TWENTY THIRTEEN

Two thousand thirteen has been a good/busy year so far. We made it back to Vermont before the big snow storm... we got our Christmas wish for a white Christmas! It was great spending time in Richmond and Stowe with our families. We miss being able to see them so often! We celebrated the new year with friends in Burlington before jetting back to the South. As much as we loved being in the snow/cold we were surprised how happy we were to get back to reasonable temperatures... since we've been back we've been working a lot and doing a few home improvement projects... more to come soon!

Happy Holidays

We've been getting into the holiday spirit! It's been hard with the weather being so warm (last week it was in the 70's) but we figured even if it didn't feel like winter outside it wouldn't stop us from making it feel like winter inside! Our small apartment now feels very cozy and festive (even though sometimes we still have to turn on the AC). 

Some other things we've been up to: 
- enjoying the hot tub in the evenings
- going to a holiday dinner party hosted by a friend
- drinking eggnog and watching holiday classics
- preparing for our trip to VT!!!!

An October Beach Vacation

A few weeks ago we spent some time in the Outer Banks with Austin's family. Here are a few snap shots from our trip!

 We had a house in Nag's Head that was right on the beach... it was so wonderful to be able to walk down the steps into the sand! The first morning I woke up early and got some great shots of the sunrise over the ocean. We spent the week exploring the coast from Corolla to Ocracoke, drinking mimosas on the beach, indulging in all you can eat crab (the BEST crab we have ever eaten!), visiting different light houses and playing in the waves... we even spotted some dolphins from our porch!!

Guess who's birthday it is...

Happy birthday to the most wonderful man I know (besides my father of course!). I can't begin to describe how happy I am to be celebrating another birthday with you and I'm looking forward to many more to come. Although you're only 24 you have so much insight and wisdom. You don't wait for things to come to you, you make things happen and I admire you for that. You're always the constant in the chaos, the calm after the storm, the rock that anchors me. I have learned so much from you in the past 3 years and I have no doubt that you have made me a better person. Just the other night we were talking about how life is short and we should never take anything for granted, so lets make 24 one of the best years yet! Love you to the moon and back.
 -Kristen 

Last year at this time...

...WE WERE IN ITALY (sigh)

The other night Austin and I spent the evening reminiscing about our trip to Italy over a bottle of wine. We looked through pictures reliving the memories and I even pulled out my food journal (I kept a detailed account of every meal I ate in Italy). Talk about nostalgia. One of our favorite meals was pasta bolognese. We decided to try our hand at homemade bolognese here in North Carolina...here's how it turned out! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We followed this recipe making a few changes based on the comments. It turned out AMAZING :)

Wedding Weekend

This past weekend we spent in Ohio at my cousin's wedding. Lindsey and Steve had a lovely outdoor ceremony followed by a reception in a rustic barn-turned-banquet hall. 

The wedding had a vintage country feel to it. Lindsey put a lot of thought into the details. Some of my favorites were the antique car the bride was brought to the ceremony in, the wooden hand crafted sign, the bridal party in their cowgirl boots (including the bride!), the gigantic colorful flowers, and the home made beer and wine the couple spent months preparing!

Another great moment was when the couple sang this song to each other towards the end of the night <3

Southern Living

In mid February we decided to pack up our things and move to North Carolina. Never having been to the South before we weren't exactly sure what to expect, although we were promised endless sweet tea, "real" BBQ, hot summers, mild winters and plenty of "southern hospitality". 

Above are pictures of our first adventure to the ocean. It was still a bit chilly but we made a day of it... we took long walk on the nearly deserted beach followed by amazing seafood and beach-y drinks at a nearby restaurant. Below are pictures of us exploring Tryon Palace. My favorite part was the beautiful gardens...