Anniversary Weekend

This past weekend, my darling fiance and I celebrated our anniversary. It's a little early b/c our first day was actually right before Halloween, and we got engaged on Oct. 16, but this weekend worked out to be the best time for us to get away together. This is also technically our last anniversary in October, and we won't have another anniversary until April 9, 2012! (I did promise that I would make a cake next October anyway.)
On Saturday, we drove up River Road to Napoleonville, La and stayed at the Madewood Plantation. It was gorgeous! Having been a tour guide in an Antebellum home in Natchez (Rosalie), I've always wondered what it would be like to actually live in one and this was a little taste of that.
Our stay included a candlelight dinner with the other guests (as well as breakfast in the morning) so we knew that we would have to dress up for that. My darling fiance decided that he wanted to dress up all weekend, and so I followed suit. I must say, it made for some really fun pictures.
On the way home we drove down River Road on the other side of the river, so we saw lots of refineries, small towns, old cemetaries, and historic plantation houses (a strange combination, I know) on both legs of the trip.
After we got home on Sunday we decided to grill out. I bought Buffalo steaks out of curiosity and they were really tasty. We ended the night drinking Sazeracs because I bought my darling fiance the ingredients as part of his anniversary present (we celebrated our engagement last year in the Sazerac Bar, after all). The other part was the orange tie he's sporting in some of the pictures below- it's from Southern Proper and has shotguns on it. So of course he wanted to wear it immediately (hence our dressing up all weekend.)

Our Room- The Master Bedroom

Relaxing after our Car Ride

Our room led out to the veranda
My handsome fiance

Prior to Dinner we had wine and cheese and chance to explore the house- this was the ballroomAfter dinner there was coffee, brandy, and a slightly creepy portrait in the parlor

Exploring the grounds on Sunday
There were lots of other buildings on the property. Some were rather grand (like a riverboat captain's house that is being restored) and some were modest creole cottages like this one.
The separate kitchen was open for us to explore- I thought that this old stove was very picturesque.
Replicating Senior Pictures on the porch- haha!This is supposed to be my Southern Bell look- I think I just look skeptical. But you can see the pretty sapphire necklace my darling fiance gave me for our anniversary in this shot! :)

Bling bling

Yesterday, my darling fiance came home with a dozen roses and two cans of Sofia champagne.
(Fun fact, I LOVE champagne in a can. Yes, I am that classy. :P)
I suspiciously asked what the occasion was and he said "Why can't I just surprise you with something nice?"
Then, he gave me my ring! I didn't expect to get my engagement ring until next Friday, so it was a wonderful surprise!! I cried again, because I am a sap. :)

I love my ring so much! It's even prettier than I thought it would be. :) It's hard to see in the picture (my camera doesn't like to focus on something so small), but the band has pave diamonds on the top and the rest of the band is engraved. The setting itself looks like a chalice and is also inlaid with pave diamonds. It is gorgeous! Here I am, wearing my ring and enjoying my champagne. (I look kind of rough because I'd actually just gotten up from a nap, and, like I said before, I cried.)

Last night was really fun. We had a great time at the GAPSA mixer and at Maison Musique, listening to the Russian Mafia Band. We had a little too much fun, actually- I bought two Russian Mafia Band T-shirts (one for my future brother in law, and one for my boss, who introduced me to the band) and a CD, but managed to lose the T-shirts on the way home. I have no idea how. At least I still have the CD! Here I am with Stephanie and Sarah at the GAPSA mixer, showing the camera my ring. :P

Today we went to visit two potential wedding/reception venues. One is an art gallery on Julia St. and the other is a wedding hall. This was a very good experience because both places are in our budget and are both very nice. Of course, they both have pros and cons and we still have other places we want to see, but it's prompted us to further discuss our vision for the wedding. Nothing was decided today, but I feel like the day was very productive nonetheless. We still have a long way to go, of course!

Between our night out last night and our busy day today, we were both very tired so we've spent a quiet night at home. Tomorrow I only have to run 6 or 7 miles (yay, taper week!) and then we are going to watch the Saints game with our friend Bruce and Simone. This will be the first game we've watched and I'm mildly paranoid that this change will jinx the Saints. So feel free to blame us if they lose!

I also need to finish tidying the house. The front rooms, at least, are nice and tidy. My darling fiance took this pictures this afternoon because the light was just perfect. Isn't our apartment lovely?










I'll leave you with a picture of me and my ring, resting on the sofa after our day of wedding planning. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

We're Ready for Our Close Up, Mr. DeMille

Bernie and Hereaux got to ride in my new car for the first time today. Of course, they would have preferred their inaugural voyage to be to somewhere other than the Vet/Groomer, but they look awfully cute with their much needed haircuts. Bernie, for those of you who have yet to meet my little doggies, is the dark salt n' pepper doggie on the left, and Hereaux (pronounced "Hero") is the silver doggie on the right. They are both Miniature Schnauzers. I am loving their little checked scarves. Very dapper, boys. :)

Maine

Our vacation to Maine was absolutely wonderful. It was, unfortunately, flanked on either end by weather related flight delays, but the time spent in Maine could not have been more perfect.
The weather was amazing until the last half day of the trip (when it cooled down and rained)- sunny and 70 during the day, and cooling into the 50's at night.
On Saturday we drove from Portland to Bar Harbor. (We were supposed to drive up Friday afternoon but we didn't make it to Portland until midnight!)
Route 1 was very scenic, and we stopped and took some pictures along the way.
For lunch, we stopped in Trenton to eat at the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. We shared steamers, a lobster, and blueberry pie à la mode. Everything was wonderful. Once we got to Bar Harbor, we checked into our B&B, the lovely Coach Stop Inn. After unpacking, we drove to Acadia National Park to fit in a little hiking before dinner.
First we stopped at the Jordan Pond House for tea and popovers, then we began to hike around the Jordan Pond and up a trail called the South Bubble Trail. We had asked a ranger for trail suggestions and she specifically mentioned that the hike to the top of South Bubble was "easy."
Apparently her definition of "easy" involves 500 feet of boulder scrambling up the side of a mountain. It was really fun, just not what I expected my first hike to entail! And we do think that there was an easier trail to the top that we must have overlooked because we saw a family with a toddler at the top, and there was no way they would have been able to come up the way we did!
We thought that the way down was going to be the easy trail that we had missed, but it was just as difficult as the way up. Ultimately though, I really loved that hike because I felt so proud of myself for being able to get through it. This entire trip, especially the hiking, made me feel so thankful for my strong, healthy body!
The next morning, we returned to Acadia and hiked the Great Head Trail. This trail was completely different. The Jordan Pond and South Bubble Trails had great views of the pond and woods and mountains, whereas the Great Head Trail had lovely views of Sandy Beach, the ocean, and sea cliffs. It was also a lot easier than the South Bubble Trail. The picture I've posted was taken as I'm lying on a rock above the sea cliffs listening to the waves crash below. It was amazing and totally relaxing. (We also took a million more pictures so feel free to check them out on my facebook page.)
After our hike, we went into Bar Harbor for lunch and wandered around the downtown area. We then drove to Portland to our second B&B the Pinecrest Bed and Breakfast. We ended our day with dinner and local microbrewed beers at the Sebago Brewing Company Brew Pub.
(We actually tried several different microwbrewery beers over the course of the trip. My favorites were the Bar Harbor Brewing Blueberry Ale, and the Sebago seasonal wheat beer.)
On Monday we drove around and saw a bunch of lighthouses in and around Portland, including the lights at Two Lights State Park, the Portland Head Light, the Spring Street Light and the Bug Light. We ate lunch at Duckfat (truffle ketchup is the bomb!) hen spend the afternoon wandering around the Old Port district. We ended the day by taking a sunset cruise in Casco Bay. Unfortunately, my camera battery ran out at the last lighthouse before Portland, so I didn't actually take any pictures of Portland or of the Casco Bay Cruise. It was very pretty though. Basically, we just got tickets on the ferry that services all of the small islands in Casco Bay. There was no description beyond the island names, but the 2 hour ride was beautiful and I was really envious of the people who get to live on gorgeous islands off the coast of Maine! The other notable fact about the sunset cruise is that it was windy and cold on the water, especially after the sun went down! After we got back to land, we warmed ourselves up with bowls of chowder.
On our last day it was cold and raining, so we spent it indoors as much as possible. We toured the Wadsworth Longfellow House and the Portland Museum of Art.
After a tasty lunch at the Public Market House, we drove to the airport because our flight was at 4. Unfortunately, we ended up having to stay in Washington D.C. over night and didn't get home until Wed. morning.
Overall, it was a wonderful trip and I would love to go back to Maine some day. I also want to continue hiking. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did!

Finally

After work I went to TJ Maxx and finally found a frame that will hold two 5X7 photographs. I've been meaning to frame the pictures that my dear boyfriend and I ordered from the Crescent City Classic, but I've had a very hard time finding a) the time to look for picture frames and b) a frame that suited my purposes.

I actually wanted a frame that would stand on its own, and the sticker on this frame said that it would, but it was lying. We had to hang it on the wall. On the plus side, it was only $8, so I can stomach a little deception for a good price. :)

Anyway, here is a picture of the pictures of us crossing the finish line.

I also got a new wallet at TJ Maxx because my old one was falling apart. I was very fond of my old wallet (it was pink snakeskin!), but it was time for a new one. This one is teal leather (or fake leather, who knows) and actually will hold more stuff than my old wallet, so hopefully it will last a bit longer before I completely destroy it.

I am habitually hard on wallets. I keep too much junk in them and the resulting strain tears them apart at the seams. When I was in college, I actually carried a men's wallet and either stuck it in my backpack or tucked it in my pocket, but once I started relying on a purse again, I found the men's wallet to be way too bulky. This wallet, like my last, is long and skinny and will actually fit in my bags without making an unsightly lump.

When I first walked into TJ Maxx I thought "Why don't I come here more often? There is so much cute stuff." After I had to rip myself away from an adorable Lesportsac bag for $25 that I did not need I had my answer. There is just too much cute stuff there that I want!

I did make a couple other purchases today. I saw a health food store in the corner of the TJ Maxx strip mall that I hadn't seen before and went in to check it out. They were about to close up, but I picked up some ground flax seed to add to my cereal and oatmeal. Flax seed is full of fiber and omega 3 fatty acids, so it will be a good healthy addition to my breakfasts.

I also ordered a couple of books from Amazon.com to read on my vacation.
I ordered The Forgotten Garden and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The latter book is supposed to be pretty creepy- the author also wrote The Haunting of Hill House, which I read and enjoyed in high school.

Aside from that I've had a pretty calm evening. I made maple glazed salmon with rosemary; whole wheat couscous with spinach, walnuts, dried figs and dried cranberries; and roasted zuchinni and squash for dinner because I was feeling pretty creative. It was a tasty meal!

Now I'm relaxing with a glass of white wine and settling in to finish planning our Maine vacation. I have been making a spreadsheet with all of the places we may want to go, along with pertinent information like their address, hours, and entrance fees. I'm such an engineer. I am really excited because in a week, I will be relaxing and hopefully chowing down on some lobster! :)

Determination and patience

I've literally eaten every last bit of my dark chocolate peanut butter. Now I have to decide whether to get more of the same, some almond butter, or both. Such difficult decisions. :)

Shrek

I read a lot of blogs that pertain to nutrition and fitness, and I get a lot of good ideas for things to incorporate into my own life. I also read a lot of stuff that I think "not in a million years would I try that." I feel that way about raw food and veganism, for example. It's great for some people, but not something I'm interested in.
The Green Monster was something I also put in the "more power to ya" category. I'm not 100% sure what blogger started the Green Monster trend, I think it was Angela from Oh She Glows, but most of the bloggers I read drink them now. Generally, they consist of spinach or kale blended with almond milk and fruit (like a banana or frozen berries). I had no intention of ever making one, but for some reason, this evening I did.
I wanted a smoothie and had all the ingredients, so I thought "Why not?"
My first green monster contains 1/2 a bananna, a few frozen strawberries, 2/3 cup almond milk, 3 big handfuls of baby spinach, and 1 teaspoon of my dear boyfriend's spirulina powder.
Surprisingly, it is really good!!! It's super refreshing, and very healthy. It isn't too sweet, but it doesn't taste vegetal, it just has a mild earthiness from the spinach. I'm a fan!
I've also included a picture for your amusement.

Noren

I just have to show off my new bedroom window treatment!
It features Japanese Noren, courtesy of my wonderful friend Lauri, who is currently living in Japan. Thanks also to my dear boyfriend, who was kind enough to do all the hard work installing the curtain rods!