Catherine's Birthday

Thank you to everyone who sent birthday wishes to Catherine on Tuesday.  I took her to Salem, MA where we enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner at Capt's Waterfront.  It was also fun to remember the story of our engagement, which was a year ago this day, and think about how God has taken care of us over the past year.  I asked her what her top four highlights have been - two before and two after the move to MA (she couldn't say wedding or honeymoon).  They were:
1)  A week spent in Duck, NC with her family this summer.
2)  A Christmas party with her Ward Elementary students, which my parents came up to help with.
3)  Trips into Boston (walking the Freedom Trail and seeing Sufjan Stevens).
4)  Making friends at Gordon-Conwell.

She has also enjoyed visits from friends like Justin, Mark and Lois, Matt and Caroline, and getting to see Kelly in Boston. 

I am fortunate to have such an amazing wife who has been a great friend for six years, loves me well, has made our apartment into a home, and has ventured with me to the far Northeast!

Here are some pictures from our dinner.

Catherine reading my card.

Lobster bisque!

Her hottie of a husband.

The birthday girl.

We both had the surf and turf: filet mignon, shrimp, scallops, asparagus, and lobster risotto.

Happy Birthday, Catherine!

Sushi and Sufjan

Curt and I LOVE sushi.  We went to a sushi restaurant for our first "official" date and we pretty much always go out to eat sushi on any special occasion.  While we were registering at Crate & Barrel, we decided to register for some "sushi-making" things (i.e. wooden chopsticks, soy sauce dishes, platter, sushi rolling mats, etc.) because we thought it would be so great to have friends over and make sushi at home (and a lot cheaper too!).  Long story short, we finally did it!  Our friends Chris and Rachel Loose were kind enough to join us in our little experimental dinner.  It was definitely a learning experience, but we had a great time.  Here are some pictures from our night together.

I found my Karate Kid headband and thought it most appropriate for this occasion.  Curt was a good sport.

The set-up.  I want to give a special shout out to Rebecca, Lizzie, the Larsons, and the Bakers for the great gifts!  We are having a blast using them.  Thanks again!

 Rachel was a pro.  She definitely got the award for best roller.

Curt and I also LOVE Sufjan Stevens...and he came to Boston this past Thursday and Friday!  We went to the show on Thursday night and it was so good that I begged Curt to buy us tickets to go again on Friday.  For some reason Curt didn't think it would be a prudent financial decision to go see the same concert twice :(   Anyway, we had a great time in Boston.  We got to catch up with my sweet friend, Kelly, from high school and we got to check out the Orpheum Theatre, where the concert was held.  It was really beautiful.  Here are a few pictures from the show...

 

Oh, also we had nosebleed seats.  It was still worth it. 

  

Confetti!

 Balloons!  Please excuse the blur.

Here's a little video from the last song of his set....just in case you weren't sure what you were missing.

Roadtrip!

This past weekend we drove up to Kittery, Maine in search of winter coats.  The trip was successful, but you'll have to wait until the end of the post to experience the fruits of our journey.  On the way up we decided to opt for the scenic coastal highway in lieu of the faster, more direct interstate highway.  We were so glad we did!  It was a perfect, overcast fall day.  The wind was beginning to pick up, causing the ocean waves to crash over the seawall and onto the road in some places.  We saw beautiful coastal homes, rocky beaches, colorful leaves, and crazy surfers (the water had to have been freezing!).  Here are a few pictures from our trip.

These next two came from a park that we passed.  Please excuse the blurriness.  I took them as we drove by.  The leaves were amazing!

We stopped in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to have lunch at the "Friendly Toast." 

And finally....the debut of our winter coats!  Bring it on, winter!