Dog-filled Weekend

Warning: Cute doggie pictures ahead!

While at the Stevenson's house recently, we got to spend some quality time with their Westie, Bonnie. She really enjoyed jumping on Justin!

The next night we finally got to meet Jack. He is the cutest little puppy! He sure likes to play, but he gets tired out quickly and falls fast asleep. He especially likes sleeping in shoes and under the table.

He, too, enjoyed jumping on Justin!

And of course we can't leave Charlie out! He's only the *cutest* doggie in the world! ;-)

Woodstock, Vermont

After brunch on Sunday morning, we took advantage of our late flight out, and drove over to Woodstock, Vermont for a little bit. Along with Natalie, Alex, Hunter, and Demi, we made a quick stop at the Quechee Gorge in Woodstock. A gorge is a deep valley between cliffs carved by the landscape of a river, much like a canyon. It was really a spectacular sight! From what we saw of Vermont, it was truly breathtaking! Plus, they have great Vermont sharp cheddar cheese there, not to mention an assortment of cider beers!

Sunday morning brunch at the Hanover Inn.

Quechee Gorge in Vermont.

The gorge again.

Demi and Justin.

Whew, what a trip! We had a blast!

Chip and Vanessa's Wedding

Chip and Vanessa's Wedding was truly memorable. The ceremony took place at 5pm at Rollins Chapel just down the street from the Hanover Inn. The rain let up for the perfect amount of time to allow us to get to the church still dry. Vanessa looked beautiful walking down the aisle, and Chip was tearing up. While the vows were incredibly long, the littlest groomsman Logan did a good job of standing still. Thankfully he had his mini-tractor to keep him occupied. The ceremony was beautiful, and we were ready to celebrate when it was over! No photography was allowed during the ceremony so I don't have any pictures. I did manage to take some after the ceremony though.

All ready to go - the inside of the church before the ceremony!

Us waiting for the guests to arrive.

Chip and Vanessa with both sets of parents.

The whole bridal party.

Justin and Hunter

Logan and Hunter, the little groomsman.

After many family pictures, we were off to the cocktail hour. We arrived just in time to sample a few of the appetizers outside on the terrace. Next, we went inside for the big introduction of the new Mr. and Mrs. After some lovely toasts from Vanessa's dad and Senator Lugar, we enjoyed a great meal of chicken and salmon. Justin and I had a great time chatting with Chip and Vanessa's friends from DC that we were sitting with. After dinner, Justin gave his best man speech and did such a good job! Everyone loved it, especially Chip and Vanessa. Let me tell you, it took him awhile to come up with a PG-rated, family friendly speech! We are so lucky to have Chip and our new sister-in-law Vanessa!

First dance - they had taken dance lessons a couple days prior so they were fully prepared!

The new Mr. and Mrs!

Time for some cake!

The reception was an absolute blast! We spent the next several hours dancing away to the highly requested Michael Jackson along with all the usual party songs.

Dancing the night away!

Post-reception and Logan was exhausted.

Of course, the rest of us went onto to have more fun.

As for the after-party, we ventured across the street to a fancy bar called the Canoe Club Bistro. I think our crowd was a bit too rowdy for their liking, and we were asked to leave! A group of us was playing flip cup (while sitting down and not even putting beer in the cup). They didn't like that too well and said that the New Hampshire liquor commissioner was going to come and find us. Whatever, we took our party elsewhere. Specifically, to the lobby of the Hanover Inn where the six pizzas we had ordered were delivered! :-)

Attempting to play flippy cup. It was short-lived.

All in all, a perfect wedding!

Hanover, New Hampshire

The next 2 nights were spent in Hanover at Dartmouth College. We thought the campus was so charming and beautiful. There were so many cafes, coffee shops, and boutiques to be found. I don't think we saw a single chain restaurant. We spent the day visiting with Justin's family and walking around the campus.

Lunch at Murphy's on the Green.

The Hanover Inn - a wonderful hotel in the center of campus where we stayed and where the reception took place.

The campus of Dartmouth.

The view of New Hampshire from our hotel.

Rollins Chapel, where the ceremony took place.

That evening was the rehearsal at the chapel followed by a heavy appetizer and cocktail reception at Jesse's for all guests in town. We had so much fun visiting with family and friends. After the reception, the crazy crowd headed back to Murphy's for a post-rehearsal dinner party. Justin REALLY enjoyed himself.

Justin, Chip, and Uncle Gregg.

Chip and Justin - no idea what is on Chip's head.

Chip, Vanessa, and Justin.

Then we headed to bed to rest up for the run/walk with the bride and groom in the morning!

Boston Day 4

On our final day in Boston, we visited Fenway Park. Unfortunately, the Red Sox were not in town during our vacation, or we would have gone to a game. A tour of Fenway Park had to suffice. Once again, the rain was really coming down during the tour, and I was none too thrilled about running out onto the Green Monster for a picture. Justin, on the other hand, was a much better sport. Overall, we both really enjoyed the tour and were impressed with the history of the stadium and its dedicated fans. Maybe we have become Red Sox fans now?


I was smiling because I was sitting inside the DRY press box. :-) Please ignore the fact that I have the same sweatshirt on in every picture. It was the warmest thing I had, and it was so cold there! I had to put fashion on hold for my well-being. I promise I washed it three times during the week.

After the tour of Fenway, we decided to head back to the Boston Long Wharf Harbor in hopes of reserving a spot on a historical cruise boat. This should come to no surprise, but the boat was canceled due to the rain. Notice the theme of the week? So we headed to Wagamama's for lunch. Wagamama's has a special place in my heart after eating there all the time in London. I was thrilled to find one in Boston.


Justin enjoyed his Asian-inspired dish, and I munched away on some salt and chili pepper edamame. Yum!

After lunch, Justin took off to attempt to find another boat to go on while I paid the bill. He called me and asked if a trip to St. George's Island was ok. Without knowing a thing about it, I agreed. We boarded the ship and took off on the cruise to the Island (note: the rain had subsided at this point). Well, I was less than impressed with the Island. Maybe if I was some history buff or something, it might have been interesting, but I much prefer shopping and purses and shoes than history. It was an old fort used during the Civil War, Fort Warren. Just a tip, if you ever go to Boston, don't waste your time. We walked around the fort for an hour with the ONE other family on the island with us. I refused to walk up the nasty stairwell that were infested with bats. I will say that Justin had good intentions of finding something fun to do in the rain, and I am sorry it wasn't more of a hit!

Enough of Fort Warren, time for bigger and better things! Next, we enjoyed some fabulous desserts and coffee at Mike's Pastry. We both loved the Boston Cream Pie and Whoopie Pie.

Then we returned to the hotel where Justin spent the next 2 hours working on his best man speech. He rehearsed it over and over again until it was well-polished. To end the night, we had a very enjoyable dinner in the North End (Italian district). We ate at a quaint little restaurant called Al Dente. We both agreed it was absolutely delicious.

4 days in Boston were a success, and now it was wedding time!

Boston Day 3

The following day we were not so lucky, and woke up to a rainy Boston. We sucked it up and made the trip to Harvard University anyway. Harvard has a beautiful campus with so much history, but unfortunately I feel like we didn't enjoy it as much as we should have. It was founded in 1636 and has been the university of choice for many famous people. Unfortunately, I was in a bit of a mad mood due to the constant rain and failed to appreciate its beauty. I was very frustrated because I was soaking wet and had forgotten my umbrella. Enough of my complaining...the student-run, unofficial tour of the university, known as the Hahvahd tour (Bostonians tend to ignore the pronunciation of Rs), was hilarious.

Right off the T stop in Cambridge. No rain at this point (yet).

Harvard Yard
Harvard University
Justin and John Harvard

After a quick stop at the hotel to dry out, we cabbed it to Cheers. Although it was only 1 mile away, you couldn't have paid me to walk in the rain again that day.

At the Cheers Bar, which really looks nothing like the TV show, but it was still fun!

My beer was this delicious Harpoon raspberry wheat beer...loved it!

On the dinner menu was more seafood. Gotta get it while you can! For some reason we totally messed up the location of Skipjacks (our dinner spot) and walked 1.5 miles to the completely wrong side of town. Once we realized it, we walked around 3 miles to the correct side of town, enjoyed dinner, and then walked home. It wasn't raining out so I was more than happy to be outside!

Boston Day 2

On day 2 in Boston, we were surprised to wake up and not see rain falling down. We made sure to take full advantage of the day, and spent the day walking around the whole city (seriously, I think we walked 7-8 miles). Justin's sister Natalie, our nieces Alex and Demi, and nephew Hunter joined us for a day in the city. We walked the whole Freedom Trail, a red brick path through downtown Boston that leads to 16 historic sites. It was so fun to spend the day together, and we we able to see so much of Boston. The kids did a great job walking around all day!

Justin and Demi - There is nothing special about this fountain, Demi just really wanted her picture with it. Kids are so funny.

Justin posing with Ben Franklin's grave

Granary Burying Ground, where several famous people were buried such as Samuel Adams and Benjamin Franklin

Gold-painted woman entertaining on the street near Quincy Market. I think that was Demi's favorite part of the whole day!

Paul Revere's house

Old North Church

Alex, Demi, and Hunter in front of Paul Revere

USS Constitution, which we now know all about after our hour long tour of it!

At the USS Constitution Museum - Me, Hunter, Alex, Demi, Natalie, and Justin

The final stop of the day, Bunker Hill Monument.

Well, that sums about our day of walking the Freedom Trail. There were several more historical stops as well as food and ice cream stops, but you get the idea!

That night we met up with my friend Allyson. Allyson and I met in London 5 years ago when we studied there for a semester. We hadn't seen each other in 3 years so it was great to catch up. I think I must have been so excited to see her that I completely forgot to take any pictures! We ate a fabulous dinner at the Beacon Hill Bistro (my favorite meal, I think) and chatted over several glasses of wine. Another good night!