Valentine's Day Romantic Dinner Tradition: 2013

As per Valentine Tradition (which, THT realizes has long passed), the Harrington duo opted to stay in and prepare a classy dinner together. Maintaining their comfort by wearing pajamas, the couple spent the evening putting together various appetizers and enjoying them in shifts while taking in a couple of movies, such as I Hate Valentine's Day.

While going out for fancy, romantic dinners or receiving flowers and chocolates may be the desire of some on the 14th of February, the Harrington's are always quite satisfied to stay home and simply be together, relaxed and focused on their love, respect and appreciation for one another.

Obviously, the most important thing for the Harrington duo on these nights is the menu, in 2013 the Valentine Menu centered around Appetizers which included: a favorite combination of Brie and Apples served on a Baguette; a fresh, slightly tangy Feta Stuffed Cherry Pepper; a never-fails to be delicious combination of Feta Stuffed Figs wrapped in Bacon; ridiculously delicious and fancy-looking Pancetta wrapped Asparagus wrapped in Puff Pastry; and a dish that became lunch Avocado Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette - lots of bacon, lots of cheese and lots of delicious-ness for a singular evening!

Because Fall won't Last Forever...

AND the Harringtons had just bought a new (but used, obviously) Subaru, it was clear that one thing needed to happen: A trip to the mountains! AKA: Happy Jack...AKA: The place where the couple said their vows and promised to be intentional in living their lives together as one and the same, yet perfectly unique, to weather storms, show respect and support each others dreams. Where they, unknowingly promised to enter a life of adventure and growth, beauty and simplicity of setting here, there and everywhere and bring a sweet pup into their lives to love and care for because she's fantastic.

And the outdoors were fantastic and beautiful and held the promise of new life and growth. And the outdoors provided a perfect playground for the pup and blessed her little puppy soul with freedom to run and explore and take in the fresh air of a new land and a new land where inevitably her heart is learning to beat and thrive.

And fall doesn't last forever, it hardly lasts a season in these parts, so getting out in it as often as possible is an absolute must, for joy, for health, for living it up!

Celebrating 5 Years: Family and Settling

For the past year, we at THT have re-counted the 5 years that worked together to create the Harrington Duo. The series culminated on September 7, 2012 when the couple celebrated 5 years of marriage. Unfortunately, the actual story of their 5-year anniversary has been unpublished for a lack of time, effort and mostly time. Fortunately, nearly three months later, THT is ready to let the world know how the couple celebrated this major milestone.

Rather than set out for a romantic week-end getaway, the couple chalked up their recent Jeju trip as the special event and warmly welcomed the parents of Mike Harrington into town for their first family reunion since returning to the states.

Therefore, as their marriage turned five years old, the Harringtons found themselves surrounded by family throwing back some of Laramie's finest micro-brews at Altitude Chophouse and Brewery. Not much after polishing the first few sips of beer, the Harrington clan sat down for a delicious dinner which was preceded with artichoke dip and fried goat's cheese and topped off with perfectly prepared steaks (and additional beers).

The celebratory weekend continued forth with a few garage sales Saturday morning, the duos first Cowboy football game since 2010, Chinese take-out and breakfast at Perkin's.

While a romantic getaway is always nice, it's equally nice to celebrate milestones with family and friends who are ultimately the supports on which successful marriage rests, for the Harrington duo, getaways are never too far off, so an anniversary celebrated in company is nothing short of perfect.

Five Years Ago: Rehearsal's and Vows

Five years ago, the Harrington's woke up on the morning of September 7th after having enjoyed and rehearsed the 'Big Day' the night before.

Throughout the summer of 2007, the couple spent a bit of time planning, addressing and anticipating the 'Big Day' as much as was possible in between guiding campers on hikes, mountain bike rides, horse-back rides, challenge course activities and numerous other outdoor wilderness camp activities which took place at HR Camp where Mike and Melissa successfully worked together two summers in a row.

So, when the evening of September 6th finally rolled around, the couple was overjoyed to be surrounded by friends and family and to walk through the motions of the following day. However, better than rehearsing the wedding was gathering at the home of Mike's godparents/aunt and uncle, Rick and Cassie's home in Cheyenne, WY to enjoy pulled pork and all the fixins' in the company of cherished friends and impressive couples exemplifying successful and loving marriages. As the meal came to an end, the couple split ways and went with their respective wedding party to enjoy unwrapping lingerie, pedicures, riding buffalo statues in skivvies and throwing back a brew or two (we'll let you guess which 'M' took part in each of the aforementioned activities).

The following morning brought with it an indescribable anticipation as the couple worked to prepare the reception hall (or, have their wedding party prepare the reception hall and run other errands) and eventually entered the hours of preparing themselves physically, emotionally and mentally for the milestone which was quickly closing in on them.

In atypical bride fashion, Melissa was shocked to finally realize that her $50 Patagonia dress didn't fit perfectly and could use a few stitches to adjust the shoulder straps. Fortunately, bridesmaids Mindy and Luella were ready and willing to tackle the problem and within minutes Melissa was slipping into a dress she still wears to this day. Dressed and made-up the wedding party and attendees began making their way out on Happy Jack Road where the Harrington's had received permission from the National Forest Service to gather and wed on the eve of September 7th among the aspen and boulders and under a blue sky just before dusk.

A few pre-wedding photos, prayers and deep breaths later the mothers had been seated, the wedding party had made their way down the aisle, barefoot and simply dressed and a single guitar plucked out 'Be Thou My Vision'. With every one in their places, it was time for the bride to make her entrance, escorted by her father and eyes fixed on the one she would commit her life to in a matter of moments.

The ceremony progressed with the groom's father officiating the ceremony and the bride's father performing 'God Bless the Broken Road' by Rascall Flatts and the couple exchanging vows, rings and their first kiss all within a thirty minute window.

Officially a man and his wife, the couple remained at Happy Jack to capture some moments before heading toward the Cheyenne Train Depot where they would enjoy a rockin' good time with music, eats, more friends, brews and a ridiculously decorated car which would hall them to Estes Park for a week-long honeymoon in the Rocky Mountains.

And today, the Harrington's reflect on what living this life together has looked like during the past 5 years and enter the coming years of marriage with eagerness and confidence, hopeful for even more joy, love, adventures and shared dreams coming to fruition.

Five Years Ago: Of Road-trips and Proposals

The week following Melissa's graduation from the University of Wyoming, Mike and Melissa loaded up the Dodge Neon and hit the road for Southern Utah. Always up for beautiful scenery, fresh air, dreamy hikes and adventures the couple was eager to celebrate the upcoming summer vacation and Melissa's life as a college graduate (Mike was on a 5 year plan, engineering will do that to you).

The road trip began with Mike and Melissa passing through the snowy border of Wyoming and Colorado and eventually arriving in Southern Utah where they would spend a week exploring Arches National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and the surrounding towns and outlying areas.

A couple days into their trip, on May 9th, 2007, Mike got a bit persistent that the couple take on Angel Falls. A trail in Zion National Park that promised a gorgeous view of the area and had a small reputation of killing hikers who missed their footing during the last stretch to the main outcropping.  In an oddly whiny and pitiful mood, Melissa agreed but huffed and puffed her way up the trail nervous she would soon be a statistic in Zion National Park's brochures.

Fortunately, the couple made it to a large outcropping and rather than chance their way to the very top opted to stop for a bit of a photo shoot showcasing dives off the cliff piggy-back rides, the Lewis and Clark pose and a few others.

27 on the 27th: A Golden Weekend

One week ago, Melissa awoke to the day she has so long anticipated, April 27th, 2012. Even before learning about the blessed 'golden birthday' (the birthday on which ones new age matches the day of the month), Melissa was sure being 27 would be the most fabulous thing in the world. (Recent reflections have convinced her that getting older seems a bit more promising than daunting, anyway, reflections for another time and place).

Seeing how Melissa's birthday was on Friday, she was required to wake upon the regular morning hours and make her way to Samcheon Elementary school where she'd be required to energetically and enthusiastically teach five classes of 4th grade students. Fortunately, these are some of her favorite students and her classroom as well as the school halls were filled with sweet voices singing the Happy Birthday song or shouting birthday wishes for Melissa Teacher. Not to mention the gifts and sticky note messages, hand made cards and candies that also filled Melissa Teacher's desk.

Aside from all the attention afforded by students, Melissa was also honored to receive an ice cream/gelato cake from the subject teachers, although the flavors ranged from grape to strawberry to cheese (as in processed cheese), the thought was quite nice and the fruit flavors quite lovely.

Five Years Ago:Of Dating and the L-Word

Since their first date a couple months back in mid-February, the Harrington duo as we now know them would have spent the past few months dating and awkwardly letting their friends and family know that they were in a serious relationship. As many may know, Mike and Melissa had a relatively quick dating era since they'd previously worked together at a summer camp and traveled in a third world nation together, they figured they more or less understood the others strengths and weaknesses and general character. Not to mention, Melissa's gut instinct had kicked in and convinced her that Mike Harrington would become the man of her life and sweep her off to far away lands...such as South Korea.

But, before all of that played out, dating progressed. And typical to the dating scene, M'n'M spent many nights watching movies, grabbing bites to eat or simply studying across from one another. However, a few dating moments (or more accurately, moments from the months of dating) stand out and bring forth warm and pleasant memories of days long ago.

Early in the dating lives of M'n'M the couple made their way to Ten Sleep, WY for a Cabin Spring Break Extravaganza. Beginning with a stop over in Wheatland, WY to celebrate Easter with Melissa's parents, grandparents and three of many-soon-to-be-cabin- spring-break friends (Caylee, Jordan and Andrew), the day included receiving stuffed bunnies from Melissa's grandma and hiding plastic Easter eggs for grandparents to find.

With the holiday celebration concluded, M'n'M and friends continued onward to the Harrington Cabin which lies just 5 miles outside of Ten Sleep, WY (home of the great, Nowoodstock Festival). For the week that followed, M'n'M enjoyed the company of various friends coming and going, home cooked meals, snowshoeing adventures, dumpster diving behind thrift stores and plate-licking good Pi Phi (grasshopper pie). If M'n'M weren't sure of their feelings for each other before this March 2007 Spring Break outing, then by the end of the break they were well convinced that not only did they fancy one another's company, but they found that the potential in-laws were equally agreeable individuals.

As the spring semester of 2007 progressed, M'n'M's love began to blossom as things in the spring do. Between study and movie dates at Mike's shared apartment with his sister Katie and

A Very Belated Valentine's Tradition

For four years of Valentine's Days as a Mr. and Mrs., Mike and Melissa have consistently opted to dine in rather than out. While dining in is not particularly rare for the couple, cooking together is indeed, rare. The reasons for this center around a) Melissa's love for cooking and being in the kitchen and b) Melissa's love for cooking and being in the kitchen and c) Melissa's slight inability, especially in the early days of marriage, to keep her mouth shut regarding others strange kitchen and cooking habits...aka, a lack of grace and gratitude.

However, a few years of marriage have toned down Melissa's critical nature but not released her from her love of cooking, so it remains, Valentine's Day is always a sure bet for a meal, cooked together by M'n'M.

Unfortunately, or fortunately considering the circumstances, Valentine's Day required a delay this year. On the actual 14th of February, the couple was enjoying a visit from friends and fiery red dalk-galbi. Shortly after the holiday, the couple enjoyed a vacation in Vietnam. Upon returning, they were soaking up time with yet more friends and finally began a new semester and new routine which wasn't ready for couple cooking until a few weeks in, and that, dear readers is why Valentine's day was belated.

Therefore, on the eve of March 25th, the couple set out to prepare and enjoy the Valentine's tradition which began with soft, Black Forest Cheese courtesy of Time World Galleria, crackers and Crab Apple Wine courtesy of August Vacations at Home and Prairie Berry Winery of South Dakota.

Read more and discover the menu...

Five Years Ago: Of First Dates

A couple months ago we shared the story of falling, in the love that is. But that was just the feeling part of things, the part that encourages a couple to pursue further hanging out, generally under the umbrella of just friends so that days and nights can be spent wondering at the possibilities and fearing that these butterflies will soon be buried by a broken heart. Fortunately for Mike and Melissa the butterflies were left to flutter as the man Harrington took to seeking out a creative and expressive way to assure the lady that he was indeed interested in pursuing a relationship.

Taking the advice of a good, wise and mutual friend (David Atwood), the man Harrington opted to send letters suggestive of upcoming joys and dates that Melissa would soon enjoy but each signed 'Future Melissa' AND written in distinctly different writing than any of the previous days notes or any writing Melissa had from the man himself.

Convinced it was Mike, but swayed to suspect a creeper by some sorority sisters, the week of mysterious letters continued, leaving Melissa feeling eager, anxious, excited and a touch nervous. On the final day, just a few day's after Valentine's Day, Melissa received a note from her 'future self' which included a line much in this fashion:

Tonight, I enjoyed an evening of stargazing after meeting a ridiculously good-looking man under the sun of the science building.

Sincerely,

Future Melissa

Just in case future Melissa wasn't as trustworthy as present Melissa's sisters and gut instincts, Melissa headed out with a couple sorority sisters to the science building where she saw none other than the man Harrington waiting to accompany her to the University of Wyoming Planetarium which would highlight not only various constellations, but also provide a rollicking good laser show.

So it was, under a starry night that the man and woman we now know as Mr. and Mrs. Harrington admitted to themselves and the 'world' that they were ready to proclaim a relationship status and move beyond awkward friend to, awkward couple (some things never change).

Five Years Ago: A Series

Mid-July 2008 the Harrington's began making their mark on the world wide web via 'blog', first with their introduction quickly followed by a piece on CouchSurfing, the more exciting aspect of thier lives at the time.

The Harrington Times has since captured numerous CouchSurfing stories, memory-making with family and friends, epic Road Trips, World Tours with a World Cup Game thrown in, followed by life in Korea, nights at the norae-bang, and falling in love with a dog among many other stories and memories.  However, a series of stories have not yet been told in this place.  Those are the stories of falling in love, of engagement and of marriage.

In September the Harrington's celebrated their fourth complete year of marriage (with friends and as a family) and entered year number five.  That means, five years ago, a lot of things were in motion for Mike and Melissa to become The Harringtons.  Therefore, we at The Harrington Times have deemed it a worthy journalistic pursuit to record and relay the story of the Mr. and Mrs. whom ensure this blogspot remains active and alive.

So, with the backdrop set, stay tuned for the first 'love story' which began just about Five Years Ago.