Zooming Zamboni 201/365

We had fresh avacado and egg for breakfast and got in a little more laundry before heading out for the day. We picked up Ethan and went into the city for the Checkers game. We had to get there early because Ethan was riding the Zamboni before the game! We got to go down behind the scenes before the game. We watched the teams warming up on the ice with our faces pressed to the glass. Ethan even got to meet the coach during warmups. Then it was off to get ready for the Zamboni ride. Ethan climbed right up and I grabbed a picture of him and Tyler right before he headed onto the ice. They put his picture on the jumbo screen during his ride and he said it wasn't even that cold while they were out there.

Ethan also got to hang out in an NBA hoop and we grabbed a picture of him in front of Michael Jordan's locker. And to think...this was ALL before the game even started!

It was a low scoring game that ended in a tie. We had to leave to take Ethan home before the shootout but our friend Patrick let us know that the Checkers won! We dropped Ethan off at 5 and luckily made it home right before the skies opened up. We napped while the rain fell and woke up to finish watching basketball. We had leftovers for dinner and relaxed before another work week. It was an action packed weekend but we had a great time trying some new things and watching Ethan enjoy the Zamboni ride. :)

Ready to Roar 200/365

We woke up Saturday morning and got our busy day started. Tyler headed out to take care of the first yard mow of spring. I know he's enjoyed the winter off, but our yard was definitely ready for it's warm weather haircut! While he took care of that, I threw in some laundry and got ready to take Tess to the vet...her most dreaded of car trips. Poor thing, she gets in the car and loves the short drive with her ears blowing in the wind. But as soon as we pull into the parking lot and the windows go up, she starts to cry and puts on the break. This huge creature who usually jumps over top of us to get out of the car first, just stands in the back seat hoping I will turn around and drive us back home. The vet was quick and easy, even if Tess didn't think so as she stood for the entire visit with her nose to the exit door in the exam room. She got vaccinated and was an unhappy statue for her annual checkup. She's lost about 6 pounds since her last visit and they are pleased that her waist is taking shape again. About 5 more pounds and we will be at grown Lab perfection! FINALLY we got to leave and head back home to the parent that is growing more and more to be her favorite...the one that doesn't sit on the floor and tell her it's going to be okay while the vet checks under her tail.

Next, we were off to the Drag Strip. What a cool experience! For the first time in NHRA history, each heat was 4 cars wide. This made for some precise timing with the race teams and some exciting finishes for the fans. We wore earmuffs as the cars flew down the track and rattled the entire building. I jumped out of my seat when the first hood flew off one of the cars and 3 of the 4 cars caught fire. We watched the crew take apart and put back together one of the funny cars while we grabbed some lunch. It was a REALLY cool experience and we enjoyed the afternoon outside!

We went to the grocery store on our way home from the track in preparation for our Fry-Fest! I bought Tyler a fryer for Hannukah and we have yet to use it. So, we decided to go ALL OUT! With a little help from my uncle and our good friend Carrie, we bought everything we needed to make potato chips, fried pickles, fried shrimp and fried oysters. What a great time we had slicing and marinating, flouring and frying. Everything really did turn out great! We loved the sweet potato chips, pickles and oysters especially and can't wait to fry up a storm this summer!

Something New 199/365

We were both VERY happy to see the end of our work week on Friday. With Tyler's weekend away at the race and my summit for work, we had both had extra long work weeks! We had plans to throw a flank steak on the grill, open a great bottle of wine, and work on planning the details of our anniversary trip. And that is exactly what we did! Our trip is sneaking up on us, so it's time to nail down some details. We worked on making a list of things we want to do and see...but really we can't wait to just be there! Before we headed to bed I grabbed this shot of our tickets for the next day. Tyler has been to an NHRA event before but this would be my first and I was surprisingly looking forward to it!

Absence of Light 198/365

On Thursday after work I was headed back to my photography class and Tyler went home to hang with Tess. We learned about "finding your light" this week and I couldn't believe how helpful the 3 hour session was! I continue to love every week and am loving being a sponge...trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible. We practiced with diffused window lighting indoors until dusk settled in. We learned how to find light and use it to enhance our subject. While we were focusing on the presence of light...it's always nice to learn the contrast as well. I just love this profile silhouette!

Beautiful Buds 197/365

I could not wait to get home from work on Wednesday because it was completely GORGEOUS outside! Tyler headed to the gym and I went home to sit outside and read...something, anything! I just wanted to be outside. I ended up enjoying conversation with my neighbors and snapping pictures until Tyler came home. I loved the pictures I captured from the tree in our front yard and had a tough time choosing my favorite. I, for one, can not wait until most days are like Wednesday...please stick around this time, Spring!

Oh My Onion 196/365

Just when I thought that my Monday evening with Tyler could not have been more perfect, Tuesday rolled around and the smiles just continued. Tyler was planning to head to the gym and I was in charge of a MUCH NEEDED trip to the grocery store. I emailed Tyler the list to see if he had any additions and he responded back suggesting we go to the Japanese steak house for dinner. This is definitely not something we do often but for the past couple of weeks, I have been CRAVING it! I happily agreed and responded to his email with several exclamation points and smiley faces. So Tyler went home to let Tess out, I ran to the grocery store, and then we were off to dinner. It was just us and another couple at our table but we had a great time and a fun chef. He even let me know when it would be best to capture the volcano onion in all it's glory!

Luckiest Girl 195/365

Monday was the second day of my Summit at work and I could NOT WAIT to get home afterwards because Tyler would be back! He tied everything up in Asheville Monday morning and then headed back to Charlotte. I was so happy to see him that I didn't even notice the gift bag that he had sitting on our bed for me. Tyler travels for work quite a bit and I never expect gifts, so this was a definite surprise! He went shopping in the Spa at the Grove Park Inn where he was staying and I ended up with awesome goodies! In addition to the oil, lotion and salt in the picture below, I also got the warmest socks and a massage DVD. My husband home AND a great gift all in the same day...could I be any luckier?! We ordered in pizza and enjoyed an afternoon that magically managed to feel like a Sunday. :)

Co-Working 194/365

Tess and I woke up early Sunday morning to drive back to Charlotte for a "Summit" for my office. Tyler was also up bright and early for day 2 of racing in Bristol. I dropped Tess at the house and had just enough time to collect my thoughts before I headed down into the city and over to the office. About half of the people I work with, do not work in the office or even in Charlotte. So, once a year, we get everyone together for a "summit." We worked all day Sunday and then headed out to dinner at Maggiano's. It was family style Italian and COMPLETELY fabulous! It's great having everyone in town and we enjoyed getting to know eachother a little more.

The Lineup 193/365

Tyler was up early Saturday morning and on his way to Bristol for the race. Meanwhile, mom and I enjoyed a tasty breakfast at Tex and Shirley's and then headed home to finish getting the house and ourselves ready for the shower. The other hosts arrived around 1pm to bring the food and the finishing touches and then guests started arriving at 2pm. We drank pink champagne, chatted, played games and unwrapped gifts. The food was fabulous and the desserts were to die for. Not to mention we had beautiful spring weather which allowed everyone to pull sundresses and sandals out from the depths of the closet. 

When it was time to take all of Maggie's goodies out to the car, I couldn't help but follow everyone out to grab a picture. You know it's a great afternoon when the heels come off. :)

What's in a Name 192/365

I packed up from work on Friday, drove north to pick up Tess and my suitcase, and headed to Greensboro to spend the weekend. My dad had taken Sophie to the beach, so it was just mom, Tess and I relaxing at home on Friday night. We had incredible chicken pot pie and then sat down with a bottle of wine to finish name tags and bows on champagne glasses for the shower we were helping to host the next day. We caught up while we worked and even made it through a fast forwarded version of the Bachelor wedding on DVR.

While we were relaxing, Tyler's weekend festivities for work were just getting underway. He was hosting a group of people in Asheville for race weekend in Bristol and Friday night was the welcome reception. After the reception he spent some time down in the Piano Bar and then called it a night because Saturday would be a long day at the race.

Magnificent Momma 191/365

Tyler left Thursday morning for race weekend in Asheville and Bristol. After work, I was off to week 2 of my photography class. We reviewed our homework and then took advantage of our small class and the light outside. Shooting for an hour of the class completely confirmed my desire to wait until March to take this course. It was so great to get out for some hands on learning with our instructor Emilie. We had to take turns being the model and had so much fun walking around in search of great spots and great light. The picture of the day is of Meg, a gorgeous mother of 3. I loved the texture of this wall and enjoyed capturing her sweet smiles.

Switch It Change It 190/365

I headed straight home from work on Wednesday to finish our taxes. I poured myself a glass of wine (it had been one of those days) and headed upstairs to get some work done. About 20 minutes later, Tyler walked in the door...what a great surprise! Since we had talked about rearranging our family room during our drive home from Greensboro on Sunday, he made the brilliant suggestion of moving some furniture around on Wednesday. I happily welcomed the suggestion as it allowed me to put off the taxes for a couple more hours! We move once, twice and three times and this is where we are at now. It's still not quite right but it's something we can live with. It feels like a whole new room and I'm excited to see how it turns out in the end. After dinner it was back upstairs to finish the taxes but they didn't seem quite so bad because there is something very refreshing about a little rearranging!

All Rolled Up 189/365

We came straight home from work on Tuesday and met the Lange family for dinner at Brixx. Lincoln's bright eyes took in the view around us while we caught up over pizza and another birthday celebration for Tyler. We headed home so I could finish editing Dana and Jake's engagement pictures...which I am definitely loving! I can't wait to give them to her this weekend and I'm looking forward to hopefully taking more in Greensboro once the warmer weather is here to stay! On my way downstairs for bed, I grabbed this picture of our blankets all rolled up together. The clean and simple things tend to make me smile. :)

Beginning to Bloom 188/365

We went to work as usual on Monday, missing our weekend as always. It was our first workday since the time change and I could not wait to take advantage of the daylight that would still be available after 5. I had some homework to do for my photography class, so I convinced Tyler to come straight home to be my subject. He was SUCH a great sport! We were supposed to take pictures of the basic portrait poses, for men and women. Since I only have a man, Tyler threw on a wig from halloween, accompanied by a headband, and sat for my women poses too. Silly moments like that make me realize that I could not be luckier...talk about TRUE love! In exchange for the getup, I promised Tyler a foot massage and swore that I would not post the pictures on the blog...or facebook. The only people who could see them were the women in my class. With that being the case, I snapped this picture in our yard after I was finished with my homework. I am loving daylight after 5 and can't get enough of these hints of spring!

Hello to Spring 187/365

Tyler's parents left Greensboro early on Sunday morning because they had a long drive back to Florida ahead of them. We stayed in Greensboro for brunch and booked our hotel for Maggie and George's wedding in Charleston before heading back to Charlotte. After a quick grocery trip, we settled in at the house and enjoyed the rest of our Sunday. I grabbed this picture of my fabulous Hello Robertson headband because I L-O-V-E it and think everyone should have one!

Well NOW you can!

Two of my girlfriends from design school have started this amazing business! You can visit Hannah and Kelly on the web at Hello Robertson to check out their FABULOUS headbands, bobby pins, necklaces and more! What better way to get ready for the Spring season than with an amazing new treat. These make great gifts and perfect Easter basket stuffers. Treat yourself to something new and grab some goodies for the girls in your life too! And just because you follow me and I love them, purchase now and enter the code LINDSAYKEY at checkout to receive 10% OFF of your entire purchase!

I snagged a few pictures from their website so I could show you MY favorites!

Coral is the PERFECT spring time accessory!

Regina adds so much personality to any outfit! 

I am LUSTING after Emmy!

And check out their Black-Label for special events so you can party with Antoinette!

(She is 100% silk and completely GORGEOUS!)

Sorry for the long post but this deal is too good not to share! Their pricing is awesome and don't forget to use code LINDSAYKEY for 10% off your entire purchase at Hello Robertson! 

End of Greatness 186/365

We woke up Saturday morning, got packed up, and headed over to Greensboro. We dropped our things and pups at my parents house and headed to lunch. We always love getting our families together and while we definitely missed Amy and Tracy, it was a lot of fun for the 6 of us to spend the day together. After a tasty lunch outside, the guys headed off to the ACC Tournament. They wore an assortment of colors in support of their teams, but my Dad, in his Duke blue polo, was sadly the only one who had a team to pull for that day. They stayed for the exciting first game and left early from the second.

While they were enjoying ACC basketball, I was shopping with our moms. We made a couple of stops around Friendly and then headed to our favorite Paparazzi. We had some shopping luck and had a great time together. We picked the guys up from the tournament and headed home. We shared wine and cheese around the house and got ready for dinner out. The restaurant was PACKED with basketball fans from all over and we got very lucky with a table tucked away in the corner. We shared salads and stories and drank some great wine. The food was incredible as always and the entire dining room sang happy birthday to Tyler when they brought out our dessert.

My dad brought Tyler's favorite wine for us to drink with dinner and of course it didn't disappoint. It was the last bottle of '94 Caymus we will probably ever drink and we couldn't have been in better company. We drank every drop and snapped a picture to remember. What a fabulous day with our amazing parents. We are so lucky to have your footsteps to follow in and it means the world to us that getting together is so easy and always so much fun.

The Last Minute 185/365

Tyler took the day off on Friday because his parents were coming in town to spend the weekend with us. They arrived in the morning, after driving part of the way the night before, and they all headed down into the city to meet me for lunch. After lunch it was back to the house for them and back to work for me. Tyler and his dad watched basketball while his mom went out to get her hair cut. I met them after work and we headed out to dinner at one of our favorite sushi restaurants. Our plan after dinner was to head down into the city to watch the FSU basketball game. We got in the car and started driving, but the rain storm had taken a turn for the worst. We were halfway there and could barely see the road in front of us. Cars were pulling over to wait it out and we decided it made more sense to turn around and settle in at home. I dozed in and out during the game and I do remember Diane asking me if we had taken a picture yet. I'm sure I mumbled that we hadn't and then closed my eyes again. After the disappointing game, we let Tess out and headed to bed. We were laying there with the lights out when it hit me...NO PICTURE! I swung my legs onto the floor and went to grab my camera. Tyler let me know I had made it with only minutes to spare.

We have been talking about an 11:59pm picture for a while, but the opportunity has never actually presented itself. Well, here it was...opportunity knocking! By the time I got my camera and checked my settings, the only other time I could have grabbed on my clock was 11:58. I figured we might as well go for the one we've been waiting for!

Romance of the Road 184/365

Thursday was Tyler's first full day as a 26 year old, and my first night of my new photography class. I'm starting an 8-week long portraiture class and I am so looking forward to it. There are 5 other women in my class and I have the same instructor from my intro course. It seems like a fun group already! We learned the basics of posing tonight and then went downstairs to shoot an event in the gallery for fun. I didn't bring my zoom lens with me so I had to get creative with my shots. I took the picture below of the musician reflected in one of the photographs hanging in the gallery. I also came home to a vacuumed house and clean bathrooms...pretty hard to beat that!

Meatloaf Wishes 183/365

Wednesday was Tyler's 26th Birthday! For the past couple of years, Tyler has requested meatloaf for dinner...and I have never tried to make it. Something about meatloaf NEVER appealed to me. But I get a daily email with a 30-minute recipe, and a few weeks back the one that popped into my inbox was for mini meat loaves. So I decided to cave in and make them for Tyler's birthday. And let me just say, as the BIG nay-sayer, they were AWESOME! The recipe made 3 little loaves and they turned out so good. Tyler brought home extra cookie cake (yes, MORE cookie cake) from the office, so I decided to have him blow out a candle in his meatloaf.

I love you Tyler and I hope you get everything you wish for. You deserve everything you can dream of and I'm just so lucky to be along for the ride. Here's to a fabulous 26 and many more to come.

Pretty Pair 182/365

We've had so many fun things to look forward to all week that I really forget what we did on Tuesday! I know I went shopping for a birthday gift for my sister...and cards for her and Tyler. And then we made awesome panko crusted fish for dinner. And then...I took a picture of our shoes. :)

Fabulously Fresh 181/365

On Monday it was back to work...but there was TONS of excitement for Chicken Taco night! We got home from work and got rolling on dinner. The chicken was coated in spices and cooked on the stove. While that was happening, delicous, fresh and colorful produce was chopped to make the salsa. I've never cooked with mango before, but I can't wait to scour through new recipes for this sweet and tasty ingredient! We decided we would happily top almost anything with this great salsa! Dinner was a great treat and the perfect start to our adventure of pulling things from our box!

Amazin' Racin' 180/365

We had a very productive Sunday! We got lots of things done around the house in aniticpation for Tyler's parents coming in town. We also ran errands and stocked up on groceries for the week. We ALSO pulled our first activity out of our box! It said to "cook something new." We already had ribs thawing for Sunday's dinner, so we decided to cook something new on Monday night. Just wait until you see how our Chicken Tacos turned out! The ribs were fabulous and since it was Sunday, we cozied up to watch our fantasy teams on the Amazing Race. The Amazing Race is one of our favorite shows. And what's the best way to make something you love even better?? Just add a fantasy draft and compete against eachother all season long! After the first show, we drafted our teams. We get points each week based on how our teams finish. Tyler took a commanding lead after Sunday's show, but I still have faith that my favorites will take him down in the end!

Shining Love 179/365

Tyler woke up Saturday morning excited to go pick up Ethan. They headed to Discovery place and walked through some of the open exhibits. Then it was off to grab some burgers for lunch. They always have a great time together and Saturday was no exception. While they were hanging out, I met Mandie and Drew for lunch. Mandie had some office spaces she had designed that she needed pictures of. I snapped a couple shots for her portfolio and enjoyed catching up with her and Drew.

Tyler and I met up at home for a couple of hours and did some things around the house. I put together a lasagna for dinner and then was off to pick up Dana and Jake for a fun photo shoot in the beautiful weather! We lucked out with such a great day outside and a ton of fun walking around the city. :) They were great sports and were very patient with me. I love so many shots and have my fingers crossed that they will find one they love for their save the dates. I don't want to spoil one of the pictures they are going to use but I know they want a closeup so I think I am safe to share my favorite. Jake and Dana, thank you for being up for anything and for letting me make you blush. I had a ball and hope you'll find one you love!

Tyler and I enjoyed a quiet night in with our lasagna and Tess. We loved watching a documentary about the relationship between Magin Johnson and Larry Bird and nibbled on the quick-to-disappear cookie cake. It was just what we needed before our spring schedule starts to go into overdrive.

Cookie Cake 178/365

After work on Friday we headed over to Andrea and Jeremy's for dinner. Andrea calls Tyler and I her guinea pigs for new recipes and we are always thrilled when she calls and invites us to try something new! We got to spend a little time with Lincoln before she went to bed and it's crazy to see how big she is getting. She is a very smiley kid we had some serious bonding time over Good Night Moon before they put her down. Dinner was fabulous, as always, and Tyler decided to give his birthday week a start with a great cookie cake for dessert. He snapped this picture after we dug in and made a pretty good dent. We're already looking forward to a week and weekend filled with celebrating!

Ears Lowered 177/365

We went to work as usual on Thursday and afterwards Tyler headed to the gym and I went home to let Tess out. Then it was off to get my haircut! It would be embarassing to tell you how long it's been since the last time I got my hair cut. So let's just say its been a while...a loooong while. I was definitely due! And I was ready for a change. 6 inches later...a completely new look! Well, a much shorter look. :) Then it was back to the house for a late dinner with Tyler and a quick picture to remember my haircut by.

A Thousand Words 176/365

Someone wise once said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” If this is true, then our blog has over one hundred and seventy five thousand words, which would probably qualify it as the longest book I have ever read. One hundred days ago, on day seventy six, we forgot to take a picture. Today, on day one hundred and seventy six, we managed to make the same mistake again. So, instead of a picture, we have decided to give you one thousand words to describe our day. This decision came after our initial disappointment, which was followed by smiles that we somehow did this again exactly one hundred days after the first time. Trust us when we say that pictures are much easier than words and we plan to stick with them for the rest of our year.

We woke up this morning hoping that the snow we received on Tuesday had continued through the night causing a snow coma in Charlotte. We crossed our fingers for work delays and hoped for an extra hour or two in bed. But sadly, when we got up, everything seemed like normal. We both got ready and I left for work a little early just to make sure I arrived on time in case there were any traffic delays. Lindsay showered, got dressed, packed lunch and as she was about to walk out the door, she checked her Blackberry. There it was, the extra hour of sleep she had hoped for, in the form of a text message saying that the office would be opening an hour late. It was too late for the extra sleep so she relaxed and enjoyed the time at home with Tess.

My day was filled with a new challenge at work; I was attempting to create my first poster for a client’s promotion. I have reviewed and given input on several posters and other “point of purchase” materials since I started this job, but this was the first time that I would create a poster using Photoshop and Illustrator myself. With the help from a co-worker or two, I was able to complete the poster without too much trouble, especially for a Photoshop beginner. On most days we would include a picture of the poster, but today I can only use words to describe how the poster turned out and you will have to take my word for it. AWESOME!

Lindsay got into work at nine o’clock and began her day like most other days, except an hour later. She was really looking forward to her lunch hour so she could call her mom. Lindsay and her mom are more like each other than any mother and daughter most people will ever meet. Lindsay’s parents have been in St. Martin for five days, so Lindsay had been looking forward to the hour long conversation to catch up with her Mom.

After work ended, we both headed home excited about the porterhouse steak I had bought at Harris Teeter the day before. Unfortunately, I forgot that the gas tank for the grill was completely empty. I got home first and let Tess out, grabbed the empty gas tank and our Harris Teeter recyclable bags (we try to do our part in saving the planet) and jumped into Lindsay’s car when she pulled into the driveway. We didn’t have anything planned for dinner for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, so we went ahead and bought food for those meals while we were out.

For anybody that is wondering, the word count at the end of the last paragraph is five hundred and eighty eight words.

Once we got home from the grocery store, we unpacked all of the groceries and put them away. Lindsay joked that she would take care of anything that didn’t have to go in the refrigerator or the freezer. Since everything we got except two things had to be kept cold, I ended up doing most of the unpacking. I had rented the movie 2012 the day before and after the groceries were put away we decided that tonight would be a good time to watch it. The movie is two and half hours long, so there are not many days when we don’t have anything going on and can watch a movie that long.

We enjoyed splitting the huge steak with our two different sides. Lindsay had an avocado and I enjoyed a baked sweet potato. We continued to watch the movie until around eight forty five when we threw it on pause so we could tune into the last five minutes of the Florida State basketball game against Wake Forest. I had been getting updates on my Blackberry during the movie, but wanted to watch the last couple of minutes on TV. The game was a nail biter and a close one until the final second. Florida State made two free throws with two seconds remaining to go up by four and to ultimately win the game. It was a big win for the team on Senior Night and it probably put the Noles into the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.

After the game ended and a couple of high fives were exchanged between Lindsay and I, we turned the movie back on and watched the last forty five minutes. After witnessing man kind avoid complete extinction for the fourth time in my life (Independence Day, Armageddon and Zombieland), we were emotionally drained. Nothing really takes the energy out of you like cheering your favorite team to victory and learning how to save you and your family from the end of the world. So, we decided to call it a night. We must have been beyond tired, because we went straight to bed without taking a picture exactly one hundred days after we had forgotten the first time. We can definitely promise that we will be cooking up something pretty special for day two hundred and seventy-six.

Biscuit Searching 175/365

Luckily, what Monday lacked in excitement, Tuesday happily made up for! In addition to the snow falling all day, we also had a family date night with Steve, Erica and Norm the pug. They picked up pizza on their way to our house and while the boys played wii, the dogs played in the snow and Erica and I got to chat and catch up. Tess and Norm are great playmates. When one gets tired, the other one just lays down to rest as well. And Norm found safety on top of our couch. Then, when he realized that made him closer to the biscuit jar...well he just couldn't stay away. Tess hates the camera but Norm just LOVES it! I enjoyed having a willing subject and he enjoyed all of the treats. We had such a fun night and can't wait to do a family play date again soon. :)

Ice Ice Baby 174/365

On Monday, it was back to work. We had dinner at home and were happy to have our shows back on now that the Olympics are over. We did enjoy watching the Olympics for 2 weeks, but we always miss "How I Met Your Mother" when it isn't on. The picture below is of Tyler's glass of ice water. Sometimes...there just isn't any inspiration. Mondays are tough...

Gotta Shoot Gates 173/365

Tyler and I were the first ones up on Sunday so we headed out for a walk because it was BEAUTIFUL outside! I loved the area where we were staying and enjoyed snapping pictures while we strolled. Tyler smiled as he pointed out that I wasn't walking past a single gate without grabbing it's picture. I realized he was definitely right but continued on my way...snapping gate after gate. How can the same object look so different on each house? We had such a fun stroll and met up with everyone back at the hotel for a meeting with the photographer.

After the meeting, it was off to brunch! We walked through the market and made a quick stop at the rooftop bar at the Vendue Inn for Bloody Marys and then headed to brunch. High Cotton was delicious...like it always is! It is the second place that we have visited during all 3 of our trips to Charleston. After brunch we stopped at Maggie's favorite sweet shop and headed back to the hotel. It was time for us to head back to Charlotte and have our great weekend away come to an end. Tess was thrilled to see us when we came back! We stayed in for dinner and to unwind from the weekend. We had such a great time and are already working on planning another trip with the same group.

Street Keys 172/365

We woke up early Saturday morning for a wedding planning filled day! Our first stop was the wedding venue to meet with the event coordinator there. We set a location for the ceremony and discussed the reception setup. George even had us mapping out dance floor sizes like a real pro. :) After our meeting, we walked the grounds and I was in heaven. If I am missing on wedding day...I will be off snapping pictures around the beautiful plantation. Next we were off to a tasting with the caterer. Tyler and I never did a tasting for our wedding so we don't have anything for comparison sake. But this tasting was HUGE! We tasted 10 of the 12 items Maggie sent them. And we tasted in full portions. We pretty much rolled ourselves out of there because everything was completely fabulous! I don't even know how you decide what to serve, but I promise you this...Tyler and I will be among the first in line come wedding day! Luckily for the entourage, it was now nap time! Maggie and George headed out to meet with the officiant while the rest of us happily napped off our meal. Then the girls were off to a meeting with the florist who was absolutely delightful. Maggie has definitely managed to surround herself with some laid back and perfectly sweet vendors!

We got changed for the night and headed out to see 3 different possible rehearsal dinner venues. We stopped in for a drink at a wine bar. Atmosphere was great but not quite what they are looking for. From there we headed to dinner (yes, more food!) at a different restaurant. On our way, we passed a locksmith with decorated concrete outside the store. You know we couldn't resist a picture of the keys. :) Dinner was so tasty and the location is a definite contender for the rehearsal dinner! After dinner we were off for more drinks at the 3rd venue. Maggie and George loved this one but unfortunately, we came home to find it is already booked. It was a LONG day of planning and tasting and meeting but so much was accomplished that even the blushing-bride-to-be gave rated her excitement for the day at an 11.

Under an Umbrella 171/365

We got through our workday on Friday and were off to Charleston! With the short drive in from Charlotte, we arrived with plenty of time to check into our great hotel and head out to dinner before everyone else arrived from the other side of NC. Tyler had done some serious research in the morning and selected a place called Pearlz for us to try for dinner. Well it was FABULOUS! We each started with an oyster sampler. Each plate had 4 oysters from 4 different regions. Each of the oysters was paired with a beer on Tyler's plate and a white wine on mine. How perfect! Then Tyler had an incredible plate of fried shrimp while I enjoyed an amazing stacked salad with some of my favorite things! We are so glad we checked it out and I am certain it will be up for a repeat visit on our next trip.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel to meet Maggie, George, Mandy and Ian. Once we got them settled and showed them our wonderful room upgrade, we were off to the rooftop bar. There are 2 places that have been part of all 3 of our trips to Charleston together and this is one of them. It was pretty chilly out but between the plexiglass blocking the wind and the heaters, we were able to enjoy some time overlooking the city. The picture of the day is from our visit to the rooftop bar. After dinner we made a quick stop at Henry's and then called it a night. We knew Saturday would be packed with meetings and meals so we happily slept in anticipation.

So Spoiled 170/365

We came home from work on Thursday and after throwing in some laundry, we got all packed up for our trip to Charleston. We were leaving straight from work on Friday so we were sure to spend some extra time with Tess as we got everything ready to go. I'm sure she doesn't feel very spoiled when we leave with suitcases for the weekend without her, but this sign hangs over her food bowl and it could not be more true. She even has a fabulous pet-sitter who comes to spend time with her everyday while we are out of town. We know she loves visits from Angie even though she throws those sad puppy eyes at us when we leave.

Noles Hoops 169/365

Holy cow I'm a week behind! Tyler took the point and shoot with him to the basketball game last Wednesday and after our Charleston trip this past weekend, I could not find the cord we need to get the images onto the computer. So here it is...LAST Wednesday's picture of the day! Tyler left work a little early and headed to Chapel Hill for the second time in 2 weeks. This time the Seminoles were in town and man did they hand it to the Heels. Tyler was able to catch up with his friend Daniel who works for the UNC Athletic Department and also watch the Noles secure a good conference victory. He drove there and back in one night which made for a very happy wife and pup. :)