Weddings and Babies and Birthdays, Oh my!

After a hiatus of no blogging since the summer, I guess it's time I got back to writing, sharing, and opening up to the world. Life has continued to be a fun ride. The wedding rollercoaster finally took a break but is back at full speed. The highlights of the fall have been seeing my best friend and birthday twin both get married and welcoming 2 new tigers among my college girlfriends. I've been living and loving it up and am thankful to have a great deal of focus on myself and happiness. Here are some highlights you've missed:

Congrats to the DeFees!
My best friend forever, Michael was married in a beautiful ceremony in Hollywood, SC. His new bride, Hee Young, is a pure delight. She is intelligent, fun, warm and a real blessing for Michael. I'm not sure how he scored her; she's amazing!

Welcome to the world Elizabeth Blakely!

I am so thankful to have been able to meet our sweet little Elizabeth Blakely this past weekend in Asheville, NC. She is bright eyed, bushy tailed and a delight. BIG congrats to go Allison, Chad and George on the addition of a new family member. 

Welcome to the world Ann Myers!

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Watson added some great decor (cute nursery!) and a bundle of joy to their home this Fall. I'm eagerly awaiting my time to meet sweet Ann Myers on my next trip to Charleston. Her daddy's already told me all about the ways that little Ann Myers looks exactly like him!

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Boyle!

My birthday twin and Theta sister, Brittany was married in a beautiful ceremony at the Biltmore House this past weekend. The drive up was breathtaking as October is peak "leaf peeping" season along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Lee and I got into a little mischief with Emily and Caroline, my favorite partners in crime. 

Fairytales and carriages...

After a wonderful weekend celebrating Tori's upcoming nuptials, I absolutely couldn't wait for her wedding. As usual, a weekend in Norway is never disappointing.

I met up with Sara on Thursday for last minute beauty buys and dinner. PS: the most amazing beauty product ever is Tarte Lipsurgence Lipstain. I'm completely addicted and it's totally worth the $24. I forgot how awesomely fun it is to shop with Sara! She always knows about product reviews and is super budget conscious, so she won't let you splurge too much. We had a great night giggling, catching up, playing dress up, and trading clothes. We even got some organization in and decluttered our make up bags.

We woke up early the next AM and headed to Orangeburg for some bridesmaids pampering. We loved getting great Shellac manicures and being able to chat it up with all the bridesmaids before the big day. Tori's aunt's threw us a beautiful bridesmaids' luncheon that afternoon. It was just lovely. We had mimosas and appetizers in Aunt Debbie's beautiful gazebo before a lovely lunch on her porch. It was a perfect afternoon beside the water. It was tranquil and peaceful....but still all a buzz with excitement for the next day.

We were able to relax for several hours before we all got ready for the rehearsal. Jordan's parents threw a lovely dinner and I most of all loved laughing at embarrassing childhood pics of our beloved Jordy. Did I mention that before dinner, I wiped out on the farmhouse's front porch steps immediately after Mr. Ellenberg gave a prayer? Oh yeah...that left a bruise for about 3 weeks.

We were all eager and ready when Tori's wedding day finally arrived. We had a relaxed AM and enjoyed all getting ready together and building up all the excitement. Tori's ceremony was wonderful and to say that the reception was grand would be an understatement. The food was A-mazing and I got a little too friendly with the bartenders and the nice boy making freshly squeezed lemonade. Luckily, Aunt Debbie was available to rub my back while I worshipped Tori's bathroom trash can....classy, I know. Did I mention that my groomsman is beautiful and looks just like a professional basketball player...ironically, he played football.

I had such an amazing time and can easily say that this was the BEST WEDDING EVER! I love Norway, SC, the Ellenbergs, the Garricks, friends of both families and fresh squeezed lemonade.

Here are a few pics that I couldn't avoid posting:

 I'm adopting this child. Miss Mackay and I had the best weekend!

Jordan, thank you for the opportunity to wear a Native American headdress; this was a wedding first for me.

Am I the only one who thinks that Jermaine, Mackay and I make a beautiful family?

Sometimes an apartment really can change your life...

As a teenager, it's hard to fathom that you really will make the best friends of your life in college. Looking back, it's easy to see how that happened to me. 

There's no denying that it's absolutely required to have one last fling before the ring. In the Spring, prior to the Garrick/Ellenberg nuptials, Sara and I planned a mini road trip to IOP to celebrate our favorite Orangeburg County native. We headed down on Friday evening, ready to party with a plan in tow. We spent the evening playing plenty of fun and slightly scandalous bachelorette games and reminisced about our years of friendship. Saturday, we explored the beach and even rescued a few starfish. That night, we headed out for dinner @ The Wreck I don't know how I've missed this gem for so long, but it's on my top 10 list for Charleston visits from now on...amazing. No lie, the place really looks like this:

We entered into a thin entry hall, and the hostess quickly filled our hands with ales from local breweries. We were seated rather quickly and our waitress was nothing short of charming. If you've ever been to Mac's Drive In in Clemson or D&S Subs in Hartsville, you'll easily be able to adapt to the "vibe" @ The Wreck. The rules are something like this:

1. You can only order exactly as items are on the menu.
2. Circle what you want with a red Sharpie marker on the paper menus...that way if you screw up, it's your own fault.
3. No free refills on drinks.



Tori and her mom, Lynn @ dinner



4. No matter how many people are sitting @ your table, you're only getting 1 check. The Wreck staff isn't splitting it for you and you can only pay with one method. If someone doesn't bring check or cash, they're probably getting stuck with the bill because The Wreck is only running 1 credit card.

The food will keep you coming back (the BEST!!! and I've eaten alot of seafood) and it's so good that you'll be able to overlook "the rules". The atmosphere was fun, laid back, relaxed and fabulous. 

My side of the table. Love these ladies!

Sunday, I was sad to leave, but so excited for the upcoming wedding. Sara and I helped close up the house and were able to spend some time with Tori. We caught one final set of roomie photos before we departed. No matter what, I can never get enough of these 2. In a perfect world, they'd clearly be my neighbors. I guess at this point in our lives, moving back in to 142F University Village is a bit out of the question.

BFFs and the BEST roommates ever! These amazing women have affected my life in so many ways. 

She's alive...

I am so sorry for my very long disappearance. The funny thing about blogging is that you want to blog to keep people updated on what you're busy with...but, if you're busy it's difficult to find time to blog. Oh, the irony.

PS: As with most diet plans, YBIYWI wasn't an epic fail, but I've lost interest. There'll be no more updates on that.

YBIYWI Check in #4

Who knew that eating good would make me feel good?

I'm about 80% on board with healthy eating at this point. I still sometimes want to shove cookies and potato chips in my mouth, but I'm doing a good job of refraining. In addition, I've gotten myself on a better schedule and have been sleeping more consistently. Combined, eating better and sleeping has definitely given me more energy and I feel great.

I still haven't weighed myself; I felt like it might put too much pressure on me. Much to my delight (and slight horror until I got a plan together), last night I tried on a bridesmaid dress that I'm wearing tomorrow. When I finally got myself all zipped up, I looked down to find the bust hovering somewhere around my hips. The dress was at least 2 sizes too big! It is really cute though.

I called my tailors around 8 this AM and was thrilled that they were in the shop early. They let me come by and graciously agreed to alter the dress by 9:45 tomorrow AM.

If I continue this phase, I'd say I'll be ready just in time for bikinis and WARM weather! Bring it on, Summer!

Miss Southern Prep Giveaway

While trying to "get the hang" of blogging, I've been checking out lots of blogs to keep me motivated. One blog that I really love is Miss Southern Prep. When I read that blogger has a passion for pink and green, preppy clothes, Michael Buble, Gossip Girl, monograms, and pearls, I couldn't resist following. She also has a love for Charleston and being a SC girl, I'm sure she's a kindred spirit. Check her blog out today if you can b/c she's hosting a great giveaway :)

Burgers 88 Ways

Last night I took a chance and headed out to meet up with a dear ol' friend in Lee County. I simply recieved a text that read, "Thurs. Harry and Harry 2. Lee County. 630." Clearly, I was curious.

Conveniently, I needed to be in Lee County anyway to "help a sister out" and pick up the Girl Scout cookies for my nieces. Check out the pic of my SUV. That was an adventure as well, but I digress.

I headed into town (in Lee County, there's only 1 real town) and stopped at the Subway to be sure my directions were correct. A lovely teenage girl gave me the best directions! She said, "head just in the direction you were already going. When there's a cemetery on your right, immediately turn left." I did as the young lady said. And then I found it! In front was a classy roadway sign that reads, "Burgers 88 Ways"!

Nestled in the edge of the woods, Harry and Harry Two looks more like a hunting cabin than fine dining, but as soon as I walked in, I knew that this was somewhere that Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives needed to visit. On the porch there's an aluminium patio table topped off with a red and white Coke A Cola umbrella and the special of the night was the best spaghetti you can find outside of an Italian restaurant. It definitely was like "diner spaghetti" and was covered 100% in melted cheddar cheese. I was hoping to be able to order a plain grilled chicken breast and some veggies, but that wasn't exactly on the menu. I tried to stick with the healthiest option I could come up with and asked the waitress for a grilled chicken wrap with sauteed onions, mushrooms, & peppers. I had her add lettuce, onion, green pepper, and tomatoes to help fill me up. Instead of fries, I just had a side of pickles---ya can't go wrong with pickles and they basically are 0 calories.

This meal did not conform 100% with the 17 Day Diet, but I couldn't stand the thought of eating another grilled chicken salad this week and there was no balsamic vinegar anyway. This was the best I could do. Oh, did I mention that they had fried dill pickle spears?!? I ate one of those too. The spear is definitely superior to the chip. You get more pickle than breading and that's key.

There's even a bar that serves up beer and wine. The beer's only available in cans and if you order another glass of wine, they refill you right at your own table; I'm guessing there is only a limited supply of wine glasses, but that's okay.

Clearly this is a local dive and even if the food's not your style, the atmosphere will leave you content. This is clearly a place where locals gather. Everyone greets you as you come through the door and your glass never gets empty. Did I mention that it's cheap? Another plus.

Next time you're heading through Lee County, SC you definitely need to make Harry and Harry Two part of your agenda. You won't regret it.