"It's peanut butter jelly chocolate time" Buckwheat Boyz

I NEVER watch commercials anymore thanks to DVR. In fact, it's almost embarrassing how impatient I become during the rare occasion I am forced to sit through them. But while zipping from one segment of So You Think You Can Dance to the next, I saw the Reese's logo and had to stop. I have a healthy obsession loyalty to the cheap chocolate and peanut butter and my obsession loyalty compelled me to watch it.

I've never felt more connected to an advertisement...plus, I think it's hilarious.

"What a splendid pie, pizza-pizza pie" System of a Down

Take a look at what Matt made for dessert at the Murdock's last night! That's a sugar cookie on the bottom and some sort of cream cheese icing, I'm sure.

Am I marrying an awesome guy, or what?

In other news, do not download the song "Pizza Pie" by System of a Down. It's extremely annoying and slightly disturbing. But the lyrics were perfect for this post!

"If you left it up to me, everyday would be a holiday from real" Jack's Mannequin

I've learned that if I don't blog as I go, it becomes so much more of a chore to share fun things with you. Great proof of this is the fact that I never shared my really fun baby weekend in Raleigh with Mandy and Chelsey. Documentation of that trip can be found here.

When I'm on vacation, sitting at the computer isn't usually at the top of my to-do list and when I get back, I usually hit the ground running and before I know it, I've been home for a month and it seems pointless to share. The iPhone has partially cured this problem because the process of taking/uploading/downloading pictures is so much easier. And who really likes to read blogs with no pictures? Don't kid yourself.

For starters, here's sweet Matt!

I arrived Saturday afternoon and, after a 2 hour delay on the runway before take-off, food was the #1 priority. I like In-N-Out, but don't typically crave it the way Californians do. Saturday was an exception. We couldn't get there fast enough!

Although I landed in San Diego, our plan was to head straight to Malibu to visit Mark and Amy. After catching up, telling stories, checking facts in Amy's stories, and a wonderful dinner at Plate, we went to the new Crumbs in town. What I love about California is the abundance of quality health-conscious restaurants. What I also love about California is the abundance of cupcake and frozen yogurt establishments. I think Crumbs beats out Sprinkles for me, though it's a tough call. The quality of cake and icing at Sprinkles can't be beat with their not-too-sweet, moist cake and give-you-diabetes with one sniff icing. But Crumbs had more unique options (of course I still went for a classic, but at least there were options). Crumbs doesn't have a website that I can find, though, so that knocks off a couple of points making them dead even.

Sunday morning, we went for a walk before church and saw some celebs. Here's Val Kilmer looking large and unkempt.

And here's Tom Cruise and Charlize Theron...kinda sketch.

We went to Mosaic and saw Erwin McManus. I really liked it! It wasn't as creative and dynamic as I've heard, so maybe it was an off week, but the teaching was great.

Then we went to visit Pepperdine where Mark is attending school. Who wouldn't love school with a view like that? It's a bit hazy, but can you imagine what it looks like on a clear day?

Next we have what can only be described as a "local". Our only guess was that she's allergic to the sun. I still think it was Britney.

The rest of the week was a complete and utter blur. We were so busy and I didn't document the rest of the trip like I had hoped. I'll just finish up the post with a few highlights.

Military Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A. Kelly and I are hoisting parachute cows onto the roof for the evening's festivities!

Getting engagement pictures on the sailboat...that's our photographer, Bronson!

After the shoot, we dropped Bronson off and picked up Glenn and Kristin!

We split our engagement shoot into 2 days and this is a picture from the second night: breaking and entering to get on the roof of a hotel!

Finishing up my last evening in town with a trip to Ghirardelli, naturally!

I can't believe we're only 234 days away from being married and San Diego being my home. This was my first trip back since being engaged and it was so sweet...much sweeter than my previous visits where there was a sense of sadness because I missed it, and was never sure if I'd be moving back or not. I'm so excited to be there, but there's so much to be done before then. {Which is making the time fly by!}

I can't wait to have visitors!! Who's first?

"I like to be in America" West Side Story

We slept until 10:00 on Saturday and rushed to get out the door to maximize our few remaining hours in the city with Jen. Jamie took us to Kitchenette in Harlem for brunch. My eggs were great, but I filled up on my biscuit and grits. You can take the girl out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the girl! The restaurant itself was so charming with its window of baked goods, and it was packed to the brim with people from all different walks of life. To me, that's when you know you're in a good restaurant!





We spent the next couple of hours at Ann Taylor Loft for their $40 dress sale. I found one for my rehearsal dinner. It's perfect with the damask{ish} print and I think it'll be suitable for January with with a sweater if I need it. {Side note: I've been pronouncing 'damask' incorrectly. It's not 'dahm-ahsk', it's 'dam-ehsk'.}

Then we had to say goodbye to Jen. It was so much fun having her on this trip! We are the best travel partners. Neither one of us care about not having a plan and we're really easy to please. I'm so glad you came, Jen!


After saying goodbye and freshening up, Jamie and I were on our way to see West Side Story! But not before stopping by for some pizza first.


About West Side Story...it really left both Jamie and me speechless. It was phenomenal! The cast was amazing and it was a surreal experience seeing such a classic production on Broadway. The current director is the same man who wrote and directed the original in the 1950's. Jamie and I figured he had to be around 85 years old. And the choreography was the same as well {from what we could interpret from the Playbill}. I've only seen the movie and that was years ago, so I didn't remember much about it. Maria was played by a 21-year-old girl from Argentina and she blew us away. Thank you Jamie!! This was actually my birthday present. You can read the story of how I received the present here. It's a really fun story!


Since we were in the neighborhood and Times Square felt so alive, Jamie decided to take me to Ellen's Stardust Diner. It's a total tourist trap with singing waitstaff aspiring to make it to Broadway, and exactly the kind of thing we love. We knew it was going to be fun when, as we were being seated, they started talking about taking a trip down the Atlanta Highway. Having lived in Athens and actually 'heading down the Atlanta Highway' ourselves, we were so excited and instantly began singing along. We loved most everything except the 9 minute Meatloaf song. Could have done without that.



After our dessert, we stepped out into the most beautiful New York City evening. Though we were 50 blocks from Jamie's apartment, we both agreed the walk would be much more enjoyable than a subway ride. It was really a perfect evening. The air was warm and the breeze was blowing. We discussed our favorite John Mayer lyrics and solved all of the world's problems on our walk home.

"I want to be a part of it, New York...New York" Frank Sinatra

Jen and I started the morning with a nice run/walk in Central Park. We weren't sure of the forecast, but we wanted to get in some exercise. We were so pleasantly surprised as soon as we stepped outside. It was BEAUTIFUL! And the only time I've been the park when it's been above 40 degrees.


We passed a community garden and decided to stop by on our way back. It was such a sweet little garden. Here we are cooling down from our strenuous run around the reservoir. Okay, so it wasn't so strenuous because Jen didn't have her knee braces and I hate running, but between dodging puddles and locals, we definitely broke a sweat.


Jamie lives right above a precious cafe called Georgia's {I know, so appropriate, right?}, so Jen and I stopped for a light breakfast before meeting Jamie for lunch about 2 hours later.


After showering, we made our way to Grand Central Station. Jamie took us to The New York Milkshake Company...another place I've been wanting to visit because they're known for the grilled cheese sandwiches. I'm not sure what my fixation is with kid food, but I love it! Their sandwich was nostalgically delicious. But I'm not sure if I loved the milkshakes or the giant green straws more. There's nothing like a sturdy, large, colored straw!


The rest of the afternoon, Jen and I shopped even more. My past trips to New York did not include shopping, so I never realized how exhausting it is!

We had plans to meet Jamie and Cal in the East Village for dinner at Matilda's, which is a Mexican-Italian fusion restaurant named after the couple's daughter {husband is Mexican, wife is Italian}. Such an interesting, but very tasty combination. The guacamole with basil and cilantro gnocchi were my favorite.


Next, Jamie had a surprise for us. We hiked over to the Lower East Side to a super exclusive, hidden speakeasyesque bar called Milk & Honey. I can't really describe it, so take a second to read this review:

Milk & Honey is owner Sasha's personal retaliation against celebrity-obsessed nightlife. Only mellow, non-famous folk receive the unlisted address; and all must call ahead to be buzzed in through the surveillance system-equipped door. The space encompasses a candlelit lounge, a four-seat bar and a few reservation-only booths. Sasha himself meticulously prepares each expensive cocktail, with blood oranges for screwdrivers and fresh mint for mojitos. Drinks often arrive with complimentary warm nuts or honey-drizzled sliced fruit. The intended effect is achieved—even a nice nobody can feel like royalty. That is, if you can get on the guest list.

— Shana Liebman

It was honestly one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. Jamie had to text message the number {which is only given through referrals, not listed on the website} to get a reservation. They start taking reservations at 3:00 and by 3:30 in the afternoon, they were already booked for the evening. While we were at dinner, she received a text message saying another group canceled and to text back within 5 minutes if we could be there at 9:00. She did, and we made it! Kristin, you would have loved it.


Friday? Check.

"You can stand under my umbrella" Rhianna

Day one and a half. Very rainy so far. But today is already looking better!

Wednesday night. Shake Shack. Loved it.


Thursday. Early morning for The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet. We got to see Ziggy Marley perform and even got a $100 gift card for The Cheesecake Factory. That will definitely be put to great use...even if it means $100 worth of strawberry shortcake! Who needs cheesecake?


Then we decided to stop by Anthropologie to get some engagement picture outfit ideas...two hours and a personal shopper later, I was in way over my head. Still no decisions.


Since we were in the area, we had to go back to the spot of Matt's magical proposal! Not quite as exciting without the tree around, but still a very special spot :)



Then the rain really started, so we darted to Peanut Butter & Co. because I've been dying to go. Now, I don't want to use the word disappointed because it was everything I figured it would be, but I probably wouldn't go back. I can make a pb&j at home for about $1.50. No need to pay $6.75 for one...no seriously. But a really cute atmosphere and definitely a great place to wait out the rain.



Next we played a game called "Spot the Tourist". Geez. In my defense, I tried to find a more city-friendly rain jacket, but apparently staying dry isn't important to people in Georgia, so I went with what I could find in the coat closet at home. Pretty sure it's mine from 4th grade or something. As for my pants rolled up? I have no excuse for that. You would have done the same to prevent puddles and grime.


Jen and I went back to Jamie's and took a nap since it was such an early morning for us and an exhausting day of shopping. Once Jamie got home from work, we had a lovely evening out at Pio Pio with her roommates. Definitely the best Peruvian food I've ever had! Since I haven't ever eaten Peruvian food {that I'm aware of}, that isn't saying much, but it was wonderful. Everything from the service to the sangrias {and hello? green sauce?} Yum yum.



We even walked past some movie or TV shoot on the way to dinner!


Stay tuned for more!