Weekend Breaks

I've been off from class the last three weekends. Jordan summed up our New York trip nicely with his last post. We had such an amazing trip! It was great to get away.

Not last weekend, but the one before, we went up to Pennsylvania for Reagan's (Jordan's sister) wedding. It was truly one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to! They had the wedding at Bedford Springs, and everything went perfectly. Reagan was stunning! I've always felt very close to Jordan's family, but spending that special weekend with them made me officially feel like part of the family.  

Last weekend my mom came to visit. On Friday, we went to the Marine Parade at the Barracks. Jordan and I had talked about wanting to go, so we thought it would be a good chance to spend some time with my mom and play tourist. It was awesome (but cold)! 

On Saturday, a group of us tailgated and went to see Eric Church and Kenny Chesney. The concert was SO much fun! 

And on Sunday, we did some yard maintenance. Our yard was COVERED in ivy, so much that I thought it resembled the Secret Garden. After ripping up the weeds, we discovered that the fountain that was put in by the owner is still functional. We're going to spend the next couple weekends working to make the yard a nice place to grill and hang out. Outdoor space is really important to both of us, so be on the lookout for updates and photos on the yard. Hopefully we'll have some good ideas to share on making the most out of the yard space you have (which, if you live in the city isn't much) on a small(ish) budget. Since we never got around to having a housewarming party, we're thinking of having a "garden party" when it's all done. I'm super excited to shop for outdoor furniture and serving dishes. Who am I? 

HAHA! 

In addition to travel and yard work, we've been really busy with wedding planning lately. In the next couple weeks, we hope to have contracts with most (maybe all?!) of our vendors. Going through this process with Jordan has been a lot of fun. We have similar tastes, so we haven't found much we've disagreed on. Everything is coming together so nicely, and I'm so thankful to have the extra time and flexibility that comes with a longer engagement. Of course, since we're paying for most of the wedding ourselves, there are a lot of financial perks that come with having time to research and save. After we lock in everything, it will be so nice to just sit back and enjoy time with my fiance. Ahh, fiance. I still get really excited about that!  

New York, New York; So Nice They Named It Twice

Earlier this month Tiff and I cashed in our miles for a swanky hotel, the Andaz, and took the Bolt Bus to NYC for the weekend. The bus takes about an hour or so longer than the train but for a third of the cost. If you've never made the trip from DC, WaPo has a great compare tool for the different bus line options.

On our last trip we stayed on the Upper West Side near Central Park so this time we thought we'd see what the Financial District had to offer. We weren't disappointed!

On Saturday, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. This was my first visit to Brooklyn. 

After checking out the filming of a new Spider Man movie and the parks along the East River, we decided to take a ferry boat back to Manhattan. While we were waiting, an awesome storm rolled in over the city. You can see the skyline disappear as the storm got closer in the pics below. 

On Sunday we went to see the 9/11 Memorial. While it's impossible not to tear up at the memorial, the nearly complete Freedom Tower makes for a powerful contrast. 

Here's the full album from our trip. Looking forward to our next adventure!