a new england rendezvous

Last weekend, I braved flight delays and airplane moonroofs and cold weather to visit Andrew. Because when you're married, you just have to make sacrifices. Except it wasn't really a sacrifice, because I missed him so. True story.

I got in circa 2am on Thursday, after a mega-flight delay. Praise God for Netflix and airport wi-fi. On Friday, we headed out of Groton toward Newport, where we were staying at the hotel on Andrew's old OCS stomping grounds.

We drove out of town, slowly, so Andrew could show me the sub base in all its glory. I'm not going to lie, it was depressing. It was cold and gray and rainy and I kept thinking about how I'd surely develop SAD if we were stationed there. But I came around by the end of the weekend and now I'm thinking it maybe wouldn't be that bad. Maybe.

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We arrived in Newport and much to our surprise and delight, it was Restaurant Week! Which means fancy food for not-so-fancy prices. Our first stop was The Pier. Andrew had some kind of bisque (crab, maybe?) and Chilean Sea Bass. I had clam chowder and the world's largest lobster tail. Stuffed with shrimp and scallops. And baked. And served with vegetables and a baked potato.

That lobster and I got along reaaally well, my friends. The baby and I heart him.

Dessert was an assortment of miniature brownie sundaes and then we headed back to our hotel. In a lobster coma.

We drove around base and Andrew enjoyed reminiscing:

"I did pushups in that grass."

"I ran up and down that hill."

"I got yelled at right there."

Happy memories, I think.

The next morning, while it was still dark, we woke up to a group of current OCS-ers running and yelling (chanting?) by the hotel. Then came reveille. Military life is so glamorous.

We were ready for breakfast, so we headed back into downtown Newport, where we ended up at The Corner Cafe for pancakes and salmon eggs benedict. So charming. And it definitely gave me ideas for the coffee shop I want to open some day.

We spent the day wandering around the different shops and art galleries. Andrew got me a necklace with an anchor charm, something I've been looking for since he joined the Navy. It's beautiful. We had lunch at the Black Pearl - more clam chowder was had and also some key lime pie - and then we walked around some more.

Around 4pm, we decided to get in the car and drive, just to see where we'd end up. Little did we know that we'd take the most beautiful drive along the ocean, with gorgeous rocky cliffs and massive houses. It was honestly breath-taking.

After a few hours of that, we headed back for a nap and then went back out for a late dinner. We went to 22 Bowens, which is where we had Andrew's OCS graduation dinner almost a year ago. More clam chowder and steak and pork and sweet potatoes and blood orange sorbet. We also witnessed an awkward first-ish date. That was fun.

Sunday morning, we were back at The Corner Cafe for brunch and one more drive along the ocean.

We headed back to Groton, where we unloaded and then drove into Mystic, just a few miles away. Pizza for dinner at the same place where Julia Roberts made her big debut.

Thoroughly exhausted, we settled in for Sunday night TV movies: Hitch and Ratatouille. Perfection, if you ask me.

And after some tears from the emotional pregnant lady, I headed home on Monday. Fuselage intact.

Now I'm just daydreaming about clam chowder and my long-lost husband and potentially being a New Englander one day.

The End.