Turn Down for WHAT

Sooooo, this weekend, we got to live the rich life.  My work had our big golf and gala event out at Kiawah Island, and somehow we hit the jackpot, and they paid for us to stay where the high bidders stayed on Friday and Saturday night: The Sanctuary Hotel, which came with all of the perks.  Yeah, I knew I picked this job for a reason.  It was glorious.  

my day Friday was spent making Bloody Marys, drinking beer, and driving around the golf course

this country club winning my heart with candy bars all over the place 

gala with my team

and this is where we stayed...

room view

you know it's fancy when there's a bathtub with shutters to the main bedroom... and it was a glorious bathtub

The Sanctuary Hotel

I could live like this...

As if turndown service, free drinks, and beautiful views weren't enough, the hotel rented out Mercedes SL 550s for free to guests.  Yeah, we took advantage and cruised back to the Ocean Course for dinner.  

Ocean Course Fizz and seafood for me!

Our mode of transportation changed slightly on Sunday when we went for an 8-mile bike ride down the beach and around the island.

Wedding Wednesday: My Bridal Shower

On Sunday, August 17th, I was back in Connecticut for my bridal shower, among a whirlwind of other wedding to-dos.  My beautiful maid of honor/future sister-in-law put together the most wonderful shower I ever could have imagined.  I was so honored to have fifty family members and friends there to celebrate with me.  We had a delicious buffet lunch, my mom made hundreds and hundreds of cookies to go along with the cake she purchased from my favorite hometown bakery, and everyone played bridal shower bingo while I opened gifts.  I already wrote a post on what I wore but also wanted to share a few photos thanks to my bridesmaids Amanda and Shannon for the awesome photos!

 I cannot wait to see how this "guest book" turns out!!!

my beautiful bridal party!

gift opening & prizes for the gift bingo!

 Liz returned the favor and made me a fantastic ribbon bouquet :)

my Holy Cross friends!

Thanks for everything, ladies!!

well-deserved drinks afterwards :)

Linking up for a couple of Wedding Wednesdays with Mary and Meredith&Jordon!

One Year Ago.

It was exactly one year ago today that the love of my life proposed.  It has been quite the year of ups and downs, and because we made it through this year stronger than ever, I know we can make it through anything.

I cannot believe that I can actually say that we're getting married "next month."  We are finally living in paradise together and from now until September 20th will continue to be one of the greatest whirlwinds of our lives.

I love you, Mike, and I am so happy to have you by my side today and for always.

Hourly

I saw this post on Steph's blog earlier this week and thought it was such a fun idea.  So, on Wednesday, I decided to try it for myself and took a whole boat load of photos throughout the day.  Check out what a typical more-exciting-than-usual day looks like for me in Charleston.

Shadow pats my head with her paw and I pull the covers over my head

Breakfast and Boy Meets World before work

Helping out with summer camps

Drive to the office

My sad, hour old iced tea

Prepping for the following day's board meeting

Soup and salad for lunch at Five Loaves. There is SO much good food here in CHS! I can't wait to start a series about it soon.

Come on, I had to take one selfie!  And my shoes even matched my outfit, too.

Afternoon snack

Obviously listening to awesome music

Typical Charleston afternoon commute: sitting in the sun, looking at the storms I'm about to drive into

Luckily that little clear spot in the distance of the previous photo was my house, so it's a perfect night for a run!

Big lunch Laziness means cereal for dinner

Wedding arts and crafts... I'll figure out how to get everything back up to CT eventually...

Nail painting, local beer, and Full House

Bloggy blogging before bed

Bed, 30 Rock on Netflix, and Shadow!