And We're Off!

As of this morning, the week begins. You may notice this post will go up in the 5 o'clock hour. AM.

Those that know me know that I don't see this hour. At least not in the morning. A late night, sure... But yeah, my only explanation is an inability to sleep because I'm too damn excited.

Like a kid before Christmas. Except I know what the present is, which makes me only more excited.

I've got plenty of time to sleep, but now is the time to get another shot at this. And do it right this time.

I can't even explain how right this feels. Maybe I can get close by posing a question Rebecca and I have both been asked repeatedly for the past month:

"Are you nervous?" Pff! Are you effing kidding? I'm psyched!

Taken a few months into this thing.

Good talk, see you out there.

The Groom

I think this is a really great time to talk about this guy:


In 2.2 weeks, I will have the honor of getting married to this mook. There are so many reasons why this is awesome. Let me tell you what some of them are.


He's really good at lawn games.


He's one of the funniest people I know - and also one of the kindest. He takes excellent care of me when I am sick. Also when I am grumpy. Also when I am neither sick nor grumpy. And sometimes he comes up behind me while I'm making dinner and says something so funny that I have to sit down on the floor for a few minutes to recover.


My dad LOVED him. This is criteria not to be taken lightly. While incredibly loving and overwhelmingly supportive, my father was not a man who just ran around handing out compliments like handshakes. If Marc Orchant said he loved you, it meant he would walk over hot coals for you. EAT hot coals for you, maybe - if for some reason that was actually something anyone would ever have to do for someone else. My dad also liked to mention that I am prone to hyperbole.


He loves his brothers.


He really loves his brothers.


He really, REALLY loves his brothers.


The man makes one hell of a cocktail. He also writes what I will hyperbolically call the greatest birthday card messages of all time.


He loves funk music, 80's action movies, 80's action heroes with mustaches, thrift store t-shirts, tortellini en brodo, swimming in the ocean, Buffalo Trace bourbon, key lime pie, having the books organized on the bookshelf and most happily and luckily me. This guy, in all his sweet silliness loves me.


I could not be more excited. Because, as it happens, I love him.

I'm Tired. Where Do We Sleep Here?

**Update**


We've had a lot of folks asking questions about where to stay up in the Cape. So I figured we'd repost this little gem from the early days. Also, if any of these places are fully booked, there are quite a few places to stay in Provincetown. Many of them require a two night stay just so you save yourself the frustration.


Also nearby are Truro, Provincetown, Wellfleet, and a bit further back, Eastham. P'Town also offers a taxi service, not sure how late it runs, but they have "Pride Cabs" that'll whisk your intoxicated ass where you need to go.


Oh, and if you're cool with the divey thing, P'Town offers many seaside motels nestled in the dunes. 
Word.


**End Update**

For those who are hobos:

For those who are not hobos:

Some lovely places to stay near Edgewood Farm.

The Inn at Duck Creeke.


Their website is a bit disorienting, but don't let that put you off. It's in the lovely town of Wellfleet, the proprietors seem very friendly and it's a mere six minute drive from the Farm!


For reservations, rate info and more pictures, check out their (as I said, mildly disorienting) website.

Next up, The Gingerbread House.


This is a fantastically quaint little inn that is (I am not kidding with this) one mile from the Farm! This is definitely more of a B&B experience, so for those looking for something a little more intimate, quiet and neighborly, this is your place! For reservations, take a look at their website and shoot an email to Gertrude and Jane at info@gingerbreadhousetruro.com.

For those who prefer something a little more traditional and don't mind a bit longer drive, there's the Four Points by Sheraton in Eastham, MA.


As large hotel chains tend to be, these rooms will be a bit more expensive, but for those looking for traditional hotel amenities (I think they even have a pool) this might be an option you'd like to look into! Here's their website!

If you'd like to do some more research on your own, there are tons of lovely little beach-side motels lining highway 6 all the way up to Provincetown. The Truro Chamber of Commerce website is a great resource. If you think you'd like to stay on the Cape a bit longer (and who wouldn't) give some thought to a house rental! Websites like Vacation Rentals By Owner are usually pretty chock full of nicely outfitted houses for rent. They might even be cheaper than a hotel!

Also, if you have any questions about things or stumble upon an amazing place that people should know about, let Sean and I know!

And remember, unless you want to be, we don't want you to be hobos.

Meet the Officiant

When Sean and I decided that we were really going to do this thing, we knew we needed someone to make it official. We had a few criteria:

• This person needed to be very special to us.
  
• This person needed to know a little bit about Jewish weddings.
• This person needed to be able to make jokes during very important times while also remaining disarmingly tender.
• This person needed to be able to string a sentence together, for God's sake.
• This person needed to look like a total badass doing it.
  

I'm happy to say, we knew just who to turn to:


This is Elizabeth A. Manchester, known frequently as Beth, Uncle Bethy, Love Touch, BManch, Grandma Slice and to us, Dr. Booze. While Beth has only been in our lives for a short time, she's made an indelible mark.

She's been known to crack an inside joke here and there. She's been known to shout, "OOPS" when throwing an errant bocce ball. She's been known to bring excellent cured meats to dinner parties. She's been known to insist that we co-host a Seder. She's been known to move furniture while intoxicated. She's been known to turn her nose up at Veuve Clicquot. She's also been known to be quietly and immensely thoughtful when you least expect it, to only hand out compliments when she really means it and to always, ALWAYS, tell you exactly what she thinks.


Beth lives her life by the same code under which she plays bocce, "Follow your heart and bank the fuck out of everything." She is currently attending some school you've probably never heard of in Boston (Harvard?). She once attempted to climb into a KFC drive-thru window with me at 4am. That KFC was not open for business. She has a dog named Charles and whenever she sees another dog anywhere, of ANY breed, she always says, "Oh! That dog looks like Charles!" She loves to call the Gardner brothers by their first and last names. Sometimes she says things like, "My tasting menus do not pay for themselves!"


These are all things we love about her, things that have endeared her to us and made us friends. We think you're going to love her. We certainly do.

Flash Forward.

Imagine yourself one month from today.

You spend the day traveling.
Or hanging out on the beach.
Or antiquing.
Or sailing.
Or eating fried seafood.
Or chowder.
Or lobster rolls.
Or roaming the streets of P'Town.
Or combos of the above.

As that day winds to a close, you swing by 3 Edgewood Way.

Find yourself at a relaxed BBQ in the backyard.
Rehearsal dinner.

They'll be people there.
People you recognize.
People you don't.

Drinking.
Eating.
Listening to music.
Dressed casually.
Enjoying the late summer sun.

This continues into the evening.

You meet new people.
Chat with old friends.
Play some lawn games.
Eat too much.
Drink too much.
Drink too little.
Sit around on picnic blankets.

When it's all winding down, you go to wherever you're staying.
Think about what beach to hit in the morning.
Whether surfing is a good decision.
Or if you should just look for the best salt water taffy instead.

Get some rest.
Tomorrow night, it starts again.
Same thing all over, only this time, we're getting effing hitched.

See you then.

Meet the Ring Bearers and Flower Girl.

We've had the pleasure of knowing all three of these folks since they were a few days old. They've come a long way in the year since.

Sam & Otis belong to Dan & Sujan. We were their first non-family babysitters and are quite proud of it. Even though they are now more enamored of buses and food, we still enjoy hanging.

Bay Ridge Sammy.

This photo demonstrates what Otis does when he senses a bus is coming. Followed by the exclamation "BUH!"

(You can catch plenty more of these two at: http://samandotis.blogspot.com/)

As for Griffin, aka "The Pickle" (I know, right? So much pickle talk!), she belongs to Jack & Cortney. And you should know, her eyes are unreal. And she knows some pretty amazing party tricks. Maybe if you're lucky you'll see what I'm talking about.

I told you, right?

It's gonna be super embarrassing when The Pickle and McPickles realize they have the same swimsuit.

So there you have it. Sure, they may have trouble making it to the Chuppah, but isn't that all part of the fun?

The Bride.

I've recently taken up photography again. I have a favorite subject.

My favorites are those where I can tell she loves me.

Seven Weeks...

And things are rolling right along. Some of you have discussed the details of the wedding with us. However, what many of you might not know is just how collaborative an event this is.

You know by now that Marcy Gallegos was the mastermind behind the invites.

But did you know that our friend Alex Bliss is baking the cake?

Or that Lauren Gardner (no relation, oddly, or is there?) is in charge of the photos? With some assistance from Jim Flood, no less.

Also, we're proud to announce that none other than Beth Manchester will be in charge of the officiating. This could be the beginning of a long, successful career as an officiant. Or it could just be a once off. Either way, it's gonna be sweetness.

Marc Balgavy and Erik Courson are masterminding a custom-made cornhole set. Marc has also expressed interest in honing his flower arranging skills. We'll be taking him up on this offer.

Dan Raphael, Sujan Hong-Raphael, Luke Tucker and Jennifer Suh are providing assistance with pickles and flowers, not to mention D&S have provided us with the ringbearers in the form of their offspring, Sam & Otis (see STD post for photographic evidence). Also, Luke will likely show us funny Werner Herzog videos during the lead-up.

And we're sure this won't be all the help that'll be provided by friends. There are many others that will be hanging during the week, assisting us with drinking, lawn and board games, going to the beach and listening to copious amounts of music.

Our friends rule.

*Photos by Sean. Except the one with him in it. Not sure who took that, someone in the Cape.

Save the Dates, or STDs (the good kind).

So you got one of these, right? Thought we'd put it up, just in case.

We're proud of our little hand-made nerd bombs. Sean did the typing, so if it looks funny, blame him. Everything else was done by Bec, clearly.

Anyway, it has been having a grand time lately. Here it is hanging out with Otis.

And here it is again, with the Tetris wall.

If your STD has been doing fun things, snap a photo and send it our way. We'll put it up.

And yeah, save the date. Glad we're seeing eye to eye here.

**Update**

My STD made a work friend! - Bec


**Update #2**

I call this "Two Chirpers" - Mitch Weinstein


**Update #3**

"STD in Boobs" - Betsy Gardner

**Update #4**

"STD with the Fam" - Betsy Gardner

**Update #5**

"STD with Pickle Film Strips on the Washer/Dryer" - The Easterwood-McFadden Clan

**Update #6**

"STD Eaten by Sam & Otis (Otis, then Sam, technically)" - I took these photos a while ago but only now got the film developed. They came out better than I had hoped.