I've Been Bad...

I have been a very bad blogger as of recent! I do a lot of reading blog posts and not enough writing blog posts. I have major respect for bloggers, because it is tough work! I  have so much I want to say, but life tends to get in the way. Today for example,

I woke up early, went to my yoga class, got a bagel with my lovely friend Caroline and felt amazing. I was planning on blogging, uploading pictures and finally tackling the massive mess that is my bedroom. Instead I laid down for what I thought would be a 15-minute snooze, and woke up 3 hours later. My day was spent and I felt awful! Now I'm attempting to catch up on all the stuff I wanted to do. 

I thought since it was summer break I would have much more free time, but time still flies by every single day! Can't be helped, I suppose. 

But fear not, wonderful blog followers (16 now!), I have recognized my problem and am going to try to make blogging about of my every day routine.

Forgive me? 

More to come later...

Sweet Summer

There truly is nothing like summer days spent out on the water enjoying the beautiful Low Country (or in this case Gulf Coast) weather! My family never were 'river people', but I have been lucky enough to have friends (and a boyfriend!) who love nothing more but to spend any free day out on the water, and I can't say I mind.

I have spent today (and will spend all day tomorrow) back home in Florida with Hunter for a few days. We drove back from Memphis, which I wouldn't recommend. It's a 12 hour car ride. By the end, Hunter and I had talked about every possible topic, played every car game imaginable, and sang everything from Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen to the Space Jam theme song. 

So believe me when I say, after all of the graduation madness, I was ready for some Florida relaxation. Hunter's family moved to a very small fishing town on the Gulf Coast of Florida a year after he graduated from high school. So when I say we relax when we are here. I mean we relax. We fish, go to the pool, eat great, fresh food, take afternoon naps, read and watch movies. Sometimes we even venture out to go get an ice cream cone or try out one of the eclectic restaurants around these parts. My summer/winter trip to visit with his family are always one of the greatest highlights of my vacation. 

So far, we have watched Black Snake Moan, which I was reluctant about at first. I have to say it was a fantastic movie with one of my favorite actors, Samuel L. Jackson. Definitely shocking at times, but I have to say Mr. Jackson was quite the blues musician in the film. 

I also started reading a novel that was recommended to me by Hunter's mom. It's called Saving Henry.

I've only read a chapter and I'm already hooked. I'm not going to say anything about it yet, because I'll post about it when I'm done reading it (hopefully, if you know me at all, you know I have trouble ever completely finishing the books I read--I'm working on it).

Well anyways, it's another early morning of fishing tomorrow, so this will have to be all for now. 

Pictures from Hunter's Graduation and our time in Panacea to come soon!

Gone to Memphis!

Hello from Memphis, TN!

I'm sorry I've been so neglectful to the blog the past few days!

I'm in Memphis for Hunter's graduation from college! It's a pretty crazy thing to think about. It's been a wonderful weekend, surrounded by his family members and friends. It's been a weekend full of love and a lot of laughs. I'm sure I'll have a few pictures from the weekend to show you in one of my next posts.

Sorry this is so short, I'll be sure to post later tonight or tomorrow!

Look out for these blog posts in the very near future:

• Graduation Weekend Recap 
• Charleston Wedding Magazine Spring 2011 Post! (as soon as I have some time to sit down and read it--I need about 2 hours to really enjoy reading it)
• What I'm Loving Right Now
• Recipe Checklist
• Music Review Post 
• and Summer Bucket List!

♥

2010-2011 Recap!

So every time I sit still for 10 minutes and think about the blog, I think of a million things that I want to post about. For this post I was torn between a little nostalgia from the past year (an incredible one at that!) and doing a post about things I'm obsessed with right now.

So here it is, a few snapshots and highlights from last summer and my first year at university (Disclaimer: I might have gone a tad overboard, but what can I say? It was a fabulous year!)

Went on the Europe Trip of a lifetime (pictured in Cologne, Germany)

Julie and I like to think that the older ladies on either side of us were best friends too.

Just to be clear, we actually did this trip two summers ago, but it was just too memorable to leave out.

OK so here's a quick run down: We flew in to Amsterdam, embarked on a Rhine River boat cruise and visited the beautiful cities of Cologne, Heidelberg, The Black Forest and Mannheim, Germany. We then took a train to Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. After our time there, we took another train to Paris, where we spent our last few days together before I left to visit family in England. It was a surreal experience.

I graduated from high school

And reunited with my honey (after 5 months apart! minus one-day visit)

Went to New York City (Wish I had met Bethenny Frankel...my idol!)

I started college in Charleston

Lived with some lovely ladies 

Met some unforgettable people (and future housemates!)

And one gal and I have been through it all (Guess who...)

16 years later and at college together!

And of course Hunter and I reunited a couple more times...

AND finally I had the experience of a lifetime working at Charleston Fashion Week!

(the Spring Bridal Show was absolutely breathtaking.)

So there you have it. That was my year summed up in 11 pictures. Looking back, there were definitely some rough, and very transitional times, but now they all seem so insignificant compared to the life-changing experiences that I had with the people I love. 

Sorry to get so sappy, but it's true! What an amazing support system I have been blessed with.

Until next time...

Mama's Day

Hello hello,

I hope everyone has had a fabulous Mother's Day so far, I know I have. Before I talk about what I did for my mama, let me tell you a little about my weekend.

I honestly can't remember what I did on Friday other than going to work..that's not very promising for this post.

BUT Saturday I got iced coffee and laid out by the pool with my beautiful friend Callie. I'm lucky that she is going to be in Charleston with me next year!

Saturday night after my dearest mother went to bed, I started cooking! If you know me at all, you know this is maybe the second or third time I've ever cooked in my entire life. But I have to tell you, I think I'm a natural!

Quite the housewife, am I right?

I decided on this recipe from Ms. Paula Deen:

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

8 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

40 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash salt
• Praline Topping, recipe follows
• Maple syrup

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well.
(source)

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And here is the finished product:

This is a delicious, and super easy recipe! I should have noticed that the recipe feeds 6 to 8 people, because we have enough french toast casserole to feed an army. One tiny square of this thing with maple syrup, a couple pieces of bacon and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice is more than enough.

But my parents loved it, as did I. I have to say I'm mighty proud of myself.

Blog Design

Hello beautiful blog world,

I'm sorry I didn't get to post yesterday. Today was my first real day of work this summer, so I had to get some beauty sleep. I might have also been in a Mexican food coma, thanks to Cinco de Mayo.

For the past few hours I have been gawking at the blogs I follow, trying to wrap my head around their website design. The photo editing, banners, buttons, side bars, I could go on and on. I have been been attempting to make an original banner for my blog, and I have made some progress! I just want to have a blog that is a majority of my own design, not just the standard templates provided by Blogger. It is only my third day, I shouldn't be too hard on my little blog. It is pretty cute.

If anyone cares to, please comment and give me ANY advice! I would love to hear from you and how you make your blogs beautiful.

So it's Friday! Hip hip and hooray to all those who had a long week of exams or work. My summer started Monday, so I can't claim that I've had a hard week. BUT I have officially started my summer internship, so I am indeed a working woman. I work about 15-20 hours a week, give or take. I'm lucky because my work is very flexible, so I can work three full days or 5 half days or something in between. It's a lot of office work, which I actually enjoy doing. I could be quite the secretary!

Weekends are odd in the summer, because every day is essentially the weekend. I want to make an effort to define my weekends over these summer months by doing fun, relaxing and memorable things!

Tomorrow will be the day I start and FINISH unpacking! I think I might also crack open my fresh new Charleston Wedding magazine (Spring 2011 edition!) and get a little sun.

Sunday is Mother's Day, so I plan on cooking my mama a nice meal. I'm debating between brunch and dinner. I'm also going to write her a letter. We've never really done material gifts in our house for Mother's Day and Father's Day, which I'm happy about because it means I have to put in a little bit more effort.

If you know me at all, you know I'm not an expert cook by any means, but I'm working on it. I love food, Food Network, and food blogs. I dream of a beautiful, clean, fully-stocked kitchen like Ina's on Barefoot Contessa. I'm going to start trying a few recipes this summer, starting on Sunday! I heard of a delicious french toast casserole recipe that I think I might try. Whatever I make, I will be sure to post lots of pictures!

That's it for now!

Goodnight lovely readers...

Day 2

Hello everyone (or Hunter as soon as he becomes my first follower!),

I think I was expecting to have 100 followers as soon as I created this blog, but instead I'm going to have to be begging my loved ones to follow me or at least pretend to for a while, and I'm coming to terms with that.

Today I spent a lazy day at home, and I am still ignoring the piles of unpacked bags that I brought back from college 2 days ago. I should really get on that, but it's quite an undertaking. I think it's about that time for me to be doing a big spring..well summer cleaning. I need to go through my closet and PURGE it. So I can make room for the new things I plan to find at cute yard sales and thrift stores for my little house and closet for next year. I'm living with five (yes, five) other girls in a beautiful historic house in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm beyond excited for it!

I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself I should probably tell you a few things about myself:

• My mother is a wonderful, British lady and my father is a Kenya-born retired British Army man. And I was born in South-Williamson, Kentucky a little after they emigrated to America. Yay for first-generation Americans!
• We moved to beautiful Beaufort, South Carolina when I was a year and a half and I lived there until I was 18 years old.
• I have two older sisters, one who lives in Indiana, and the other in London. I also have three, absolutely beautiful nieces. I couldn't be a prouder Auntie!
• I stayed in the South, choosing to pursue an undergraduate degree at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC, and I cannot get enough of the city. Hands down best place to live. A cosmopolitan city that maintains its Southern charm AND is right on the beach, doesn't get much better.
• I am studying Communication and minoring in Hospitality and Tourism, in hopes of becoming an event planner, specifically weddings.
• I became a tour guide at the College, because I love it so much and I can't resist anything that involves talking to new people. 
• I have some of the best friends someone could ask for, most of them stayed close, but one special gal moved to Pittsburgh. Separation anxiety is an understatement. 
• Oh yeah, I knew I was forgetting someone. I have a wonderful boyfriend of almost two years (if you count all the courting and what not) and his name is Hunter. We've also been long distance for the majority of that time, and it has been one of the most amazing, as well as difficult experiences of my life thus far, but in July we will be long distance no more! He's going to grad school in Charleston. With this guy, things always seem to fall into place. I couldn't be luckier. 
• I'm back in Beaufort for the summer working at my town's land conservation organization, and plan on spending my days reading Charleston Wedding magazine out in the sun, trying my hand at cooking and getting this blog up and running. Oh and a two-week trip to England to meet my newest niece and attend my sister's wedding! 

It should be quite a summer, and I'm so ready to see what the rest of this year brings me. I hope you guys will enjoy being along for the ride!

Here are a few pictures just in case you are curious:

And that's all for this post! Can't wait for my next, I can feel a blogging obsession forming...

Summer Resolutions

Hello everyone! *painful silence*

Well, not everyone just yet. Hopefully this will eventually turn into a blog people enjoy reading. This blog is more for me right now anyways. In the past year, I have become slightly obsessed with blogs. I find that they have a certain charm that other popular networking sites have lost. I finally bit the bullet, and decided to start my own blog! I was surprisingly nervous and had to mull over the idea for weeks, because I just never thought what I had to say was interesting or edgy enough to put in a blog. This is Day 1 of my first summer back from college and I decided tonight was the night!

I want this to be a place for me to document my day-to-day life, aspirations and the things that inspire me. I hope to explore my love of event planning, weddings, fashion and food along with a little insight into my life as a young woman in the South.

I will post tomorrow with a little summary of my pre-blog life, and brainstorm things I hope to do with this blog baby of mine.


Charlotte