Charleston ENGAGED!!

My boyfriend of five years and now fiance!!

Romantic carriage ride tour for two through Charleston

Strolling through The Battery (White Point Gardens)

Playtime before the big moment!!

Here we are... ENGAGED!!

I will never forget that special moment... Ever!

Twirling around the lamp post happy!!

Charleston was everything I thought it would be and more!!

So happy to be Charleston ENGAGED!!

Cuteness Around the House

Easter is coming, and Pepper the Pig is pumped!!

Owl S&P Shakers... Are you surprised? They are too precious though, seriously!?!

Hank & I got our silhouettes done by an artist in Cameron Village on Saturday afternoon. They made this spot in the house one of my absolute favorites:

Charleston Bound

I will be here this weekend.

It's my first time in Charleston.

It will be a l o n g weekend.

And I could not be more excited!

Food (AND FASHION) Friday

This is my lovely Chapel Hill neighbor. While this is a precious photo of her, what I love very much about it is her fabulous jacket. I have been searching for the perfect jacket, and this is probably the coolest I have seen. It's BCBG and she found it in Miami for 75 percent off... I don't know how I'm going to find it since spring is here, but I am on the hunt.

Recipe: Tuna Salad

Tuna Salad (This recipe by Ina Garten is a staple in our home.)

• 2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 limes, zest grated
• 1 teaspoon wasabi powder
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1 to 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced
• 1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
• 1/4 cup red onion, small diced

Directions

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Taste Buds

I think it is crazy that your taste buds change every five to seven years. During this transitional change period (that lasts up to six months) is when your new taste buds are erupting and you begin to like things you may not have been a fan of before... This is so true!

I use to despise, Chinese food, asparagus, nuts, sushi, squash, chocolate cake, beer, etc. Now I find myself opening up to all of these foods. I remember eating Chinese with my parents when I was younger, and all I would eat is an egg roll... Weird!? Now I love Chinese food. I also remember at my senior year prom dinner I tried sushi as an appetizer, and I thought it was utterly gross. Now Chinese food and sushi are constantly in my food repertoire. Lately, I have been into finally trying to like beer and I love nuts... almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans... Delicious. What foods do you like now that you wouldn't touch before?

Bloom

Reason number 234234978 why I love Hank... He's thoughtful!

He had these pretty flowers delivered to my office! I love the feeling I got when the receptionist called to let me know there were flowers for me downstairs. I was ridiculously surprised and excited!!!!

P.S. Please note super clean desktop on my Mac. I recently deleted way too many files that were cluttering it - nothing else would fit! Now I feel squeaky clean (and loved).

Five

h3,

i can't believe we have been dating for 5 years today.

5 years. really?

time flies.

the reason for this post is to celebrate you on our big loveiversary.

so, happy we’re together!

you are:

1. my love.

2. the best boyfriend in the world.

3. so completely silly sometimes, it's infectious.

4. the most wonderful carolina guy.

5. always willing to give the perfect advice.

6. an amazing cuddler.

7. always supportive of your family and mine.

8. well-rounded: creative, smart, fun, sporty, culinary artist, traveler.

9. positive personality.

10. always loving towards me.

11. very good at being good-looking.

12. my human calculator.

13. willing to try anything... food, scuba, anything.

14. loved by so many.

15. great at making me smile

16. great at making me smile...even if i’m trying hard not too.

17. successful at almost all you do.

18. kind-hearted to others.

19. good at giving exceptional back massages.

20. willing to let me be the crafty & eclectic person i am.

21. not materialistic.

22. an excellent driver: manual, good parallel parker. i'm impressed.

23. best friend.

24. extremely diligent about getting the most out of life.

25. so lucky to have such a cute girlfriend. :)

5 years together, and I could not be happier. I am so in love with you, and so proud of you, every single day. There is nothing better in this world than when five years later I still look at you mid conversation and I think to myself,

“God, I really, really love this guy!”

Love, Andrea

Old News

I know this is old news in the design world, but it would be a (chair) dream to own the Ghost Chair by Kartell. It's functional and fun. What more could you ask for in a chair?



I can answer that... Comfort! But still...

Hump Day Hottie

Matt Damon + Many Tiny Dogs = HDH

Weather Love

Weather today... I love you. I wish this were Hank and I right now. But it's not, it's Blair... Looking cute, as always.

Throw Pillow Tuesday

Another bulldog. But awww. He's so cute.

Cool House

I drove by this house in Raleigh on Sunday. I really like its style.

Weekend Recap

This weekend was kind of awesome. Here I am enjoying some gorgeous Friday night weather:

Saturday morning I used my hammer fist and blade punch to break through two wooden boards during self defense. It's unbelievable how much your mind tells you no, you can't do this. Then you really have to hype yourself up to a yes, yes I can! It takes overcoming those mental nos to make it happen.

You really can do anything!!

Here I am being so proud. I yessed myself up to doing it twice, and of course I had to bring home my broken boards to prove it!

Saturday night was an absolute blast... Design & Dinner/Drinks Downtown!! I learned a lot of great things here:

Taught by my friend Jamie and attended with my friend Jen. I also learned I have been doing a few things wrong... Good to know! After class we headed to Solas:

This place felt as though it was taken straight out of Miami. I loved. I met a lot of really awesome people, like designer Nick Olsen.



AND I finally partied with Jamie!!



Thank you weekend for a great time.

Girlie Girl

I am going to have this kind of weekend:



It's going to be fabulous. Enjoy the weather!

Wallin

I really like John Wall. While I didn't pick Kentucky to win it all, I kind of wish I did. Mostly because I know, or at least I really hope, Wall would bust his move after the big dance!!



I can't stop doing it... I love this video because someone is Wallin it in front of the Old Well in CHAPEL HILL!!

I Love THIS Guy

He just gave me the best compliment : ) He's the sweetest!!

Disney Love

How happy are these characters? This now has me wondering if I own Beauty and the Beast on DVD... I think my parents may have gifted it to me. They love Disney, and that love is with me too times a million.

Disney World:

Disneyland:

Disney is the best.

Can this be me

...on my drive home from work today? I would love it.

There's nothing more fun than being a kid at heart, always.

Brunettes are the BEST

According to the Times of London, a dating site created a list of the world’s top 100 billionaires and analyzed the tresses of the rich guy’s wives and girlfriends. The results? 62% of billionaires had married women with brown hair.

Yep. Brunettes rule.

Perspective Edition

I could not have written this better myself.

Thank you, tatianamikhailovna.

Perspective

"Whenever I feel annoyed about possibly getting sick or being sick I think of my cousin Slava who can’t remember the last time he felt remotely healthy.

Whenever I don’t want to eat anything in my fridge and whine about it I think of the kids from the orphanage my mum housed that ate so much their first night at our house they made themselves sick.

Whenever I wish I had a nicer mattress I think of that scene in the Blind Side when Michael says “I’ve never had one of these before” and Leigh Anne says “What a room to yourself?” and he replies “No. A bed.”

Whenever I think I don’t have anything to wear I think about the girl we sponsor in India who received her first “nice” dress this February for her birthday.

Whenever I think that there is too much hurt in this world I think of Martin Luther King or all the outpouring of love and money that we witnessed just a month ago in Haiti.

Whenever I wish we had more money I think about that family on the episode of True Life who had to recycle plastic bottles to scrape enough money to drive to the grocery store where they couldn’t really afford anything either.

Whenever I wish that I got to travel more I think about those kids at the day care I interned at that will probably never see the ocean or the Statue of Liberty.

Whenever I feel sorry for myself I think about the fact that I am blessed with spending the rest of my life with my best friend.

And that is more than enough for me."

On this St. Patty's day, I remind myself that I am exceptionally lucky.

franklin&columbia

Two DTH ad staffers I worked with in college, Jenna and Katherine, recently started their own unique jewelry line. They are Carolina loves based out of Atlanta creating some really amazing (and original) designs.

They have some great pieces I am currently eyeing.

You should check them out! You pay through PayPal (safety first), and they will ship directly to your front door.

Throw Pillow Tuesday

Spring is coming, and if I had a woman cave this throw would be in it!!

Books with Attitude

Amazon has a ton of great books that I would thoroughly enjoy having. Not to mention Amazon has hands down the best prices.

Here are a few:

Domino: The Book of Decorating (Yes, Please!!!!)

A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy (Hardcover)

This book is a roundup of the decorating tips, tricks and elements that have appeared in Domino Magazine. Domino was/is a highly regarded decorating magazine that was published from Spring/Summer 2005 to March 2009. Then when the economy tanked last year, this publication folded due to lack of advertising. Now the back issues are ridiculously priced on eBay. This book would be fabulous to have to reference!!

The Gospel According to Coco Chanel

Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman (Hardcover)

I know I could learn a lot from her.

Style and Substance

The Best of Elle Decor (Hardcover)

I wouldn't mind seeing what I have missed from Elle Decor over the past few years (since I am only a very recent subscriber).