Best. Weekend. Ever.

Again, I must apologize for being so slack with this blog. I started out so excited about everything, but with all the busy-ness that has been going on in my life, I barely have time to eat. Literally. I haven't cooked a meal in about a week before last night. I have been relying on my stocked cabinet of Cornflakes, Nutrigrain bars and rice. Ha. The life of a recent college grad.*

So this past weekend, I went to what I think was one of the most fun weddings of all time. I flew down (thank goodness!) to South Carolina on Friday and had Mom come pick me up and she brought back to good ol' Lexington for the night. Then on Saturday, I met Christa and John in Columbia and we set out for our whirlwind trip to Charleston for Meredith and Paul's wedding.

We got into Charleston at just around 2 p.m. and went straight to meet all my friends that I was staying with at the hotel in Mount Pleasant. It was SO great to reunite. It was a short-lived reunion because I had to go get ready and be at the church early to greet the guests at the program table.

Let me tell you something. There are some people who go over the top with weddings. And everyone has individual ideas on how to spend money on different parts of the wedding. But I will say, Mere and Paul did a great job at balancing everything to make their special day enjoyable for not only themselves, but their guests as well. It was BEAUTIFUL! The ceremony was short and definitely sweet ( I may have teared up a bit.) And the reception was even better. The 3 F's were in full-force: Food, Friends and Fun!**

To start, the reception location was awesome, to say the least. Middleton Place is a wonderful place to have a reception. It was large enough for everyone to fit and cozy enough to not feel like you were in a giant empty room. There were even peacocks roaming around the pavillion we were in! The band and drinks made it more than fun. And the food.. my friends.. let me tell you something, those were the best shrimp and grits I have ever tasted. They were in a cream sauce that made the shrimp to die for. And the grits were PERFECT. Nothing could have been any more perfect, in fact. Except for Meredith: she was lovely. I am so happy to have been able to share that special day with her and all of my closest friends. It was a night I won't forget. 

So, on my plane ride home, I kept thinking about those shrimp and grits. I would kill to have the recipe, but I doubt Duvall's catering in Charleston would give it up to a novice cook like myself. So I settled for the next best thing, shrimp scampi. It's not exactly what I wanted, but I figured it would satisfy my need for more shrimp.

Yesterday, I went to HT and got the supplies. I made the yummy dish for Randan and myself. We accompanied it with an iceberg wedge with parm cheese and ranch dressing. Pretty standard. And of course, the go-to side: Texas Toast with cheesy crust. Best ever. Yum. I also bought one of the last cases of Honey Moon beer. It's the Blue Moon summer ale, and I am going to miss it over this winter. It's very sweet and yummy. Goes great with seafood. 

Disclaimer : This happens when you steal my camera when I'm not around. Ha! Love you!

And in closing, I have a packed Labor Day weekend. It's going to be so fun and I can not wait for it.

Firstly, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks have their first football game this Thursday, September 3. We are joining the DC Alumni chapter at Crystal City Sports Pub for the game-watching party and I am so excited. Time to bust out the face tats and garnet and black colored dresses! Woo hoo! Go Cocks!

Then after work on Friday, I am driving three hours to Hampden-Sydney College to stay with Adam for the weekend. I have been waiting for this moment since I left H-SC last spring. I can honestly say that H-SC is one of the most fun schools I have ever visited. Not only is it in the middle of nowhere (Farmville, VA), but the entire school is filled with only one thing : boys. (Sorry, Adam, you know what I mean..) It is a completely different atmosphere than an SEC school or any other school for that matter. My weekends there have consisted of awesome parties, fun concerts and even better fraternity functions. Plus, there is a restaurant in town called Macadoo's and they serve awesome onion rings and sandwiches. Adam and I frequent it often when I visit (hint, hint). Annnnd, even though I am a college grad, my boyfriend's sweet school will give me the opportunity to relive some of my college days minus the classes.

I love it. Period. So, I am going to visit Labor Day weekend. Can't wait!

Stay tuned because this week, my cooking is back in full-force. Tonight, I am making Smothered Chicken with brown rice. Yum.

Oh, and Happy September. It's almost Fall!! Stick around for my crazy fall rants in the weeks to come! It's my absolute favorite time of year!

* Don't feel bad. I really do love Cornflakes. My grandfather used to eat them, and I think that's part of the reason why I love them so much. I remember eating them at their house when I was little and loading the sugar on to make them sweeter. I haven't changed that part. I may put Splenda in my coffee, but you can't make me part with the real thing for my Cornflakes.

**Ran-- don't you love my alliteration. Just a little English grammar for 'ya.