Keeping Up with K&D: 1 Year Weekend

The weekend of Meg & Mike's wedding, Devin and I decided to head towards West Ossipee, NH (wedding central) on Friday evening in order to take some time to relax and celebrate our one year anniversary. We stayed in North Conway at a cute little B&B that was close to town. On Saturday we walked around town and leisurely peeked into the storefronts, taking our time walking hand in hand and not allowing a schedule to dictate our time. It was really nice!! Enjoy a little visual story of our weekend. xo Kaht

When we headed into town on Saturday morning the town green was bustling with activity. "A market!" I said dancing about. So we headed over ready to revel in local produce. A few steps into said market and we both look at each other with eyebrows raised, "there are a lot of dogs here..." YEP! It was NOT a market but Bark in the Park: a local fundraising event for the humane society! We wandered about totally out of place (without a dog) and enjoyed some of the fun things that were going on. I loved this Puppy Kisses booth!

And this little guy is totally asking for "one more toy!"

It was a warm day, so the doggy paddle pools were very busy!

This little lady cracked me up as she wandered around with one of the freebie frisbees. :)

After the park we went on a little hike around Echo Lake. The leaves in the mountains were positively brilliant!

For lunch we wanted something light and had gone to Delaneys Pub the evening before and saw that they served fresh sushi! FRESH! SUSHI! {Let me clarify real quick that we are not raw fish sushi folks. Yet. We are big fans of the California Roll and other veggie versions though!} :) So we had this amazing lunch that was just so perfectly delicious! Mmmm, I am hungry just writing about it! I wish it were closer by :)

After lunch we wanted to head over to another trail and on our way passed this farm that had an "Open Farm" sign out. So, of course we stopped! It was totally geared towards little kids so we were once again out of place (no kid!), but we did get to hang with the alpacas and feed them snackies. :)

Now, we had ONE item planned for the evening, and that required dressing up. My husband, he is so handsome :)

While we were enjoying pre-dinner wine and cheese on the back porch of the B&B, a friend showed up. So, there is a story here. When Devin and I were on our honeymoon in Maine 1 year ago, we were just falling asleep one night when we heard a *mrow mrow mrow*. When I looked out the window there was a cat! He came right in when I opened the door and settled down on top of the warm dryer. We think he belonged to a neighbor up the road from the cottage we were renting. Anyways, now here we are on our one year trip and we just settle in to sleep when we hear *mrow mrow mrow*. Once again I *hop* out of bed and go to the window and there is this furry black face peering back at me! Again, I opened the door and in comes this obviously scraggly black cat who tours the room and then settles next to the bed. Broke my heart to put him back outside for the night, but we made sure to snuggle him a little first before doing so. So here he is again during out wine and cheese time and he is totally saying...

Will this become a trend?

Although a slightly unflattering picture of me, stray kitty looks pretty good! He sat with me a moment before realizing I did not have any more cheese. Seeya!

Our dinner surprise was a scenic train ride in the dining car of the Conway Scenic Railroad! It was really a lot of fun, although it became dark quite early so the scenery was not very scenic :) A lovely evening though.



And fancy too! Linen table cloths and napkins!

All in all a wonderful weekend between our explorations and Meg & Mike's wedding :)

Keeping Up with K&D: Old Farmer Sage

While at the local Richmond Farmer's Market, an old man approached Devin and I. He asked about the "Class of..." t-shirt I was wearing and wanted to know if I had graduated from a local school. I denied being a true local, but stood strong and proud at the fact that I AM a born and bred Vermonter. He got a chuckle out of that and continued chatting. It was unique. A complete stranger, holding a hamburger, with an old cap on his head asking Devin and I about our lives.

After finding out about our origins and schooling he turned to me and with a serious face said, "If this man does not treat you right, you come and tell me. I might not be able to rough him up, but I can certainly give him some rough words." He then turned to Devin and took his shoulder and even though they both turned away from me, I could hear the gentleman's whisper, "You treat her well now. You hear. You got a good thing young man." Ah yes, I thought. The old man giving the young man sound advice. Advice that we have heard numerous times before. Perhaps he was a little batty, perhaps he felt the need to tell everyone this canned fatherly advice, "Treat her well, you don't know what you've got." Perhaps I just grew up with a wonderful father who told every male suitor in my life the same thing. Needless to say, I at first dismissed the old man's whispered words as something I already knew and did not need to hear again. Devin and I both know what we have and just how wonderful it is.

Then the man turned back to us with the same serious face. "I'll tell ya," he said, "My wife, she died over eight years ago. And a day does not go by that I do not think about how I could have been better to her or done better by her, or been a better person. I loved her but did not show it enough." And with that he shook our hands, patted out shoulders, and strolled away with his hamburger, leaving us with his wisdom.

An old farmer sage with what really was some sound advice. And with that man's words sitting on our minds, how can we really not look at each day and wonder, how can I be a better person today? How can I show someone how much they really mean to me? How can we not say 'I care about you.' to the people who mean the most to us? Because, even though that husband and wife were married well into old age, that man is now left wishing he had took the time back then to be better.

Think about that. And have a great weekend :) xo Kaht

Another great Farmer's Market find! I am always a weakling for good bread, especially when it has a fabulous logo such as Slow Fire's bread. Add some fresh butter and Mmmm....

Keeping Up with K&D: Small World Reunion

It was one of those moments. An instance of recognition followed by excitement. And as I grabbed Devin's hand and hauled him through the mass of young people milling about, I exclaimed, "It's Dan! It's Dan!"

"Dan? Dan who?"

And then there came the moment of questioning and doubt as I halted, causing Devin to knock into my shoulder. And I stared, trying to reason with recognition and doubt as they argued back and forth. Looks like, acts like, could be, might be, similar to, probably not, what are the chances, isn't he in El Salvador?... And as I started to falter I turned to a women who was part of the group and asked slowly, "Is that guy... named...Dan?"

"Why yes! That is Dan!" she exclaimed.

And I turned to Devin and echoed her joyfully and continued to drag him through the masses towards Dan, a friend from our college days.

At times such as this I am just in awe at how small the world can seem at times. What are the chances that Dan, youth director for Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Naperville, IL, would be dining at my church's potluck IN VERMONT? He was traveling with his youth as they did a tour from Illinois, up through Montreal and into Vermont and our tiny church of Good Shepherd just happened to be one of the stops along their way. The luck!

As we caught up on one our lives and updated each other on future plans and endeavors, I could not help but smile. Perhaps Dan and I had not been best friends throughout college. Maaaybe we only knew the basics about one each other life. And obviously the only way we kept in touch for the past couple years was via FB updates and rumors, but to find that an old friend is doing well in life is such a wonderful feeling! Warm fuzzies and all.

It also amazes me that so many young people have such great talents and strong beliefs. I love that! From the voices to the puppetry, it was a wonderful concert and great reunion. xo Kaht

You can check out there ministry trip blog here to learn about the awesome things they have been doing! One of Dan's youth kindly took this reunion image for us. Thank you!
What is a small world experience you have had? I'm ready to be amazed!

Keeping Up with K&D: Memorial Day Camping

I love my family. I love my friends. I love my life.

There is just something about wood smoke that makes you sit back and want to slow down. My dear scientific husband might say that is the carbon monoxide fogging your brain, but I say it is nostalgia. A memory of a time when people gathered around warm fires to sit, talk, eat and tell stories. And that is exactly what we did.

This past Memorial Day Weekend Devin and I spent some quality time camping with some of our favorite people at Stillwater State Park. My brother and sister came up and our good friend Kelly joined us as well. It was a shame the rest of the family could not join us, but we counted our blessings for who was able to make it. And we ate good food, sat by the smokey warm campfire and talked about life and told funny stories and laughed. We laughed so much that we burned off all the calories from the s'mores we ate! And so we ate sumore. And waistline, let me say this, we regret nothing. Because we had an awesome time! xo Kaht

Two lovely ladies helping string up the tarp to cover our heads from impending showers. We lucked out as it only rained for about 20 minutes!

Our fabulous site right by the lake!

Teriyaki chicken foil dinners and awesome cupcakes made for a delicious meal. Mmm

It was Brian's birthday, thus the cupcakes! Happy Birthday Brother!

A early morning by the lake.

A lot of other campers had dogs with them. This family...well, they had their kitty!

Quarky self portrait with the point and shoot! Love how Kelly is "sitting" on my shoulder though. :)

Devin took this photo of Kelly and I on the beach. Kelly looks like a real sunning beach babe, whereas I look like a pile of clothing...Delicate skin here! Plus is was breezy and cool. :-P

My favorite memory from the weekend! We were canoeing across the lake and Devin says, "Hold tight!" and hops over board. For a quick swim of course! Rachel and I were sure we were going to be next.

Sometimes the best camping activity is napping.

Group shot!

And of course...we could not get away without a fun one.

The lake was so beautiful and peaceful. We all just kept walking down to stand and enjoy it.

One last beautiful sunrise to finish off a great weekend. :)

Keeping Up with K&D: The Bug

We were riding in style for Sarah and Tim's wedding this past weekend. Our rental choices were a Purple PT Cruiser or this lovely Blue VW Bug. Of course we took the Bug, thinking it would improve our level of coolness. Unfortunately it did not have a flower vase with the faux yellow daisy so our level of coolness stayed about even. Oh well! I still got to whack Devin in the arm every time we came within eye shot of our parking space and dance away saying, "Blue Punch Buggy!! Nooooo punch backs." Thank goodness he loves me. :)

Keeping Up with K&D: First In Line

It may only be 4:30am, but Devin and I are wiiiide awake and on the road. We have a fun-filled few days ahead of us in the fantastic city of Chicago with a belly shoot, e-session and wedding! Mix in some great friends, great food, and good laughs and this is guaranteed to be a wonderful trip :) Have a great rest of the week! xo Kaht

We were FIRST in the security line this morning. Amazing how quiet the airport is at 4am. I guess it is Burlington, VT.... :)

Keeping Up with K&D: Easter!

As you may know from my previous post, Devin and I spent this past holiday weekend with my family down at The Farm. The weather this past Easter weekend was something that stories are made of. Rarely seen in Vermont in early April when normally there is still snow on the ground. Something that we embraced fully and celebrated!

My Mum is so creative and always goes all out for the holidays with a beautifully decorated table and wonderful meal. I think all of the calories that we consumed between the fabulous church breakfast and the beautiful Easter dinner were mostly burned off in all of the laughing we did telling stories around the table. At least I can hope so!

I hope you were able to visit with family and friends and enjoy some laughs in the beautiful weather! xo Kaht

Keeping Up with K&D: Key Charms

Devin and I went through Waterbury the other day to go see a house for sale. In the interest of not getting stranded in the Vermont woods without gas, we opted to stop and fill up before venturing beyond the "city".

Of course I took advantage of such a stop for the opposite of...filling up. And I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the gas stations eye to detail and decor. Just look how the bathroom "key charm" matches the walls!

Who wants to snag the key when there is such a cute charm to be snookered?!

P.S. All we left the gas station with was a full gas tank. No pilfered key charms. Promise.