D.C- Bound

We're off to D.C for a long weekend!

Have a good one!

Happy halloween!

10 things

10 things i loved about the 28th

1. green lights on the way to work
2. a waterfront picnic with with B 
   
3. our new blue turtle yoga membership 
   
4. a husband that will do yoga with me:)  
5. spur-of-the-moment dinner at Basil with mom, dad, and kristen
   
6. dreaming big about traveling the world
7. hot pumpkin mistos on the way home
8. a bundle of fresh oranges straight from florida
9. comfy sweatpants 
10. crocheting with janie
11. feather duvets

ok, so that's 11.  what can i say. i'm pretty fond of tuesdays.  

Meet Eddy

This is Eddy....

he is probably the closest thing we'll have to a pet for quite a while.

needless to say, we're pretty attached:)

We made Eddy last night at the harvest extravaganza at Kristen's house.  The party was complete with roasted vegetable soup served in a pumpkin, hot apple cider, pumpkin cookies, puppy chow, ranger cookies and pumpkin carving on the back porch.   It was good way to end the weekend.  

Today was a Monday.  Monday's always so mondayesque- blah?  Oh well, I got a raise- so I shouldn't complain:)  I think that Blue Turtle yoga membership is calling my name.

We ended today with pumpkin soup (courtesy of the Taylors and a little soup joint called Ladles:) and grilled turkey, apple, and cheddar paninis. 

 

I ran across this picture from Bryn and Reed's visit to Charleston last weekend.  

Check out those mugs.  What did we marry?  

Quizzical

My mom sent me this article a while back.

I'll take one of each...please




I really really really want a chimp. Just check out that mug. Who doesn't need a little bit of that in their life.

Please note: Christmas is right around the corner B, and my list is now complete.

1. Chimp

That is all



In other news...

take BBC's Weekly World News Quiz to find out how well you know the world this week.

Example:
The former king of Nepal has received a letter giving him notice of what?

• A: Divorce as his wife wants a new life away from Nepal
• B: His power being cut off because he has not paid his electricity bills
• C: Eviction from his current residence as ownership will be transferred to the state

The weekend is finally here! And just in the nick of time I might add. My cousin Evan made a surprise fly-by last night and stayed with us. One of the perks of living in Charleston is that it always just happens to be on everbody's route to somewhere....and it's beautiful...and we live here...who wouldn't want to visit? Now Ben's parents are in town for a little bit. Tonight we're going out to dinner, possibly the fat hen....and then hopefully cozy-ing up inside. It is raining cats and dogs.

The rest of this weekend's agenda includes...

Fall Home and Garden tour with Kris
Pumpkin carving, Apple Cider, and all things fall
Kiawah Island
...and hopefully a few little naps sprinkled throughout.

Have a wonderful one...

ride with a view

sometimes this is the best part of my day

i love living in a beautiful place

it's almost friday

hallelujah 

the end

.

the old man and his saxophone

There is an old man who stands on the street outside my office sometimes and plays his saxophone all day long. His songs are usually slow and melancholy--they make you just want to cry. Sometimes I step outside just so I can stand there listen to him and feel the sun on my face.

Today, on my way to the park for lunch I was greeted with a pleasant surprise, there was the little old saxophone man dancing and playing a jazzy, joyful tune.

I wonder what he had for breakfast.

I need to get me some of that.

magic

Annie Leibovitz is, quite simply, magical.

This is from a while back, but i just love this collection for disney....

Scarlet Johansson as Cinderella

Rachel Weisz as Snow White

Jessica Biel as Pocahontas

Gisele Bundchen as Wendy, Mikhail Baryshnikov as Peter Pan and Tina Fey as Tinker Bell

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony as Jasmine and Aladin

David Beckham as Prince Philip

Beyoncé, Oliver Platt Lyle Lovett as Alice in Wonderland crew

Julianne Moore as the Little Mermaid and Michael Phelps as a merman

It's just storybookish...wouldn't you agree?

...and we're back!

This past weekend (is it wednesday already?) B and I made the trek up to Raleigh/ Chapel Hill to see family and friends go to a wedding.  It was a much needed reprieve from our weekly routine.  It felt like a mini-vacation.    I forgot how much I missed Chapel Hill. 

So here is the rundown.  

Friday

Went shopping in Raleigh 

Met up with the Taylors for lunch

Had our final meeting with Cara, our wedding photographer, to finalize our albumn etc.  So many decisions!  But the pictures turned out b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.  I'll post some of my favorites when we get the cd.

Then we headed to Chapel Hill.  We got there a little early, so we had time to wander and enjoy our alma mater.  I love that place.  With the Notre Dame game that weekend there was a buzz on campus.  We meandered the "pit" and student stores and ran into Walker, one of B's roommates.  It felt good to visit... it was long overdue. 

From their, we headed to Perry and Emily's- they live in a beautiful little cottage surrounded by pastures and roaming horses and blooming hydrangeas.  They are the cutest little newlyweds around and some of our best friends in the world.  We went fishing in their backyard...caught up...grilled out... and ate dinner on the big table under a huge tree.  Kyle and Elisabeth and Bryn and Reed joined in for parts of the evening.   We laid out in the grass, bundled up in blankets, and watched a movie projected on the old white barn.  Classic!  I was so refreshing to be surrounded by these people that know me so well and that I love without effort.

We capped off the night with a trip to Sugarland to sample their infamous gelato.  Mmm Mmmm.  The passion fruit was delectable.  

By the way...Perry made this amazing map of the United states with license plates.  I have a picture somewhere, I'll post it later. (and that was the only picture I took this whole weekend!  I know- what was I thinking?)

Saturday

Took a trip to the Raleigh farmers market to buy pumpkins and butternut squash and gourds and all things fall.

Celebrated with Brian and Lindsey at their beautiful wedding.  Lindsey was a stunning bride!  They are so incredibly perfect for each other. 

Headed to Chapel Hill to hang out with long-lost friends and roommates at Top of the Hill.  Oh the memories....

Sunday   

Watched our wedding video with Brandon and Lauren and their little Chester.  Brought back memories...maybe a few tears too.  

Went out to lunch with the fam. 

Headed to Apex, "the peak of good living":), to visit Bryn and Reed in their new home.  I absolutely loved their place and the life they have built there.  We walked downtown to a little coffee shop and wandered the streets.  We hated to leave so soon.  

Of course, we couldn't come home before a trip to Trader Joe's.  So we stocked up on our favorite cereals, wine, etc  and sushi for dinner and headed home.  

Now we're back in the swing of life here in Charleston.  B is at work and I'm home- still not so fond of that schedule.  But it's ok.  It's almost Thursday and this weekend B doesn't have to work, and Bryn and Reed are coming down this direction.  I need things to look forward to.  

B and I have been married 4 months today.  Has it been that long?  It seems like just yesterday...    

 

case of the mondays

Today I had a terrible case of the mondays.  At least it is a short week for us.  I don't think either of us could take a five days of work this week.  

So when I got home I decided to "Fall" the mantel.  I may or may not have been inspired by the new Real Simple magazine that just arrived in the mail.  Love it.  However, I do not love our corner fireplace.  I just don't know what to do with it.  Any ideas?  

I was also inspired to organize everything.  It always sounds like a good idea up until the point where I'm sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by an eternal mound of clothes- yup, that's when organization loses it's allure.  But Ben and I successfully went through all our clothes, switching out summer for the warm and cozy colors of fall and conjuring up a big bag for the thrift store.  I never quite understood the idea of switching out clothes with the seasons.  Growing up in Africa we never really had seasons- besides rainy season and dry season.  Our clothes worked year around.  No rules like- no white or seersucker after labor day (labor day?  I don't think i even knew that existed until a few years ago).  But now I'm learning to rotate through...and we just don't have enough space in our closet for anything besides the "i wear it all the time" clothes.  So swapping is crucial.  One of the not-so-perky parts of marriage:  sharing a closet with a boy who has more clothes and shoes than me! 

I'm hoping Tuesday clears the Mondays up....3 more days till our mini "vacation" to Raleigh!  Can't wait!    

you win some, you lose some

and today we lost some-- two casualties to be exact. Ben's bike and our bike rack.

It's a long story that involves an extremely large speed bump and lot's of kicking oneself, but this was what Ben's bike came out looking like.

Won't be using this sucker for a while:(

So instead of biking to the farmer's market, we drove, and tried to salvage the day by surrounding ourselves with beautiful things.

Here's a peak:

heirlooms

peppers

harvest bounty

figs

south carolina's finest

tomatoes

green goodness

the last taste of summer

So this afternoon, in honor of the lemons life was throwing at us (ie: broken bikes)

we made lemonade

to go with our fresh farmers market bread
and miniature heirloom tomatoes.
and the world became a brighter place.

be amazed

While I was catching up with the world on BBC this morning, I came across a link to these street artists. Please be blown away with me, because I have just never seen anything like it. They take sidewalk chalk to a whole new level.

the girl is real...the shark not so much- or is it?

he stole my spot

so they turned "riverstreet" into a river...naturally

Johnny Walker on the sidewalk

I'm ready for the weekend...just a few more hours. I met Ben for lunch and raspberry mango sweet tea at Kudu. Now i'm trying to make it through the afternoon so I can go get my hair cut at Janie's...then i'm making Thai for the ladies. Ben has to work tonight--blah. C'est la vie I suppose.

Happy Friday friends!

life on the island

After a long (very, very long- and incredibly dull) day of work, I walked in the door and was greeted by the smell of a chicken roasting in the oven.  I don't know if I've ever smelled anything so delicious.  I am married to a wonderful, wonderful cook.   Have I already told you that?  I'm not one to gush:)

After dinner we hopped down to Folly to take a much needed walk on the beach.  We caught the end of a beautiful sunset and dreamed a little bit about what lies ahead for us....

a shrimping boat at Crosby's

folly beach 

This, my friends, is one of the perks of life on the island.

Now we're back home and ready to watch the VP debate.  This should be interesting.    

good things

Yesterday was filled with a multitude of good things...

1. Breakfast in bed with B (it was painfully hard to get up and go to work after that)
2. Lots of birthday love from long-lost friends
3. Le moo shu wraps at Fish with my sister Kristen
4. Dinner out on the porch with B
5. Flowers from a certain someone
6. Magnificent desserts at McCrady's with the lady's and B (guava sorbet, nitro popcorn-- if you come to Charleston, you have got to try it)

And look at what I got from my sweet sister. The latest additions our little herb garden. I am already scheming some tasty recipes to put these beauties to work.

part of the happy little herb family

fresh chives

lemon balm: smells incredibly fresh and delicious

did somebody say Mojitos?

"not-so common" sage

parsley

The others: Rosemary, Cilantro, Sweet Basil, and Thyme

just so you know, according to Kristen, lemon balm can "tolerate soil":)

Let's see how long I can keep these little fellows alive.

Thank you for a wonderful day.