the proposal

I realize everyone does NOT care about how/why/when my husband proposed....but for those who love a good sappy love story...grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, curl up and keep reading :)

as our 3rd engagement anniversary is coming up in 2 days (I can't believe it!!) I thought it would be a good time to share the story with all of you.

this is how it went down:

the hubby and I had been dating for only 6 months when he asked me to be his wife. I know, I know, say what you will...but when you know, you know. simple. as. that.

It was a beautiful August day...(OK, I'll do my best to spare you some sappiness). it was my  husband's birthday week. we had been planning to go to dinner at High Cotton with his parents to have a birthday dinner celebration for him. so that Friday night, he comes to pick me up. I remember him looking extra handsome...but honestly had NO clue how my life was about to change. he was cool as a cucumber, thinking back. He didn't act funny, or nervous, or odd. just completely normal.

we hopped in the car and headed downtown Greenville towards High Cotton. remember, it was a Friday night so downtown was busy, busy and we had to park extremely far and out of the way (all part of the plan I later discovered). because we had to park so far away from the restaurant, it left us having to walk through the lovely Falls Park (also part of the plan :) ).
we got out of the car (Ro grabbed his blue blazer out of the back, which at the time I didn't think a thing of) and we started the trek to High Cotton. I hate this part...I have to admit it was a bit warm that night and I was relentlessly complaining and fussing at him about how I was going to be drenched in sweat and gross-looking by the time we arrived at dinner. (not my proudest moment) Clearly, I was clueless as to what was about happen or else I never would have acted like a total brat. annyywayss...moving on.

we are walking along...and he nonchalantly says: "Listen to this email I got earlier." He then proceeds to get out the email that he had printed off from the inside pocket of his blazer. (me: still NO idea at this point.) He then begins reading it out loud. It was an email from a lady named Hope Davis regarding "A Voice for the Children" charity. Hope had asked him to participate in a 'Bachelor Auction' in order to help raise money for the children. they pick certain guys and have the ladies auction off for them...He continued to tell me about it...me, thinking he was going to ask my permission to participate (as we were seriously dating at the time).

Instead, here is his response: (the part he read out loud to me) :


Knight, Roland

From: Knight, Roland

Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 7:46 AM

To: 'Hope D.'

Subject: RE: A Voice for The Children

Hey Hope,

This is very flattering. I am friends with Matt, Robert, and Dave and I know just how much fun they had last year. Thank you for considering me this year, but I'm sorry to say I must decline. Please let me explain. My birthday is on Sunday and I have picked out the greatest gift for myself. I have been dating a girl named Landrum, whom, I am very much in love with. I decided I cannot live without her. So I met her father last week at Bill and Fran's restaurant in Newberry to ask his blessing. She has no idea, but I'm going to ask her to be my wife on Friday night.

Please let me know who to make a donation to. I will send a check.

Thanks for keeping this confidential.

Ro



The actual email may or may not be framed (hehe) :) :) :)

after finishing reading the last part he then proceeded to get down on one knee...(this part was a little bit blurry through the tears) and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I am pretty sure I screamed YES! at this point, multiple bystanders had stopped to watch and then began clapping.

my feelings after he read those words was the perfect combination of being completely stunned and ecstatic!!! a feeling quite difficult to put into words.  the most wonderful feeling in the world. he really did the whole thing up right. like perfect. I couldn't have dreamt up anything better. ...he also had my brother-in-law in the bushes, parking garage, and all over the place capturing the moment with pictures!! (thanks again Reeves!)

then we actually headed up to dinner at High Cotton...and guess what else he did?!?! he had called my family and asked them to be there and meet us at dinner afterwards. best. dinner. ever.

and I really hate surprises...but best. surprise. ever.

lots and lots of joyful tears. pure BLISS.

...the rest is history :)

xoxo, Landrum

this place we call home

so here are some i-phone pics stored up on my phone from this city I can't get enough of. there is beauty around every corner and here is my attempt to capture some of it.

enjoy and happy monday :)

Church St.

Broad.

marina

Sullivan's Island

we had newlyweds come stay at the unit next door to us for their honeymoon :)

Debordieu

Debordieu (cont.)

Anson

the door. love.

our favorite breakfast diner right around the corner.

our street.

those window boxes. swoon.

xoxo, Landrum

be still.

my husband was recently reminiscing about some wonderful times hunting and fishing (or anything outdoors) with his grandfather as a younger child. he cherished and still cherishes that sweet time, being with his "Papa Bruce" and him teaching him all he knows about hunting and fishing. he laughs often when he tells me that whenever the two of them were hunting/fishing Papa Bruce would always tell him to "be still" (I think for two reasons). #1: to not scare any of the animals away and #2: to just enjoy the moment and the quietness of being in nature.  I often get tickled thinking about my husband as a very young toddler/child squirming around trying very hard to "be still." priceless.

Papa Bruce and Ro. Then.



Now.

I, for one, still have a difficult time "being still." I get restless, thinking about the things I should be doing in order to have a productive day. my stillness is stolen by wandering thoughts and distractions. I find that more times than not, the times that I have the most trouble "being still" are the times when I need to be still the most.

"be still and know that I am God." psalm 47:10 (one of my very favorites) when my life is busy and I can't even sit still long enough to spend time with the Lord, I try to start out my time with Him by praying for focus, and control of those crazy thoughts spinning around in my head. before I even start reading scripture or devotional for the day, I pray to make the most out of that time by focusing completely on Him. the worst is thoughtlessly reading my devotional and then having no idea what the Lord was trying to teach me. the goal of that time is to become closer to the Lord and form a deeper relationship with him...not mindlessly read a couple lines of the devotional and move on with my day. it takes a lot of prayer and self-control but hopefully one day "being still" will come more naturally. until then, I will keep reminding myself that nothing is more important.

have a good one, friends!

xoxo, Landrum

 

orange + avacodo

=               ....a delicious salsa.   :)

because I love to snack. and because I love apps. I could (and have) on many occasions eat just appetizers for dinner.

here's a scrumptious summertime salsa recipe for ya!

 

orange avacodo salsa:

what you need-

1 tbsp. freshly sqeezed lime juice

1 tbsp. honey

1 garlic clove, minced

2 navel oranges

2 tbsp. red onion, diced

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 ripe avacodo, (pitted and diced)

salt and pepper to taste

the prep-

whisk the lime juice with honey and garlic. set aside.

peel the oranges and remove pith with a paring knife. remove segments and dice into half-inch pieces.

mix the next 3 ingredients in a small bowl and toss w/ oranges. gently fold in the lime mixture and avacodo. season with salt and pepper.

serve immediately with chips OR as a topping for grilled chicken or fish!

the best part (for all you diet-ers) : only 60 calories per serving!!

doesn't it sound so refreshing?! enjoy!



beauty tip #2

I owe this discovery to my sis. she brought this product on a family trip, I used a dab (she would argue half the tub)..and was immediately hooked. get ready for it...St. Ives "timeless skin" collagen elastin moisturizer. absolutely, fantastically fabulous.

rated by Dr. Oz as one of the best anti-aging products. not that I love Dr. Oz, but he is a pretty big celebrity to be recommending such a everyday, affordable product that us everyday folks can actually afford. no need to spend a fortune. at just $4.67 (prices may vary), it is indeed the best deal around.

It is technically a facial moisturizer, but my sister uses it all over as a body lotion as well. It is also supposed to be great for pregnancy stretch marks. and at that great of a price, you can afford to slather it all over your body :)



so go get ya some!! have a wonderful weekend, friends!

xoxo, Landrum

roadtrip up north

my entire family headed up to Pennsylvania for the July 4th holiday this week. not the typical independence day trip for us but absolutely wonderful nonetheless.

after surviving the 12 hour car ride with 6 people and a little dog in one car....(no easy feat) we finally arrived in beautiful, cool PA. we usually travel there in the winter (around Christmas time) so it was neat being there in the summer for once! we were able to do some touristy activities while there...we toured the Amish country in Lancaster, PA. very intriguing, to say the least. the epitome of "the simple life." really cool.  we also stopped in Gettysburg...at which time they were having the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. and we caught part of the "reenactment" definitely a first for me.

and then, probably the highlight of the trip...we went to the annual 4th of July parade on the street my dad grew up on AND got to go into the house that he grew up in! the house that we spent so many Christmases in growing up. the current owner was standing on his front porch sipping his coffee on the lovely July 4th morning and recognized my Nana as we were walking (more like gawking) by the house. to our pleasant surprise, the nice owner invited us in to take a look around!! it was very bittersweet going from room to room, remembering and reminiscing...my grandparents lived and raised their boys in that house for 41 years. pretty incredible. I have the fondest memories from that house and family there.  ...so much fun!

overall, we really had some sweet visiting time with my amazing grandmother. She is such a inspiration. I love just being around her. I leave, always wishing we were able to stay longer.

a few snapshots...



THE house :)

 

 

great family bonding all around. and a great trip. thankful.

 

 

 

xo,

L

renewal

its weekends like this past weekend that truly renew the soul. my family is very blessed to have a mountain house up near Jefferson and Boone, NC right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. we don't get up there nearly as often as we would like but when we do...it is simply refreshing. the actual house is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, which is the real beauty of it.  my sweet grandfather originally built the house as a gift to all of his children and grandchildren. I think his intention for the house has been greatly exceeded. all of its visitors not only enjoy their time there but also return relaxed and renewed. the nature and breathtaking mountains surrounding the house serve as a reminder of the importance to slow down, unplug, and be quiet. being the wise, wise man my grandfather was, I think he knew we would need a place to get away from it all.

hoping each of you also have a "renewal spot" in which you are able to escape from our crazy world, and take a deep breath. a place in which "quiet time" is actually quiet time, a place where the pace is a little slower...and a place where you are constantly reminded of God's creation and beauty. here are some pics from our weekend...

'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.' Psalm 51:10

have a happy week, friends!!