After our first year of marriage we decided it was important to keep dating each other…to keep discovering, learning and growing together. Thanks to HowAboutWe’s new service for couples, for those of us who want to “stay in love”, we have been able to easily achieve this goal we have set. Of course we still do the classic nights at the ballet and all those oh-so-glamorous events as dates, but with HowAboutWe we get to really do something different. Last month we tried our hand at glass blowing (I now show off our lopsided glasses on photo shoots at the studio like a proud parent) and this month it was a hot air balloon ride, planned and booked through the HowAboutWe Concierge! The concierge service allows you to make special one of a kind dates like this one with the help of a HowAboutWe planning expert…perfect for celebrating anniversaries, planning a baby moon, or setting up the proposal just so…

I don’t know if you guys caught this but we just bought our first car! I’m still trying to name her (deciding between Jolene because she is a lady that has been around, you know, Khaleesi because she is such a queen, or E.H. Yuppie…you know, to celebrate the 80’s). So I really wanted a date where we could drive out of the city! Such an exciting new adventure!

     

Watching the balloons take shape… feeling very trepidatious!

We can’t stop being photographers. With such a cool new experience, we wanted to capture the moments. Also, Kevin looked so cute in his L.L. Bean Signature fall wardrobe (remember THIS trip?!)…an autumn sweater with flannel / plaid lined jacket and classic fall lace ups.

I was so amazed at the landscape from this angle. No smudgy airplane window to try to shoot from, totally clear horizons, the feel of the morning sun on my face and the heat from the flames keeping us warm on this brisk autumn morning. We could look at life from a new perspective. As we began to emerge just over the tree tops, looking at small-town America from a bird’s eye view reminded me of Gregory Crewdson’s work and the way he visually tells the story of American life.

I’ll be honest, as we went up! up! up! I began to feel fear – not of heights but of this totally new sensation…nothing holding me in or down, no engines, no 5 minute safety talk on what to do in case of an emergency. Just you and space. I wondered if we’d ever stop going up! But once I got used to this weightlessness, it began to become enchanting…as if we were lovebirds soaring over the Hudson Valley landscape. What seemed like a cloudy day on the ground was now a sparkling golden sunrise over a valley of low lying fog. There would be moments of total silence, your visual senses taking over.

I HAD felt this sensation before… I remembered… in a dream. One where I floated over the heavens. But on this day, I got to do it with my love by my side. Now that’s a dream worth living…

         

Landed! Survived! Take a picture to remember!

Fall is my *favorite* season. The colors, the way you can cozy up to a fire but not freeze your buns off in the day. After our MAINE trip I’ve been itching to wear the L.L. Bean Signature staples: Quilted jacket, white button up, ALWAYS riding boots, Elizabeth & James fitted jeans, my favorite autumn scarf I got from the souk on this trip with my Ralph Lauren saddle bag I’ve had since then.

      

We continued the date by driving north to the town of Rhinebeck, NY. I love this place. It’s tiny, it’s charming, it has the most beautiful farm houses, and it’s full of personal memories: we spent an Oscar night at this movie theatre once!

The food and shopping here is excellent. Our favorite haunts are Gigi’s for the pizza (I heard Bill Clinton loves it here too!), Market for the ambiance, The Local for an interesting new menu, Mercato for every reason under the sun, shopping for the studio at Hammertown,  for gifts at Paper Trail, for me at the Beekman Arms Antique Mall, for him at Oliver Kita chocolatier, and for dreams- one day I will do THIS.

I found one of my favorite photography books at Hammertown signed and some new napkins for the studio.

It can be such a small world!… I loved coming across Leilani Bishop’s three oil scents at this little boutique shop! Remember when I shot her HERE?

What can I say, just because you’re married doesn’t mean you have to stop dating! Our friends at HowAboutWe offered $50 OFF any date in their collection (GUYS, ARE YOU LISTENING?) by clicking here. Obvi you need to become a member, but a member of love?… sign me up. Xx