalkhilton.com

OR YOU CAN GO TO OUR PERSONAL HOTEL WEBPAGE. BY CLICKING HERE, YOU WILL NOT NEED ANY CODES OR TO REMEMBER TO ASK FOR OUR RATE. CLICK NOW!

In any situation you will need our group code. SRW This will give you our discounted rate. There are rooms reserved for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. You do not need to stay all three nights for the discount, they are reserved because some will be coming in that early and need a place to stay.

IMPORTANT: YOU ONLY HAVE UNTIL OCTOBER 6TH TO RESERVE YOUR ROOMS AT THE LOWER PRICE. AFTER OCTOBER 6TH YOU WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO OUR RATE!

REGISTRY INFORMATION

We registered at both Macys and Bed, Bath, & Beyond and Sears

A Very Bones-y Update

Just thought you should know a little more about our new buddy. His birthday was towards the end of April, so he is four months old. He weighs just over 10 pounds. He is about the size of a shoe box with legs.

He is one smart puppy:

• He learned how to jump up on the couch in 2 days.
• He learned SIT in 2 days.
• He learned WATCH ME in an afternoon. This trick is just to get his attention.
  
• He climbs underneath everything. He can sit under the basement couch and destroys it from there. He also likes to hide under our bed.
• He learned LEAVE IT in about 10 minutes. We can tell him to leave things alone and not destroy everything!
• He knows that in order to lick Misty's bowl, he has to sit and wait. Otherwise, she will snap at him...

And Misty is getting the hang of this too! She took his toy away from him and then played tug-of-war with him. You would never know that she ignored him for the first 3 weeks. She will even let him cuddle her, which sometimes includes lying on her face.

Deb's Summer Reading List 2009

I was very productive this summer. I had a lot of nothing to accomplish, so I took it out on the library. This doesn't even take the pile of books I still have into account! I even included my personal review of each book. That way you know which ones not to read.....

• Anne Easter Smith, "The King's Grace" - This was a quick and easy read. I like historical romance, and this was it. The story was interesting and had me looking up extra details of the time period.
  
  
• Brenda Rickman Vantrease, "Mercy Seller" - I didn't even finish this book. I couldn't bring myself to it. I am sure that I would have enjoyed the story had I kept reading, but I had no motivation to read it, so I put it down.
  
  
• David Liss, "The Whisky Rebels" - Confession - I am halfway through this novel and I don't want to know how it ends. Something awful happened in the middle (and while I could continue reading the other story line) I want nothing to do with the conclusion of this book. But then, the fact that I keep thinking about it makes me think that maybe I should finish it? But I didn't. Maybe another time.
  
  
• Geraldine Brooks, "People of the book" - I loved this book! It tells the story of a haggadeh that was rescued and saved over and over again. It starts in the present and unravels its history layer by layer. I highly reccomend this book!
  
  
• Jane Green, "The Beach House" - I like her writing. She is a fun and easy read. Another great one of her's is "Second Chances"
  
  
• Jennifer Weiner, "Little Earthquakes" - This was about the power of friendship. 4 women who did not know each other until 3 become pregnant help each other save their marriages or other relationships and learn how to help each other through the worst. She is a quick read and a great author.
  
  
• Jennifer Weiner, "Certain Girls" - This was about anger and love and babies. It was not as compelling for me to continue reading as "Little Earthquakes," but I did finish it and I did cry at the end, twice. It was about learning to love yourself for all your "flaws" while learning to love the people who are doing the same around you. A self-discovery kind of book.
  
  
• Maeve Binchy, "Heart and Soul" - She is still my favorite author. I think it has something to do with the fact that all her stories come together. As I was reading this book I was still intereacting with characters from her previous novels. I cannot put her books down. This one is about a heart clinic that saves more than lives, it saves relationships. It was wonderful. If you have never read any of her books, you are missing out.
  
  
• Tatiana de Rosnay, "Sarah's Key" - This book is really wonderful. So far it is a parallel between a girl in the July 16, 1942 Paris roundup and a woman researching it in 2002. This is a powerful book about the importance of remembering. I highly recommend it!

What's his name?

The new puppy has gone through quite a personality disorder since we got him. We picked him up on Saturday July 25. He came with the name Tantoes (because he was the only puppy in the litter with tan feet). From there he became Tanto (obvious), Tigger, Dexter, Yoda (he kinda looks like him), Boris (because he is ugly) and Spock. But somehow he became Bones.

Bones was born April 23. He is active and cuddly. He runs circles around the house and has learned how to go up and down some of the stairs in the house. He has no interest in the upstairs (since we don't spend much time up there). But he loves to fly off the steps - Superman fashion. He is also a little too short for the couch and struggles a little bit. But then he gets a running start and makes it. He throws toys for himself and loves squeakers. He hasn't realized that he is smaller than Misty and Max and likes to chase Max. But when he potties in the house he is Matt's dog.

Click here for lots of photos!

Aspen 2009

After a little under a week at home, Matt came to join Misty and I in Connecticut. The very next morning, we woke up before dawn and went to Colorado. Every summer, my Grandparents rent a home in Aspen. Aspen has a wonderful music festival during the summer, as well as great hiking up and down the mountains and valleys.

Matt and I, along with my parents, spent three full days in Aspen. We arrived on Friday in time for lunch with the Cantor-Stones and Angie. We had a Mexican fajita lunch next to the river. Back to the house for goodbyes and NAPS! I have gotten sick from the altitude for the past decade, so I have to sleep and drink a lot of water. Matt and I woke up and walked around town while the folks went and listened to Chamber Music in the tent.

On Saturday, Matt climbed to the top of the mountain again. Last year I did it with him, but this year, he wanted to go faster so I didn't go. Instead, my parents and I met him at the top of the mountain with a picnic. There was also a brass quintet playing at the top of the mountain so we stayed and listened. They were great. However, we forgot to bring house keys with us and by the time we got back to the house, my Grandparents had left and we were locked out. Matt climbed the side of the house and brought my book down off the porch and then went biking. I guarded the door until my Grandparents came home. That night Matt and I joined my Grandparents for La Boheme (the opera that Rent is based on) in the park. We picnicked and listened to opera.

On Sunday, Matt woke up and biked from Aspen to Ashcroft. Ashcroft is a ghost town since 1939 when the last resident died. He biked all morning. In the afternoon, my parents and I went to the arts festival and I bought my first holiday gift of the year (craziness!). We went out for a delicious dinner that evening also.

On Monday, Matt and I went out for breakfast with my Grandfather. Then we went for a hike with my Mom. Whenever we have flown to Denver and then driven to Aspen, we drive past an exit called Hanging Lake. So this year we drove out there and went for a beautiful hike. It is a mile up climbing over rocks. I went slow on the way up since I still have a hard time with the altitude. Check out the pictures. When we got to the top there was a pristine lake with a huge waterfall. It was so beautiful! Maybe another 100 feet up we could climb under the waterfall. We have some great shots up there. We had lunch at the lake and then climbed back down.

We went home for a shower and then right back out to visit Angie and Shag's cabin. I forgot to bring my camera, sorry. They have a log cabin built on the side of the mountain. Since Angie has moved in (almost a decade) they have been terracing the mountain. there are large gardens with every vegetable and flower imaginable as well as ponds for trout. They also have deer and turkeys that eat on their porch regularly. Not to mention the hummingbirds on one side of the cabin and little birds on the other. It is so beautiful! And then out to dinner.

On Tuesday, we woke up with the sun and came home.

Karen's Bridal Shower

So I finished all my summer classes on Thursday and drove up to Connecticut on Friday for a two week stay. I mean, I have nothing to do in Maryland, I might as well stay and visit my family for as long as I want! Karen and Gary came over for Shabbat and then there was pong in the basement with Dan's friends.

Saturday. Karen threw me a Bridal shower. It was wonderful! My college roommates were able to come, as well as some of my favorite Stamford people. Karen made the most delicious lunch, and Janna and Emily planned great games. We played scategories with the word BRIDE, tried to guess how old I was in pictures (I did better than Mom), and of course there was Bingo. It was a wonderful, loving, luncheon. I could not have felt more loved.

I don't have a lot of pictures, because I was busy, but I should add more later. Click here.

Pool Party!

Our friend Alicia's father has a great backyard that we have been taking advantage of for a few years now. Yesterday, in honor of July 4th, she invited all of us over, and Misty too! Every time that Misty has gone to this house, she has been thrown in the pool. She is one of the worst swimmers ever! Matt carries her into the pool and supports her (like a child learning to swim) and then he lets go. She attacks the water with loud smacks as she tries to doggie paddle but mostly fails. It is very sad to watch.

But we got to hang out with friends that we haven't seen since... the end of May... crazy. We had a great, relaxing holiday weekend!

Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July! This year we had dinner with Tim, Sarah, and Ken at Sarah's parents' house. They live a stone's throw from NW DC. Sarah's mother also works at the Naval Observatory (where the VP lives!). So we went there to watch the fireworks. The thing you never knew was that everyone has fireworks going off at the same time. We were on top of the observatory watching the fireworks over the monuments, but we could see all the fireworks going off in a lot of the surrounding areas. We could see Virginia and lots of other fireworks going off. If we scanned the horizon all we saw were fireworks. They were far away and smaller but it was extraordinary! I have a video to post later. Crazy beautiful.

Check out this video. (Facebook)

--PS-- guess who didn't mind celebrating this year? Oh yea, that was me. I actually enjoyed this and wasn't synical at all!

Wedding Shoes

Did you know that in order to get your dress fitted you have to bring the exact shoes you are going to wear? I didn't. So Becky and I went shoe shopping today and found a cute pair of shoes for the wedding. Can you guess which ones?

Kitchen Redo

So we decided that while neither of us have real jobs where others will pay us this summer, we will pick up where we left off last summer. So this summer we will be painting all the ceilings (there won't be pictures of white ceilings - sorry I am not interested). AND we are beginning to update the kitchen little by little. We put real drawers in the island and built a new pantry system. We took the wire baskets and moved them to the pantry - not being wasteful at all! Would you like to see what we have done? Click here!

Meet the New Pup!

Matt fell in love with Daisy (Becky's pug mix) 2 years ago and has been talking non stop about getting his OWN version of Daisy ever since. Daisy is an active beast and gave Matt a run for his money every time he came over. Misty got no love.


So we started looking at the beginning of the summer (2 weeks ago) for a dog for Matt. We looked online and at the shelters when Tanto appeared and Matt fell for him hard! He is currently 9 weeks old and ADORABLE! His foster mom is going to continue taking care of him until he is spayed, and then he COMES HOME!!! Here are the first pictures of our new pup!

Pittsburgh Weekend

So when we sat down to plan the summer, we put nothing on the calendar. We thought, what the hell, let's just see what comes up! I was going to get a job (didn't happen) and Matt was going to play video games, so really what plans could we make?

The first weekend of summer vacation sent us up to Pittsburgh to visit Emily who has only made the reverse trip 5 times since we moved in less than a year ago. Friday night we had a nice family dinner before going out to Carson St. Amazingly, in all the years I have known Emily, or visited her, we never went out. The guys came to us or we stayed in. But this is partly my fault... a few years ago the rest of The Circus went to Pitt for New Years. Anyway, Carson St. is a lot of fun. It is not as pretentious as some areas of DC but has the laid back atmosphere of Adams Morgan except without the covers. We went to three different bars, including a Halloween themed bar before getting the required food at 1am. Matt went to an Asian hole-in-the-wall that was delicious and I found pizza. It was no jumbo slice, but it hit the spot.

Saturday was the most jam-packed day I can remember in a long time. We woke up to a full breakfast (eggs, biscuits, grits, bacon). And then had to leave and go shopping for tailgateing food. Emily and Pete took us to the strip district (where the boats unload all the food for all the restaurants in Pittsburgh). It was impressive. And partly stinky. We went through a meat market, cheese (Italian) market, popcorn company, Mexican store, and back to the fish market for Sushi.
Saturday night we went to see Dave Matthews Band. It was a good concert - it always was. I couldn't tell you one song they played but Matt and I were there the whole time enjoying our spot on the lawn. For those of you who have never tailgated with Emily, be aware that there is meat before the concert and s'mores after. Fire up the grill again.

Sunday we had to get back and pick up Misty. It was a great beginning of the summer. I cannot wait to see where we go next!

ENGAGEMENT PARTY

On Saturday, June 6 (one day short of 5 months until the BIG DAY!) Linda, Lesley, and Sarah hosted an engagement party for Matt and I. We played games to see who knew each of us the best. It was strange that both brothers won those games.

The best part was sharing our joy with our friends and families. This was the first time that the families got together and it was wonderful for them to finally meet. Don't get us wrong, we loved being the center of attention and all of the presents, but the actual best part was sharing the afternoon with so many people that we care about and don't get to spend as much time with. We are so glad that each of you came and we love you lots!

For pictures from the event MY PICTURES

X2 - Triathalon

This weekend (April 25) Matt, Phil, and Steve had a 12-16 mile race around Rocky Gap State Park, on the border of PA and MD. They had to hike the mountain looking for check in places (which they could do in any order), canoe across the lake, and bike around the mountain one more time. They did great - I don't remember how they placed, but I know they did the whole thing in 3 hours 10 minutes. CRAZY! Lesley, Elroy, Misty and I were there for moral support. While the boys ran a lot, we played in the lake - even Misty!

At the campground, we were the only people there - creepy like ghost stories where a man can run out of the woods and murder you in your sleep... but that didn't happen. They were exhausted however, and spend the afternoon collecting firewood. I wish I had a picture of the pile; it was about the size of a dining room table. By 9, we had made no dent in the pile, but were not going to leave it for the next guy to come, so we burned it as fast as we could. Almost everything made it in the fire.

To see pictures of this weekend, go to My Pictures