Wedded Bliss

This weekend, my husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. It's funny, so many of our friends commented how they couldn't believe it had already been a year. Dave and I pretty much couldn't wait for the year to be over!

They say your first year is your hardest, and I think we were dealt some pretty difficulty challenges these past twelve months. Between Dave's back injury and losing his job, and me taking a temporary pay cut in order to gain some sanity in our lives, coupled with my dad getting hit by a car, my mom changing jobs and having surgery, and all the stuff going on with friends and people close to us, this year has not been easy. We toasted to a Happy New Year, hoping that the next twelve months (and the many years to come) will be easy in comparison. In fact, one of the biggest things I'm looking forward to this year is spending Christmas with Dave, something we couldn't do last year since he was injured and couldn't travel with me to Pittsburgh. (I had to go--children were counting on me.)


Saturday night we had reservations at Gibbet Hill Grill. We'd been there once before for a friend's graduation party and every once and a while would mention that we really need to go there for dinner. Taking advantage of a special occasion, we decided to go. When we arrived, the place was pretty busy, with a full dining room and filling bar area, as well as a wedding about to begin outside. The reception was to be held in The Barn, a separate building across from the main Grill restaurant. Our table was in the back at the windows, so I was able to see a little bit of the ceremony once it started. (We didn't crash this one either. Although we were appropriately dressed, alas we did not have a gift.)

Our waiter was great--very fun and attentive. And the food. Oh. My. God. I had been planning all week what I was going to have, doing extra workouts to accommodate all the yummy goodies I wanted. But words really can't describe it (not that I won't try!) Much of the food featured on the menu is grown either right on the farm or is local to the area. It's so fresh and the flavors are perfectly melded together with other fresh ingredients.


We ordered drinks, and looked over the menu, for Dave's benefit since I already had it figured out. Dave got a gin and tonic, and since I was getting steak and I am my mother's daughter, I ordered a Maker's Mark Manhattan. (And about halfway through the glass, I was finally able to taste the ice! I'm just saying, that was one drunk cherry, totally unfit to drive.)

As an appetizer, we ordered the Farmhouse Grilled Cheeses, made with local cheese and bread from a nearby bakery. This included a wonderfully sharp cheddar on a perfect sourdough bread, and a yummy goat cheese and roasted red pepper spread on a crusty french bread. They were gooey and warm and paired with a fresh tomato soup for dipping. Well, they called it soup, but it was really more like a thick marinara sauce in texture, but tomato soup flavor all the way. I could have licked the bowl, it was that good.

Dave had ordered a cup of New England Clam Chowder, which he said was perfectly creamy without being too thick. My meal came with a house salad, with all kinds of fresh greens, local goat cheese and a tangy chardonnay vinaigrette.

But really, we came to this place for the cow. And it was excellent. Dave had the Prime Rib Au Jus with garlic mashed red bliss potatoes and citrus-honey glazed carrots. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sirloin Steak Tips with a perfect baked potato. We figure they do a lot of wood-fired cooking there, because while the food wasn't necessarily smoky, there was a slight flavor to it that could only come from a wood-fired oven. The steak was so smooth--an intense flavor and a soft, butter texture. The most perfect steak tips ever.

Of course, I was celebrating and knew I was having dessert. I had a little bit of convincing to do for Dave, but he humored me and joined it. Gibbet Hill actually serves Milk and Cookies on their dessert menu (come on, how often do you see that?), and I pondered that option. Our waiter told us the cookies were Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cranberry, and I was almost hooked. Two of my favorites. But I decided against it because those are also two of my best cookie recipes and I wanted to try something unique. In the end it was Chocolate Pots de Creme with salted caramel, while Dave chose the Peach Crisp.

Ok, so I wasn't actually certain what Chocolate Pots de Creme was, but the waiter sold it by saying "silky smooth" and "chocolate" in the same sentence. It arrived in a mug and the top layer was smooth caramel, topped with just a little bit of cream. A-maze-ing. It was the silkiest of chocolate mousse, with an intense chocolate flavor, almost like hot cocoa in taste, paired with an oozing pool of caramel with a salted kick to cut the chocolate back a little. I could have licked the mug. And almost did. The Peach Crisp was huge, topped with almost two scoops of vanilla ice cream (the waiter told us later that he put more on it because he didn't think there was enough when he picked it up from the kitchen). The peaches were perfect and the cinnamon-y, nutty struesel topping was delicious.

We so rarely go out and get drinks, appetizers, and dessert with our meal, but celebrating "New Year's" seemed appropriate. We went home, snuggled on the couch, looked at our wedding album and digested.


Sunday, our actual anniversary, Dave's parent's came over to have lunch and celebrate with us. Dave and I popped a bottle of champagne for breakfast and toasted to a less chaotic year. After lunch with Madaline and Ernie, they gave us presents. A couple of entertaining dishes, since we have people over often, and a very special gift from Madaline.

Madaline is a quilter and an incredibly talented one at that. For our wedding, she made us this:


It's a king-sized quilt (her first) in beautiful colors. The picture doesn't do justice for the pattern or the quilt work she did, so trust me when I say it's gorgeous.

So I was quite surprised to open our gift yesterday and find this:


A beautiful "snuggling"quilt in our wedding colors. I swear, she picks the best fabrics. The border has hearts looped all the way around it and it's just lovely. Madaline commented that she didn't know our wedding colors when she started the bed quilt, so she had to make us another one! I don't think that was quite necessary, but it was very thoughtful.

So one year down, we spent the rest of the day watching football and it couldn't have been more perfect. I'm so lucky to have married such a wonderful guy that has been supportive and positive in a year that has been challenging and difficult. I think I'll keep him.

Congratulations, Mike & Donna!

Sorry for the lapse. Dave and I were away this weekend. We traveled to Bethlehem, PA, to attend Dave's cousin's wedding. The weekend before, Dave had gone to his cousin, Mike's, bachelor party in Atlantic City. Apparently it was a reasonably good time, but Dave is disappointed they didn't get into more trouble. Yes, at 30, my husband was the old man of the group, but also the biggest trouble maker. And he came home with at least one other woman's phone number. (He swears she gave it to him, unsolicited.)

But I digress. Wedding. Dave wasn't a groomsman, but he did escort Mike's mom down the aisle (Mike had escorted Dave's mom at our wedding last year), served as an usher, and read the scriptures during the ceremony. He was quite the busy guy. And since Mike forgot to tell him most of this, he only found out about it on Friday when we showed up at the church for the rehearsal. Dave's so easy-going and just rolled with it. And he did a great job on the readings at the wedding. Donna was walked down the aisle by her brother, which was special for her because they have such a close relationship. The rehearsal went fairly smoothly and was followed with a catered dinner in the church social hall. The food was pretty good, with New York-style cheesecake for dessert. This was definitely Donna's touch, since she's originally from Long Island.

Since the wedding wasn't until 3:30 pm on Saturday, we relaxed and did our own thing, then had lunch and got dressed to head over to the church. The weather was beautiful. Clear skies and sunny, with a nice breeze and not at all hot and humid like it has been for the last few months. It was a perfect day. We got to the church, probably too early, but Dave wasn't exactly sure. For me it was a lot of waiting in the pews. For Dave, it was a lot of waiting in the back of the church. Dave escorting his aunt, Jo (Mike's mom) to her seat at the start of the ceremony. The ceremony was lovely, performed by Mike's father (Dave's uncle, Jeff). I'm sure that was really special and you could see on Jeff's face that he was very happy. The ceremony went quickly and the couple had a bubble exit, which was cute. We stuck around for a little while to do some family pictures and then drove over to the reception hall. Unfortunately we took this picture while Donna was taking portraits. If we would have thought to get her in it, we'd have all the ladies that married into the family (left to right): Madaline (Dave's Mom), Annette (Dave's grandfather's wife), Jo, (Dave's aunt), and me.

The reception hall wasn't too far away, and very near the hotel. Despite our deepest protests, Donna and Mike are big Yankees fans (everyone has a flaw), and instead of table numbers they used Yankee player names. We were seated with Andy Pettitte (at least it wasn't Jeter) and a few of the groomsmen with their wives and girlfriends. They were a funny group and we had a good time.

Donna loves penguins like you would not believe. The girl has more penguin stuff than you can imagine, including the seat covers in her car. Someone told her that she was being mean by sitting on them when she drove, but she retaliated, saying that she wasn't sitting on them, she was letting them give her a hug. Only that kind of logic can describe this obsession.

Now, I knew this about Donna when I bought the cake topper for Dave and I. I wanted something a little bit different and found a seller on Etsy who makes all kinds of bride and groom animals. We looked at them together and settled on these penguins.
The penguin cake topper from our wedding last year. The seller added the pink details at my request to go with our wedding colors.

When Donna saw them, she just about lost it. Since Mike and Donna were engaged already (they were actually engaged before Dave and I), I knew what I needed to do.
Enhance: I contacted the seller and bought these for Donna last fall as a engagement gift. The seller added the navy blue details and even did the bouquet and veil flowers as daisies, Donna's favorite.

We had a pretty good time and did some dancing. Of course, for the limited amount of dancing we did, there is still one picture of me (and Dave this time, too) on the dance floor in a not-so-flattering pose. I swear, I could make an album of just awkward pictures of me dancing at weddings. It's as though it's my destiny. So of course I'll share. In our defense, the DJ was playing the Animal House version of Shout by Otis Day and the Nights.

We were so glad to be able to spend the day celebrating with Mike and Donna. We wish them the best and a lifetime of love.

Wedding Crashers

A few months ago, D and I were sitting at home on a Saturday evening without much of a plan. In trying to decide what to do for dinner, I decided to text our friend C and ask if she and her boyfriend, K, wanted to go out somewhere. A few minutes later I get a phone call from C.

Me: Hey, what's going on?

C: I'm at a wedding. K isn't with me--I let him stay home from this one. Want to crash it?

Me (to D, still sitting on the couch): Want to crash a wedding?

D: Ok, sure.

Me (to C on the phone): Ok. Where and when?

C: Really? That's awesome. It's at the Elks just down the road from you. We're here now but the bride and groom are supposed to arrive in about 30 minutes. They have a lot of food and not a lot of guests, so I think the bride will appreciate having someone here to enjoy it.

Me: Ok, cool. We'll get dressed and be down there soon. I'll text you and you can meet us outside. (hang up with C)

D: Whose wedding is it?

Me: Oh, I don't know. I didn't ask.

D: Whatever. Free food!

So, being that we were sitting on the couch playing video games all afternoon, we were not in wedding attire--more like yoga pants and a t-shirt attire. I'm also not sure that I had showered yet that day. So we both took quick showers, I did my hair and make-up (I think D managed to shave) and we put on some formal wear--D in a suit and tie, me in a cute party dress I wore to our rehearsal dinner.

In the midst of this whirlwind makeover, I thought to myself, "We're going to a wedding, we need to take a gift." I typically have a handful of emergency gifts on hands for a few different reasons. Sometimes there's an item that I see on sale and I know it would be perfect for some sort of occasion, or maybe it'll make a good Secret Santa gift or something. Other items are things I've collected from some of the executives at work who, very generously, want to thank me for helping them. So I've got a collection of some really nice things that just aren't my style and a few not so nice things that I just can't bear to throw away, thinking maybe they'll find a home later.

Sorting through the gift draw, I called out to D, "A set of silver candle holders or a set of linen placemats and napkins?"

D: What?

Me: We're going to a wedding, we have to take a gift.

D: Oh. Ok. Placemats.

Now I just needed a card. I usually also have a stockpile of cards. Unfortunately, I didn't have any wedding cards. Dammit. Oh! D and had just been recently wed and all of the cards we received were still sitting in a box in the office. I opened the box and started looking for an appropriate card. And by appropriate, I meant one that didn't have our names on it and had a vague signature.

Me: Ok, we're Kathi and Tom tonight.

D: Ok, I can be Tom. Why?

Me: Because those are the names on the card.

I put the placemats and card in a gift bag, grabbed our camera and we were off. Mind you, all of the above, from initial phone call to out the door, showered, dressed and gift in hand was less than 30 minutes. We're awesome.

On the way there, I text C and we met her outside. She laughed when she saw the gift, and we went in. Yes I signed the guest book (All the best in a life of love, Kathi & Tom) and we sat down with C and some of our other friends.

C and I used to work together and the wedding was for one of her colleagues, who I actually know from visiting C at work. Turns out the bride and groom were actually already married in a Muslim ceremony a few months ago and this was their reception for family that couldn't come to the wedding. Since the wedding was on short notice. Since the bride was pregnant and all.

So there were about 8 tables set up, but only enough people to fill about 5 1/2 of them. And there was a lot of food. When we arrived the bride and groom still weren't there, but we had a good time catching up with our friends, sharing our alter-egos, and having a general good time. Except for the fact that this adventure started because D and I were hungry. By the time the bride and groom arrived (about an hour and half after we got there), we were ravenous. And getting a little tipsy since the bar was serving anyway. Eventually we got some food. During dinner the bride and groom made their rounds and were very excited to see some friendly faces filling the crowd. She was in very good spirits about us crashing her wedding.

The evening went on with some traditions (Muslim and Western) and we even danced and had cake. Then we invited the whole table back to our place to play video games (see--we came full circle).

A couple of weeks later, I stopped by to see C at work, and she remembered she had an envelope for me. Puzzled, I opened it to find a thank you note addressed to Kathi & Tom from the bride and groom! Apparently, the next time C saw the bride, she thanked her for being a good sport about letting us come to the wedding and hoped she didn't mind that she invited us since her boyfriend and son couldn't make it. The bride was very sweet and said it wasn't a problem, she was pleased to have us. But she was more puzzled because she knew our names and couldn't piece together who Kathi & Tom were. C laughed and clued her into our alter egos, forever sealing our fate as the crazy couple who crashed a wedding, but had the taste and class to bring a gift.

A Beautiful Day

This past weekend, D and I went to Philadelphia (ok, actually Conshohocken) for a wedding. My close friend L was finally getting married! I was thrilled for the weekend away and totally ecstatic to watch L and her husband (!), also an L, get hitched.

We left Friday morning, got through New Jersey before suffering through some rush hour traffic outside of Philly, eventually getting to our hotel. Shout-out to the Residence Inn Conshohocken--the rooms were great, the staff was very friendly, and the hotel looked really nice. The ambiance made up for the fact that it is situated right next to the commuter rail line.

After checking in and dumping our bags, we hopped back in the car to go to dinner with some other friend's of ours, M & B, and their sweet 2 1/2 year old son, C. We had a great time reconnecting and meeting C for the first time. He was very sweet and fell in love with D over dinner (of course D had bought him a truck that they played with across the table, so that may or may not have had something to do with it).

After dinner we took a walk around the King of Prussia Mall, partially to spend some more time and partially do let C walk off some energy. And I may or may not have forgotten my cardigan for the wedding, so I actually did have an excuse to shop. But I was well behaved (since we were with company and all) and that's all I bought.

It was so good to see our friends and I'm so glad we had an opportunity to see them in addition to traveling for the wedding. I always feel more productive when I travel somewhere and am able have more than one purpose.

Some of our other friends (M & K--the bump twins from our Vermont Girls' Weekend) got into the hotel late and stopped by with M's husband, N, before we headed to sleep. Waking up we got a great breakfast at the hotel to line our stomachs for an afternoon of margaritas, and inevitably, shenanigans.

The wedding was at noon and L had arranged for a friend to have a van shuttle guests the 1/2 mile from the hotel to the restaurant (good idea, L!). We arrived, met a few of our other friend's and got ready for the ceremony.

(I've stolen these photos from K because I don't have mine yet. D took a whole bunch of great shots, but is still playing with them, so I don't have them in my files yet. So it was either steal from K or wait on this post. I think K would have encouraged me to steal.)


The weather was perfect. It was a little overcast early, but very warm. It eventually got very hot and sunny, but no rain for an outdoor wedding is perfect.


L was so pretty. Her dress was perfect and everything was simple and beautiful. There ceremony, performed by her childhood pastor, was tailored specifically for the two of them. And her father, also a minister, read them their vows. It was a perfectly touching ceremony.

Upon being presented as husband and wife, L&L made a beeline for the frozen margaritas. The rest of the guests followed suit, and soon enough we had a real party on our hands. Well, actually a fiesta--it was a Mexican restaurant after all.

from left to right: M, H, B, L, me, and K. Yes, the two pregnant chicks appear to be holding margaritas. And yes, they are non-alcoholic.

The traditional dances took place and I love watching them. For L&L, you could see throughout the entire day exactly how in love they are. I think this picture captures it all.


D has a little issue wearing plain white shirts, so he decided to go for a fiesta-appropriate color. And so did K's husband A! I love it when boys coordinate.

mine is the bald one

And of course, about 4 weeks later, we have new bump pictures from the mommies to be:

M is supposed to find out what they are having this week, but K already knows they're having a boy! Congrats!

UPDATE 6/21/10: M & N are also having a boy! Yea!

After wonderful food, many margaritas, a lot of dancing, a lot of hugs and tears, and maybe a few more margaritas, the reception ended. We went back to the hotel, changed into more comfortable attire, and intended to hit up an after-party at the hotel.

Except the bride passed out and didn't make it to the party. Hey, it was hot, she had a long day, and several long months of planning (and being a med student and all), I don't blame her one bit.

So after visiting with groom L's family and friend's for a little while, we decided to hit up a nearby Dave and Buster's. Saying Dave and Buster's is D's favorite place in the world is probably pretty accurate. Anywhere he can get beer and play unlimited video games is a good place.

So M and her husband N, K and her husband A, and D and I took a little ride and started playing some games. Skeeball and racing are two of our favorites; our friends loved anything that gave tickets. K was a mission to get a lot of tickets and cash them in for a really good prize. Imagine her excitement when A decided to play the Spin & Win (literally, you spin the wheel and hit a button when you want it to stop).

notice that the green light is on the 1000 marker at the top

Yes, he hit it for 1000 tickets! What does 100 tickets look like, you ask? Like this:


Shortly there after, we cashed out. Most of the tickets were redeemed for SweeTarts, but a Bop-It was also awarded.

Back at the hotel, I realized I was actually pretty much hung-over. It was 10:00 pm, but since I started drinking at about 12:30 pm, it wasn't too unreasonable. Shortly thereafter, D realized he wasn't doing so good. So to bed with us, rising much better in the morning and prepared for our drive home.

It was a fabulous weekend and a beautiful wedding. I wish L&L nothing but the best in a life of love.