Thankful Tuesday: The Bar

So, it's fair to say that we've had a lot to be thankful about in our house.  Friday was a really nerve wracking day.  Scratch that, last week was a really nerve wracking week. Scratch that, the last two months have been really nerve wracking.  Let's just say...I've been anxious.

Many of you may know that I took the Bar back in February.  You might be asking yourself, "Wait, didn't Kelly take the Bar in July?"  The answer is yes.  Yes, she did.  Not to make any excuses, but she also had one of the worst stomach bugs she has EVER had during that time.  The type where you can barely keep your head up because you have zero energy.  The type where you have to leave your seat multiple times during testing to essentially run to the restroom to deal with nausea.  The type where you exit your test and you throw up in the parking lot...not once...not twice...but, three times.  It was so bad that a security guard came over to help me and attempted to comfort me. I remember him saying, "Oh honey, it's okay.  The test is all over now!"  But, what he didn't realize was that I wasn't nervous puking.  I was just puking.  Traumatizing to say the least.  So, we had some suspicions that the outcome of that exam wouldn't be what we had hoped.  10 weeks of prep down the drain.  3 months of waiting for results down the drain.  It was a really, really difficult thing for me to swallow.  I just happened to be really lucky that I had an amazing family, and amazing fiance, and a wedding to look forward to.

You probably noticed that nothing was ever said on social media about it. Well, duh....I was embarrassed. I had worked really hard and my body failed me in the end. My family and my friends rallied around me and I started praying harder than ever before. In fact, this blog post alone is really difficult for me to put out there. But, I felt like people should know that you can pick yourself up and try again. Not only because you want to, but really because you HAVE to.

I took a grant from my undergrad, and I worked for several months for Jason Mikell (Mikell Law Firm).  I previously worked for Jason over the summer, and it was great to get back to working with him.  But after the first of the year I started my study regiment over again.  Yes...2 more months of making myself and my husband miserable with studying.

Come test time, my awesome Mom offerred to head to Columbia with me.  She literally sat there all day all three days and waited for me.  Then, she would sit in the bed next to me all night reading a book or doing bills so that I could study some more.  She made sure that I was fed, and she was there to hug me when I had an absolute breakdown after the second day of testing. 

The test is hard.  Seriously hard.  When people tell you the test is hard, I don't think people can even begin to fathom how hard it is.  In South Carolina it is 3 days of testing.  6 hours each day.  And the icing on this cake?  I hand wrote my exam.  BOTH TIMES.  It's awful.  It's exhausting.  It makes you feel like an idiot even though you have a law degree and you have more information than you'll ever need crammed in to your already tired brain.

So, then came Friday.  Judgement day.  I took a half day off of work because I was so anxious.  I was absolutely useless.  So, I drove around town doing errands.  The results were to be posted at 4:00, and of course when the time rolled around I couldn't get the results to load on my phone.  Luckily, my boss immediately texted me a congratulations.  At first I was hoping it wasn't a cruel joke, but I called my husband and he confirmed the good news.

There was my name.  I had passed.  Then, I called my parents and we all just cried for a few minutes.  It's really amazing the amount of relief you feel after something like this.  I'd spent years preparing for this moment.  I seriously have never been so relieved and elated.

Here were some of my favorite responses from phone calls:

"Well Kelly, I was sitting here all day in my chair waiting for you to call me.  I'm real proud of you." - Grandpa

"Kelly, I prayed to God.  I already knew you were going to pass." - Nana

"Now what?  Are you going to law?" - friend (I love that law was made in to a verb)

So, needless to say...I'm excited.  We then spent the weekend celebrating my husband's birthday and my passing.  There was a fancy dinner, lots of drinks, and lots of toasting. A perfect way to end this month.

I passed, y'all.  I'm officially a Lawyer.

xoxo,
Kelly

Wedding Wednesday: Let's get this wedding weekend started right.

Note:  I have purposefully skipped my Bachelorette Party.  Not because it wasn't fabulous, but because I'm waiting on my sister to give me the pictures.  Then, I'll go through them and pick out a few appropriate ones and tell you all about our girls' weekend.

SO, without further ado....I'm going to go ahead and dive right in to our wedding weekend.  I'll split the first two nights in to two blog entries, and the wedding itself is going to have to be a whole slew of entries.  I can't help it.  I loved every detail.  It was my wedding.  I should have.

First, let me tell you about where we were staying.  We found a 25 person beach house out at Isle of Palms at a reasonable price which housed our entire wedding party.  Yes, pretty much everyone.

It was perhaps the greatest idea we have ever had.  We loved having all of our friends surrounding us on the days leading up to wedding, and we seriously had a blast.  Everyone arrived on Thursday night with itineraries in their rooms and fridges stocked with goodness.

NIGHT ONE

First, we prepared what could be the most epic taco bar ever to be made.

After stuffing our faces we started a rousing game of trivia.  Not just any trivia, but trivia hosted by my husband-to-be and myself.  There were all kinds of categories (including one about us as a couple).  Our wedding party was randomly matched with one another, and my law school friends who were staying down the street even came down to play.  It was the perfect way to break the ice and let everyone get to mingle with each other.  The questions were tough, but even worse were the challenges.  We had a certain number of envelopes that each team could come and "buy" from us during the breaks between questions.  Each envelope could contain iTunes gift cards, Pokemon cards, an addition or subtraction of points, or a challenge.  The challenges ranged from crumping to singing to dance battling Ricky.  In order to "buy" an envelope, a team member had to take a shot of Fireball Whisky.  Yeah....that got messy.  But, it did create one of the most amazing dance battles I've ever seen go down between one of our groomsmen (Ricky) and one of our bridesmaids (Jackie)...which can be seen at the link below.  The quality isn't great, but I'm just happy someone got this on video.

Dance Battle Video

In the end, some of my girlfriends came out victorious and were awarded a trophy during the rehearsal dinner.

Living room full of wedding party (plus Austin/best man cheesing)

We got some seriously creative responses.

Tallying points, ya'll.

I've got to say...if you're planning to get married, this is such an excellent idea.  Everyone had such a great time.....aaaaaand my parents ended up having to bring us more beer to re-stock the already packed fridge.  What can I say?  Our wedding party is a good time.

xoxo,
Kel

Thankful Tuesday: Here's to 30 years, Momsie & Popsicle!

It seems so fitting that Thankful Tuesday falls on THIS particular Tuesday, because this Tuesday happens to be my parents' 30th Anniversary.  Thirty years of marital bliss is so rare these days, and I absolutely couldn't be prouder to call these two my parents.  They are two people that I am so blessed to have in my life, and I thank God for them on the daily.

So, indulge me.  I'm going to have to brag on them a little bit.

My parents, in all seriousness, are the kind of parents that every kid dreams of.  They're supportive and loving, but they aren't the type that will let you get away with everything.  They'll let you know when they are disappointed, and you feel motivated to never make them feel that way.  They're your friend, but they provide just enough boundaries so you still understand they're your parents.  They're fun, and they're pretty open to anything you want to do.  Whether it's taking your family to a park for a picnic or helping you move 15+ times, they're going to be there for you.  I really don't know how they've done it, but they've done something right.

My Mom and Dad are the kind of couple that people are drawn to. They're always the ones hosting the parties or entertaining a whole slew of kids at their house.  They have an open door policy, and they have welcomed each person with open arms that has had the opportunity to walk through their doors.  They raised two daughters, but they managed to adopt each and everyone of our friends too.  My Mom has given each of us hugs as we've cried and laughed with us about absolutely nothing.  My Dad has reminded each of us how special we are, and we all know he's the man to go to for a good drink and a cigar.  They're awesome, y'all.  Plain awesome.

They're my parents, and I couldn't love them more than I already do.

My sister summed it up nicely here as well:
"30 years ago today, I had the privilege of being a part of a wedding of a very "special" young couple. Through the years, I was witness to the marriage these 2 shared. They raised 2 little girls into successful, intelligent, loving women that are each "special" in their own way. They have worked to build a loving home and good life for themselves, children and grandchildren and have also opened there doors and hearts to so many others. They have struggled, learned and lost but have always come out stronger and together. They are a true testament that love can endure all things. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. "

ps. My sister chucked rice in my Mom's face as they left their wedding.  Hilarious.  Probably not at the time.  They've come a long way. hahahahaha.

So thanks Mom and Dad for setting such a wonderful example of what love is.  Thanks for showing us that marrying your best friend can lead to a lifetime full of happy.  I love you both!

xoxo,
Kel

Make My Monday: AKA Friday Finds pretending to be Make My Monday

Here's some of the things I'm loving right now...

1.  Mia 2

By now you've probably heard about clarisonics. They're these miracle hand held skin cleansers. They claim it's "micro-massage motion works within skin's natural elasticity to gently remove the impurities traditional methods leave behind--leaving skin softer, smoother, and more beautiful."

This is NOT a lie.

At first I was a naysayer. How could this little vibrating thing possible be all that great?  It is THAT great.  In fact, IT IS AMAZING. It is expensive. IT IS WORTH IT. It makes your skin feel amazing and oil free. I could possibly be addicted to mine. All my girlfriends now own them, and we seriously can't get enough. And now they come in fun colors (mine is white and boring).

You should seriously consider splurging for one, and don't waste your money on the drug store version. It works nothing like it.

2.  Homemade Taco Salads

Do you love Moe's salads? My family has an addiction. I could eat a Personal Trainer every single day of my life. No, no...not a person. That's what the salad is called.

So to save some cash, my husband and I decided to start making them at home. They are not hard at all. Here's how:

Ingredients:
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions
Mushrooms
Bell Pepper
Black Beans
Salsa
Ground lean chicken
Taco seasoning (I highly suggest making your own at home to control the amount of salt in the mixture)

Are you ready for this?
1. Brown your meat and add your seasoning
2. Sauté mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper with olive oil cooking spray (try not to use too many sprays!)
3. Combine ingredients
4. Eat that junk. It's delicious!

3.  Cards Against Humanity

Okay. We are in love. With each other? Yes.  With this game?  Gosh yes.  So in love that we ordered it the day after we played it for the first time at some our favorites' house last week. Yeah...it's that good.

How can you explain how great this is? Well it's Apples to Apples (usually a crowd favorite), but you should be 17+ to play it. It's innapropriate. It's hilarious. It will make you feel like a bad person. Therefore, it is perfect. You need to get your hands on this ASAP. You can buy it from Amazon (which had a wait list for a while) or print it from their website for free (how cool is that?).

This picture is sideways....because it's highly inappropriate.  

Ps. It also gets cool points because it was originally a Kickstarter project.

4.  Hello! My Name is BBQ

Do you like good food? If you said no, then leave my page right now and explain to yourself that you will not be friends with Kelly LaPlante. If you answered yes...keep reading.

Handsdown our favorite brunch in town is at the HMMIBBQWHQ. That's the Hello! My Name is BBQ World Headquarters. This place started as a gourmet food truck in town (in fact it was one of the big hits at our wedding), and now they've opened up their world headquarters on Meeting Street. On Saturdays they serve up brunch with live music and a side of bottomless mimosas. OR you can have a po'mosa which is made with Miller High Life.

BBQ sauce that is homemade, seasonal, and unique completed with awesome salt and pepper shakers

My favorite brunch date.  Make that my favorite date for, well, everything.  

Who could resist a man with a beard, flannel, and a vest?  Not this girl.

The highlight is the food which includes my all time favorite shrimp and grits with BBQ'ed bacon and chorizo. Can you say yum?

Darryl loves the pulled pork breakfast plate or this manly biscuit (seen across the table) with lots of meat on it.

So Saturday...be there! So delicious and the people are fun too.

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XOXO,
Kel

Thankful Wednesday: Holidays, Double Dates, and Best Gals

Howdy Ho, neighbor.  I know, I know...it's supposed to be Wedding Wednesday.  But, it's my blog and I'll do what I want.

It's been a pretty full couple of weeks, and I've been a wee bit slack on the blog posts. But, fret not! I am back. (When I say fret I really just mean my Mom because I feel certain that she is the only one who always reads these things. Hi Mom!)

So here's what I'm thankful for this week...

1. Big family holidays

I absolutely love them. I can't help myself. My family is fantastic and I can't help but enjoy spending time with them. So here's what we did...

We went to an Easter Egg Hunt where Madison apparently wanted to show her belly to myself and my sister-in-law Kristen.

Norah was pooped.

Sawyer was a good boy.

And Norah met her cousin, Rodgers (*yes after Aaron Rodgers)

Note: The Amell sisters racked UP at the Easter Egg hunt.  Just know that we are not to be messed with.  We were raised to be competitive, and we win at all costs (including running past children).

We even made cupcakes for Heather's birthday.  Madison was a huge help, and she put 15 candles on one cupcake for Heather.

Uncle D & Madison played chalk in the garage thanks to the rain.

Some centerpieces

Delicious ham

Popsicle cutting delicious ham

Pinterest-worthy eggs made by my sister

Pinterest-inspired centerpieces 

A little mantle action

Someone discovered mud.

Us & my In-Laws

Madison was grumpy, so we went with the emotion.

Goofy picture (typical)

These two supervised the egg hunt.

THE CUTEST VIDEO EVER MADE

Madison, our two year old niece, is officially in her "I will copy whatever you do" stage.  Here's a little taste of what was going down in my parents' garage on Easter Sunday.  Too cute for words.  The "hi-ya" is the best.

Overall it was such a fantastic Easter!

2. Having young couples to hang out with

We are ridiculously lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people. We've been on so many double dates recently, and frankly I love it.

Most of them stemming from this group (our epically awesome kickball team that ended their season on a two game winning streak...this week we went ultra-American...hence the jorts and bandanas...please try to ignore that I look like Willie from Duck Dynasty):

Last week we went on a Tuesday night date to our favorite diner, Early Bird Diner, with Kayla (who is practically my little sister) and David (The Rip).  Then, Friday we went to Dana, Lauren, and Penny's house for baked ziti and to play quite possibly the best game ever made (more about that on Friday).

We just feel really happy to have young, fun couples to be around!

3. Best girlfriends

I was recently talking to a good friend about how lucky we are to have found our friends in high school. It's rare that people keep in touch after school, but these happen to be my core group of friends at the age of 26. In fact, I met most of my favorite people in elementary and middle school. I just happened to find quality people pre-puberty. Don't get me wrong...I adore my college and law school friends, but I feel pretty lucky that over 100 of our wedding guests were high school friends and their families.

So let's get to it...I feel so incredibly blessed to have these four in my life.

These girls are the most loving, beautiful, and supportive friends a girl could ask for. I couldn't even begin to explain how amazing each one is without writing a book here. Just know that these are strong women who I am lucky to have by my side every step of the way.

Kristin & Justin's Wedding (Jackie, Stephanie, Ashley, Mwah, Kristin)

This Christmas

Our Wedding

AND THIS WEEK three of them will be in town. To say I'm ecstatic is an understatement. Can't wait!

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Stay thankful!

Xoxo,
Kel