New York, New York!
a recap of our trip to new york to celebrate two years of marriage!
In September, we celebrated two years of marriage and took a short trip to New York to celebrate. Aaron has never been and I haven’t been in six years or so. We purchased the tickets back in April on a bit of a whim—but figured it’d be good for us to take a trip without Libby. We had three full days and they went by fast! There were quite a few friends that we wanted to see while we were out there and Sang happened to be out there the same time we were as well. Leaving Libby behind was a bit easier than I had anticipated and it probably helped that she didn’t cry when my aunts picked her up. The only regret I had about this trip was probably just finding more time for it to be just me and Aaron but that’s NYC—lots of time spent on subways and walkin’ around! :)
last photo with Libs before saying bye!
first meal in NYC!
SUNDAY //
We landed around 5:30a and started the subway ride to Bushwick where we’d be staying for the first two nights. At about twenty minutes in or so, we were stuck for probably half an hour and I was about to pull out my hand-pump because I was so full from not having breastfed or pumped for over 12 hours, when it started to go again. We decided to get off on the first stop afterwards to grab some food and for me to get some relief ha.
We got to Joe and Saxon’s around 10a and after catching up with them and taking a short nap, we headed to Prospect Park area to see our friends Jenica and Riley, who are expecting their first baby this December! We had lunch at a neighborhood diner, and then grabbed some beer to sit at the park for a bit. It was really great to see them; I just wish we grabbed a photo with them! If the day wasn’t so drizzly, I would’ve wanted to walk around the park a bit more as I had never been before!
That night we went to Suzume for some ramen with Joe and Saxon and ohmygoshitwassogood! Aaron was pretty much having a foodgasm ha.
MONDAY //
We headed into Manhattan Monday morning for a small breakfast at the Egg Shop. It was a really cute space that was filled to the brim, but lucky for us there was an empty table when we arrived. It reminded me of Japan—the decor with the plants/etc. The only thing that was a bit of a bummer was that were was some construction going on right in front (explains the rocks in front of the restaurant front in the pic below). Aaron and I split a sandwich and some biscuits and it was all delicious. We honestly would’ve ordered more food but we wanted to save our stomaches since we had lunch plans immediately after with Sang and my cousin Mark. Right next door was Cafe Integral so we popped in for some Nicaraguan coffee. Also very good.
For lunch, we met up with Sang, Bryan, Mark and his girlfriend Yeri and went to Joe’s Shanghai in Chinatown. The soup dumpings were perfect.
The rest of the afternoon we spent roaming the area and miscellaneous shops… checked out Glossier which was a bit underwhelming… maybe the LA location is cooler? Thanks to the boys for indulging me. We strolled through Canal Street Market, had an afternoon dessert at Milk & Cream Cereal Bar and very briefly checked out the High Line Park. We were a bit pressed for time and I only wish we could’ve stayed there longer (shouldn’t have perused shops for as long as we did)! I’ve been before but Aaron hadn’t and I think he would’ve really enjoyed it.
Aaron and I headed back to Brooklyn for an afternoon siesta, but really it was a pumping break for me and a quick 20-30 minute nap for Aaron before we had to get back into the city. We had a reservation at Freeman’s which was a spot I had been to a couple years back. I remember the drinks being amazing and wanted to try their food as well. Truth be told, the food was mediocre but the drinks… man, both Aaron and I agreed we had the best cocktail we’ve ever had there. It was called the Phantoma which was fitting since we headed to see Phantom of the Opera that evening! This evening was probably the highlight of the trip for me as it was the only time we really had a chance to have a conversation about the past two years of marriage and what we want for this next year. It was good to have intentional conversation, amidst all the things we were doing and seeing.
had to take a photo of this drink… who can teach us how to remake this?!
Our waitress had recommended some late night spots for post-show and honestly Aaron and I weren’t even thinking of going out after the show…. but we both looked at each other and thought well we totally could stay out late! no baby! We decided to text Sang to see if he wanted to meet up with his afterwards and if he said yes, we would go. I don’t know why we didn’t want to go just us ha! It was after all our anniversary trip… but the evening ended up being so fun. My cousin Mark joined as well and it was just a chill evening at a Japanese jazz bar (which happened to be one of Mark’s ‘regular’ spots ha!) I don’t remember the last time I was out this late… 1am. Maybe 5 or 6 years ago? How am I already getting so old?! … #parenthood. The lychee sorbet was so so good—my mouth is watering right now thinking about it.
TUESDAY //
Our actual anniversary and our last full day! I had planned to take Aaron to Central Park this day but it was dumping rain so we had to nix idea… but we had bought tickets to the Color Factory which was a temporary exhibit that had been set up. I didn’t even know it was happening until we landed in NY and I saw something about it as I was scrolling through Instagram. I’m so happy we found out about it though—it was the perfect indoor rainy day activity. For $40, I’d say it was worth it as you got a handful of treats along the way and it was just a very creative exhibit. They also handed you a card that you could scan along the way to take photos of you and it’d email it to you right after! We got so many fun photos (as you can see below)!
We headed to Juliana’s Pizza for lunch based off of raving recommendations and lucky for us, we were seated immediately. The fact that it was pouring was probably the reason there wasn’t a huge line out the door. Anyway, the pizza was very good. I am starting to appreciate the crust a lot more, thanks to Aaron’s ways of describing pizza.
We had booked an AirBnb for our last night so we headed back to Joe/Saxon’s to pack up. Our new spot was in Clinton Hill—a really nice area of town, I guess. Our host messaged me to tell me that there was a crew that was just at her place packing up after filming an episode of the Real Housewives of New York, so things may be a bit out of place. We didn’t see anything but still cool. Once we settled in, our friend Karen met up with us and snapped a few anniversary photos of us before we headed out for some drinks & dinner. See more photos of the session here. Karen is I N C R E D I B L E.
photo by Karen Obrist
All in all, such a great trip. It went by really fast and being away from Libby was a lot easier than we both expected. Of course we missed her, but because we kept busy and because she did so well, we would definitely take another trip away from her again. We Facetimed her for a few minutes that last night, knowing we would be seeing her the next morning but she wasn’t even phased. When we saw her the next day, she looked so nonchalant and showed no reaction!
Anyway, I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to get away for just a bit. I can’t believe it’s already been two years! A lot has certainly happened :)
A Weekend in San Diego
This past weekend, we got the chance to head down to San Diego! I'm currently still here until the end of the week working on the next volume of the Nations journal but I thought it would be great if A could come down with me for the beginning or tail end. He was only here for a day and a half, but we squeezed in as much as we could. Here are some iPhone photos from our time together. He loved it and we loved being away from Seattle. I adore hanging out with this guy; he makes my heart flutter. Life with your best friend is pretty swell, guys! Cannot thank our friend Brianna for hosting us enough!
SATURDAY //
A really wanted me to take a photo of this sweet car and I just liked the surfboard mailbox.
Saturday morning brunch
We headed into San Diego after a tasty brunch with B at Le Papagayo
Currently Aaron's reading this book and I'm reading a classic, The Grapes of Wrath.
We walked around at Balboa Park and laid in the grassy shade. Ah, it was nice.
Of course, we had to grab some ice cream! Hammond's was recommended to us; of course we had to get the infamous ice cream flights. We tried Vietnamese Coffee, Banana Cream Pie, Thai Iced Tea, Lychee Cream and Mango Sorbet.
That night, we met up with Joel's family and Brianna at Stone Brewing. Super rad place and the food was so good! We tried this awesome beer that was in a wine bottle (see photo below). It was a great night and we had some good chats with them. I was happy Aaron finally got to meet 'em!
another car A wanted me to take a pic of...
SUNDAY //
We headed to Steady State for some coffee in Carlsbad before meeting up with B for church at North Coast. Coffee was on point. Good rec!
For lunch, we headed to the Taco Stand... because duh.
We had some time to kill so we attempted to drive to La Jolla so I could show Aaron but traffic was pretty bad; we managed to get there but then had to leave right away.
Saxon, Joe and his parents happened to be in town the same weekend so we met up with them at Bottlecraft in Little Italy. Lots of beers and talks about beers later, A had to leave to make his flight! We had such a great time though and am thankful we were able to see some friends.
I have a feeling all of our future travel blog posts will be lots of food photos. Sorry, not sorry. Already missing you, babe!
Warsaw, Indiana
This is a very belated post, but better late than never, right? We made it to Aaron's hometown of Warsaw, Indiana this last August via Chicago. At this point, we had been dating for about nine months. Our plans for the weekend were to simply spend time with his family, but I felt as if we managed to make it very full with memories and rest. It actually felt like a vacation, which was so nice and needed. A lot of people asked if I was nervous prior to coming out, since it would be my first time meeting his entire family, but I was excited! I had briefly met his parents over Skype a few months before and it went so well; there was no anxiousness on my end. His brother and sister-in-law (Caleb and Brianna) also made the drive in from Cleveland, where they currently live. I knew Aaron was happy for the chance for everyone to be together.
We got into South Bend, Indiana on a Thursday evening on a train, where his parents picked us up. They took us out to dinner, where I was grilled by his parents (just kidding!). But they did ask questions, mostly his mom (Hi Stacy!). It was a nice to have some time with just the four of us before going home to everyone else. The drive to Warsaw was about 45 minutes or so; I don't recall entirely because I was drifting in and out of sleep. To be honest, I don't remember much of the drive except for the last five minutes when we approached the McCarty home :) We were greeted by his sister, Hannah, Caleb and Brianna and they were so, so, so welcoming. I already felt at home, which is easy since Aaron was with me the entire time ;)
The next morning, I slept in and woke up to breakfast being made by Aaron's older brother, Jason. He had bought a bunch of groceries and let us pick out what we wanted in our omelettes. Yummy in my tummy. The girls had a morning out on Winona Lake while the boys stayed at home working on Pops' motorcycle. We checked out some fun shops, including a new candy shop called Rocket Fizz (pictured below) that had all the treats and soda you could possibly ever want. We stopped at one of Hannah's favorite tea spots called Spice Merchants and I picked up some Red Rocks loose leaf tea by her recommendation. This tea is made up of South African Rooibos, vanilla and almond bits. Smells good, full of antioxidants and it's caffeine-free! I RECOMMEND FOR SURE. We also stopped by Mud Love, an organization that makes and sells products to support clean water projects in Africa. Stacy was so sweet and let me pick out some charms for a necklace.
When we got home, I got the chance to go on my first ride on a motorcycle with Aaron! :) It was so wonderful to ride around his hometown and take in the summer air. A perfect afternoon. That evening, we had dinner with his family and ended the night out with the siblings. My friend, Kayla, also met up with us that night. I had met her when I was in Uganda earlier that year. Small world right? Kayla was back in Indiana to finish her last semester at Grace College.
Dreams do come true.
The next morning, I slept in again. (Man, this was really starting to feel like a vacation!) Aaron took me out on a lunch date at Cerulean (where he worked for some time) for the two of us to get some down time together. Sushi in the Midwest huh? Well, we got some bento boxes and it was actually pretty good. Of course, he looked so handsome right? We got to take the motorcycle and I pretended to pose as if I could ride the thing. (ONE DAY!) We stopped at Light Rail Roaster, which used to be a bakery Aaron worked at for some coffee and was on our way back home. We met up with everyone again and made an hour drive out to Elkhart to visit Aaron's Grandma Nifong. I saw some baby pictures! Yeah! It was a great visit and I'm sure his grandmother loved seeing all of us.
That evening, we enjoyed some board games with everyone and when it was dark, Aaron and I went out to his yard and attempted to watch the stars. He had told me how he would often come home after work and lay in the bed of his truck and look at the stars. Of course the night we decide to do this, it was cloudy... but it was still nice to be able to do this with him, since we had talked about it for some time.
Sunday was our last day in town. We went to church with the family and afterwards, took some family photos in Winona Lake. I was very excited to do this for Mama McCarty and everyone looked great with all the hints of blue :) The shoot didn't take too long (you can see a few below) and we enjoyed a delicious lunch together at Boathouse Restaurant. When we got home, we had some post-church discussion and all prayed together.
I met up with Kayla again for a coffee date with Aaron afterwards. There are absolutely no coffee shops open on Sundays- something I'm definitely not used to coming from Seattle, but we managed to meet at a Starbucks inside a grocery store. It was so good to see Kayla and re-live some memories we made in Uganda, but also talk about current life shenanigans. (Update on Kayla, because she's rad-- she graduated early December and is now back in Uganda!) Thanks for the photos of us together, Aaron :) That evening, we met with Aaron's Grandma Mac and her new husband, Dale. I had truly met the whole family!
Aaron's parents drove us back to Chicago the next morning and we were off. I really can't wait until we're able to make it out there again (hopefully this winter for the holidays!) Sure, there isn't as much to do there, but the time away from real life was so wonderful and I loved his family. I can't wait to be a part of it!
Dorothy did a great job recording the details of our trip, and honestly I'm impressed with her memory. For me, what we did and where we went doesn't stick to my mind as much as what the trip meant for my heart and for our relationship. It's a nerve-racking thing-- to have someone meet your family. I mean, it shouldn't be. I love my family to death, but there's always that thought in the back of my mind that maybe they're too weird. Like a body part or a certain way that you talk that you're embarrassed about. We shouldn't be embarrassed about the things that make us who we are, and there is a lot of vulnerability in showing these things to a girlfriend. Though Dorothy is the most genuine, loving, care-free person I know, I still had questions in my head like, "Will this change the way she sees me or thinks about me?"
What happened over this trip gave me so much joy and peace. My family and Dorothy got along splendidly. I shouldn't have been surprised. And even more than that, I experienced sides of my family (and of Dorothy) that I had never seen before, even in the 24 years of my life. It was amazing for me to see how Dorothy's personality brought out different things in each of my family members in a way that I never could. An example would be the girls and their group dynamic. The men in our family have always outnumbered the women, and adding Dorothy to the mix makes the total count 4 and 4. The girls going out together while the guys stayed home? I don't think I've seen that happen before! Imagining them all just getting along on their own, being able to do things that interest them, while us guys stay at home talking and doing things that interest us but maybe not them... super cool. This is just one easy example to share, but there were plenty more which mostly had to do with Dorothy's outgoing personality and seeing my family all so attracted to her (again, not surprised about that.)
All of this to say, it was a trip that brought security and relief in my decision to pursue Dorothy. Not that a bad experience would have stopped me, but knowing that I have the full support of my family makes it that much more legitimate and confident of a decision.
The crazy thing? This was just ONE trip. While we were dating. I'm thinking about the many, many trips we will have as a married couple, and I'm looking forward so greatly to all the things we will experience anew as a tiny bit bigger (and more balanced) family.
-A
Eight Hours in Chi-Town
This past August, Aaron and I took a trip out to the Midwest to visit his family. We made a pit-stop in Chicago, eating and drinking our hearts out, and spending some time with Aaron's childhood friend (shoutout to Phil!) who had recently moved out there. I was falling asleep that morning, ironically enough, over coffee and breakfast and it was so kind of Phil to let me nap at his apartment for an hour or so. We sipped coffee at Intelligentsia in Logan Square, ate brunch at Lula Cafe (so darling!), browsed a few shops (it was still pretty early when we were out), taco-ed it up at Big Star (which I would highly recommend) and finished with some ice cream/donuts/more coffee at Stan's Coffee & Coffee before taking the train down to Indiana. It was so enjoyable to finally be on a plane with Aaron, going to a city that was not home to either of us. Our first trip together! Aaron made this gif below so I hope y'all enjoy it. He was pretty excited about it.
