The Honeymooners

Lindsey just copied me on an email he sent to our friend Terry about our honeymoon. I'm glad because now I don't have to write it (just add/delete a few things--ha!). We went for an 11-day drive taking us through TN, NC, VA, WV, OH, IN, and IL. The bed & breakfast nights were:

• Maryville, TN (just south of Knoxville): Butterfly Gap Retreat. One night in a modern cabin in the woods. Screened-in porch with a full-size bed. Not that it didn't have a king-size bed inside. Over the head of the bed was a big, round window into...the shower! A shower big enough for a basketball team with a numerous shower heads of all varietie--like a carwash. And huge tub. Then there was a gas fireplace and full kitchen, and they bring breakfast on a tray in the morning. And huge windows to look out into the woods.
• Asheville, NC: Sourwood Inn. Three nights in a new cabin of a cozy, rustic style. Pot belly stove. Huge windows looking out into the woods. Breakfast was in the main lodge, where the owner would hop from table to table passing out erudite quotes from his library. We got one from Loren Eisley. The place ended up being 20 minutes outside of town up a mountain, so going into town was no small chore.
• Columbus, OH: Greenleaf Inn. Two nights in a beautifully restored craftsman house decorated with Mission-style furniture--Wright, Stickley, and Amish-built Mission. We were the only people in the house. Breakfast downstairs cooked by the friendly, quirky 26-year veteran Navy cook who had restored the place, assisted by his 9-month boy. And the Inn was less than a mile from the Franklin Park Conservatory, which we thoroughly explored.

Other highlights:

Stopped by Fisk University in Nashville, to see some African-American artwork. Wonderful. And had an outstanding dinner at Zola's. In Asheville, enjoyed Biltmore House, the Blue Ridge Folk Art Center, and the Asheville Art Museum. Toured Black Mountain and Montreat of NC. Dropped by Penland craft school in the mountains of NC. Lovely work is available in their gallery shop. Spent a night in Mt. Airy, "Mayberry RFD." Andrea's brother Tony is a huge fan so took some obligatory cheesy photos of her at various Mayberry hot spots. Saw the New River Gorge bridge in WV. Visited Scott and Leslie in Columbus, OH. They took us to Jeni's Ice Creams and the Wexner Art Center. We also toured Thurber House and the art museum. Saw fine architecture in Columbus, IN including a beautiful church designed by Eero Saarinen.

It was a great trip. Very relaxing. Everything was wondeful. We got along great and never tired of each other. Weather was perfect. Got home on Thursday so we had a few days to chill out around the house before going back to work on Monday.

Wedding Bell News

The wedding and assorted related events were more awesome, special, and beautiful than I ever could have imagined. Here's a brief recap.

Rehearsal Dinner at Mad Art on Friday was perfect. Ron surprised me with gorgeous centerpieces of my favorite flower, cock's comb (celosia) and dinner was fantastic. It was the perfect relaxing environment for our families to meet and for friends to mingle. I can't imagine trying to do that in a restaurant. Ron and I shopped for all our ingredients on Wednesday and he took it from there. Everyone raved about how nice it was.

On Saturday, my mom, Kelly, and I all got ready at my house. My hair/makeup gal came to my house and did their hair then worked on me. I'm glad we did it this way. It was relaxing and we had a good time. Kelly gave me a scrapbook with photos of us together since childhood and letters we'd written to each other when we were kids. It was hysterical.

The weather was predicted to be very stormy on Friday and Saturday, but there was just minor rain. Lindsey and I were able to have our photos taken at Lafayette Square Park before the wedding afterall and we were able to have the cocktail hour in the courtyard at the Ninth Street Abbey. I was elated about both of these things.

Ceremony went off without a hitch. Didn't fall, didn't cry, didn't laugh, rings went on fine. I was feeling very relaxed and happy. I promised myself I was going to try to stay as "in the moment" as I could and I did. When we came inside for dinner--the place looked gorgeous. I LOVED my centerpieces and bouquet. They were a real highlight. My dad, Ron, and I made the bases and Fleurish did the flowers. Oh and my branch altar pieces rocked. I loved them (Fleurish again. Becky is the best.)

One of the best parts of the night was when the DJ "announced" us and we walked into the room of all of our seated guests. During the planning, I was reluctant to do this, but Alexa (the Abbey's coordinator) persuaded me and I'm so glad she did. Walking into a room of folks wildly cheering for you--felt pretty stinking good. I never felt so happy and so loved and so full of love than I did at that moment. We were blown away.

Lindsey's dad said a beautiful prayer. Dinner was fabulous. Everyone had a great time on the dance floor. And the photobooth was a HUGE hit. (Thanks to Tim & Katy for the fabulous gift.) The whole night was just incredible. We have just great family and friends. Everyone was having a good time.

On Sunday we had a little open-house/brunch at our house so the out of towners could see our new place. I am so glad we did this. It was a wonderful chance to really thank everyone again and we were of course, walking on clouds anyway.

My photos are in so I'm in the process of figuring out how to go about sharing a few. More to come.