Our Story

Three years ago I met the husband on a blind date, and exactly a year later he proposed! 

Obviously this day holds a special place in my heart, but I don't think I've shared either story here on the blog. Y'all hear from me all the time, so I thought it may be more fun for James to share how we met and I'll share our proposal story!

How We Met: July 14, 2011

Erin, a former coworker of mine, had been telling me about this girl she was in bible study with who I "had to meet" for weeks. She said she thought the two of us would be good together which, to this day blows my mind that she was able to see the potential chemistry between a UGA and Georgia Tech grad. I was a pretty shy guy and definitely not the type that would ever be willing to go on a blind date but something about this one made me want to go out on a limb. I also may have gotten a glimpse of her on Facebook and that may or may not have influenced my decision to ask for the 1st date. I spent hours upon hours trying to find the perfect place for the blind date and settled on Nine Street Kitchen. I waited on her in front of the restaurant and when I saw her I remember thinking "she's way out of my league." I could tell she was nervous by the way she made the intro short and sweet and immediately headed inside to find a table (I literally said "hey" and ran inside... NBD I'm just awkward like that).  All nerves seemed to settle very quickly though. We had such a great time that we closed up the restaurant that night and had to be asked to leave as they were mopping the floors. It was a great 1st day especially considering I almost stood him up. 

Our Engagment Story: July 14, 2012

I always thought I would know when the proposal was coming because my mom and sister wouldn't be able to keep the secret. They proved to me that they are much better liars then I thought! Also, my dad was in Argentina on a trip the weekend we went to Highlands, and I figured he would at least want to be in the country when I got engaged. So, with all that said, I was not expecting anything to happen that weekend.

James and I decided to go to Highlands, NC to celebrate one year together. We talked about driving to the top of Sunset Rock to watch the sunset before dinner reservations on Saturday night. This had actually been my idea, so I was never suspicious. I played right into his plan. I'm so predictable. It rained all day Saturday so I was becoming less and less thrilled about our pre-dinner plans, but James really wanted to go, so I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it.

When you get to the top there are two paths to get onto the rock. I was super focused on one of the paths worrying about what the 20 people who were already there and had hiked up were going to think of us in our nice dinner clothes. James grabbed my hand and spun me around to the other path. In front of me was a path lined with candles. I told James we couldn’t go that way because someone had set it up for something special; he smiled and kept walking. I’ve been told I kept saying, “I’m scared." "What are we doing?" "Is this okay?” Once we followed the path onto the rock there was a small table with flowers and champagne. My first thought was that James was doing something nice since he hadn’t gotten me a card earlier for our 1 year (it was all I asked for). 

James started talking and I remember trying not to laugh because I knew he was saying nice things but I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying (he later told me what he said and it was really sweet). Then he got on one knee and asked me to marry him. I remember nodding my head, and he swears I actually said yes.

After crying and hugging we went over to a bench and he showed me a video he had made with pictures of our first year together and how he asked my parents and sister for permission to marry me! I cried through the whole thing! Then he told me to call my parents. If I wasn't crying hard enough already this really set me off. There was so much crying I could barely get words out. I told my mom we were driving home at midnight to celebrate with them (because obviously that makes sense?). 

Then I called my dad and left a message on his phone. I could barely talk. At this point I got really sad that he wasn't in the country and I couldn't talk to him :(

About five minutes later James told me to turn around and my mom, sister, and his whole family came out! Following them was my dad who had flown home early from his trip (I'm crying even now as I type this)! At the sight of him I totally lost it. I was beyond the point of the “pretty” cry! The whole thing was so much more than I ever could have imagined! 

Anniversary Trip: Nashville

While Nashville one of the husband's favorite cities, I had never been before. He's raved about how great the city is and I'll be honest I was a little skeptical at first. I mean, just in case you haven't looked at a map recently, Nashville is nowhere near the ocean. In order to be classified as a great city in my book there needs to be an ocean . 

Well, the husband wins this one. Nashville is awesome. 

The music is great. You can hear live music anytime every day of the week. Once you're downtown, it's a walking city. Park your car and walk to where you wanna go. And the food... oh the food, but we'll get there.

I don't always like playing tourist in new cities. I don't like people knowing I'm visiting. It's okay to judge me it's a super odd quirk. I think it has something to do with living in a vacation city where we made fun of tourists. However, for this trip I put my weird fears aside and fully embraced the tourist role. We checked out the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Both pretty obvious stops for us since we love Nashville (James has a serious crush on Hayden :) and country music.

Let's get real honest here. I judge cities by the food. It's gotta be good and not just the fancy resaturates, but the little hole in the wall places too. Nashville did not disappoint at all.

Puckett's Grocery and Restaurant:
Puckett's is a restaurant downtown that I'm assuming was at one point a grocery (hence the name), but has since been converted into a restaurant. It's southern BBQ and it's good. We went for breakfast and lunch and were impressed with both. For breakfast James got the "Southern Stack." Stick with me for a second, it's a sweet potato pancakes, fried apples, bbq pork, a fried egg, and home fries. It sounded awful. It was wonderful. I hate sweet potatoes, but I loved these sweet potatoes pancakes.

Cantina Laredo:
Probably my newest favorite restaurant. The tuna tacos are to die for and fish tacos that rocked my world. I need them to open one of these in Atlanta ASAP. There really aren't adequate words for this restaurant other than we're still raving about this meal.

Yeast:
Great bakery! They serve Kolaches, a Cezch pastry most often served sweet with some fruit filling, but sometimes made savory. Think doughy yeasty goodness. James stuck with the fruit variety and I got a savory one with sausage, jalapenos, and cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about these.

Husk:

I had to give a nod to one of my favorite cities and check out Husk for our anniversary dinner. There other location is in Charleston and I've always wanted to try it out, so I'm glad we got to here. It was everything we hoped for. The drinks were incredible, the charcuterie appetizer was our favorite part, and our entrees were really good. Farm to table restaurants always get bonus point in my book.

My entree: Southern Veggie Plate: embered okra, heirloom tomato salad, sea island pea succotash, fried squash blossom stuffed with cheese, and mushroom grits with a poached egg. So much food and so good!

We went against tradition and didn't eat our wedding cake. It accidently got thrown out when dad was cleaning out the elk freezer (don't even ask) a week before our anniversary. Whoops! Oh well, makes for a good story :) and who needs tradition anyway.

It was such a wonderful trip and the prefect to celebrate being married for a year!

We Survived AND Had Fun!

We went camping and we survived! We came home with no injuries and we didn't run into any serial killers {too much Criminal Minds lately}.

The first time James I went camping we had only been dating 3 months. We had no electricity, bathrooms, or running water. I don't think either of our families were expecting us to come back still speaking to each other. We came back still dating {we actually said "I love you" for the first time on that trip}, but James promised me we wouldn't go camping like that again. Even so, when he suggested going camping this year I was really nervous. While we had a good time, peeing in the woods wasn't my idea of fun!

Thankfully, this trip was much different. The bathrooms were within walking distance and we had electricity. Heater inside the tent? Don't mind if I do! 

I set my camera right by the door so I wouldn't forget it. Guess what? I forgot it. I absolutely did not stomp around the campsite and pout. Okay, so maybe I did...

James taught me the 2 rules of camping: don't set up camp in the dark and don't set up in the rain. We managed to do both. By the time everything was finally set up it was time for a much deserved drink by the campfire that was next to impossible to get started in the rain. 

Hot dogs roasted over the campfire for dinner? Not happening...

Story-time: When I was in 2nd grade I had a serious fear of fires. Like cried every night and couldn't sleep kind of fear. I ended up seeing the school counselor for a few weeks and we had to get an escape ladder that we put under the bed. I prayed every night:
 Dear God,
 Please bless my family and everyone in the world.
Please don't let there be any fires or any burglaries.
Please keep my family safe.
Amen
 I actually prayed this way longer than I'm willing to admit; there is no way I still start my nighttime prayers with this :) I digress, eventually my fear went away, but now I have a crazy odd fascination with fire. I love watching it and watching things burn. It's weird.

Back to camping. Saturday we woke up and went hiking. Really, we just climbed up and down lots of stairs. We were camping at the top of a canyon and there were some really pretty waterfalls once you climbed hiked to the bottom of the canyon. Any sort of water in nature is my happy place, so I was in love.

 The husband knew how upset I was about forgetting my camera, so he offered to be photographer for the weekend. He's sweet :)

I just had to make sure we made it back by 3:30 so I could watch my awful game. I camped out in the hammock for about 30 minutes watching the game on my phone before I just couldn't handle it anymore. Y'all, I can't even... :( 

I was smiling at this point; the game obviously hadn't started yet.

Some couple friends of ours joined us for our second night of camping. We spent the evening huddled around the fire playing the "Newlywed Game." Moral of that story: James and I know really odd things about each other. If there was ever a fire one of the three things he would grab would be his Calvin Johnson signed football. I would grab my pillow. We both got this right... we just work.

We're made it home safely and in desperate need of a shower. Good sign of a successful camping trip!

Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Reunions and Recipes

Happy Monday!

Our weekend started off with lots of downtime, football, and cleaning. This was all well and good until we decided late Saturday morning to road-trip to South Carolina to see Sis and her husband! We haven't seen them since the wedding. While this may not be long time in regular time, in sister time it was forever. Plus, we had lots of celebrate.

They live in this sweet town, so while the boys were golfing on Sunday we baked lots and Sis showed me around. Seriously, sweetest small town ever! Even though I miss her like crazy I'm so happy for everything going on in their lives. They make me so proud!

Like I said, boys golfed; we made treats! 7-Layer Pumpkin Bars and Puppy Chow!

I've been craving a pumpkin treat since Fall started. Growing up we always made 7 layer bars and loved them. When we found this recipe that incorporated 7 layer bars and pumpkin, so we thought we'd give it a shot. So easy and so good!

The crust is just crushed graham crackers and butter. You press it into the pan and pour the pumpkin mixture on top. Then you get to layer all the yummy goodness {coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips}. Finally you add the magic: sweetened condensed milk.

After you bake it you let them cool, cut, and serve with caramel. So yummy!

7-Layer Pumpkin Bars

Adapted slightly from My Sister's Kitchen

1/3 Cup melted butter
1 Cup regular graham cracker crumbs
3 oz softened cream cheese
1 Cup pumpkin puree
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Cup chocolate chips
1/2 Cup coarsely chopped pecans
3/4 Cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2-3/4 Cup sweetened condensed milk (Drizzle till mostly covered)
Caramel topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place melted butter and graham cracker crumbs into a bowl; mix to combine. Press into the bottom of an 8x8 pan.
2. In a bowl beat the pumpkin, softened cream cheese, sugar and cinnamon until smooth. Spoon evenly over graham cracker crust. Next layer chocolate chips over pumpkin layer following with pecans, coconut and condensed milk. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until top is golden brown. Remove and let cool. *Before it completely cool, take a plastic knife and run around edges to loosen. It becomes very sticky and difficult to remove from the pan if you do not loosen.*
3. Once cooled, cut bars and arrange onto serving tray. Drizzle with warm caramel and serve.

*These didn't hold up as well as the ones we use to eat, but we just used a fork.*

We also made Puppy Chow aka Muddy Buddies {recipe found here}. Slightly messy, but too easy! We added peanut M&M's and Reese's Pieces just because we could.

The only thing I would do differently next time is double the chocolate peanut butter mixture. You can never have enough peanut butter.

Can we please discuss the incredible lighting in their kitchen!? So much better than our apartment. I was in love. We can also discuss sis' pretty ring; he did good!

Right before we left James and I traveled to the pumpkin patch to pick our carving pumpkin.

Meet Hugh. He's huge and we love him.

My heart is so full after spending a weekend with people we love so much. Best part? 

We get to see them again this weekend when they come home!

Take Me Back

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Charleston was beautiful and being there for just a weekend makes me want to go back for more! I was going to post about the wedding and all the beautiful happenings; however, I did an awful job taking pictures. I'll tell you I was busy being a good bridesmaid and I wanted to be present in the moments. In reality I was just lazy. Either way, the wedding was beautiful and I was so happy to be apart of it!

I did manage to get a few pictures of Charleston. Have I told you how much I love this city?

The fountain is pink for the month of October. I was a ZTA; I love this a lot!

Once upon a time mom, dad, and I were suppose to do the Cooper River Bridge Run (a 10K run over the bridge behind us.) Mom ended up dropping out a week before due to being sick, but came to Charleston to cheer us on shop. It was just going to be me and dad until I dropped out the night before the race due to... Let's be honest, I didn't have a good excuse I was just lame. Dad has yet to let me live this down and that was like 5 years ago! It was only fitting we get a picture with the bridge.

This place always feels like coming home. 

A little gem for y'all to enjoy. Sums us up so well!

Here's to a good week!

5 for Friday, Vol. 4

I hope everyone had a great week! I love spending Fridays with Darci, April, Natasha, and Christina!

  

{O N E}

This place. I may not live in Charleston anymore, but going back always feels like going home. I feel so blessed that I have had the opportunity to live here for two and a half years while I was going to CofC. I'm in a wedding this weekend for one of my best friends who is getting married in this beautiful place. It's gonna be a whirlwind of a weekend, but you better believe I'm gonna set some time aside to just walk around. One of my goals in life is to live in this city again.

{T W O}

This. I'm not always great at creating space for daily quiet time. However, this daily devotional/website has greatly helped with that. The devotionals always hit close to home and are so relevant to my life and what I need to hear. Currently loving the study of "James."

She Reads Truth

{T H R E E}

This boots {or something along these lines}. I need want dark brown boots. Once upon a time I had an incredible shoe collection. Then I moved. I was quickly reminded that the shoes I loved so much didn't actually belong to be, but rather they belonged to my mom and sister. Now it's time to start my own collection. The husband is very excited.

{F O U R}

This thing. This stupid thing has been the bane of my existence since I purchased it and banished it away to the bottom drawer. It sits in said drawer taunting me knowing that I'm not coordinated enough to use it and will forever end up with the awkward not attractive crimp. I however have finally outsmarted it! If the stupid clamp doesn't work right {or it's user error} just don't use it! 

I refuse to admit how long it took me to figure this out, and yes I plan on asking for a curling wand for Christmas.

{F I V E}

This is huge...I have an office! 

I have the kind of job where I need an office, and for the past 3 months I've been bouncing between available offices. Which essentially means I have to carry everything I need where ever I go. It's been annoying and frustrating, but I was thankful to have a job! That all changes because this past week I found out I've been given my very own office! I have a home! Mom and I spent yesterday sketching and brainstorming!

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll be enjoying it in the greatest city!

Food, Football, & Festivals

Hi Friends!
 I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Even though we had a lot planned it was nice to not have to travel. Made it feel like more of a relaxed weekend for the first time in a while.

   Friday night we met up with my parents for a double date at Antico Pizza. The mozzarella and crust are out of this world good. I haven't traveled to Italy {yet} but I would imagine this is what pizza tastes like there. Have I mentioned it's BYOB?

I'm still not ready to talk about Saturday yet. Let's just leave it at James and I are going to forget football ever happened. Apparently neither of our teams got the memo that this was suppose to be a relaxing weekend.

Yesterday was devoted to all things apple. For the past two years James and I have made a trip up to Ellijay, GA for the apple festival {we love it so much we had our engagement pictures taken there}. We made our yearly trip yesterday for the first weekend of the festival. Truth be told this will probably be the last year we brave the apple crazy crowds. Maybe I'm getting old but the amount of people and traffic just aren't worth it. Apple picking on the other hand will remain a tradition. Maybe it's just me, but food tastes better when you have to work for it and when you get to see where it grows. 

I can't ever pick between the red and the green! And can we please discuss the gorgeousness of this sunflower?

Based on everything we brought home I'd say it was a successful trip. We may have gone a little apple crazy bringing home 10 pounds. We have apple sauce and collard greens cooking on the stove now... I'm thinking we're gonna need a few more apple recipes. 

See the pumpkin over there? His name is Mosley. We name our pumpkin. Totally normal, right?