Combining households

Alright folks-here's what we are hoping the new place will look like. Stay tuned to see if this actually is how it goes down.

My guess? No.

UPDATE:  I took all this time sketching this out...and then we decided to go with a different, yet more spacious floor plan.  That figures, right?

Things I'm NOT obsessed with?

THE BAR.

Here's where I sit 7 days a week folks.
One month until judgment day.

Things I'm Obsessed With...

So here's what I'm really digging right now.  When I say that I'm digging it, I mean I seriously can't get enough.

ps. Darryl isn't digging any of these things.  Except maybe my cooking, and he's a huge fan of #7.

1.  Shades of Grey
Yeah, I said it.  I'm just like every other woman in America who is loving this book. Well, maybe your Grandmother isn't loving it.  But, let's face it...most women are.  If you haven't started reading this trilogy, then you are seriously missing out.

2.  Dinner Parties
Look, I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but I have been killing it in the kitchen.  Okay, so I meant to toot my horn.  But seriously - I was the girl who almost burned down the house making eggs in college.  My three years at law school, with a kitchen to myself, has truly allowed me to come into my own in the kitchen.

More than my current love for cooking, is my love for a good dinner party.  Here's some pictures of some of my most recent concoctions and my most recent fabulous party.  Yeah, there's probably some Pinterest influence in here....okay so A LOT of PINTEREST INFLUENCE.  Geez.

3.  Girls
I don't mean those of the female persuasion.  I mean HBO's show Girls.  It's an in your face, realistic portrayal of what post-grad girls go through.  The girls in this show are fantastic, and they draw you in from the first scene.  Which by the way, is a scene where a recent grad is completely cut off from her parents' money.  She's just trying to make it in a big city and a tough job market.  I mean, I'm pretty sure we can all relate to this a little?  The show has been the subject of a lot of controversy, but I am seriously loving the realness and awkwardness of every plot line.  The season is over now, but you can definitely catch up for the next season because they are short episodes.

4.  Summer Up-Dos
Y'all, I love Pinterest.  Seriously.  It has inspired so many hairstyles it's unbelievable.  I've done sock buns, and braid buns, and beach waves, and no heat curls.  Seriously, I cannot get enough.  I am loving all the summer up-dos currently floating around the site.  Here's my attempt at a braided bun.  It looked way cooler in person, but here's a taste.

5. Maxi Dresses/Skirts
I can't even explain how much I love maxi dresses and skirts.  They are the absolute PERFECT study outfit.  Anything that is so comfortable that I can wear it ALL day and still look fabulous is a major winner in my book.  I may or may not have worn one 85% of the summer thus far.

6.  A good pair of sunglasses
What person doesn't need a fantastic pair of sunglasses for the summer (or 10 pairs)?  I'm so obsessed with sunglasses, that I'm starting to wonder what people did before they had sunglasses.  We're so spoiled.

These are my current favorites.  

My USC Homecoming cheapos.  

Durable, fashionable, and shows off my school spirit.  

7.  These girls
For those of you who haven't been following me on the twitters, the Facebook, or the instagram...I'm obsessed with these two girls.  During law school, there was a third (Anna), but now that she is gone it's just this trifecta of awesomeness left. (MISS YOU ANNA!  And can I just say that Anna Penland is one of the sweetest, kindest, most genuine people I have ever met.  I miss her dearly, and I am SO lucky to call her my friend.  She is seriously fantastic.)

Tara & Katie have been my absolute saviors while prepping for the Bar.  I so look forward to our weekends where we get one night out together.

So here's what I think...

Tara is one of those people that you just love to be around.  She "goes hard at life" as we like to say, in that she can make just about any situation fun.  She's HILARIOUS, and her excitement for life is seriously contagious.  She's one heck of a friend, has fantastic style, and you can seriously talk to her about ANYTHING without any judgment.  Oh and she totally has bangs like CeCe on New Girl.

Katie is a fantastic friend.  She's one of those people who would drop everything she's doing if you are having a bad day.  She's thoughtful, warm, loyal, and SO much fun.  She always has me laughing.  She is a Clemson Tiger, but we have made it work.  She's so well put together you would most likely be jealous, she has an awesome Westie named Stanley, and has an AMAZING singing voice.

I'm seriously so lucky to have them in Winston to help me through this not-so-fun summer, so I had to give them a shout out here.

Here's some pictures of our recent day trip to Charlotte for the American Idol tryouts.  The judges were idiots and didn't take either of my girls.  But it was SO fun.

Studying for the Bar in line

Ryan Seacrest and Scotty McCreery

More BarBri shots

Not Katie or Tara, but still wanted to give a shout out to my male undergrad bestie, Eric, who met us out for a bit

#friendship

Ode to Our Dads

I just wanted to put up a quick post about our fathers on this special holiday.

We are very lucky to both have really great relationships with our fathers, and I just had to brag on them a little bit.  They're both men who have pulled themselves up from their bootstraps, have had successful careers, and married amazing women.  They're the kind of fathers who will drop anything for you, and we have been so lucky to have them coaching us in every step of our lives.  So Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there, but a special shout out to our Dads.  You da' best!  We love you both.

 Brent (D's twin brother), Coach, Darryl

at the Stratford High School Alumni hockey game with their favorite Coach

Kelly & Popsicle 

(aka Dad, who will kill me for telling people that 

I call him that behind closed doors)
at Stephanie's Miss USA send-off party
It was animal print themed!  (hence my father's stylish scarf)

PAINT WAR! (aka engagement video)

We're so, so happy with our engagement video from Dreampop Media & Design that I just had to share it with you all!

I've been starting my day with this video. You try to tell me you don't smile even a little!

Click here for paint war fun!

 Before

After

One Epic Blog Post

Okay, I know I've claimed this before...BUT I promise to start blogging more.
I need some sort of distraction while studying for the Bar (besides wedding planning, job searching, packing to move, enjoying my last days with my law school friends, etc.).  I mean who wouldn't want MORE to do? :)

This is a REALLY long post.  So I want to warn you in advance.  I don't expect anyone to read this whole thing, but I've put it off for so long that I have SO much to share!  It took me days to write because I only write at night when I'm not studying for the Bar.

So here's what we've been up to the last few months:

1.  Change for Change

Darryl, as most of you know, has a sweet job at South Carolina Federal Credit Union.  They recently finished up with their second annual fundraiser.  They held awesome trivia nights at Perfectly Franks in Summerville, collected change at all the branches, held a Zumba event, participated in the Walk for Water, and had an awesome art show out at the Mixon Barn in North Charleston.  Some of the biggest names in the Charleston art world sold and displayed their work, live music was played, and food trucks served up tasty treats.  Overall, they raised $19,500 for the Kimi Island Trade Water Project that will provide clean drinking water for over 3,000 people.  Let's just say that I'm more than a little proud.  I tell you what world, Darryl is just getting started.  His passion for this work is truly admirable, and I'm so lucky to have him.

2012 Change for Change

Amell/Brunt/LaPlante families at the 2012 Walk for Water

Darryl & I with our favorite art purchase of the night - Patch Whisky Original

It was a 10 hour day for us - excuse the tired eyes 

 My future sister-in-law and mother-in-law

The man, the myth, the legend

Our photos from the photo booth at the Art Show taken by JWN Photo.

I should also mention that I was able to see the Waltrips and the Jenkins at the Art Show and it make my entire month of May.  Love these two new families!

2.  Law Prom

Yeah. You read that right.  I went to Law Prom.  It's actually called Esquire's Evening, but we aren't esquires yet so we call it law prom (prom for law school, which is fitting because it feels a bit like high school).  Let's just say there were a lot of sequins (it was Vegas themed), and it was SUCH a fun night!

My sweet Anna

Some law ladies at the pre-party

Cricket - my girl since House Hunt

Kelly, Katie, Anna - just missing our Tara

3.  Trip to Boonetown

If you're looking for a great getaway, choose Boone, NC. Anna (our coupon queen) found a great Groupon offer for a weekend trip to a Mountain Spa in this area.  Our buddy, Brodie, went to Appalachian State so he was able to make some great suggestions for our weekend.  We had a great time in this city shopping for antiques, visiting the local general store, eating great food (specifically Black Cat Burrito), mingling with the townies at some of the local bars, and chatting in the saunas.  It was a great girls' weekend complete with pictures of us at the entry of our resort on an elk.

I love that Tara was rocking her NY Giants gear 

all weekend to prep for the Super Bowl

4.  Wedding Suit Shopping

Darryl's groomsmen were (almost) all in town at the same time!  So we took advantage.  We've finally ordered everyone's suits and we took them out for some fun too!  We went with an amazing grey suit from Jos. A Banks, and we even let Josh get pleats.

 The boys clowning around in Jos. A Banks

The ladies - well, half of Adele

Love Lauren SO much!

Logan was finally home from Northwestern. Couldn't be more proud of him!  And Jackie and Adele came back from the bathroom holding this sign. Silly gals!

Darryl and two of his fraternity brothers.  One likes pleats, the other one doesn't.  I'll leave that for you to determine who is who.

Groomsmen!

5.  Theatre 99 Comedy Shows

One of our absolute favorite things to do in Charleston is to head over to Theatre 99 on Meeting Street (above the Bicycle Shoppe) for one of their improv comedy shows. If you are from Charleston and you've never been, then shame on you. Run, don't walk, to a show immediately!  Recently, Darryl has befriended the owners of the theater so our attendance has increased.  Here's some pictures from one of the shows we attended.

6.  Darryl's Play Weekends

Darryl was recently in The Bible: The Complete Word of God Abridged at The Footlight Players Theatre on Queen Street.  It was his Charleston debut and he (in my humble opinion and the Charleston City Paper) stole the show!  Here's some pictures from the weekends.

Moses

Cast

My love

It was Jackie's Birthday Weekend! Love these girls!

Post-show outing

Alex came to visit!

7.  Easter

The Amell family does Easter right.  I'm talking a huge spread, lots of people, and an Easter egg hunt (when we're in the right mood).  I grew up loving this holiday, because my big sister would dye easter eggs with me.  Then my grandmothers would help hide the eggs.  After my Grandma died a few years back, the holiday became a little lackluster but I'm trying to bring it back now that we have little ones in the house.  I'm not entirely sure how Darryl got out of pictures for this one?  Let's say he is the greatest Easter egg dyer though.

Sums up our family so well

A Pinterest Centerpiece Project

Puppy Love

Easter Egg dying time

Momma Janice's Dining Table

Cousins!

My sweet, sweet niece.

My attempt at Pinterest deviled eggs!

8.  The Twins' Birthday

For those of you who don't know, Darryl has a twin (and a pretty awesome one at that).  I think growing up sharing your birthday has been hard, but now the boys are really close so it only makes sense to do that.  This year we celebrated with friends and family (mine, theirs, and Brent's in-laws) at Buffalo Wild Wings.  They're officially a quarter century, and just getting better with age!

Favorite man in all the world

The Twins

Brent & his new Clay jersey

Almost family

Darryl's Pinterest Gifts

Mom LaPlante and her three boys

Awesome bearded cake I made Darryl
(complete with Young & Free sunglasses)

9.  Flowertown Festival

One Charleston event that I look forward to EVERY year is the Flowertown Festival. For the past few years I have been out of town for this awesome event, so I was stoked to finally be able to attend.  We've been going for what seems like my entire life.  There's so much to love about it:  live, local entertainment, lots of unique craft and trade booths, running in to people you haven't seen in years, and the best part is THE FOOD.  I went with my Mom this year, and here's a few pictures:

Shrimp Mac & Cheese vs. Shrimp & Grits

My mother made me

My fabulous Mom

Some of the sea of people

10.  Condoleezza Rice

Since I've attended Wake, they have brought some pretty great speakers on campus (John Grisham, Justice Thomas). But, I was honored to have the opportunity to see Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speak at Wait Chapel.  I had hoped that I would feel highly motivated when I left, and that wasn't really what happened.  Nonetheless, I was so happy to have the opportunity.

11.  Enjoying Our Last Days as 3Ls

3L - means third year law student in law school lingo.  One of our favorite law school past times in our bi-annual trip to Tee Time in Winston-Salem, NC.  It's just a cheap, townie bar...but law students love to go to karaoke here at the end of the semester.  It had everything I love about it: townies, cheap drinks, lots of dancing, Katie Morton belting some tunes, and a group rendition of Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places."  We decided to commemorate our last night at Tee Time by making Tie-dyed tees and wearing glow necklaces and shutter shades.  Yeah, we do what we want and people don't hate it.  They were a huge hit, and the shutter shades ended up on a ton of different faces.

I LOVE MARTHA!  This is my Boo.

Legal Ladies aka Future Lady Lawyers

Law school bestie, Aisha

T-shirt backs

 ADORE these girls

Glenn & Martha getting in on the action! :)

12.  Trip to Clemson

Now most of you should know that I am a hardcore, true blue Gamecock fan.  By association, so is my Darryl.  Which is why my friendship with Katie Morton is so hard.  She and her family are some of the biggest Clemson fans I have ever met.  Now if you aren't from South Carolina, you may not understand this rivalry.  But suffice to say that I do not eat orange foods, was not allowed to orange clothing growing up, and would have been disowned had I even applied to Clemson University.

But, when Katie offered up her family's cabin for the week I more than jumped at the offer.  I have met some really amazing people during my law school career, and to have the opportunity to go celebrate the last three years with them was a real treat.  I love these folks SO much, and I'm truly going to miss them.

We spent our days: lounging in the lake, sharing cocktails, eating great food, enjoying some serious bonding time, karaoking, taking dangerous golf cart rides, and enjoying Tiger Town and the University's campus.  It started with a pretty entertaining car ride, and was completed with lots of dancing to "Call Me Maybe."

Family dinner!

Tim breaking in the Lake

Visit to the Field

Tiger Town Tavern

Take two

Celebratory cigar!

"Call Me Maybe" Karaoke

(Timmy - I'm only kind of sorry for posting this)

#friendship

Friends in front of the stadium

Family Photo

13.  Trip to Atlantic Beach

To celebrate the last three years, I absolutely begged my parents to take me on a vacation before I holed up in the library for 8 weeks.  So, the week before graduation I convinced them to go to the beach (in NC so we could easily get back to Winston for Graduation).  We headed to Atlantic Beach.  I have a couple of friends whose families vacation there, but I didn't really know what to expect.  It wasn't like Myrtle or Charleston.  It's just a small beach town with good food, and little to no shopping (which my Dad was relieved about).  So we spent our days lounging around and enjoying each other's company in our itty bitty condo.  It forced us to relax when we normally are on the go constantly.  We got some sun, saw a couple of movies, ate great, local food, and overall had some down time.  It was a really happy way to start my graduation celebration.

I'm in the turtle family

Ft. Macon

Macho Man in the Clam

Our favorite vacation tradition - a puzzle (and the hardest puzzle ever because it was a map of Charleston with our Goose Creek home right in the center of it)

This is a test to see if D reads this blog.  This is him getting a pedicure.  Something he did not enjoy and will kill me for posting.

Local drive in

Shrimp Burger - local delicacy

AND NOW THE BIG FINALE....

14.  Law School Graduation

After three, long years of studying I have finally graduated from law school.  Some of you don't realize that you cannot call me a lawyer yet, so just know that I am officially a JD.  We had two events:  the big hooding ceremony and the actual graduation.  The hooding ceremony was my favorite.  It was just for law students where we had our graduate hoods placed over our shoulders.  Here, I received the Laura J. Gendy Award.  It was SUCH an amazing experience.  You can see the video for this presentation here:

Graduation Video

We spent the weekend eating good food, enjoying each other and our families, and fighting back tears.  This has been an incredible ride, with incredible people, and I am actually really sad that it is over.  Here's some pictures from the weekend:

My sweet niece. SO excited for Hooding.

Family on the Quad.

I haven't uploaded all the pictures with my family!  So I'll put those up soon!

--

So this ends the epic blog post.  I appreciate you hanging around to the end.  I promise to never have a blog post this long again.  HOPEFULLY!