Recent Happenings

Lots happening around here lately!  I uploaded over 150 photos tonight!  Here are some favorites:

Brunch!

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 Adventures with Alfie!

 

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This is my last photo as an unengaged woman:

And this is the first one as an engaged woman: 

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 Charleston Cup with Lexus:

 

 LeaMond Ladies Happy Hour:

My Thanksgiving Tablescape:

 

 

And a Christmas card outtake:

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving my little turkeys!

Put on those leggings and get stuffed girlfriends,
there is SO much to be thankful for!

xoxo,

Laura

If I was 21...

With my 28th Birthday less than 1 week away, I'm feeling nostalgic for the carefree college days. My college voice is still loud and proud inside my head, but it's mixed and mingled with my newer professional and appropriate self. I'm filling in at the front desk this morning and so I have ample free time today. I'm using it to pretend that I am still 21 and embarking on a virtual shopping spree at, ironically and appropriately, Forever 21. For the most part, Forever 21 is junk.  I'm trying to focus on quality over quantity these days. But I like checking out the cheap trends, and here is what my youngin' self would buy!

Weekend + My Thanksgiving Menu

Hey everyone! I hope you are all bundled up and cozy this morning! I am absolutely loving this brisk weather. K actually worked a little both Saturday and Sunday, but we still managed to squeeze in some fun!

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The official season may be over, but we pulled some of our creek shrimp out of the freezer and had teriyaki shish kabobs Friday night.  Delicious! 

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Saturday I tried another GRIT class at Gold's.  These HIIT classes are intense and it was just the boost I needed to keep the productivity going.   I finally cleaned out my closets at home. 

Alfie was tired just watching me:

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Later, after checking out a couple Reception venues, we enjoyed a casual date night:

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I am hoping to upload my camera this week.  I've got some fun photos to share from our engagement celebrations, and a James Island Brunch Spot review!

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I thought I would share my Thanksgiving Menu because it's all I can think about!!!!

I will be running the Turkey Day Run early in the morning, and then heading home to start the cooking!

We will be having:

 Smoked Turkey with onions and carrots.

Rice with Gravy

Macaroni and Cheese

Sausage Pecan Stuffing

Green Beans

Cranberry Sauce

Crescent Rolls.

My mom is bringing dessert!

and the wine.

Can not forget the wine!

And so it begins...

A December to Remember!

At Lexus, December is the biggest month of the year.
They call it "December to Remember".

I feel like this Holiday season will be one to remember for me...

 So I thought I would share some of the decorations we did around the Dealership. 

It definitely has me in the Memory making mood :)

Wedding Details: Date and Church

I consider myself a savvy lady, and this translates perfectly to planning a wedding!

I have done a lot, A LOT, of research on Charleston weddings and I want to share my findings with you all!* It's no secret that everything regarding Charleston Weddings is pricey. There is no way around it and so I'm not sharing budget tips or cost cutting advice. If you're a Charleston Bride, you need to face the costs head on and save yourself a lot of stress trying to save big money.

Fact: It's going to be expensive.

So with that said, there are certain areas that I am choosing to accept the inflated costs, and others I am going to try and get around.
One of the factors that did not really matter to me was having a wedding during the Peak Season months. These are April, May, September, October. As native Charlestonians, K and I both know the schizophrenic nature of our seasons, and I embrace my lack of control regarding weather. Also, re: timing: The vast majority of our families and friends are local, thus travel is no big factor for consideration.

Sooooo, We have chosen to get married on November 22nd, 2014.

We are finding this to be an excellent date in more ways than one. The weekend that we've chosen is the weekend before Thanksgiving. (Hello Holiday Season kickoff!) This is not an ideal weekend for any destination weddings, or for those who have many out of town guests. So we've found that we have better choice of venue/church/etc than the majority of 2014 Saturdays (Note: Popular spots book at least a year in advance) And I'd be remiss if I did not mention our Football considerations. The Clemson/Carolina game is always the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so we can bet that there won't be any big games happening on our weekend. Phew! ;)

I'd also like to make the point that it was never an option to have a Friday or Sunday wedding. I'm not a fan of this new trend, but I understand everything is about making more money honey! ;)

Next up, one of my "must-haves" is a Church Ceremony. I get chills during Church ceremonies, I was raised in the Church, there wouldn't be any other way! K's church (St. Matthews) is undergoing major restorations until 2015, and my church (Nativity) requires a Catholic ceremony (which is not my desire), so we are left with our choice of churches available with a "Non-Member" fee. And these are not small fees y'all. But forget all that because I found the most beautiful, gorgeous, charming Church in all the World!!! 

St. Stephens Episcopal at 67 Anson Street.
This photo captures one ounce of the glory.
You would LOOOVE it!

Our reception site is not 100% finalized, so I'm hesitant to mention it just yet.

But trust me when I say it's equally as charming and chill-inducing.

Stay Tuned!

*I am going to be tagging all of my wedding posts with "My Charleston Wedding" for easy reference on my planning!

Anybody home?

You'll have to forgive my blog silence this week because I am a wedding planning maniac!
And I'm not talking tulle and sweetheart necklines and peonies and bubbles.
I'm talking spreadsheets, sticky notes, email organization.
But as a quick update:
Date is set,
Church is chosen,
Reception Venue TBA!!!!

Thoughts on Thursday

Wowee!  Let me catch my breath over here.

I just have not had the time to upload the pics from my camera, which truly capture the excitement of the past weekend.  But I thought it was high time I share some snaps of the ring!!! !!! !!

Here she is: 

Words can not express how much I love it.

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Brrrr y'all.  Who else is loving it??

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 Oh, I forgot to mention this new class at Gold's called GRIT.  I tried it a couple weeks ago and it was nuts!

In a good way!  I'm thinking about signing up for it in the New Year to whip my bridal booty into shape.

And last I'll leave you with a photo of the two boys that make my world go round:

Happy 'soon-to-be' Wife

 Happy Life

:)

CHEERS!

I've been toasting non-stop since Saturday!

I am marrying the love of my life and I can't stop smiling!!!!!

More pics to come :)

Friday Five

There really isn't a whole lot to report in these parts, this week has been boring in the best possible way.  We are having a Pig Pickin' at work today, and we're headed to Charleston Cup on Sunday!  

Otherwise all is calm, all is bright :)

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1.

An easy weeknight din:

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2.

My faaaaaavorite guilty pleasure:

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3&4.

We went to the Bay Street Biergarten last night to check out the scene.

The handstamp flashed me back to my visits to City Bar before turning 21, trying to wash off the X's in the bathroom. ;)

I didn't really know what the deal was when we walked in, so I'll give any of y'all who haven't been a rundown.  When you walk in you have the option to purchase a "Beer Card" at the hostess bench.  This card is used at any of the community taps located all around the restaurant.  There are ipads at each table where you can learn about each of the beers offered.  You put your card in whatever slot and then pour your own beers, until your card runs out! 

At first when we arrived we put our name on the list for a table and decided just to go to the bar for a beer, opting out of the beer card option.  I have to say I'm glad we did this because I watched several people throughout the night end up with a glass full of foam when pouring their own...and Lord knows I'm no bartender!  We took a seat at one of the communal tables in the bar area, and ended up staying there even when our table was ready.  I really wanted to stay amid the liveliness versus the more quiet tables in the back.  We had a sandwhich and left right when it was getting turned up a notch.  Talk about crowded!  I'm glad we checked it out but I still prefer Smokey Oak or Gene's for beer time!

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5.

And for today, Hello December glamour and warm coffee!

TGIF y'all!

A Charleston Gift Idea!

As I mentioned last week, I'm already feeling the holiday spirit over here!  I've been trying to get a jump on my shopping as well.  Thanksgiving falls later in the month this year, which basically means Christmas will be right around the corner, with less shopping days in between! 

For me personally, I love recieving (and giving) gifts that are activities.  A couple years back we recieved a Wine and Food Pairing class at Charleston Cooks, which remains one of my favorite gifts.

I recently discovered something fabulous that I wanted to share with y'all.  I think this could be great for in-laws, or just as a nice holiday date night!

Charleston Stage is offering an awesome package called Dinner and A Show!

For just $150.00 you get two tickets to a show at the Dockstreet Theatre, valet parking, and a 4 course dinner for two at Tristan which, here's the kicker, includes a bottle of house wine!

Sidenote: K met Mel Gibson at Tristan

I told you it was fabulous, right?!

Put it on your list :)

Hello November!

November reminds me of Manhattan...

For those of you who are in a position for a little trip,

 Travelzoo is advertising $150 round trip tickets from Charleston to NYC.  

*photo from my last visit in 2010