Muriel's wedding!

Turns out the real deal is WAY better than the movie.  Arizona is beautiful, warm, and sunny.  Here are a few pics from our hike to the top of Camelback Mountain:

Bouldering with the bride (a well-known wedding tradition)

We made it to the top alive

Here's Muriel pondering vajazzling...

The trail was basically a vertical boulder scramble at some points

We saw this lizard!

Shopping! and dinner at Owen's

So, Nags Head has some awesome outlets.  Including Coach and my surprising new favorite, Eddie Bauer.  (I got myself a folding shovel and a giant thermos and some convertible finger-less gloves in BROWN, so Eddie Bauer has earned my eternal love.)

Speaking of awesome, we had dinner at Owen's, and everyone was stuffed and fairly happy.  Check out KC's cinemagram here, showing the effect a brownie sundae can have on a little kid :)

We did it!

An assortment of Savages successfully made it to S. Nags Head, NC in the Outer Banks.  This was our first morning, and everyone seems happy.  Unfortunately, it's not only chilly, but crazy windy and sort of raining.  A small contingent checked out the beach this morning, met a friendly dog, and saw some seagulls.

Auntie Aubrey helping the girls finish their eggs

Braving the wind and some pretty big waves

Getting a quick snuggle (helping to heal a stubbed toe)

Not much excitement yet, but we have plans to do some deep sea fishing on Tuesday, assuming the weather calms down and the water is calm enough to look for fish.  Also, of course, getting excited to make pumpkin pie (with help from the girls).

Coming soon: an exclusive interview with two 3-year-olds...feel free to suggest interview questions/topics.

NC Aquarium!

Yesterday we went over to Manteo to check out the local aquarium, which we heard had stingrays...

The rumors were true.  Some of us pet the stingrays.  I didn't, but I did pet a sea urchin (or something).  Also, the aquarium had a hurricane simulator, a live alligator show (where they girls got to pet a baby alligator), a sea turtle rescue center, a bunch of fish and sharks, and something the girls called a "crocodile zoo" (which did have some alligators, but also snapping turtles, regular painted turtles, and some otters).

Sand tiger shark (aka snaggle tooth)

Otherwise, the day was just hanging out.  Made delicious Caesar salad to go with spaghetti for dinner.  The girls helped...

We were hoping to go down to the beach at dusk to do some crabbing (chasing sand crabs with a flashlight and scooping them into buckets), but our crabbing scouts reported no crabs :(

Two Dames in NY: Rachel and Sarah Take Manhattan

Last fall, Rachel, Aubrey, and I caught a showing of the brand-new Newsies musical at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Milburn, NJ.  The show was awesome, so when we learned that it made it two Broadway this spring, we knew we'd have to go see that, too.

Seeing Newsies finally make it to Broadway was great.  The show has some fairly noticeable changes from the movie, but I think they are mostly good changes.  They got rid of the Sarah character and created a new and more interesting love interest for Jack.  They also replaced Denton (and totally got rid of "Patrick's Mother", unfortunately....UPDATE:  WHAT?!).  Other than that, the changes were mostly to do with added songs or altered/expanded lyrics to the existing songs and a few plot twists.  Expanded songs is a good thing, but I admit that I miss some of the original lyrics.  I was also sad to see that Spot Conlon played less of a role :(

In any case, our show wasn't until Saturday night, so we had to find a way to spend the rest of Fri.-Sun..  The obvious solution: Sabon.  As soon as we realized this, our Newsies-motivated weekend trip to NYC turned into something much more...epic.

Sabon has always been a favorite stop of mine when in the city, mainly because the free hand-washing is a germaphobe's dream.  Plus, their products are wonderful.  With a little research, Rachel and I discovered that there are seven Sabons in Manhattan.  This seemed like the perfect challenge.  We set ourselves the goal of visiting every location.  This was easy, since Sabon is everywhere I want to be.  The hunt really led us around quite a few neighborhoods and gave us the perfect opportunity to stop at other important destinations.

Getting a luxurious hand-wash at each location was tougher, since it's really a "tradition" for first-time visitors.  How many times can you wander innocently across a magical new place called Sabon and sit patiently through an explanation of the benefits of the Dead Sea salt scrub?  We did it at every one, and managed to be curious and impressed every time.  And our hands were really smooth and nice-smelling all weekend.  My new favorite scent is definitely the Delicate Jasmine.

Also, we bought a lot of nice-smelling products.  (And got some free samples, too!)  All-in-all, it was worth the effort.  Definitely a different way to explore the city.

In our minimal down time, we enjoyed the comfort of Harlem's trendiest club: the lobby of the Aloft hotel, complete with packed bar, billiards, and DJ.  We also discovered the wonderful David's Tea and visited the semi-creepy Obscura.  

(Some of these were free gifts...)

Sabon in Chelsea (our first Sabon stop)

Oh, hey, Jeremy Jordan.  (Rachel looks SO excited!)

Savages in Minnesota

Congratulations, Emily and Brian!

I spent this past weekend in Minneapolis, celebrating my cousin Emily's wedding.  I arrived Thursday night, and enjoyed a busy weekend of wedding gatherings and family visiting.  Technically, there were 13 Savages attending, including the notorious Four Savages.

I woke up Friday morning to my two energetic little nieces -- a great way to wake up!  Friday evening was the rehearsal dinner, which consisted of a nice dinner cruise around Lake Minnetonka with great views of the sunset.  Unfortunately, my camera died early on, but I was able to get a few good shots of the fam.  The fun continued at Maynard's, and I wish I did have a camera, because I could have captured Brian's impressive cartwheeling skills.

Sadie feigns sleep, looking very dramatic

She helped me take this shot of Brian and Macy

So, of course, Macy had to help me take one of Brian and Sadie

Family shot before we get on the boat.  (Just ignore my closed eyes and my arm amputation.  Everyone else looks great!)

A family shot with Grandma and our cousin, Mary (one of the maids of honor)

Nearly sunset on the lake

On Saturday, I enjoyed another fun morning with the girls, then lunch with the rest of the Ohio Savages.  Then, we all headed over to the home of my Aunt LeeAnne and Uncle Harry, where the wedding took place.

The girls enjoyed going through my suitcase

Clearly, they had lot's of fun :)

Macy is a Minnie-Mouse-chocolate-chip-pancake-eating machine.  (She also loves sausages.)

Sadie shows off her new Olivia doll -- a reward for her potty-training successes

Aubrey and Kevin, experiencing Don Pablo's

Aubrey is a sopapilla-eating machine

Mom and KC

Dressed up for the wedding

Emily and Brian

Spending some time in the sun after the ceremony -- Sadie helps herself to Grampy's ice

Macy tries my abandoned heels, with Grandma's help

Brian and Grandma

Harper, Doug, and my cousin Anne...Harper's older brother, Beckett, was probably busy "running away"

The Igo grandparents and grandchildren

A maid of honor sandwich -- Mary (left) and Katie (right)

Auntie Aubrey with Sadie

Uncle KC and Macy

Emily and Uncle Harry

My aunt and uncle hosted us again for a really nice brunch on Sunday, before all the out-of-town guests had to head back home.  It was a perfect opportunity for a giant family photo, including all the Savages, former Savages, significant others, and related families.

Plus a few more...

Grandma Savage, the Savage sibs, plus grandchildren, great grandchildren, and significant others

Baby Harper, Doug, and Aunt Sam

The weather was beautiful, but very hot in the sun, so the twins made sure to stay hydrated.  (I think they were mostly just excited to be able to hold the glasses and drink all on their own.)

Aubrey and KC, affectionate and agreeable siblings as always