Thanksgiving 2008 - Destination: Littlestown, PA

Our niece, Claudia recently turned 3. We spent some time celebrating on Thanksgiving.




Here she is trying on Jenelle's shoes.

Thanksgiving 2008 - Destination: Littlestown, PA

Part II: The Meal

What else can I say, we ate well! My mother-in-law really makes one mean turkey. And the desserts with coconut . . . soooo good!


The Bird!
Claudia was in charge of the seating arrangements.

Quinn loved the mashed potatoes, Jenelle loved the coconut cake.

Thanksgiving 2008 - Destination: Littlestown, PA

Part 1: Before the Meal
So, we headed to PA for our first Thanksgiving as Mr. and Mrs. It was so nice to spend time with the family, eating and relaxing. Although, since it was Jenelle's first visit home married, there wasn't too much time relaxing.


Jenelle chats with her bro and hugs Aunt Linda.

Quinn climbs Mount Pappy. Claudia reads with Mom and Aunt Jenelle.

Chillin' With Claudia and Quinn

Very cool to say that we spent Sunday with our niece and nephew. Claudia at one point said that she was #1 and I was #2. Jenelle asked Claudia, "What number am I?" Claudia said, "Number 7!" When Jenelle asked why, Claudia said, "Because you are the Jenelle!"

It's Here!

Well, as some of you know, I was hoping to have Jenelle's engagement ring for her before the ceremony. Unfortunately, it was not ready. Finally, Jenelle received her ring tonight! It was well worth the wait. Thanks to Kristin Hanson again for her wonderful creativity. Take a look. Just stunning!

WOW!

People have been so kind and thoughtful to us in regards to our marriage. Jenelle and I are overwhelmed by the kind notes, cards, and gifts we have received already. WOW! We are so thankful. I wanted to share the envelope for a card from my Grandma Reggie. Never thought I'd see this!

Our Weekend Getaway to Connecticut, Part III

Our last day in CT was spent with at the home of the Hicks Family. I went to high school with Rob Hicks almost twenty years ago and I have since become the godfather to his and his wonderful wife, Amanda's daughter Abby. Abby has a very entertaining younger brother, Colby. The Hicks's gave us a bottle of wine from Stonington, CT to represent our special weekend. All in all, it was a great way to wrap up what I hope is just the first of many fantastic weekends as husband and wife.




And here we are back in NYC!

Our Weekend Getaway to Connecticut, Part II

So, we had the most amazing breakfast at our B&B. The food was fantastic, but it was the company that was really special. We were joined by two other guests: Ken and Judy. Turns out they just celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary! They shared their story. (It involved a lot of letter writing! They also only saw each other in person 18 days of the two year courtship.) Of course we asked them for some advice. They said marriage is a life long commitment, not what a lot of people think nowadays. You have to be willing to compromise and let the little stuff go. We thank Ken and Judy for their company and advice. Also cool to find out they both voted for President-Elect Barack Obama!
Isn't this pic just awesome?


Here are some other pics from our second day in CT. Our first stop was an old time cider mill. We saw cider being made and had some very good donuts! We also spent time at Olde Mistick Village, which is very cute. Lots of great shops. For dinner, we made a trip to Mystic Pizza! Not bad.

Our Weekend Getaway to Connecticut, Part I

Jenelle and I are planning a more traditional honeymoon for March '09. So, we decided to take a short weekend trip to the Mystic, CT area. We stayed at a wonderful bed & breakfast named Another Second Penny Inn. Jim and Sandra Wright run a wonderful place. The inn was actually built in 1710! I surprised Jenelle with champagne, cake, and flowers!



We spent our Friday night in CT at a Noah's in Stonington, CT. Since the area is close to the ocean, there was a lot of fresh seafood. Jenelle had some yummy scallops! Our waitress was nice enough to take a photo of us there. Even the owner stopped by to congratulate us!

Some more wedding day pics

We had a lovely luncheon! (After our professional photo shoot. We smiled with our eyes.) A sweet way to send us off for our first weekend getaway as a married couple.

The Big Day: Friday, November 7th

Here we are before we entered Borough Hall. We had to wait for some family members to arrive, so we had to find ways to entertain ourselves. Fixing my boutonnière provided some fun actually.


Christopher and some of his special women!

Here we are Jenelle Timmins-Persley and her husband! We posed for numerous pictures on the Brooklyn Promenade. Stay tuned for some amazing photos.

Mark and Jenelle share a hearty laugh.


Here are pics from our big day on Friday, November 7th. We also had photographers take really amazing photos that we will post once we receive them. For now, here are pics of the bride and groom and our family members before and after the ceremony. Enjoy.

The Ceremony

Since so many of you couldn't be there. Enjoy.

The Night Before . . . Part 2

Here are Jenelle's bouquet and her dress. Beautiful!

The Night Before . . .

The Timmins-Persley-Bartis families together, at last, at our pre-wedding dinner. Good company and good eatin' at The Smoke Joint. Just wonderful!

HISTORY

We were excited to plan our ceremony the same week as the election. Either way, we would be happy this week. Now, we can be doubly excited. We voted together this morning. Then, this evening, we went to the DL21C's ELECTION NIGHT BASH!!! Just amazing to be in a room with a ton of other Obama supporters cheering at every piece of good news. We went home just in time to hear the amazing news. OBAMA WINS THE ELECTION! Time to celebrate and reflect! History has been made and the future seems brighter. Now, our focus is back to the ceremony!

Jenelle's Bridal Makeup Day With Dorien

Looking good, J, looking good!