Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!  We have been up to some fun things lately.  First, in honor of the Halloween spirit we carved our annual pumpkin.  Brandon did most of the carving while I baked the seeds.

 

The Finished Product

This past weekend we headed back up to Raleigh to watch the Pack take on Florida State with our friend Kyle.  We tailgated with some homemade BBQ, potato salad, dirty rice, beer and brandy slush.  YUM!  What an amazing game!  The Wolfpack held on to beat the Seminoles who were ranked #16 in the nation.  We also had our first experience with Priceline for hotels.  We booked the Country Inn and Suites near the airport for $58 through Priceline when it is normally priced $112/night.  What a deal!  We had an awesome time, as always, and enjoyed the big win!

                                                     

Wolfpack Weekend and Wedding Photos

We got our Professional Wedding Photos back this week from our wonderful photographers, JT Photography.  I love every single shot, they truly are amazing artists!  Click the link above to view all 1,021 of them!  

This past weekend we headed to Raleigh with my parents to watch the Wolfpack take on Boston College.  Of course, the Pack won uncontested!  We had a great time at the game, besides the 90* heat, complete with a good ol' southern Bojangles Tailgate before the game.  

After the victory, we headed to our hotel where there was some drama, drama, drama.  Both my parents and Brandon and I booked King Non-smoking rooms.  When we got there, the clerk proceeded to very rudely inform us that there were only smoking double rooms available.  Of course, we fought it and she magically came up with a King room for my parents but nothing for Brandon and I, except for the handicapped room.  She told us the only difference in the handicapped room is that it did not have a tub, which led us to believe there was an enclosed water closet shower.  Boy were we wrong!  We get to our room to find a tile floor in the shower with a floor drain and a curtain hanging from the ceiling!!  So basically we got nothing that we reserved at the hotel except for the free waffles the next morning.  My mom called the manager of the hotel and ended up getting both rooms comped to us for free, so in the end it all worked out.  After the drama at the hotel, we headed to one of our favorite restaurants in Raleigh, the Village Draft House, for some burgers and beers.  Our close friend Kyle came and picked us up after dinner and we headed out downtown for the evening to catch up with him.  We had a great time!!  We love getting out of town, even for just a night, and can't wait to go back to Raleigh again or possibly move back one day!!  GO WOLFPACK!!

It's Fall! Time for a Pumpkin Recipe!!

4-Layer Pumpkin Cake with a Caramel Pecan Drizzle

What You Need

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup oil

4 eggs

1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.)cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.
BEAT cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans.
BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.
BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in Cool Whip. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top layer.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; top with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.

TA-DA!!

Some Unprofessional Wedding Photos

Newlyweds!!

We did it! We tied the knot! I was waiting to write this post until pro photos came back but they haven't yet, so that will make for another posting when they do and I'm sure they will be great (JT Photography is awesome). For now, I will post some of our favorite candid shots above in a slideshow. Our day was perfect, but went by SO quickly. It was amazing to see all of my hard work come alive and it was just how I imagined it to be. If I can brag a bit, I was so proud of all of my DIY (Do It Yourself) projects and seeing how people responded so positively to them. The ceremony was perfect and really spoke to who we are as a couple. The music was my favorite part and just fit so well. I walked down the aisle to "You and Me" by Lifehouse played on acoustic guitar with touches of bass guitar and vocals by an amazing soloist who is only 17 years old! The trio also did "Deeply in Love" by Hillsong United as we lit the unity candle, which was beautiful as well. We had a fun time at the reception and I didn't even mind Brandon smashes the cake all over my face. It was amazing to finally marry my best friend and we had an amazing day.
We left the next day to honeymoon in St. Lucia (pics below as well), which is a beautiful country with an infectious spirit and attitude. As they say "No Pressure, No Problem"! We enjoyed the beach and beautiful turquoise waters and went on a few adventures, including ziplining through the jungle and an adventure cruise to the Pitons, volcano, botanical gardens, and snorkeling. We loved the mud bath at the volcano and loved seeing the island via catamaran. Overall our wedding and honeymoon were perfect and I know this post doesn't do the details justice. After returning from St. Lucia, we jumped right back into real life and boy did it hit hard. Brandon's computer crashed the next day, welcoming us to married life with style :) We headed back to school and work. I started my internship at the high school and Brandon went right back to work. We have been spending our weekends trying to get settled in and get our apartment decorated to our liking. We have also been spending a lot of time with our families and helping everyone get adjusted to us being married. Football season also kicked off, so needless to say, Brandon is enthralled for several days a week. We are hoping to make it up to Raleigh for a Wolfpack game next month. We can't wait to share more of our stories and life adventures with everyone soon.




Mood: Content
Currently listening to: Sister Hazel- This Kind of Love (our first dance and beautiful song) Smelling: pot roast in the Crockpot
Today I am thankful for: My friend Katy who listens when I need someone to talk to