I've got a gun, and I'm not afraid to use it.

A registry gun, that is.

Last weekend, Benjamin & I began working on our registries. I was a little apprehensive because Ben is.... let's see... how can I put this nicely.... Practical? Yes. Practical. For instance:
Carrie- "Oooh! an apple slicer/peeler/corer! we NEED this!"
Ben- "We have a knife. And you don't even eat apples that often"
Carrie- "But think of the time I could save! And I could avoid a potential knife disaster! And I would eat an apple every day if we got one!"
Ben- "No."


Our first stop was Williams Sonoma. We grabbed our guns, took a stroll around the store, and surprisingly had fun! We agreed on almost everything (minus the aforementioned apple peeler/corer/slicer). We agreeably compromised about what our dream kitchen should look like. It was a very positive experience.

Just off of our Williams Sonoma happiness, we decided to head to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Our personal registry coach walked us around every.single.inch of that store, trying to convince us we couldn't live without an espresso machine, or $50 bath towels.... It was miserable. Which is why I wasn't surprised that afterward when I checked over our registry, I found Benjamin had snuck off in an attempt to score us a porcelain cat toilet brush holder (no, I'm not kidding)

a mother-of-pearl toilet seat

and lifesavers. Yes. Candy. On our wedding registry. (Although, I do give him credit. He registered for a nice, big bag. Good job, Honey!)

Fortunately, we survived. And Ben's surprise additions gave me a good laugh.
(Although you can bet I removed those from the registry that same night.)

p.s. I tried to be sneaky by adding my beloved apple gadget to our registry.
Ben quickly discovered my addition and removed it.

Planning a wedding is hard....

Okay, I'm totally lying. You see, I have done some planning, but I haven't done much doing.

Booking the reception venue? Ben took care of that.
Arranging the ceremony? Yep. He did that too.
Oh! Blocking rooms at the hotel? Ben was all over that.
Researching wedding photographers and DJs? Yeah, Ben did that.
Designing our Save The Dates? Ben.
Emailing & calling vendors? Ben.
Signing us up for pre-marital counseling? Ben has that taken care of.

As for me, I spend obscene amounts of time browsing wedding magazines and websites.
Oh! I took care of stuffing, addressing, and applying postage to the Save The Dates!
Wait, nope. My sister did that.


He might look lazy, but he is the best fiance imaginable. Ben has totally taken the stress out of wedding planning (so far:). I'm so thrilled to have him, my friends and family taking such an active role in helping out! This wedding planning is a breeze!

some thoughts on being a hippie.

lately, i've been finding that ben & i are increasingly being labeled as "hippies".
yes, we are interested in the environment. yes, we recycle.
but it's not like we go out every day to hug trees and eat granola. we recently had a discussion to try to pin-point where this perception could be coming from.
do we wear tie-dye? attend music festivals? listen to the greatful dead? eat organic food?
no. so what gives?

well, we both went to school for "earthy" type degrees. (as far as our friends can tell, anyway.)
we sometimes go camping. not very hardcore camping, though... nothing like the AT (<-- hippie jargon. a real hippie knows that AT stands for appalachian trail.)
we prefer to eat at local restaurants instead of chains, you know, to help support the economy. ben does wear a lot of earth tones. (BUT! it all comes from gap & j.crew! and i am sure they outsource their labor to small, poor counties. so ha!)
are we interested in current events? down with peace? sure! but who isn't?

after a lengthy discussion about whether or not we are, in fact, hippies, we came to the conculsion that maybe we are just environmentally-conscious nerds. (which in my opionion is a much better label, since environmentally-conscious nerd girls can still shave their armpits.)

wait a second, is that me? in tie-dye? just pretend you didn't see that.

meadow lane

As a belated birthday celebration, Benjamin took me to Meadow Lane Lodge in Warm Springs, Virginia. I have no idea how he finds places like this, but he definitely has a knack for finding the most amazing places off the beaten path. We ended up getting snowed in, but it made for quite an adventure. Pictures don't do this place justice... it was gorgeous. I can't wait to go back this summer or fall. (hint, hint. Are you reading this Ben?)

Meadow Lane: Before.
Our first morning there, Glenn (the owner) sat down with us to discuss the impending snow. Since we had left Maryland, the forecast had gone from a few inches of snow, to up to 24 inches. So we headed out to the nearest Walmart (40 minutes!) to stock up on survival supplies: food, long johns, & wine.

Meadow Lane: After.
Shortly after we got back, the snow started coming down, and didn't stop for two and a half days. We had the entire property to ourselves... it was the most cozy & beautiful place to get snowed in together!

On the property, there were horses, goats, donkeys, and chickens.. a whole barn full of animals...

The Jackson River, which flows through the property...

Our snowman, Oliver.

The view from the porch.

A little too deep for angels, but an honest attempt.

Gorgeous waterfall down the road.

Not only was the property a dream, the inside of the lodge was so cozy and comfortable. Comfy couches, fireplaces in every room...it was so welcoming!

And the winner is........

After some great prospects, and many disappointments, Benjamin & I kept coming back to the idea of getting married in North Carolina.
It's where we spent most of our time together during the past two years.
It's where he proposed.
Eastern North Carolina is one of our favorite places.
So why not?
We quickly settled on New Bern, and we* began making calls.
(and by we, I mean Benjamin.)
There is a small historic Catholic church just a couple blocks down the street from one of the BEST restaurants we have ever been to. A restaurant that just so happens to have a big banquet room upstairs. (The Chelsea)
PERFECT.

(New Bern, NC)

(Downtown New Bern)

(St. Paul's)

Finally, we have found a place we are both beyond excited about. Now the hard part will be waiting until the big day finally arrives.

Location, Location, Location...

Far & away, the most difficult decision Ben & I have encountered in our wedding planning has been choosing a location. One thing we knew is that we wanted someplace special. There were so many impressive options... stunning halls, mansions, golf courses, etc. But most of these places we had never visited. We don't golf (unless you count my stellar putt-putt skills), and so they had no meaning.

So the search continued.

Strong Mansion. Too big.

Seneca Lodge. Too small.

The Mansion House. Would require our guests to use Porta-Potties. Eww.



The Sigrist Farm. Almost perfect, but not quite....

Update!

I am a really bad blogger lately, but I have some excuses...
In the past couple months I have...
1.) Moved back to Maryland! I am missing North Carolina so much though.
2.) Got a job!!!!! I am a "GIS/Mapping Specialist" at URS Corp. It's an awesome job. I love what i'm doing, I really enjoy my co-workers, and i'm learning a lot.
3.) I finally got contacts! (okay, this by no means is an excuse for not blogging, but it's the most excitement I've got in my life these days...)

As far as wedding planning, I have left the work mostly up to my handy dandy wedding planner/ fiancé...
Not only is he cute, but he has probably done more of the planning than me. How lucky am I?
We've made a few wedding decisions recently, so hopefully I'll have more to write about soon!