Life Lately October | Wedding Bells and Sunset Sails

I think October flew by faster than any other month this year! We had several fun events on the social calendar. Here's a peak at what's been going on in my world. 

One of my friends from high school finally tied the knot. The wedding reception was like a little reunion for us all. 

Remember the spicy shrimp stack recipe I posted a little while back? Well, we re-created these savory stacks with fresh tuna. I highly recommend giving them a try!

You just can't beat fresh fish!

We were faced with the turmoil and uncertainty of Hurricane Matthew. I'm so thankful that we are all okay and that there was no damage to our home. Whit and I decided to evacuate to my parents house at the last minute. 

The storm passed and just like that a beautiful blue sky returned, as if nothing ever happened.

Fall in Charleston doesn't consists of leaves changing colors and crisp mornings, instead we are usually blessed with temperatures that allow for afternoon boat cruises.

We did have to break out the long sleeve shirts towards the end of the day. 

Whit and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary by taking a tropical vacation.

We visited St. Thomas as well as the British Virgin Islands. I can't wait to share a recap of our trip with you on the blog next week!

As soon as I returned from vacation it was time for me to pack my bags again. My girlfriend and I hit the road to Virginia for a wedding. Although I had not fully recovered from traveling a few days prior, the excitement of seeing my college girlfriend get married kept me going. 

It was so great to see all of my college girlfriends again. I love that when we get together it's like we haven't missed a beat. 

Since Halloween was on a Monday and I wasn't in town to celebrate over the weekend, the next best option was to wear these adorable shirts to the gym. 

I hope everyone had a great October! I have more traveling ahead of me in the month of November and I can't wait!

Popsugar Must Have Box Thoughts | October

I'm really starting to get hooked on these monthly Popsugar Must Have Boxes. I would relate the feeling of receiving one to opening a Christmas gift early. Technically I could go on the website and take a peak at what I will be receiving beforehand, but I would rather it be a surprise. I've never been a fan of spoilers. 

As some of you may know, if you follow along on social media, I've been out of town on vacation. Which made it all the more exciting to come home to this pink and white box filled with goodies. 

POPSUGAR sent me this Must Have Box to try

Let me tell you a little more about the contents in this photo, starting with this Henri Bendel package umbrella. You can never have too many of these. I literally keep one in my car, my gym bag, by our front door and one in my suite case when traveling. There is nothing worse than getting caught in the rain and not having an umbrella. This one is the perfect size to throw in my purse.

Bubble baths are something I try my best to carve out time for. As weird as it may sound, I'm not very good relaxing because I always feel like there is something that I need to be doing. I'm pretty sure I will be able to pencil in some extra time to enjoy this LALICIOUS Brown Sugar Vanilla Shower Oil and Bubble Bath. It smells heavenly! I actually used it last night after a long day at the gym. 

The weather may not be cool here just yet, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying  My Cup of Cocoa Dark Drinking Chocolate. Hot chocolate is one of my favorite things to sip on, on a cold winter night— well, besides a glass of red wine. I'm looking forward to sipping on some out of my new Morning Culture Rise & Shine Diner Mug!

I'm excited to crack open this Power Your Happy book by Lisa Sugar. I have another trip coming up soon and this looks like the perfect airplane read. 

I recently switched my eye liner to the paint on kind. I like to try different eye liners from time to time, which is why I was excited to find the Revlon® ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in my box. I love the look of a good cat eye using liquid liner. 

And last but not least, The Makeup Eraser Mini. It's the perfect size for traveling. Hotel washcloths can be so harsh on the face, but this cloth is super soft and it's washable.

If you're interested in signing up for these fun monthly boxes, use this special coupon code SHOP5 to receive $5 off your FIRST Must Have Box!

Pieology | Grand Opening + Giveaway

Pieology: the study of custom pizza.

Last month I had the pleasure of attending the pre-grand opening of Pieology's newest location in North Charleston. To be honest, I had never heard of Pieology before. But if anyone knows my love of pizza, then you would understand why this invite was so exciting for me.

We were greeted with a warm welcome and a lesson behind how it all started. I was not only impressed with the quality and freshness of the food but also with their community involvement. They pride themselves on house-made crust, signature sauces and dozens of fresh toppings. They actually don't even own freezers, further emphasizing their belief in fresh not frozen. And as for the pie-lanthropy, they support their local communities by working with people on various fundraising events to raise money for various causes.

You can order off the menu or create your own custom pie. I decided to build my own. You first choose a crust from their list of house made original, whole wheat or gluten free. Next you select your oils which include herb butter, olive oil and a butter alternative, followed by a selection of five different sauces and then your choice of six different cheeses. And last but not least is the selection from their endless choice of toppings. 

How good does this pizza look?!

My husband created his own as well. Let's just say that neither of us needed a to-go box. 

We finished off dinner with a chocolate churro dessert pizza. The thin crust was brushed with butter, drizzled with a sweet cream sauce, topped with cinnamon sugar and Ghiradelli Barista chocolate chips. It was the perfect sweet treat to end our meal with. 

Good news Charleston friends, I'm giving away one gift card for a complimentary lunch or dinner for two! Enjoy two pizzas or custom salads, plus two fountain drinks and one dessert pizza! *Valid only at the North Charleston location. All you have to do to enter is like A Polished Palate on Facebook and leave a comment under the post!

3 Year Anniversary | Our Wedding Day

It's hard to believe that three years ago today Whit and I were standing under beautiful old oak trees, hand in hand, surrounded by our family and friends, as we vowed to love and cherish each other for the rest of our lives. It's a day that I will never forget and one that never gets old, no matter how many times I replay it in my head. 

I'm thankful to have found the love of my life and my best friend. I live for the adventures we share together and look forward to what the future has in store for us. We are currently celebrating in beautiful St. Thomas! Follow us on our tropical adventure on Instagram and Snapchat-myranflowers!

Here are a few photos from our special day. For a full recap, check out our feature on A Lowcountry Wedding blog and our wedding trailer here. 

Every year we pull out our wedding DVD and relive that special day. I'm so glad that we were able to have someone there filming that whirlwind of an afternoon. My advice to future brides, hire a videoagrapher if you can. It was money well spent.You can also click the photo below to be redirected to the video as well.

Cheers to three years and a lifetime of adventure!

XOXO- Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Celebratory Travels

Hello from da Islands! Whit and I are enjoying some much needed relaxation on the beach in St. Thomas and are headed to the BVI's later in the week. We took this trip for both vacation and to celebrate our wedding anniversary which is tomorrow. We have taken a trip each year to celebrate and hope to continue the tradition in years to come. Follow us along on Instagram and snapchat: mryanflowers. 

Last year we traveled all the way to Thailand to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. It was of the best trips of my life! Read about our experience here and here. 

For our 1 year wedding anniversary, we headed to the Great Smoky Mountains. Here is a look back on our trip. 

And for our honeymoon we went to beautiful St. Lucia. I hadn't started blogging at that point, so I don't have a recap, but it was also an amazing trip!

 I look forward to recapping and sharing photos of our current trip when we return!

Life Lately | September: Food and Friends

The month of September brought beautiful weather along with temperatures perfect for enjoying days outside. Labor Day consisted of sitting in a beach chair, toes in the sand, spending time with my girlfriends. 

We also discovered one of the best spots in Charleston to watch the sun go down. This photo really doesn't do it justice. 

In work news, I was able to go behind the scenes on set of Lowcountry Live, a locally produced news-magazine show featuring what's hot, new and relevant in the lowcountry. We had a segment scheduled to advertise a huge event that we were hosting.

My coworker and I were given a wonderful tour of one of Charleston's newest hotels, The Dewberry. Five minutes into the tour, I was ready to move in for a little staycation. The hotel is absolutely stunning (and pet friendly).

We were also treated to a delicious lunch at Henrietta's, the restaurant located in the hotel. The food was outstanding! I'm looking forward to going to back for dinner and cocktails. 

Crispy Duck Confit Salad 

Being the pizza lovers we are, Whit and I had to try out a new spot that recently opened. We ordered the spud's supreme from Bianco's and were very pleased. As they say, it's "just good pizza."

I was so happy to finally have my family over at our house for a Sunday lunch. It's not often that I can get them to come to Charleston, but offering to cook was the right approach. Of course the only photos I managed to take were of the food. We had steak, shrimp and chicken kabobs, cilantro lime rice and tomatoes topped with warm pan-seared mozzarella. 

           

 

Back to the work events. My company hosted their first ever Factory to Table sales event. Four days of shopping, specials and cooking demonstrations. It truly took an army to pull of this event, but it was all worth it. This is what I mentioned that we were promoting on Lowcountry Live.

Photo: Jeff Nass Photography

I headed from one event directly to the next. The Grand Slam Jam took place a few weeks ago and given my company is a sponsor of the Wine and Food Festival festival, I couldn't miss out. This year the party was very relaxed and casual, taking place on College Park Field. This baseball-themed event was complete with craft beer, boozy popsicles and every kind of hotdog, sausage dog and bratwurst you can image, along with so many other tasty bites.

A few of us girls headed to Beaufort for one last summer day on the sandbar.  

We stayed on the boat well past sundown. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to summer. How gorgeous is the lowcountry?!

 The views on the drive back to Charleston from Beaufort are just as beautiful.

I was thrilled to be invited to the pre-grand opening of Pieology. The new location opened in North Charleston a few weeks ago and we were welcomed with open arms. I didn't have to twist Whit's arm when I asked him to tag along with me to this event.We each decided to personalize our own pizzas and they were delicious!

Our dear friends Melissa and Jay came to visit last month. We hosted taco night for everyone at our house. It's always nice to have a night in spent cooking and catching up with friends. 

I went to a baby shower for my sweet friend Megan, who is due with twins in November. She looks so amazing!

We had a much needed girls night at one of my favorite places, Avondale Wine and Cheese. If only I could make this a weekly routine. 

I had the pleasure of attending a guest chef event with Chef Mario Carbone, of Carbone in NYC. I am dying to go to the restaurant now. I had some of the most delicious pastas I've ever tasted. Spicy rigatoni vodka for the win!

I have lots of fun things going on in October as well! Can't wait to share my newest adventures with you next month!