The Adventures of Sarah and Mike

Turkey lurkey doo and turkey lurkey dap. We eat that turkey then we take a nap.

2011-11-29T17:46:00.000-08:00

A couple days after we got up from the incredibly beautiful dinner table above, when the food settled and we again were able to lift ourselves off the couch, we headed up the road to the Devaste Vineyards for a picnic and wine tasting. What a special way to cap a beautiful holiday.

We hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving filled with laughs, food and, most importantly, naps....kidding, family.

See y'all at Christmas!

All our love,

Sarah and Mike

Turkey for me and turkey for you. Love to eat turkey from a big brown shoe.

2011-11-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

Actually, on a nice, warm, sunny, late fall Carolina afternoon, the seven obviously starving family members above sat down to a 22 lb. turkey. After giving thanks for the wonderful opportunity to get together for another year, we ate every last drop of it off a beautifully decorated table (not out of a big brown shoe). All kidding aside, there were a few leftovers that didn't stay "left over" too long. We saved room for cranberry, apple and pumpkin pies, ice cream, shortbread cookies and, of course, whipped cream. Football on TV, too. Always football on TV.

Love,

Sarah and Mike

Gobble, gobble, goo and gobble, gobble, giggle. We wish turkey only cost a nickle...

2011-11-29T17:17:00.001-08:00

...and so do these guys. Actually, their wishes for free turkey came true. All weekend, they were on the lookout for dropped turkey, giblets, stuffing and, well, anything else that couldn't run away on its own and they got their fill, too!

Love,

Sarah and Mike

Thanks to PVA, we got a guided tour of the NASCAR Hall of Fame with NASCAR Hall of Famer, Richard Petty, earlier this fall. Here's "The King and Us!"

2011-11-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Princess thanks everyone for such a GREAT surprise B-Day!

2011-10-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

Gotcha! - A Few More B-Day Images

2011-10-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Gotcha! A Few Images from Sarah's Surprise B-Day Party 2011

2011-10-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

Seriously, it was us!

2011-05-06T10:31:00.001-07:00

Did ya catch our Royal Wedding on TV?

;) Sarah and Mike

We loved Totem!

2011-03-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Totem is Cirque du Soleil's latest traveling show and we attended a performance earlier this month as a belated B-Day gift for Mike. It was absolutely amazing w/ high flying aerial performers, crazy cool music and imaginative projections and lighting. Here's a quick clip of some of the performances!

Quick tip -
Before you click "play" to start the video, scroll to the bottom and turn off the music player. It'll get really confusing if you don't...

Lots of Love,

Sarah and Mike

Christmastime is here...(Part 4)

2011-03-02T11:52:00.001-08:00

At long last, we are finally getting around to wrapping up what turned out to be an exciting and rather crazy holiday season. Our "Four Part Christmas" ended just after the New Year began (that still doesn't explain why it took us over another month to finally write this post) when we spent a leisurely weekend afternoon with the Brickhouses (Dad/Tom, Betty, Mary Helen and William) at a spot we picked half way between Charlotte and Lynchburg. We had a great lunch, hung out and watched a little UVA vs. UNC basketball on TV and were even some of the first to see William's new black toy with four wheels and an engine all its own (yes, with his license came a pressing need for a car...do A-l-l parents fall for that trick?). Seeing the Lynchburg crew was the best part of the day and we thought we'd share something else that was special, too. Our BIG gift was a beautiful painting that Betty did for us of a waterfall in the El Yunque Rain Forest that we visited while on the first part of our honeymoon. Betty used the photo that Sarah took to paint an incredible gift for us. It really helped wrap Christmas up with a bow by bringing back warm and sunny honeymoon memories. Here's a shot of it hanging on our bedroom wall, a close-up of Betty's painting and the actual photograph.

So we are looking forward to a great year with lots of good times and many more late blog posts, too!

All our love,

Sarah and Mike

Christmastime is here...(Part 3)

2011-01-11T12:10:00.001-08:00

By the time we finally made it home, we were happy to be with our little buddies (who celebrated Christmas with the dog walker plus our neighbors who didn't want them to be alone). We were also happy to be back safe and sound in our own beautifully decorated house and with our own tree. Neither of us were all too psyched to pose for more pictures (see images below of Sarah "shunning the paparazzi" and Mike thinking the cat's tail is a candy cane) but when it came time to light the tree and open gifts from each other (as well as from various Angresanos and Brickhouses who sent their gifts from Idaho and Virginia - including from Bob and Hale who had a baby right before the holiday and s-t-i-l-l managed to be timely), we were all smiles.

What a special holiday season it was and how lucky are we to have family who loves us! We are s-s-s-o-o-o tired that we plan to celebrate New Year quietly with a good movie and a warm fire.

All our love,

Sarah and Mike

After a seemingly endless number of flash bulbs popping this holiday season, no more photos, please, Mr. Paparazzi.

Mike, the cat's tail is not a candy cane (even though Carly seems to be looking on in enjoyment).

Our own 2010 Christmas tree sits with presents yet to be opened!

Christmastime is here... (Part 2)

2011-01-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

Marybeth and Felicity (or is that Phoebe, Frances or Harry?) made the trip to Rhode Island for Christmas Day.

Cousin Eddie and Mike (nice Christmas socks) relax by the fire.

Missy brings order to the gifts under the tree.

Sarah displays a personalized Christmas ornament for our tree back at home.

Our hostesses in Rhode Island stayed up way past their bed time waiting for Santa to arrive.

Part two of our Christmas took us to Providence, Rhode Island, where we spent Christmas Eve (a Polish Vigilia dinner) and Christmas Day (centered around kids and gifts plus a host of family members who traveled from near and far) with upwards of three dozen Savickis, Lombardis, Corcells, Carvellases, Mannings and other well wishers. If it was a white Christmas we wanted by traveling north then we definitely got one. The biggest blizzard to hit the east coast rolled in the day after Christmas and by the time we finally caught a flight home (on the only flight to Charlotte that wasn't canceled a day later), over two feet of snow made New England look like The North Pole. We had a fantastic trip but being away from Sarah's family (plus Carly, Abby and our own Christmas tree) on such a big holiday was tough. It made us realize how love crosses all time zones and is the glue that keeps us all together when we can't all be in the same place.

Love,

Sarah and Mike

Christmastime is here...(Part 1)

2011-01-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Our holiday marathon continued with a four part Christmas. Part one involved a flight to Providence then a scenic drive to the Savicki's on Cape Cod where we spent two days smelling the salt air (and feeling the high winter winds). Since we hadn't visited Mike's parents on Cape Cod since before we were married, Mike's Mom and Dad made us feel at home. We played tourist and enjoyed the holiday look of the cottages and beachfront properties (including a swing through the back yard of the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport) and we watched a moon tide and Nor' Easter unleash havoc on the area beaches.

Love,

Sarah and Mike

The Savicki tree fills the room on Cape Cod.

Mike and Sarah unwind a bit while staying warm.

Bill and Helene display personalized drink coasters.

Seashells and twinkle lights add to the holiday spirit.

A Nor' Easter with high winds and an extra high tide batters the coastline.

Turkey Day 2010

2011-01-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

How many blondes does it take? Oh, nevermind.

The offensive line waits patiently for the turkey to come out of the oven.

Can you pick out the Polish people in this picture?

The table is set with our new wedding china and silver.

The biggest smiles of the day!

So, the 2010 holiday marathon has come to a close and it's time to catch-up on sharing photos and memories. A few members of Mike's family joined us here in Cornelius for Thanksgiving and we all had a great time. Thanksgiving in the South usually means warmer weather while the folks up north battle early winter chills. This year we had a bit of it all...sun and fun plus rain and cold, too. The house stayed warm while the 16 pound turkey cooked in our new oven. The wine room stayed cold so between the eaters and drinkers, everyone was happy! Hope Turkey Day meant good times with family wherever you were, too.

All our love,

Sarah and Mike

Jefferson would be proud!

2010-11-14T16:54:00.001-08:00

So the cornerstone was laid in 1885, the Chapel was dedicated in 1889, we were married in January 2010 and when we returned for a visit during fall 2010, the Chapel was finally 100% wheelchair accessible. Jefferson would be proud! We definitely are happy. Yes, you remember the construction that was underway during our wedding earlier this year? How could you miss the bright orange "decorations" that surrounded the Chapel? (It added "personality," right?) Well, the entire ground around the Chapel was excavated and raised and beautiful brickwork walkways were installed to make the entrance flat and easy to roll in and out. It looks like it has been there the whole time!

Enjoy the photos and make the Chapel a "must see" on your next trip to C-ville.

Isn't it beautiful?

Love,

Sarah and Mike

Summer Camp 1.0 Part III

2010-11-07T08:41:00.001-08:00

We enjoyed a bit of a longer summer than we had expected when Mike's sister, Melissa, and her family came for a long weekend visit. Since the weather was still nice we were able to get in the water and play a bit. Mike took everyone on a boat ride (Savannah LOVED her own life jacket but Tatum wasn't especially fond of hers) that included a tour of the neighborhood homes. The ride was great until Mike managed to run out of gas (yes, a first) and some friends had to tow the pontoon to the gas dock. Both Charlotte and Davidson had kid fairs complete with rides, games and bouncy houses. During what little down time we had (yes, the kids were either full steam ahead or asleep) Andy helped Mike complete his seemingly endless house to-do list. The brass doorbell has never looked better (and it now works, too). Here are a few photos from Summer Camp Part 3. Our next guests roll into town for Turkey Day!

Savannah enjoying a ride at Charlotte's Festival in the Park.

The Lombardi family takes a lake dip.

Tatum enjoying her first pony ride at Davidson's Festival on the Green.

Savannah digs for buried treasure in Davidson.

All our love,

Sarah and Mike

6 months (and 1 week-ish ago)

2010-07-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

Time flies! Yes, it was just over 6 months ago that we were a bit chilly and very happy in Charlottesville. It's warmer now but it still feels like yesterday that our bodies were frozen (but our hearts were warm) in the cold Blue Ridge Mountain air. We think it might have been one of the only weekends of the entire winter that it didn't snow! Remember? Anyway, looking back at some of our older posts made us realize we promised to post a few real live wedding pictures. Since we still need to get started on our wedding album, we carefully selected these five just to share with you!

Two smiles say it all!

Looking quite stately near the Rotunda and the Chapel.

On our way to the Greencroft.

The cake, the couple and a crazy time!

Aaaaahhhhhhh....enjoy!

All our love,

Sarah and Mike

Summer Camp 1.0 - Part I

2010-07-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

The Human Vuvuzela cheers on Italy during the World Cup!

Mike pilots Sarah, Mom and Michelle (guess who took the picture) on an aquatic tour of the lake homes.

Rock stars stroll through Davidson College (guys not pictured).

Our summer began with a great visit from Mom, Jim and Michelle (Mom and Jim came from Idaho by way of Michelle and her car on the East Coast). Thanks SO MUCH for spending a great week with us, for helping make the house our home and, of course, for cheering on every single opening round game of the World Cup. Hey, the temperatures WERE in the 90's and it was WAY too hot to be outside all the time.

Love,

Sarah and Mike

Summer Camp 1.0 - Part II

2010-07-15T18:39:00.001-07:00

2 on the tube (Sarah and Thomas) - full steam ahead!

The biggest (and cutest) smiles on the lake!

2 happy swimmers share 1 noodle.

Hale and the boys relaxing on the water.

Bob and the little men!

So as you can see by the photos, no sooner did our first set of house guests say "au revoir" then our second set arrived. We were SO happy that Bob, Hale, Thomas and Matthew visited us as they began their summer adventures. Summer camp became a kid friendly place and we had so much fun on the water and playing in the yard.

Our door is always open and the boat is full of gas and ready for more high speed aquatic adventures so come visit!

Love,

Sarah and Mike

Lost and Found...

2010-05-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, time certainly flies and we really have gotten sidetracked – you might say lost - from our blog since the Big Day just a few months ago. It seems that recovering from a wedding and honeymoon, settling into our home, introducing the dog and cat and building a life together has taken top billing over blogging and sharing updates.

Fear not, dear family and friends, we are found and have a fun little lost and found type story to share.

This story recounts the lost and found adventure of our custom, photo filled wedding guest book. If you were with us in Charlottesville in January, you more than likely enjoyed seeing the variety of photos and reading the crazy passages and poems we included in our personalized guest book. You probably signed it, too. (At least we hope you did!)

Why is this book so important to us? We wanted to make our guest book a personalized wedding memento rather than a more traditional “sign your name on the line so we have proof you ate your meal and owe us a gift” kind of book. Being the crafty and creative ones, we designed and printed a one-of-a-kind keepsake.

We never expected it would disappear on our wedding day.

Here’s what happened. The book arrived from the publisher a few days before the wedding and we entrusted it to the safe keeping of our two junior ushers, (under the watchful eyes of their parents). We gave them a couple black and blue Sharpie pens (so guests didn’t have to use crayons) and they gave us their word that they wouldn’t draw mustaches on Mike photos or give Sarah dark sunglasses before others had a chance to sign. They also promised us the book would make it to the wedding and not get lost beforehand. Faith, faith, faith…

When the Big Day arrived, we were relieved and excited when we saw the book at both the ceremony and reception and guests were signing it (we even put a jar of candy near it at the reception to entice unwilling guests). People complimented us – they enjoyed our creativity - and we had another reason to smile and be happy.

Later that evening, when we got to our hotel room, we were met by boxes full of keepsakes, cards, flowers, gifts, etc. (Our wedding coordinators and families were definitely on their game and delivered everything to us in a timely and professional manner before we even arrived in our room.) We figured the guest book was in one of the boxes so we went to bed eager to awake the next day and see what everyone wrote.

The next morning was an emotional one. We awoke, finished our warm bottle of champagne, ate leftover chocolate strawberries and searched for the book. After digging through every bag and box, we realized the book was lost and no one (including the limo driver who was on our call list) knew where the book went at the end of the evening. After a quick and unproductive search of the reception site, we came to the emotional conclusion that our guest book – the one customized piece of wedding memorabilia we really looked forward to reading - was lost for good!

Fast forward a few months and cue warmer temperatures and the arrival of spring. The mounds of snow from a rare, cold and hard mid-Atlantic winter had finally melted (believe it or not, our wedding weekend was one of the only weekends all winter it didn’t snow in the South) and family members who drove to the wedding were finally able to open the frozen car they had not driven since January. There, sitting in the back seat, was the guest book. It was found!

Our little story has a happy ending!

So…we are back and so is the guest book. (By the way, we finally enjoyed reading it together one night recently as we also flipped through our wedding proofs.)

It’s all good now and, with the arrival of summer, we have new energy to reach out and reconnect. You can find us at home – please come visit – and maybe we can flip through the guest book together. Just promise you won’t hide it on us, OK?

All our love,

Sarah and Mike

Some photos of The Day...

2010-02-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

While we sort through the many, many amazing wedding photos, we thought we would share a few taken by friends and family. The image above is just one of about 300 cool candids that are over on halebob.net. Check out the link below! Thanks, Hale!

http://www.halebob.net/hales_blog/?page_id=700&shashin_album_key=31

Love,

Sarah and Mike

Warm and Sunny?

2010-02-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

It's not warm and sunny where we ARE right now but it definitely was warm and sunny where we WERE just a couple weeks ago on our honeymoon. In fact, no sooner did we arrive home then a half foot of snow, sleet, frozen rain and ice blanketed our 'hood. In the south, where little storms like this are rare, the ground cover hung around for a while.

On a positive note, we had time to begin sorting through photos from the wedding and honeymoon. And since it is still winter, and we miss our already faded tans, we thought we would start by sharing honeymoon images to make everyone (including us) jealous. There is a cut/paste link to our Flickr photo set (at the bottom of this post) where you can see almost all of our photographic handiwork. To get things started, here are a few images....

We were welcomed to the Caribbean by a bottle of champagne,

toured the El Yunque rain forest in Puerto Rico,

struck cheesy tourist poses in places like Bridgetown, Barbados,

soaked up the sun on breathtaking overlooks like here in Antigua,

and, of course, cruised in style!

The rest of the images can be found here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45561496@N06/sets/72157623229546923/

Check them out on a cold and cloudy day, OK? They will warm you and make you dream of exotic escapes! If you decide to go anywhere warm, why not take us along? We miss the sun and want to make more memories!

Love,

Sarah and Mike

It's nearly a month later...

2010-02-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

...and we are home and getting settled. Can you believe it? We definitely cannot. A pre-wedding week of excitement and planning chaos. A clear and cold wedding day celebrating with our family and dear friends. A glorious honeymoon under the warm tropical sun. And then "welcome home" presents of snow, sleet and ice. We were happy to come home to see the lil' girls, Carly and Abby, but we were sad to see our tans quickly fade. But our house is still standing thanks to our wonderful neighbors who "house sat" while we were away and all the mail (and wedding gifts) were safely watched, too. Big thanks!

No sooner did we arrive home than we were back in action as a married couple. The holiday decorations came down just before we welcomed our first house guests (Aunt Betty and Uncle John). Our rehearsal, wedding and honeymoon photos arrived. We have begun opening gifts, reconnecting with friends and neighbors and, oh yeah, doing a bit of work, too.

Beneath it all we are making time to be together and be newlyweds...it is so important to do, isn't it? So bear with us and be patient. We aren't going anywhere in the near future but we need to get our footing.

What should you expect to see? We will post photos here as quickly as possible and we will begin to share our memories, too. If you took any photos will you please send them to us? We would love to see them. And share your stories, too! No secrets, OK? Our photographer was a good one and she caught you on camera....

For now, we added some music to the site and hope you enjoy the easy listening. If the songs sound familiar it is because they are taken from the cocktail hour and dinner play list. At least we think they were...the reception went by too quickly, didn't it?

All our love,

Sarah and Mike

The Countdown...

2010-01-03T13:41:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe but in less than a week, we will all gather together to celebrate! We hope you are as excited as we are and we look forward to meeting, greeting and sharing our special day with you. First and foremost, we would like to thank you all for traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia (no, not Charlotte, North Carolina - if you have booked flights into CLT than change 'em...fast...ha ha). The days of arriving by horse and carriage have been replaced by planes, trains and automobiles so we wish you all a safe journey to the Blue Ridge.

A few quick points we wanted to share...

If you are staying at either the Omni Charlottesville or the Hampton Inn and Suites, please mention that you are with our wedding group when you check in to your room(s). We have a little surprise waiting for weary travelers (no matter when you arrive).

If you live anywhere above the equator then you know it's winter. Yes, while some consider Charlottesville to be in the South, old man winter is reminding us that snow and cold temperatures are a part of January even in Virginia. Please dress warmly!

Also, Charlottesville is still "enjoying" the two feet of snow that fell before Christmas - and the city isn't as adept at removing it as places like Boston - so please take it easy and be careful with driving, parking, etc. Allow extra time for EVERYTHING (including getting to the ceremony on time...we will try our best, too)!

Want to know something funny? The Chapel, which was built in the 1890's, has undergone relatively few renovations in over a century of hosting weddings, services, special events, etc. But back in December things changed. For three to four months this winter, the front entryway is being redesigned and renovated so foot traffic around the Chapel has been detoured a bit. And, yes, with the new snow, it is even more confusing. Plan to enter through the side doorway (which most folks say is the "more beautiful" doorway) unless you are escorted differently. Here's the funny part of the story. The front entryway is being raised to make the Chapel fully ADA compliant and accessible. Go figure.

If you want to click around the web to learn more about C-ville before arriving, here are a few fun links we suggest...

www.pursuecharlottesville.com
www.charlottesville.org
www.monticello.org
www.cvillechamber.com
www.virginia.edu

Safe travels and see y'all soon!

Sweet introductions...

2010-01-01T20:52:00.001-08:00

We wanted to pass along another big "thank you" to our families and friends who worked so hard to organize our incredible holiday engagement party. Thanks, too, for traveling from all over the east coast to be with us. We are still buzzing with appreciation and thanks. Wow, what a special night that brought together families and friends. Here are a few photos from the party. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed having everyone help make the house into our new home before Santa arrived and the calendar changed. See you all again soon for our Big Day!

A winter wonderland...

2010-01-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

Snow fell on the journey to Monticello, after a New Year's Day wedding in Williamsburg, and Tom and Martha Jefferson unhitched the horses from the carriage to ride up to their new home and uncork some of Tom's old wine. Henceforth, weddings in Charlottesville have mainly been held in the spring, summer and fall, on those crisp autumn days when there's no home football game at UVA.

Winter weddings at UVA are unique in their own right. The cold mountain air and threat of snow add a unique dimension to the already nervous brides and grooms while blanketing the otherwise energetic campus and its surroundings in silence. The short daylight hours add elegance and romance comes by candlelight. And if the day is just right, perhaps white snowflakes dancing outside the historic Chapel add to the lifelong memory.

So many couples choose to marry within a day's ride of the Jefferson's place that we all must wonder: does any municipality of 40,000 souls host more weddings? What makes a town in the Blue Ridge, distinguished by bricks and ivy, encircled by estates and foxes, so romantic, yet practical -- such a mecca for weddings and hope? Why do weddings say so much about couples, and speak volumes about the place where they plan to wed?

Every two hours, on Saturdays during "wedding season," couples walk into the Chapel on the grounds of Mr. Jefferson's University and say their vows. Nearly 150 couples win a lottery to marry there each year. If you can remember, up on the altar, the moment you held books and hands, gazed up at those ancient bells and vowed, "We're getting married here," well, that's priceless.

Weddings in Charlottesville are like weddings everywhere. Friends and family gather, photographers snap the wedding dress on the hanger, best men practice toasts, ushers usher, bridesmaids titter and get teary-eyed and parents stoically hold roses, scraps of welcome speeches (and the checkbook) while their children’s lives flash past everyone’s eyes. And a couple at the altar, the vows all written, the plans all finalized, gaze into each other's eyes and hope to God this works. We have been wondering that ourselves lately.

You must make choices to get to your wedding day. And all those choices, from the loved ones on your guest list to the rice, birdseed, bubbles or sparklers they hold at the doorway to your new life, tell the story of one couple, one place, one day, and reverberate forever.

Perhaps we will have snow at our wedding. It seems appropriate now, doesn’t it? For isn’t that also what makes winter weddings white?

* Portions of the above passage we borrowed from a “Virginia Unveiled” essay written by Ran Henry, a UVA writing professor who also enjoys recounting a bit of wedding history every now and then. We did some tweaking and added a few thoughts of our own, too. Hope you enjoyed reading it and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Travel and Lodging...

2010-01-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

Transportation - Hey, remember the wedding is in Charlottesville, Virginia, not Charlotte, North Carolina!

Charlottesville is located in central Virginia, approximately 125 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. and 70 miles west of Richmond, Virginia. There is an airport in Charlottesville (CHO) but it's pretty small and there is a premium on airfare. However, if you’re short on time, it’s definitely quick, easy, and the way to go. (If you fly into CHO and are not renting a car, both the Hampton Inn and the Omni have free airport shuttles if you have a room reserved with them.) It's common to fly into Richmond or Washington, D.C. (Dulles or Reagan National). The drive from Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport is is about 3+ hours. Driving time from Charlotte, North Carolina, is approximately 4.5 hours either by I-77 to I-81 to I-64 or by I-85 through Greensboro to US-29.

Hotels - We have reserved rooms at the following hotels with discounted block rates..

Omni Charlottesville Hotel

235 West Main Street, Charlottesville, VA (434-971-5500)

The Omni Hotel is located on Charlottesville's "Downtown Mall", which is the portion of historic Main Street that closed to vehicular traffic. The Omni is a large, 4-Diamond hotel with a fitness center and two swimming pools.

Hampton Inn & Suites

900 West Main St, Charlottesville, VA (434-923-8600)

Similar to the Courtyard, the Hampton Inn & Suites (At the University) close to the Chapel/"Corner" but the walk is slightly further. It's about .5 miles from the Hampton to the Chapel.

Are ya comin' to town?

2010-01-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

If so, then here's a confusing map to help you get lost when you reach the UVA campus on Friday and/or Saturday. To keep things simple, imagine everything revolves around The Rotunda (hey, we didn't plan it that way, Thomas Jefferson did). The Chapel is immediately adjacent to it, the Colonnade Club is at the end of the Academical Quad and parking for both is either in the Central Grounds Parking Deck (preferred) or on street (be careful, the number of available spots is extremely limited).

If you are "Garmin" savvy then look for the intersection of University Ave and McCormick Road. The small little chapel sits on the corner.

And what about the reception? Immediately after the ceremony, head to The Greencroft Club which is located at 575 Rodes Drive in Chralottesville. From the Chapel, head away from campus west on Route 250. The Greencroft is just over 6 miles from the Chapel (about 2.5 miles beyond The Boar's Head Inn). A small lighted white sign will alert you to turn left from Route 250.

That's enough confusing info for now...we will check in again soon!

Wicked Smart!

2009-12-30T14:45:00.000-08:00

Shortly after our engagement, as we were heading home to Charlotte, we began talking about what on Earth our two families might have in common. We knew we have a few things in common but what about our relatives? If they found themselves in the same room together, we wondered, would there be uneasy silence as each sized the other or would a shared love of topics like sports and politics lead to energetic discussions and interactions.

After resolving that the potential Republican vs. Democrat and Patriots vs. Jets confrontations might not be life threatening, we eased our way into the shared love that exists for the Red Sox in each family. Not bad, we decided, but there had to be more. Then it got interesting.

As near as we can figure, we believe our family has ties to over two dozen "extraordinary" educational institutions from elementary schools and special education programs through high schools, colleges and universities. We named over 10 colleges and universities, five middle and high schools and even a few national advisory and/or regulatory programs. One of Mike's aunts likes to head to sea on Russian science vessels and we recently learned that one of Sarah's cousins and one of Mike's sisters a-l-m-o-s-t overlapped on staff at a school in Massachusetts. Yes, it is a small world.

So if education and has any say in the matter, our finding each other was a "wicked smart" decision. You might say we deserve "highest honors." And if you find yourself in a room with a new relative and friend, ask them about teachings, advising, writing, managing and exploring. You won't regret it.

Will you marry me?

2009-12-29T19:49:00.001-08:00

It began on a grassy hillside overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was one of those clear, warm, sunny late summer days you dream about all your life...a day when every passing cloud seemed to look down with a different approving smile. On that day, as we sat together in the grass, time literally proved it could stand still in a moments to last a lifetime. Fumbling for the ring that I had been carrying with me all day I turned toward Sarah and asked, "Will you marry me?" Her answer - and our shared tears of joy - began our adventure together. And as our wedding day quickly approaches, we invite you, our family and friends, to celebrate with us...