Location, Location, Location

One big wedding decision: Made! We will be having our reception at Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta and Blair and I could not be more excited! And this is of course the only possible reception venue that I managed to not snap a photo of (I know, big fail). Anyway, the staff there has been wonderful so far and I am really looking forward to continuing to work with them as the planning continues. We just got back from the beach earlier so between spurts of unpacking, a few nap, and now the Lindsey Lohan version of The Parent Trap on ABC Family I knew I needed to let you all know I was still here!

A little itty bitty picture for a BIG day!

More to come about the beach trip and I hope you all are enjoying the sunshine, thanks for reading!

Mary

Some Beach

If you need me for the next week I will be here:

Image via

It is going to be so wonderful to spend time with my family, relax, and soak up some sun. Blair is making the trip down on Wednesday to be reevaluated by the extended family, just kidding (sort of). It feels nice to have some big wedding things solidified (I haven't forgotten to fill you in!) and to 100% enjoy this week of vacation.

I will try to fill you in some while I am gone but I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and thanks for reading!

Mary

A Staple

I have a problem. It is this; once I find a restaurant that I like it is added to the rotation. What is that exactly you ask? Well, its my list of 4-5 places to eat in any city that I frequently visit. My parents, sister, Blair, and friends could all attest to this, if you ask me where I would like to eat I will name the same 4-5 places and then just blankly stare back at you as if I have obviously listed every dining facility in the city (Atlanta, Spartanburg, Columbia, Knoxville). One of the places on this "rotation" in Atlanta and Columbia is Chipotle.

Go eat here. That is an order.

I picked it up for dinner last night and will possibly definitely be going back there as I do not want to spend money at the grocery store before I leave town for a week. Their website can tell you much more about "The Chipotle Experience" but the ingredients are always fresh, the people are always nice, and the service is wonderful. I think I have frequented the Columbia location one time too many though because as I make my way down the line (you can see all of the ingredients as they are added to your salad/tacos/burrito etc. as well as how the food is prepared in their open kitchen) the same young man is typically at the salsa/guacamole station. Our conversation goes as follows:

Him: Mild, medium, or hot salsa?
Me: Mild please
Him: Corn, sour cream, or cheese?
Me: Just corn please [Side note: Something about their sour cream is amazing, try it]
Him: Guacamole or lettuce?
Me: Guacamole
Him: Guacamole is $1.25 extra [Not sure why but this is fine by me]
Me: I'll spl...
Him: Lemme guess, you'll splurge?

So the people there know my order? Yes. Embarrassed? No. Yes, the food may be a tad pricey but you won't leave hungry and it really is so much more tasty than any other fast-food-Mexican-place. I highly recommend it. Seriously, add it to your "rotation".

Thanks for reading!

Mary

HOW?!

How did I miss the fact that Sunday was National Ice Cream Day!? Guess I have to make up for it...this entire week. Wedding dress shopping can wait.

Um, yes please.

Hope your week is going by more quickly than mine (I think mine can sense that I am going on vacation next week)! Thanks for reading!

Mary

A Sawyer to a Walker

I promise to provide details of the Atlanta trip as the week goes on (including how Blair and I totally geeked out after seeing a reception venue and went and saw Harry Potter...in 3D), but right now I would like to offer a BIG CONGRATULATIONS! to our friends Meredith and Stevens who got engaged this weekend!

Blair and I have had the pleasure of spending a good deal of time with this pair since we graduated from our respective schools (They both went to PC) and their friendship really has been such a gift. From weekends in the mountains to floating and talking for hours in a lake, the time we spend with them is always so refreshing.

2012 is going to be a big year for us!

I am so excited to get to share this phase of our lives with them and cannot wait for the celebrations to continue. I hope you all had a great weekend and thanks for reading!

Mary

Making "It" About "Us"

This weekend Blair and I are making the trip to Atlanta for our first planning extravaganza (this is what I plan on referring to this as so it does not sound stressful/overwhelming). We will visit three possible reception sites, have a meeting at the church, and visit with family and friends. I am so excited. My standard packing stress was not even an issue tonight as I just finished throwing things into my suitcase.

I suppose you could say that I already have a "vision" of what I want our big day to be like, more on that later, and feel certain that once I can see and stand in the space where our reception will take place those ideas will become that much clearer. We are really just so excited about coming up with ways to make our wedding about us and making our friends and families an invaluable part of that celebration.

Oh, and of course I am bringing my pro/con lists, color coded folders, and specific questions for each possible vendor. Yes, I do realize how completely crazy that makes me sound. Sorry in advance Dad and Blair!

A planning we will go!

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Mary

Sugar Shambles

I know I talk a good bit about my love for sweets but now it is becoming painfully clear that my coworkers are starting to understand this as well. Things that have happened to me this week: 2 different brokers told me that they think cake tasting will my be favorite part of the wedding planning process, in ordering ice cream for the firm as a brief relief from the heat, our marketing director and CFO said I should pick the flavors since I am a lover of all things sugar, and last but not least a coworker whose husband is the head pastry chef at a local restaurant brings me the cakes that the wait staff slices incorrectly.

However, this passion for pastries really comes in handy sometimes. One of my most favorite brokers in our office has three lovely children, one of which was injured on a recent trip out of the country. He is only 12 years old and will be essentially out of commission for the rest of the summer. So, as a little "I am thinking of you" I decided to make him cookies (obviously). I found a recipe in which you dip an Oreo in melted chocolate and peanut butter and then push a Teddy Graham on top in pop them in the refrigerator for about half an hour. Sounds simple? No. A big fat mess.

Disaster.

Finished product...sort of.

In my eagerness to prepare these treats for my coworkers children I just went straight to dunking the Oreos into the melted chocolate/peanut butter mix. READ: Melted=Very hot. So yes, I burned 3 fingers on my right hand and had to resort to tongs to douse the Oreos. I am sure people at work will love that, "Oh I would love to help you with that but I am temporarily handicapped, I was baking". Way to go Mary, Impressive.

However, they do taste delicious and I hope that my coworker and his sweet children will appreciate the gesture, its the thought that counts!

Thanks for reading!

Mary

Beach Dreams of You

The annual St. Simons trip is the week after next and my pre-trip anxiousness is already setting in. Usually this starts the week before but for some reason this year everyone (not just me, this makes me feel better) is itching to get to the beach and do a whole lot of nothing.

Ahhh, paradise. (Picture via)

Hope you all are having a wonderful week & thanks for reading!

Mary

A Sweet Summer Weekend

You know returning home from a weekend away completely exhausted is a sign of time well-spent. This weekend Blair and I traveled to Charleston for his pledge brother Andrew's wedding and it was such a good time. Friday night we went out to eat for a friend's birthday and then to Midtown, a bar in downtown Charleston where we heard a fun band and got to see lots friends

At the front of the band, a pretty standard spot

Marsha!

Andrew (in the pink shirt) out for a little while before his big day!

Cally & Dave, our hosts for the weekend

Saturday Cally, Ann Spencer, and I took Dave's new puppy Beau to eat lunch at Red's on the water and then we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon before making our way to the church. Andrew and Beth had a traditional Catholic wedding at a stunning church downtown; it was beautiful and Andrew's expression as Beth entered the church was so sweet. The reception was stunning and the bride and groom and their families all just seemed so happy. There was also probably not a dry eye in the room following Beth's fathers toast after the bride and groom cut the cake (which I obviously sampled, you're welcome). Here are some snapshots of their reception!

I loved their cake; the alternating layers were iced to look like sweet grass baskets, representative of Charleston where they are both from. The cake was also surrounded by photos of different weddings of their family members; it made their cake so personal...it was equally as delicious

The couple's first dance

Sara, Ann Spencer, me, and Cally before taking our posts at the front of the band

Beth and all of the boys!

Wofford! I am still a little unclear as to how Blair was selected to be the one to proudly display the Wofford flag...he is doing such a great job though!

Our first wedding as engaged couple! Blair told me before the ceremony that we really needed to try to pay attention to all of the details at their wedding. Whoa groomzilla, whoa.

It was such a great weekend and again, it is so nice to reunite with friends that we don't get to see that often since graduating. About to crawl in to bed as a result of all of the celebrating but I hope you all had a great weekend and congratulations to Beth and Andrew!

Thanks for reading!

Mary

To Be Young Again

Oh to be "young" again. Not to relive my awkward stage (debatable as to whether I have left that stage or not...), not to have braces again, and definitely not to repeat middle school but to come back as a 3-4 year Asian girl so I can be cast as the new "Lily" on Modern Family.

That could be me!

Sad but true; according to this article the creators of the show are concerned that the set of twins that currently plays Lily may not be inclined to be actresses as they get older so it is possible they will cast a new Lily in hopes of providing her with a larger role on the show. Um, hello? I'm right here. Yes, I am 20+ years over the age limit and not as cute/the slightest bit Asian but I really think I have found my calling.

In completely unrelated TV dreams, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! That's right, on this day in history Tom was born!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY-O!

In addition, a slightly early congratulations to Beth and Andrew! Andrew is one of Blair's pledge brothers and he is getting married in Charleston tomorrow! I naturally encountered my never-failing packing crisis but I think all is well now and I can't wait to get to Charleston to see everyone. This will also be the first wedding that Blair and I will have attended as an engaged couple so that's very exciting! Maybe when Blair writes his guest post he can tell you all about it...

Anyway, sorry for the scatter-brained post but I hope you all have a great weekend and thanks for reading!

Mary

Get Me to the Church on Time

WE BOOKED THE CHURCH! I am sure you are thinking, "Um Mary this really shouldn't be that difficult"; but oh, it was. As my dad said, "Methodists are big on committees so just be patient". But we did it! April 21, 2012 is all booked up at Oak Grove Methodist so if you are trying to get married in Atlanta that weekend you will just have to take your business elsewhere.

This is the church that I have grown up attending with my father and it has come to mean a great deal to me. Blair has attended several services with us and I know when we visit Atlanta in a few weeks I am going to have a hard time focusing on the sermon as I will constantly be focusing on the fact that Blair and I will be married there. It is beautiful and I can't wait to return from our Atlanta trip and share some photos with you all.

Ok so ignore the snow/snowman and imagine it in April...

Courtyard (again, ignore the snow)

Things are really starting to come together as we now have a date, a church, have started our guest list, have appointments to look at several reception venues (more to come on this later). All I know for sure is that as much as Atlanta traffic may try to prevent it, on April 21st I am going to need someone to get me to the church on time!

Thanks for reading!

Mary

The Pursuit of Happiness

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Blair and I got to spend the weekend relaxing with a few friends, getting a few wedding details nailed down (eeek!), and of course, being very patriotic and eating as much as humanly possible at a cookout. Is this a 4th of July requirement? I think so. Anyway, much to my disappointment I have to travel back to office tomorrow but not before I dream of this very American piece of happiness...

Meag, can you make this happen? Your country needs you! (Image via)

I know you all much be shocked that I have not completely geeked out with a history-filled 4th of July post, oh but wait, who spent 2 hours this morning watching the episodes of the HBO John Adams mini-series in which the Continental Congress drafted and adopted the Declaration of Independence? This girl. Happiness successfully pursued.

Thanks for reading!

Mary