sunday evening in the park in woodstock, getting used to our newly adorned hands.

after drinks with galen and scott’s dad and dinner at the prince and the pauper,

we stayed at the historic and lovely woodstock inn on sunday night.

when we got home on monday night, one of our wedding gifts was waiting for us… this pillow!

(thank you, jamie and demian.)

early the next morning, we left for emerald isle, north carolina.

upon landing and picking up the car, we didn’t even stop at the condo,

we went straight to Big Oak for shrimp burgers and hush puppies.

the walkway from the condo to the beach.

over the next few days, we mostly sat, stared, drank and ate.

we got very used to it.

we probably ate our weight in fried seafood, and we don’t regret it a bit.

the sanitary fish market in morehead city BEFORE

and AFTER. we were stuffed.

our table’s view from sanitary.

breakfast (cheeseburgers) at yana’s in historic swansboro.

mmm… fresh peach fritters. our “appetizer.”

we took a trip to shackleford banks (and small island off the coast of beaufort) where wild ponies roam.

we didn’t see any wild ponies, but we did see lots of wild pony poop.

we ate out quite a bit, but also cooked quite a bit too.

we made a delighfully delicious dish called “seafood bread.”

layers of scallops, salmon, shrimp and mushrooms in a bread “bowl.” yum.

we highly recommend giving it a try the next time you’re at the beach with access to fresh seafood and a kitchen.

our favorite dinner out was at the beaufort grocery. we liked it so much, we went twice.

other than that, there was a lot of this kinda thing.

and this.

a wee bit of this.

and a whole lot of…

’twas wonderful.

But if you’re like me, this pops into your mind almost instantly:

Thanks, Donger.

this is a good opportunity to remind you all that cellular and internet service is VERY limited in Vermont in general, and practically non-existent in Plymouth (altho free wi-fi is available at Good Commons) so we recommend that you get yourself a decent state map of Vermont and/or print out your directions, itinerary, copies of reservations, etcetera, before you head this way. (there will be area maps in your hotel rooms when you arrive, but if you want to sightsee outside of the immediate area, you’ll need a more detailed map).

see you all in less than three weeks!

while trolling around looking for potential readings for our ceremony, i found this incredibly powerful and beautiful piece written by a father for his daughter. whether you’re getting married, or have been married for 100 years, i’ll bet you can glean something from it (bolded words are my own).

from Craig Nova: The Writing Life

To my daughter on her wedding day

Dr. Nova’s Matrimonial Checklist

First, I have found that one of the most important things in a good marriage is ordinary, garden variety politeness, the please and thank you, minor formality, etc. The point of this politeness is not only that it is good in itself, and makes life a little easier and a touch sweeter, but that it mitigates against the greatest danger in marriage, which is that familiarity can breed contempt, or at least can led to impertinence. A little politeness, especially in trying circumstances, goes a long ways, and then, too, politeness in public makes sure that no domestic dissonance ever leaves the confines of the house. It is humiliation, no matter how minor, that one can’t forgive, or that one forgives uneasily and only over great amounts of time.

Never assume that one of you knows what the other is going to say, since while it is often true that you do know, there are times when something unusual will be said, and making this possible is to keep the magic of matrimony alive.

Don’t fight it. One of the odd things about matrimony, on a long term basis, is that you don’t become two people so much as three, that is you, your husband, and then this other creature who is part wife and part husband. This third, combined creature grows larger and larger as the other two shrink. After a while there is only the third creature, and it can’t even remember what happened to the other two. You will know that the third creature is taking over when you can’t make a decision without consulting with your spouse (of course, it begins with big items, such as “Should we buy this house?” but it seeps downward from there so you find yourself wanting to consult about the quality of the basil for the marinara sauce).

The time to show largeness of spirit or generosity is just after having won an argument.

Small, considerate gifts, on a regular basis, are appreciated. These show that not only have you been thinking about your partner on a regular basis, you are willing to do something about it.

Also, one of the great advantages of matrimony is the team aspect of it, and it helps to think of this as a Way of Knowledge. It’s kind of like the army in which there is the right way, the wrong way and the army way. But whatever the style, this team is the thing that will get you through thick and thin, through the worst nights imaginable and will be there, too, to celebrate the best that you have hoped for. It is, like all good teams, a two way street.

Realize early on that each member of the union will have strengths, and that it is good to accept this. The ideal marriage will have complementary strengths, and the ideal couple will be glad to off load what he or she can’t do to the one who can. Not great syntax, but I think you get the idea.

For instance, my wife will approach a problem with great attention to practical details, but I will go at it on the basis of abstract theory, of intellectual considerations which will include, but will not be limited to ethics, morality, political science, economic efficiency, not to mention a general all around garden variety philosophy of what is correct. We are best at planning trips: I have my eyes on the horizon, if not the stars, and she will worry about the bath tubs and the food.

Looking the other way is a large part of bliss. It is a variety of generosity.

Finally, it is a good idea to forgive the spouse in the same spirit that one would like to be forgiven oneself.

what would you add to Dr. Nova’s matrimonial checklist?

some of you expressed interest (you liked it!) in the postcard that we used as the reply card in our invitations. i actually purchased a vintage postcard online, scanned it, tweaked it in Photoshop and Illustrator and then had them professionally printed.

ta-da! cuteness!

we thought you might enjoy seeing it in its original form, above.

i wonder where Miss Marguerite M. Cody is now. i like to think this postcard was sent to her by her beau. no message because perhaps their love was forbidden by her parents? i wonder if Peggy’s heart went pitter pat when she saw the familiar handwriting? and did she sleep with it under her pillow? maybe they eloped to Plymouth Notch and got married in the tiny church there?

then again, maybe it was from her Great-Aunt Tillie. the one who smells like tuna surprise and Vicks Vapo Rub.

That's where we'll be, at the corner of 100 and 100A, right in the "No Coverage" zone.

That’s right folks, if you’re like us and you rely on the iPhone to find your pants in the morning, you’ll be out of your element when you arrive in the fair town of Plymouth, Vermont. As you can see here, Good Commons is at the corner of 100 and 100A, right in the no-person’s-land of AT&T connectivity.

The good news is you can connect to the internets at Good Commons, so get your iPhone Skype account all set up and you’ll be making free calls right from your phone! Actually, you can make calls from GC too, thanks Tesha! free long distance! You’ll find some Edge coverage in Woodstock and some other spots too… but we hope you’ll enjoy the disconnection time.

I guess also worth mentioning, be sure to write down your travel directions… like, on a piece of paper…. I know, weird!

Oh yeah, you’ll find some free wifi down at The Back Behind BBQ at the corner of 100 and Rt. 4… Amazing BBQ, brisket, Facebook status updates, ribs, and vibe galore.

a few pics from our trip to Vermont this weekend. The Green Mountain State was showing off for us!

There’s the place!