Jamaica, mon.

Today is the perfect day for me to write the honeymoon blog because my heart is aching to be back in that paradise. Threat of snow in Raleigh, and it isn't even mid-November yet?! Blasphemy!

We had two simple requests for our honeymoon: it had to be in a tropical location, and it had to be all inclusive. A Sandals Resort seemed like the obvious choice, so that's where we started. We decided to go through a travel agent (Bob Gani at Travel Experts of Cary - highly recommended!) and I'm so glad we did! We chose the glorious Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica. It has a private beach, more than 7 restaurants, 3 pools, and oh-so-much-more. We couldn't have chosen a better fit for us! It was quiet and well kept, fun and relaxing. The perfect honeymoon!

We left on Monday so we could have Sunday to wind-down after the wedding. I still think that was the best choice we could have made, because we were so wiped out. We had to leave the house way too early to catch our first flight, but luckily the whole travel day went so smoothly! Well, except for the bus ride to the resort... It's an hour and a half drive from the airport to the resort and, to put it lightly, it is not a pleasant drive. Whitehouse is on the opposite side of the mountain. The very steep mountain. The very steep mountain that has what appears to be one pothole-covered one-lane road, surrounded by straight cliffs and lush jungle. I have to give the drivers credit because they handle it very well, but HOLY CRAP. They speed through school yards and neighborhoods, and the people on the roads don't even flinch. There are cows and goats and dogs (oh my!) everywhere, and they don't seem too bothered either. At one point, we had to pass a truck pulling a BULLDOZER. I don't think I took a single breath for at least 5 minutes after that.

Anyways, we finally made it to the resort and checked into our lovely room in the French Village. There are 2 other Villages, Dutch and Italian, but I think ours was the best! It is the farthest from the main restaurants, but it was right next to a yummy lunch spot on the beach and the pool had the volleyball net and it's own swim-up bar. We were set for the week right there! Each morning we walked to the breakfast buffet first thing and then went straight to the pool. It was really too hot to just sit in the sun, so we spent the majority of the day either sitting at the pool bar chatting with new friends and hilarious bartenders, or floating in the pool with just our arms and heads out of the water. This might be why our tans were a bit off! We snacked on "meat pockets" as Payton called them and DELICIOUS jerk pork or chicken almost everyday. We were so impressed with the food. Our favorite foods were at the Asian restaurant, Jasmine's, and the jerk chicken at the Jerk Pit. They also have an Italian place (hand made brick oven pizza - we might have taken a few to-go for a midnight snack) called Giuseppe's, a Mediterranean seafood place called Neptune's, a French cafe (fresh crepes. enough said.) called Cafe de Paris, and a few other fancy restaurants, including a martini bar called Casablanca. We got to have a private four-course dinner on the beach on Wednesday, courtesy of my wonderful parents! It was so beautiful and so delicious and I still think about it daily. I would have taken more pictures of the food, but I ate it too quickly. Typical.

French Village

Where we had our private dinner

So, like I said, we really did spend most of our time in the pool. We went snorkeling but the jellyfish were everywhere, so I jumped in and swam right back around to the boat. Payton was a bit more brave and stayed out a little longer, but I've been stung before and I did not want that to happen again. The absolute best thing we did all week was the Pelican Bar catamaran cruise excursion on Friday. We had been spending a lot of time with our "neighbors" and we agreed that it would be a blast if we all did it together. Turns out, we weren't the only couples in the French Village that had that idea! We ended up on the boat with like 5 other couples that we had been hanging out with all week. It was more fun that I can even describe. It was basically a party cruise with a DJ, bar and food. We rode for about an hour and a half until we got to the Pelican Bar - a shack made out of sticks that is on a sand bar smack in the middle of the ocean. Literally. We had to take a dingy from our catamaran to the shack because of how small it is. There is a man there that cooks fresh lobster and fish right in this hut and serves Heineken (the Heineken was such a pleasant surprise because in Jamaica "beer" means Red Stripe). The shack is adorned with license plates and flags from different states and countries and if you give him a little tip he will carve your name in the floor. We ate our fresh lobster with our feet hanging off the dock and I literally started crying tears of joy. I've never felt that happy in my entire life. The trip back was when things started to get REALLY fun. I won't go into detail, but let's just say the open bar started to catch up to us. We had a large dance party and the phrase "MEET AT THE FRENCH VILLAGE POOL" was shouted many, many times because we didn't want the party to end! All of us tried to make a plan for after dinner, but I don't even think anyone made it to dinner. Catching up with the other cruisers the next morning was so funny! I will never, ever forget that day and we would LOVE to go back to the Pelican Bar to see visit our name one day!

Pelican Bar!

Our named carved in the floor of the Pelican Bar

Our new friends - Illinois, Iowa and Ohio!

The week flew by and before we knew it it was time to risk our lives and get back on that bus to take us to the airport. We had another smooth travel day and we got home to a full fridge! Have I ever mentioned how wonderful and thoughtful my mother is? She really is the best. And, she watched our Scoutie for the whole week! What a lucky dog he is.

So, that's that. The best honeymoon we could ever dream of! I would visit Jamaica again any day.

I'm back!

It's been nearly 3 months since my last blog post. No one told me how stressful and crazy the last few months leading up to the wedding would be! I couldn't think about anything else. It was overwhelming and completely consuming, but I enjoyed every single moment. I didn't, however, even think about blogging! So much has happened in these last 3 months, so I think I'll just start where I left off...


In late August I had an absolutely wonderful bridal shower at my favorite restaurant in my old neighborhood. My bridesmaids, their moms, and my mommy helped host the shower and we invited all of my oldest and dearest "horse friends" to help us celebrate. Those friendships are so special, and it's all thanks to our four-legged friends :) If you didn't know that we were friends because of horses, the game we played sure would have given it away! The hosts had each guest write down how they knew me in a few words, and I had to guess who wrote it. The words horse, Snowball, and MacNair's were repeated many, many times! It made it quite challenging for me, but it was really fun. Those ladies spoiled me rotten and I'm so grateful for their love and support. I cried happy tears many, many times that day- but you won't find me apologizing for it!

My maids!

When I was little, my mom used to sing me "You are my Sunshine" every night. She wrote it in my card and got me this pillow - hence the tears from both of us! So special!

September was the busiest month of all. It started with my bridal portrait session with Renee. We went to the art museum and had a blast! There was a threat of rain all day, but we were lucky enough to just get beautiful after-storm skies from it. Sure, it was hot, but my mom is a seasoned horse show mom and brought her trusty hand-held fan along! Genius, I tell you! The pictures are SO amazing. It took us forever to choose THE bridal portrait, and we even ordered like 15 other pictures because we loved them all so much. I really could never find the words to explain how wonderful Renee was/is as a photographer. She is the best decision we made in this whole process, hands down! This was the portrait we chose, courtesy of Renee Sprink Photography (visit reneesprink.com, or "like" her on Facebook, too!):

Moving on... We also had our final 2 weddings in September! The first was for our dear friends, Aimee and Adam Rich! This was a destination wedding (how fun!) in Atlantic Beach. We took advantage of this opportunity and turned it into a mini-vacation. We got to bring Scout and spend the weekend with great friends. And to top it off, Aimee and Adam had the most stunningly beautiful, fabulously fun beach wedding! We danced our hearts out and had the best time celebrating such a lovely couple! To finish off the month, we celebrated 2 more wonderful friends, Morgan and Trevor Nienke! Morgan and I were fast friends at Meredith, and we even lived together Sophomore year. And Trevor is Payton's big brother in their fraternity, so we are all strangely connected (which is typical of Meredith girls and FH boys). They got married at a beautiful farm and they also had perfect weather. Morgan was breathtakingly beautiful, too! Another wonderful wedding!

MCGs at the Nienke Wedding!

Rich Wedding!

So, then it was our turn - the grande finale of 2013 wedding season, as I like to call it! I had the hardest time wrapping my head around the fact that 11 months of planning and waiting was about to be over. It is impossible to explain the feelings I had in the week leading up to our wedding. I took all of Friday and even half of  Thursday off so we could pick up Payton's sister and her husband from the airport and spend some time with them since they flew in all the way from Utah! We ate at The Pit (I drool every time I think about it), and went bowling. I needed the distractions. Friday was full of fun- from the bridesmaids lunch and manicures to the rehearsal dinner! Yummy food, great company... the perfect day! To make it even better, nearly my entire family came into town early, which was the icing on the cake. I got to catch up with them - some of whom I hadn't seen in over a decade - and I'm so thankful for that because there is no way I could have done that on Saturday. I barely slept on Friday night. So many things were running through my head! Saturday was such a blur, I can barely remember how it all went. I'm so looking forward to seeing pictures so I can re-live it! Overall, the wedding was everything I could have dreamed of. My favorite parts were the photobooth, the band, and having my grandfather sing at the ceremony. I want to do it all again! Oh, and my bouquet... O-M-G it smelled so good! I'm so happy with all the choices we made and I just hope everyone had as good of a time as we did. But, I must say, the best part of all was the honeymoon! I'll save that for its own blog :)

My groom and my MOH, courtesy of NCFotobooth!

long time no blog!

I lost interest in this whole blogging thing for a while, but I was re-inspired by a delicious recipe we made last night! I'll start with a little recap of what's been going on lately...

We've been to 2 more wonderful weddings since my last post! Shout out to the new Mr. and Mrs. Wise and Mr. and Mrs. Burgoyne! 4 down, 2 to go, and then it's our turn! It's been so much fun getting to celebrate some of our favorite people with so many friends and family members that we don't get to see nearly enough. I'm sad our 2013 wedding season will be over soon! In 53 days, to be exact. 

I'm having so much fun wrapping up details for October 5th. On top of that fun stuff, we have a lot to look forward to! Bridal shower, bridal portraits, bachelor beach weekend for Payton. I'm going to miss this when it's all over. I have to remind myself daily to enjoy every minute!

This past weekend we got to go home and spend some time with Payton's family! We always have so much fun with them. His dad sent us back with a very large bag of a variety of home-grown peppers, which inspired the deliciously spicy recipe we made last night! I can't wait to eat my leftovers for lunch. 

Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa:
1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 lime, juiced

Enchiladas:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock, storebought
Chopped cilantro leaves
1 deli roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
10 large flour tortillas
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the salsa:
On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. 

Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. 

Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

Enchiladas:
Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 

Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. 

Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. 

Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn't burn then gradually 

add the chicken stock to make a veloute. 

Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. 

Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional 

fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. 

Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. 

Take a large baking dish and smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. 

Now take the flour tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame

(or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). 

Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. 

Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla 

followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. 

Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. 

Using a spatula place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas.

Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese.

 Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. 

This is the perfect recipe for a date night or Mexican night with friends. You really need the help of another person! 

Happy Cooking!

a photo blog

I haven't had the chance to share our beautiful, wonderful, stunning, perfect engagement photos yet!  Renee Sprink with Renee Sprink Photography took our pictures back in April and now they are spread all throughout our home and my office.  I catch myself staring at them constantly.  It's just so nice to have these beautiful photos, taken by such a professional, genuine person that truly cares about her clients and their relationships.  We are lucky to have her on our team and can't wait to share our wedding day with her!

it's crunch time

Hello all my lovely readers.  It's been a long time since I wrote a real blog - probably because it's hard to follow a post like the one I wrote about my bridesmaids.  It's been a busy summer and it is just flying by!  We've attended 2 of our 7 weddings for the year and a lovely wedding shower.  The Culp wedding on June 15th was a beautiful day with picture perfect weather and a ton of fun with college friends.  The Fischer wedding (Payton's sweet sister) was on June 29th.  We had a blast spending the whole day with family and celebrating such a wonderful couple.  The rain held off for us, the cake was to die for, and the dancing was top notch!  Both of these weddings featured the drink of NC - Cheerwine - so obviously, I was happy.

Last week was the first time we had some SUNSHINE in what seems like years.  For starters, it was a 3 day work week.  Always a good place to start.  We celebrated the 4th with a pool day and a cookout with some good friends.  "We" painted our bedroom and Payton finished making my ladder bookshelf!  He even let me go shopping and buy fun things to put on it (yes, that includes another owl figurine).  I also had my first wedding dress fitting on Saturday!  I haven't even laid eyes on it since December 20th, so it has been a loooong time coming!  Luckily, it fits like a glove!  I had a hard time decided between two dresses, but after seeing it even just on the hanger last weekend, I know without any doubt that I made the right choice.  It's simply perfect.  I'm so glad I got to share that experience with my mom and my Kiki!  We finished the day with a delicious lunch at Coquette and we even found the perfect MOB dress for my mama!  I think I have some competition on October 5th... :)

This weekend is our wedding shower hosted by my wonderful maid of honor and her family.  I already feel so loved and it hasn't even happened yet!  I can't wait to get all of our college friends together to celebrate.  And plus - my mom is bringing a Sweet Memories cake.  It isn't a party without a cake from my favorite bakery!  With less than 90 days left until the big day, it's crunch time!  I've been busy planning meetings and final consultations and trying to get Payton to remember all of the dates :)  I sent the invitations earlier this week, so I guess that means it's all actually real.  I still feel like I'm living the best dream I've ever had.  I can't wait to be Mrs. Craddock.

Culp wedding ceremony

Adam & Aimee's wedding shower

Fischer wedding reception

Culp wedding reception