Spill About Your L-O-V-E!

So excited about this Spill About Your Love link up with one of my favorite blogs, A. Liz Adventures! 

Our very first picture together! We look like babies!

{1} Describe your dating life prior to finding your husband/boyfriend/fiance. 

I dated a few frogs and had a couple of heartbreaks before I met my sweet Joe! I dated the same guy from my freshman year of high school to my freshman year of college, a few really bad dates, then a "cool" older guy who broke my heart. I was down in the dumps after the first bad breakup and met Joe at a Valentine's party at a fraternity house at Wofford College. He was visiting Wofford on his football recruiting visit and was still in high school! I ended up talking to him the whole night and had such a crush on the "high school guy" at the party. We parted ways that night and I crossed my fingers all summer that he would choose Wofford. Fast forward to the next fall, we both ended up at the same fraternity house one night and the rest is history! 

{2} Describe your husband/boyfriend/fiance in one word. How would he describe you in one word?

Hard-working! I guess that's technically two words, but whatever. Other than my Daddy, he is seriously the most hard-working, determined person I have ever seen in my whole life. Whether it was college, football, law school, or jobs - he is committed to providing for our family and to being the absolute best he can be. I am so incredibly thankful for him! I just texted him to ask how he would describe me and he said...unique?! haha! Such a sweet talker, that one! 

You can see what our life consisted of in college! Go Terriers!

{3} You had a really silly fight. Embarrassing silly. What was it about?

We don't fight a lot, but we are both hard headed so we argue about the silliest things sometimes! Lately, it's about who takes out the trash or he gets so mad if i leave little bits of food in the drain stopper of the sink when I'm doing dishes.

Right after we got engaged in September of 2008 after Joe played in the Wofford vs. University of South Carolina game!

{4} In three sentences (and only three!), describe where you both hope to be in 5 years.

In 5 years, I'm hoping that Joe has an awesome job in environmental law and that we own a house somewhere down south! Hopefully, God willing, we will have a couple of precious babies by that time, too! I'd also love to be a stay at home mama with a little interior design business on the side!

2009 - Engagment Pictures in Falls Park in Greenville, SC

{5} Tell us something about your husband/boyfriend/fiance we wouldn't know from reading your blog.

He is awesome at baking! The big macho football player is a whiz in the kitchen! Being the scientific person that he is, he loves measuring the ingredients and following the recipes to the T. That's totally why I suck at baking! 

June 5, 2010 - Our Wedding Day!

{6} What's one thing you never thought you'd do in front of your husband/boyfriend/fiance, but you did?

Let's just say there is absolutely no privacy after living with only 1 bathroom the past three years! I sure will be glad to have separate bathrooms someday!

2011 - Exploring in the city!

Thanks, Liz! This was fun!

From Our Kitchen To Yours!

I am SO excited that Charlotte and Whitney are doing this recipe linkup! I had such a hard time as a newlywed (well honestly, I still do) coming up with meal plans to please the hubby that were on budget and also pretty healthy! I would be happy eating a sandwich, cereal, or a salad every night, but Joe doesn't eat much lunch, so he likes big dinners! Anyway, after 3 years, I've found a few favorites that are in pretty regular rotation, but I'm always excited to find new things to try! 

My all time favorite recipe:

My mom found a recipe for Shrimp and Grits in Cooking Light that is almost like the version from our favorite restaurant in Simpsonville, Stella's Southern Bistro. By the way, if you live anywhere near Simpsonville or Greenville, SC; you absolutely have to go there and order the Shrimp and Grits (well, everything they have there is heavenly!)

Here is the recipe from Cooking Light (changes I made are in parentheses):

The BEST Shrimp and Grits Ever

Ingredients

* 3 cups low-fat milk
* 1 cup water
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
* 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
* 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
* 4 slices applewood-smoked bacon (I like a lot of bacon so I used 6)
* 1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp
* 1 cup thinly vertically sliced white onion
* 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
* 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
* 1/8 teaspoon ground or crushed red pepper (I omitted both the pepper sauce and red pepper because I'm a wimp!)
* 1/4 cup green onion strips


Preparation

1. Combine milk, water, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer; gradually add grits, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium; cook 4 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.

2. While grits cook, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings; crumble bacon. Add shrimp to drippings in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from pan. Add white onion to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in bacon, tomatoes, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp, pepper sauce, and red pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are heated. Serve over grits; sprinkle with green onions.

Enjoy!!

The Look for Less: Serena and Lily French Tassel Curtains

I recently saw these tassel trimmed curtains on Serena and Lily's website, and fell head over heels in love. Seeing as how our home decorating budget is seriously lacking until Joe starts working this August, I knew that I'd have to keep on dreamin'. Lucky for me, I enjoy a good DIY project and get a sick enjoyment out of doing things myself and saving so much money! Plus, it earns me extra points with the hubs! Anyway, these were so incredibly easy to make and were a fraction of the price...and I think they actually look more expensive that the Serena and Lily version...score!

I found these grey linen panels at Home Goods, which is not somewhere where I usually go searching for curtains. I was there to find baskets for our bathroom, and accidentally found these beauties. I'm not a huge fan of curtains with grommets, but I was desperate to find some linen type panels for this little project. Now that they are all done, I actually like the grommets! They were around $14.99 for a package of 2 panels...crazy, right?? Our last apartment had really bright, orange curtains...so I knew I wanted something a little more subdued for the loft. 

I went to JoAnn Fabrics and found this beaded tassel trim, and got about 9.5 yards to trim the inside edges of 4 curtain panels. I had a coupon, so I ended up spending about $40ish on the trim and fabric glue. I have a sewing machine, but have no idea how to use it, so I used this awesome Fabric-Tac glue and it worked just fine! I'm pretty sure it would be all zig-zaggy if I tried to sew it!

I laid out each panel on our dining room table and made sure it was straight. Then, I laid out the trim on the curtain panel and cut it to fit the length of the edge. I couldn't find my straight pens since a ton of my stuff is still packed in boxes, so I used safety pins to keep the trim in place before I glued it down.

After the trim was cut to size and pinned on the panel, I started gluing on the trim in about 6" sections...anything more than that, the glue would dry too quickly and made it hard to handle. Once this glue dries, it's permanent, so take your time and do it in small sections...making sure to pull the curtain fabric taught so you don't have permanent wrinkles. 

I used these little clips to keep the trim on the fabric just in case it shifted before the glue was dry, but I don't think I really needed them since it was just lying flat on the table.

After I was done gluing the trim on, I just left it draped over the table and a chair until I was certain that everything was totally dry!

Then, voila! Gorgeous tassel trimmed curtains that cost less than one panel at Serena and Lily! 

Here's a sneak peek at the back wall of the living room. Love, love, love the brick. But hate that random white thing on the wall, and the fact that I can't just hang art wherever I please. But anyway, that's a whole 'nother post for a whole 'nother day. I'm hoping to do a little gallery wall around the TV, but we will see! Also, if it were up to me, I would have had the curtain rod installed closer to the ceiling, but we had to do it at the top of the wood moulding because of the brick. You win some, you lose some!

The curtains are Charlie approved! I don't love this trunk in front of the window, but it's his favorite spot where he spends 99% of his day, so I hate to move it!

Joe's Law School Graduation

 With all of the craziness going on with moving, I totally forgot to blog about Joe's law school graduation! Law school was the whole reason we moved to New York, and it's been basically our whole life for the past 3 years. I can't believe it's over, but boy am I glad. I am so incredibly proud of Joe for graduating Summa Cum Laude and as Editor-in-Chief of Law Review...and for securing an awesome job before graduation! He is the most hard working person I know, and I am so glad that he was able to achieve all that he set out to do. 

Graduation day was on Tuesday, May 14th (random, I know) and it was such a beautiful day! Joe's parents came from Kansas City to celebrate with us, and it was so wonderful to have them there with us. We were just overflowing with pride for our boy, and were SO happy that day. Joe was quite embarrassed with all of the praise and attention...but he deserved it!

After graduation, we had the most AMAZING dinner at a place called Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry, New York. I have been hearing about this place for the past 3 years, so I decided that graduation warranted a reservation there. It sits right on the Hudson River and had the most stunning views of the city. We sat right at the window overlooking this incredible view. Isn't it gorgeous?? Joe's mom and I both had the most delicious Lobster Mac & Cheese we've ever put in our mouth. If you are in Westchester, hurry up and go there!

Now that graduation is over and we are in Albany, we are in the home stretch! He's busy studying for the Bar (July 30-31) and then he starts his new awesome job in the middle of August! 

3 years!

I can't believe it's been 3 years since I became a Mrs.! It's been a hard 3 years: moving 13 hours away from home and having Joe in law school, but they have also been the most amazing ones! I am so happy with my sweet Joe and cannot wait to see where the future takes us! We had so much fun celebrating our anniversary in our new town! We live on the most fun street in Albany, and have tons of restaurants and bars right outside our door. Can't wait to explore some more!

I never did a real recap of our wedding, so I hope you enjoy these special pictures!

The programs my mom and I made!

My sweet mama and I after getting ready

My beautiful girls!

 The silly boys!

Seriously, I have the most beautiful friends ever!

Our precious flower girls!

 I was SO obsessed with my gorgeous bouquet of pale pink peonies, cream colored roses, and white hydrangea. I'd love to have a replica someday! (hint, hint Joe :) )

The pretty bridesmaids' bouquets

One of my most favorite parts about weddings is watching the groom's face as he sees his bride coming down the aisle. I cherish this picture SO much. I was so overwhelmed coming into the church, so I'm so glad I have this picture to forever remember my sweet groom's face as he saw me for the first time!

The most beautiful wedding party I've ever seen!

I can never get tired of looking at the pictures of our reception! It is so much fun to see your hard work come into fruition, and our reception was exactly what I had always dreamed of!

Vintage milkglass collected by my grandmother and I! Loved how it all turned out. 

Monograms everywhere!

Lots of really sweaty, drunken fun! ;)

Our "exit" with glowsticks! SO much fun!

Our wedding was so amazingly perfect, and I couldn't believe how surrounded with love we were. It was so wonderful having everyone we love all in the same place. Wish we could do it all over again!

Happy Anniversary, Joe! Can't wait to see what the future holds for us!