To Boston & Back

last friday, aj and i hopped in the car and headed to boston to attend the wedding of two of my dear friends from college.  

rob & nicole are one of those couples who are absolutely perfect for one another. 

i met nicole my first week at gordon.  we were both freshman and on campus early for pre-season; her, track; me, field hockey.  we then discovered that we were both bio majors (she actually ended up with a degree in the subject, me, not so much), and stayed friends throughout our college experience.  eventually, we ended up in an apartment together our senior year and that's when our friendship solidified completely…nicole is one of those people who is crazy intelligent and who can hold a conversation about bioethics and then in the next breath be laughing hysterically at a youtube video.  she's passionate, caring, and intentional, and she made a gorgeous bride.  

i met rob our first year at gordon.  we lived in the same building and had some mutual friends.  i became friends with rob when our close friend group grew to include one another during our sophomore year, and then we both participated in a program that brought us into the same house during our junior year.  rob is also crazy smart (seriously, watch out for these two!) and so fun to be around.  once, after a huge nor'easter, rob agreed to drive a few of us all over the area just to look at the damage created by the storm and check out the swells from the waves.

their wedding was incredibly gorgeous.  it was all outdoors on a beautiful property and it was perfectly rob & nicole.  (plus, it was just wonderful to have the whole gordon gang back together!)

aj & i got up to the city on friday evening and we met his roommate, eric at this awesome cafe right off of the boston common.  i will be going back every time i'm in the city.  for real.  exposed brick walls, amazing lighting, great seating areas, a fireplace and bookcases stocked with antique books, high ceilings and exposed pipes.  such a cool atmosphere!

it occurs to me as i'm writing this post that i basically only took the same picture of aj and i the entire weekend.  as a wedding photographer, i try to be really really careful not to take my own photos during the ceremony of weddings i'm attending so i don't get in the photographer's way.  and then, once the reception rolled around, i was so busy catching up with people that i just didn't take photos.  oh well.

we spent a lovely morning in rockport on saturday.  if you're ever in the boston/north shore area, then you need to visit this quintessential coastal town.  walk all the way out bear skin neck, sit on the jetty, grab hot dogs and clam strips at top dog, have some chowder or a lobster at roy moore's, pick up some strudel at helmut's and coffee at the bean & leaf.  basically, just eat.  eat everything and it'll be wonderful and you can thank me later.

we make a pretty good lookin' couple, huh?  (p.s. this is my first maxi dress and i'm totally loving it.  i'm going to be living in this dress this summer.)

wedding selfie!  seriously though, this boy is adorable and my favorite and i think he's pretty fantastic.  he was such a trooper hanging out with all of my college friends.  he was so patient and made the weekend so fun for me!

we did a whole lot of driving last weekend.  driving the six hours north to boston and the six hours back, plus driving all over the north shore.  every time aj and i take a road trip, whether it be a weekend like this or just a day trip, i fall even more in love with him.  i remember our first day trip…it was about a month after we started dating and we went to baltimore for the day.  i felt like so much was riding on that day!  i was so nervous that it would be difficult to carry on conversation, that it wouldn't be effortless.  and now, almost two and a half years later, some of my favorite times have been spent in the car.  this weekend included.

The Date List: Boston Edition

since aj moved to boston to attend berklee, i've been fortunate enough to visit him a few times.  when i go up to visit, i try to make it as long of a trip as possible, and it's always awesome when i can visit for the better part of a week.

we're pretty chill when it comes to what we do, and we honestly usually end up grabbing dinner somewhere, walking around the city (or one of our neighborhoods when he's home in reading), and watching tv or a movie at home.  but like any girl, i like to go out on dates once in a while, especially when i'm getting to see my boyfriend who i haven't spent time with in a few weeks!  so here are a few date ideas that are on our list (or that we've done and loved) for boston.

1.  museum of science // astronomy nights

one of the things aj and i have always loved doing is stargazing, so the museum of science's free astronomy nights (hosted on friday nights from march-mid-november) is an obvious choice.  on clear nights, they offer free stargazing from the observatory on the roof of the museum's parking garage.  when the weather isn't cooperating, the museum offers after-hours tours of the observatory and fun astronomy-themed activities.  // funny anecdote about this date idea:  we actually tried to go to one in november and walked about four miles to the north end to grab dinner before we headed to the museum.  the restaurant we were going to had a line about half a block long and it was cold, so we ended up picking up dessert-to-go at mike's pastry (go here if you're ever in the boston area!!) and then casually walking back to the prudential center and grabbing dinner there.  it was only after we were seated at the restaurant that i looked at aj and exclaimed "astronomy night!".  we had a good laugh when we realized that we had completely forgotten about our original plan!

2.  north shore // take the train to rockport

i spent four years attending college on boston's north shore and know the area well.  aj and i have visited my old stomping grounds when we've attended weddings in the area, and one our favorite places to go is rockport.  it's about an hour-long train or car ride up to this little town, but totally worth it.  nestled on the coast, rockport is everything you could want in a quintessential new england town:  fresh seafood, salty ocean air, rock jetties, and one of the most photographed buildings in the country.  // fun fact: the scenes set in sitka, alaska from the proposal were filmed in rockport while i was in college just a few miles away!

3.  isabella stewart gardener museum // courtyard & galleries

while neither of us are huge art museum people, the isabella stewart gardener museum might be one of my favorites ever.  i've been, but aj hasn't, which makes this museum a must-go.  it's housed in this old mansion and is home to one of the most storied art thefts in recent american history.  but the reason it makes the date list isn't the art; it's the architecture.  this is one of the most beautiful museums i've ever been in.  it has a grand garden courtyard located in the center of the building that makes you wish you could live there and spend every day in this tiny oasis.

4.  prudential center // top of the hub

the prudential center sits in the heart of the back bay area of boston and is one of the tallest buildings in the city.  one of the top floors features an observation deck and restaurant with great views of the entire city below.  we've heard from one of aj's roommates that the restaurant has a fantastic (and affordable) sunday brunch menu and we've been hoping for an opportunity to go try it out. 

5.  fenway park // catch a red sox game

whether you're a fan of baseball or not, it's hard to resist the energy and excitement of a red sox game.  we love just walking around the stadium toward the end of games (aj lives just three blocks away from the stadium), and were even lucky enough to be handed free tickets to catch the last few innings once!  we also have enjoyed grabbing a burger at the bleacher bar, a tiny little spot located in the center field wall.  if you can't afford tickets to a sox game, i recommend snagging a table at the bleacher bar…the food is decent and you get to watch the game just feet from the grass!  but if you can snag tickets, do it, because this park is one of the oldest and coolest i've ever been in.  there's an incredible amount of energy that just pumps out of the park and no matter who you're rooting for, you'll have a blast.

do you live in boston?  what are your favorite date ideas for the city?  what's on your list of things to do?  what are your favorite date ideas that can be done anywhere?

THE DATE LIST: BOSTON EDITION

since aj moved to boston to attend berklee, i've been fortunate enough to visit him a few times.  when i go up to visit, i try to make it as long of a trip as possible, and it's always awesome when i can visit for the better part of a week.

we're pretty chill when it comes to what we do, and we honestly usually end up grabbing dinner somewhere, walking around the city (or one of our neighborhoods when he's home in reading), and watching tv or a movie at home.  but like any girl, i like to go out on dates once in a while, especially when i'm getting to see my boyfriend who i haven't spent time with in a few weeks!  so here are a few date ideas that are on our list (or that we've done and loved) for boston.

1.  museum of science // astronomy nights

one of the things aj and i have always loved doing is stargazing, so the museum of science's free astronomy nights (hosted on friday nights from march-mid-november) is an obvious choice.  on clear nights, they offer free stargazing from the observatory on the roof of the museum's parking garage.  when the weather isn't cooperating, the museum offers after-hours tours of the observatory and fun astronomy-themed activities.  // funny anecdote about this date idea:  we actually tried to go to one in november and walked about four miles to the north end to grab dinner before we headed to the museum.  the restaurant we were going to had a line about half a block long and it was cold, so we ended up picking up dessert-to-go at mike's pastry (go here if you're ever in the boston area!!) and then casually walking back to the prudential center and grabbing dinner there.  it was only after we were seated at the restaurant that i looked at aj and exclaimed "astronomy night!".  we had a good laugh when we realized that we had completely forgotten about our original plan!

2.  north shore // take the train to rockport

i spent four years attending college on boston's north shore and know the area well.  aj and i have visited my old stomping grounds when we've attended weddings in the area, and one our favorite places to go is rockport.  it's about an hour-long train or car ride up to this little town, but totally worth it.  nestled on the coast, rockport is everything you could want in a quintessential new england town:  fresh seafood, salty ocean air, rock jetties, and one of the most photographed buildings in the country.  // fun fact: the scenes set in sitka, alaska from the proposal were filmed in rockport while i was in college just a few miles away!

3.  isabella stewart gardener museum // courtyard & galleries

while neither of us are huge art museum people, the isabella stewart gardener museum might be one of my favorites ever.  i've been, but aj hasn't, which makes this museum a must-go.  it's housed in this old mansion and is home to one of the most storied art thefts in recent american history.  but the reason it makes the date list isn't the art; it's the architecture.  this is one of the most beautiful museums i've ever been in.  it has a grand garden courtyard located in the center of the building that makes you wish you could live there and spend every day in this tiny oasis.

4.  prudential center // top of the hub

the prudential center sits in the heart of the back bay area of boston and is one of the tallest buildings in the city.  one of the top floors features an observation deck and restaurant with great views of the entire city below.  we've heard from one of aj's roommates that the restaurant has a fantastic (and affordable) sunday brunch menu and we've been hoping for an opportunity to go try it out. 

5.  fenway park // catch a red sox game

whether you're a fan of baseball or not, it's hard to resist the energy and excitement of a red sox game.  we love just walking around the stadium toward the end of games (aj lives just three blocks away from the stadium), and were even lucky enough to be handed free tickets to catch the last few innings once!  we also have enjoyed grabbing a burger at the bleacher bar, a tiny little spot located in the center field wall.  if you can't afford tickets to a sox game, i recommend snagging a table at the bleacher bar…the food is decent and you get to watch the game just feet from the grass!  but if you can snag tickets, do it, because this park is one of the oldest and coolest i've ever been in.  there's an incredible amount of energy that just pumps out of the park and no matter who you're rooting for, you'll have a blast.

do you live in boston?  what are your favorite date ideas for the city?  what's on your list of things to do?  what are your favorite date ideas that can be done anywhere?

Boston and Back

I know it's been a little quieter than normal around here lately...September has been quite the whirlwind so far!

I've been to Boston and back twice this month (the first time on the first & second to move AJ into his new place and the second to visit him for a week!, chaperoned a weekend-long youth retreat, and turned 24.  Oh, and worked a lot.  I'm currently interning in the Service Planning department of our church and I'm loooovvvvinnng it.

Anyway...I took my camera to Boston this past week, fully intending to take loads of glorious photos of our jaunts around town.  And of course, I carried it around.  I carried it on our 7 mile walk across the Charles to Harvard Square.  I carried it on the 9 mile walk down around Beacon Hill and to Faneuil Hall.  I carried it and carried it and only took it out once.  So here are the 5 photos that weren't taken with my iPhone on my trip to Boston.  At least they're pretty good.

What have you been up to so far in September?

BOSTON AND BACK

I know it's been a little quieter than normal around here lately...September has been quite the whirlwind so far!

I've been to Boston and back twice this month (the first time on the first & second to move AJ into his new place and the second to visit him for a week!, chaperoned a weekend-long youth retreat, and turned 24.  Oh, and worked a lot.  I'm currently interning in the Service Planning department of our church and I'm loooovvvvinnng it.

Anyway...I took my camera to Boston this past week, fully intending to take loads of glorious photos of our jaunts around town.  And of course, I carried it around.  I carried it on our 7 mile walk across the Charles to Harvard Square.  I carried it on the 9 mile walk down around Beacon Hill and to Faneuil Hall.  I carried it and carried it and only took it out once.  So here are the 5 photos that weren't taken with my iPhone on my trip to Boston.  At least they're pretty good.

What have you been up to so far in September?

back in mass...

we're in massachusetts for the weekend for my friend lacy's wedding.

we're also taking the opportunity to visit my cousin, zac, who just started his freshman year at berklee.

we drove up this morning, picked up zac's girlfriend, amanda, on the way, and then spent the day wandering around the city!

here is just a snapshot of our day!

(excuse the surplus of pictures of me.  it's rare that i get to be in the shot, not just behind the camera, so i'm relishing them.)

so that was our day!  we had lunch at quincy market, wandered down to the harbor then up through the north end.  worked our way over to beacon hill and down to the public gardens and then out newbury street to berklee again.  then tonight, we walked over to and around fenway before making a stop at guitar center for the boys to play for a little while.

an exhausting day, but a fun one!

gosh, i missed this city.