7.14.2015

one year of marraige & our first out-of-town house guests!!

i'm a little late in posting this (june was a busy month, but a good one!  whew!), but several weeks ago, cory and i had our first out-of-town visitors!  my parents and mr. bentley!!!  we hadn't seen them since january, so it felt like it had been ages since then (six months really is ages when you are as close as we are)!  i had such a great time prepping our new house for them to see and coming up with an itinerary of some of our favorite places in the area for them to visit.  

the weekend was made extra special, because cory and i celebrated one year of marriage!  i can't believe it's already been a year... time sure does fly.  like most things in life, marriage isn't always easy, but it surely is a rewarding experience where you are constantly learning (not just about your significant other, but about yourself as well).  marriage has definitely introduced me to an entirely new level of patience, teamwork, compassion and forgiveness.  i love you cory.  thank you for being my "other half" and for making me a better person each day.

here's a few pics from the week:

 yay!  they've arrived!

bentley had no trouble finding his food bowl :)

my dad, lounging on our front stoop.

bentley, just doing what he does best... being adorable.

we visited the beautiful grounds of the fearrington village in chapel hill.

a pretty, vibrant flower!

i think i need to hire their landscaper to come take a look at our yard :)

more pretty flowers.

after working up an appetite walking around the gardens at fearrington village, we went to mama dip's in chapel hill!  southern soul food at it finest.  these are the fried green tomatos!

we went on several road trips :)

one of those road trips was to the falls lake dam.

dad at the dam.

i taught mom how to play cornhole!  she was pretty good for a first-timer! (please ignore our neighbors awful looking fence in the background.  at least, that's what i've tried to do for the past two months, grrrr).


bentley, officiating our game of cornhole from the porch.

dad and cory built a super cute birdhouse post for our backyard (bentley officiated that as well).

bentley was so pooped from all of this officiating!

we celebrated our one year wedding anniversary at the iconic angus barn!

delicious complementary pound cake!

i was having a snow white moment.

one year as the trottiers!

 thanks for visiting mom and dad!  we had so much fun and can't wait until next time!  love you soooo much!

7.07.2015

the fourth!

cory and i found ourselves with absolutely nothing to do for the fourth.  typically we would be okay with a relaxing weekend at home, but we were both really itching to get out of town.  so we said... let's go to asheville!

if you are looking for a place with good food, excellent beer, nice people and beautiful mountains in every direction... then asheville north carolina is definitely the place for you.  i've been there several times before, but each time i go i can't help but realize there's nowhere else like it!  what a unique city!  it seems like most hotels and restaurants are extremely dog friendly, so there's super cute pooches all over the place which i love (i even saw a woman walking a baby goat on a leash... aaaannnd i'm not gonna lie, i kind of wanted one too).  everywhere you turn, there's adorable little cobblestone-lined streets and alleyways, mirrored with unique shops and restaurants.  in the background you'll hear the most talented musicians (lots of bluegrass bands and country duos), just trying to get their name out there and earn a few bucks!  there's even little community vegetable gardens growing amongst the rubble of old parking lots!  asheville has a charm like no other, with so much to see and do.  it certainly made for a fun impromptu fourth of july getaway.  i have so much fun making these little videos, so i decided to compose one...


... along with a few photos (warning: most photos are food and beer related).

we didn't mind the drive at all!  it was so scenic!

we had a lovely stay at the hotel indigo!

most of the hotels we stay at, i feel dirtier getting out of the shower than i did getting in.... that was not the case here!  our room had a glass-enclosed shower that really made me feel like i was in a spa!!

after we settled in at the hotel, we quickly consulted yelp to find the nearest brewery, which led us to wicked weed brewing.

north carolina beer is no joke, y'all.

hers: freak of nature double IPA/his: sweet talker IPA

what can i say... i'm a sucker for a cool lightbulb!

the back patio at wicked weed!

reading everyone's comments was really fun.  obviously a group of teenage girls had just visited this wall.  although, i wouldn't object to meeting ed sheeran.... or being a super model.

a double-decker bus turned dessert bar???  yes please!

see?  cute streets!

if you're looking for a great bite to eat downtown, i highly recommend pack's tavern.

just another day... posin' with a gargoyle.

roses are one of my favorite things about summer (especially peach ones).

omg you guys.  sunshine sammies has been on my food truck bucket list for almost a year, and i was more than happy to oblige and check it off this past weekend.

i went with the funky monkey: banana pudding ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate cookies with a peanut butter drizzle on top.  HOLY YUM!!!

fun random bluegrass band!

we happened upon this gem of a place for brunch on saturday, mayfel's.

how could you not love a restaurant with multiple chandeliers hanging from the ceiling?

take note of the bloody mary bar....

... we sure did!

his:  buttermilk fried chicken and biscuits topped with milk gravy, and side of home fries

hers:  the "southern" eggs bendedict.  a fluffy biscuit topped with fried green tomatoes, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.  and a side of home fries of course, because... carbs!

i could use one of those coolers...

my man.

for dinner (not that we were hungry, haha) we gave the D.O.G.S. food truck a whirl.  i'm so glad we did!

check out these beauties!  best veggie dog i've ever had!  the parmesan french fries were pretty amazing as well....

also, they have the best tip jar in history.

pre-fireworks selfie

the gold fireworks that slowly fizzle out are by far my favorite!

we hope you and yours had a wonderful and safe fourth!