Dan and Shelby's Engagement Party

March 8-10th, we were in Vermont for my brother-in-law (it's still so crazy to say that...I'm married!), Daniel, and his fiance, Shelby's, engagement party that her family hosted.

By now you know my luck, so it should be no surprise to you that we were delayed on the way up to Vermont.  Kevin had been in FL for work the entire week, so he was flying up from there.  I was flying up from RDU.  We were slated to meet in NYC and then take the last leg together to Burlington, VT.  Well, because of a few inches of snow in Boston, flights started delaying around 11am that Friday.  By 3pm, Kevin's flight from Tampa was delayed an hour.  I was still in the clear.  It wasn't until about 5pm that I learned my flight from RDU to JFK was also delayed an hour.  That hour turned into 2 hours after I was through security and at the gate, anxiously waiting to see my hubby, after being apart for a week.  We finally made it.  And it wasn't so bad.  We arrived at 1:30am after being scheduled to originally land at 11:56pm.  However, by the time we made it to my Mother-in-Law's house on the lake and got ready for bed, it was 2:30am.

The next morning at 8am, I just couldn't sleep anymore.  Yay!  5 hours of sleep!  We kicked our morning off with a trip to the mall in Burlington, so I could try on some things I had put on hold (that aren't available in NC) and a stop at Bagel Market for a scrumptious bagel sandwich...the best in the world!  When we got back to the house, it was nap-time and we didn't wake up until it was time to get ready for the party.

The party was great!  It was nice to meet Shelby's family and see Kevin's family!  Kevin's dad got me Pink Woodchuck, the new Private Reserve, and it was so good!  As was the guacamole that Shelby's mom made from scratch.  I think I ate all of it!  After a quick trip back to Shelby and Dan's place, we made it downtown Winooski to CK's bar.  It was the bar's 4 year anniversary, so they had food and a live band.  Kevin and I spent the night dancing and having a blast!  And...thankfully, I was able to drag him out of there a little after 11pm, which, with the time change and having to spring forward, was still late!

I woke Sunday morning with the worst headache!  I had 1 Pink Woodchuck the entire night and about 7 cups of water, so it wasn't for drinking.  I was in the bed until 3pm trying to rid myself of the horrible headache!  When I finally got up, Kevin and I had a little adventure on the lake.  I've never seen a lake freeze over.  Ever!  Kevin's been talking for awhile about if the lake's frozen, we'll walk on it or drive our car out on it, fish, or set up a shanty.  Well, this was our chance!  The lake was frozen and we were able to walk out a bit.  I was still worried about it cracking and me falling through to my death, but all was well.  It was so neat!  Kevin's mom's husband, Ron, went out with us and drilled down so we could see how thick the ice was.  In some places it was a good 2 feet thick, but where we were, it was about 8 inches thick!

Just two wild and crazy kids, standing on the lake!

We made our way back inside, got ready, and headed out again for dinner with Dan, Shelby, Kevin's dad and his wife and his grandpa at The Windjammer.  So good!  By dinnertime, my headache was gone and I was ready for fun, but everyone else was exhausted from the night before, so we just headed back Kevin's mom's.  After packing up, it was time for bed to be at the airport before 6am for the flight home.

No trip up there every seems long enough and we weren't even able to see Mémère and Pépère because they had the norovirus, but it's always nice to get up and see family!  The highlight for me was definitely the lake!

Our Engagement Anniversary

March 1, 2012, Kevin proposed to me while we were in Charleston, SC and we were engaged! :)

March 1, 2013, we headed down for a weekend trip to Charleston to celebrate the anniversary of our engagement and enjoy a little R&R in a city that we both just love.  Months earlier, I found a Groupon for a hotel in Mt. Pleasant, The Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, for $306.  That's $153 a night for a King room and included breakfast, which was a $30 breakfast buffet (for two..$15 each).  So, we really only paid around $123 a night.  You can't beat that in the Charleston area.  Especially because the weekend we were down was the Charleston Food and Wine Festival and hotel rooms were going for a low rate of $250-$300 a night downtown.

The resort and our room!

Charleston has become a tradition for us over the years.  In July of 2009, when Kevin and I first started dating, I swooped him away for a weekend in Charleston.  That happened to be his first vacation in 2 years.  In Feb. 2011, we went down to support the UVM basketball team and Kevin's friend from Vermont, Kyle, as they played the College of Charleston and Kyle coached the team.  March 2012, we were engaged down there and then there's this trip.  Each trip we've stayed in a different place and done different things.  I feel like the city is full of so many activities, we could go every year and never do the same thing or eat at the same place.

Friday night, we took the free trolley from our hotel to downtown Charleston and had a quick appetizer at TBonz near the market before our romantic nighttime carriage ride with Olde Towne Carriage Company.  They had a "holding area" across the street complete with a photo booth set-up.  Since no one else was having as much fun as us, and we didn't have anyone to take our photos, we just took pictures of each other.

Photo Booth Fun!

Because the carriage ride was at night, I didn't get great pictures, but we had fun!  And it was very romantic wrapping up under a blanket and snuggling in next to my honey as the horse, Big John, pulled us around!

Carriage riding in the dark!

Afterwards, we were treated to hot chocolate and s'mores.  Once again, we were the ONLY people to participate.  There was romantic music playing and we may have danced a little by the fire! 

S'mores and Hot Chocolate by the fire!

We weren't starving, but as part of the romantic tour package, we received a $25 gift card to Hyman's Seafood Restaurant.  So, off we went to dinner.  At 10pm, this wasn't the best idea!  Oh well, hindsight is 20/20. 

We missed the free trolley back to our hotel, so we hopped in a random cab for the trip and boy was that an awesome experience!  Our cab driver was an old man, maybe in his late 70s or early 80s and his co-pilot, none other than his wife.  She was the talker and he was the driver!  We learned all about their trip to Cherokee, NC for the casino and how they woke up early that morning to leave before the snow started.  She told us about the nice nap she took and how at their age, they had to nap a lot to be able to drive late at night.  The profit they made from their cab rides was for gambling.  They were just so sweet!  It's amazing the people you meet when you least expect it!

The next morning we woke early enough to make it down for our breakfast buffet in the hotel.  We loaded up so we wouldn't be hungry before lunch and then we walked over to Patriots Point to catch our ferry out to Fort Sumter.  I've been wanting to see the fort since my first trip down with Kevin in 2009!  We planned to see it then, but had a few too many mimosas at Virginia's on King and never made it to the docks!  This time, it was sunny, but oh so chilly.  We could have opted to stay inside on the ferry, but the captain told us they had been spotting dolphins in the water, so I wanted a front row seat in case we saw any.  And we did!

After arriving at Fort Sumter, a member of the National Parks Service gave us a 15 minute talk about the fort and then it was off to explore.  So much of the fort (the top two stories) were gone because of the action it received in the Civil War, but it was still neat to walk around.

A beautiful, but COLD day at Fort Sumter

We headed back to the ferry and made the trip back to Patriots Point.  Walked back to the hotel and then jumped in the car to drive over to Charleston.  We were hungry and we didn't have time to wait for the trolley.  We choose a place for lunch that was recommended by our private carriage tour guide last year....Cru Cafe.  It must be a HOT spot because we didn't have reservations and therefore could not sit inside.  They did have a porch, that probably would have been lovely in the summertime, but was just encouraging the wind.  And so we sat and we froze and we ate.  We danced in our seats to the music to keep warm and we laughed and laughed at people that came up to eat, couldn't sit inside, and then didn't choose the porch because they weren't as brave as we were.  It was a great experience and the food was DELISH!  Go there if you're ever in Charleston!

My salad was the Chinese Chicken Salad and one of their top menu items!

After our lunch, we walked over to the Market to browse and found a few little gems to purchase and take home with us.  We each got a coffee drink to warm up and started our walk from the Market, down Meeting Street in the same path we took the day we got engaged.  We made it to The Battery and stood in the same spot and replayed our engagement step-by-step.  I wanted Kevin to propose again, just so I could hear him profess his love, but that was a lofty wish!  Oh well!  (And don't let him tell you he did.  We said a lot of, "and then you did that, and then I thought this, and then you got on one knee." Nothing more.)  But it was very romantic to walk through it step-by-step!

We walked up East Bay Street and behind the Old Exchange Building to see what our carriage driver the night before had mentioned about the "back" of the building and then found ourselves on the swings overlooking the bay, much like we did last year.  And once again, just like last year, there were dolphins.  Many of them!  Just playing in the water right by the pier-with-the-swings off Vendue Range Street!

Fins to the left, fins to the right!

We eventually made our way back to the car and back to Mt. Pleasant to the hotel for a little rest.  We needed to gear up for dinner and warm up after a chilly day spent completely outside!  Well, we got so comfortable in the room that we decided to just order room service and we spent the night in watching TV and enjoying each others' company!

The following morning was the breakfast buffet at the hotel again and then we packed everything up, checked out and made our way back into downtown Charleston.  This time for a little stroll along Kings Street for some shopping.  Little did we know, none of the shops really open until noon on Sundays.  We did find an artist's shop with a guy painting and we browsed, looking at the beautiful art for a bit.  GAP opened a little earlier than noon, so we popped in and that's where I found my flats!  We grabbed a Starbucks treat and we hit the road.

On the way out of town, I began doing research on my phone about the William Washington House.  The house that holds the love story about William Washington, the same story our tour guide told us last year on our private carriage ride before we were engaged.  We had been looking for a print of the house all weekend because it's a symbol of our engagement.  I just wanted to find the flag William Washington took into battle.  The flag that Miss Elliot cut out of her curtains, now known as the Eutaw Flag.  Well, wouldn't you know, it's in the hands of The Washington Light Infantry (one of the nation's oldest militia units, formed in 1807 in Charleston) and we had driven right by their headquarters on the way to King Street that morning.  Something to look forward to visiting next time we're in Charleston- the city we love, that always leaves us wanting more!

My Luck

I have other posts lined up, that I wanted to get out this week, but this is just too unbelievable that I just HAD to share.

We all know by now that I have unusually bad luck.  Which is strange because I used to be REALLY lucky!  I'd win things on the radio.  I always had my raffle number called.  Not anymore!  They say that there is power in your subconscious thinking and that if you think positively, positive things will happen.  I don't think negatively, but I am a realist.  I do imagine the worst possible scenario so that I'm prepared for everything and I don't get disappointed.  I don't think that's being negative about things.  I feel like I'm an encourager to friends and I'm a generally happy person, but I am grounded.  Who knows?  Maybe that's my problem.

So here's what happened...
Yesterday morning I was running a tad bit late for work.  I'm driving up to the entrance of our neighborhood, which is literally a square.  I have to make one right-hand turn before the straight-away and then I'm to the main high-traffic road.  I'm approaching the stop-sign at the main road with a car in front of me.  They're inching out into the intersection and I'm patiently waiting (seriously!  I know I was running late, but I was patient) when all of a sudden they throw their car into reverse.  I see the reverse lights and beep my horn and then lay on my horn when *crash*, I'm hit. 
Can any of you tell me you've ever been front-ended?  Not rear-ended...front ended!?!
I didn't think so because only something that crazy can happen to me.  Who in the world puts their car in reverse when they're attempting to drive straight?  And if they do, who in the world doesn't check behind them when they decide to reverse?  I'll tell you who.  The teenagers who hit me!  I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe they thought they were too far out into the intersection and they felt they needed to back up a bit.  That's fair.  LOOK INTO YOUR REAR-VIEW MIRROR BEFORE BACKING UP!

My car has a bit of damage.  The hood is slightly pressed in like a accordion on the passenger side.  And I'm the idiot that didn't call the cops.  I just took down their information.  Not wise on my part.  However, they looked scared and didn't know what to do (had no clue what an insurance card was or where to find it) and I was desperately trying to call Kevin to get him to walk out to the "scene" and he wasn't answering (all 20 calls).  I could have walked to get him, but I didn't know if they'd take off.  Regardless, insurance has been contacted and my car is being appraised for damage today, so things are moving along.  I don't need a lecture.  In retrospect, I know I should call the police for any "accident" no matter how small and I didn't, so I'm the fool.  I got it.  I have enough guilt about it now that I won't make that mistake again.

Then it hit me yesterday afternoon...maybe they did it on purpose.  Who would believe it that they backed into me at a stop sign?  It would make sense that I rear-ended them because of the damage to my car and none to theirs.  Maybe if I'd called the police, they'd have believed me.  But there were two of them and only one of me.  If they insisted that I hit them, who would take my side?  And that's true with the police report or without it.

I'm just praying that when my insurance contacts their insurance, that they'll admit to reversing into me.  I'm also a just person, so I'm always pulling for justice to prevail and the truth to be honored.  That doesn't always happen in this world.  Hopefully my luck will turn around...or at least won't get worse!  And in the large scheme of things, no one was injured, so that's a blessing in itself!

Bed Drama Update

It has been two months since our California King mattress was delivered. (Jan. 21st)
It has been a month and a half since our wooden bed frame was delivered and assembled. (Feb. 4th)

We have still not slept in the master bedroom.

The bed is still missing two slats.

Furnitureland South spent 3 weeks ordering a new headboard and playing phone tag with Kevin about it.  We don't need a new headboard.

We do need a new rail for the left side of the bed because the wood is, in fact, split and the split has now run from the headboard to the foot-board.

Oh, and we need the two missing slats, so we can actually sleep on the bed.

Furnitureland South has now ordered a new rail for the left side.  It will take at least 3 weeks for it to come.  Probably longer!

We're not sure if they're ordered the two missing slats.

If we are sleeping in our master bedroom before Christmas, it will truly be a miracle!

I hate beds and I hate Furnitureland South.

The End!

Flats

So, like most women, I love shoes.  However, I've had to scale back my interest in shoes my entire life because I have such a narrow foot and shoes don't like me.  Seriously, my foot is either a AA or AAA and a size 7, which is very hard to find, regardless, even if there's a brand that specializes in narrow shoes.  Most of the time, I say I wear a 6.5 because if it's a regular width shoe, that's what I need so my heel doesn't flop around all day.  Interestingly, I can pretty much wear a 6-7.5 depending on how the shoe is made and the width I'm working with.

For work I used to wear heels.  Every day!  My feet just hurt so bad at the end of each day.  So, I invested in some wedges, which worked nicely.  And one pair of black flats.  That was in 2006.  Well, those poor little black flats have seen better days and so after FINALLY finding a pair to replace them (you'd think simple black flats would be easy to find), they're going in the trash.  I knew it was time to part when I could feel the water in my shoes on rainy days!

RIP little black flats!

What was one pair of black flats in 2006, has now morphed into many pairs of all colors in 2013. 

Kevin thinks I have a shoe obsession.  This is not the case.  If they fit, I buy them because I never know how long I'll look before I find another pair I can use.  This was the case with my replacement black flats!  Not only did I find them, but I found a camel colored pair exactly like them and swooped them up!  They're GAP.  And while I don't usually shop at the GAP, we stumbled in one day to browse and I found what they call the Leather Ballet.  These shoes truly feel exactly like ballet shoes, minus the elastic band around your ankle!  They are so comfortable!  They do have a little extra padding on the sole, than a typical ballet shoe, but not much.  However, they don't have a shank that ends mid heel, like most pointe shoes, so I give them a thumbs up!  After living in ballet shoes for most of my college career, I'm happy to be back in something like them, minus the ripped hose and leotards...I don't think my current employer would go for that look!

If you're looking for flats, check out GAP!  They have many different colors and patterns!  I will say, the hot pink pair and the florals have a bit thicker leather, but the others are the thin, ballet shoe-type leather.  Just an FYI!  And I've seen many complaints online about the thin ballet leather.  Truth is, it will get creases in it.  (You can already see creases in the middle black shoe above.)  It will probably scuff off if you stub your toe, and there isn't a think sole to shield your foot on rocks or uneven surfaces.  But for me, getting the comfort of a "true" ballet shoe is worth it!

I'll Set the Record Straight!

I've had multiple comments about my activity on Pinterest, so I'd just like to set the record straight!

I have pinned numerous wedding ideas on the following wedding theme boards:
Wedding Ideas- which was for my own fall wedding to Kevin
Coral and Teal Beach Wedding- with pops of navy.
Kelly Green Beach Wedding- with very natural undertones
Black Tie Formal Wedding- damask and hot pink
Navy Nautical Wedding (tie the knot)- Lots of rope and anchor details and pops of orange
Purple Beach Wedding- dark purple and light green

Except for my own fall wedding and the Black Tie wedding ideas, all of the others are beach weddings.  Setting the record straight #1 I am not getting married again; #2 I am not planning weddings for anyone...I simply see something and get carried away with a theme in my head.  Although I'd love to be behind the scenes helping brides and making their dream-day come true (I want to be the fairy that comes in and magically transforms their reception area), I have a full time job and I don't think I'm cut out to help them plan along the way; #3 I have absolutely no desire to ever get married (no problem since I already am now) on the beach!  For the record, I don't like sand, I hate having to apply sunscreen and I don't think it would be my cup of tea, but for whatever reason, I'm drawn to beach themed ideas and it's fun to pin!  Thank you Pinterest for numerous hours of my life wasted! :)

**All photos are from Pinterest and once there are for public viewing..please don't sue me!**

Each of these boards started with a simple idea that I just ran with.  For Kevin and myself the idea was leaves...a maple leaf for him representing Vermont and an oak leaf for me representing NC.  Once we had the leaves set, we just ran with the autumnal idea.

 

For the Coral and Teal Beach Wedding, I was thinking about seersucker and how the classic navy is great, but how coral and teal seersucker is just so fun.  I really liked the idea of guys in seersucker suits on the beach for a really casual, but preppy wedding and I just ran with the ideas.  That casual feeling is made complete with shells and starfish.  Just simple!

The Kelly Green Beach Wedding started with me thinking about dark green sea glass.  When you think about beach weddings, you normally think of the teals, corals, blues, but I thought the dark green sea glass against sand is just gorgeous.  If the men were in tan suits like sea wheat and there were natural elements, I just think it would pull it all together!

The Black Tie Formal Wedding was born from my love of damask, but also inspired from a wedding I was in...Mrs. Christianna Shoaf had the most classic wedding!  All of the bridesmaids were in solid black with strappy 4 inch heels adorned with crystals.  And we all carried a dozen hot pink roses.  Everything just screamed elegance and class!  I began envisioning chandeliers and ornate table arrangements with crystal touches and the Black Tie theme was born!

 

The Navy Nautical Wedding began with me searching for navy and white stripes and grew into anchors and ropes/knots.  It would be perfect with orange accents, or yellow/gold, if you took the anchor theme more literally!  I found a flower called the Zebra Blue Primrose, that is just PERFECT for a wedding of this theme!  An engagement photo session on a sailboat, would just round this whole theme out!

 

Lastly, I've just started the Purple Beach Wedding and this one is actually in part for a friend.  My best friend Jamie's brother is engaged to sweet Megan and she is planning a beach wedding.  She's thinking about dark purples and light greens.  Just to give her some ideas, I've started with flowers, but I have more brainstorming to do for her!

 

So, you see...I'm not up to anything suspicious...I'm just following the little poofs of inspiration that I dream up and creating boards for weddings that I'll never participate in.  Because how is that not fun??


**All photos are from Pinterest and once there are for public viewing..please don't sue me!**