October Review

Well, it's midway through November, so it seems about right to finally recap October, right?!  Looking back, writing this review just makes me tired.  I have no idea how, over the course of 7 weekends through September and October, we were gone for 6 of them (the seventh being Hurricane Flo).  Needless to say, when we got back about halfway through the month of October, we did all of... nothing.  And it was magical.

My birthday started the month, and Mike definitely made the big 3-0 special.  We met up with friends for happy hour, then he drove me all around downtown Charleston in circles to surprise me for dinner.  Well, apparently he was giving time for our friends at the happy hour to get to dinner, and a whole bunch of additional friends were waiting for my favorite - hibachi!  He also made me a delicious cake, themed with my favorite movie: 13 Going On 30.  He's a good one :)

The next two weekends we were in Minneapolis and Cape Cod for our final two weddings of the year.  They were both absolutely beautiful, and Mike was a very handsome best man for the second time this year!  

Spending time in New England is always my favorite this time of year, but when we got back, I could not wait to relax (aka not leave my house for like 2 weeks straight - haha).  I made my favorite soup, and when we got stir-crazy enough, we walked around Charleston to see all of the pretty fall decor!

There's nothing better than fall treats, and October always gets me.  Halloween candy is still flowing at our house, Second State has the best candy corn latte, and I can never pass up a festive donut!  Plus, Kelley hosted a super fun cookie decorating class with Emy.  If you are in the area and looking for the most beautiful (and delicious) cookies - definitely look her up!

And now, we are already almost at Thanksgiving!  I can't wait for my family to get into town this weekend and to eat ALL of the delicious food!

August In Review

Happy Monday Tuesday!  I love long weekends so much for the short weeks that supersede them.  It's been another awesome month, and I refuse to believe that summer is unofficially over.

Northeast trip (that I've already posted about ad nauseam), but in case you missed any of our adventures, here are the links to my posts: trip update, Rhode Island summer food, and Northeast breweries.

While in Charleston, there were lots of favorite restaurant visits: Goat. Sheep. Cow., Taco Boy (omg that letter board below - hahaha), BkedShop, and Vintage Coffee - my favorite acai bowl in town!

Unfortunately, we had a death in the family last month.  Our betta, Charlie passed away.  He jumped out of the tank when we weren't home.  Apparently it's a thing - anyone else have a betta do that?!  Well, we got a new fishy, Delta, and I made sure not to fill the water up nearly as high in our tank as I had been!  Photos of Delta coming soon!

I cannot wait for the NFL to start this week!  So far, I'm through 2 of my 4 drafts with another tonight and the last one tomorrow night.  Last week, we hosted one of the drafts at our house with an ah-mazing (if I do say so myself) cheese board with items from Trader Joe's.  If you want to see the method to my madness when it comes to TJ's cheese & charcuterie, click here for my favorite products!

And to finish out the month this weekend, we celebrated my sweet friend, Hillary's birthday on Friday night.  How pretty does that cake from Wild Flour Pastry look?!  It was just as delicious as you'd imagine!

Fashion Week(ending)

I hope everyone had a fun St. Patty's Day weekend (we celebrated St. Catty's Day at our house - haha!)!  For the second year, I had the opportunity to attend Lexus Charleston Fashion Week (here is my post from last year).  Seriously, what a blast!  It's so much fun to see emerging designers, a young model competition, and featured designers like Yigal Azrouel.  Below are my looks I shared on Instagram from Friday and Saturday nights:

I was really excited to style two new pairs of earrings from Piqued PR clients, Shiver & Duke and Brynn Hudson Jewelry.  You can shop both styles below:

ankle pants ||| boots ||| blouse (similar) ||| earrings c/o Shiver & Duke ||| wedges ||| dress ||| earrings c/o Brynn Hudson Jewelry

Since it's been a while since I did a real life update, I thought I'd share a few more photos of recent happenings... first, the aftermath of Mike's birthday party last weekend.  Thanks to all of our friends who made it over to celebrate.

You might have seen my Instagram last week (thanks, Dunkin' Donuts!) of my new favorite coffee.  Dunkin' recently introduced Girl Scout Cookie flavored coffees available in everything hot to iced.  I am obsessed with the Thin Mints variety, and they also have caramel & coconut and peanut butter cookie.  They're available until May, so make sure you check them out!

And last but not least, a few new favorites from our neighborhood brewery, Charles Towne Fermentory.  They just released cans of a delicious peach and passionfruit gose - yum!

Life Lately - Three Favorite Places

Happy Monday!  I thought I'd throw a little life update your way today while I'm enjoying an extra weekend day.  I had to work all day at an event on Saturday, so this it's nice to still have a two-day weekend.  If you follow me on Instagram (@megd_taylor), some of this might be a repeat for you, but here's everything we've been up to recently at a few of our favorite places...

One: Avondale - If you saw my post last Friday (here's the link, if you missed it), I introduced you to one of my favorite neighborhoods in Charleston.  Avondale is close to our home, so we make a point of getting there at least a couple times per week.  Most recently, it's been for a can release and for my current favorite brunch, both at the Fermentory.  

Two: King Street - So many of our favorite places are on King Street downtown.  We were at SEWE this weekend with a stop at Kudu for tea and beer, I went to a fun opening party for a new space at Skinny Dip Charleston (hello Bib.On donut wall!), and we almost always head down each month for Second Sunday when the street is closed and lots of extra vendors are set up down the street.  Doesn't that fried chicken mac and cheese from Mac Daddy look amazing?!?

Three: Home - Mike rearranged our living room furniture before the Super Bowl to make room for extra seating, and I am loving how wide open the room feels.  Plus, we bought these new bar stools from Target, and you seriously cannot beat the price.  Our whole first floor is definitely getting a mid century modern feel!  Of course, I had to re-share the photos I posted in Instagram last week of the cats in their Lilly dress.  Funniest thing ever!  I'm in a Lilly swap group on Facebook, and someone had this made for their dog.  She outgrew it, so I got it for the girls!  And, last but not least - Charlie!  I love that little fish, and he loves his little leaf shelf that Mike bought - definitely a welcomed addition!!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Summer Brights

With all of the rain we've been getting in Charleston over the last couple of days, it's truly starting to feel like summer in this city.  For those who don't know, we pretty much get storms every afternoon throughout the summertime, so this weather isn't a surprise.  Honestly, it just confirms that summer is here!  Luckily, last weekend was beautiful: sunny and in the 80s.  As I mentioned in my weekend recap, Mike and I headed downtown on Saturday for a walk around some of our favorite streets South of Broad.  I just love this area.  There is nothing commercial, just historic homes and plenty of shade for a warm May day.

Recently, I've been feeling extra summery, wearing as many bright colors as I can.  This romper is from the Victoria Beckham x Target collection, and I have to admit, I woke up at 3am to shop to line the morning it released (and bought it in two sizes, just in case, to make sure I had the right fit).  I am a little embarrassed to say that now, since it's still currently available (and on sale), but at least I got it.  When I first saw the collaboration, I fell in love with the scalloping and pockets on this piece.  To break up with bold, solid color a bit, I paired it with this adorable tassel clutch I received at the April Charleston Blog Society event.  Escapada Living graciously hosted our group, and we were all treated to a fantastic talk by their PR team and Rachel all about blogs + businesses.  And if that's not enough local Charleston love, those pretty little earrings are from last week's CBS gathering at E. Blackhurst, just up the street from where we took these photos on King.

This look is really my go-to for the summer:  1. There's no use straightening my hair, because the humidity is through the roof.  2. I love putting on something comfortable that I don't have to fuss with.  3. Makeup is as minimal as possible with a heavy load of sunscreen underneath (FYI I just started using this sheer lotion and love it!), and 4. Comfortable shoes are it for me, and these slip-on Converses are my favorite right now.  Walking is the absolute best way to get around Charleston, and it's definitely worth it to burn a few calories and enjoy all the delicious food we have to offer afterwards.  I can't wait for more afternoons like this all summer.

Shop my look: Victora Beckham x Target romper ||| Escapada Living Pacific Clutch ||| Slip On Chuck Taylors ||| Plano earrings ||| Gold pineapple necklace