weekend recap

Coleman and I started the weekend off with a great dinner with my family at the original Charleston Duke's Barbecue. In the last year or so the legend behind Duke's has become a little blurred.

This City Paper story will help clear up the confusion on who is who among the Dukes.

http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/

We grubbed on some of the best hash in the state with my mom, dad, sister, aunt, and sweet grandfather. It is always so great to see him -- and Coleman and I both agreed that he seemed to be feeling great! Such a sigh of relief to get that feeling.

After dinner I met up with some girlfriends at one of our most favorite spots, Taco Boy. You really can't go wrong with the house margarita there -- it is on point.

Finally, Lucy's plane landed in Charleston and her sweet mama delivered her to us downtown. We walked over to Midtown and enjoyed some really loud band for a few hours.

Saturday Coleman and I had lunch at another one of my favorite spots, Groucho's Deli (they offer the best microwaved sandwiches around) before heading to a matinee showing of The Dark Knight Rises.

All I have to say is WOW, it was an excellent movie full of suspense.

I am usually not much of a movie crier, but that Batman gets me every time.

I won't give anything away but you people have got to go see it.

Sunday involved lots of vacuuming, laundry, and a trip to the grocery store and.. my favorite Target, and now it is Monday. sigh.

Hope this week is a good one!

xo,

Shans

tgif and shoe update

Woo! It is Friday already!!

It is truly amazing how much faster the week goes by at my new job.

Sadly, it seems like the weekends are going by faster too :(

My bestie, Lucy, is in town for just one night tonight -- definitely not long enough, but I am still so excited to get a chance for a night on the town with her.

My sweet grandaddy is also in town (he will be 92 in December!) and I am SO excited to be having dinner with him and the rest of the family tonight.

SHOE UPDATE!

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A few days ago I told y'all what I was looking for in a shoe.

Alex did some serious stalking and found a Kate Spade that seriously fit almost every criteria.

here

Only problem is that is is a little more than I would like to spend on a shoe that I will clearly never be able to wear again...I mean it is blue and sparkly....

So, I went on a reconnaissance mission to see if I could find something similar but less expensive.

This is what I found.

here

Striking resemblance, no?

Much less expensive. Not quite as polished of a look as I would like, but in all honestly people won't see them that much.. I can't lie and say they are just as good because they are no Kate Spade, but I do think they are pretty a good good knock off.

Thoughts please!

xo,

Shans

shoe shoppin and save the dates

Since getting most of the "big things" crossed of my list I have been approaching my wedding planning in a "one thing at a time" fashion.

Or in this case... two things at a time.

Shoes and Save the Dates.

Shoes

I'm on a mission to make up my mind about what kind of shoes I want.

I like nude, I really like navy, I like sparkly, I like bows.

but, which do I like the most...

or which of these would make the best combination.

Here are some current covets.

  

                                                  here                                             here

here

here

Last, but really first, but really expensive:



here

Thoughts?

Save the Dates

Thank God, I ordered these a very long time ago, but now it is getting close to the time where they should probably be addressed. My current dilemma: should I address them myself?

I have pretty ok handwriting... I would really love to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

The invitations will be done by the printer in calligraphy style, but these are much less formal...which is why I think I could get away with self addressing...

Here is a little teaser. They include this photo:

That's all I've got for the day! Don't forget -- I would love your opinion on both dilemmas!!

xo,

Shans

Swollen Foot and Wedding Nightmares

Covered in bruises and nursing a swollen foot after a rowdy weekend at the River.



Dave took this great photo of everyone sippin and soakin.

A great time was had by all until the tide went out and there was only sand bar to sit on.
Not quite as nice as the cool river current.

Really hoping we can get out there again before the summer is over!

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Got to the office this morning immediately made a strong cup of coffee and was greeted by the sweetest gchat a bride can hope to receive from her bridesmaid.

"I had a nightmare about your wedding last night."
Thanks, Alex.

She dreamt that she lost her shoes, I outfitted them in some terrible pre-wedding tshirts, we were hanging out in an abandoned building before heading to the church, and the hairdresser never showed up.

I can only imagine what would have happened if the dream had taken her to the ceremony or the reception. When I have wedding nightmares the reception is where things get dicey.  YIKES.



I'm probably going to need to see a shrink before this whole thing is over.

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Hope y'all's Monday is off to a better start than mine.

xo,
Shans

Take Me to the River

Whoop. Whoop.

Happy Friday, y'all!

Wrapping up the work week and heading to the River this weekend.

C's family has a great little piece of Heaven on the Edisto River less than an hour South of Charleston.

We try to escape down there every chance we get, but have only been twice all summer :(

So we are heading down there this evening with the new John Boat in tow (C's newest and most prized posession -- I really think he might love it more than me!) for a little bit of fun in the sun!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can do a little fishing and that I can reel in some sort of award winning catfish. I hear those things can get pretty big!

Hope y'all have a great weekend, check ya next week!

xo,

Shans

Shannon 4-1-1



I am linking up with Becky from From Mrs. to Mama and Charlotte From Carolina Cotton to Illinois Corn for a bloggers 411.

Hope you enjoy!

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?

I started blogging shortly after graduation (May 2011) hoping that someone would stumble upon my blog, think I was great writer, and give me a job writing my own column. We all can see how well that plan worked out. HA!

It clearly changed after I got my first real job...said job had potential to be very boring on most days, and my bestie Marla encouraged me to use that downtime to blog! Shes a smarty-pants.

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?

I went to the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC where I studied Communication Media Studies and Philosophy. ( Funny Story: I chose a minor in Philo. because, at the time, it was my life goal to have my own TV talk show. I thought if people knew I was fluent in philosophy that would mean I was a great thinker and therefore I would have tons of great things to talk about on air. Another HA for today.)

3. Where have you traveled?

US Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, a few spots in Mexico, the Florida Keys, New Orleans, Washington D.C, NYC, and other various places in VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL.

Currently deciding where we should go on our honeymoon! Somewhere tropical. Any suggestions?

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?

Forget buying something, I would pay off my student loans, then pay for the wedding, and thennnn buy myself a Tahoe. Let's be for real, if I'm winning the lottery, I better win BIG.

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?

1.Wearing white after Labor Day/before Easter. Yes, even in Charleston.
2. People making weird/gross noises with their mouths. Hard to explain but...ew.
3. People running their mouths about College Football when in reality they have no idea what they are
speaking of.  Go Dawgs.

6. What is your favorite movie?

The Blind Side.

I also wouldn't mind being Leigh Anne Tuohy when I grow up.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?

Wine: Pinot Grigio or Malbec.
Beer: Shocktop.
Liquor: Burbon and water orrrr a Margarita on the rocks with salt.
Diet Coke rules all.

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?

Taking buble baths with a glass of wine.
Playing with the pups.
Going to Target.
Shopping in general.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?

That is a toughy and my answer may be differnt tomorrow, but as of today..
C Wonder.

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.

There are too many.

11. What day would you love to relive again?

Right now I have to say the day we got engaged...Valentine's Day 2012, but ask me again in 9ish months and I'm almost positive I will say our WEDDING day, April 6, 2013.

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?

Reese Witherspoon, please.

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?

In high school I had the awful experience of woking at Yankee Candle in the mall.
I was a camp counselor for 3 summers.
College summers: bev cart girl at the country club, legal assistant, bridal consultant.

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.

Me and Lucy at High School graduation.


Not my favorite picture, but me and Lucy and my College graduation party.

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?

Bora Bora.

16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.

Me and Coleman at Charleston Affair back in May.

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?

Married duh. And maybe working on baby #1?
That's a weird thought -- we will see!

Hope you enjoy!

xo,

Shans

Busyyyy.

Life sure has been busy lately.

I feel like I haven't slowed down since we got home from the Mountains
( this explains the lack of "real posts" as of late).
I have been busy trying to figure out this new job of mine during the day and getting our house into acceptable order in the afternoons.

Now, I would be deceiving you if I didn't mention that my "getting the house in order" mostly consists of telling Coleman things to do.

What curtain rods to hang in which room, which light bulbs need replace, complaining about the abrasiveness of the shower head in our bathroom -- you know all really important things.

Movers come tomorrow to bring us a few more things from C's parents, a dining room table with no chairs, rugs, a china hutch (I wish I could fully explain my excitement about this one particular item), and fingers crossed an elliptical! I'm hoping that having this handy dandy piece of exercise equipment with in such close proximity of my very own shower (and bed) will coax me into actually working out.

Seeing as I promised myself that I would start working out after the Saluda trip. hmmmm...

Off to grab some lunchie. Hope this post make y'all feel less deprived from my life's on-goings.

HA!

I don't even have any followers!

xo,

Shans

New J-O-B.

First day at the new job today.

So many exciting things going on in this little life of mine.

Promise to post with photos from the mountain vacay soon!

xo,

Shans

Happy Birthday,

AMERICA! 

Off to Saluda to spend the holiday with the future in-laws! Have a great one, y'all!

xo,

Shans

Gettin Settled

C and I moved into our new house over the weekend, and we are almost settled. I spent the day with my mom -- doing laundry and picking out curtain rods while C went fishing offshore. Lucky boy.

I'll fishing getting the house all set up per the next two days while C works and then we are off to the mountains on Wednesday morning for the 4th!

I have so many Pinterest inspired 4th of July desserts I want to try!!

I will post pictures of the new place soon -- y'all enjoy your holiday!

xo,
Shans