I'm Back!

Woo hoo! It's been more than two long weeks without my laptop and I'm happy to say that I'm officially back in business! After trips to both the Apple Store and another computer repair place I was able to salvage everything from hard drive and get it all backed up to an external hard drive (which I know should have done a long time ago). Big shoutout to the dudes at L2 Technologies in Mount Pleasant- you the real mvps. The best part is that I now have this new swanky operating system which has given my computer a major facelift. I seriously feel like I have a brand new laptop (without having to shell out major cash). Just another example of good things coming from seemingly bad situations!

Before I dive back into regular posting I thought I'd give you a peek at what I've been up to since I last posted. It's been a fun filled few weeks of soaking up Charleston. I don't think I could ever get tired of this place- the visual beauty, kind people, and recent cool cultural revival have made me fall in love all over again. Every single day when I drive over the bridge and see the city shining in the morning sunlight I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Yes that's cheesy, but I don't care. I'm in such a happy and content space and I want to share this joy with whoever will listen. :) Anyways- here's a bit of what I've been doing:

<< soaking up the views downtown on a sunny afternoon >> 

<< exploring my neck of the woods in Mount Pleasant >> 

<< walking the Bridge with my roommate and friends >>

<< taking evening jaunts to the Sullivans Island to catch the sunset >>

I'll promise I'll get back to real posting next week- thanks for bearing with me through this entire struggle of a situation! XOXO

-Lanie W.

Technical Difficulties

Hi y'all! I promise I haven't disappeared! I made the mistake of attempting to download the new OS X Mavericks software onto my ancient 2009 MacBook and haven't been able to get it to work since. I have a Genius Bar appointment at Apple tomorrow to hopefully get everything straightened out, but until then I'll sadly be out of commission.

Please bear with me with I work through these issues- if you've experienced something similar I'd love any tips or advice! I promise I'm trying my absolute hardest to get back to a normal posting schedule asap! XOXO

-Lanie W.

Apartment Tour || My Bedroom

I moved into my apartment almost a month ago, and things are finally starting to come together! Last night I finally picked up a digital antenna for my tv (yay for having the Today Show back in my life!) and played carpenter to put together my new coffee table! I have to admit, I'm super proud that I assembled it correctly and was able to follow the directions step by step. Feeling self-sufficient is the jam.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I really love the process of decorating, organizing, and nesting. We moved a lot when I was a kid (ten times) and I kept the trend going throughout college living in a dorm and two separate apartments. I've found that making a home for myself is so soothing while still being a creative challenge that keeps my brain busy. My friends and I literally used to re-arrange my room/furniture for fun during sleepovers and it's something that I still really enjoy.

Revamping and putting together my first post-college room was a huge labor of love that would not have been possible without the help of my decorating partner slash Mom and personal mover slash Dad, so massive shout-out to my incredible parents for all of their help. I really can't thank them enough! Without further ado, here's my room!

// bear with me for a photo heavy post, folks // 

My bedding was a huge part of my room revamp. I finally ditched my (too-small) purple comforter from college in favor of a crisp white duvet with grey trim. It gives my room such a calm, soothing vibe that I wish I would have done this years ago! I randomly found my bedding (and furry blanket!) at Marshalls, but I really love this set from Parachute Home Bedding! The headboard was a hand-me-down that I snagged from our guest house and I'm digging how it really makes my bed the focal point of the room!

My bedside table and dresser got a pretty make-over thanks to, who else, my mom! I've had the set since I was like sixteen months old, so it was definitely time for an upgrade! She totally surprised me by hand-painting the details gold and adding gorgeous new knobs from Anthopologie (that I'm completely obsessed with). Such a touching labor of love that I will always cherish and appreciate. :)

Two of my main Christmas presents were this white desk (that's been my wish-list for years) and tufted bench. I wasn't planning on using them together, but they seriously look like they were made for each other! I also love the way the bench fabric completely matches my headboard- totally not planned! I finally have a space to work and blog that feels like me and I couldn't be more thrilled about it! Huge thanks to my Dad Santa and brother his elves for getting/assembling my dream desk! XOXO 

Thanks to my Grammy for giving me her vintage pineapple bookends- they hold some of my favorite sources for inspiration. Oh, and how fun are my monogrammed mint julep cup (currently holding sprigs from my Christmas tree #rip) and Design Darling business card holder together? Two other fun gifts that make my desk a happy place. 

Next I'm going to style my dresser and buy this tassel garland to hang above my desk. I'd also love to paint the walls light grey and add some curtains. I have a feeling my room is always going to be a bit of a "work in progress"- but that's okay! I'm loving the way it is right now, and am so happy to have a place to call my own! xo

-Lanie W.

Charleston Adventures || Taven & Table

Hello and welcome to my first week of regularly scheduled blogging in forever- it's good to have you! I hope everyone had a nice first weekend of 2015. Mine was filled with errands, relaxing, checking things off my to-do list, reading, and binge watching Friends on Netflix. It was the first time in months I had literally nothing to do and it felt so nice to chill and get things done. I feel recharged and ready to tackle the week!

Today's post is an effort to fulfill two of my 2015 goals- post original photo content / explore new (to me) Charleston places. On New Years Day I played tour guide and took my boyfriend and a few college friends to Tavern & Table, a new restaurant on Shem Creek, for lunch. The menu looked great and since I don't have cable, and the boys wanted to watch football, it was an easy decision.

Shem Creek is one of my favorite areas in Charleston and I'm so happy it's now only a five minute drive from my apartment. It has such a quaint feel and is one of the areas in the city that hasn't been drastically developed in the last five years. We sat at the bar, caught up on each others lives, watched the bowl games, and nommed on their awesome food. I had the lettuce wraps and they were amaze. 

It was the perfect way to kick off 2015 and I would definitely recommend T&T to anyone looking for a great atmosphere and a unique take on southern food! I have a feeling it's going to be the "it" place when the weather turns warm and you can sit outside on their deck.

How did you start 2015? What Charleston place should I tackle next? Any and all recommendations welcome! xo

-Lanie W.

2015 To-Do List

Well, we're officially three days into 2015 y'all! I hope your year has gotten off to a great start. I mean, with all ten seasons of Friends now on Netflix how could it not?! I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend the start of 2015 surrounded by my good friends and sweet boyfriend. It's such a blessing to have people in my life that make me feel happy and loved. :) 

Since I'm the kind of person who works best from a list (#typeA) I've decided to write another "yearly to do" post. I made a similar post at the beginning of last year and am pleasantly pleased and happy to report that I pretty much completed all my goals! These aren't 'resolutions' per say, but rather things, both big and small, I hope to accomplish by the end of the year. Ready or not, here we go! 

1. Find a "home church" here in Charleston to attend regularly // continue to grow in my faith

2. Join a gym and get back into my group fitness groove // keep my overall health a priority

3. Continue to learn and push myself at work // take chances, be assertive, and try new things 

4. Keep in touch with long-distance friends more intentionally // write letters + skype + phone calls

5. Manage my finances + be adult with my spending habits // responsibility > frivolity 

6. Save up enough money to travel someplace(s) new // be adventurous 

7. Get back into running + train to do the Bridge Run 10k // a long-time goal!

8. Unplug every night and read // focus on slowing down and giving my brain a break from electronics 

9. Explore Charleston and take advantage of living in this amazing city // try new places weekly

10. Make new friends and put myself out there // introvert tendencies can hold me back in this area

11. Grow this blog + get a professional redesign (stay turned!) // create unique and authentic content

12. Learn how to truly use my new dslr (!) // post original photos on the blog each week

What are you 2015 "to-do's"? Here's to a healthy, happy, productive new year! xoxo

-Lanie W.

2-0-1-4

Happy 2015 y'all! Hope everyone had a fun and safe NYE! My college friends came and stayed with me in Charleston and I loved playing host in my new apartment! We had a great night cooking dinner at home and venturing downtown to a bar with live music. It was a perfect end to the year with some of my favorite people ever!

Long story short, I wrote a super detailed post yesterday recapping 2014 month by month, but of course when I tried to upload it (before heading out with friends) my internet wouldn't work. I think it was a sign from the universe reminding me to be present with those that I love rather than being online so I decided not to fight it. After re-reading the post this morning I realized it may have been too long, so I've decided to keep my new recap short and sweet:

I'm almost intimidated to try and wrap up the year in a single post! It's hard to communicate everything that 2014 brought to my life. There were so many adventures, changes, leaps of faith, accomplishments, challenges, and learning experiences.

Isn't it amazing that on January 1st we have no idea where the new year will take our lives and by December 31st we get to look back on all the memories we've made? I kind of love it. I knew it would be a huge year for me simply because of the huge life steps that naturally come with graduating college.

Many things ended, and many things began. I made new friends (lookin at you Em), traveled to amazing places, graduated college with my goal GPA, had two very different (but equally awesome) internships, got an amazing job that I'm so passionate about, moved to Charleston, and had SO much fun in between.

I know everyone says this, but 2014 truly was a wonderful year in my life and I'll always look back on it with a smile on my face. I'll be back with my 2015 goals tomorrow, but in the meantime I hope you have a wonderful January 1st! X's and O's. 

-Lanie W.