November is for Giving Thanks (#21-30)

21.  Peppermint Mocha's: By no means do we go to Starbucks everyday, but peppermint mocha coffee creamer is totally affordable. I enjoyed my first one of the season today.
22.  Surprise Dates: Allen and I enjoyed an impromptu dinner date at Carrabba's Italian Grill. Then we finished the evening off by watching JFK documentaries to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his assassination. It's amazing how much neither of us knew about the entire occasion.
23.  Babies: I got to babysit two of my kiddos from LP this evening. I forgot how much I really enjoyed playing and snuggling with those sweet little ones.
24.  Lazy Sundays: Allen and I didn't even leave the apartment today. We slept late, watched Sunday Morning, I worked on Christmas crafts, he watched football, and we ordered pizza for dinner. It was a good day.
25.  Intercession: The students are already on Thanksgiving Break, but the university is still open. Traffic is so much light today. I got home in 10 minutes. Amazing!
26.  A chance of snow: I refuse to give up hope that it might actually snow today or tomorrow. Finger a crossed and the snow dance has been done. Come on snow!
27.  Snow: Although we didn't get any of the white fluffy stuff in Athens, Allen and I drove through it on our way up to Brevard. It was so beautiful.
28.  Family: Both biological, and future in-law. I am so lucky to be surround by wonderful people.
29.  Nature: I prefer to stand back and enjoy nature, but today we took a small hike through the DuPont State Forest to see the waterfalls from The Hunger Game. Nature blows my mind. Beautiful!
30.  Wedding planning: Sometimes I want to pull my hair out, but we really are making great progress. Today we confirmed our officiant. Marcus is a long time family friend of the Pratt's. We couldn't ask for anyone better for our big day.

November is for Giving Thanks (#11-20)

11.  Mondays: Okay, that isn't entirely true. Monday suck. Anyone will tell you that. But I am so thankful that I use my cell phone as an alarm clock to get out of my warm bed. Then I hop in the shower because I have clean water to do so. Then I drive in my own working vehicle to work where I sit at a computer and utilize high speed internet all day. I typically bring my own lunch, but if for some reason I forget it, I can afford going next door to pick something up. Then at the end of the day, I do have to fight traffic to get home to our two bedroom apartment where I am lovingly greeted by my caring fiance. Sometimes we all take for granted the mundane cycle of day-to-day happenings. But really, I am so lucky to have all of these wonderful things in my life.
12.  Popcorn (the cat): My sweet kitty had to be put down this morning. He found us when I was in 6th grade. He lived 12 wonderful years with us and he will be deeply missed.
13.  Cold weather: Not that I love cold weather, but I love what comes with it - sweaters, gloves, and warm apple cider. A good chunk of North Carolina even got snow! In November! Can you imagine? We may be in store for a cold winter, friends.
14.  Terrible TV shows: Thursday is Grey's Anatomy night. Yes, it's a terrible drama, but I love it. I also love Say Yes to the Dress, Guys Grocery Wars, and House Hunters. Everyone needs some mindless TV time every now and then.
15.  My family: I am always so proud of my current and future family. But there is one particular family member I have to brag on today. My mother successfully defended her doctoral defense today! She's graduating in December, folks! :)
16.  Embracing my inner girliness: We had a photo shoot for the Modern Pin-Ups today. Sometimes it is a lot of fun doing your hair, putting on ridiculous amounts of makeup, and wearing flirty dresses.
17.  Crafts: I began my Christmas crafts today. Sorry I can't share pictures yet.
18.  Fall colors: I have the most beautiful Maple tree outside of my office window. See the picture below. Obviously, it doesn't do it justice, but man is it red!
19.  My job: Today was the Investiture of the new UGA president. As you can imagine, Parking Services played a huge role in getting the 1000+ anticipated guests settled in for the event. The event could not have gone more smoothly and we got some amazing feedback from the guests. I love when things go as planned!
20.  Sleep: The past few weeks have left me fairly sleep deprived. I allowed myself and early bedtime tonight and loved every minute of it!

November is for Giving Thanks (#1-10)

Remember last year when I picked something I was thankful for each day? Well, I really enjoyed that. I enjoyed reflecting on the good of the day. I really like looking back now and seeing what was going on throughout the month last year. I think I'll do it again this year...

1. Rain: Today I awoke to a wonderfully rainy day. Yes, it makes my commute just a little bit longer when it is raining, but I love smell of rain. 
2. Japanese Food: I have been craving hibachi for quite a while. Today I finally got a chance to indulge. I may or may not have eaten the entire plate. Japanese food is a close second place to pasta when it comes to my favorite.
3. House cleaning: It may be a pain sometimes, but I am so thankful that I have a beautiful apartment to keep clean, a dishwasher to was the plates I eat off of, and a washing machine to clean the clothes I wear daily. 
4. Pinterest Recipes: I made a delicious, easy, and healthy dinner in the crock pot for tonight's dinner. Balsamic chicken and veggies. I love that our generation has Pinterest to find such amazing recipes, crafts, and other ideas.
5. Kind Customers: A customer wrote a wonderful email directed to my supervisor about the "extremely helpful, kind, and personable"service she received from me the day before. Positive feedback is always great to hear.
6. The Modern Pin-Ups: I love my Wednesday evening dance company. I am lucky to dance with such beautiful, talented, and courageous women who encourage and empower one another.
7. M&M McFlurry's: I had a terrrrrrible craving for one of these delicious treats. So Allen, being the enabler that he is, offered to go get one. Yum! 
8. Chick Flicks: Allen has been super busy with his final studio project which means I have had control over the TV. Tonight I watched classics such as Steel Magnoias and The Divine Secreats of the YaYa Sisterhood.
9. College Football: Today was UGA's homecoming game. Allen's sister and her boyfriend are alumni of the school we played (Appalachian State) so they came down to visit. We enjoyed watching the game together at a local bar/restaurant.
10. Future family members: We really enjoyed the weekend with Allen's sister and her boyfriend. I am so lucky to be joining such a loving family.

Fall Recap

It is entirely possible that this has been the busiest Fall ever, and it's only halfway through! We've been traveling, working, and wedding planning. But above all, we have been enjoying these beautiful Fall colors! Here's a quick recap of life since September.



At the beginning of September, we finalized the wedding party. It was such a relief to have the first thing for the wedding finalized! Here's the lineup:

• Maid on Honor: Paige (Laura's best friend)
• Best Man: Aaron (Allen's brother)
• Bridesmaids: Marisa (Laura's cousin), Brittney (Friend of Laura and Allen), and Amanda (Allen's sister)
• Groomsmen: Andrew (Allen's best friend), Sean (Friend from Architecture school), and Colin (Friend from Architecture school)
• Flower girls: Addie Grace (Laura's family friend), Maggie (Allen's cousin), and Kendall (Allen's cousin)
• Ring bearer: Liam (Laura's family friend)

Mid-September we went looking at venues. We check out two places in the Brevard area. The first was the Brevard Lumber Yard. We liked the space and the flexibility of the venue, but it was very new to the wedding scene which made us nervous. The second place we visited was Jeter Mountain Farm. It's about halfway between Brevard and Henderosnville. We fell in love with this venue! It is a repurposed equestrian center with beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces. So we set the date, and booked it! 

With these big wedding tasks complete, I was able to put our wedding website together. It is still a work in progress, but I plan on keeping it updated for all of our out of town guests. Enjoy! http://www.theknot.com/wedding/Laura-and-Allen

Allen has been busy with school work. His thesis work is really starting to pick up. Don't ask me what his topic is. He changes it every other week so I have no clue what he's doing now! :) I have also been busy at work. I am still loving my job and my co-workers. I mean, how could I not be excited when we get surprise treats such as these:

A few small, yet exciting things happened at the end of September:

 Allen got his first pairs of glasses and contacts.

Cook Out has come to Athens! 

ESPN College Gameday also came to Athens.

Then came October. We started the month by hitting the one year mark from our wedding day! The next day we took engagement pictures with my Maid of Honor, Paige. We took over 900 pictures so we only have a few back for now. But I can't wait to see more! 

The third week of October was a blur. Here's what we did:

The Modern Pin-Ups had their first show! We had a record breaking audience. It was a wonderful evening! 

Dad and Sherry got married!

And within a matter of minutes, I gained four siblings.

I guess the next wedding we will attend will be our own! :)

Later that weekend, Mom and I went dress shopping. Sorry I can't post pictures of that! We had a strong favorite, but by no means are we done looking! :)

The last week of October was filled with all things Fall. I made a big batch of Brunswick Stew in the crockpot. Brunswick Stew has to be one of my favorite things. It's perfect for warming you from the inside out those cold evenings. I also made Halloween festive funfetti cupcakes. Another favorite of mine. Then we celebrated Halloween itself. All the girls at work dressed up as nerds.

And that brings us to November. Once again, our calendar is pretty full but it's filled with wonderful things. As an added bonus let me share two other fun pictures with you. One,a picture of the Parking Services Operations Team with Harry Dawg. And the second, a beautiful sunrise the morning of Halloween.

The in-laws met the in-laws

Over Labor Day weekend my parents met up with Allen's parents for the first time ever. I think it went quite well.

Lunch at Sushi 101 with Dad and Sherry

Our first venue visit. 

Looking over wedding details with the Pratt's. 

Getting ready to ride the light rail to dinner.

I think he likes me. 

The families! And my Maid of Honor, Paige. 

After dinner on the way home. 

Groom, Bride, MoH

While we were in Charlotte, we also got to celebrate UNC Charlotte's first ever football game. The 49ers are still undefeated! I love my school! 

An update

Again, mark me down as worst blogger ever. But to be fair, my summer was crazy busy and the Fall is proving to be the same way. So here we go, a brief update.


At the end of June, our friends Patrick and Sarah got married. We joined the happy couple for a beautiful ceremony and a fun reception in Thomasville, NC.

We both got a short vacation the first week of July for an annual beach trip. We sunned, swam, ate, and relaxed with family and friends. My favorite part of the trip was making a shell keychain that is hanging from my rearview mirror. Of course I make my famous chocolate covered pretzels. I also got to catch up on some great reading.

Mid-July Allen celebrated his quarter of a century birthday. I made him a Budweiser cake. 

Then came the end of July. Everything changed. I got a new job working with UGA (hooray!) and put in my two weeks notice at Little Prodigies. And the next day another major life event happened... 

I assume all the important people reading this already know that Allen and I got engaged. If you don't, you've probably been living under a rock. But I may as well post some of my favorite pictures of the day. 

Early August I had all four wisdom teeth taken out. It was a pain in the behind, but Allen was a great nurse. Mom sent me get well flowers.

I started my new job at UGA the same day the students start. I love me new position! Sorry I don't have any pictures of me in action.

Lately, we have been busy traveling, watching football, and planning a wedding. From now until December, we have three free weekends. Yes, just three. This is going to be one busy Fall, but I can't wait! 

A week in Brevard

Mom and I had a great weeklong vacation in the mountains a few weeks ago. We rented a cabin overlooking a pond and kitty got to come too! We spent or days sightseeing, relaxing, and working on our traditional jigsaw puzzle. Mom also got to meet Allen's parent's - finally. It was a great vacation!

We went to see two waterfalls. This is Looking Glass Falls. 

Biltmore! Mom had been before but I hadn't. It is amazing how people lived back then! 

The nights were chilly enough to enjoy the fireplace.

Kitty enjoyed the screened in porch.

We even went tubing down the Davidson River! 

It was cold. But we had a blast!