From Blizzards to Beaches...

I don't know about you but now that I've had my lovely winter wedding and my once in a decade snow fix last weekend, I now proclaim that I am officially OVER winter. February has just never been my favorite month - I'm over wearing sweaters and tights, I'm over having to heat up my car in morning (but thank goodness for heated seats!) and I'm over soups, chilis and stews for dinner. And with the groundhog once again predicting six more weeks of dreaded winter on Tuesday and freezing temps forecasted yet again for the next few days, I've decided it's time to put a little sunshine in my life, in the form of a little recap of our honeymoon. And yes, I realize the honeymoon photos are coming before the wedding photos. I'm just waiting to get them from my photographer. Who is kind of a slowpoke and driving me a little bit crazy these days. Which is an entirely different post. Anyway.



So take a little trip with me down to the El Dorado Maroma in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Also known as Heaven On Earth. No really, Maroma Beach was voted one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world by Travel Channel. And you're about to see why! Our place was a boutique-style hotel, rather than one of those huge, sprawling resorts with a thousand things going on. It was Adults-Only, and All-Inclusive, which I assure you is the only way to go. At first we were both kind of shell-shocked, because it was so far removed from anything we had done before, and we've both never taken a solid week off of work to experience total downtime. I'm talking no cell phones, no computers, no TV (in English, at least), nothing. But I must admit, we acclimated nicely.

Now let me preface by saying that while some newlyweds (ahem, my friend Marcie) like to be on the go doing all kinds of adventures, Mr. T and I were just fine doing absolutely NADA, and chose this location with that specifically in mind. We had experienced a few absolutely insane weeks (and months, really) leading up to the wedding, and then after we both came down with some awful funk just days before our big day, all we really wanted was some rest and relaxation. We honestly couldn't have picked a better place for doing just that. It was absolutley wonderful to be doted on by the staff (I've truly never seen a place with better customer service - they were on their A-game with the "right aways" and "with pleasures"). Not to mention we had five solid days of 80 degree temps in the dead of January, parking it on the ocean with a beach butler to bring us anything our heart desired, while our Nashville peeps froze back home in 10 degree weather. Nothing like coming home to that with a tan and a new straw fedora. :)

I hope you guys enjoy this post because man, y'all are a lot of work (again, ahem, Marcie). My most dreaded thing about this blog is the nightmarish amount of time it takes me to upload photos. So pretty please be kind enough to send me lots of lovely little comments (does anyone else get sad when they don't get any love in the comments section?) so I'll know you really do care. That can be your early birthday present to me...a little bitty bit of blog love. Not that I'm thinking about the big 3-0 that is coming my way on March 11. Oh my goodness, the end of an era is really here. I must say though, my twenties have been a solid decade.

OK, back to the honeymoon. And away we go...


OK, first things first. This is probably the single most attractive thing I've ever seen Mr. T wear. His wedding ring. And believe me, the boy looks good in a lot of things. I seriously smile everytime I see this picture. As you can see, I took it on the plane the minute we sat down and I looked over and saw it on his hand. I just kept saying "look! we're married!"




This is what we laid eyes on the first time we ventured outside our room. Which was about 48 hours after we arrived. Not a joke. We were that tired. And all that lovely lingerie I received? Didn't get worn until after those first two days. Sister wanted a cotton tank top - I needed some comfort!


And the second thing I laid eyes on was this... I believe it was called Caribbean Breeze. I call it muy delicioso!



In fact, I decided to turn a cartwheel I was so happy. What can I say, I'm a gymnast at heart.

This next sequence needs a bit of background. So we decided to take a little walk down the beach one day, which turned into a long walk. As in a five miler. Two and a half miles to the next resort, that's how nice and secluded we were. It just doesn't seem that far when the breeze is blowing in your hair and you have this to look at. Just look at those white sandy beaches and that turquoise water - aren't they calling your name? Well, we ventured out for said walk about 10 a.m., and returned around noon. I am a self-admitted sun worshipper and soak up the sun any chance I get. My new husband, however, is more of the vampire in our relationship and prefers his SPF to have a much high number than I do. All this to say we left with nothing but our bathing suits on, and Mr. T returned with a sunburn like you've never seen. Don't worry, that photo is coming.



I mean, wouldn't this make you want to take a walk?

Impromptu photo shoot of the Turmans. Take one.

Whoa. Way off kilter. Might be the fruity drinks. Take two.


Much better. Of him at least. I look like I need a shower.



One of the lovely bungalows we discovered on our walk down Maroma Beach. I noticed lots of European influence. Apparently this area has gotten lots of interest from the folks overseas.



A resort we casually strolled into during our escapade...the Secrets Maroma. Swanktastic. And lots of topless sunbathers. I believe this is one in the photo but she will be happy to know she was censored.


As for me, I definitely decided to keep the top on. And maybe I thought I was a Victoria's Secret swimsuit model for a second. Or maybe I was just really happy to be on a beach.



Back at our resort after our impromptu hike, not knowing the extent of Mr. T's sunburn at this point. I mean, it really is hard to tell when you're out in it!


Our resort also happened to be next to a marina, so they had sailboats, deep sea fishing boats and jetskis for the guests to enjoy. Too bad they weren't included in the all-inclusive package.


But the one thing we did splurge on was an oceanfront couples massage! It was so relaxing to hear the waves crashing while the Mexican masseuses worked out all our post-wedding tension!


See, don't we look refreshed with our post-massage glow?

One day we decided to take a little excursion to Playa Del Carmen, about twenty minutes from our resort. I think this is at a little outdoor bar, where we decided to try a couple of caparinhas.

As you can see, we found them to be quite tasty!

On 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen, which is supposedly the shopping mecca of the town. Let's just say 5th Avenue on New York City has a little more to offer. But I did try on lots of hats!

Back in our swim-up suite, Craig demonstrated one of his favorite concoctions.

See a pattern here? The guy is all man, but loves his fruity drinks.

While I demonstrate my lovely view. The pool is right in front of me and the ocean is right behind it. The best of both worlds. Now that's what I call bliss.

Here is the lazy river that takes you to the larger pool, complete with a massive swim up bar!

Here is better view of our little setup. And yes, that's an outdoor bed you see in the corner. They truly thought of everything!

Posing in front of one of the pools. P.S. I just re-discovered that dress just before we left. It's from Old Navy and one of my all time favorites. I just don't think you can get much better than a white cotton sundress in the sunshine!

Oh! So Mr. T's birthday is January 5th, which fell on Day Three of our honeymoon. Here we are after our oriental dinner, with Mr. T looking like he might have had more Japanese beers than he should have. Give him a break - the old man was celebrating 35 years!

I asked the "mesero" to bring him a special birthday dessert!

And also had them draw a bubble bath for two for the special occasion!


And speaking of special occasions - you know my Alabama Crimson Tide played in the National Championship on January 7 - day 5 of our honeymoon - right? Well imagine my delight when we discovered it aired on ABC and that just so happened to be the only channel in English that we got! I just don't think it would have been quite as exciting in Spanish. So we asked our concierge if we could have the game played in Rick's Bar, which has a projection screen TV. Not only did they do that for us, they also had sliders, wings, and other "American futbol" food ready for us upon arrival! I'm telling you, we had the star treatment. And we also had the bar practically to ourselves!

This was right after we won - see the big smiles? Now why didn't I throw up my #1 sign?

Note: I really didn't think I couldn't have a better year than I did in 2009, but I must say my 2010 started off with quite a bang. A wedding on the 2nd and a National Championship on the 7th! Doesn't get much better than that.

So here we are on Day Six at the El Dorado Casitas Royale, one of the sister resorts and just as fantastic as ours. We arranged for a site visit and were treated like VIPs - the concierge gave us a tour of the entire property in her golf cart - and we even scored some fresh strawberry gelato along the way! This picture shows us at the Presidential Suite, which is a bit pricer but so worth it. You are right on the ocean, and even can have the chef come cook dinner for you! I could get used to that.

I'm 99% sure we'll try this one next time, because of the next few photos I'm about to show you. Man, that concierge knew exactly what she was doing...

Care to take an outdoor shower? Right this way.

Or just relax on the uber-comfortable canopied bed?

Marble jacuzzi bath? Vessel sinks? Yes please.

And a lovely view to boot.

One of the main reasons we liked this place was the oceanfront bars galore! Is it just me, or do we sound like total lushes in this blog post? I guess planning a wedding will do that to a girl...

Cheezing on the back of our golf cart.

A pretty little place for a vow renewal, don't you think?

I got a serious case of camera fever - the place was just too beautiful to describe.

Back on one of the Cabana beds at our resort. There are lots of these poolside - genius!

Our last dinner. Like my new dress? It's from Target (like $20) and oh-so-comfy.

See how happy it makes me? (And please notice how we didn't even touch that bottle of champagne in our room - I had enjoyed my fair share at our New Year's Eve party). This is while we were packing to go home. I'm surprised I was smiling, given how sad I was to be leaving...

And finally, here we are with my favorite picture of the whole trip. Does that make me mean? Maybe. But just look at my guy's sunburn. Ouch. And how hilarious. And ouch.

Our last morning, boo hiss. I posed poolside with our favorite mesero after a lovely made-to-order omelet and bottomless coffee. The man was on his GAME! He was precious.

All the pesos left in our pocket. But really, I think we spent a grand total of $160, since most everything was already paid for. Not bad for a seven day trip.

Enjoying one last meal at the Cancun airport. Ironically, it was Bubba Gump Shrimp and it was fantastically done. Notice I finally found a straw fedora, and I rocked it the whole way home.


And just because I want to end on a better photo, me and my babe. Love that boy.


Adios, Riviera Maya! See you next January for our anniversary trip!

P.S. That was hands down my longest post ever. Don't I deserve an award for that?

Southern Girls Love Snow (and House Update)

At church yesterday morning (yes, that was the first time we ventured outside since proclaiming Friday a Snow Day at 1 p.m. and heading to our warm little home to enjoy it), the greeter had a nametag on that said "I Survived Winter Storm 2010." Now I know everyone thinks we are a little cuckoo here in Nashville for freaking out like we do over a few inches of snow, but come ON, it is just too much fun for those of us who never see it, and if we want to freak out and press our noses to the windows every five seconds to see how the world is transforming, then just let us have our kicks. This is probably the most snow I can remember seeing in years - maybe ever. We just never got much in Alabama, and if we did, it very rarely stuck around long enough to enjoy it. But I just LOVED this past weekend. It was so much fun for Mr. T and I to enjoy a lazy weekend, which included the following: a double feature Friday night where we watched "Dead Calm" (his choice, scared the daylights out of me), and "500 Days of Summer" (my choice, good indie film, but a tad bit overrated in my opinion), a gigantic pot of homemade chili with all the fixins' (Mr. T had two bowls and there was still enough to feed Dan the next day when he came over to watch basketball), a good house cleaning after the previous weekend of dogsitting, (and deciding that if we ever get a dog it has to be one that doesn't shed), a morning feast of Belgian Waffles using our new flip waffle maker (a must for every newlywed couple), a long, luxurious afternoon nap, a fantastic message and time of worship on Sunday morning, and capping it off with red carpet arrivals and a truly fantastic Grammys where Nashville represented well. Let me say it again: I love living in Nashville.



So here are a few photos that started with me wanting to document our house in the lovely snow, and ended with me getting a tad bit camera happy and taking some updated photos of our now decorated new home. We still have a few things to do, but it really feels like home now. And it most certainly is a sweet one. :)



Our cars standing guard to protect our house (the one in the middle) from the elements. Way to go, Quad and White Lightning!





There she is, up close! Such a sweet little beauty covered in snow.


Mr. T demonstrating how to fully enjoy a Snow Day.



Empty space converted to a candle haven




Media Room - not to be confused with what some call a Man Cave, due to my sneaky way of painting the room crimson red, in honor of my Crimson Tide allegiance




Downstairs bathroom, with our new etagere that Mr. T so handily put together. Also, the painting above it is courtesy of my mom.




A little "Roll Tide Roll" towel that was a Christmas gift and will be displayed throughout 2010, as is only appropriate to document the year we were National Champions. Also, the painting above of the coffee cup makes me smile - my dad painted it and was very proud of himself. So am I.






Our back deck! We got two grills as wedding gifts, so we will be grilling machines once it gets warm! The big guy is pictured here, but the other one is a compact size, perfect for veggies. Our little fire pit is also trying to get some love in this pic. We've only used her once but I hope to fire her up for our Super Bowl Party next Sunday.




This was taken for my mom, showing our beautiful new Vietri everyday china in rosso vecchio (red) and chiaroscuro (black). I know the cabinet needs more organizing, but it's a start.




One of my personal favorite parts of our house. Our under-counter wine cooler. It holds 40 bottles, has dual-zone temps, and is one of the best purchases we made.





Behold the stemware. Good thing we like to entertain...



The stairs leading up to our fabulous front loading washer and dryer. It truly makes doing laundry enjoyable. I'm not kidding.





Our guest room - a cozy little work in progress.


Guest bathroom in one of my fave paint colors - parsley!


And would you believe I found towels to match perfectly?



Our boudoir. Now you see our white summer bedding, tomorrow you will see our beautiful new graphite coverlet, that I convinced Mr. T we had to have at Target yesterday. It was half off and the last one - two signs it should not be passed up.


More of the master boudoir...


Master bath in baby blue with coordinating shower curtain. Natch.


His and hers sinks! A must for any bathroom clean freak.


And finally, our new furniture set up - this sofa from Z Gallerie is perfect for napping - two people can fit both laying on their backs! Oh and please ignore the doggy bed. This little guy came over to play.

Meet Nick. My god-dog and one of the sweetest animals on earth.

Oh, and this is his friend Berkeley. They spent Saturday with us. And as you can see, seemed to feel right at home.

So that's how we spent our weekend inside, and now you can see our humble abode where it was spent. Weekends like this just don't come around often enough, and I love that they make us slow down and enjoy our lives a little more. Hope you all loved Winter Storm 2010 as much as we did!

A Matter of Tayst (aka The Rehearsal Dinner)

We interrup this blog post to say something that isn't often in this southern gal's vocabulary:

IT'S SNOWING! And I'm talking those big honkin' flakes that look like somebody just shook a snowglobe on little ole Nashville. I see the creation of a snowman in my future. It's days like this that make me so very happy to have absolutley NADA on the weekend agenda - no thank you notes left to write (aside: in case I've forgotten someone, which I am rather terrified I'm going to do, and you happen to read this blog, please feel free to shame me in the comments section. I think I've been keeping good records, but I am a little paranoid I missed someone with the flurry of gifts that came in around the holidays), no wedding plans to finalize, no budgets to review and fret over, no nothing. I'm feeling so good, in fact, that I just might be a little domestic diva and make a gigantic pot of chili for the hubs and his buddies, so they can come over and watch the Vandy/UK basketball game. Now let it be said that I am not nearly as big a fan of basketball as I am of football (again, roll tide) but since Mr. T played basketball in college, coaches a little league of 7 year olds in YMCA basketball, and even continues to play in a winter league with a bunch of other has-beens (only kidding if you're reading this, dear - I know you guys are awesome) so needless to say, he definitely has an interest in the sport. So I guess the least I can do is be the dutiful, supportive wife that I vowed to be before God and 200 witnesses about three weeks ago, and watch the occasional game with him if it makes him happy. So that is exactly what I'm going to do tomorrow. Yes, that sound you hear is me patting myself on the back.

So on to other subjects, namely a recap of our absolutely wonderful, so very touching rehearsal diner at Tayst. Mr. T has ties to the fabulous chef, the highly acclaimed Jeremy Barlow, since Tayst is a proud sponsor of Vanderbilt Athletics, for which my hubby sells corporate sponsorships. So imagine our delight when he generously offered to let us use the entire restaurant on a Friday night all to ourselves - and on New Years Day to boot. I'm sure the staff hated us after their late shift on New Years Eve, but they couldn't have been better to us. We felt like royalty! Talk about starting the new year off on the right foot. Jeremy, we love you and the Tayst staff to death and can't thank you enough! And P.S. you should get a patent for your Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding. It is like a piece of heaven in your mouth. Not exaggerating.


Being the event planner that I am, I decided that while our wedding would be an all-white affair, I wanted to play on the beautiful rich red walls of the restaurant, so I pulled in lots of fun touches to play them up. However, you'll have to use your imagination because I was having so much fun I forgot to take a lot of photos. And our photographer also came up a night early to take pictures for our little Nashville Lifestyles feature (yay!) so I didn't think my little digital would matter much. Now I'm wishing I had been thinking about how great they would be for blog purposes! Oh well. For example, I took childhood photos of the Mr. and myself and framed them in rustic wood frames (bought half off at Michael's - score!) and hung them in place of the artwork that is usually displayed on the walls. I also found these to-die-for aluminum cowboy boots at Fabu that were painted red and had little star cut-outs - too perfect for welcoming folks to Nashville! We placed candles inside and used them as centerpieces on the bistro tables in the bar area, which you saw when you first walked in. The other item that was a major hit with our guests was our guitar that doubled as a guest book. I ran across this idea forever I go right after we first got engaged and decided right then and there I had to do it. We had silver sharpies for the guests to sign it with, and it was the perfect way to get signatures started with our family and close friends before we unveiled it at the reception! Check the little guy out...





I also found these ah-dorable placecard holders online, which added a nice little western touch...



And one of my MOST favorite things was the wonderful entertainment we lined up for the cocktail hour - a banjo and fiddle duet! One of these sweet gentlemen works in the Vandy Law School library, and ever since I discovered he played the banjo, I've asked him to play several times! The young and old loved hearng those bluegrass tunes played the minute they walked in the door, and I noticed many feet were tapping along!



We enjoyed some drinks to warm up from the winter weather and passed hors d'oeuvres for the cocktail hour and then sat down to a lovely dinner, complete with a hoppin' john appetizer of gourmet cornbread and black eyed peas for good luck (a tradition in our house growing up - every pea supposedly brought a dollar in the pocket in the coming year, so I was always sure to eat every bite of mine). We had the most delicious menu typed on parchment paper and beautifully placed at each place setting. Our selections included:

First Course:

Signature Salad
mixed greens, goat cheese, toasted walnuts, sundried cherry vinaigrette
-or-
Butternut Squash Bisque
topped with cinnamon marshmallow

Main Course

Chicken
chicken risotto, thyme~tarragon glaze, pumpkin seeds

Bison Brisket
butternut squash, greens, bacon, reduction

Lamb Leg
winter squash napoleon, cider reduction

Just For Luck…

Hoppin’ John
black eyed peas & cornbread

Sweet Course

Hazelnut Chocolate Cake
chocolate mousse, chocolate syrup

Roasted Apple
smoked caramel, vanilla crème anglaise, caramel lace cookie

Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding
doughnut, vanilla milkshake

Delicious, no? So after dessert was served, my handsome husband to be made a toast that basically started with him thanking both of our parents, went on to say how blessed he felt, and ended with him telling the story of how when we got engaged, we called our parents first. Mine of course knew what was coming since Craig had asked their permission, but his had no clue. So his Dad's reply to Craig? "I'm just glad you're not gay." Which Craig shared with the crowd. Nice...

After that, several of our sweet friends made toasts as well, and words can't describe how touching they were to hear. I basically started crying at the first one that my best friend and MOH did, and didn't stop through the next six. I mean I was a mess. All those emotions and nerves and stresses from the last few days finally caught up with me, and I ended up laughing and crying for a solid thirty minutes. It went something like this: Friend Stands Up, I smile. Friend Starts Speaking, I feel tears forming. Friend Finishes, I am straight up crying. Friend Sits Down, we all toast at the table. New Friend Gets Up, process starts again.

So when Keith Colbert, a long time friend of Craig's family who was able to make the trip at the last minute, got up and said he would be honored if his son turned out like Craig, well Craig got a little choked up too. I've never seen the boy shed a tear (though he claims he had tears in his eyes during our vows - I couldn't see them because of the tears in mine) but I'm glad he can balance me out since I am clearly such a basketcase. I mean, the boy has a bet with me that I won't make it five minutes into Extreme Home Makeover before shedding a tear. I never do.

Anyway, all the toasts we showed a montage of our childhood photos that turned out perfectly. This was also done by the super fab Jennifer Fritz at Dynamic Video who did the sneak peek of our wedding footage that I posted a few days ago. I debated whether or not to include that in our dinner, since I had seen it done so much, but I think it is truly something everyone enjoys and I for one never get tired of seeing them. So here's the link to ours, in case you want to waste a few minutes of your Friday with a trip down memory lane. I must say, the song selections couldn't have turned out better. That last song by Keith Urban had me in tears the first time I heard it. Shocking, I know. Man, I am such a crybaby.

All that to say the night was simply lovely in every way, and we loved being able to celebrate such a fun occasion with the people who are closest to us. I can honestly say I will always remember those toasts, and I most certainly will always remember that evening. So, here are a few photos I did manage to capture. Hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoy reliving them.

With my new niece, Amber and sis-in-law, Treva

Chuck, Craig's brother, giving their dad some love



My sweet parents, Gail and John. Love them!

My brother, niece, and sister-in-law

Craig's mother and precious niece, Carly


Craig's other brother, Chris, and his son, Logan - such a ham!

All the way from Louisiana, my fabulous Aunt Martha Lou and Uncle Ron

Andrea, Catherine and my namesake Lilly at the Kids Table (don't feel bad for them, we gave them a kid-friendly menu and a bandana bag full of coloring books, crayons and candy.

One of my favorite people on earth, Aunt Margaret. Who prefers to be called Pretty Margaret.

McKenzie, Carly and Courtney in their matching dresses.

So you see, the recaps may be a long time coming, but aren't they worth the wait? Happy Friday!