Fall in Virginia is No Joke. And I Love It.

I really do love the fall in the South.  The weather is really nice, and the leaves...I just can't get enough.  And there is apple-picking!  Danny is not as enamored by that as I am, because he grew up picking apples and whatnot, but ever since I moved back East in general (I went one year in NYC too) I have found apple-picking to be an amazing fall activity.  So of course, I just grabbed my friend Katy and we went on our way and had a great time!  

 

Poop happens, you guys.  It happens.

 

General Conference happened, and it was a delightful weekend at home with my favorite.  I have to admit, I get a little crazy in the October and November, because I want to to aaalllll the fall things.  

 

And eat all the pumpkin. Danny was a good sport throughout most of it, but he got a little tired, I think. :-)   But he still knows what I love, at the end of a hard day. 

He knows me.

 

We hit up Gettysburg on Columbus Day, and that was fascinating and beautiful.  I couldn't believe the expanse of the battlefield.  And of course, the day would not be complete without a Confederate flag coming out of my sandwich.  Apparently. 

 

 

 

The end of October brought a fast and furious day trip to New York City, and of course, some Levain Bakery and Central Park, two of my favorite things, with my absolute favorite person.

In November, Danny's parents came, giving us an excuse to drive Skyline Drive inside Shenandoah National Park.  It was a beautiful day! 

 

 

 

Then on Veterans' Day Danny and I took a hike nearby our apartment.  I just love being outside in nice fall weather. 

 

Thanksgiving!  My favorite!  Danny and I spent it with his siblings Maia, Matt and families in New Jersey, and then spent Friday in New York City with friends.   I made sure to get down to the Post-it Wall in Union Square Station, where the community spontaneously created a wall of notes in reaction to the election of President Trump.  It was really moving. I miss being in a city that moves as a community that way.

 

 

Of course, some of the Christmas decorations were already up in the City, which was a perfect ushering in of the Holiday season for me.  I love New York during the holidays.  So much. And I also love that my man will take me to a Broadway musical every once in a while.  

Dang.  I miss that city.  But I'd leave it all again just to meet and marry Danny.  #worthitalltheway xoxo

Back to Life....Back to Reality....

I'm going to be honest.  Getting back into life post-wedding was not the easiest.  But this face helped a lot. :-)  End of summer shenanigans...

1. Bike ride around the monuments at sunset. Hence, the helmet.  But that World War II Memorial is pretty impressive, I have to say.

 

2. Philadelphia, PA temple open house, where we met up with my dear friend Kristi Barney Christensen.  The temple was stunning, and it was so fun to see her!  

Oddly, my sunglasses look good on him.

 

 

 

3. I ate my first Philly cheese steak.  It was huge. Philadelphia success. 

4. We also went to a fascinating art exhibit in Philadelphia, made entirely of mosaics and various knickknacks.

 

 

Photobomb by me.  You're welcome, Kristi.

5. My First Nationals baseball game. Great date night. 

6. Danny and I being really mature at Williams Sonoma.  

That pretty much sums it up, folks.  Really exciting around here as the summer winds down.  But- it's life with my Favorite! 

The Honeymoon happened

We had the best honeymoon- for Part One, we spent a few days on the Oregon Coast, staying in Astoria and visiting Cannon Beach.  It was so lovely and peaceful!  

 

 

 

 

Our hotel was right on the Columbia River, but far enough inland that it wasn't too cold, and we could just look out and see large ships anchored in the river at any given time.  The town of Astoria was charming, and we discovered an old, historic cannery on the docks where we had the best mint brownies EVER at the coffee shop there.  

Danny adding a tribute to the wildlife of Oregon.

 

Cannon Beach was cloudy, of course, being on the coast, but we had a great time renting bikes and hiking.  It was a glorious few days of coming down from the wedding.  We slept A LOT. 

 

This awesome woman brought me great joy...

 

 

 

Part Two was in Danny's hometown of Basin City, Washington, as we were having a reception there as well.   We stopped at Multnomah Falls  on the way, and took a gorgeous hike up to the top. 

 

 

Ooh, I like him.

 

When we got to Tri-Cities, we checked into our hotel and found a strange/awesome welcome in the form of towels shaped into kissing swans.  

 

You know, that's cool. The reception in Basin City, about 45 minutes outside Tri-Cities, was delightful.  It was so fun to meet Danny's community of people who have known him his whole life.  I was regaled with claims of, "How did you tame him!" And, "Our condolences!" Ha!  I got to say Danny tamed himself long before we met, so I couldn't take any credit, but it made me laugh. Throughout the evening, it was very clear that Danny has been well-loved.

 

 

I was so grateful to my new MIL, Ann, who arranged the whole reception, and the help of other family and long-time friends of the Stokers.  I think it meant a lot to Danny to celebrate there, and it meant a lot to me to be in his world. 

 

And huge bonus- my old friend/roommate Erin Sacks (Martin) came!  She lives close by with her family, and we had not seen each other in years.  I was so happy she came, partly to have one familiar face!  It was a wonderful night. 

We came home to a new apartment that Danny did a great job of getting us moved into, not ready to be back in reality, but ready to be together forever.  Married life begins!