On the last day of my trip to North Carolina for my brother’s wedding, some of my family that was still in town all decided to go explore downtown Asheville. I had heard of Asheville plenty of times. My parents had visited  enough to have a few favorite local breweries, and my friend Lindsey had always touted it up to be such a fun and eclectic type of city. It was only about a half hour away from our cabin in Hendersonville, so we thought it’d be a fun little evening trip.

We found a parking deck pretty easily and started to walk around, wandering the streets and soaking up the culture. The weather was perfect. It still felt like summer but there was this great breeze as the sun set. I loved looking at all of the styles of the buildings, they seemed so welcoming and full of character. The people we saw had a lot of character themselves. There were a good mix of hipster-types and plenty of hippies. 

Another interesting thing I saw was something called a Pub Cycle. It’s basically a bar crossed with a tandem bicycle, so you peddle while you drink and take a tour of the city. It looked like a pretty fun time!

I shortly found myself back up on the busy musical streets of Asheville with my cousins who stayed back so I could finish my drink. The rest of our group went ahead to get us a table at our next stop. We saw and heard plenty more interesting things on our walk. One thing that really stuck out was a giant chalkboard painted on one of the walls. Big and bold at the top were the words “Before I die….” Underneath this were countless lines where passing strangers could write out goals from their own bucket lists. It was very unique and special, and it stretched for almost a whole block, filled with hundreds of things people wanted to accomplish before they died. If I had some chalk with me, I would have added to it!

We sat and nibbled and drank a while more before our dinner came. I ordered the Bison burger that came topped with blue cheese, fresh slaw and shoestring fried onions. I also asked for a side of their house honey mustard to dip my fries in. The burger wasn’t bad, but I enjoyed the honey mustard substantially more. It was a thin sauce, with the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.

While we digested, I wanted to explore the brewery a little more. So far I had only seen the upstairs, which only showed a bar and dining area. The actual brewery portion was downstairs, where you could take tours and do tastings. So, I convinced the younger half of the crowd to go check it out with me. All along the walls of the dimly lit staircase, we saw playful chalk signs guiding us forward, promoting the live music of the night. We were too late to hear music or get a tour, but we were able to walk through and peek at some of the hardware. 

I’d definitely go back some time soon and check out some of the other great bars and restaurants. I loved exploring Asheville, especially since I had some of the best people to do it with.

I was very impressed with how Kristen planned the entire wedding from across the country. I offered to design the save the dates and invitations for them, you can check them out in my portfolio! After all of the months of excited planning and preparation, it seemed as if the day came and went too quickly. After the massive event that was the rehearsal dinner, we hardly caught our breath before Saturday morning came.

Shortly after we got there, the ceremony began. It was so heartfelt and touching. Joey and Kristen asked their friend Maddie to officiate the ceremony and she did a spectacular job. She added in personal stories and tied so many beautiful words together. It definitely made me tear up, no matter how hard I tried not to! The bridesmaids were gorgeous, and I loved the different shades of purple for their dresses! Joey was also looking very handsome, and I knew he had put a lot of thought into the details and accessories of his outfit. My Uncle Jim lent him my grandfather’s pocket watch to wear that day, which I know meant so much to him. Aside from the happy tears, there were also more laughs than I’ve ever heard during a wedding ceremony! It was beautiful in every way. I’ll let the stunning photographs speak for themselves in the gallery below.

After the ceremony came the reception! All of the decorations were spectacular. I offered to design the signs that were placed at each table, along with signs for the guestbook and memory table. I loved being able to contribute to the wedding in that way. A part of me always wanted to find a career in wedding planning, but I think helping out the people who are the most special to me is more rewarding. We took family formal pictures and then headed off to cocktail hour. The appetizers were delicious and I had a fun time catching up with so many friends and family who had journeyed out to be with us that day. More photos below!

Once the bride and groom were done with pictures, it came time for dinner, speeches and dancing! Dinner was catered by Mac the Truck, a local Georgia food truck that specializes in macaroni and cheese (mmm!). The road to get up to the venue is sort of steep and windy, so the food truck wasn’t able to make it up the mountain. But they served everyone somehow! The food was delicious. There was a side salad, macaroni and cheese, and peach bourbon glazed brisket. It was so tasty! 

Shortly after dinner, the speeches began. Kristen’s dad gave the longest speech of the night, but it was worth every second! So many funny stories, and it was really touching. All of the bridesmaids gave speeches, too. Joey’s groomsmen gave the most heartfelt speech I’ve ever heard, and had everyone laughing along in order to hold back even more tears. My dad then gave his speech and said how lucky he was to watch his son marry the love of his life. And then, it was my turn to grab the microphone and tell everyone how happy I was that Joey and Kristen were going off on a new amazing adventure together.

 After all of the sentimental things were said, it was time for their first dance. They danced to a beautiful piano rendition of “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” which had everyone tearing up all over again. I remember them going to see the Lion King at the Fox Theater, it was a story that sits so close to their hearts. It was the perfect music choice for them. My mom had been nervous about her dance with Joey, but they had taken a lesson and I gave her a pep talk, too. It ended up being an absolutely beautiful dance, and they chose Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” as their song. Photos of all of this are in the gallery below!

For dessert, Joey and Kristen picked out cakes and pies from The Grit in Athens. It was where they had their first date, and while I didn’t have any cake that night, I tried some the next day and it was fantastic. I was bummed I missed out on the key lime pie, though. After dessert, it was about sunset time. The venue had the perfect view of the sun setting beneath the mountains, and it made for a gorgeous photo op! Check some of them out in the gallery below!

The rest of the night was spent drinking, dancing, and being merry. Vinnie and I became friends with the DJ, so naturally we began requesting songs left and right. We heard just about every song we could have wanted to. One of my favorite moments was getting my sister to dance to “Gangnam Style” with me, a dance that not many people know I can do. Another fun moment was dancing to “Sweet Home Alabama,” especially since we had some (rivaling) Alabamans in the crowd. At one point we had a big dance circle going crazy to some obnoxious pop song that I definitely knew all the words to. And then, near the end of the night, I remember slow-dancing with Vinnie to Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight,” one of my very favorite loves songs. It was an awesome wedding, and everyone had a great time! The photo gallery below has pictures from all of the crazy reception shenanigans! 

I grew up surrounded by this warm, welcoming, hospitable family and they are a big part of who I am. There is a reason why I feel a need to take care of people, love having appetizers for dinner, and get excited when unwrapping serving dishes or cheese knives on Christmas. Being a good host is in my blood, and I learned from the absolute best; my mom, her five sisters, and my grandmother. Joey was the first of my parents' kids to get married. It was an event my mom had been looking forward to planning since before he could walk.

So, once their engagement was announced, my mom didn’t waste any time and began writing out lists and  thinking out details. Now, normally a rehearsal dinner wouldn’t be the biggest thing to plan. Most of them consist of 20-30 guests and are usually catered. However, both my brother and his new wife have a huge extended family. The wedding wasn’t local, either, and many people were traveling in town a day or two early. So, because we love a good party and know how to entertain a large number of people, my parents welcomed anyone who was in town to come to the rehearsal dinner. It ended up being a guest list of about 100 people! It took three full SUVs to take all of the things for the weekend up to our cabin in North Carolina. It almost looked like we were moving in! My mom rented a large tent and some tables and chairs, but everything else we brought with us. Including a keg, three massive coolers full of food, and plenty of boxes and bins full of decorations. Loading and unloading the cars was a total workout, to say the least. My mom had picked the perfect location. Our cabin was spacious and it sat on a huge property, with a large open field for the rehearsal dinner. Perfect for playing yard games, including ultimate frisbee (my brother’s favorite!).

We had a ton of help with every aspect of preparing and setting up for the party. Aunts helped with plating the desserts and appetizers, uncles helped fill coolers, cousins helped with setting up the chairs and tables, and friends helped cut and place lasagnas out for serving. It’s amazing how many people helped make this rehearsal dinner a success. I can’t express how thankful my parents and I are for that. Planning a huge party can be really stressful, especially when you have a big guest list and a ton of details to worry about. Having so many helpers who were willing to jump in wherever they were needed was amazing, and after dinner we were able to fully relax and help everyone else make the keg float! The gallery below is full of pictures of people helping out! If you were one of them, thank you again for helping make that night a total success!

While the food is a close second, my favorite thing about any party is the decorations. There were so many great details and decorations for the rehearsal dinner, I just had to mention them. One of my favorites were the centerpieces my mom put together for each of the tables. It was a simple glass jar filled with colored river rocks and a votive candle. The top was wrapped in twine, and at the center of each one she glued a heart stone. Heart stones are special stones my brother collects for my mom (sometimes I’ll find some too!). Throughout his whole life, almost every time he’s gone to the beach, he’s found a stone in the shape of a heart to give to her. She didn’t use up all of them on the centerpieces, trust me, but they added a very special touch (I was lucky enough to keep one!). Some of the other cute details were all of the mini chalkboards full of cute sayings. At the drinks station, we put out over 100 different pint glasses for people to use (greener than plastic!), and at the end of the night everyone got to keep one as a party favor. My parents have quite the pint glass collection, so they had no problem parting with some of their duplicates and older glasses. Check out the gallery below for some pictures of the little details!

It was such a beautiful night, and I had an absolute blast! Joey and Kristen picked an amazing wedding photographer, Leah Flores, who came to the rehearsal dinner. You may have noticed some of their gorgeous pictures mixed in with the ones my Aunt Eileen and I took. I’m so happy for the people who documented this special evening so we can all look back and appreciate the fun times we had! Joey, Vinnie, my sister’s fiance Chad and I stayed up talking, drinking, and watching YouTube music videos until after 4 in the morning! That’s when Joey realized he was getting married in 12 hours, so we called it a night. Not before my mom came out and hissed at us to keep it down, though (oops). We went to bed right after that, because after all, there was a wedding to go to the next day! Check out the related posts below, and if you were at the party, comment below with your favorite moment from Friday night!

One trip to my Pinterest boards, and you’d notice that I’ve been pinning a lot of chalk-related things lately. Earlier this summer, I searched far and wide for inspiration for some chalk projects my mom had enlisted my help in. She had bought a huge framed chalkboard where she wanted the menu for my brother’s rehearsal dinner to be written. I gladly offered to write it out for her, but soon I realized that it was a much trickier project than I had realized. 

Gather Materials. Usually this is the first step, but it works better here. For this project, you’ll need your printed artwork, a chalkboard, 2-3 pieces of chalk (depending on the size of your artwork), a ballpoint pen, tape, a chalkboard pen, a wet paper towel (for mistakes), and a dry paper towel. You'll also want to find a comfy seat because this project can take some time!

Repeat. Continue steps 4-6 until you have transferred your entire artwork on to the chalkboard. If your artwork isn’t in line-format like mine was, you may find it easier to just cover the entire back of the paper in chalk before taping it down, and doing it all in one shot. This may take a while depending on how big your artwork is. Mine took about 2 hours from start to finish. My hand felt like it was ready to fall off! Once the chalk pen is completely dry, take the dry paper towel and wipe the extra chalk dust away.

Display. The best part is seeing your work completed! My mom was thrilled with how beautiful the final product was (and so was I)! Hang your chalkboard and display it proudly. And be prepared to answer the question “Wow! Who did that?!”

The menu I made was hung under the tent where the food was being served. I only wish I had gotten a picture of the menu with the gorgeous spread my mom planned! The menu was almost as gorgeous as the food was. And, this was a great step for me in making progress with my 101 in 1001 goal to learn how to do hand typography! I don't totally count this because I traced it, but any practice is good practice.

Above is a gallery with some photos of the dishes from the night. Also, be sure to check out some of the posts linked below for more photos from that very memorable weekend!

Acceptance. It is sometimes a bitter part of life. The unfair situations, the frustrated moments, the problems that just can’t (and maybe shouldn’t) be fixed. Acceptance is not defeat. It is not giving in. It is not a weakness. It is a form of serenity. It is being okay with the way things happened, especially if it didn’t play out in your favor. Sometimes acceptance comes with disappointment, and sometimes it comes with relief. If you’re somewhat of a control freak like I am, accepting things the way they are is difficult and even frustrating. Sometimes you can want things to be different so badly that you lose sight of why they are the way they are.

Right now I’m in the middle of job searching* and I have pretty ambitious aspirations for myself. There are plenty of jobs out there that I would succeed at, that pay really well, but I just don’t have enough experience for at the moment. It’s hard to accept the fact that a dream position that I want right now will have to wait 3-5 years until I can apply and have a fighting chance. But, it is what it is. The best thing I can do is look at the situation differently, be optimistic about finding a job that will make me as happy as possible, and be patient for myself and my future.

There are countless situations I find myself in where I had planned a different outcome, and was disappointed tenfold by something I never had to begin with. Some of my favorite lyrics by the band 311 come from their song Flowing; “You can’t be let down if you don’t expect the world.” These words have so much power to them. So often I overhear people yearning for their future, planning out each milestone in their lives. When good things happen to them that don't quite match their highest hopes, they feel disappointed instead of appreciative of the amazing things they have. They let their expectations drown them, stifling life's happy moments. My philosophy on life is aim high, but expect nothing. Let life take you by surprise.

*I began writing this post in late May and didn't finish it until early July. I have since accepted a job offer for a company where I can learn and contribute my skills in a meaningful way. I feel like I subconsciously didn't publish this post right away because after writing it, I got what I needed out of it. Now was the right time to share this advice with everyone else. I hope it is helpful to you.