Pictures from this past weekend.....

The front of the mansion from outside. I know. It's ridiculous. 

Our amazing chicken nachos we had for lunch on Saturday. 

 

                             All dressed up for the Gala!!

A romantic CELEBRATION dinner for 2!!! :)

this past weekend.......

.....was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

(SIDEONOTE: I know the new and upcoming weekend is in less than 24 hours away, but friends!! I have to let you know of how awesome this past one was....I'm STILL on a high from it!!!)

Oh my word. We've been having some great times and making some awesome memories since we moved to Chas....but this weekend tops them all so far!!! :)

After last week, it was much needed and came just in time. Jonathan's 1st MAJOR project was concluded on Saturday, and needless to say, last week was awful. It was super busy, and he and I maybe saw each other 3 times. I felt him come to bed (most of the time at or after 4 AM) and then get up each morning (usually around 7 AM). We are very lucky because we dated during undergrad so I am very aware of what "studio" entails...I can't imagine what a newbie would feel like!!! However, I think we both forgot just how time-consuming it really is, so it's been an adjustment, but we're giving it our best. 

So anyways, back to my FAB-U-LOUS weekend. 

It all started Friday afternoon with a girls night planned over on Daniel Island in a mansion of a house -literally. I have NEVER seen a home as big, elaborate, beautiful, and actually livable as this one. The ABSOLUTE perfect spot for an "all girls, low key, chill" weekend. 

More about the mansion to come in a minute. 

My sister came to get me downtown around 7ish, I hoped in the car with her, and we were on our way!! We were actually running a bit late already, but then got detoured through N. Charleston (this = MAJORLY dangerous) because of a TERRIBLE wreck on the bridge. It was pretty bad, and we hated it, but it gave us some quality "venting" time on just all sorts of subjects....which she and I are really good at. We finally got there around 8:30, and joined the other 4 ladies for a fun-filled night of movies, eating, boy talk, and swim time (if any of you have ever seen Laguna Beach and noticed the infinity pool at Lauren Conrad's (also known as LC and from MTV reality series The Hills) home, this mansion had one as well....except bigger. Yes, that's what I said, BIGGER. We had homemade pizzas for dinner that were DE-licious and then preceded to snack on an obscene amount of ice cream, junior mint brownies, chips and salsa, chocolates, and crackers and pimento cheese. I know. Wow. That's not a good way to still fit into those favorite pair of jeans. When it was time for bed, I slept in the mansion's youngest child's room....or what I thought was better suited to be called a suite (I mean really. She had her very own washer and dryer). Immaculate. I felt like a princess! 

Now about this mansion. The owner of the company that my sister works for in Summerville is the owner and his daughter just happens to be one of Ashley's bestest friends from college (hence how we were able to be richies for a night) and it also just so happens that their home was featured in the September issue of Charleston Magazine. If you go to that link (and I HIGHLY encourage you to do so) then it takes you directly to the write up on their home accompanied by 1 major picture as well as a slideshow of just a few pictures to show off their wealth. Ree-diculous. Every issue includes a Charleston Home feature, and their home was this particular month's -a 10 page spread. 

Yes. Someone lives there. Yes. I stayed there. And was L-I-V-I-N. 

The next morning things got even better. It was a girls weekend get-a-way, but Ash and I had some other things going on so we could only do the 1 nighter. She and I headed out to the Charleston Bagel Company and had a GREAT breakfast....BEST bagel sandwiches in town. Then before heading to West Ashley, we dropped by the gallery (if you'll remember from an earlier post, Wedding Slideshow, their major project that was being installed at the Waterfront Gallery so he was spending the last hours until the big event there working) to give my exhausted husband a tasty breakfast. 

Then over to the Large's for some Saturday morning TV, followed by college football!!! :) Yessssss. Jonathan finally finished up at the gallery and was able to come join the Large's and I for some TIGER FOOTBALL at 12 PM. But that wasn't even the BEST part about hanging out with the Large's!! Rob wanted chicken nachos so Ash and I took a trip to Bi-Lo for all the ingredients, came back, and Rob did it up right!! I have NEVER had such amazingly awesome chicken nachos in my life. Oh my word. Whew. I ate SO much. 

Then it was time for the Gala!!! Tigers win, so we headed back home to shower it up and get ready to head over to the gallery. The Large's picked us up and we were off for so that my husband could show off all of his hard, HARD work!!! It was great!!!! Hors d'oeuvres, important people, fancy dresses, creative art....everything you would expect from an art show!!! We had a great time, and the studio kids did an awesome job....the installation was unbelievable. 

We had the BEST time and I was MORE THAN PROUD of my love!!!! He did an INCREDIBLE job!!!! 

The rest of the weekend kicked BOO-tay too. That night, after having NO quality time (or just conversation) in the past week and a half due to studio, the hubby and I decided on a romantic dinner for two downtown at Sermet's Corner  -wonderful food and a great atmosphere. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day!!! :)

Sunday was just as good to us. Church again at E.C Baptist and this time the Large's joined!!! :) Yay!! A GREAT sunday dinner afterwards at Jestine's Kitchen downtown (named after a brilliant cooked who lived to be 112) filled with delicious tomato pie and then we topped it all off with a 4 hour nap back home followed by a MUCH NEEDED and overdue grocery trip to wally world at 8 PM that lasted a good 2 hours and stocked our pantry and refrigerator full. 

Man. Life is good. :) 

2 words for you: Pumpkin Spice

THE drink of REAL champions. 

Mmmmm-mmmmm good. 

You might think, "Lindsey, why do you quote Campbell's Soup commercial?" 

No, no. Not even. 

Normally I do not love Starbucks and I am not a fan at large. But every year, something happens. Every year beginning around early September and lasting until early/mid November. 

And what happens my friends is a little something that the Starbucks franchise likes to call: Pumpkin Spice. Oh my word. Ya'll. I LOVE it. And I practically live for this time of year already (because FALL is my absolute FAVORITE time of year and I wish it were fall all year around and I wish that it could feel the way it does during fall all year around AND I am missing the upstate in particular around this time because you can literally step out your front door and no lie -actually smell fall right about now. It's ridiculous.) and this ridiculous $4.50 concoction just adds to my love. Seriously, I can't even explain it. 

It just makes me SO happy inside. :) 

It came back for its annual fame about 2 or so Mondays ago, but at $4.50 a pop people, let's be real?!?! Can the Edens really afford this pleasure for Lindsey so often?? No. Unfortunately. So I had only my 2nd one tonight. My first w/ the hubby and the second w/ one of my favorites, Lydz. And I documented both for your viewing pleasure. Yes, to all my wonderful blog readers (I hope you're out there....), I hope YOU enjoy this Pumpkin Spice as much as I (and all my PS comrades as well) did. :)

OH YES...SIDENOTE: The "traditional" PS drink is a latte. Which is what my fellow followers enjoyed. But I my friends prefer the OH SO MUCH BETTER frappuccino. And I think you would too. ;) 

Wedding Slideshow

I haven't posted in almost a week and I was supposed to be getting better at this....maybe next time!! 

We've been CRAZY busy around here with just all sorts of different things going on. Jonathan's 1st MAJOR project is due to be complete by tomorrow!! It's actually very cool....it's a group project of an installation at the Waterfront Gallery downtown and will be showcased Saturday evening (more to come and pictures as well....we're so excited!!!)!!!!

I did just want to post very quickly about our wedding slideshow that our photographer, Lindsey Mart posted at the beginning of this week. This normally comes on her blog about a week after her clients' weddings, but with us putting her to work a mere 10 days -yes, 10 days- from her due date, there was NO way she could get any work done once adorable Henry got here (you can also check him out while you're visiting her blog....he is PRECIOUS!!) and who could blame her?!??! 

You can click on her name above to check it out or just type www.lindseymart.blogspot.com into your web browser. The post is entitled: long awaited ... married: jonathan and lindsey. 

I cried (I'm an emotional person) when I read what she wrote about us....it was very sweet and thoughtful and meant a lot to us. We became very good friends with LMart through the whole wedding process and we just love her to death. It was an honor to have her as our wedding photographer!!!! :) 

Enjoy and let us know what ya think!!! :)

Obsession

I love music. I always have and inevitably always will.

I can remember even when I was younger, 5 or so, and I would come home from school and watch Sesame Street. I LOVED this show b/c I always knew it would be filled with all sorts of musical numbers.
Disney movies. I would watch Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid over and over and over while mirroring myself to each "star" of the movie as she performed number after number. Ariel's "Part of Your World" was a favorite...I remember doing the scene where she bursts from the water on top of the rock (as she sings from afar to prince Eric) constantly in the swimming pool -as if I truly were her.
Remember when you come of age and you begin to notice those POP songs that are popular?? Well I do. I used to hideout in my room around that awkward middle school age and blast my bummed radio (one that inevitably was about shot but had been given to me, the youngest, which I deemed as a "true treasure!) with the latest IT songs playing (you know...Boyz II Men, All 4 One, TLC...c'mon...it was the mid to late 90's).
As I got into high school the music I listened went from "whatever was cool" to a lot of HisRadio (Christian Pop, old stuff, etc.). This has remained a constant, but as I got into college and now my early adult years, I have found that the bands and songs I enjoy most are those that are the soundtrack to my life.
There are times when I have sat in church at Whitefield (our home church in the upstate) and listened to the music on Sunday mornings and been so moved that I thought I would literally explode with joy, hurt, brokeness, or sometimes a feeling that I couldn't even describe. I know the music there is like none other in the upstate and possibly even the state...they have a committed group of people that share true God-given talent each and every week and if you've never heard it you should. It's remarkable. But there have been a couple of Sunday's where I really had to hold back the tears and shaking, for fear that any of the "regulars" sitting around us might think something was truly wrong with me. Thank goodness Jonathan is the only one who has ever noticed. Sometimes I don't think it's true talent that has the ability to move us in such a way...it's what we allow the music to do to us.
And ultimately, I believe that is why my husband and I had such a hard time finalizing the music for our wedding ceremony (he too shares this same passion). In the end, there was no doubt...it was perfect. Exactly as we imagined it playing out. We managed to squeeze in all the songs we had always wanted and we had such a variety. But, for kicks, we HAD to include a take home CD for our guests of love songs that had meant something to us as a couple and our relationship. Can you imagine the time it took us to weed THAT play list down to just 18 or so songs?!?!? We had to fit them all onto 1 CD (for cost purposes) but could have easily made it a 2 or even 3 disc-er.

I could listen to music every minute of the day. Incessantly. When I worked at Calhoun, I would get to school and whatever song -CD or radio- that I might be listening to, it would kill me to have to get out and go in because I just wanted to sit in my car and listen all day. I would sometimes do that (well...not all day....just until the song I was listening to finished). And then as soon as I got in, I would turn my radio on to HisRadio and let it play until the bell rung, and sometimes I would "forget" to turn it off. I would, eventually, whenever we did an activity or lesson that it disturbed.

I have at least a 100 favorite songs and about 50 favorite bands/artists. I guess if I had to pick my top 5 it would consist of:
1. All Will Be Well -The Gabe Dixon Band
2. Adelaide - Ben Folds
3. Gracie - Ben Folds
4. Breakable - Ingrid Michaelson
5. With a Song in My Heart - Ella Fitzgerald

You have NO idea how hard that was. It changes week to week, sometimes day to day.

Anyways, I got a new fav. You may have already heard of her. If not, PLEASE check her out. She's so typical Linz music. She's awesome. A mixture of folk and pianoery.

Rosie Thomas.
My faves so far:
The One I Love
Kite Song
Songbird
Say Hello
Wedding Day

So, I want to know...do any of YOU out there have a top 5 and what are they?!?!??

....the day AFTER Labor Day

Oh me. Where do I begin?? Got up. Had a plan. Going to wash clothes ALL day (millions to wash) in WA at the sis' while laying out by the pool to work on the tan. That was the plan. Got in my car. My precious little, black car. Drove over to Wachovia to deposit a check. Grabbed a cheap bite to eat b/c of no loaf bread at the house. On my way. So excited. Pull onto Savannah Hwy. Headed South. In far right lane. Paying attention. Suddenly the woman in front of me SLAMS on her breaks...and I didn't have enough time to react, so BOOM!!!! Right smack into the back of her. Sadnessssss. So upset. Turns out, the car in front of her stopped dead in their tracks, right in the middle of the road for no reason. And she had to brake for them, and missed by inches she says. I, unfortunately, wasn't able to react as fast as her and made contact. Initial car drives off. Loser. Therefore I was not charged/ticketed because technically a 3rd party was involved and it was their fault. Technically.

Call my amazing husband in hysterics and he RUNS from studio to the house to get his car. Precious. This is a 16 minute walk, so you can imagine. Deals w/ my hysterics. Gets to me in, what I am sure, is record time. Deals w/ everyone. I have to talk to NO ONE. Deals with insurance lady. And tow truck man. And officer. And Ford man. He loves me and I am so thankful for him.

3 hours in hot sun dealing with lady [nice lady though...hippy lady...she calmed me down...thank you for letting me hit HER jesus :) ], officer, tow truck man (my car was not driveable...hers...driveable...and looked as though it had barely been touched), and insurance people. Not a fun day. Follow tow truck about a mile down the road to Palmetto Ford. Very nice people. Ford man hopeful about the Crapcort since the air bags did not deploy. Good news. Happy for about a second. Says it shouldn't be too bad and we have a pretty good deductible. However. Nice Ford man says he would say it would be ready by end of week, but hates to and then Hurricane Hannah show her ugly face and mess that up.

She better not. They say she is supposed to hit right smack directly on the coast between here and Savannah. Savannah is already evac'ing. Will we? I don't know...but they say it should be bad.

So ... what does all this mean?? Wait to hear about the damage to the car and how much it's going to cost us. STINKS b/c if you'll remember from my earlier post Lately and Labor Day we just spent about $500 in car repairs. Also wait to hear about H. Hannah and what she's gonna decide to do and whether or not we'll have to evacuate.

Oh well. I was real dapper about everything earlier and feeling sorry for the whole car situation and just really down. But then I got a good kick in the bootay and started feeling convicted and realized...you're alive...isn't that enough?
And it is. :)


Front view...with leaking anti-freeze


:( Side view


Aerial view


Left side view


Her car...barely any damage.

Lately and Labor Day :)

Ok. Now I told you I was going to do much better about this so here I am. And I don't have much time because there's a brand new Hills in about 10. So here goes.

Lately in Chas.... (or at least since a week and a half ago when I last updated)
1. My car done went broke. I mean b-r-o-k-e. Broke. It started acting up around last Saturday I guess and I believe it started when Bee St. was flooded like EVERYDAY since we had moved down here. With it raining almost everyday, the water when I drove down Bee St. was almost all the way up to my hood. Crazy....I know. So that continued to a lot of "in the red zone" -getting to the H- when I would sit at red lights and such....but it never overheated. Weird. So I drove it over to West Nastley to see Lydz on Tues. (with it continuing to do all this mess in-between Sat. and then) to hang out and ended up having to just leave my car there until the next night when Jonny could come and get it with me. So....I wake up Thurs. morning and drive to meet my sister and Courtney for lunch in S'ville and she talks me into taking my car to this guy that she's used before.
Long story short - he was somewhat rude to me (but not to my husband which leads me to believe he was this way to me b/c I'm a woman and he assumed I knew nothing about cars -correct assumption- OR b/c I'm a woman and I read into the way he was acting) but ended up doing a FABULOUS job on my car.
I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon at Courtney's house playing with Gracie the cat and watching the tube b/c the car guy said it would be ready at 6. This didn't happen b/c my car is crappier than I thought and needed more things done.
Soooo Ash picks me up after work (Courtney's house and the car place were like 2 seconds from Scout Boats) and takes me back to her place. Jonny gets out of studio, packs a bag, and comes over to West Nastley so that he and I can stay the night (I had to go BACK to S'ville the next day b/c remember...my car isn't finished as of Thurs. evening. Jonny has to be back at studio early in the AM so Ash is my ride back out there).
I go back to Courtney's house and hang out watching the tv and playing with the kitty all day again, and finally at 4, my car is ready!! But....I had to wait for Ashley to get off of work to take me to get it, so a little after 5, I was back in the Ford Crapcort and on my way back home.
It felt SOOO good to drive a car that felt safe again. It was a nice chunk of change to get it fixed, but definitely worth every cent.

2. Whamm came into town Wed. night so the Edens and Lydz met up with him for dinner at the Blue Rose Cafe (DE-LISH-US. Oh my word, I love that place). We got ice cream afterwards and it was DEFINITE good times. Felt like Clemson all over again! :)

3. This past Saturday started off great! I woke up and watched a little bit of ESPN Gameday with the hubby which was great because it was live and covering mainly the game of the season -Bama vs. My Tigers. We enjoyed this and got SUPER pumped. Then I had lunch and met Lydz and Marissa at Folly for the afternoon. We walked ALL the way to the pier from 10th street and back barefoot in the sand ... and I have the blisters to prove it!! We got burned a little bit, but it was all tan Sunday morning so it was a GREAT day at the beach!!!! Which was to lead to a GREAT night of CLEMSON FOOTBALL...not. We got wings and hung out and they were delicious (everyone knows I LOVE food) and began watching what was supposed to be an amazing game.
I don't want to talk about it. That's all I have to say.
Lydz and I went down to the Piggly Wiggly during half time and stocked up on ultra sweets to help put us out of our miseries (ice cream, cake, cupcakes, chocolate chip cookie dough). Didn't work. The Tigers still the L-word.

4. Sunday was fabulous. Again. The family hit up E. Coop Baptist and the sermon was great but this time we went to the more traditional service which was very odd to us because we all come from such contemporary home churches. Don't think we'll go back to the 10:15 sanctuary, but we'll definitely go back to one of the more contemp. services again. Check them out, they're a pretty cool church.

5. Labor Day was AMAZING!!!! Although Jonny DID have to go to studio throughout most of the day, the afternoon definitely made up for it!!! The beach and the pool were on the agenda, but it was so overcast, cloudy, and showers here and there around Chas that it just didn't work out. Instead, because my husband has been needing some new pants and polos for work, we drove out to N. Chas to the Tanger Outlet and had an unbelievable time (ya'll know I love to shop as much as I love to eat)!!!!!!!!!!!
Can I just say how much I ADORE helping my husband pick out clothes?!?! I love it. It's been so long since we've done it, I forgot that I almost like helping him more than I do shopping for myself (almost folks, almost.)!!! We got him some incredible deals and he looked super hott in all his new stuff.....and I managed to sneak in a new pair of jeans, a precious red skirt, and a fabulous pair of heels!!! It was so adorable how he was more than willing to buy them for me and remarked, "Oh yeaaaah...Put em' on up there. Of course you can have them!" when I asked if I could get each of the aforementioned items. It was so sweet how proud he was to buy these things for me. I love how good he is to his little shop-a-holic wifey. :)
And oh yes. My things were on sale too. I forgot to mention. ;)

Alrighty then. That's FINALLY got you caught up to the latest life of Lindz!!! Yay!! Now if I can just update you appropriately, I won't have to have such long posts each time!!!

Not very good at this blogging thing...

    Our brand new, nicely made bed!!! 

I know, I know!! I've gotten several comments from some of you about not updating to my "quick" post which was a week and a half ago!!!! I'm just not good at this yet...but I'm trying so bare with me. :)

To follow up:

That Thursday evening I had been over in WA with my sister and brother-in-law for dinner and to wash some clothes (we don't have a washer and dryer) and Jonny had been too, but had to leave to go to studio for group work around 8 PM. I only had about 3 loads to do, but they took FOREVER!! So around 10:30 PM, my husband calls to get a status and I tell him it's gonna be a while!! 

SIDENOTE: As most of you know, I posted the day before that our IKEA bed had come in and we were SO very excited. 

Well the clothes FINALLY finish up close to 1 AM and I call my husband back (as he had called many times throughout the night pleading, "When will you be baaaaaaaaack???" Soooo sweet)  and let him know that I am on my way home with clean clothes!!! :) He didn't say anything out of the ordinary, just the typical "be careful." Before we had left earlier in the evening, the bed was in boxes in the den, tons of tubs from the move were everywhere, and it was just an array of mess (which if you're married or maybe even not, you know will tend to drive a woman CRAZY!!). 

So I pull into 132, leave the laundry in the car (far too heavy and far too late), walk up to #11, and my sweet husband greets me at the door...I walk in and our house is the cleanest and most organized it has been since moving in!!! I peruse through the den, dining room, and kitchen (not even noticing the bedroom) and I am in awe at how wonderful everything looks!!! Jonathan was SO excited he kept grinning and asking, "What do you think??" You can imagine what I thought after doing laundry for 4 hours!!! Ha!!! I loved it!!! :) 

So I'm going on and on about how happy I am and how much I love the way it all looks when he asks, "Do you want to see the bedroom?" It was so late and I was so tired, I had completely forgotten about our new IKEA bed and having to put it together!!! 

Of course I want to see it so he opens the door and I am amazed!!! Our bed is not only put together and in the right spot, but the new, clean sheets are on, the bed is perfectly made, and the room is clean and in order!!!!! I almost started crying I was so excited, happy, proud, and a whole bunch of other emotions at one time!!! I told my husband "thank you" a gazillion times, hugged and kissed him a bajillion times, and he then told me how long it took and how hard it was to put the entire bed together himself. He was greatly rewarded that night!! ;) 

Jonathan just proved to me how blessed I really am. After all that he had already done with moving in and with classes being in full swing, the child never has a moment for himself much less to even breathe. He could have easily come home from studio and chosen to watch TV, play Rock Band, or just do something relaxing. Instead he chose to come home and work like a dog on getting our house cleaned and our bed ready just to make me happy. I didn't have to lift a finger, and just got to go to sleep that night in my brand new bed. 

Jonathan always says when doing things or making decisions, "Are you happy? Because if you are then I am." He remarks that he does things because it makes him happy to see me happy and I saw this in what he did that night. Although some of you might think what he did was something small, for newlyweds, or even just any married couple, what he did was huge!! The MAN cleaned and organized and made the house look good!! He selflessly gave of himself to do something for me. And he always does this. I don't know why God chose to give me Jonathan but I sure am thankful that he did. :) 

OK. It's Labor Day kiddos!! I'm off to the beach or the pool or shopping or something fun!!! So I'll catch you up on life in general later this evening but I had to share very quickly why it is the best thing in the world to be married and why I'm the luckiest wifey ever!!! :)