Movie in the Square

There is really nothing like summer evenings in New England. There is an aura of calmness mixed with a dash of promise, that no other season can touch. It's as if these nights could last forever. Unfortunately that is not the case, and as August dwindles away I am acutely aware that fall is just around the corner. While I love cozy sweaters and the apple scented chill in the air, I like to get the most of these warm evenings before they are gone. That's why when I heard about the dinner/movie series in the mill courtyard downtown I immediately got tickets, put on my floatiest maxi skirt, grabbed my man and headed to town. 

When we arrived I was pleasantly surprised with the layout. Everything looked positively inviting in the fading sunlight.

The backdrop of the mills was perfection. These mills are the backbone of our little town, and are slowly but surely being renovated into the architectural beauties that they were always meant to be. This specific building was just finished and is now about 170 luxury apartments. See that tower, that is an apartment and the top row of windows is actually the master bedroom. The hubs and I looked at these places during the construction process and it's suffice to say that this is seriously a dream living space.

Each night a different restaurant "hosts" the event, along with other local sponsors, and provides the food. Tonight it was Kelly's Row (an Irish pub) As we settled in we were given two menus. One for a buffet and one for burgers and sandwiches. The buffet menu looked pretty exciting.

But I had a one track mind and quickly ordered myself a burger topped with bacon and cheese. After ordering we relaxed, had a few cocktails, snacked on a yummy fruit and cheese plate, and waited for the sun to set and the movie to begin.

Finally as darkness encroached, the movie began. The flick was "Anchorman" which is exactly the type of movie I wanted to watch after a couple of glasses of wine on a warm Tuesday evening. Laughter could be heard throughout the square as the people of Dover came together over food and Ron Burgandy. As the movie got into gear, my burger arrived and life was complete.

I am already counting the days until the next movie night in the square. It was so wonderful to see the people of our little town come out to share this experience. It's things like this that make me simply adore where we live. I highly recommend this and am looking forward to next year's lineup. It's the perfect date, girls night out, or just a way to get to know people in the community. As we strolled home hand in hand in the warm darkness, I tried not to notice the slight chill in the air and instead inhaled the magic of the moment.

love and peace

Wedding Flashback

The big day was about 9 months ago but since this little nugget (the blog, not a baby) was just recently born I thought I would do a bit of a flashback to the scene of the crime. This is by no means a full rundown of events, just a glimpse of the magic that was our ceremony in paradise. We chose Costa Rica because it was just one of those places we had both been pining after for years. We found a great little surfing town on the ocean called Tamarindo, picked a resort, gathered our friends and family and away we went. Due to some weather issues our flight/travel time was about 35 hours. By the time we arrived in Costa Rica,and hoped on our personal tour bus, we were a very tired but happy crew!

The bus took us immediately to a little roadside store where we loaded up on Imperial and headed for our resort Barcelo Langosta. Upon arrival we were greeted with the rest of our wedding gang and of course, a few tropical cocktails.

The next few days were a blur as we prepared for the wedding and spent some quality time with our loved ones. The big day was a total whirlwind and honestly I don't remember much, up until I was standing across from my future husband. The resort did a truly wonderful time putting the whole shebang together though, and I had my amazing photographer cousin there to capture every moment.

See that beautiful lady to my right? That's my maid of honor and best friend and she just happens to have an amazing blog...http://belovedofthewoods.blogspot.com/. We do everything together so expect to see her face again!

When my dad walked me down the aisle I was a nervous wreck. But (just like the movies) as soon as I saw "his" face everything calmed down and I realized I was simply walking toward my other half. The sun began to set as we said our vows.

The new Mr. and Mrs. took some time for the papparazzi as the sun set behind us.

Before we toasted our union we got our whole crew together for the best picture of the bunch.

We couldn't have been more lucky with the setting, the weather, and most of all the crowd. When we began planning our wedding we were aiming for a wedding that "felt like we were eloping but with our friends and family". Thanks to all the amazing people in our life we were actually able to achieve that. The rest of the evening went on in a flurry of dancing, eating and toasting. After our wedding we headed off into Costa Rica for two weeks of adventure for our honeymoon. That trip is so personal we like to keep in under wraps, but you can imagine we had some fun! Before we left though I snuck in a quick surfing trip with some of our guests.

It was a perfect wedding, and a perfect trip. I recommend Tamarindo to everyone I meet (people are starting to think I work for the tourist board). It is the perfect mixture of beach, jungle, relaxation, fun and adventure. It was a spectacular way to start our new lives together and we can't wait to go back for our five year anniversary, so stay tuned!

love and peace

America's most beloved ballpark

Last weekend the hubs and I lucked out with a couple of tickets to the Red Sox game. We of course dropped all our plans, because as anyone from New England knows this is not something to be missed. We are super lucky because Dover happens to be right on a lovely train route that can whisk us into the big city whenever the mood strikes. So we got on our team colors, hopped on the train and headed into Beantown. Like true baseball fans we gave ourselves lots of time to get some food and beverages before the actual ballgame began. First stop was the very famous Beer Works.

This place is a huge hangout for game goers. They have good food and great beer. They brew right on the premises. The place is always a complete madhouse but it's so worth it to drink some delicious craft beer. My new favorite is the Rosemary Pale Ale, sounds weird but trust me it's good! Landsdowne, as usual, was full of people, excitement, and the smell of grilled meats.

Along this street are literally dozens of restaurants and bars all serving up great pub food. I always appreciate a good burger, but sometimes it's nice to try something a little different, so we opted for a little Mexican taqueria we had heard about.

La Verdad is a little gem of a restaurant located at the far end of Landsdown St.. We grabbed ourselves a table out in the sun and proceeded to order one of their unique margaritas. 

I love spicy things and so I couldn't resist La Verdad's take on a habenero margarita. I asked for sugar on the rim instead of salt and it had just the right amount of sugar and spice and everything nice (the tequila obviously).

We ordered our food and sat back to enjoy the sunshine and the people watching. First up was the house guacamole with salsa.

Next, out came our tacos. I'm a sucker for any kind of pulled pork so it didn't take me long to decide on the carnitas tacos. I couldn't have been happier when my plate arrived.

I think both of us wished we could have just spent the rest of the night sipping delicious margaritas and sampling all the tacos on the menu, and we fully plan on coming back to do exactly that. Luckily for the people waiting for our table though, we had places to be, beers to drink, and a team to cheer on so we headed to the field with full bellies and big smiles. 

We grabbed a couple of beers and found our seats. Soaking up the atmosphere of the park, which is truly electric. Boston sports fans are one of a kind and the pride can be felt everywhere.

The game was great and the Sox won, YAY! We snuck back to La Verdad for one more taco (I know, we're bad) before getting on the train and heading back to our sleepy little town. All in all it was a perfect summer evening in the big city.

love and peace