Birthdays, Weddings, and Scares, Oh My!

Well, it's Halloween Weekend and we are booked up!  Unfortunately we won't be dressing up again this year.  I must admit, I was a bit dissapointed in the way my costume turned out for last Saturday's party.  I think it was simply how rushed I felt pulling it together, I wasn't able to really give it my all.  

Regardless, we will have a fun-packed weekend for sure.

Tonight it's my girl Carrie's 26th Birthday!  We are going down to Bowen's for some drinks on the water.

 There's Carrie as Raggedy Ann.  Thought I would give an old Halloween shout out!

And then tomorrow it's this lady in white's wedding, who ironically will become Mrs. White in just one more day!  We are really excited for the wedding and I'm praying that the weather works itself out.

Speaking of prayers, I'm saying an extra set for everyone to stay safe this weekend.  I know how out of hand Halloween can get, and I always feel a little nervous on the roads around this time of year.

Have fun, and may your only regret be too much candy!

See ya!



Father and Son

My baby boy has always been a man's man.  He looks at me like "c'mon mom it's guy time!" whenever I crash he and K's little party of two.  Yesterday I came home from work to a fresh sweet Alfie, nearly dry from the bath his daddy had given him.  I breathed in his clean coat and...wait... is that baby powder I smell?
Yes. My boyfriend powdered our dog's clean butt.
And it made me so happy to realize what a wonderful future father this man will be, that he already is.
 :)

Winning!

At the CML Circus Gala this past Thursday, K and I bid on a Tailgating package and recieved the news that we won!
The package includes:

• 2 Tickets to Clemson vs. Carolina on November 24th
• Gift certificate to Hometeam BBQ
• Gift certificate to East Cooper Sporting Goods
• Basketball signed by Clemson head coach (anybody want this?! ;)

We're so thrilled and plan to make it a combo mini getaway to Greenville.

Oh and here are a couple snaps from the Color Me Rad run up in Cola over the weekend.  It was a blast and honestly the quickest 5K I've ever run (not my time, just meaning it flew by)!

There are no words...

Just pictures!  From the past several weeks, enjoy!

TGIF

My new car is a 2009 Camry LE with Sport Features, I love it!

I am heading up to Columbia tonight to run the Color Me Rad 5K in the morning tomorrow.  Then it's back to Charleston for a friend's Halloween Party.  I still have so much to do for our costumes and truly no time to do it, but I'll find a way.  We are going as....

Prince William and Kate!

That's all I have time for today, trying to get out of work a little early and hit up the fabric store.

Have a great weekend!

Perks

One of the perks of my job: attending charity events (sponsored by Lexus of course)!  Thursday night we will be attending the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry's Circus Spectacular Gala.  We are so excited to get all fancy and head out for a night on the town supporting a wonderful organization!  You can purchase tickets here.

Speaking of perks...  This was one of my absolute favorite books during highschool, and I'm looking forward to catching the movie soon.

Cheese! and more...

Happy Monday to all!  I have some miscellaneous ramblings below for you.

Here we go!

We used our Wine and Design groupons last Thursday.  Not blown away in love with the paintings but we'll find a spot.

The HalloWINE Party was a complete success.  All of the planning and listing was worth it!

HUGE Thanks to Wine Awesomeness for showing up and taking care of us. 

We love y'all!!!

Here is one snap of the group:

Girls + Wine + huge inflatable pumpkin= perfect shot.

More pics to come!

Ok friends, I want to share a lesson on cheese.

I want to first thank my James Island Harris Teeter cheese lady for schooling me on the art of a cheese tray!

I thought I would forward on because I think a good cheese display can be intimidating given all of your options.

I think I circled the cheese loop two or three times before finally asking for help. 

So many beautiful options, so. much. cheese.

After discussing budget and size, we decided to go with four options.  Let me break it down for you.  When selecting cheese for a large group you want first to choose a "familiar cheese"... I would categorize this as Aged Cheddar or Smoked Mozzeralla...something that your pickies (that's me!) will love.

That being said, these are the four categories that we decided on.  I reccomend this as a great mix of textures and flavors. 

1. Aged- This is where I went familiar.  I chose a 2 year aged cheddar.  Can I get a YUM?

2. Soft- Brie...another relatively safe choice, creamy and mild.

3 Hard- Manchego! Manchego! Manchego!

4. Stinky!- I went with a crumbly Blue, and while I didn't indulge, I'd say it was a hit.

Stick with these four categories and you will have a well balanced spread!

Annnnd lastly, I tend to do up a dinner menu for the week either Sunday or Monday...so here you go! 

I'm happy to share recipes!

Stay tuned this week for: photos from the party and my new car!

A Modern Girls Bible Study

Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to Bible Study.  I wanted to talk a little bit more about it.  Off and on throughout the years (since highschool) a group of friends and I have our own small group Bible Study.  I wanted to share the book that we are going to be using in the coming weeks.  The book is from the Modern Girls Bible Study series, and I'm really excited to begin!  

Tune In: Hearing God's Voice Through the Static


And the summary from Amazon:
"Ever wish God spoke as clearly as your girlfriends do? Wish you could hear him that well? Wish talking to Him was fun like that? Between cell phones, kids, and the static of life, a lot of us real girls have gone spiritually deaf. Discover over twenty ways God speaks to us, and learn to dial into the power of divine conversation while laughing out loud with Tune In. Hear God as Jesus worships through the disciplines of prayer and fasting. Or listen in as Job deals with the highs and lows of life. Daniel developed a great inner ear for the voice of God, as Mary did while raising Jesus. God may not distract you with a burning bush or leave you for days inside a whale-but you can still hear His voice. You just need to Tune In to it."


I'm curious, Are you involved in any religious/spiritual study? 

chillin'

Oh boy, I had the hardest time getting out of bed early to hit Spin class this morning.  We slept with the windows open last night and let me tell you, I don't think I love anything more than cozying under a comforter in my warm bed, in a chilly bedroom!

Last night I made grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner...and it was delicious.  When I was little my mom would cut my grilled cheese into tiny slices and to this day, there is no other way I will eat one!

 Next time you make a grilled cheese, cut it like this and I bet you'll agree it just tastes better :)

--

I was at Walmart Saturday morning and came across this car decorating kit on the Halloween aisle.  I immediately texted my friend Anna because, as you might recall, during college she and I had an annual "Halloween Car" party.  So where was this when we needed it????

Speaking of cars...

Mine was totalled on my way into work last Friday.  This woman pulled right out in front of me on Folly from the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot.  That Dunkin' brings out the crazy in people, I tell you! 

Damn you Dunkin'!

Everyone was fine, and they've put me up in a rental while I look for a new car.  But it's definitely thrown me off.  I'm trying to get back in the groove but this week is not slowing down for me. 

Bible Study tonight, Party planning/shopping tomorrow, and the Wine and Design Thursday. 

See ya!



Home/Work

At Lexus, part of our mission is to treat everyone as if they are a guest in our home.

Here (at Lexus of Charleston) our "home" is beautiful, full of mahogany furniture and creamy leather couches and chairs. And today, I get to decorate for Fall.  What a wonderful thing it is when a day on the job includes a trip to the pumpkin patch!

Check out one of my tablescapes:

A harvest bounty!

Oh,and I should mention that we have a very special guest coming by shortly... Mr. Rick Hendrick! 

Also I'm planning to swing by the mall after work to check out these jeans at The Limited.  They are holding my size :)

A Sweet(grass) Surprise!

K and I exchanged small gifts to celebrate our day.  He surprised me with a pair of Sweetgrass earrings, little baby baskets for my ears!

I'd mentioned these a few times over the years, mainly when walking around downtown, and I was so happy that he remembered!  I love them.

I am in party planning mode over here!  HalloWINE is next weekend and this year we've got Wine Awesomeness coming to give us a show.

Do you have any Halloween plans yet?

Two

K,
Today we are two.
I actually remember walking to meet you on a crisp Fall evening, a week night, which made it feel even more exciting. Having met you only once, and briefly at that, I had wondered earlier that day if I would recognize you immediately.  I'd always found it hard to remember the face of a blossoming crush.
But of course I did.
There was an immediate comfort level, I'd say.  And isn't that what set you apart...what an ease with which my thoughts rolled over the early possibilities, the promise, and not once did you break them!
I'm one to worry, you know this, but you were so still and composed and it balanced me immediately.
I actually recall the exact moment I fell in love, and I'd never been so...content.  A girl so full of "remember when"s and "I can't wait until"s, and all she wanted was to stay right here right now with you!
I know no relationship sweeter, richer than ours.  I love how you finish the thoughts in my head sometimes. 
And I love how your skin smells, even though I'm so used to it now and I can't smell it anymore!
I love how predictable we are to one another...
Well, predictable sounds boring,
but really when it comes to love, let's save drama for the movies.
We'll make ordinary..extraordinary!
Thank you for balancing me.
Thank you for loving me when I'm up up up and when I'm down. 
Thank you for showing me where I belong, which is forever with you.
I love you babe,
L

If you see the perfect harvest scene set-up, you take a picture.  Naturally. 

Happy October everyone, it's my favorite month of the year!