Dreams Take Flight

Our Sweet Beginning: Reception Fun and Sparkler Exit

2012-05-25T10:35:00.001-04:00

Brian and I are gearing up for a weekend away in celebration of our first wedding anniversary! In some ways, it feels like we just got married yesterday; in others, it seems like I can't remember what life was like before we became husband and wife. I promised myself I'd have our wedding album done before the year mark (check!) and that I'd finish up these blog posts recapping our wedding day. Can you say "slacker"? But alas, here is the last installment of our wedding recaps - reception fun and our sparkler exit! Mission officially accomplished. :)

After getting all of the formal reception festivities out of the way, it was time for the party!

You can see some of the pictures from our wedding photobooth here. :)

These next few pictures crack me up. Brian and I never really had a "song" while we were dating, but we'd often jokingly serenade one another with K-Ci and JoJo's "All My Life." Imagine my ~~irritation~~ surprise when Brian had his best man request it...I love how Kristi is pointing accusingly at Pat as I'm realizing what he did. So we danced to the cheesy 90's song and I guess it wasn't so bad. ;)

During the reception, Brian and I snuck away for a little while to play with sparklers and get some pictures behind the Resident's Club. They include one of Brian's favorite pictures from the whole day (the black and white one below), and the ten minute break from the action was definitely welcomed.

We made it back to the party just in time for a couple minutes of dancing before the last song: Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." In college, the little bar/club (although it's a stretch to even call it that) I'd often go with my sorority sisters always played it as the last song. It was a nice little trip down memory lane. :)

Brian and I hung around for a couple minutes while our guests made their way outside for our sparkler exist.

And, because I'm obviously going for overkill, here's a little snippet from our wedding video done by Cord3 Films (formerly GM Elliot Videography). We seriously love our wedding video - you can see the trailer here.

The whole day went by so fast, and I just remember being kind of shocked that it was all over. It was easily one of the best days of my life, and I think I've gone through all of the pictures at least once a month since that day last May. More importantly, I love the marriage we've built over the past year. I'm seriously proud of our commitment to each other and excited to celebrate our happily ever after at the beach this weekend!

A very happy first anniversary to my handsome husband!

A Tybee Sunrise

2012-04-20T09:44:00.000-04:00

One of the funny things about time is that you rarely give it any consideration until it's limited. That's pretty much the only reason Brian was able to drag me out of bed on Saturday morning while it was still pitch black outside to sit on the beach at Tybee Island and watch the sunrise. Honestly, I'm not really a morning person...but I think it was worth it.

We capped off the beautiful sunrise with eggs and bacon at The Breakfast Club and spent the rest of the weekend being beach bums. It feels so strange to me that Brian and I spent the majority of our relationship apart before we got married. For so long, that was our normal; now, it feels anything but normal. Here's to hoping the next month flies by, so we can spend more days making the most of the time we have together.

Life Lately...

2012-04-13T13:52:00.001-04:00

Hi friends! Long time, no see!

Recently, I have been trying to be "in the moment" more and am doing my best to soak up time with my handsome husband before he leaves for deployment training. Here is what life has looked like lately:

I am so lucky that my sorority has brought me the forever-kind-of-friends, even though I've moved over 700 miles away. The trip from Baltimore to Savannah is not easy or inexpensive, and I am blessed to have friends who are willing to come visit me despite those things. Amber and Megan were here for almost a week, and we fit in lots of beach time, wonderful food, and relaxing! Amber wrote a much more detailed and eloquent blog post about the adventures of our Savannah Style Spring Break that you can read here. :)

My father-in-law also made the trip south to see our first home and spend some time with Brian before he leaves. Brian and his dad did manly things like shoot guns and eat barbecue. I joined them at Wiley's and enjoyed the best burnt ends ever (and I don't even particularly like barbecue!)

Having visitors makes me stop and appreciate how beautiful this part of the country is. I know that we are spending some precious years of our lives and our marriage here. Obviously, Brian's job means that we don't get much of a choice in where we're living, and it would be easy to be resentful about being away from our families and friends. But, without the Army's "help," we probably wouldn't have ever chosen to live in the Savannah area, and it has become close to our hearts in a very short period of time. Brian and I often talk about how we can see ourselves returning here, someday...

...not to mention the gorgeous weather let us spend Easter Sunday on the beach, after heading to church for our usual Saturday afternoon service.

Brian also celebrated his 26th birthday this past Tuesday, April 10th. The above picture is what happens when your wife is picture obsessed and makes you take a mandatory birthday picture to document being old. The below is what happens when you are too picky about said pictures and your husband thinks he's funny.

Brian's only had two requests for his birthday, and I am obviously an awesome wife because I made them happen. (That is actually false - they were easy requests.) The first was french toast for dinner (I made Lightened Up Crème Brûlée French Toast)...

...and the second was frozen yogurt for dessert. As a rule, I do not ever turn down dessert.

So that is what has been going on here...and I have a feeling I will be returning on a more regular basis very soon. :)

Mountain Weekend in Ellijay

2012-03-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, Brian and I traveled up to the mountains of Ellijay, Georgia, also known as the home of the Georgia Apple Festival, to spend the weekend with new friends. Six couples made the five hour trip north to a gorgeous cabin overlooking the river for lots of relaxing, exploring, and quality time together.

After hiking down to see the Amicalola Falls, we learned that going back up over 400 stairs is definitely the "strenuous" task the signs at the top had warned us about. The view of the falls at the bottom was worth it, though!

Other highlights of the trip included the most glorious nap I've ever had laying in the sunshine on the riverbank behind the cabin, a trip to R & A Orchards for homemade fried pies, cider and jam, and all the boys waking up early on Sunday to make breakfast for their wives (so sweet).

I can't believe it was only a month and a half ago I wrote this post. While I miss my friends and family in Maryland more than I can say, finding a group of friends here has certainly made Savannah feel more like home.

What I'm Loving: Vacation Planning!

2012-03-07T14:54:00.000-05:00

Happy halfway through the work week! Here are some things that I'm loving on this beautiful Wednesday.

I'm loving that Brian and I are headed out of town on Friday for a weekend getaway with some friends! It will be our first trip to the mountains of north Georgia and I'm excited to explore a different region of the state we currently call home.

I'm loving some other vacation plans that are currently in the works! The reason we have some time off may not be the most pleasant (boo deployment!), but I am so grateful that Brian and I will be able to relax together before what is sure to be a stressful time filled with lots of unknowns. Jamaica, here we come!

I'm loving that all the time I spent laying around this past weekend recovering from my wisdom tooth removal allowed me to finally get the proof for our wedding album approved! My goal was to get it finished before our one year anniversary, and it looks like I may have actually accomplished that goal. Which is surprising for a procrastinator like me! It should be here in 3-6 weeks and I can't wait to see how it turned out in person.

I'm loving that my little sister is at home this week for Spring Break so she can text me pictures of my favorite animals. I can't wait to see them when I take a trip back to Maryland next month!

I'm loving that Brian and I decided to get married on a holiday weekend. To be honest, we didn't have much choice in the matter due to his unpredictable schedule, but we did have some naysayers who were concerned about their holiday weekend plans. But now that the wedding hullabaloo is over, we have a built-in (at least) three day weekend every year to celebrate our anniversary. That's not too shabby, if you ask me. Now to decide what we'll do to mark our first year of marriage!

What are you loving this Wednesday?

Tasty Tuesday (I Miss Solid Food)

2012-03-06T13:07:00.002-05:00

Happy Tuesday! I'm back at work today, and back to blogging our meals. Sadly, I am somewhat still limited to soft foods after my surgery last week...so hopefully this post doesn't make me too hungry!

I have always had kind of a mental block about making soup from scratch, especially if it involves using raw chicken to make stock (this is similar to my fear of all kinds of dough...scary!) The changing weather here brought with it a couple of colds to the M household, and this homemade chicken noodle soup was perfect for chasing the sickness away. I am happy to report that boiling an entire raw chicken is not half as scary as I thought it would be!

Cooking Light's Pasta with Tomato Basil Sauce is a quick weeknight dinner that comes together in less than 20 minutes. I love the refrigerated fettuccine in this meal!

One of the reasons I share my meals here on the blog is because I get so many good meal ideas from other bloggers! I stole this meal idea straight from Megan at Tales of the Trees. We loved these Italian Mini Meatloves served with Skinny Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese. This is Brian's favorite kind of meal; a classic dish that you can tell is definitely homemade. Comfort food at its best!

Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs were easily my favorite meal this past week, and they're from Skinnytaste, so they are relatively healthy too! I don't think we'll ever buy frozen meatballs ever again.

One last meal we've made recently that was definitely worth repeating were these P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce wraps; unfortunately, they just didn't make for an appetizing picture!

This isn't a dinner, but Baked Oatmeal Squares have officially entered our regular breakfast rotation. I have started making a large tray of these breakfast bars once a week, and Brian takes them to eat after PT in the mornings. I made this version with cranberries and sliced almonds, but the possibilities are endless. They have been a healthy solution to our on-going breakfast dilemma.

What are you cooking this week?

What Weekend?: Frozen Peas and Pain Meds

2012-03-05T12:59:00.001-05:00

I have a general disdain for all things medical. Doctors' appointments, yearly checkups, hospital trips: you name it, I'll avoid it at all costs. When Brian actually gets me to go to the doctor for something, he knows that whatever the ailment is must be really bothering me.

Which partly explains why the consultation to get my wisdom teeth out happened when I first moved here in August (yes, seven months ago). And why my teeth remained firmly planted in my mouth until I scheduled the appointment to get them removed for last Friday morning. I had, finally, had it with them.

I was completely terrified. There were many times last week I thought about calling to cancel. I probably would have if my mom hadn't already bought plane tickets to be here to help Brian take care of me! I even half-hoped my boss would deny my request for time off work. But, sadly, all went according to plan and Friday morning found me in the waiting room of the oral surgeon's office. I left Brian and my mom when they called my name, and walked into the back room.

When I finally got into the chair, the poor anesthesiologist left for probably half a second and came back to me crying. Everyone had failed to mention that there would be an IV involved! Ugh. Cue me freaking out.

Without going into any of the icky details, let's just say that I survived with little to no memory of the actual surgery. They sent me home with my mouth stuffed full of gauze (ew, the absolute worst part) and lots of pain medicine. I spent the rest of the weekend on the couch with frozen peas on my face.

I look pretty, right?

I planned on returning to work today, but I'm still pretty sore and swollen so I'm taking an extra day to lounge around before returning to the grind. Let me just say, thank goodness that's over. I think I will be even more relieved once I'm all healed up and can eat more than pudding, soup, and mashed potatoes.

P.S. A very big thank you to my mom and Brian for taking care of me, cooking, cleaning, and letting me nap every couple of hours all weekend. It was very much appreciated.

The Day of Love

2012-02-15T13:35:00.000-05:00

I recently decided that I don't want to pass up any opportunity for Brian and I to celebrate our love and marriage. It seems most people fall firmly on one end of the spectrum in regards to Valentine's Day, and while I agree that showing your significant other that you love them shouldn't be limited to only one day a year, I am a hopeless romantic. I LOVE love, I love celebrating the love I share with Brian, and I think that Valentine's Day is as good of an excuse to do that as any. :) (Typical newlywed, eh?)

I did feel a little bit of pressure to do something special knowing that this was our first married Valentine's Day. I got a little teary-eyed wandering through the card section at Target during my lunch break (with the rest of the last minute shoppers), realizing I could get Brian one of the "to my husband" cards. I still vividly remember our dating days, the long-distance struggles, our many birthdays and holidays apart; I know that there are more on the horizon. Being in this place, together, is a dream come true for me right now.

Last night, Brian came and picked me up from work and took us to our dinner reservations; Wasabi Downtown for my favorite meal: sushi! Luckily, the restaurant wasn't too crowded and they were serving their regular menu. (One of my least favorite parts of dining out on a holiday is the fixed menu!) Brian isn't a huge fan of sushi, but he was adventurous and helped me pick out some rolls to try. While I am pretty sure he'd choose a steak over raw fish any day, I think he was pleasantly surprised! We ordered entirely too much sushi (leaving plenty for me to take to work for lunch today) and were stuffed by the time we left...

...but we had a second reservation at Lulu's Chocolate Bar to go to. I had heard so much about this dessert bar and I was dying to try it. I'm lucky that my husband knows me well enough to know that dessert is one of the ways to my heart. We sipped on coffee while trying to decide what to get; everything sounded so good, it was hard to decide. I settled on a Milk Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake (oh my gosh) and Brian got the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.

Everything was so yummy! My heart-shaped cheesecake was HUGE, and I got to enjoy the second half today. :) I have a feeling there will be many trips back to Lulu's while we live here (and probably a couple extra trips to the gym to make up for it, as well).

I think love is something worth celebrating. I'm glad we were able to celebrate our love together this Valentine's Day. :)

Our Sweet Beginning: Reception Festivities

2012-02-10T08:38:00.000-05:00

Before we could begin our reception, there were a couple of minor details to attend to. While Brian scouted out our cocktail hour (which I actually never got to see), his mom and sister bustled my dress before the festivities began. Brian returned with bacon-wrapped shrimp, and we briefly stuffed our faces before it was time to get moving (again)!

Eventually, everyone made their way from cocktail hour to their seats. To kick off the reception, my parents and Brian's parents were announced into the ballroom...

...followed by our amazing bridal party (including a ring bearer with some hilarious dance moves.)

Then, it was our turn...for the first time as Mr. and Mrs.!

We walked into the ballroom and straight into our first dance, to Brad Paisley's "Then." This was a part of our reception that I was super nervous about; we had taken a couple of ballroom dance lessons over Spring Break, but hadn't been together very much to practice. In the end, though, everything was fine and it felt like it was just us out there together. During our dance, we played a slideshow of pictures from throughout our relationship. Secretly, I was trying to make sure people weren't just staring at us the whole time we were dancing; I think it worked!

After our first dance, I danced with my Dad to "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, and Brian danced with his Mom to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man."

After the dances came the toasts. First from my Dad, who gave us some heartfelt marriage advice and closed with the poem he had written that morning.

Brian's best man, Pat, talked about their relationship throughout their time at West Point together. He called Brian a "leader of men," which I thought was such an incredible compliment, and talked about how Brian is defined most of all by his faith.

And my sister and maid of honor, Jennifer, toasted to our new married life together, lovingly hated on my blog, and begrudgingly admitted that she thinks I'm super cool (I'm paraphrasing, but that was the jist. ;)

After a prayer from our pastor, it was time to eat!

Brian and I quickly took a couple bites of food (which was delicious) before we made our way around to all of the tables of guests. We finished our mingling just in time for the party to start!

My main goal in planning the reception activities was to get most of the "formal" things out of the way first so that the rest of the night was free for dancing and socializing. After dinner, we went straight to the good part...dessert! Brian and I agreed beforehand that there would be no cake-smashing, and although I had a brief second of doubt, he stuck to his word. We cut our cake to James Taylor's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)." I'm still kind of mad that that was the only bite of cake I got. I guess I did stuff a whole coconut cupcake into my mouth later in the night, but I was starving so I'm not sure I even tasted it. All that stuff they say about not eating at your wedding? 100% true.

While the caterers cut the rest of the cake to serve to our guests, I tossed my bouquet!

My sorority sister, Megan (who is coming to visit me in April!), caught my toss bouquet. When I went up to hug her, she whispered, "Is there a garter?!" I think she was completely relieved when I said no. :)

My sorority, Phi Mu, has a tradition of singing to the bride on her wedding day. So, my girls unexpectedly sent our DJ one of our songs, "Picture a Girl," and they surrounded me to sing. I am so lucky to have found lifelong friends in these girls. After the song, they presented me with our sorority's flower, the rose carnation. My flower girl, Zoë, joined in, too. Future Phi Mu? :)

Only two wedding posts left before I'm officially done our recap....reception fun and our sparkler exit!

Tasty Tuesday (or Teaching my Husband How to Cook)

2012-02-07T11:54:00.001-05:00

Meal planning has been interesting since I started my new job; Brian gets home a little bit before I do, so he has taken on more responsibility with getting dinner on the table. We've had to focus more on recipes that can be prepped ahead of time for him to just pop in the oven or crock pot meals that are ready when we get home at the end of the day. It definitely requires a little more planning, but it's worth it to have some extra time in the evenings to go to the gym or just to relax. Brian has even has taken the reins on preparing some new meals, with a lot of success, which only proves that he has been playing dumb this whole time to get me to cook for him. ;)

I tend to shy away from having salads for dinner, but this one was surprisingly satisfying! My favorite part of Coconut Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette was probably the dressing, but I could see this coconut breading being delicious on shrimp, as well! Did I mention it's healthy, too?

Lightened Up Creme Burlee French Toast is another winner from Skinny Taste. I am a huge fan of breakfast for dinner, and this recipe made it even more exciting to come home to. I have made other french toast casseroles that are full of butter and lots of calories (I won't mention any names, Paula Deen.) This version doesn't sacrifice any of the taste.

I have to say that Pot Sticker Salad with Snap Peas was not my favorite. I think a lot of it depends on the quality of your pot stickers, and I had to run around to a couple of different grocery stores to even find a single option. I am pretty sure it defeats the purpose of meal planning when you spend more time at the store than you would have otherwise. Oh well. :)

While it isn't really soup weather around these parts, we still enjoyed Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup. Gotta love throwing everything into the Crock Pot and coming home to something delicious! Chicken Tortilla Soup has been on my mind ever since Chick-fil-a tweeted that they had released it, and this recipe definitely did my craving justice.

You'll have to ignore the poor nighttime picture of this dish and just know that this is one of my favorite meal discoveries EVER! Many thanks to Rachel for introducing me to the Sullivan's Island Shrimp Bog I love shrimp, and this meal is the perfect mix of spicy and creamy, and it might have been even better the next day. I almost fought Brian for the leftovers! I have a strong feeling this recipe will definitely appear on our menu again (and again!) in the future.

What are you having for dinner this week? Bonus points for recipes that Brian can tackle. :)

Realities of Relocating

2012-02-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

Brian and I have been married for eight months now. Doesn't time fly?

The days before our wedding were filled with so much joy and anticipation. I couldn't even believe that I was about to marry my best friend. It was so exciting to think that we were going to finally be together; it had been quite a long time coming. No more short weekend visits, countdowns until we would see each other again, and too-frequent good-byes. I honestly couldn't even wrap my head around it.

But, as our wedding day approached, there was also a growing feeling in the pit of my stomach. It would bring me to tears easily when I thought about it. I was not at all nervous to be marrying Brian, and I knew that our life together would be fulfilling and all kinds of wonderful that I couldn't even imagine at the time.

But, every day that passed also brought me closer to moving away from my family and everything I had ever known in Maryland. I had never considered that I wouldn't continue living there...until I met Brian. And then pretty much everything, including where we would be living, was beyond my control.

I think one of the hardest parts of moving was (and still is) that I have the most amazing friends there. It feels like it took me so long to find true "forever" friends. I have never made friends easily because I can be extremely shy around new people...and Brian tends to be the same way. Before we got married, we were discussing some of these worries and he reassured me that we would make friends in Savannah. I protested (irrationally?): "I don't want any more friends. I really like the ones I already have!"

Over the past eight months, Brian and I have done a lot of exploring around Savannah together and have fallen in love with our charming new town. We have decorated our house and made it truly feel like home to us. Places are starting to become "ours" and I cherish the routines we've created now that we're together every day. We had pretty much mastered being apart before we got married...I love our new "normal" and all of the ups and downs that come with it.

A couple of weeks ago, Brian was told (again) that he will deploying in a matter of months. While we're still kind of reeling from the first deployment that didn't happen, everything indicates that this time around it actually will (although, do you ever really know for sure until he's gone?) When we found out, I realized that we are woefully lacking in any type of support system here for me. I know that I have an amazing one back in Maryland, and 657 miles hasn't interfered with those people being there for me in this chapter of our lives (and I know it won't in the future). But there is just something about having people physically there for you; to help when your car breaks down, or you get sick, or you just need a shoulder to cry on. We briefly considered packing up our things, putting them in storage, and sending me back to to where my friends and family are (and my pets...I can't forget them!)

I miss this dog.

But as appealing as that sounds, something in me just can't do it. Our home is here, and I feel like it is my responsibility to "hold down the fort" while Brian is gone. I want him to be able to come back to the home that we shared before he left and some semblance of normalcy.

Not to mention, I finally have a job I'm enjoying and don't particularly want to leave. (It only took me seven months to find something...I don't intend on walking away from it just yet!)

So, we decided it was time to be more proactive. Brian planned a double date with a friend from work, and I really enjoyed getting to know him and his wife. Then, they invited us to attend their small group last night, and in any other circumstances we may have come up with a thousand excuses as to why it wasn't the right timing for us. I am so, so glad we went. It was absolutely a step in the right direction.

While our time together may be limited, we are going to enjoy every minute. Together, and with old and new friends. Which will hopefully make this whole thing a whole lot easier to handle.

26th Birthday Weekend

2012-01-30T06:40:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, I celebrated my 26th birthday! I'm still not sure if I'm at the age now where I'm supposed to just claim to be in my "mid-twenties," but I have no shame. :)

Despite the fact that getting older means a lot less fanfare, this really was a special birthday. The ladies at work brought me in some yummy treats and I took myself to Chick-fil-a for lunch. It was an absolutely beautiful, warm day and I enjoyed driving around with my windows down. I'd imagine it's the first time I've been able to do that on my birthday at the end of January!

Coincidentally, Friday also was the beginning of Restaurant Week here in Savannah. So, Brian and I picked out a restaurant that we hadn't tried yet and made an evening reservation. After work, we headed to the other side of the river to Aqua Star. The restaurant is located on the second floor of the Westin and has a gorgeous view of the Savannah River and River Street.

(via)

Brian got the Filet Mignon and I got an herb-crusted salmon; while it wasn't the best meal we've had here in Savannah, the view seriously cannot be beat. I still can't get used to the sight of huge container ships floating down the narrow river; it is unreal! The most important part is that we were able to celebrate my birthday together.

The rest of my birthday weekend was low-key; we headed to church with a friend of Brian's from work and his wife. After the service, we had a yummy Italian meal at Corleone's downtown, and then had to introduce them to Leopold's, our favorite ice cream parlor. Sunday called for the usual meal-planning, grocery shopping, errand-running and preparing for the week ahead.

I'm excited to see what my 26th year has in store for me. :)

What I'm Loving: 9 to 5!

2012-01-18T21:56:00.002-05:00

It's that time of the week again...here are some of the things I'm loving on this wonderful Wednesday night!

I'm loving that after almost 80 job applications and six months of frustration, I started my new job this week! After my seasonal position ended in December, I kicked it into high gear to find something more permanent; I revamped my resume, re-shifted my focus, and made follow-up phone calls. After landing three interviews in the span of one week, I finally found something that I think will be a perfect fit. My first day was yesterday! I'm excited to learn more about the position and the opportunities it will present to me. Hooray for employment (and some extra spending money)! :)

I can also definitely say that this time in my life has taught me so much, and I am beyond grateful for those lessons. Please bear with me as I (happily) adjust to life with a 9 to 5. :)

Source: lesapea.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

I'm loving the pretty lunch box Brian got me as an early birthday present and to celebrate my new job!

I'm also loving that he left me sweet notes of encouragement in my lunch for my first two days of work. Today's note was folded into a paper airplane. I sure do love that silly husband of mine. :)

I'm loving the gorgeous sunset views on my drive home.

I'm loving that my Baltimore Ravens are headed to Foxboro to play in the AFC Championship! Their win last Sunday wasn't pretty, but I am so excited to cheer them on in the next round of the playoffs. Even if they do make me want to pull my hair out sometimes. :)

I'm loving cooking from two of my favorite food blogs, Iowa Girl Eats and Skinnytaste. They have led me to some wonderful recipe discoveries!

I'm loving the adorable cupcake Scentsy warmer that Amber got me for Christmas. Our house smells so nice and I love that I don't have to worry like I do about lit candles. Any favorite scents I should try? :)

What are you loving today?

A Phone Number You NEED to Know

2012-01-17T21:13:00.002-05:00

Today's post is a serious but important one.

My friend Matt, one of the most genuinely funny and sincere people I have ever had the privilege of knowing, would have been 26 years old today. Instead, his twin brother is celebrating his birthday alone.

Suicide is permanent solution to a temporary problem, and it is important to know where to turn if you ever find yourself in crisis. 1-800-273-TALK is the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, and you can also call if you know someone in emotional distress.

Program it into your phone like I have. 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Click here to read about when and why you should call, and what will happen when you do. You can also read some of the warning signs for suicide here. It is worth five minutes of your time to educate yourself and maybe even save someone's life.

Thank you!

Our Sweet Beginning: Reception Details

2012-01-13T10:27:00.001-05:00

After the ceremony, our wedding guests headed to the gorgeous country club where Brian and I had done our first look. Our caterers were amazing and set up the entire reception for us...so neither of us had seen the room completely finished. During cocktail hour, we got to sneak in and see the finished product. Everything was even more beautiful than I had pictured!

Most of the time I spent planning our wedding was dedicated to brainstorming things I could do to personalize the reception and creating DIY projects that would keep us within our budget. This post is dedicated to all of the little details from our reception that I worked so hard on! It was so exciting to see all of our ideas come to fruition.

Our invitations

Seating Chart

Brian and I opted to have a sweetheart table for the two of us with tables of our bridal party and their dates surrounding us. It was nice to have the (very limited) time we sat eating to the two of us.

Our reception tables had three different centerpieces: a tall and short floral centerpiece and a centerpiece inspired by a trip to Tucson. We also named our tables after places we had traveled together and included a picture of the two of us in that place on the table signs.

Our signature drinks were also an ode to our journey together: The Del Coronado Pacific Cooler (the drink I had at The Del after we got engaged), The Sunset Margarita (Brian's favorite drink from our trip to Key West), and Peach Wine (an ode to our new beginning in Georgia).

At each place setting was a jar of peach preserves, our favor to our guests and another nod to our new beginning, and a dinner menu.

Our cake and cupcakes were made by Desserts by Rita. Not only were they pretty, they were so SO yummy.

I made both the cake stand and cupcake stands but never got around to blogging about them in the last-minute craziness before the wedding, so I've linked to others' tutorials. :)

I made our guest book on MyPublisher using our engagement pictures. I love looking through it!

Beside the guest book were memorial candles celebrating the lives of family members who have passed away.

Next to our photobooth was a sign explaining that guests should leave an extra copy of their photo strip for us to keep. I painted a canvas with one of our monograms and made it into a memo board where guests clipped their pictures.

This is not exactly a reception detail, but I know as a bride I was stumped about what to get my bridesmaids as a gift. I ended up gifting them a personalized bracelet from The Vintage Pearl (love!) and a Coach wristlet to use the day of the wedding.

A last minute project (the week of our wedding and my graduation!) was the flip flop basket. I was so glad I put this together because the flip flops were much-needed for dancing. My feet were killing me by the end of the night!

When I was planning our wedding, there were so many details and projects I wanted to tackle. Of course, I didn't get around to all of them but I was so happy with how much I was able to accomplish (especially in the midst of my last year of graduate school!)

Tasty Tuesday: Back in The Groove

2012-01-10T13:07:00.001-05:00

It is so nice to be back into our normal routine with grocery shopping and meal planning! It's kind of lame, but cooking dinner is a stress reliever for me. It gives me something (somewhat) mindless to focus on, and the results are definitely something we benefit from. :)

Here are some of the meals we've been eating recently!

The chilly nights here lately call for soup! This Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup was a hit with even Brian, who proclaims himself "not a soup person." I am slowly changing his mind. :) You also have to love a good Crock Pot meal. So little effort!

Another great Crock Pot meal! This Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Biscuits was a little bit like a deconstructed Chicken Pot Pie (one of my favorites!) I used Pillsbury biscuits to make this dinner even easier.

This is the second time I've made this Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. It's one of those meals that causes me to make a huge mess (like get every pan in the kitchen dirty), but it makes two trays of pasta so I can freeze one for later. Which makes the mess worth it.

This is one of my new favorites from Iowa Girl Eats (although I tend to love most of her recipes)! Vegetable Beef and Barley Soup was easy to prepare and packed with flavor. A great way to make sure we're getting our veggies and healthy grains. :)

While trying to jazz up breakfast for dinner, I made these Hash Brown Egg Baskets. A perfect little package of hash browns, eggs, bacon, and cheese...what's not to like? I served these with easily the best pancakes ever. I may never make them from a box again!

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana from Skinny Taste has my gears turning about what else I could use to stuff chicken breasts. This version was delicious and easy...and not to mention healthy! I can definitely get on board with that.

What have you been cooking this week?

Good for the Soul

2012-01-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

What is it about the beach that is just good for the soul?

I have been feeling kind of bummed lately. Going from having a full-time job for a couple of months and then being surrounded by family and friends in Maryland over the holidays, to returning the job search (again) and lots of time home alone this week was kind of a shock to my system. I always get a little bit of the post-vacation blues, but this was worse than usual. So when this past weekend rolled around, Brian knew that he had to get me out of the house and find something for us to do; luckily for me, he decided that that "something" was a day trip to Tybee Island. It certainly didn't hurt that some unseasonable temperatures at the beginning of January made for a warm 75-degree day to enjoy the sun and sea.

I'm surprised it took us so long to make it over to the Tybee Island Light Station, considering our affinity for lighthouses.

I also scouted out our next house...isn't it pretty? Can you imagine watching the sun come up with a cup of coffee on one of those porches? Bliss. There are some seriously gorgeous homes tucked away on Tybee Island.

Our jaunt out to the beach certainly makes me grateful to live so close to ocean. I am starting this week feeling refreshed and hopeful thanks to some deep breaths of salty air.

What I'm Loving: First Wednesday of 2012!

2012-01-04T13:22:00.001-05:00

Happy 2012! Hope you all had a wonderful time ringing in the New Year. :)

Like many others, I'm loving the new beginning and fresh intentions that a new year brings. I don't really make resolutions, but I have a renewed commitment to making my life a healthy and happy one. Here are some other things I'm loving on this first Wednesday of 2012!

I'm loving that I got to welcome in 2012 with some of my favorite ladies (and their better halves, too)! Kristi had a bunch of us over to her house to celebrate the New Year, which was perfect.

I'm loving that Brian and I made a visit back to our ceremony site while we were in Maryland. It was a little colder than on our wedding day, but I think it still ranks up there as one of my favorite spots. (Head over here if you missed my post about our wedding ceremony in the hustle bustle of the holidays.)

I'm loving being back at our little home in Georgia. I had such a fun time over the holidays, spending time with family, hanging out with my best friends...

...and soaking up lots of love from my favorite (lazy) dog and cats.

But there is certainly something to be said for not living out of a suitcase and getting back into our routines. I was so excited to sit down and plan out our meals for the next two weeks. Oh, normalcy (and my waistline). I missed you so.

I'm loving the Seche Vite Dry Fast Topcoat I picked up from Target after seeing some girls talk about it on Twitter. Seriously? I never paint my nails because I can't manage to sit still long enough to let them dry completely, and then they get all nicked up because I'm impatient. This totally solves that problem! Coming in a close second is the Sephora Collection blush in Healthy Rose I picked up after Christmas. I ran out of the NARS blush I was using, and this has way better staying power for less than half the price!

I'm loving that Brian has a 4-day weekend next weekend! We brought my bike home with us, so I'm praying for good weather so we can do some exploring around town. He also volunteered to help me with a DIY project, so I'll have to peruse my Pinterest boards and pick out something for us to tackle. Yay for quality time together!

Source: dollarstorecrafts.com via Lauren on Pinterest

What are you loving this Wednesday? Head over and link up with Jamie!

2011: The Year in Pictures

2011-12-31T20:01:00.000-05:00

Recapping my year in pictures has become a little tradition here on the blog (see my 2009 and 2010 posts). 2011 marked the year Brian and I became husband and wife and started our life together finally in the same place. This year I've been happier and more blessed than I can ever remember, but we have also weathered some difficult storms. Luckily, Brian and I have gone through them side by side...what could be better?

January

I got my first glimpse of our new town and rang in the new year with Brian in Savannah. Sadly, we didn't even stay awake long enough to see the ball drop! Maybe this year... :)

A stressful month school-wise with my first semester of full-time student teaching was made much more bearable with several snow days!

February

I attended my first bridal shower, hosted by my mom's friends.

March

We booked our honeymoon to St. Lucia and were generally consumed with all things wedding!

April

My bridesmaids threw me an incredibly beautiful second bridal shower.

I spent Spring Break in Savannah with Brian, laying out on the beach, eating dinner on the water...

...and taking a couple of super-secret private ballroom lessons to prepare for our first dance.

May

I celebrated my last weekend as a single woman at my bachelorette party!

I graduated with my Master's (and a 4.0)!

On May 28th, I married the love of my life! Best. Day. EVER.

June

We spent a week honeymooning in stunning St. Lucia.

We packed up my truck and hit the road to move me (and my stuff) to our first place, 700 miles away!

July

We spent 4th of July weekend with Brian's best man in Hilton Head and at a free Zac Brown Band concert on post!

We had our first visitor in Savannah, y'all!

We got to play tourist around town with one of my favorite people in the world, Amber. :)

August

We said an incredibly sad goodbye to our friend and hero, Jordan.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

September

While Brian was out in the field for training, I made my first trip back to Maryland to visit friends and family!

Brian's dad underwent surgery for prostate cancer...

We found out 9 days later that the cancer was completely gone! A huge praise!

October

A weekend trip to Jacksonville, Florida included a Ravens' Monday Night Football game and a tour of the Budweiser Brewery.

November

A very weird month indeed.

4 days after unexpectedly finding out he was deploying to Afghanistan on super short notice, Brian was hit by a drunk driver on his way home from work. Luckily, he and his car have both recovered!

(Oh, and that deployment alluded to but not mentioned here on the blog? We prepared and anticipated his leaving for almost a month. Then, almost as suddenly as it happened, it wasn't. After more back-and-forths than I can remember, Brian was requested by a much higher-ranking officer for a new job in a different unit and found out that he won't deploy at this time...super emotionally draining and a ridiculous and long story. We'll save that one for another day.)

(Let's just say we're even more grateful for our time together this holiday season.)

My parents came to visit us in Savannah!

...and we met Brian's mom in Florida for another fun weekend in Jacksonville and Amelia Island.

Brian got promoted to 1st Lieutenant! So proud of him!

Brian surprised me with an early Christmas present...a DSLR camera!

We celebrated Thanksgiving back in Maryland with our families and friends!

December

We sent out our first Christmas card!

I had a holiday cookie and movie marathon with some of my favorite Phi Mus.

And we celebrated our first married Christmas.

2011 has been quite the year! Here's to only the best in 2012!

Our Sweet Beginning: The Ceremony

2011-12-30T09:52:00.000-05:00

After getting most of our pictures out of the way, the bridesmaids and groomsmen climbed into separate limos to head to our ceremony site. When I pulled up with my girls and saw the gorgeous job our florist had done with the aisle, I was so giddy! Everything looked even more beautiful than I had pictured in my head. We were a bit early, so we sat in the limo (hidden by the tinted windows) and watched guests arrive and mull about before finally taking their seats.

Brian and I wrote our wedding ceremony and vows ourselves, borrowing from elements we read elsewhere and liked. I have included our readings here because they have so much meaning to the two of us.

Aisle and quatrefoil wedding programs

Ceremony musicians and personalized water bottles (see more here)

Reserved seating signs for our families

Before the ceremony started, our ceremony musicians played "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Bach as our groomsmen escorted the grandmothers...

...and the mothers down the aisle to their seats.

My beautiful bridesmaids walked down the aisle to "Largo (from Xerxes)" by Handel.

After our ring bearers and flower girl made their way down the aisle, it was finally time for me to make my appearance.

My dad escorted me down the aisle to marry my groom to Pachelbel's "Canon in D." I still get chills every time I look at these pictures.

After a greeting from our pastor and an opening prayer...

...Brian's Aunt Bernie read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and my Aunt Kathy read a traditional Jewish prayer, the Shehechyanu.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

"Blessed are you, Lord our God, Creator of the Universe, who has given us life, sustained us, and brought us to this joyous moment." (This prayer was read in both Hebrew and English.)

My cousin Prudence read Robert Fulghum's "Union," an excerpt from his book From Beginning to End; The Rituals of Our Lives. I fell in love with this passage the first time I read it (and you may also recognize part of it from the pallet sign I made for our kitchen.)

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks – all those conversations that began with, “When we’re married”, and continued with “I will” and “you will” and “we will” – all those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe” – and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding.

The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “You know all those things we’ve promised, and hoped, and dreamed – well, I meant it all, every word.”

Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another – acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same.

For after today you shall say to the world –
This is my husband. This is my wife.

Then, it was time to say our vows. I tearfully listened to Brian before reciting mine.

"Lauren, I choose you to be my wife, my love, and my best friend. I will share my whole life and all that I am with you. I will be faithful and truthful to you. I will respect, trust, and help you. In distance and in closeness, in laughter and in tears, I promise to grow our love for each other every day of our lives. With every beat of my heart, I will love you."

"Brian, I choose you to be my husband, my love, and my best friend. I will share my whole life and all that I am with you. I will be faithful and truthful to you. I will respect, trust, and help you. In distance and in closeness, in laughter and in tears, I promise to grow our love for each other every day of our lives. With every beat of my heart, I will love you."

After our vows, we exchanged "I dos" and our pastor blessed our wedding bands before we slipped them onto each others' fingers.

He then read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, 13 before offering a prayer for our marriage.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Finally, we were pronounced husband and wife! Brian was told to kiss his bride, and I don't even really remember leaning in and hugging him afterwards.

We linked arms and walked back down the aisle to Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" as husband and wife! Married! Pure joy.

We were followed by our wedding party...

...and our families.

After snapping a couple of quick pictures with our bridal party, they were off to cocktail hour. Brian and I hung behind for a bit for a couple more pictures of the two of us before climbing in the limo to head to our reception!

Four Christmases

2011-12-28T20:48:00.002-05:00

Between our families, Brian and I ran around to four different Christmas celebrations this year. Opening presents and breakfast with his mom, a mid-day celebration with my family, dinner with his dad, and a late-night party with his mom's extended family.

As a small friend and hostess gift, we made 12 batches of peppermint hot chocolate in mason jars. Not only did they turn out pretty, but they actually make a pretty delicious cup of hot chocolate! I'm hoping we ended up with an extra one for ourselves to take home...

While the run-around can sometimes be overwhelming and make us look forward to the day we can start our own traditions, having so many separate holiday celebrations definitely makes us feel incredibly blessed and surrounded by love. Which is how the Christmas season should make you feel, right? :)

Christmas Cookie & Movie Marathon!

2011-12-23T10:08:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, Amber hosted some of my best friends and favorite Phi Mu sisters at her house for a Christmas cookie and movie marathon.

We each brought a recipe and the required ingredients for a favorite Christmas cookie or dessert. I monopolized oven space using my one measly mini-muffin pan to make Peanut Butter Cup Cookies twelve at a time. Time consuming and totally worth it!

We also enjoyed chocolate fudge, sugar cookies, candy bar cookies, and Funfetti cupcakes...and got a little messy in the process. Thank goodness Amber didn't mind us making a small disaster of her kitchen!

Because I haven't seen many (er...any) of the classic Christmas movies, my friends also took it upon themselves to begin my education. Between creating our culinary masterpieces, we watched Christmas with the Kranks, The Santa Clause, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. And, of course, we indulged in some pizza and caught up on each other's lives too. :)

At the end of the day, Amber gave us festive little buckets to take some of each of the desserts home with us! I miss these girls like crazy living so far away. It was the perfect way to spend time with some of my favorite people and to really get into the holiday spirit.

Do you have a favorite holiday cookie recipe? What Christmas movie do I need to watch next? :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas weekend!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

2011-12-19T16:05:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, Brian and I completed the 10-hour trek back to Maryland for an extended Christmas vacation. Before we left, I tried to decorate our house just a little to get us in the holiday spirit (or in as much of the holiday spirit as 75 degree weather will let you). I know we will be able to decorate more in the years to come, so I was perfectly okay starting out with a few touches here and there, including our Christmas card holder. And, of course, our first joint Christmas tree. :)

Free printable banner from here on our entry table :)

Our first Christmas season failure was being unable to find the perfect topper for our tree. I am still holding out hope that we'll find the perfect star or angel and be able to take it home with us, even if Christmas will technically be over.

First peppermint mocha of the year :)

Showing our Raven's pride, of course

Our engagement ornament from last year

I'm a little sad I forgot to get a picture of our official new ornament for this year, the Lenox "Our First Christmas" ornament. It's not technically our first Christmas together, but it is our first Christmas as a family. And that gives me the warm fuzzies, so I think it's okay.

Poor topper-less tree. If that's our only shortcoming this season, I think I'll consider it a success.

Our First Christmas Card!

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last Monday, I sent Brian to the post office with a stack of carefully addressed cards and strict instructions that they had to be sent out with only the festive ornament stamps. After teasing me that he could only find the dumb Liberty bell ones, he sent out our very first Christmas card! And now that they have been received by our family and friends, I am "sending" them to you guys as well. :)

We sent out a Christmas card...

...and a somewhat-coordinating holiday card, too.

And, excitingly, we have started to receive cards in our mailbox as well! Using a canvas I bought half off at A.C. Moore, ribbon, and a handful of clothespins, I made a card holder to showcase all of the warm holidays wishes from our favorite people. It makes me smile when I walk into the house and see it hanging on the door out to our garage. (I do have to admit that I "borrowed" the design from a canvas I saw...I am not that creative!)

Looks like I may need to find some longer ribbon. :) Can't wait to see all of your Christmas cards!

(I linked up with Faith's Christmas Card Carousel and you should too!)

Our Sweet Beginning: Bridal Party and Family Formals

2011-12-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

Not only was our wedding day special because it was the day we became husband and wife, but also because we were surrounded by our incredible friends and family. They are the people who have shaped us, supported us, and loved us through so many different phases in our lives, and it meant the world to have them all beside us as we began our journey into married life.


Real sisters and sorority sisters :)


Me and my Maid of Honor, Brian and his Best Man

With our flower girl and ring bearers

In addition to more casual pictures with our bridal party, we also did formal pictures with our families. In keeping with tradition, of course. :)

My family

Brian's family

With our parents :)


With my parents and grandparents

With Brian's dad, sister, and Grandmom

The next post in our wedding recaps is an important one (maybe the most important!): our ceremony!