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. :)