boston: barking crab

One of the highlights of our Boston trip? Dinner at the Barking Crab.

A friend introduced me to this restaurant when I lived there (okay ... it was a first date. blushing.) and it is completely amazing. And first date worthy :). I have taken all my friends and family that visited me back east and it's one of the first places I recommend. You know, to people who like seafood. :) So of course it was on the agenda for this trip.

I love the atmosphere here almost as much as the food. The restaurant is in a big tent on the river. There are tons of sparkly lights and picnic tables. It's such a laid-back vibe.

And of course, accompanying your meal is this amazing view of the city!

I'm not going to lie. Chris was a little hesitant at first. 

I think it was because this ROCK was our utensil for the evening :).

But we found a lovely bottle of wine to split. At every restaurant we visited, we ended up ordering northwest wines. This one claims Washington, but is bottled in Oregon. We're Oregon elitists ;).

Once we had wine and his meal, he was all smiles. Chris tried King Crab and I had my default Dungeoness. Yum!

Um yeah. Me too :)

I love having amazing nights like this to remember with this wonderful guy. It was our last night our east and it was the PERFECT end to this fun trip.

boston: a glimpse

We went on a little trip recently to my second most favorite city (Portland is number one, of course): Boston! See, I attend graduate school in Boston and lived there for two years. And loved every. single. minute. I've never regretted my decision to move back to Portland (I mean, come on, I met Chris upon my return!), but I do have a very special place in my heart for *bean town*. Chris on the other hand, has never been to New England. Well, I knew I needed to remedy that as soon as possible. 

And, remedy, I did! We spent our second anniversary in Boston. And friends, it was awesome. We both had a pretty harried September, to say the least, and the trip's timing was perfect. We relaxed, we drove to Maine (!), we're now planning our Maine return trip (loved, loved, loved Maine), and best of all, we enjoyed each other. We make a huge effort at home to take time to appreciate, love and connect with each other. But, there was something so special about having a week (!) for fun, exploring and adventures with just each other.

Below are a few highlights from our incredible week away.

We spend time strolling through Boston's public garden.

We took in the incredible city views from our hotel room.

We visited my old neighborhood. (Above, not below. HA!)

We soaked in the amazing historic architecture. Back home, just for fun, we checked real estate prices for some of the nicer areas. Let's just say I'll have to be content with strolling through and taking pics. Forever.

We ate cannoli's at Mike's in the North End. MMMMMmmmmm.

We visited Fenway. And, shed a tear for the Red Sox season.

And, we spent an evening at one of my favorite restaurants ever. More on that later :).

one year ago . . .

. . . I made a vow to marry my best friend. A vow launched me into the craziest adventure of my lifetime. Best.decision.ever.

on being married . . .

Me: One week from today!
Chris: What?

Me: Our ONE YEAR anniversary. One week from today.
Chris: Oh. I was thinking it's the day we move into the garage.

Me: Where are your priorities?
Chris: Clearly practical things.

Um yeah. What do you even say to that!?
Garage update coming soon.

in the closet

Last weekend Chris removed a shelf from my closet. It had bit me in the head one too many times. And, he moved it to his closet.

This morning I opened his closet to grab his laundry and discovered . . .

. . . that his closet now resembles a GAP ad.

Um, hmm. I think I'm just jealous that his closet now looks better than mine.