Top 2 Tuesday: Ornaments

I am SO excited about this week's Top 2 Tuesday! I absolutely love looking at all of my ornaments and thinking about the special memories associated with them! Before I got married, I would always help my mom put up her tree, and we would pull out each ornament one by one, and talk about what was special about it. Those precious times with my mom will always be some of my favorite Christmas memories! Now that I am married and have my very own Christmas tree, I was so excited to get some special ornaments that I can someday share with my own children! 

I have a lot of special ornaments on the tree, so it is almost impossible to pick out my top 2 favorites (let's just pretend it's Top 5 Tuesday!)

{wedding cake!}

{a little church!}

{engaged!}

{from our honeymoon in Aruba...it has sand inside!}

{from our sweet friends Allison and Brent!}

I've had so much fun seeing everybody's special ornaments!

Happy (1/2) Anniversary, Joe!

So sorry I've been M.I.A. since Thanksgiving...we had a wonderful trip to visit Joe's parents in Kansas City, then it was back to the real world when we got home, and blogging sort of took a backseat! Please forgive me! Our little apartment is all decorated for Christmas, and I can't wait to show you what all we've been up to!

Six months ago today, I married my sweet boy! I cannot believe it has been half a year; it seems like just yesterday we were in Spartanburg with all of our families and friends! The past six months have honestly been the most amazing months of my entire life. We have gone through so many crazy changes and adventures together in this short time; but I wouldn't have it any other way! Anyone who knows me, knows that I wouldn't move away from SC for just ANYONE! ;) I am so blessed to be able to share my life with such a wonderful man, and I am so excited for many, many more anniversaries together!

Happy 6 Months, Sweet Pea! Love you!

I've been making wedding albums for our parents, and it has been SO much fun looking back through all of our beautiful pictures. Here are a few favorites I don't think I've posted yet. Enjoy!

 

Our Christmas Cards!

Everyone has been blogging about Shutterfly to get 50 free Christmas cards; but of course, being the anal person that I am, had already ordered and received all of our cards! What a bummer!

I absolutely love Shutterfly, and use it ALL THE TIME! I make photo books for everything, and they always turn out perfect! I searched all over the internet for pretty photo Christmas cards to send out this year, and I kept coming back to the Shutterfly cards. There were so many beautiful choices, I ended up finding like 12 that I loved and had the hardest time deciding what to order!

I knew that I wanted to use some of our wedding photos, so I was looking for a card with multiple openings for pictures. Here are some of my top contenders:

 

I narrowed my choices down to 2 cards, and decided to just go ahead and get them both so I didn't have to make a decision. I LOVE how they both turned out! (sorry for having to blur out our last name!)

{Merry Moments}

{With Love Chartreuse}

I also ordered the With Love Chartreuse Address Labels and they are so cute with both cards!

{With Love Chartreuse Address Labels}

If you haven't already, you DEFINITELY need to order your holiday cards from Shutterfly! The quality is always perfect, and they are always so fast!

12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Traditions!

I am so excited to participate in Aly and Molly's 12 Days of Christmas; today is all about Christmas Traditions!

Just writing this post is making me homesick; I am so excited to be in SC for Christmas!!!

{our new stockings!}

Growing up, we always spent Christmas with my Mema and Papa (mom's parents) in Lake City, SC. I can remember being so worried that Santa Claus might forget that we were at their house and not ours! We always put out cookies, milk, and a note for Santa, and would leave a banana (??) for a little reindeer snack. My mema always slept with me on Christmas Eve, and would tap on the bed to make me think the reindeer were walking on the roof; that always made me fall asleep real quick! On Christmas morning, it was a very important rule that my little brother, Ben, and I had to walk down the stairs to see our presents at the exact same time. That meant that if he woke up at 4AM, he had to coax me out of bed, too, so we could go downstairs.We spent the rest of our time in Lake City playing with all of our cool, new stuff and were thankful that Santa remembered where we were.{Now I wonder how in the world my parents got all of our presents there without us seeing anything...they were talented!}

My grandparents moved to Greenville to be closer to us when I was in middle school, so all of our Christmas plans changed. On Christmas Eve, we have dinner (chili) with family, and attend a service at church. We won't ever go to a midnight service again after my dad and brother passed out and snored at one a few years ago! ;) My brother and I still have to walk downstairs at the same time on Christmas morning, which he hates because I so enjoy sleeping in; those presents can wait! My mom always makes her famous Breakfast Casserole, and we open presents around a toasty fire. After opening the presents from under the tree, we dig into the stockings we have had since we were born to see what kind of goodies we got. My grandparents usually come over for breakfast and to see our presents, although the kind of things we get now aren't as fun to see as all of our new toys used to be! 

{our delicious meal last year}

{sweet baby Lainey Kate last Christmas}

{we're still at the kid table}

We always go to my grandparents house for Christmas Day lunch, and usually fill up on so much delicious food that nobody wants to eat dinner. My brother and sister in law usually come with their two sweet girls dressed in precious Christmas dresses. The past few years, my family has gone to the movies on Christmas night; we like seeing a good movie that needs a big discussion afterward! 

Our traditions may not sound special or formal, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Now that I am married and will someday have my own little family, I would LOVE to find some new traditions to start on our first Christmas together as husband and wife and share with our children many years down the road. I am excited to fuse together my family traditions with my husband's family traditions and also have some of our very own. Any ideas??

Miscellany Monday

{1} We had the most fabulous weekend! We usually have pretty low key weekends since Joe always has a ton of work to do, so I was very excited that we finally had some fun plans! On Friday night, we bought our Christmas tree (fake and pre-lit...super easy!) and decorated it. I was SO excited to finally be able to use all of the ornaments I bought last year! I'll do a post soon with lots of pictures! On Saturday night, we met Joe's friend Sarah from law school and her boyfriend Chris in the city for dinner and drinks. I was so excited to go on a double date; we haven't done that since we moved here! They made reservations for us at Papatzul, a super fun and delicious Mexican restaurant in SoHo. It was AMAZING! When Chris asked the waitress if the pork dish he wanted was good, she said "Well, I guess it is since Justin Timberlake has ordered it four times in the past month!" CRAZY! Too bad we didn't spot him. After dinner, we went with Sarah and Chris to a fun bar near NYU, then made our way back home! We had the best time with them!

{2}How awesome it is to have a 2 day work week?!?!? I need this like once a month.

{3}We are leaving tomorrow afternoon for Kansas City, MO to see Joe's family and their new house! They moved there from Pittsburgh, PA shortly after the wedding, so this will be our first visit! We have missed them terribly, and are so excited to spend Thanksgiving with them! I have heard that Kansas City is a great place to visit, especially during the holidays!

{4} It has been almost 6 months since our wedding, and I am still as obsessed with wedding blogs and magazines as I was when I was planning. I wish I had another wedding to plan (marrying the same sweet husband, of course!) Am I the only newlywed with post wedding planning depression?!?

{5} I am so incredibly excited for Thanksgiving food on Thursday! Joe's mom is an amazing cook, so I cannot wait to have some of her yummy cooking! I am really sad to be away from my family for Thanksgiving for the first time, but I know that my sweet mother-in-law will make me feel right at home in Kansas City!

my thoughts exactly, darius.

I was up in New York City,

just the other week.

You shoulda seen the waiters face when I ordered sweet tea.

She said "we don't have that here"

and I apologized, I said "Please forgive me,

I'm in a southern state of mind."

And those girls out in California,

they don't understand.

They don't like it when I hold the door,

when I say yes ma'am.

They act like I've done something wrong,

and they give me the evil eye.

I say "honey, I'm sorry,

I'm in a southern state of mind."

I could be anywhere

in my heart I'm always there.

Where they drink sweet tea and they raise you to be polite.

No changin' who I am,

that's they way I've always been.

No matter what state I'm in,

I'm in a southern state of mind.

I'm always walkin' 'round

tellin' everybody hi.

Justa wavin' at the strangers

and the cars passin' by.

Some poeple may look at me

and say that boy just ain't right.

Hey ya'll I ain't crazy,

I'm in a southern state of mind.

I could be anywhere

in my heart I'm always there.

Where you know every body and you don't think it's too polite.

No changin' who I am, that's they way I've always been. No matter what state I'm in, I'm in a southern state of mind.

You can see it in the clothes I wear,

you can hear it when I talk.

Ballcap boots and jeans and a little southern draw.

I can be up in Ohio or back home in Caroline.

No matter what state I'm in, I'm in a southern state of mind.

Don't matter what state I'm in, I'm in a southern state of mind.

-Darius Rucker "Southern State of Mind"

Miscellany Monday!

Ughhhh. Can you believe it's already Monday again? No fun! I love me some Miscellany Monday posts, though...it's perfect for my random, scatterbrained self!

It's Miscellany Monday over at Carissa's blog, and if you haven't visited her, you MUST! Her and her family are precious and she lives in my most favorite city everrr (Charleston, SC!)

{1} I had an AMAZING four day weekend! I had Thursday and Friday off, and it was so nice! I love my job, but it was really refreshing to be able to stay home and get lots of rest! I was extra lazy those days and stayed in my jammies all day long! I had a little cold, so it was nice to take it easy for a couple of days!

{not my picture}

{2} I put on my big girl panties and took the train into the city for the first time all by myself! I had a dinner/shopping/coffee date with a sweet friend from back home, Alexa. You SERIOUSLY need to check out her blog...she is AMAZING! It was so great seeing a familiar face! We met at Grand Central (after she was stuck on a subway for over an hour because of construction!) and headed down to the Flatiron District (a new favorite place!) The Flatiron Building is absolutely breathtaking and I was so excited to finally see it. We shopped and shopped, had some tasty soup, shopped some more, then stopped for some Peppermint Mochas and Salted Caramel Hot Chocolates. Can't wait to see this sweet girl again soon!

{3} I met another sweet, new friend for coffee on Sunday. I definitely was in need of some girl time, so this weekend perfect! It has been so hard not having any friends here!


{4} I am OBSESSED with the new Bruno Mars song called "Grenade." Have y'all heard it?? I just listened to it like 5 times in a row, and I think my husband is about to take the computer away from me if I don't quit! Ha! Speaking of my friend Bruno, I was at my friend Aubrey's bachelorette party in Vegas this summer and he magically appeared at the club we were at and played a whole concert like two feet away from us. He is SO talented!

{courtesy of my sweet friend natalie}

{VIP at Surrender at Encore = best. night. ever.)

{5} How pretty was my niece Isabella for Halloween? That girl has been obsessed with weddings since she was born...she takes after her favorite aunt! ;) Don't you love the tiara/veil she is wearing from my bachelorette party? Can't wait to blow up this picture when it's time for her real wedding!

{6} Don't you want this little cutie to come do your dishes, too?!? I MELT!

{7} We are still depressed from the big Wofford v. Appalachian State, and Steelers v. Patriots losses. Not a good weekend for football at our house!

Well, that's about all I could muster up. Hope I didn't bore y'all to death! :)