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Whirlwind Wedding Weekend

Wow! I made it through the busiest of my wedding weekends – the double whammy in Charleston and NYC. It was quite the adventure (I am still recovering), but I am so glad I was able to make both weddings. They were just so beautiful! Happy, fun, and simply romantic.

Friday night was my friend Laura’s wedding at the Legare-Waring House in Charleston. It was classic, feminine, Southern romance. The House was on Charles Towne Landing – a historic, plantation-like piece of land dripping in Spanish moss and old timey mystery. I got to catch up with a few girl friends from DC and even encountered an alligator – almost ran the sucker over. Laura was just stunning as expected!

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Early Saturday morning, I booked it to the airport and flew to LaGuardia for my friend Wendi’s wedding – “A Night in Brooklyn.” It was at the delightfully French Bacchus Bistro (umm… DELICIOUS…more tuna tartare, please). A few of the girls got together for bonding and primping at the Sofia Inn beforehand, and I spent most of the evening reminiscing with old college friends and sharing stories with newer ones.  Wendi was just ravishing. Her entire wedding was DIY! It came together so magically.

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The only “downside” all weekend was that Chuck couldn’t make it! The punk busted his knee the night before we were scheduled to leave for Charleston, and we spent early Friday AM in the emergency room. He has a torn MCL, and strained ACL. The weekend’s logistics were convoluted, so we thought it best to not risk bringing him along. It made for a slightly more convoluted set of logistics for me on my own – an extra six hour drive and a flight change – but at least my legs are in tact to make it work – thank goodness! 🙂

Anyway, congrats to my lovely friends, Wendi and Laura! xoxo

Helen, Georgia

For part of the long weekend, Chuck and I celebrated Oktoberfest in Helen, Georgia – a Bavarian-style “alpine” village nestled in the Appalachians. It was not quite what I expected and was a total tourist trap, but we still had a great time. I went all out and drank more beer than I’ve ever drunk in my life. I rarely get tipsy anymore, so it was fun 🙂 It was nice to do something a little different.

Now I’m hoping for a productive week before skipping town again for the next two weekends: Charleston to Brooklyn to Tallahassee. Two weeks from today, I am going to be pooped… but full of great memories!

“The art of dining well is no slight art, the pleasure not a slight pleasure.” (Michel de Montaigne.)

Belated anniversary #dinner collage #latergram #epicrestaurant

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Hilarious

Remember those early Facebook days, when you passed around those viral “25 Things You Never Knew About Me” notes, and tagged all your friends to do the same? I was browsing my timeline and came across my own. It’s pretty funny to read now!

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1. I hate talking on the phone and never answer it… unless it’s my dad, and that’s only because he calls continuously until he makes sure I’m not in jail. (Still true, though I’ve improved slightly and now my dad calls just to make sure I’m alive. The threat of prison seems to have passed.)

2. Junior year of high school, I won a writing scholarship to spend a summer at Oxford University and had the time of my life. Oh yeah, and I learned a lot too. (In hindsight, I’d say this experience was a turning point in my life for more than one reason…)

3. When I was born, the doctors were convinced I had Down Syndrome.

4. I moved 12 times before I turned 18.

5. One time my hair was dyed black and white, like a zebra, and it was really… not funny.

6. I’ve hung out in the White House and the Playboy Mansion, and NOT as a tourist. I feel like not many people can say that.

7. I’ve never been to a wedding… but that’s about to change!!! (Oh boy, did it change!)

8. I am published poet. I wrote a book too, but that’s not published yet… 

9. I was home schooled for 8 years. 

10. I get frustrated by the fact that I still don’t really know what I want to do with my life. (Still true, though I have garnered more clues.)

11. I got to see Colin Firth while interning at Parliament in London, and trust me ladies, he’s not that cute in person and he is a terrible speaker.

12. I’ll try almost anything once, but I’m really scared of heights, spiders, and mushrooms.

13. I was once awarded a sports trophy. See, I AM athletic!!! (Ha, it was for swimming!)

14. At one point I had: a cat (obvi), a dog, a fish, a horse, 2 parakeets, and an ant farm. The fish died within 24 hours, the horse died in 6 months, the ants died, and the 2 parakeets flew away.

14. I have over 10,000 photos on my computer and am proud to have captured so many moments.. (They’re all on an external hard drive now. They were killing my computer.)

15. I really hate being exclusive or judgmental, and I try really hard not to be myself. Big kids used to be mean to me so I started the L.I.E. Club (Let’s Include Everyone Club…lol) and I still try to live by those tenants. (I think I’m much worse at this now. At least in terms of being judgmental. I still make sure never to leave anyone out.)

13. I believe dinosaurs still exist. (Chuck thinks I’m a moron.)

16. I survived a 7.6 earthquake and it was actually really fun.

17. My biggest insecurities are my skin and my ribs… and my diaphragm. 

18. I had major jaw surgery in high school because my orthodontist effed up. 6 weeks of liquid diet = not so fun, so of course, I cheated 🙂

18. One time, a guy approached me in the middle of the night with a gun, and I’m alive to tell the tale! Ask about the hat that saved my life…

19. As a former ballerina, I’ve been in the Nutcracker countless times, but I never actually saw it til this past December… and it was amazing.

20. I was in a band once. And we have a CD.

21. The first time I decided to try drinking, I got caught. Then I became an RA. (And let my residents drink. I probably couldn’t add that on Facebook at the time of this original post.)

22. My favorite color is not actually pink… it’s red! Also, I hate shopping. I’m not as girly as you all thought, huh? 🙂

23. I Lysol spray and Febreze my bed, put lotion on my eyelashes, and spritz myself with Victoria’s Secret Love Spell body splash every day. (I have since ditched the Lysol spray, and switched the Love Spell for Secret Charm, but yes, I’m still OCD about these things.) 

24. I went to an all girls high school and lived in an all girls dorm freshman and sophomore year of college, before living in apartments with all girls. Maybe this is why I’ve never had a real boyfriend? (Awww!)

25. Secretly, I want to be a Pussycat Doll when I grow up. Or a Bond Girl. Okay, okay, maybe not so secretly… (Embarrassing. Now I’d say a “Dancing With the Stars” professional would be more ideal.)