Over the Weekend

The past few days have been a whirlwind. Last Thursday Taylor found out (1) that he got into grad school at UGA and (2) that he had been offered a job at a local hospital!!! We were overwhelmed with joy and excitement about all the opportunities that God was putting before us. And I had my FIRST dress fitting Thursday night at Kelly's Closet. On Friday we left town for a friend's wedding, which was absolutely beautiful and such a reunion!

Last night we made his mom's tasty black bean salsa for the Super Bowl. Here's the list of ingredients:

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

2 cans of black beans (drained and rinsed)

4 plum tomatoes diced

1 large red onion diced

1 large bunch of cilantro - chopped

4 limes juiced

1 jalapeno pepper chopped

1 bag of frozen corn rinsed

1 clove of garlic minced

nothin' beats chips & salsa

 Mix it together and serve! It's even better if you can allow it to sit before you serve so the flavors can mix. I can't wait to start collecting recipes from the women in my life!

inspiration: part dos

Today has been a GREAT day. Taylor took the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health Fitness Specialist exam...and PASSED!! Which means now he is a certified trainer and can build up a client base in Athens at some of the local gyms. We both feel so much relief...sighhh. I'm in such a good mood that I just have to share more images that give me inspiration for the wedding.

photo by Sonya Davey via 100 Layer Cake

inspiration board via Wedding Bee

I love the mason jars, hay stacks and wagon wheel. The wedding invitation in the bottom left corner was one of my favorites from Wedding Paper Divas- I almost wanted to use it.

photo by Amy Carroll via Once Wed

photos by Brandon Kidd via Once Wed

Using slices of wood to add height to a centerpiece is a brilliant! We're gonna borrow that idea :)   I know we're taking a risk by having an outdoor wedding, but after looking at images like this, how could a girl resist?? I love the rustic look below of the table with burlap. We're gonna borrow that idea to.

photo by Tec Petaja via Once Wed

photo by Our Labor of Love via Once Wed

photo by Amy Carroll via Once Wed

inspiration

we're collecting blue mason jars

After a glorious weekend, the weather in Georgia is back to dreary and cold...which leaves me indoors and working on three research projects. I thought I would procrastinate and share some of the weddings that have given me a lot of ideas for the big day.

source

It all started one day freshmen year on Facebook...my friends and I were "stalking" a friend of a friend of a friend (seriously- we had never even met this girl) and we discovered her wedding album. A Louisiana, outdoor, southern wedding, bridesmaids with cowboy boots, and bouquets of wheat. I was in awe. And so the premature wedding planning began! It wouldn't be another year or so until I discovered the mother-load - wedding blogs.

I started visiting Once Wed, a site dedicated to designer weddings on a budget. Not only do they feature real weddings, but also ideas, DIY weddings, a vendor guide, AND used wedding dresses to buy! The wedding that really captured my attention was this one:

photo by Tec Petaja via Wedding Bee

photo by Tec Petaja via Wedding Bee

pie bar :)

 

see that big yellow flower? we're gonna have those too!

Maybe it's because she has red hair...but I truly love how all the elements and colors are so cohesive! Not to mention the outdoor setting is breathtaking. You can see more of this wedding here and here. I'll be sure to share some more images from other weddings that have inspired us for the big day this week!

(Blue mason jars - photo source unknown. All images are Tec Petaja unless noted otherwise)