We're married!

We're officially official! On July 5th, 2013, we tied the knot at Memorial County Park in Loma Mar, CA. We were thrilled to have our families in attendance for a small and very private ceremony among the redwoods. The ceremony went by so quickly, we're thankful that Matt's dad captured the whole thing on video:

Part 1: Walking down the aisle and welcome

Part 2: Passing the rings

Part 3: Terry's remarks and vows

Saying our wedding vows (photo by Eric Taylor)

After the vows, we took family photos among the trees and enjoyed some refreshments. Then we headed down the road to Harley Farms, one of our favorite places. Dee Harley really outdid herself for our farm dinner. Guests arrived to lavendar lemonade and a cheese tasting in the garden, followed by a tour of the farm and a trip out into the pasture to meet the goats and the guard llamas (yes, guard llamas! Ruby the llama tolerated our attention and many photos). Chloe, our tour guide, even let us hold a baby goat for a great photo op!

Getting acquainted with a baby goat (photo by John Wirt)

We all made our way through the milking parlor and in to the dairy, where we made a special "wedding cheese" with fresh goat cheese, flowers from the garden, and herbs de Provence. Then we gathered in the hay loft, which was gorgeously decorated with huge flower arrangements and candles. Guests enjoyed various goat cheese-themed appetizers, then we passed the champagne and shared some heartfelt toasts.

Harley Farms hayloft, all decked out (photo by Eric Taylor)

Dinner was several courses of vegetarian scrumptiousness, prepared by Dee and her staff. Dee announced each course with the chime of a bell and was the most gracious and radiant host we could have asked for. The first course of the evening was rosemary garlic red potatoes with eggplant schnitzel and creamy dill sauce. The second was goat cheese ravioli, a specialty of the farm and easily the best ravioli we've ever had. The third course was acorn squash with cruciferous vegetables on a bed of lentils. Last but certainly not least, dessert was mini goat cheese cheesecakes with fresh flowers and a plum compote made from 40-year-old plum trees in Dee's orchard. Accompanying the cake was a pot of warm ricotta, made fresh with the evening's milk and topped with honey from the hives in Dee's secret garden.

We have so many happy memories of the day, and we are grateful for the generosity of our friends and family who supported us in countless ways throughout the process. We also could not have had such a memorable and joyful day without the talents of our wedding vendors -- Dee Harley of Harley Farms and Ara Roselani of Aralani photography in particular helped make the day seamless.  Here's to a happily ever after!

Sailing on the SF Bay

One of Matt's coworkers generously offered to take us out sailing on the San Francisco Bay the other weekend, and we gladly accepted. The day started out cold and a bit rainy as we headed out, but by the early afternoon, the weather cleared up and it was almost warm out on the water with a steady wind. Matt especially enjoyed learning about the different sail configurations and how to maximize efficiency and speed. He was also a natural at steering (something which I never quite got he hang of). I snapped a couple pictures before things got too wet and wild.

DIY wedding bands

Last month, Matt and I made our wedding bands at a jeweler's studio in SF. Adam, our jeweler for the day, was a fantastic teacher and helped us turn a little hunk of platinum into two gorgeous rings. First, we cut the bar in two; a larger piece for Matt's ring and a smaller one for mine. Then we used a press to roll the two pieces into thinner strips. With Adam's guidance, we bent and pounded the strips into a rough circle, then brazed the joints together with platinum solder. What followed was a few hours of pounding, annealing, and sanding to get the rings completely circular and looking polished. We sent mine off to a professional engraver and stone setter for some extra sparkle. We couldn't be happier with how they turned out!

    

Matt sawing the joint of my ring so that the two ends are completely flush

Annealing the rings after pounding them into circles

Matt really liked all the steps that involved fire

Our rings after a day in the studio

All finished and lookin' fancy

April!

It's been a pretty quiet April for us. We've been busy with home improvement projects, wedding plans,  a couple hikes here and there, time with friends, and neighborhood walks. It's been a good month!

Butano State Park

Spring is here!

I took a walk in Filoli Gardens this week and soaked in all the new life.  Spring is definitely here in California! 

Fall Creek

Stacey and I went for a hike at Fall Creek Unit, part of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, near Felton, CA today. It was a beautiful hike through 2nd growth redwood and douglas fir, following a babbling creek up to deserted limekilns dating back to the 1870's.

New frontiers in the kitchen

For Christmas this year, my parents surprised Matt with a top-of-the-line food dehydrator.  Not one to back down from a challenge, Matt has been experimenting with making apple and pear chips for the past couple of weeks.  We've been enjoying these so much that we've not made it much further into the world of dehydrating yet, but the possibilities are endless.  On the list for future snacks are yogurt, fruit leathers, teas, and kale chips, just to name a few.  Stay tuned!