More wedding photos!

These shots are all courtesy of my stepmother, who also happens to be a photographer ;)

Baking up a storm

I have been baking like crazy lately. Maybe it's the fact that I'm recently domestic and have a kitchen full of shiny new toys, or perhaps it's because my friends Kelly and Kami have been giving me wonderful ideas for baking projects lately. Whatever it is, I've been having fun experimenting with all sorts of new recipes. Take a look!

This homemade Mac and Cheese recipe is incredible! Probably not the healthiest with all of the cheese and bacon goodness, but everyone needs to indulge once in a while ;)


These decadent Coconut Almond Chocolate Chip Muffins are secretly good for you! I used Kami's version of the recipe, and added whole wheat flour and flax seed meal.


Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies with toffee bits and shredded coconut-- yummo! The oats and coconut give them such a nice texture




I've been looking for an easy wheat bread recipe and finally stumbled across this awesome one. Initially, I was a bit skeptical over the "no knead" part (too good to be true, right?), but as it turns out, this bread is the real deal. You throw it together in ten minutes, let it rise an hour, and then bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees (despite the recipe's instructions)


For my second loaf of bread, I adapted the recipe and included flax seed meal, raisins, and a cup of oats. It was like dessert!




Oh, and I LOVE my beautiful Kitchen Aid mixer. How did I live so long without one?

Honeymoon in Athens

Vacationing in Egypt for four days was definitely an adventure, but our time in Greece actually felt like a honeymoon. Our first stop was Athens, which was followed by two fabulous Greek islands, Mykonos and Santorini. The Greek islands have a sleepier, more relaxed pace, but Athens kept us busy, busy with incredible sightseeing, delicious food-eating, and lots of picture-taking.

The Athens Academy


Such beautiful details!


Kapnikarea, an 11th century Byzantine orthodox church in Monastiraki




A view of the Acropolis


The Roman Agora




An old random door to nowhere


The Annunciation Cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens






Pagan symbols on another Byzantine church


The streets of the trendy Plaka


Emperor Hadrian's Arch


The Roman built The Temple of Olympian Zeus




We saw these crawling, blossoming vines everywhere




An adorable old couple we saw on our way up to the Acropolis


LOVED this bright little cottage


The neighborhood we passed on the way up to the Acropolis was so picturesque


Another view of the Roman Agora




The Tower of the Winds, a horologion (timepiece) marble clocktower, part of the Roman Agora




The stunning Herodes Atticus Theatre, on the south slope of the Acropolis




The Temple of Athena Nike, part of the Propylaea, one of the first things you see as you climb the Acropolis


More of the Propylaea


Mars Hill, where the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenians




Posing in front of the Propylaea




The Erechtheum, which was built between 421 and 406 BC. Note the beautiful maiden statues, The Porch of the Caryatids




Details of the Erechtheum


The front of the Erechtheum




At last, the Parthenon!


The impressive Parthenon




Details of the east pediment


If you've seen a photo of the Parthenon crane and scaffolding free, it's an old one. The site has been under re-construction for about thirty years




Gorgeous!


The Greek flag, flying proudly near the Parthenon


The spectacular view from the Acropolis




The Theatre of Dionysus


My handsome husband and traveling companion


Our delicious lunch, authentic gyros


Posing by one of the stoic national guards


Being statuesque at the National Gardens


KC strikes a pose


The peacock at the National Gardens. It took a lot of smack-talking on my part to get him to flash his stuff


Once he did, he was pretty magnificent


Baby peacock!


More antiquities...


More amazing food


Back at The Theatre of Dionysus


KC gets his own throne




Following an ancient road to the Greek Agora




Another Byzantine church in the Greek Agora




The Greek Agora is sprawling. Sadly, we didn't get to see it all before the admission nazis kicked us out at 2:00 pm


A saucy Aphrodite statue


Some manly, headless soldier statues


A statue of Triton




The Temple of Hephaestus

Athens was amazing. How can you not be blown away by the historical, architectural, and artistic significance of the antiquities there? We had a fantastic time there, before being blown away by the beauty of the islands. Stay tuned for those photos!