Sunday, August 31, 2014

Happy One Year!

Happy one year of martial bliss to my wonderful husband!


This first year of marriage has been like nothing I could have ever expected and one of the very best of my life. I honestly could not imagine my life without this amazing man of God by my side, leading our little family of two in our journey through life. 


I am so thankful for our relationship and all of our adventures together.  My love, my life, my very best friend. I love you so very much and cannot wait to see what this next year brings for us! 


Here's to our first year and to many, many more! 

Love,
E

All photos are MelissaJoy Photography

Thursday, August 28, 2014

New Mini Series: Favorite Photos

It's no secret that we seriously lucked out with MelissaJoy Photography, and have some of the most beautiful photos from our wedding. So many in fact, that I've decided to do a mini series on the blog called "favorite photos."

In this series, I'll share some of our favorite photos from different parts of our wedding day. From wedding details, getting ready, the ceremony, party pictures and beyond.

Looking forward to getting started with this new little series and I hope you all will enjoy this look back at the wedding day as much as I will!

One of my most favorite shots of the wedding day!

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Rolling Hills Invitational 2014

Every second full weekend in July, we head back to T's hometown for the annual Rolling Hills Invitational golf tournament. T has been playing in this tournament for over a decade and we hope to continue the trip back to Paducah each year for it.

Each year brings a new adventure, whether it be meeting new friends, reconnecting with old ones or a few surprises along the way.

This was my third year as a spectator at the invitational. Four years ago, T called me while he was in KY for the tournament and I remember missing him so badly and wishing I was there with him, even though we weren't officially dating and we had only known one another for a short time.

T has had quite the golf resume on his home track....In 2004, T made a double eagle on hole #9 (par 5). In 2012, T made an eagle on hole #5 (par 4). 

Group shot from 2012
This year, T made a hole in one on hole #12 (par 3)!!! It was so awesome and great experience for us all! I am so proud of my awesome husband for completing these awesome golf accomplishments.

Group shot on the hole where T made the hole in one!

T & his mom - he always has a crowd of spectators watching him play! :)

T teeing off on hole #10

T has the craziest and most exciting golf record ever! Although I wasn't there when he hit the hole in one- It was so exciting for him and made the weekend very memorable!

This summer has definitely been the summer of golf... but it's not over yet! I plan to do a full post on everything that's been a part of the summer of golf after our anniversary trip!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Wedding Traditions: Digging up the bourbon

I've already mentioned the Wedding Tradition: Bury the Bourbon in this previous post

Well, we couldn't let good bourbon go to waste so of course it was dug up on our wedding day to enjoy! While I was getting ready, T and his groomsmen headed to dig up the bourbon.

We thought we buried it in an easy spot that would be easy to dig up, but of course... it wasn't that simple! It took them about 30 minutes to find the bourbon but luckily they finally found it!

All in all, I am so glad we included this great southern tradition in our wedding planning and big day! It was so much fun to go bury the bourbon and a fun photo-op for the guys to dig up the bourbon on our wedding day.
T & his groomsmen on the way to dig up the bourbon!
Trying to find the bourbon...
Still digging...
The search continues...
Almost there...
Yahtzee! They found it!
This little bottle kept the bad weather away on our big day!
T with the buried bourbon, groomsmen with their bourbon groomsmen gifts
T gave all of his groomsmen engraved bottles of Woodford Reserve Bourbon to thank them for being in the wedding.
All photos are MelissaJoy Photography

Monday, August 4, 2014

Mimi's 80th Birthday Celebration

The last weekend in June, the mister and I headed to Chattanooga, TN to celebrate his maternal grandmother's 80th birthday. I was fighting a terrible summer cold and T a terribly long work week but we were determined to get to Tennessee to celebrate Mimi!

Mimi is unlike any grandmother you've ever met - the sweetest, most endearing, and thoughtful southern lady who travels the globe at the drop of a hat. Example: Two years ago she went zip lining in Costa Rica and this past May she traveled to Prague and Budapest then less than a week later, she jetsetted to California and Las Vegas!

My grandparents are no longer with us and Mimi has taken me in as one of her very own, treating me as she treats all of her grandchildren. I treasure all of my time with her and love spending time getting to know her better as family.

The mister planned to play golf with his brother during the day on Saturday and I was to hang out with Mimi. About a week before, I called Mimi and suggested she get a few of her friends together so we could go to brunch with them. Mimi loved this idea and quickly pulled together a catchy invitation to be sent to her friends for our brunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe. I was thinking 2-3... but Mimi is a popular lady and 13 of us met to celebrate her birthday! It's a true testament to her character that so many of her friends would stop everything and attend a brunch with less than a week notice!

Later that night, we met the rest of the family for a fancy dinner at Ruth Chris - Mimi said that all she wanted for her birthday was a big dinner with all of her immediate family so that's just what we gave her! We had people traveling from all over - some were in Nashville, Lexington, and even Chile! T's cousin was studying abroad and took the redeye to get back to celebrate!


From top right to bottom left: T & E, T & Mimi, T & Mimi with their June birthday treats, T, Mimi & me

The whole group at dinner!
Mimi is truly one of a kind and I am so thankful to have married into her wonderful family! We had a great time celebrating this great milestone - I hope we can all live a life like Mimi - we will be truly blessed if we do!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Wedding Traditions: Bury the Bourbon

On August 2, 2013, Tyler and I made the trek to Boone to "bury the bourbon" on our wedding site. As tradition follows, we went to Boone on a beautiful day, about a month before our wedding day to bury a full bottle of bourbon, upside down, on our wedding site. 

Shots from the drive to Crestwood and burying the bourbon!

 This was one of those special moments that I'm so glad we took time out of our busy schedule to do - We took off a Friday afternoon and spent it enjoying one of our last weekends as fiancés before we became husband and wife. 

Shots from our afternoon in Boone

Now on to the important part... Did it rain on our wedding day? 

The answer is yes and no! Apparently it rained all day as people traveled up the mountain and a few drops as our guests waited for the ceremony to start but there wasn't a drop of rain during the ceremony or reception! I'd say that makes this southern tradition a success in my book! 

There are a few variations to this tradition and we picked the version that worked best for us and our schedule. (Not to mention, it was raining cats and dogs in Boone exactly one month before our wedding - couldn't risk that!)  

To learn more about this great southern tradition, read this Southern Living Blog Post on Burying the Bourbon