Friday Letters On A Long Weekend

Friday Letters was always my favorite link up when I first started blogging... Although I don't believe it's a link up anymore (I currently only know of one person who still does it, and that is Ashley @ Run With Me. If you know of more, leave them in the comments!!) I'm still going to do it =)

dear fiance- i still can't believe i get to call you that. it's been three weeks that i've been wearing this gorgeous ring on my finger but i'm still giddy about it. i'm pretty sure i will continue to be giddy until the day i get to start calling you husband. dear memorial day weekend- thank you for giving me an extra day with my fiance. dear texas- it's time for this rainy/tornado-y weather to go away. i'm ready for sunny weekends at the pool. dear bachelorette- you legitimately look like you might be "the most dramatic season yet" #pumped. dear readers- look i posted three times this week! i'm trying to make a conscious effort to post a little more often/consistently because i really do love doing this.

happy memorial day weekend y'all!

Closet Purge: First Pass

My lease was up at my apartment at the end of April, and as much as I loved my apartment (seriously, it's gorgeous) I did not love the idea of paying $150 per month more on top of my already expensive rent... so I moved! In preparation of the move, I wanted to do a heavy assessment of my stuff all throughout the apartment and decide what really needed to come with me.

I am a bit of a pack rat and I really like to keep things for "sentimental" reasons. Unfortunately, most of the time that means I just have boxes/piles of stuff that is "sentimental" that has absolutely no true useful purpose in my life. Thankfully, I'm aware of this personal characteristic and I am doing what I can to combat my pack-rat nature and refrain from slowly allowing my closet to slip in to hoarder status.

Here are the simple steps I took for my first pass at getting rid of some of the clothes in my closet:

1. Clear The Things That Hadn't Been Touched Since Last Closet Cleaning
First up, there was a stack of t-shirts on the very top shelf of my closet- a shelf so tall I can barely reach it. These t-shirts had literally been there untouched since I moved in to my apartment nine months ago. Down from the shelf and on to the bed they went for sorting.

2. Scan Item By Item
Next, I went shelf by shelf through my hanging items- it is pretty easy to pick out the things that I know I haven't worn at all more than once in the last few months. Obviously it has been winter so some summer things are excluded from this assessment, but even with those summer tops or the "going out" tops that haven't been put to use it is not too tough to be honest with yourself and think back on how much use they got even when the weather was appropriate.


3. Consolidate Items Into Keep/Donate/Trash Piles
From there, all items selected for the purge went on to my bed for one last look through. This is where is gets easy to talk yourself out of giving things away. But stay strong my friends! With the exception of a few t-shirts (kept for sentimental reasons... maybe they will go in round two of the closet purge) I separated everything out in to items for the goodwill and items that were just for the trash can.

Next step, actually take those two trash bags full of clothes to the good will- since they are currently sitting in my laundry room...

What other tips do you guys have for making sure your closet stays current and clutter-free?

MAY GLOSSYBOX UNBOXING

Subscription beauty boxes have become quite the rage these days. Personally, I had never taken the plunge to participate in one but had always been intrigued by the products my friends got from theirs and by the frequent "unboxing" videos on YouTube. For those two reasons, I decided that a perfect birthday present would be a subscription to one of the many boxes that are out there. A told me he would get me whatever box I chose as a bday present, so I was off to figure out which one I wanted.

After watching a bunch of unboxing videos (Eleventh Gorgeous are probably my current favorites) and comparing many different boxes price/products etc. I decided on a box for me. 

I chose Glossybox and so far I am incredibly pleased with my choice! Glossybox is a monthly subscription box that sends you five luxury beauty products and retails for $21 per month. This May's box was actually my third Glossybox, and I thought it would be nice if I unboxed it with you guys.

The thing I love most about this box is that I always feel that the quality and size of the products makes the cost of the box more than worth it. It also exposes me to new products and allows me to try things I probably wouldn't normally purchase for myself.

Now, let's get in to what was actually in my May Glossybox.

Teeez Trend Cosmetics- Head Over Heels Nail Lacquer
This is a lovely peachy/coral colored nail polish that I have already tested out by painting it on my toes. The formula is a little runny (i.e. if your painting your toes keep those feet flat) but the color is gorgeous! I also love that the brush is thick, it makes painting your nails just that much easier.

Doucce- Mineral Matt Lipstick
I haven't had a reason to test this one out yet. The color is darker than one I might typically pick for myself but I'm intrigued by the description "...velvet matte finish. Infused with SPF 10 and vitamin E... [the lipstick] will keep lips hydrated all day, and won't feather or fade away."

Clearista- Retexturizing Gel
I'm a sucker for a good facial exfoliatant. To me there is almost nothing better than the feeling of freshly exfoliated skin. I tested this guy out in the shower and it was awesome. The beads in the gel easily buff away dead skin cells and it also claims to reduce pigmentation and skin imperfections!

GlamGlow- Powermud Dualcleanse Treatment
I was probably most excited about this product this month. I do not often buy myself face masks but I always wish I had some kind of mask product around on those lazy saturday nights when I feel like pampering myself. I am holding off on testing this out until I go to WV next weekend because A said he wants to do the mask with me. You can bet that pictures will be forthcoming. Follow me on twitter if you want to see those ;)

Sebastian Professional- Stylbrid 9
Hairspray is actually not a product that I use very often, but I was excited to get this because it's travel size and would be great to bring along on trips for those occassions when I actually do my hair and need some extra hold.

So that is my May Glossybox. I invite any of you that are interest in getting Glossybox to use this referral link to do so. If you get Glossybox or any other subscription beauty box, tell me about it below! I would love to read others posts/watch others videos.

All items were purchased with my own money unless specifically stated.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Typical (and Not So Typical) Wedding Questions Answered

All my friends on facebook/twitter/instagram are probably sick of my posts about getting engaged by this point (sorry guys... we are just really excited!) but for those of you that might still care- here are just a few of the typical (and not so typical) questions answered.

WHEN?
I am amazed by how many people have asked, "do you have a date?" Are we in the minority as an engaged couple who does not set the date immediately? For us, we are refraining from doing much planning until we have found our way to the same city. The earliest I foresee us getting married would be Fall of 2016- but even that might be pushing it. We are looking at a long, sweet engagement.

WHERE?
With me being from CA but living in TX, A being from MO but living in WV, and the two of us having met in OH we have all kinds of options for where to get married. There is even the possibility of adding another state to that list based on where work takes us in the journey of getting our butts to the same city. However, right now my thoughts are leaning toward St. Louis, MO. It's A's hometown, a city I have fallen in love with, and a pretty darn good central meeting point for all the people that are going to need to travel in for the wedding.

HOW?
What's our plan for getting to the same place? Good question. We don't have one. We both have new careers and want to give ourselves sufficient time to get good experience before one of us makes a move. Either one of us could be the one to move, it will all just depend on timing and opportunity.

Like any newly engaged girl I am so excited to get to planning. But for now, I will resign my planning to simply mass idea hunting on Pinterest and maybe the occasional search of venues on The Knot.

If you're engaged or married, what are the questions you got from everybody?

Happy Friday Lovelies!

We Are Engaged!

I guess it was appropriate that I put that "Why We Work" post up on Friday... because on Friday evening A asked me to to spend the rest of my life with him.

The whole evening was absolutely perfect. We walked to our favorite park in Columbus, sat on the bench where we said our first "I love you's", and spent a while just talking, cuddling, and people watching. Finally, he turned the conversation back to us (instead of the strange man laying on the ground taking pictures of flowers on the pond) said some incredibly sweet things that I only kind of remember, and asked me if I would marry him. Of course, I said yes.

Those first two pics were taken the night it actually happened. The rest of these were taken a couple days later when we realized we should probably take a few more (obviously we are selfie pros).

The whole weekend was an awesome combination of time for us alone together and time with friends. We spent Friday after the proposal calling/texting friends and family and later ate dinner at one of our favorite bars in Columbus. Saturday we got massages in the morning, had lunch with two of my girlfriends and their husbands, spent the afternoon being lazy together, and went out to a fantastic dinner at one of our favorite fancy restaurants in town. Sunday we got brunch with one of A's college buddies then went back to the park to enjoy the gorgeous day and snap a few more pictures.

It was a perfect weekend; without a doubt it was a weekend I will never forget. Ever since I've been home I can't shake the fantastic feeling that I get to marry my best friend, my love, my crazy partner in crime. I will likely do another post soon to answer what I'm sure are some of your burning questions (i.e. "But Ashley, don't you two still live in different cities? Yes. Yes we do.)

For now I'll leave you with my favorite picture from the weekend. I call this his "She said YESSS" face, and I think it is perfect.

Why We Work

I get to see my boy today!! This weekend we are heading to Columbus for a short weekend together and I am soooo excited. Today I thought I would finally share a post I wrote before my last blogging drop off about why we work.

Mary did a post like this quite some time ago- and I loved the idea of it so I just had to steal borrow it from her.

As I may have mentioned in the past, it took me too long to realize the amazing man that was standing in front of me putting up with my crap loving me for quite some time. We were some version of friends for almost two years before we started dating. In that time I was slowly learning why we worked, and since becoming a couple I've seen so much more.

We work because:

He is calm when I am a mess, and vice versa. I believe in him and he in me. We were instilled with/have developed some very similar values and beliefs.

He laughs at my ridiculousness. I love his dad jokes. We both love music, football, and HGTV.

He makes me smile in the times when I really don't want to. I know that rubbing his forehead will make him feel better if he is stressed or not feeling well. We tell each other we love each other multiple times a day (thank you long distance).

He loves receiving love letters and I love writing them. I can get lost in his gorgeous blue eyes. We adopt interests from each other, and tolerate those that we have no interest in adopting.

He is good at doing the little things and I'm good at doing the big things. I can be 100% me when I am with him. We take pictures like those above and both think they are fantastic.

He holds my hand in the car- whether we are driving to the grocery store or across the country. I could spend all day in his arms on the couch. Our love is bigger than 1000 miles of physical distance.

We always "figure it out".

I'm A Really Bad Blogger...

... but I still really do enjoy doing it.

I get busy.

Talking to A on FaceTime for hours takes priority over attempting to come up with something interesting to blog about. 

I choose a Scandal binge over blogging.

I simply feel like being lazy. 

All of these are just a few of the reasons why I haven't blogged since March.

I know that I'm never going to grow a readership blogging on and off like I do, but that is fine with me. This is my (mildly) creative outlet that I use whenever I feel like it. Lately I have been back in the blog world as a reader and it gives me the desire to write again. 

So for those that do stop by occasionally to check in on my little corner of the internets, here's what I've been up to:

CELEBRATING

My 26th birthday was this month! It just so happened to coordinate with Easter this year, which meant I got a three day weekend for my birthday. A came down and spent the weekend with me. As usual, we took very few pictures... But we did have an awesome time at the Blues/Stars game. A fun night out with friends. And a delicious dinner at Knife.

ADJUSTING TO A NEW ROLE AT WORK

The life of an HR person is never stable. After about nine months in my role, my organization decided to move me in to another role. I went from supporting a group of 250, to supporting a group of 1000+. Obviously I am not alone in this and do work with a HR manager to support this new organization, but it is still a massive increase in people and in work. I've been busy learning a new organization, new people, and making sure that we give the organization as smooth of a transition as possible. It has definitely not been a cakewalk.

MOVING

I'm still in Dallas but I moved to a new apartment. I came down to apartment search in April last year and the apartment I chose was running a deal which allowed me to sign and start my lease in April but not pay until I moved in in June. Unfortunately that left me with a decision to make regarding moving with less than a year of time in Dallas under my belt. I loved my apartment but I was paying more than I wanted to and was not taking advantage of all the cool stuff that I lived near. I decided to move closer to work (and it turns out closer to some friends!) and pay much less than I had been paying.

New apartment- closet pre-clothes, living/dining space, and kitchen

I actually really love my new apartment too, but I do have a giant empty space meant for a dining table... Time for some furniture shopping :-)

BECOMING A TEXAN

After more than ten months in Dallas I decided to accept the fact that I live here and transition my car insurance, registration, license etc. Just FYI this is not what you are supposed to do... But my CA registration (yes CA I never registered my car in OH) was about to expire and I couldn't simply renew by mail because CA was requiring a smog check for my car this year. So... as of this week my car is officially a Texan and I'll be following up with getting that TX drivers license (and replacing my CA license that still has a picture of 15 year old Ashley).

Hopefully some of those are decent reasons for dropping the blogging ball again... But hey, it wasn't the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last :)

#NowPlaying

I love music- as anyone who knows me- or has been around this blog for any period of time knows. But I feel like I go through ruts sometimes when I am just in desperate need of some new stuff to listen too... I am approaching one of those ruts now so I thought I would share what has been most played on my Spotify app lately, and see if y'all have any new suggestions for me.

Indie Pop that might not be new but it's relatively new to me:

- Thudder Clatter; Wild Cub

- Somebody Loves You; Betty Who

- This entire Spotify playlist

Cheesy country songs that I just can't help but love:

- Love Me Like You Mean It; Kelsea Ballerini

- Spring Breakdown; Luke Bryan

- Make Me Wanna; Thomas Rhett

P.S. You will fall in love with Thomas Rhett once you watch this video

Feelin' the love songs:

- Islands; The xx

- Home; ZZ Ward

- Love Me Like You Do; Ellie Goulding

A few more in a category-less portion of my list:

- Gentle On My Mind; The Band Perry

- You Are The Best Thing; Ray LaMontagne

- Geronimo; Sheppard

What have you guys been listening to lately?

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tostadas

Hi Friends!

I believe I've shared before that I am far from being America's next Top Chef, however when I have time I do enjoy experimenting with new, easy recipes. Thanks to Pinterest, this past weekend I tried out a recipe I found via a Six Sister's post (from over two years ago!). The post itself- 100 Healthy Dinner Recipes- is awesome and totally worth checking out.

Today I'm linking up with Mary at Eat Drink and Be Mary, Full Time Mama, and Coping With Frugality for their Delicious Dish Tuesday to share the delicious dish I made over the weekend.

I chose to make the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tostada via Two Peas and Their Pod. I didn't take any pictures of mine- so their picture will have to suffice. Regardless of my blogger fail in picture taking, this recipe was a total win in my book.

I generally hate eating leftovers, but I ate all of this up over the course of a couple days. Sweet potato is one of my favorite things and it was nice to learn that roasting sweet potato is just as easy as roasting any other veggie (roasted asparagus and broccoli are two of my favorites). Throw in avocado (which is one of my other favorite foods) and I was sold.

If you are looking for a super easy, vegetarian meal to make this week- I suggest you give this recipe a try.

Photo Credit

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into small cubes
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 tortillas
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 avocado, diced
1 lime, cut into wedges
Shredded cheese (optional)
Salsa or hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place sweet potato cubes on a large baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft and tender. Stir a couple of times while they are roasting.

2. Place tortillas on a baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Place under a hot broiler for about 2 minutes. Remove from oven and turn over tortillas. Place tortillas back under the broiler for another two minutes.

3. Heat black beans over the stove or in the microwave. Top tortillas with beans, sweet potatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and any other toppings you desire. Serve warm.

Original recipe located here on Two Peas and Their Pod

That's it! Super easy and very yummy!

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing...

...is waiting not the most excruciating feeling?!

real life ridiculous snapchats

Okay, maybe that is a little dramatic but in terms of #firstworldproblems there are few things worse than waiting for something you really want. I can think of many torturous waiting periods in my life:

I remember waiting to:

- find out if I got in to the college of my dreams

- try on the new clothes I ordered online

- get a job offer (this has happened many times)

- have a pizza arrive when I'm so hungry I could eat my hand

- get on my favorite ride a Disneyland (Space Mountain, obvs)

- say yes to the man who turned out to be the man of my dreams

- be in the same place as the aforementioned man

... Alright that list is clearly a mix of serious and ridiculous waiting periods... I blame it on the fact that I am currently losing my mind. I am writing this from a very frustrated point of view, friends.I'm waiting for something I REALLY want and I've done all I can and it is no longer in my control. 

So someone please send help. Preferably in the form of plane tickets to Disneyland, a delicious pizza, some awesome new clothes that fit perfectly, or maybe just the news I'm waiting so impatiently for... Thanks.

Charleston, SC: The Activities

While our primary activity in Charleston, SC was definitely food- we did manage to do a few other things while we were in town.

First up, we took a Ghost Tour of the city with Old Charleston Walking Tours. We got a great deal on the tickets through GroupOn- which at the time of this post is still available here! The tour was so much fun. It incorporated Charleston history in to some really awesome ghost stories based on real people's experiences. The tour guide has gather stories of supernatural encounters from people over the years, then done research in to Charleston's past to determine what events the ghost might have come from. I'm not sure that I really believe in that kind of stuff, but whether you believe or not it is really fun to walk around and hear the stories!

The next day we did another walking tour of the city, but this one was also a photo tour. This tour was through Liz of Say Charleston! A hates taking pictures, so when I found this I thought I had no shot of getting him to do it, but he surprised me by agreeing that it would be nice to have some quality pictures of us to remember the trip by. Despite this tour starting in the same location at the ghost tour, there was very little overlap in content, which was awesome. Our tour guide/photographer Liz lead us around the city for two hours talking about Charleston's history and the unique architecture style of many of the historic homes in Charleston. Plus she took some really amazing pictures of us along the way. I loved this tour!

These were the only two formal activities we did but here are a few other things we did that you will definitely want to do too:

Shopping on King Street- King Street is primarily shops so we walked up and down the street multiple times popping in to all the different shops, boutiques, and art studios. We particularly loved Ben Ham's studio. His pictures were absolutely gorgeous and we've told ourselves that some day we will splurge on one of his photographs for our future home.

Wandering the Harbor, Rainbow Row, and Battery Park- our last day was spent wandering these parts of town. It was so much fun to just walk around and take in all of the beautiful sights in Charleston. We loved looking at the houses and fantasizing about owning one someday.

A few things that we didn't do that we would like to do when we go back were- visit Fort Sumter and take a tour of one of the gorgeous plantations outside of town.

We can't wait to go back to Charleston one day. We both truly fell in love with this amazing city. If you missed either of my other recaps on the lodging and the food, go back and check those out.

Now... we just have to decide where we should go next!!

Charleston, SC: The Food

Oh my goodness y'all... I won't even tell you how much money we spent of food in Charleston, but I will tell you that it was worth every penny. I truly don't know if I have ever been to a city that has such an amazing restaurant market! I'll break it down by meal for you all... get ready this post is not short!

Dinner:

I'm starting here because this was the most important meal of most of our days. We splurged on our dinners, as you will see if you go look at these restaurants websites. But food is important to us and I believe in spending money on experiences! We did dinner at Husk, McCrady's, and Charleston Grill. Here's the scoop on each:

Husk: We were on a bit of a Sean Brock tour during this trip to Charleston, and Husk was out first stop on the tour. If you don't know who Sean Brock is- don't worry I didn't either- he is an award winning chef who has appeared on the TV Show Mind of a Chef. You can find it on Netflix.

We started off at the whiskey bar, next door to the actual restaurant, for a drink. We can be snobs occasionally when it comes to a good whiskey/bourbon based cocktail. We've been spoiled by our visits to Taste- an amazing bar in St. Louis. Because of that, I've got to say I didn't love my first drink The CBWS’s Punch but I was quite enthralled by my second drink the Keeneland. A's Barrel-Aged Manhattan was good too, though not the best of the trip.

Dinner was a whole different story! We started off with the Pig's Ear Lettuce Wraps- these were wonderful. A could not get enough of them (in fact he just brought them up again yesterday)! Next I had the Pork- Slow Cooked VA Heritage Pork, Charred Sweet Potato and Mustard Greens with VA Apple Cider Jus, Toasted Pecans- and Adrian had what is my new favorite fish, the Triggerfish- Atlantic Triggerfish, Mustard Spaetzle, Cauliflower and Spinach, Country Ham, Manchego Broth. We also got a side of the cornbread, which we totally didn't need because the dishes were so amazing. We finished up with the Sweet Vanilla Doughnut Holes for dessert. YUM.

Trigger Fish & Pork at Husk

McCrady's: McCrady's is Sean Brock's original restaurant in Charleston. We went here on Valentine's day for a special, very romantic dinner. We were seated in a quiet little table in an alcove near the bar which provided a fantastic atmosphere for our meal. We chose to do the tasting menu with the wine pairings. Let me tell you, this was not a meal... this was an experience! The staff was incredible- our waiter especially so. The food was unreal. And the wine pairings just put everything over the top. I wish this were something I could afford to do every weekend- but it's probably more of a once in a long while activity. I'm pushing for once a year on what is sure to become a Charleston vacation tradition for us =) If you've got the cash to do it, I HIGHLY recommend McCrady's.

Charleston Grill: We went to Charleston Grill on our last night in town. Originally we just planned to have a drink and listen to the father/son jazz duo who play contemporary and classical covers. We sat down at the bar and realized we were hungry. After ordering our drinks- Manhattan for A (best of the trip) and something else for me... I honestly can't remember- we decided on the crab cake appetizer. This thing was amazing. After that, we couldn't stop there. I got the scallops and A got the pork shank. Both were delicious, but I definitely won this one. By the end we were too stuffed for dessert, but our bartenders did give us some little treats anyway. This was out semi-unintentional dinner over-spend. But again, it was totally worth it.

Lunch:

We found three very worthwhile lunch spots and one to avoid. I'll start with the one to avoid- Hyman's Seafood. It's right on Market street and boast itself as one of the best seafood spots in town. We ate there right when we got in to town on Thursday and we were starving. It wasn't bad but it pales in comparison to everything else we had that weekend. Skip it.

Now for the one's we liked: Brasserie Gigi, The Tattooed Moose, and Minero.

Brasserie Gigi: We actually ended up here after looking around for some where to eat on Friday and having no luck at Cru (which had been recommended to us). Oddly enough, this place had been recommended to us as well (however we had not taken this person seriously at the time). Turns out, it's pretty good. Although we did split a bottle of wine with this lunch so I'm sure that influenced our thoughts on the food. Truly, I could take it or leave it. But it was fun for us to sit at the bar and share the trout dish that we ordered.

Tattooed Moose

The Tattooed Moose: This is my kind of place y'all. Totally dive-y with delicious food. They are famous for their Duck Club (and for good reason, I got it and it was amazing). But A got the cuban sandwich and that was delightful as well. This one gets another HIGH recommendation from me. (Sidenote- I've given the highest recommendations to the most expensive and cheapest places on my list... go figure that one out.)

Minero: This was our last stop on the Sean Brock tour- his new taco joint. A flipped when we found out this existed! We had it for lunch on our last day, and it did not disappoint. I got the burrito (which is massive) and A got the al pastor and  the carnitas tacos. All of it was delicious.

Breakfast/Brunch:

We skimped on this meal, most of the time choosing to sleep in and wait until lunch, however we did hit one of the famous brunch places in Charleston- Hominy Grill. We also got donuts at Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts. We may or may not have done these things on the same day....

Hominy Grill: We had heard mixed reviews of Hominy and we weren't sure if it was going to be worth the hype... But I would put it on my list of recommendations- ONLY IF you order The Nasty Biscuit. I made the mistake of ordering banana pancakes, which were good but you can get pancakes anywhere. A got The Nasty Biscuit- friend chicken biscuit sandwich covered in delicious gravy- and it was amazing. The wait was long, about an hour. It got a little frustrating when they kept calling names of people who had chosen to leave (but hey, at least that made our wait time shorter), and the hostesses seemed a bit unorganized. But once inside, that nasty biscuit made up for it.

Photo Credit

Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts- get there early if you really want to try their special flavors (we didn't) but if their specialty's are anything like their plain glazed, chocolate with sprinkles, and raspberry glazed doughnuts, then this place is awesome. The raspberry glazed was incredible- the glaze was fresh, and the doughnut was soft and yummy. I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it.
There are still so many restaurants in Charleston that are left on our list for next time. The food in this town in just unreal. Our favorite activity was asking any of our waiters/uber drivers etc where we should eat... We got so many recommendations that we started a list for next time!

Next week I'll tell you about the stuff we did while we were there!

Charleston, SC: The Lodging

First up- I am going to share where A and I stayed during our trip to Charleston, SC.

When A and I finally decided on a location for our anniversary/Valentine's day trip, I got right to work finding us a place to stay. As you might expect, I started with hotels. Charleston has some gorgeous hotels with some not-so-gorgeous prices to go along with them (especially over Valentine's/Presidents day weekend) so I took to AirBnB to see if I could find something that would be more worth the money.

Our first attempt at booking a place didn't work out- which was a bummer- but it worked out in the end because we found an even better spot! We stayed in the Mod Suite at City Centre Inn. It could not have been a more perfect location. We were right near the intersection of Meeting/George St.

For those who haven't been to Charleston, Meeting St. and King St. are two of the streets you want to check out. King St. was one block up from our location so we walked nearly everywhere we went. We also walked to East Bay St- another street in Charleston that contains lots of yummy restaurants- the harbor, Rainbow Row, and Battery Park/White Forest Gardens. We uber'd once out of necessity and a few times out of laziness/time of night but we truly were walking distance from anything you could want to do in the historic downtown district of Charleston.

The suite itself was amazing. It's furnished with a number of original Mid-Century modern pieces, but also contains an updated kitchen and bathroom (seriously this bathroom- I want it in my future house). Sadly, I did not take any pictures but here are a few from the AirBnB posting that I feel most accurately represent the suite.

I was a little nervous about using AirBnB as I had never done it before, but it turned out to be a wonderful experience. We had a code to our door sent to us prior to our arrival, so we didn't even need to check in with anybody. We did meet the hosts (who live onsite) towards the end of our stay and they were wonderful. Rick and his wife Glenda were incredibly hospitable, and were nice enough to hold our luggage for us after we checked out of the suite but before we were ready to leave for the airport.

Overall, it was an awesome experience- and I would absolutely stay there again. The cost of the suite was less than many of the hotel options and it was bigger and so much more comfortable than what we might have gotten at a hotel. I would highly recommend checking this place out if you ever go to Charleston!

Next up- I'll tell you all about the food!

Blogging Fail

Oh hi friends!
I definitely got back in to things a few months ago and then fell right back out of them, didn't I? Oh well... I'm not making any promises this time, but I do have some fun stuff that I want to share- so I figured I would make a quick little appearance in the next week or so and we will just see if it sticks this time =)

I want to share my trip to Charleston, SC with you guys! I'll be posting a couple recaps in the coming days/week- so stick with me on bloglovin or twitter if you want some updates.

Here's a little teaser-

This is one of the lovely photos that A and I had taken while on a walking tour of the city. More to come- stay tuned!