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Honeymoon, part 2

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We planned on getting an early start Wednesday, but “early” ended up being around 11:00am. Hey, we are honeymooning. We should be relaxing. 

Before we started our day, we grabbed this photo for National Chocolate Day. 

  
We grabbed a quick breakfast and then hopped on ferry 5 in 24 hours. Joy. 

   
    
 
  

  
Beautiful views. 

  

‘Twas a little windy. 

  

Our treat? Breakfast ice cream from Humphry Slocumbe. 

  
Secret breakfast for the wife; candy cap for me; boats and bridges for everyone!

We fueled up with Blue Bottle coffee, and the guys working there were so nice. They gave us a ton of recommendations…none of which we used, but still. 

  
We headed into San Francisco and found the most important of all landmarks, the Fed. 

  

 My friend Kristin runs the Fed or whatever, and her boyfriend said this branch was nice, so when we passed by, I knew it was special.  
We walked around and touristed a bit, including Union Square, the financial district, and Chinatown. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The best cafe. 

  
For the assorted family who likes the Coach store. 

We popped in the store for ModCloth, where Chris got her wedding dress online. 

  
Then we headed to the Stinking Rose, famous for serving food with their garlic. Let me tell you — I love me some garlic. But…holy crap. When we finished, we stunk of garlic so bad, I had zero fears of vampires for the next seventeen days. The food was delicious, but the resulting burps and other assorted bodily functions were rough. For multiple days. Happy honeymooning. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
We stumbled in our garlic haze to a cable car and made our way to the waterfront. 

  
  
  
  
We went to this olden-timey arcade museum. People had a morbid idea about what was entertaining. 

 

    
 
  
  
We went into a candy store, where we found this gem. 

  
We hung out with the sea lions for a bit and then took our first Uber ride back to the house, like big-city folk. It was an awesome but tiring day!

Honeymoon, part 1

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“Honeymoon? What about the wedding?” you say? Yes, the wedding happened. And it was wonderful. Magical. Perfect. Amazing. And I’m still trying to process all of it. So that will be a bit later. 

Sunday night, after doing a hasty load of laundry, packing up everything we thought we would need for two weeks, and jumping in the car with SIL Amy, we headed to my friend Sarah’s hotel by the airport. It was super nice! We were sad to only spend about five hours in it, what with our 6am flight and all. 

  

  
In addition to identifying the bag to me, it lets potential thieves know there is nothing worth stealing inside. 



The flight was good. There was more than McDonald’s open that early, a change from most early-morning flights I’ve taken, so we dined on tasty breakfast burritos…that didn’t end up making me sick, despite my anxiety that 5am chorizo was maybe a bad choice. 

  
We managed to wake up long enough to snap this photo. 

Then we landed,  got a Peet’s Coffee, grabbed our luggage, located our rental-car shuttle, and made our way to the hotel which housed Sixt. I was a little nervous because I was unfamiliar with the company, but they were great. They had the car we reserved (the European gentlemen after us weren’t so lucky and were dissatisfied with the replacement she offered because “I drive a Volvo every day”), the staff was extremely friendly, and it was less expensive than the “traditional” rental-car companies where we couldn’t reserve a specific car. So after a quick tutorial (“how do we open the trunk?”), we were on our way. 

  
We look pretty good for seven hours of sleep in two days. 

No one else had the top down because it was kind of chilly, but you can’t rent a VW Beetle convertible and not put the top down as soon as you get in. 

We made our way to the house in Sausalito, our home until Thursday, which meant we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. 

  
It was so cool, I forgot to be terrified. 

Then through the Robin Williams tunnel. 

   
Featuring rainbows!

We settled into the house, which is owned by the in-laws of my friend Raven. Who I’ve never technically met. Who I know from blogging. About a wedding to someone else that never happened. Could the only reason for dating someone else be that Chris and I had this lovely home to stay in on our honeymoon? Maybe. Worth it. The house was gorgeous, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to stay there. Such an amazing experience. 

We left our car and walked to the town, a mistake we would never make again. “It’s .3 miles. How far could it be?” Pretty far down the winding hills, and even further up. My Fitbit clocked us at 7.72 miles that day, and keep in mind that we were on a plane for five-plus of those hours. I finally stopped wearing it because we are supposed to be relaxing!

We went to a little restaurant for fish tacos and beer, one of the best choices we made that day. 

  
Yasss. 

We walked around Sausalito and shopped a bit, then decided to head back home. There were multiple snapchats of our climb, recording the bad decision. When we finally got back to the house, we literally laid on the floor for at least 10 minutes to try to not be dead. 

We jumped back in the car and headed to Rodeo Beach to watch the sunset, our first beach sunset as a married couple. It didn’t disappoint. 

  
Zoinks. 

Then we did boring stuff like buy shampoo, but I was amused to find Trader Joe’s sells liquor. 

  
Do-do, do-do-do-do. Do-do-do-do-do-do-do…

We found a local brewery for dinner, Marin Brewing Company. Delicious beers, delicious food, and a waitress who pronounced everything “bomb.”

   
It actually was pretty bomb.

Then, back to the house for our first full night’s sleep in what seemed like months. 

The next morning, we ate on the little deck overlooking the ocean, then hopped in the car and headed to Muir Woods. I can’t remember seeing a more beautiful place. We also got National Parks passports because we are giant dorks. Nothing wrong with that!

It was so calm and quiet and beautiful and peaceful here. The majority of the other visitors were also pretty laid back and surprisingly not obnoxious, which helped. 

   

 
  

  

 
  
  
  
Redwoods selfie!

We had a 3:20 tour at Alcatraz, so we headed back to Sausalito to park the car and catch the ferry, the first of five ferry rides in 24 hours. I am not a big fan of boats/the water/falling to my death/drowning, so I was a bit apprehensive. But it was okay. 

  
Quick stop at Muir Beach, and then…

  

Alcatraz ferry selfie!

Alcatraz was very cool but kind of surreal. “Here is this crazy place that housed all of these horrible criminals but now appreciate its beauty and birds but try not to think about all of the violence and bad stuff and please buy a commemorative metal cup.”

  
  
I preferred the beautiful view of the city. 

   

   
This guy hitched a ride back. 

We got back to the harbor and touristed pretty hard.   
  

   
 
Can’t take me anywhere. 

Then we booked it back to the ferry building to catch the last boat to Sausalito. We were disappointed that Humphry Slocombe was closed, so we consoled ourselves with the view from the water (and ice cream from Lappert’s). 

  
We walked ten miles that day, so sleep was very welcome that night as well. 

That’s all for now. More to come!

Wedding Eve — Live Blog

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7:43am — alarms were set for 8/8:30, but excitement and nerves woke us up before 7:00. I checked FSIL Amy’s flight and saw that it was delayed, so I texted with her a bit. A broken toilet has delayed her flight, which is one of the signs of a lucky pre-wedding day, right?

7:46am — number of shits Graham gives that his mothers are getting married — zero.


Whatever. Fill up my bowl. 

7:50am — it’s really hard to believe that the phrase “we are getting married tomorrow” is a thing I can say.

9:25am — breakfast has been eaten. Chris is doing dishes, and I started packing because “maybe it’s best if we do it separately.” I tried to give her a hug, and she demanded that I go pack my toiletry bag instead.

9:54am — toiletry bag packed. I used my dad’s old LL Bean one, so there’s a nice thought of him with me all weekend.

10:28am — FSIL left a comment on Facebook that she wonders what will happen next. We are running around like crazy people and getting our stuff ready to leave, that’s what. Good sign — no fighting. No serious tears. When one of us freaks out, the other calms down. Teamwork. I’m so lucky.

10:40am — I’ve been dispatched to locate Oxford heels.

10:41am — I realize I do not know what Oxford heels are.

10:42am — I am happy to report I am very good at guessing.

11:49am — at the nail salon! A woman is doing needlepoint, which is fun.

11:57am — the Dremel has just been brought out.


Aubrey and I in the customary hand-holding position of the pedicure. 

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Pre-wedding bullet points

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So, I’ve been awful (just autocorrected to “awesome” — nope) at blogging. In my defense, I’m getting married in two (!) days, so we have been a bit busy. 

  
Hanging on Mt. Washington, killing time until nighttime parking rates take effect. 

So here are some random musings. 

  • A lot of people have asked me if I’m nervous, and one asked if I wished I had eloped. I’m nervous about getting everything done and weather and everyone getting there and such, but not about marrying Chris. So anxiety about the wedding but not about the marriage. And really not that much about the wedding — not enough that I wished I had eloped. Not even close. 
  • We are doing a lot of crafty DIY projects for the decorations, and it’s been time consuming. At the beginning, I thought it was silly, but now, man, I can see how great everything will be. 
  • Why would we plan a wedding at our busiest time at work?! It’s been difficult to get any free time.
  • I am so excited to get and be married! I really am. I guess when you wait 38 years, you really have waited for the right one to come along. 
  • I had to buy two pairs of pants for my suit because who knows which will fit by the time Sunday rolls around. So today is a big pants trying-on day. I know. The whirlwind of fun never stops. 

  
Thanks for telling me about this app, Nate!

Time to get moving. Lots to do!

Happy my wedding week! Two days and counting!

What Do August Showers Bring?

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Awesomeness, that’s what. 

  
And super-hot ladies, my friends.

The picture above is from our family shower, thrown by FSIL Amy and Chris’ mom and aunts.  It was at a local restaurant, and it was filled with our family and family friends. 

   
   
   
   
I loved Chris’ dress at this one. She looked so pretty! My mom helped me pick out my outfit, which is why I look fancier than usual. The only sad part of the whole day was that she wasn’t able to make it. She had a compression fracture in her spine, probably from wrestling a bear or something. But my brother recorded all of the present opening, and they took her a meal to go. We visited the next day, which was nice. 

Mom is feeling much better now, still improving. Sad that she wasn’t at the shower, but happy that this means she will be at full power at the wedding. 
A few weeks later, our wonderful friends threw us a shower! It was at the Wigle Whiskey barrel house, so the location and the drinks were excellent. 

And the company, of course. 

  
Chronica knows how to party. 

Aubrey, Heather, Michelle, and Beth threw us a lovely shower. It really was a lesson in Pinteresting. The took the travel theme and ran with it. So lovely!

   
    
    
   
 Both were awesome and lovely and special and perfect. Chris and I are so, so lucky. 

Thank you to all of the people who made these happen, attended, or sent their wishes from afar.  We love you all. 

45 days to go. Let’s plan a wedding! #Chronica2015

The Bachelorette

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So, Chris has been gone for over two weeks, taking a class in San Francisco. So I’ve been “baching” it, as Laura Ingalls Wilder was known to say. I miss the good old days when a lady’s wife was out of town and everyone showed up with casseroles. I had to feed myself! 

Okay, that’s basically a lie. Everyone has been lovely — texting me and asking me to do stuff. In fact, I’ve had so many offers that I haven’t been able to accept them all. Rain check, people I haven’t seen!

One of the highlights of the week was a trip to Sarris with some old friends and their kids. 

  Soul sister Marissa, who I haven’t seen in four years, back when…
  This guy was just a baby. 

Despite driving a dozen hours to get to Moundsville, she agreed to drive one more to Canonsburg and go to Sarris, the happiest place on earth. Or in Washington county. 

  
Except when I attack children for their ice cream. 

Chris joked when she left that I would find a new series to binge watch. She was half right, as I started in the middle of season 4 of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Several episodes later…still going. Watching Willow come out to Buffy for the millionth time simultaneously makes me realize how far we as a society have come and realize how far ahead of its time this show was. “Buffy” is my security blanket, a comforting, familiar, and appreciated one this week. 

Note to self — don’t ewatch “The Body.”

Chris is back Wednesday morning, and she’s coming home to a much cleaner house. We had our shower replaced, and everything was covered in dust as far as the eye can see. That was my project — and a successful one at that, which means when she gets home, none of our regular frenzied cleaning and such. Just a happy reunion. 

And also an AC tune-up. 

I know. I’m so romantic. 
Happy Monday, friends. 

Equality

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Marriage equality, bitches!

Ahem. Excuse me.

Today, the Supreme Court ruled that marriage equality is the law of the land. No more gay marriage ban.

All of the gay marriage!!

  Eh, close enough.

I made the mistake of reading some internet comments, and that brought me down a little bit. I’m getting tired of reading that gay marriage will be the downfall of us as a society, that it will bring the apocalypse, that it’s immoral and it should be illegal. Those are what are called opinions, not facts. Believing homsexuality is wrong is just that — a belief. I am entitled to marry Chris, and the fact that we are two women shouldn’t — and now won’t — stand in our way.

And to those people who think it’s a choice, I encourage you to change your sexuality. Go ahead. I’ll wait. I hear it’s easy.

In the sage words of a true visionary, “There’s only one true judge, and that’s God. So chill and let my father do His job.”

  “Preach, Salt-N-Pepa,” says Graham.

Chris and I have 120 days until we get married (!!!), and I have to say, knowing the bans have been struck down is a good feeling. Nope. Great feeling.

  

 We can do it did it!

Wedding Musings

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I’m so excited to get married. I am. I think about random things — first dance, vows, fun touches that we’ll add to the reception because we’re giant nerds, how pretty Chris will look — and I tear up.

Heck, I did right then.  Please enjoy this picture of Graham while I compose myself.

One thing hit me today, though, as I was making breakfast.

 This is technically yesterday’s breakfast. I write a blog of lies.

We’ll be surrounded by all of our friends and family — our mothers, our aunts, our siblings, and the friends we have our ridiculous adventures with. (And a few other people that are invited out of obligation, but whatever. Not you, of course. We want you there. Probably.)

But my dad won’t be there.  Allow me to distract you with another photo. Makeup!

Listen, I don’t mean to give anyone the wrong idea. It’s not like my dad and I talked on the phone every day, discussing our thoughts and dreams and hopes for the future. The guy wasn’t a talker. And we were very different. He had a very scientific, analytical mind, and I…do not.   Also, he liked kids, and I feel more like this about them.

He was just always there, you know? Teaching me how to ride a bike, going to my basketball and volleyball games, teaching me how to drive, supporting me when I quit my job. Acting like I just told him I preferred a different kind of music instead of a different gender when I finally came out to him. “No, I didn’t know that, but okay.”

It will be 12 years this summer that he died, so part of me is frustrated with myself. Like, come on, Monica. You knew he wasn’t going to be around anymore. And most days it’s okay. But some days — like today — it hits me. So instead off doing grown-up stuff, I blog. And look for unrelated pictures to post.

 Oh, Graham.

Chris and I will be walking ourselves down the aisle, probably. Which we would have done regardless of who was available to do it. And I guess that’s pretty fitting. He and my mom raised me to be pretty independent, outspoken, and all that business. Besides, if they wanted to give me away, they probably would have done it when I was an awful, awful teenager.

No pictures. Those were in the middle of my awkward years. But I was a BITCH.

The day of his funeral, my aunt saw a lone mourning dove on her deck. It hooted a few times and flew away. It was unusual, she said, to see one by itself, so it must have been him. So now, every time I hear one, I think of him. They’ve been really loud lately, so I hear them whenever I’m outside or have the window open. Chris texted me this week to say that one flew to her windowsill at work, hopped over in front of her, hooted a few times, and flew away. I called my mom to tell her — our second phone call of the morning, reserved for important stuff — and she said, “Well, I guess he likes her.”

  Indeed.

Happy Birthday, Chris!

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This past weekend, my lovely fiancée, Chris, turned 35 years of age. Here are 35 random things that will probably involve her! 

  1. So, I love presents and birthdays, so I made her open a gift from me that I had been keeping a secret since February. It is a necklace with a cutout of the United States, and there are two hearts on it in LA & Pittsburgh. Since we were long distance for so long, I thought it was a pretty good gift.
  2. We started early on Wednesday with dinner with Heather and Ryan and their supercute kids. I love all of these guys. We had a delicious Italian dinner and followed it up with some frozen yogurt.  Yogurt is messy business, folks. 
  3. The official festivities started off at the Carnegie Science Center for an over-21 night. We were joined by my brother and sister-in-law, her aunt, and two of her cousins, and we ran into a couple other friends.
  4. It was a good time but a little scary.
  5. I realize they are not actual Stormtroopers, but I was still a little nervous. Which I know is ridiculous, because if they tried to shoot me, I would be just fine. Not known for their accuracy.
  6. And I used all of my restraint not to say, “You’re a little short for a Stormtrooper.” 
  7. We played in some water, making sure to use proper safety techniques.  
  8. We learned all about rivers and woodland creatures, which was fun. Then we got to pretend we lived in a log.
  9.   Hey!
  10. Everyone got in on it!  Might submit this one to Awkward Family Photos.
  11.   The one that started it all.
  12. We walked around some more, and I got so many steps on my Fitbit!
  13. Then this happened.   I got to hold his lightsaber. Not a euphemism.
  14. Then we played air hockey against a robot, and I was the only one of the four of us who won. No big deal.
  15. Except…   I broke it.
  16. Time to head home! It was a really fun night. It was an interesting crowd, with equal parts extreme geeks, hipsters, and lesbians. Unexpected but welcome.
  17. We snuck out a back entrance but were held up because someone didn’t know how to work the ticket gate. Like, really?
  18. I had intended on making a birthday cake from scratch when I got home, but it was really late, so we stopped at the store and got a box mix. Chris requested white cake with blueberries and a lemon buttercream icing.   I even bought this milk that seemed to have been created just for me.
  19. We baked the cake, and though it looked pretty good, it majorly stuck to the pan. I had a bit of a meltdown, I’m ashamed to say. I felt stupid that it didn’t work out. But we made do the next day, and it tasted pretty darn good, even if it wasn’t a beauty.
  20. What it lacked in looks, it made up for in substance.  The self-deprecating part of me wants to say “much like myself,” but that’s inaccurate. I’m a hot piece of ass.
  21. Bedtime was 2:00am for us, and then Chris saw a spider, which made her stay up even later. I wish she would have woken me up. One more present I could have provided!
  22. Early 8:00am wakeup because who wouldn’t want to do a 6-10 mile bike ride in the unseasonably cold morning air with some friends? Happy birthday!
  23. We took part in East End Brewing’s Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride, which was super fun. They are a near zero-waste, environmentally sustainable brewery, and each year, they host an event that transports their Pedal Pale Ale by bicycle. It was their 11th year and our first (though Jake the Experienced Cyclist had done it before).
  24. The idea is that you show up at the brewery and then do a 6- to 10-mile bike ride to an undisclosed location, where they tap the new keg.  Why does my head look so freaking giant?
  25. Then you have to find your way back by bike, which I was really nervous about. 
  26. Oh, and did I mention we had to ride 6-10 miles first? 
  27. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. The ride was only 6 miles (Chris and I did a practice ride last weekend with her new bike and did 8), and…we ended up back at the brewery.   I may be making that face because my butt hurt. No one knows for sure.
  28. Also, there were 450-plus people, and most of them looked like hard-core cyclists. Very intimidating for this guy. But I kept up and didn’t embarrass myself. Yeah!  
  29. Most importantly, Chris had a great time.  It looks like a car is on fire in this picture, but I think it was delicious-smelling barbecue. I hope.
  30.    Bike madness.
  31. Then…our reward.  The birthday girl took the picture. Sorry, honey. Also, I apparently love shirts with zippers. Can’t wear too many at one time!
  32. We made our way home after that, and friends and some of Chris’ family came over for pizza and cake (which I quickly prepared and applied the icing). Lots of laughter, lots of stories, and lots of delicious food. For some reason, I took no pictures of this. Sorry, America.
  33. Sunday was a bit of lazing, a bit of yardwork, and a bit of cooking.
  34. It was a great weekend, and I think Chris had an even better birthday!
  35. Oh, one more random thing? How about some gushing. I love spending time with Chris, and this weekend was no different. We have so much fun together, whether it’s cycling, posing with Stormtroopers, or cutting down trees. She makes me so happy, and I hope that she felt even a fraction of the happiness she makes me feel every day.  I hope you enjoyed your last birthday as a non-married person, my dear. Because next year at this time, you’ll be married to this dork.

Thirty-eight

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I’ve been horrible at being a blogger. Chris and I have been busy with, well, life, I guess. 



Moment of downtime with that a-hole cat sticking his tail in my face.

In honor of my almost-38 years on this earth and another year closer to 40, here are 38 random statements.

  1. We have eleventy million shows we want to watch, and yet, all it seems like we watch are reruns of “Castle” and “Modern Family.” “Modern Family” is on right now. Three episodes and counting.
  2. The balloons Chris got me for Valentine’s Day are going strong.
  3. We live in a really old house, and the shower has been giving us problems. We had one estimate this week and another in a couple weeks. I know we need to take our time and make a responsible decision, but I wish it were being replaced tomorrow.
  4. We went to the home show, which is where we found the bathroom estimators. I love the home show. Love it. It’s always around my birthday, and I drag Chris there every year.
  5. Work has been crazy, which seems like the norm lately. But at least Chris and I get to drive to work together.
  6.  We went for a walk this weekend at the Montour Trail so we could take pictures of this ice craziness in the old tunnel.  
  7. I also took this picture. “Let’s go for a walk on the trail in the snow and do our scratch-offs!,” said at least one person.
  8. 38 didn’t seem like that many when I started.
  9. We have narrowed down our photographer search to a handful of possibilities. We need to set up appointments with them to see which is the best fit, and then it’s another box checked!
  10. Doing that stuff is so awkward. It’s always weird meeting new people, and then there’s the added issue of them trying to sell themselves. Plus…gay couple, which everyone is not always okay with. So that will be fun.
  11. We have pretty much solidified the cookie table, so at least the most important wedding planning is done.
  12. Chris is doing dishes while I’m blogging on the couch. I like that she isn’t upset with me for being lazy. I’m a lucky gal.
  13. Sometimes I get sad that we knew each other for so long (10 years!) before we started dating. But, really, neither of us was ready back then. Life leads you in interesting places.
  14. For instance…I used to blog for a gay-wedding website. You know, that other time I was getting married. Through the years, I have kept in touch with some of my fellow bloggers on the Facebook and seen them get married and have kids. I had a bet with one of them last year, a bet that ended up with me sending homemade pumpkin-spice blondies to her. Well, said friend lives in the San Francisco Bay area, and when I asked her for suggestions on areas to stay for our honeymoon, she offered up a free place to stay, all out of the kindness of her (and her family’s) heart. 
  15. So all of those problems and years of difficulty led to a house! On our honeymoon!
  16. That makes total sense, right?
  17. A new brewery opened up near our house, Spoonwood. These pretzels and beer cheese were freaking amazing.
  18. And this beer. I don’t know which one this was, but the coffee-drip ale was amazing. It will change your life. 
  19. Also, adorable beer samples for $2.00.
  20. This guy is trying to help me blog.
  21. I kept whining to Chris that I didn’t have any presents, so she gave me an early one. A Millennium Falcon keychain!
  22. Thanks, Buzzfeed, for all of your “Top This Many Restaurants to Try In This Place” or “With This Food.” Our honeymoon will have to be seven weeks to eat all of those doughnuts!
  23. I could probably eat all of the doughnuts in two days.
  24. We have also been incorporating more activity into our, well, activities. We are doing twice-a-week Zumba, walking on the trail, Piyo, and I got a Fitbit. And we wonder why we have no free time.
  25. Restaurants we have been to lately — Emporio at Sienna Mercato, Piper’s Pub, Ten Penny, Toscana Brick Oven. This weekend — Primanti’s, Gianna Via, and Piper’s Pub (again). 
  26. Pittsburgh is not always my favorite place, but they do know how to make good food!
  27. I’m headed to Mom’s Monday for more birthday celebrating, so I’m basically extending it an extra two days. That’s always a fun time.
  28. I’m not sure how I got to be 38. Better than the alternative, but still.
  29. That being said, 38 wil be awesome. So many things to look forward to.
  30. So, there’s that wedding of a lifetime, which will be great.
  31. And there’s marrying my favorite person. Also great.
  32. Hey, my favorite person and I get to go on an amazing vacation!
  33. Maybe something like this will happen! This is us watching the sunset at Matador Beach on our “second date.”
  34. The stage production of “Dirty Dancing” is next month, and we’re eating at Meat and Potatoes beforehand, who have the best burger in Pennsylvania, per some random list. They also have bone marrow, which I will not be eating.
  35. One of my favorite things about the upcoming year is that I don’t even know what all the year will bring. 
  36. It’s going to be amazing.
  37. I’m a lucky person.
  38. Thank you for reading all of my 38 points.

Happy birthday to me!