Cayman Islands

As crazy as it has been to be going, going, going for the last two weeks, I can't say I would trade my trip to the Cayman Islands! Here are a few iPhone snaps from my four-day stay. We went on a catamaran ride to Stingray City, and the water was so clear, turquoise, and gorgeous! The boat was neat -- the bow was mostly made up of nets, which you could sit on and watch the water flash by beneath you. This trip was also the first time I got to use my passport, which was thrilling :)











P.S. I did a little personal wedding scouting while abroad! These chairs are what I'm picturing for our reception, and I'd love to use lounge furniture like the pieces below.





P.P.S. Back next week with Thanksgiving prep posts!

Green Knob Trail

Before this weekend catches up with us, I wanted to share a few photos from last weekend's adventure! As you know, John and I headed out to Boone, NC for a quick overnight trip. Our camping was a bit ill-fated (sleet, 20-degree temperatures, and 50 MPH winds drove us to a hotel in the middle of the night. Yes, yes they did.), but the hike we went on was magical! A few photos:















Yep, I was definitely singing the HILLS are aliiiiive! as I pranced through that goldenrod field :)

This weekend we have our community garden's sweet potato harvest to look forward to (here's last year's), as well as dinner with friends, chair priming for me, and hopefully several episodes of Friday Night Lights (we're just starting season two -- DYING over here!!). How about y'all?

Treehouse Point

What are you up to this weekend? We will be working in our church's garden and maybe going to an outdoor concert, but I kind of wish we had reservations at Treehouse Point. Doesn't it look amazing? If I ever get to Seattle, I am definitely spending at least one night here -- it's just 30 minutes outside of the city, but must feel a world away.









You can see more gorgeous photos on Tec Petaja's blog here!

Charleston: Video!

Charleston from Emily Ayer on Vimeo.

And here it is: the video John and I made from our trip! I hope you enjoy, and I hope you enjoyed this week's Charleston picture tour!

Next week? Back to all weddings + pretties, all the time. Can't wait to share!

Charleston: French Quarter + Battery

Ahhh, friends... here's my favorite Charleston post of them all. You better believe I was excited to visit the French Quarter and the Battery! I practically made a beeline for it once we arrived. I had high expectations, and Charleston definitely didn't disappoint -- old world Southern charm was everywhere. Here are a few of my favorite sites:





































Gorgeous, no? Do you love gawking at beautiful homes as much as I do? :)

Charleston: Eats

If there's one thing Charleston has going for it, it's delicious food. Briefly, my thoughts on the restaurants we visited during our week down South...

Caviar & Bananas



We made a quick stop at C & B, mostly for a drink and to get out of the heat. It's an upscale grocery along the lines of Dean & Deluca. I indulged in one tiny chocolate peanut butter tart and it was delectable.

Magnolia's











We headed to Magnolia's on East Bay Street (downtown) for lunch after church on Sunday, and I loved it. Genteel atmosphere, and delicious food. I had a sinfully delicious buffalo fried chicken cobb salad. I also loved all the magnolia accents, including the door handle!

BLU Restaurant



BLU definitely wins the award for most unexpected hit. It's a hotel restaurant, after all, and when the kids heard this, we were none too excited. Even the menu looks a bit cheesy. But the service was great, and BLU's menu and commitment to fresh, local exciting food prepared in interesting ways was even better. We shared a variety of tapas-sized plates (I think we tried about 75% of the tapas options!), but the collective favorite was the "virtual egg" appetizer -- not an egg at all, but a carved mozzarella "egg" filled with yellow tomato jus "yolk"! BLU is in Folly Beach.

Taco Boy



Taco Boy was another Folly Beach favorite, and it came highly recommended by the locals. The tacos were interesting, and good across the board, but the guacamole was a little lackluster (and our group has some huge guac fans). The chile con queso, however, was uncommonly good. Serious surfer vibe.

Slightly North of Broad (or S.N.O.B.)



S.N.O.B. was our big finale dinner, and it didn't disappoint. The heirloom tomato salads several of us started with were excellent (as was my Kurios Farms Bibb Lettuce Salad). My entree was a bit heavy for my tastes, however. The atmosphere was delightful.

Bowen's Island Restaurant











Bowen's Island also follows under the "seriously atmospheric" category, though not so much for the restaurant itself (which is actually borderline rundown and covered in patron-inflicted graffiti). The views, however, are stunning. Super casual, fried seafood (or fried chicken if you're me, ha!) is standard fare here, plus yummy hush puppies.

What do you think? Did we visit any of your favorite Charleston eateries?