Engagement Party

AND ... let the wedding festivities begin!

Three of the greatest bridesmaids a girl could ask for threw Joe & I the ALL-TIME best Stock-the-Bar engagement party ever. It was such a blast! Robin sacrificed her home to hold the party and really spiced the place up with the cutest mason jars stuffed full of flowers and a complete overhaul of the back deck so that it was totally a party zone. All the ladies (Ashley, Dana, & Robin) fixed the most amazing hors d'oeuvres. The boys were totally in heaven! And look at these invites they hand-made ... how cute:Craig, Joe's Best Man, flew in to help us celebrate which was oh-so-sweet of him! We were all three hanging out at the house on Friday evening (night before the party) and Dana comes to our front door with ... HEATHER! My cousin and best friend from high school. I had no idea she was coming and it was the best surprise by far! I am so glad that these two out-of-towners that mean so much to Joe & I could make it down and meet all of our great ILM friends.Then Erich (groomsman) and his wife, Katie, weren't able to make the party but sent 2 dozen of the most delectable chocolate-covered strawberries to help us celebrate our engagement. I thought that was SO sweet. Needless to say, there weren't any of these left at the end of the night!Faye, the Maid of Honor, had some almond champagne delivered to us! AND then to top it all off, Joe's sister and husband sent us a TON of gifts from New Hampshire. They weren't able to make it either but sent some awesome stock-the-bar essentials in their place! Joe & I are definitely two lucky cats!Here's some pictures of OUR CREW:And then what's an evening w/out some hot-tubbing at the end?!

Lastly, a big HVALA for everyone that made this night so special for Joe & I! We are truly blessed with some of the greatest, most genuine friends. We love all of you and each of you holds a very special place in our hearts ... and liquor cabinet.

Exploring the South.

I simply love quaint little southern towns. Thus the reason I live in one! But for some time now I've been wanting to visit Charleston, SC. It's only a 3 hour drive and people just rave about it. They say it's just like Wilmington but 10x better! So when we found out that one of our good friends, Billy, was going to be working out of Charleston for a 2 week stint (and that we could stay in his hotel room for free!), we jumped on the opportunity for a little getaway to continue our exploration of the South.

Friday evening after work, Joe & myself & Cortney (Billy's girlfriend) all got on the road. Once we arrived in Charleston, it was on! We wasted no time and immediately hopped the trolley to downtown. We found a great local band and had an absolute blast the whole evening. Saturday we took the tourist approach and just walked EVERYWHERE. We found cute little shops, the most darling restaurants, and a huge market where I purchased a Charleston-style wide-brimmed hat for the beach. The fun didn't stop until Sunday evening. Charleston was everything and more! The feel. The houses. The markets. The people. It was magical.

Fourth o' July

Our great friends, Jen & Josh, came down from Chapel Hill to help us celebrate the Fourth o' July this year! A bunch of friends and ourselves took a boat out to Lee Island, a little uninhabited island off the coast of North Carolina. Everyone docked their boats at the shoreline and partied out there for about 10 hours. What a time!