A little video from our honeymoon...

Here is a little video from our honeymoon in Turks and Caicos. We had so much fun using our LifeProof case while snorkeling. Although we had heard some negative reviews about the case, we did not have any issues with it while swimming and diving. We also had a LifeProof life jacket for the phone, which made me much less nervous while swimming in deep water. All underwater and biking footage was taken on my iPhone 6S. Everything else was shot using my Canon 6D. Enjoy!

Honeymooning

Brian and I honeymooned in Turks and Caicos for six days after our Minnesota celebration. The entire vacation was a dream come true. We quickly established our island-life routine. We started our days with long, relaxing breakfasts at our hotel. We sat at the same table every morning and tried so many delicious meals throughout the week. After breakfast, we headed to the beach to snorkel. Did you know Turks and Caicos has the third largest barrier reef system in the world? We spent hours at Bight Reef and Smith's Reef (I will share more photos from our time there soon!). I had no idea how much I would love snorkeling and honestly couldn't get enough!

We relaxed on the beach in our pamper pod every afternoon and dined at a new restaurant on the beach every evening at sunset. Every single meal we had was fantastic! Brian ate locally caught fish for dinner every night and sampled a lot of conch dishes, the specialty of the island. I do not eat seafood, so I treated myself to steaks almost every meal. 

Our honeymoon included the perfect amount relaxation and adventure for both of us and we didn't want to come home! We are already dreaming of returning to Turks someday to celebrate an anniversary.

Our New York City Wedding

Our New York City wedding was truly a dream come true. I can't wait to share photos from our special day throughout the week. Stay tuned!

Our final date during our engagement.

The weekend before our wedding Brian and I decided went on our final date as an engaged couple. We had some errands to run downtown, so we decided to find a spot to eat in the Lower East Side. We stumbled upon Black Tree, a restaurant we had wanted to try ever since we saw it featured on the Cooking Channel. We arrived before their kitchen opened for dinner so we had some drinks and made our wedding playlist while we waited. Our meal was so delicious (I can't stop thinking about their burrata!) and we loved all of the locally sourced ingredients on the menu. After dinner we picked up candy for our welcome bags at Economy Candy and sampled wedding cake flavors at Sugar Sweet Sunshine. By the end of the evening we had our wedding cake ordered!

I am so grateful I captured some moments that night with my Instax camera. We were so excited and ready to get married, and I will cherish these photos forever!

Scenes from the weekend.

Brian and I had the most amazing time upstate this past weekend. We stayed at The Graham and Co. in Phoenicia, a popular retreat for New Yorkers with hipster details, minimal design, and no cell phone service. I absolutely loved it. Another perk of the hotel was that The Phoenicia Diner was only a three minute drive away. We ended up having breakfast there on both Saturday and Sunday and were really pleased with our meals. Mike, the owner of the diner, was there on Sunday morning and was so kind! I would return to Phoenicia just to eat another skillet breakfast there (with a side of biscuits of course). We wanted to try Sweet Sue's as well for their legendary pancakes, but it was closed for the weekend.

On Saturday we hiked to Kaaterskill Falls after our morning bike ride around Phoenicia. Late that afternoon I enjoyed a much needed nap while Brian exploded the area more on bike. That evening we had a phenomenal meal at Peekamoose; my gnudi appetizer was so delicious! On Sunday we went on another bike ride before venturing to the nearby towns of Woodstock and Saugerties. We explored the Saugerties Lighthouse and picked up some treats at Krause's Chocolates before making the trip back to New York City. We are now dreaming of one day owning a country home upstate. I will share more about The Graham and Co. this week, along with a little video of our weekend adventures. 

Scenes from the weekend.

Once Brian and I heard Saturday's rainy forecast, we declared that we would not get out of our pajamas. Aside from a quick trip to get a manicure/pedicure and 16 Handles, I stuck to our plan like a champ. We brewed pots of coffee, watched Friends, played our favorite iPhone games, and lounged around the house all day long. It was wonderful. On Sunday we were a bit more productive. After cleaning the house all morning, we spent the afternoon on the west side. We shopped around Chelsea Market, ate a delicious lunch at Le Pain Quotidien, and then enjoyed a slice of Monkey Cake from Amy's Bread and iced coffee from 9th Street Espresso as we watched the traffic in the 10th Avenue Square. We concluded our date day walking the length of The Highline. How was your weekend?

Our favorite.

For my birthday this year, Brian gave me the best present a girl could ask for- tickets to an acoustic Guster concert with an accompanying strings section. Dream come true! This was our seventh Guster concert, and we couldn't wait for our date night out.

Sam Cohen, of the Brooklyn-base band Yellowbirds, opened the show. I loved him! I immediately purchased songs from his new album, The Color, following the show. After his performance, the stage was reset for our favorite band. Guster played for two hours, taking requests from the audience during the show and playing many of my favorites, included Two Points For Honesty and Either Way.

 

The guys concluded the show with an unplugged version of Jesus on the Radio. We left The Capital Theater in Port Chester happy and eager for our next Guster concert. I can't wait until they announce their upcoming tour!