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! 

Dog Sitting Teddy

This has been an amazingly busy summer. I cannot believe we are already in June! I'm going to try to catch up on the blog. Yet again, I have to apologize for being a terrible blogger.

Friends of ours had plans to vacationing out of the country. Instead of having their loving dog stay at doggy daycare, he spent the week with me! Teddy is a golden doodle - have golden retriever  half poodle. He hair is curly, fluffy, and softy. His demeanor is playful, loving, and goofy. He's still a puppy, but I think he's fully grown.

Meet Teddy. 

Allen fell in love instantly. Look at that face!

He fit right in perfectly. 

I came back from brushing my teeth to find someone had taken my side of the bed. 

We took a road trip to Brevard for the White Squirrel Festival. 

He made a new friend. This is Allen's parent's dog, Maia. 

After an intense game of fetch, Teddy guarded his ball from Maia by keeping it in his bowl while drinking.

We loved having Teddy around. I wish our apartment complex allowed pets, but alas, they do not. Maybe next year!