Christmas 2013

Happy new year!!

It feels like Christmas happened about five weeks ago, but that could be because we've been traveling since Christmas Eve. We spent the Christmas holiday with my immediate family in New Hampshire, followed by a Lahey family trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina. We got home on New Year's Eve and rang in 2014 here in Somerville. It was a busy couple of days, but they were filled with family, friends, great food, and celebrations.

I'll provide some insight into where and what we ate while in South Carolina soon, but, for now, here's a peek into what our Christmas day looked like (complete with my nieces' matching pajamas - too cute!).

The hot toy of this year - a keyboard!

How was your holiday?

Just Married

Hello, friends! We are back from our wedding and honeymoon, and I must say, everything was absolutely perfect. The weather was gorgeous every single day, we ate and drank like royalty, and, on our big day, we were surrounded by our closest family and friends. Does it get any better than that?

I have a couple of honeymoon and wedding recaps planned for you all, but as I wrap my head around all of the information I want to share, I figured I'd at least show you guys a few photos. Our amazing photographer, Eric McCallister, sent us a few photos, and here are some of my favorites so far. (Side note: our wedding venue was Mountain View Grand Resort in Whitefield, N.H. More to come on that, too!). I hope you enjoy, and more fun posts will come this week!

My Bachelorette Party

Well, I survived my bachelorette party (barely). It was this past Friday night to Saturday afternoon, and it was a total surprise. My bridesmaids planned an entire evening and day in Portsmouth, N.H., complete with a booze cruise Friday night (followed by more drinks at Gas Light), breakfast at The Friendly Toast the next morning, then a brewery tour (and more drinks) at Redhook Brewery. Some friends even came as far as Long Island. To say I felt special would be an understatement.

Here are some of the non-embarrassing photos from the occasion:

My awesome cake.

This photo does not do the double rainbow we saw on the cruise justice.

Memorial Day Weekend {Snapshots}

How was your weekend?

A Weekend in the Mountains

First things first: Thank you all so, so much for your kind words on my post yesterday. I am overwhelmed with the support and encouragement I received from all of you. I truly am one lucky lady! Thank you.

After my last day of work on Friday, Z and I headed up to Whitefield, N.H. We were showing our parents Mountain View Grand Resort (where we're getting married), but we stayed at The Lion and the Rose Bed & Breakfast. It's a little more affordable, and we've also already stayed at Mountain View before. (A full review of this B&B is coming soon!).

Our weekend was filled with beautiful views, delicious food, and some quality bonding between both families.

Life-size gingerbread house (completely edible) at Mountain View.

Inside The Lion and the Rose B&B.

View from the top of Mount Martha.

Where is your favorite place to travel to for a weekend away? Mine would definitely be anywhere in the White Mountains, or Portland, Maine.

Still Recovering

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

I’m slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things at work/in “real life” after such a fantastic and relaxing four-and-a-half-day weekend. But it hasn’t been easy. Between recovering from four days of Thanksgiving indulgence, wedding planning (more on that later!), and preparing for my new career (more on that soon!), it’s been quite the slow transition. But hey, that’s what beer is for, right? Right!

Anyway, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We celebrated the holiday at my older sister’s house in Maine. The day was filled with family, friends, cute little kids, delicious food, and lovely libations.

The stuffed mushrooms I made (I also made a vegetarian stuffing).

My sister's creation: rosemary-raisin crackers topped with sliced pear and goat cheese. So good!

My nephew (who's wearing the sweater vest I bought him) & my brother.

My youngest niece, Z and bro.

My other niece...who's currently going through the "Terrible Twos." Good times. ;)

My brother's banana cream pie with chocolate chips. Delish!

The rest of the dessert spread.

What would Thanksgiving be without an episode of "Fraggle Rock"?

The next morning: iPhone games and pajamas. 

How was your Thanksgiving?

Scenes from Boulder

I hope you all had a good week last week! Our trip to Boulder, CO was pretty amazing. We spent our first two nights at Chautauqua (and had a surprisingly delicious dinner at their dining hall); then, we back-packed our way through the Rockies for four days (my first time camping for real); and our last two nights in Boulder were spent at the beautiful Hotel Boulderado. Some beer tasting, sightseeing, wildlife sightings (including deer, moose and elk), and mountain biking (much to my horror) was also involved. 

I took several hundred photos while we were away, so here are just some of the highlights from our epic trip.

The sights, from our hike:

Elk!

More elk!

The food:

Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery - Avocado & Cheese Sandwich, $6.25.

Twirl frozen yogurt - they also have dairy-free options.

I also highly recommend The Boulder Omelet ($9.50) from Foolish Craig's, and the Veggie Burger ($8.50) at Walnut Brewery (washed down with one of their beers, obviously).

The beer:

Avery Brewing Co.'s Wheel Sucker Wheat Ale + their special tap for that day.

Mountain Sun's Jah'Mon Ginger.

Upslope Brown Ale - from Rueben's Burger Bistro.

Russian River brews from Backcountry Pizza & Tap House.

The accommodations:

Hotel Boulderado.

Our room!

 What are some of the highlights from your week?