Friday Hey hey hey!

Hooray for the weekend!  And for no real plans!

Here's what we've been up to this week...

Tuesday night I fixed Baked Chicken, which is one of my favorite easy comfort dinners.

The gravy from the drippings over brown rice is to die for. 

On Wednesday we celebrated my Nana's 82nd Birthday with a big family dinner, which is always fun.

And finally last night we went down to Fish to talk with the manager about our rehearsal dinner, and have a couple glasses of wine. 

Throw in a few workouts and that was our week.

What have y'all been up to?  Anything fun on the horizon this weekend?

Memorial Day Weekend!

Tuesday already?

Three day weekends are so nice when they make for a following 4 day week!

How was everyone's Memorial Day?  We had a wonderful time, as seen below!

Friday night we decided to check out a new brewery on James Island called Tradesman Brewing. 

 We tried four different beers and they were all great! 

 Saturday my mom and I did a little shopping and I scooped up this new bag, with which I'm in love.  I also bought a new bathing suit which I'll show you in a bit.

 I was so excited to wake up on Sunday because we had planned a little Beaufort Getaway to celebrate the long weekend, and to also recognize our "6 months until the Big Day" countdown.

 We stayed at the City Loft Hotel, which is one block from Bay Street.  It's an old 60's motel that has been completely, tastefully renovated and it was so much more than we ever expected!  Randy, the hotels manager, arranged for champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in our room upon arrival.  Randy, you rock!

 The hotel also grants you access to the Sanctuary at Cat Island, which we took advantage of by way of the pool.  (i gotsa frozen margarita in that styrofoam cup ;)

 Here is my new suit, isn't she cute?

 Bay Street Strollin'

 We dined at Saltus River Grille, which was nice, but sadly didn't blow our doors off.

 But we still really enjoyed the ambiance. 

 I woke up early on Monday and took a solo stroll down to the Riverfront to enjoy my coffee. 

Later, we were surprised by a Memorial Day Parade that we watched from the hotel balcony, I loved watching the veterans and active marines march down Carteret.

 And I picked up a couple souvenirs from the Rhett Gallery, and then it was time to head home.

Beaufort is the perfect little getaway from Charleston.  It's the easiest drive and provides a nice change of pace, especially since we are in high tourist season right now!  How did you celebrate Memorial Day?

I hope it was nice and relaxing, like ours.

Lately...

TGIF!

Here are some snaps of the haps lately:

My friend Doctor Abby is doing her residency in Philadelphia, so we spent the weekend together before she heads up at the end of the month.  It just may be the last time we're together until my wedding so it was a special time...

We went to the Rooftop at Vendue Inn.  That hotel has been majorly renovated, much more trendy and hip than before.  This was the sign on the Ladies Room, which I thought was fun: 

 I scheduled myself a Natura Bisse Diamond Glow facial at Cosbar this week.

 

It was my first time there and it was the best facial I have ever had.

I invested in several of the products.  I've decided to start taking skin care more seriously, as reccomended by the Bridal Beauty Timeline, and I'll share my routine sometime soon. 

 Look out! The ladies of Lexus of Charleston are slimmin' down for summer!  I am hoping the extra $100 incentive will help prepare me for my first gown fitting mid-July.  I'm looking to lose about 10 lbs at the most, I like a little meat on my bones!

I also had a fun date night with my girl Kristina at California Dreaming.

It was lovely.

I have been all about bright colors and my sweetgrass earrings these last few weeks!

What have you been up to?

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

I'll see ya next week.

Way Back Wednesday

Hey y'all!  How is the week going so far?

Today I'm throwing back to 2001 and sharing my highschool yearbook photos!

I've mentioned before, but I must reiterate my love/hate relationship with tweezers during this time in my life.

I was not a party girl during highschool so it seems like my only experimentation was with my eyebrows.

Yikes.

Here we go!

2001, Freshman Year.  In this photo I can see a little bubble above my head saying "Take the picture already!!!"

2002, Sophomore Year.  I loved this shirt, I remember it was my "First Day of School" shirt.  It was lace and had bows at the sleeves.   

 This pic is also from my Sophomore Yearbook.  It's for Spanish Club.  I love this pic because two of my bridesmaids are right next to me, Carrie and Kristina!

 2003, Junior Year.  Hello color photo!  Way to step it up JI! 

 And here I am in National Art Honors Society with another bridesmaid, Chels! 

2004, Senior Year.  My Senior Portrait. This picture makes me happy.

Oh and here is a snap of the "Class of 2004" group:

And just for fun, here is Flave, James Island HighSchools Male Dance Crew.  They made the pep rallies!

A Little Love Letter: Dear Friday

My Dearest Friday,

I am so happy you have arrived and brought the most gorgeous mild and sunny weather with you. K and I will be sure to enjoy it tonight at the Riverdogs Game. I confess that this morning was not our best, due in part to waking up on the wrong side of the bed and also to being woken up by a certain fiance who was inspired to clean the bathroom at 10:45 pm. And by that same fiance's back up generator that beeps when power flickers, the only downside to the late night thunderstorms. But the day has since turned around and we're sure to be all smiles tonight!

(This picture is almost so blurry it hurts my eyes, but it's from our fun pre-marital counseling/date night this past Tuesday so...)

Friday, I thank you for coming and bringing the weekend with you and allowing us to enjoy all that Charleston has to offer!

Love,

Laura

Super Simple Brunch

So, who else has a tendency to go overboard when it comes to menu planning for guests? I know I'm not alone. I'm getting so much better at knowing when less is more, and this year's Mothers Day Brunch proves it.
I knew I would be at the beach ALL day Saturday, and that we would be cooking and cleaning in the wee hours on Sunday, so I decided to take advantage of as many shortcuts as possible.
My menu:
Bacon Cheddar Quiche
Mini Chicken and Waffles
Banana Bread
Fresh Berries
Mimosas*Bloody Mary Bar*Coffee*Ice Water

I used store bought pie crust for my quiche.
I bought Nuggets from Chic-fil-a on my way back from the beach Saturday which I placed atop mini Eggos for the Chicken and Waffles.
And the Banana Bread is from Costco's bakery.
Don't forget to set your butter out early so it's nice and spreadable :)
 
There is nothing better to me than sitting back, mimosa in hand, with a clean house and good food ready to serve!  Sidenote: I make an effort to be ready atleast 20 minutes early when hostessing and it cracks me up how both K and I can not sit still!  We mill around the house like bumper cars, looking out windows, wiping down countertops.  Two of a kind, I tell ya.
Happy Tuesday!

Life Lately

Hey hey!

How is everyone's May going so far?

This past Monday we had a little fiesta at home, with a few Corona Lights decked in their own Corona bottle ponchos: 

Tuesday night was my Choo's first Bridal Shower!  Here we are looking rather posed but happy :)

Doesn't her dress remind you of Beauty and the Beast?

 Wednesday and Thursday nights were much needed detox/spa nights. 

I felt very awkward in this mask, like I couldn't move or talk right.  It was sort of like when I wear gloves or mittens and feel like I can't use my hands normal.  Does that make sense?

 Friday I left work early to zip up to Columbia for my girl Abby's Medical School Graduation.

Talk about inspiring!

Congrats to Doctor Case!

On Saturday, several "James Island High School Class of 2004" friends and I decided to hit Folly for a quasi-reunion.  I didn't get any snaps of our whole group (it was more of a drop-in) but WOW- Folly turned into the Caribbean this weekend.  I have never in all of my 28 years as a beach bunny seen the water like this.  It was absolutely beautiful and even better in person.

No filter or editing here.

Recognize this porch? 

And finally yesterday we celebrated Mother's Day, as usual, with Brunch at home. 

I'll share my menu in a post later this week, it was delish!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

I'm ready for another one!

Too soon?

Wedding Details: Our Save the Date

Happy Wednesday everyone...Let's talk about our Save the Dates!

So, our wedding photographers live in Atlanta and I did not think that they should make the trip to Charleston for a 1 hour Save the Date photo session.  Truth be told I never planned on having an Engagement shoot.  We actually tried to take our own pictures at home, but it really didn't work out. 
I resigned to the fact that we may need a professional to get the job done!

Luckily, a colleague of mine referred me to a friend of hers who, in the past, worked as a wedding photographer's assistant.  I contacted her to see if she would mind snapping a couple shots of us before dinner out downtown and she agreed.

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Inspiration:

Ever since I saw pictures from this photoshoot of Olivia Palermo and her fiance,
 I was in love:

I was totally inspired by their wardrobe choice,
and the cute concept of dancin' in the street.

We found a pretty alleyway off of East Bay Street, and captured a sweet moment that is exactly what I was looking for!

And now that we've sent them (the majority) out,

Here is a peak at the finished product!

Oh and you know I had to include my sweet chunk: 

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I have been working with the team at PostNet on all of my paper needs for the wedding.

Rachel (and everyone else) has been super helpful.  She's given me paper samples, font options, and helped my vision come to life.  They are so reasonable and and helpful, I can't recommend them enough!

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A special thanks to Ashley for taking the time to take our picture, it turned out exactly how I wanted!

Muah!

Weekend Fun!

Happy Monday to all, but more importantly Happy Cince de Mayo.

I have a cold Modelo waiting for me in the fridge & all the fixins for burritos tonight!

This weekend was a three day one for me, which is always a good thing.

After work on Thursday K and I met our minister for another Counseling session.  

(see also pink and white nails that were $5.00 at Sally Beauty)

 We have decided that Pre-marital counseling nights=date nights which gives us time to reflect and focus even more on our relationship.  This week we enjoyed the fried okra and some beers at Bohemian Bull.

Best fried okra ever (Carters Kitchen's was awesome too but I think they closed?)!

Friday was disappointingly dreary but I still enjoyed my day off around the house.

 We skipped the Riverdogs Game because it was just sort of gloomy but we caught the fireworks in the Cali Dreaming parking lot.  Friday fireworks are half the reason I love the games anyway.

 ;)

Saturday we attended a charity event out on Goldbug Island. 

I had never been to Goldbug before so it was fun to visit.

We really enjoyed sitting out on the dock for the sunset.

I got this cup from the Dollar Tree, perfect for a picnic or day on the boat.

This brings us to beautiful Sunday!
I spent a couple hours at the pool and we grabbed Bagel Nation before heading down to Quiksilver so K could pick up some new baggies.

 Ended it all with a family stroll, chicken breasts on the grill,

and THAT is how you do a weekend my friends!

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How was yours?

Save the Dates went out this past Friday so stay tuned for the details!

xoxo

Laura