Weekend Bliss

I've been MIA recently because I haven't had a whole lot to write about. I figured instead of blogging about things that would probably bore you to tears (like my fall TV show list and how much time I spend looking for apartments online), I would just stay silent until something worth blogging about came along.

So here it goes, this weekend I took another trip to Rochester. It was the weekend from Heaven. The first few weeks from when I got back from Rochester the first time seemed to go by pretty quickly. I was busy enough that October got here earlier than expected, but the last two weeks have dragged on and this weekend couldn't seem to come soon enough.

I took a red eye Wednesday night so by the time I got to Rochester Thursday morning I was exhausted. But after a shower and a nap I was ready to go, and Christian got home early from school so we got to spend the afternoon together.

We did a lot of my favorite things this weekend. Living in Provo by myself, I haven't gone out and done a lot this semester (which has been admittedly hard for me), so not only was it amazing to be with Christian, but it was so fun to get out and do things together. 

The weather in Upstate New York is my favorite of all time currently. Chilly with a crisp breeze, and crunchy leaves under our feet. The leaves were just at the final moments of their fall transformation this weekend, right before they fall and leave the forests barren for Winter. 

Between the colors and breathtaking landscapes, I spent the whole weekend telling everyone, "I can't believe how pretty it is here!"

You would have thought that I had never been to the Northeast before- let alone lived there. 

Here are a few shots from one of the best weekends I can remember:

A shot from our walk around Mendon Ponds Park, a park close to my parents' home.

Thursday afternoon we went to Powers Farm Market, a small local produce store that I've been going to during the fall since I was a child. In the fall they have fresh apples, a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, and man-made corn husk TeePees that they fill with lit jack-o-lanterns.

Chin and I spent the afternoon drinking hot cider and eating pumpkin donuts, exploring the TeePees, feeding the goats, and picking out the perfect pumpkin. In my definition, pure bliss. 

A few more shots from our walk in the park:

On Friday we went with my parents to one of my favorite eating spots in Rochester, Olive's Greek Taverna.
I've mentioned it a lot on here (like, it's a strange obsession), but I always find myself wanting to go here every time I visit. 
Their chicken gyros and Greek feta dill fries are incredible, and so fresh and light (as light as french fries can be). 
Post dinner we went to see Perks of Being a Wallflower. I haven't read the book so I'm not sure how it compares, but the movie was amazing. Funny, but touched on a lot of intense issues that don't often get portrayed in film.

My view from my parents' deck Saturday morning.

Saturday night we had some of Chin's friends from medical school over for dinner. I had met them once before but felt like I knew them already because Chin talks about them so much (and they lived up to all the hype- here's hoping I did too!). 

On Sunday, my flight left in the early afternoon. After church Chin and I took my pup Rusty on a walk around my parents' pond and the neighborhood. Rusty decided to be rebellious and run off and get himself in a little trouble, but we had so much fun chasing him around and keeping him out of his pond. 

Overall, it was an amazing weekend, and it was really REALLY hard to leave. Sometimes I wonder if it's wise for me to even visit at all, because every time I leave it gets harder and harder. But, it's so worth it to see Chin. 

P.S. Sorry for the picture overload, I'm trying to document our time together as much as possible this semester.

How was your weekend?

Pomp & Circumstance

This weekend, Chin's family came into town to celebrate the end of his college career. We both felt like graduation snuck up on us, like we had no time to recuperate from finals before all of a sudden he became a BYU alum. Graduation ended up being everything Chin hoped it would be. Even though we're still unsure about what our future holds, graduation gave closure to Chin's four short years at BYU. It was a big finale to the end of a small chapter of his life. 

As I've been reflecting on this past weekend's graduation events, I've thought a lot about how fast these few short years have gone by. Next December I'll have graduated as well, in a short 3 & 1/2 years. It feels like just yesterday I graduated from high school. I was a naive and immature 18 year old, who had absolutely no idea how quickly life can change and how big the world really is.

Anyways, I've said it once and I'll say it again. I'm so proud of Christian. I know that this past year was his hardest yet in terms of uncertainty and the amount that he had to push himself in several areas of his life.

But I'm proud of him for sticking through rigorous classes and several disappointments along the way.

Just some of the shots from this weekend:

Chin's younger brother (who is also 6'8" but only 17... where do they get all this height from?!) missed a few days of high school to come join in on the fun

 

 Chin's parents. I have the best in-laws I could ask for!

One of the nights we headed to Shoots, a Chinese restaurant in the Riverwoods. We had never been there but heard great things. We weren't disappointed. We went with Chin's parents and my sisters and their husbands. I was so happy that they could celebrate with us. The only thing they lacked were waiters with photography skills...

 

The grad

On Friday we seriously ate out every meal and I wanted to die. Not really but I felt like I might because I've never been so full. We celebrated with Chin's side of the family at Market Street Grill, one of the Pingree family favorites.

And on a semi-related note, Saturday we celebrated with our friends Ali and Aaron (as if we hadn't done enough celebrating already). We headed to Ruby River for yet another dinner out. And even though we took pictures as couples, I'm really obsessed with Ali so I put this one on here instead. Love you Al Pal.

Pretty blooms outside the Marriott Center

Did I mention we celebrated a lot? Oh wait did I mention I'm proud of Chin?

Kay I'm done. 

While Chin Was Gone

This past weekend, Chin was whisked away to a medical school interview at the University of Kentucky.

And while I was really happy that he had the opportunity to go, it was the first time that we had spent more than 12 or so hours apart in more than a year.

I learned a few things while he was gone.

The first, was that I don't know how I thought it would be doable to be apart next fall semester. If you haven't been reading our blog for too long, you might not know that Chin goes (hopefully) to med school in August, and I'll still have one more semester at BYU- so I'll be in Provo no matter what.

I was freaked out about it for quite a while, but for the past six months or so, I haven't been worrying about it. I know Heavenly Father will make it work somehow, and we love each other enough that four months apart will be tough but doable.

Except I realized this weekend that I am completely incompetent without Chin. I never realized how much I need him in my life until he was gone for a few days. That's really really sad, because I never want to under-appreciate him and I hope that I don't. I just don't think I realized how much we both rely on each other before.

I was pretty independent before I got married. I was worried that people around me would think that I needed a man to do things for me, so I over-compensated by trying to do everything on my own. 

Now though, I am a complete mushy baby by myself. I am completely dependent on Chin, but I think in a good way. He's my husband and we lean on each other for help and support, and he is incredible in more ways than I thought possible.

So Chin, thanks for making one big fat mess when you're away. And most importantly, never go away again, because it's just no fun without you here.

I also learned that I bake way too much:

(recipe coming for this beauty tomorrow)

and I learned that I have really awesome friends who make lace garland and chat for two hours at Cafe Rio with me. But I already knew they were awesome. So just a reminder then.

how was your weekend?

A Weekend in Denver

I've decided that I officially love being whisked away for the weekend. 

Leaving on short notice (and being taken by surprise) ended up being wonderful, and I was even able to get everything done that I needed to before we left.

 

 I feel really lucky to have the in-laws that I do. I had some people ask why we weren't going home to New York over the weekend, and simply, if my parents weren't across the country, we would have loved to go to New York. But my in-laws are some of the most incredible people I know, and going to Denver feels like going home too. 

It was a relatively quiet weekend; Chin's little brother, Graham, had basketball games Friday night, and we spent a good portion of the weekend eating, exercising, and being together as a family.

 

We had the chance to get together with some of the Pingree's family friends this weekend, the Fishels. Christian and David (the one in the checkered shirt) went to high school together, and have remained close friends since. They were groomsmen in each others weddings and we always try to get together with them when we come to Denver. 

We met them at the Union, one of the best bistros I've ever eaten at. The food was divine (Thai Chicken flatbread, White Cheddar fondue, Scallops with Apple Bacon Risotto, and Salted Caramel ice cream to name just a few) and the company even better.

And what wouldn't make the night complete without a waitress trying (and failing) to take a picture of our group? (Only a mild disaster) 

 

The Pings were also nice enough to help me celebrate my birthday (I swear I didn't wear that sweater the whole weekend...) a little early. On Sunday they made a great dinner filled with ribs, twice baked potatoes, and lemon poppyseed cake with raspberry curd.

bless them.

It was a very PINK birthday. I guess they know me well enough to know how much I love pink. They helped me check off a few things of my summer clothes wish list, including this pink seersucker bathing suit (thanks Chin!) and this new gingham button down and matching bracelet.

I'm telling you they rock. 

And then there were the pups. One of my favorite things about Denver is Sunny and Charli. Charli (the one being smothered by Graham) loves only two things: her tennis ball and her squirrel. The only ways to make her happy in life.

And Sunny. She must constantly be pet, snuggled, paid attention to, or fed. She's quite the girly girl and loves being pampered. 

She kept getting stuck in her blanket. Poor girly. 

How was your weekend?

I hope you're loving the holiday and catching up on some sleep :)