I decided to break up my vacation recap into a few parts, because I know already it’s going to be picture-overload for you guys (I am sorry, but I am not sorry. I just want to give you a heads up right now and hope you don’t mind!).
We spent the first few days of our trip in Connecticut, where we visited some dear friends that we hadn’t seen in 3 years. It was our first time flying cross-country with Southwest airlines (which is a domestic airline, for all you non-American readers) and besides the fact that they don’t serve any food (even on the longer cross-country legs), we were really happy with the service. The advantage of flying with Southwest was that they service smaller airports across the country and so we were able to fly into Hartford, CT, which is much closer to our final destination than, let’s say, JFK or La Guardia in NY.
We also got the chance to explore the capital for a little while, before heading over to Southport, where our friends live.
I thought the State Capitol was really pretty. With its golden dome and the many arches, towers and spikes, it looked more like a castle than a capitol building.
The Old State House is in the center of town and reminded me of many of the old state houses in the New England area with its brick base, a small white cupola and a bell.
We took a little lunch break at a local coffee shop and got some food from a small deli nearby.
And then later that afternoon, we headed over to Southport to meet up with our friends Ute and Justin, and for the next 36 hours I pretty much completely forgot that I had a camera, because we had so much fun just hanging out and catching up. Ahem. I have no photographic evidence of the first time we met their cute daughter Maya, the pizza we had in their backyard on Friday night, the tenth and tenth of fireflies buzzing around, the endless conversations, the pool time on Saturday with one of Ute’s lovely friends, the yummy Thai dinner and more backyard lounging. We were just way too busy having fun.
I profusely apologize. But hey, I took a snapshot with my iPhone of the yummy coconut French toast that was served for breakfast on Saturday morning!
I then finally remembered on Sunday that I had a camera and made good use of it at Maya’s first birthday party!
Here I am with the birthday girl!
It was a gorgeous day with sunshine, yummy food, great company and a whole lot of fun!
clockwise: Ute and I, J and Justin, J and I, Maren and I
Besides Ute and Justin, I was finally able to meet up with a long-time (online) friend and fellow German, Maren, who lives in NJ. She came all the way out to Maya’s birthday party to see me! Hooray! It was so awesome to finally meet in person, although it felt like we had known each other forever. No awkwardness at all!
I also met another online friend, Marie, and her adorable son Jacob at Maya’s party. I found out only a couple of months ago that she and Ute knew each other and I was thrilled that I was able to meet up with her, too. What a crazy small world!
I cannot believe how fast this weekend flew by. We had such a wonderful time and it was very, very hard to say goodbye again. J and I definitely realized once again how important friends are and how much we miss not having a group of local friends around. We need to do this again!!!
Maribeth
July 16, 2012 at 12:35 pmLooks like good times!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
July 16, 2012 at 2:47 pmI love photo-heavy posts. :) So keep them coming. And I also understand how sometimes you are having so much fun, you forget to take photos. That happens to me more and more as I get older it seems!
I am glad you got some quality time with great friends! The birthday girl is adorable!!
katelin
July 16, 2012 at 4:21 pmI’m headed to CT for the first time in October and your pictures are just aw, so pretty and that bread, so yummy! Glad you had such a fabulous time.
Jen
July 16, 2012 at 9:09 pmWhat a great coincidence and because of it you got to meet even more friends. I know what you mean about the importance of friends and how having them far away just, well, sucks. I suffer from the same longing. I wish I had all my girlfriends close by, even if it were just to see them once a month. Sigh.
Chrissy
July 17, 2012 at 1:23 amLove all the photos! Looks like so much fun on Maya’s birthday party! I can totally understand that you forgot about your camera! Happens to me all the time, I guess sometimes it’s just more important to see only with your eyes and not through a lens! Can’t wait for more.
xxx
Amber @ A Little Pink in the Cornfields
July 17, 2012 at 6:54 amWhat a great trip! I love meeting online friends too! I’m always nervous too, but it almost always goes away quickly!
Ute
July 17, 2012 at 7:58 amAwww we had such a good time! I cant believe I forgot my camera as well. LOL. crazy!! it was so good to see you guys and hopefully once you move to Boston we see more of you. Oh wait was that not official yet? HAHAHA. We love you guys thanks for coming by, just way toooooo short!!! <3
Nilsa @ SoMi Speaks
July 18, 2012 at 7:31 amI love visiting new cities, but find that my enjoyment is immensely increased when I can spend some time with a local. Seems like you had the perfect balance of seeing the sites and spending time with new and old friends!
Ulli
July 25, 2012 at 6:45 pmThat’s a great photo of J!!!! The black and white one!
terra
July 26, 2012 at 5:25 pmLove the photos and can’t wait to hear all about your trip!
I always kick myself when I get home and realize I forgot to photograph whole chunks of time and fun, but then I realize that it’s okay because it means I was too busy having fun and visiting with people I love and that they were the priority.
Melissa
July 30, 2012 at 8:12 amI’m running a bit late on you re-caps but… Your pictures are just beautiful! Sounds like you had a fantastic times. Domestic airlines can sometimes be a bit more annoying, but I find that they can definitely be more convenient too!!