Big Day Nostalgia

I promised a throw-back post about our fabulous wedding day, so here it is!

Because this monumental day was a year and a week ago, it is fun to look back at the thousands (literally) of pictures, thanks to LHM Photography, that document that day.  Even the wildly imperfect parts of the day were wonderful because of all of our family and friends that were there to support us and celebrate with us.

Thinking back... the only moment of that day that was upsetting happened when I was alone for 30 minutes to take a shower.  When I got out of that shower and began to blow out my hair, I got a call from my dad saying that there we would likely have the ceremony at Fort McNair (the reception venue) because there was no electricity at the church.  My only response: "Why am I alone right now?!"... with tears, of course.  Because I knew that everything would be better once my sister (aka the most clutch MOH ever!) returned to the bridesmaids suite. And it was.  We had the ceremony in a VERY hot church, followed by the reception in a VERY hot officer's club (turns out that their AC was out, too).  There were some other hiccoughs, too, but I mostly just remember how happy Michael and I were to share that day with everyone. We had the time of our lives!

Pre-Sweat Fest... oh, wedding, I mean... ;)

Y'all don't even want to know what's happening underneath the layers of silk organza, satin and tulle of my dress... it was like a bikram yoga studio in that church...

We felt a little better outside...

My girls and I standing on the edge of the Potomac River... I won't mention the part when Caroline (my dear cousin to the left of me) loses her balance, grabs me, and we nearly fall in. I guess 5 inch heels aren't the steadiest footwear...

A few different views of me and my dress.  The dress was everything... I wish I could wear it every day!

Our WONDERFUL families. Enough said!

The guys... I've really missed each and every one of them this year!

Pretty flowers and candles...

The Cake... this is what it looked like when it tasted like the best cake I'd ever had (thanks Alexandria Pastry Shop!). That is what I'm telling my husband in that photo. It's my omg-this-is-so-good face. Have I mentioned that I can be kind of a foodie?

This was the part where my wonderful Jewish uncle, Jed Mescon, decided that Michael and I should have a Jewish wedding reception.  It was SO much fun... and hilarious.  My face in this one: omg-layers-of-organza-on-a-satin-chaircover-is-incredibly-slippery!!!

Part of our exit... Notice the industrial fan directly behind me ;)

Washington Things: Part 4

Last week I decided that I wanted to get something (food-wise) for my husband to take to the hospital for his 'team.'  People periodically bring things in for the group, and I think medical students should participate, too! Although, I was sort of using this as an excuse to check out cool local bakeries.  There was no way I was going to Taco Bell or Domino's Pizza to pick up my husband's contribution (although I'm sure they would've appreciated that, too).

After going online and researching cupcake bakeries and french pastry shops all around the Seattle/Tacoma area, I finally came across Top Pot.  Once I saw their tagline- "Hand-Forged Doughnuts", I knew this place was exactly what I was looking for.  What resident/intern/medical student/attending physician wouldn't want one of these bad boys at insert-ridiculous-time-of-day-here??

This was the top of the box... cute yet masculine. It felt like the packaging for a cool gift... and it was!

This was the precious cargo.  A dozen assorted 'hand-forged' doughnuts!  They have over 40 varieties that rotate through (I'm guessing they had about 20 different flavors available when I was there), so I spent quite a bit of time deciding on these. Aren't they pretty!?  Oh, and I heard they tasted amazing as well... the old fashioned salted caramel and the maple bar being two stand-outs. I think I'll pick some more up 'for the team' before we leave in two weeks!

This was the box of 'some more' that I picked up for my husband's last overnight call... I think they made the 27 hour shift a little more bearable!!

Washington Things: Part 3

In order to continue the theme of making our anniversary very true to our Seattle/Tacoma locale, I found some local 'champagne' (sparkling wine) to have with our cake.  In case you didn't notice from our first, first anniversary in February, cake and champagne together is one of my favorite things.

This 'champagne' comes from a division of Chateau Ste. Michelle, the quintessential Washington winery. It surprised me.  I paid $9 for the bottle at a local Trader Joe's, and at that price, I would definitely buy it again.  I am still partial towards Pommery (real Champagne), of course, but it is more than triple the price.

Also, I'm sure that our faux 'champagne' would've tasted better in actual crystal flutes. These are the glasses that are part of our kitchenette set-up. 

Anyhow, we really enjoyed having our cake and 'champagne' for breakfast!

Year Old Cake

In case you don't know, it is a tradition to save the top layer of wedding cake to eat on your first anniversary. It's supposed to be a sweet reminder of the wedding, and a chance to eat a full slice, rather than just a bite.

Usually, the cake is wrapped, frozen in the back of a freezer, and forgotten until the one year anniversary comes around.  Our poor top tier was not so fortunate.  Because of our transient lifestyle this year, our cake lived with my parents until this past week. Here is a little timeline of what this cake endured:

June 30, 2012- Cake sat out in a 90ish degree room for at least 5 hours (I'll do a throwback post about our      wedding day sometime soon) before being stored in my parent's freezer in Arlington, VA.

July 28, 2012- Cake moves from freezer in Arlington four hours away to my parent's new freezer in Norfolk, VA.

Novermber 2012- Cake moves 25 yards away to yet another new home/freezer at my parent's new home.

June 25, 2013- Cake arrives, semi-thawed in Seattle, WA. Box marked "fragile" is crushed in two places.

This is the end result of such trauma:

Big dent on the left, smooshed in various places across the top...

I had to explain all of that before I could talk about how it tasted because for having gone through all of that, it tasted pretty darn good.  However, it did not taste as good as it did in 2012 when it was one of the best cakes I've ever had in my life.  Almond cake with fresh raspberry buttercream gets a little soggy over time.  Who knew?

We shared a big slice and a bottle of 'champagne' for breakfast... it was the start of the perfect first anniversary!

Our Seattle Anniversary

For our first anniversary, we went into Seattle to eat dinner at Sky City, the restaurant in the Space Needle. We were VERY grateful that my husband actually had the day (June 30) off! Hallelujah! 

Side note about the Space Needle elevators... remember the time we talked about my death screams on a certain Universal Studios ride?  Well this elevator gave me flashbacks to that moment.  Luckily I just turned away from the windows and stopped myself short of a full on meltdown. I was fine once we were in the restaurant because it's easy to forget that there is nothing beneath the floor... it seems like your everyday skyscraper. Thank goodness... I was a little worried about how this would turn out when we were on our way up!

Without a doubt, the meal was memorable.  Not only was the view unbeatable, but the food was marvelous, too.

A sweet touch- Sky City had a photographer walking around taking photos that could be emailed to you free of charge. This amazing view only got better as our meal continued because the restaurant turns 360 degrees! I believe they said it takes 47 minutes to make the full rotation, so we made it around twice during our dinner.

One of our favorite appetizers, burrata mozzarella, done extremely well!

Fresh Alaskan Halibut (mine), frites, and a sirloin/lobster tail (his)... yummy!

Just to the right of the skyscrapers, faint in the distance, is Mount Rainier! It didn't photograph well, but it was really spectacular/bigger/easy to see in person.

The same view approximately 47 minutes later.

 It really felt like an 'escape' to relax and dine so far above the city.

Back at our hotel room after a wonderful evening in Seattle. We definitely won't forget this wonderful experience on our first anniversary!

My Must-Have for Washington State

It is completely ironic to post about my North Face rain jacket today because there isn't a single cloud in the sky.  However, it has rained at some point during 11 out of the past 14 days here in the Pacific Northwest, so I feel this post is deserved, nonetheless.

This jacket is really perfection as far as rain jackets/wind breakers go. It is super lightweight (which makes it wearable during the drizzly days) and fits well, and most importantly, it is very waterproof.  The hood is adjustable so that it won't blow off during squalls (we've had some of those, too), and the color selection is fabulous.  

Mine is a really dark teal/forest green with mint green lining, but this jacket comes in a million colors. 

Side note: I did not pay retail for this jacket thanks to Navy Exchange, but I think its probably worth the $90 price tag if you get as much use out of it as I have!

Rainier Inn

I've already mentioned various reasons why I like it here at Fort Lewis, but here are some specifics about our fabulous living conditions at Rainier Inn.

 My husband has a desk! This is where he spends most of his time if he isn't at the hospital or sleeping, so it's a luxury to have an actual desk (rather than a really grody armchair or nothing at all).

Do you see that blinding light?! Its natural because we have two windows (even if they don't open... what a fake out)! I won't speak about the situations in which we did not/barely had windows...

The kitchen!! Doesn't it look fancy?! There may or may not be a non-stick All Clad pan hiding in one of those cupboards... 

These two things are just icing on the cake of living on Fort Lewis.  1) The view (even though seldom because of the clouds and rain) of Mt. Rainier is spectacular! 2) The sweet black kitty living in one of the rooms on the first floor of Rainier Inn.  I talk to him when I see him sleeping in the window in the mornings and afternoons. You would too!